Manila Standard Today - April 23, 2012 Issue

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Ofcials of the Swine Devel-
opment Council also accused the
government of creating an articial
shortage to justify the large-scale im-
portation of pork and chicken, say-
ing neither Biazon nor Agriculture
Secretary Proceso Alcala, who were
sent by President Benigno Aquino
III to meet with the hog and poultry
growers, offered any concrete solu-
tions to help the industry.
We have decided to proceed
with the pork and chicken holiday.
We have no reason to chicken out,
said Abono chairman Rosendo So,
a director of the council.
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TODAY
Standard
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 56 16 Pages, 3 Sections
P18.00 MONDAY, April 23, 2012
No backing off
CHINA, RUSSIA HOLD NAVY DRILLS AMID SHOAL ROW
Aquino hit for insensitivity to growers plight
Oil rms cut pump prices again
Govt hopeful
on new talks
with MILF
Meat holiday still on; supermarkets back protest
PH-US military exercises seen as provocative
Philippines pride. President Aquino and Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn
view the exhibits at the One Esplanade in Pasay City at the inauguration of Puerto Princesas
underground river as one of the worlds New 7 Wonders of Nature. Inset shows a giant hot air
balloon rising at the Luneta that banners the Philippines pride. DANNY PATA.
TODAY
Standard
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 56 16 Pages, 3 Sections
P18.00 MONDAY, April 23, 2012
Keeping our balance
in the Asia-Pacic
(Part 1)
By Francisco S. Tatad
WASHINGTON, DCTo the
credit of the Philippine and Chi-
nese naval authorities, no gunre
has been exchanged, so far, in
the maritime standoff between
the Philippines and China in
Scarborough Shoal, 124 nautical
miles west of Zambales.
In that respect, the incident
has not been nearly half as bad
as the March 4, 1988 Chinese-
Vietnamese naval clash near
the Spratlys in which Vietnam
lost two vessels and some 77
lives. But it has made more than
enough noise to call attention to
the delicate geopolitical situation
evolving in the Asia-Pacic.
The standoff may have less
to do with the Philippines and
Chinas conicting claims over
the Spratlys, which Vietnam,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei
and Taiwan also claim, but more
to do with the question of who
should be calling the shots in the
region nowChina or the Unit-
ed States?
Under whose sphere of inu-
ence should Asia fall seems the
far more compelling and urgent
question today than who should
ultimately occupy the disputed ter-
ritory, which should be resolved
under international law through a
mutually agreed process.
MANDAUE CITYLawmak-
ers on Sunday denounced Presi-
dent Benigno Aquino IIIs sup-
posed insensitivity to the plight
of farmers and producers after
he chose to meet with the for-
eign chief executives of IT rms
and skipped the hog and poultry
growers national convention.
House Deputy Minority Lead-
er and Zambales Rep. Maria Mi-
lagros Magsaysay, Bayan Muna
Rep. Teddy Casio, and Agham
Rep. Angelo Palmones said the
President showed his bias for
multinational companies over
small- and medium-scale Fili-
pino farmers and producers.
The President should not
have ignored the hog and poultry
producers because they are the
ones that ensure food security,
Magsaysay said.
It is the height of insensitivity
and a disappointment to see the
President hobnobbing with foreign
executives while ignoring the hog
and poultry producers.
President Aquino should real-
ize that the hog and poultry grow-
ers would not have complained
had he not shown his bias for the
farmers from America, Austra-
lia and Canada who dump their
products into the Philippines at the
By John Anthony Concepcion
THE slow implementation of the Renewable En-
ergy Act of 2008 worsened the countrys energy
problems and led to the power shortage in Mind-
anao, Senator Edgardo Angara said Sunday.
With 13 other senators, Angara sponsored
the bill that led to the act that many, including
the World Wide Fund for Nature, described as
one of the most comprehensive and forward-
looking renewable energy laws in the world.
Ours has remained a laggard economy be-
cause we have not dealt with our energy prob-
lems decisively, Angara said in a speech de-
livered on his behalf by Luis Arriola of Asean
Biztimes at the recent 2nd Philippine Renew-
able Energy Summit.
Energy is an area that requires clear vision
and a denite direction.
In other developments:
The high cost of electricity in the Philip-
pines and the continuing power shortage in
DISTRIBUTORS rolled back
pump prices on Sunday for the
third time this month as a result
of tumbling world market prices
following the weak demand from
China and the United States, of-
cials said.
Seaoil, Shell, Total and Phoe-
nix announced the cut that took
effect after noon on Sunday.
Ofcials said the cuts were
uniform at P0.65 per liter of pre-
mium and unleaded gasoline,
P0.50 per liter of regular gaso-
line, P0.40 per liter of diesel, and
P0.25 per liter of kerosene.
Sundays rollback was the
third since April 10. It was the
rst price rollback for premium
gasoline, but the price of un-
leaded gasoline has declined by a
total of P1.65 a liter, regular gas-
oline by P1.50, diesel by P1.60,
and kerosene P1.55.
The Energy Department says
the price of Dubai crude has
been falling because of weak de-
mand from China and the United
States and Europes debt woes.
Alena Mae S. Flores
By Joyce P. Paares
THE government is cautious-
ly optimistic of nding more
common ground with the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front on the
issue of a substate in Min-
danao as both parties resume
formal peace talks in Kuala
Lumpur on Tuesday.
Presidential peace adviser
Teresita Deles also expressed
hope that the presence of ob-
servers from the Organization
of Islamic Conferencea rst
in the negotiations with the
MILFwould bode well for
the 27th round of formal talks
on April 24 to 26.
We hope the OIC will be
a positive inuence in moving
the talks forward, Deles said
in a telephone interview.
She said the MILFs peace
panel had started using the term
substate in the talks, but the
government would not allow
the talks to fail just because of
semantic differences.
They have used the term
substate again, but they made
it clear it does not equate to in-
dependence, Deles said.
She said the government had
earlier put on the table propos-
als for an expanded and genu-
ine autonomy in the MILFs
proposed homeland instead.
Energy problems
keep PH behind
Prayover. Friends
and supporters of for-
mer President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo,
who is detained
at the Veterans
Hospital in Quezon
City on charges of
electoral sabotage,
offer prayers during a
reception to mark her
65th birthday on April
5. The post-birthday
potluck affair became
an extended party
for the families who
lost their homes in a
re in nearby Agham
Road.
Next page
To A5
Next page
By Christine F. Herrera and Othel V. Campos
MANDAUE CITYHog and poultry
growers said Sunday they will push through
with a pork and chicken holiday despite the
assurances from Customs Commissioner
Rozzano Runo Biazon that the government
will take action against the rampant smug-
gling of pork and chicken that has been crip-
pling the industry over the last two years.
ANALYSIS
Next page
Russian missile cruiser. Russian
Pacic Fleets agship Varyag, a
Slava-class guided missile cruiser, ar-
rives at a naval base in Qingdao, east
Chinas Shandong Province. China
and Russia are scheduled to hold a
maritime exercise on April 22 to 27.
China-Russia military exercise. Rear Adm. Du Xiping, deputy
commander of Chinas Beihai Fleet, and Captain First Rank Sergei
Yuriyevich Zhuyga, of Russias Pacic Fleet, shake hands during a
welcome ceremony in Qingdao, east Chinas Shandong Province.
By Florante S. Solmerin
and Joyce P. Paares
CHINA and Russia launched
their rst joint naval exercises
with war games in the Yellow
Sea on Sunday, amid Chinas
tensions with Manila over the
territorial disputes in the West
Philippine Sea.
China said the six-day mili-
tary exercises off its east coast
were designed to improve re-
gional stability, but they come
at a time when Beijing is ex-
ing its muscles over its territo-
rial disputes with its neighbors.
Chinas army newspa-
per warned Saturday that the
other military exercises now
Next page
Next page
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News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com APRIL 23, 2012 MONDAY
A2
Myanmars $3.7-b debt condoned
Myanmar President Thein Sein won a
debt forgiveness deal from Japan on his
rst visit as head of state that opens the
way for the Southeast Asian nations big-
gest creditor to resume nancing ports,
bridges and roads.
Japan will forgive $3.7 billion
(303.5 billion yen) in loans and in-
terest to Myanmar, according to a
statement distributed to reporters
before Prime Minister Yoshihiko
Noda met Thein Sein yesterday. Ja-
pan will also roll over 198.9 billion
yen of debt with a new loan, while
vowing to resume aid.
Thein Sein is courting invest-
ment from Japan amid a shift to-
ward democracy over the past year
thats encouraged re- engagement
with developed nations after ve
decades of military dictatorship.
Honda Motor Co. is among com-
panies expressing interest in Myan-
mar, a nation of 64 million people
between India and China.
Japan will extend economic coop-
eration to support Myanmars efforts
for reforms in various areas towards
its democratization, national reconcil-
iation and sustainable development,
Noda said in the statement.
Japan agreed to complete a feasi-
bility study by years end to develop
a port and industrial estate at Thila-
wa, 25 kilometers south of Yangon,
Myanmars biggest city, according
to a statement. The industrial zone
would promote Japanese invest-
ment and help grow Myanmars
economy, the statement said.
The worlds third-largest econo-
my pledged 403 billion yen in loans
to Myanmar between 1967 and
1987, according to foreign minis-
try data. Japan attached conditions
to parts of the debt deal announced
yesterday, such as canceling 176.1
billion of overdue charges after
monitoring the continuation of
Myanmars reform efforts in a one-
year period, said the statement.
As part of the agreement with
Japan, Myanmar agreed to discuss
settling arrears with the World Bank
and the Asian Development Bank,
it said.
Cheap wages, natural resources,
historical ties and concern over
Chinas inuence in Myanmar
make the nation important for Ja-
pan, said Kei Nemoto, a professor
specializing in Myanmar at Sophia
University in Tokyo. Policy mak-
ers are now thinking that the time
is right to deepen engagement with
Myanmar, otherwise Japan may
lose in the competition with other
countries, he said, noting that
China, India and South Korea have
increased ties with the Southeast
Asian nation.
Yangon had the cheapest wages
among 31 cities in Asia, according to
a Jetro survey last year. Workers in the
former capital earned less than $2 per
day on average, compared with $4 in
Cambodia, $5 in Vietnam and $14 in
Thailand, the report showed.
Italian-Thai Development Pcl,
Thailands biggest construction
company, is pushing Japan to pro-
vide nancing for an $8.6 billion
deep-sea port and industrial estate
in Dawei, a Myanmar coastal town
less than 300 kilometers from
Bangkok. The company has named
Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co.
as potential investors.
Honda is interested in building
a motorcycle plant in Myanmar,
Hiroshi Kobayashi, president and
chief executive ofcer of Asian
Honda Motor Co., told reporters in
Thailand on March 31. NTT Data
Corp., the Tokyo-based provider of
network- system services, said on
April 19 it plans to form a subsid-
iary in September that will have as
many as 500 employees by 2017.
Bloomberg
This April 11, 2007 le photo
shows Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb
as he talks with journalists at the
European Parliament in Brussels.
AP
Bee Gees
Gibb out
of coma
ROBIN Gibbs spokesman says
the Bee Gees star has woken
from a coma and is showing
signs of recovery.
The 62-year-old singer fell into
a coma last week after contracting
pneumonia.
Doug Wright on Saturday said
that Gibb on April 21 had been
able to nod and communicate with
his family members, who have
surrounded his bedside for almost
his entire stay in a central London
hospital.
Gibb was hospitalized last year
for stomach and colon problems.
He has not specied the exact
nature of his illnesswidely re-
ported to be cancerbut told the
BBC he had a growth on his co-
lon that was removed.
The Bee GeesBritish-born,
Australia-raised brothers Robin,
Barry and Maurice Gibbhad a
string of disco-era hits including
How Deep is Your Love and
StayinAlive. AP
Aquino..
local producers expense, Casio
said.
All that the hog and poultry
industry needs is fair play and he
promised that during the presiden-
tial campaign, said Palmones,
who attended the growers con-
vention in Cebus International
Convention Center.
The hog and chicken sectors
do not even receive subsidies from
the government, yet they are the
ones being hit hard by the massive
smuggling and uncontrollable im-
portation that have killed 20 per-
cent of the backyard industry,
Ofcials of the Swine Devel-
opment Council said the Presi-
dent conrmed his attendance but
changed his mind at the last minute
after he received a cold reception
from the Mindanao Power Sum-
mit in Davao City a week earlier.
We would have understood
and we would not have felt offend-
ed had he not come to Cebu at all,
Abono chairman Rosendo So, also
SDC director, told the Manila
Standard.
But he came here last Friday
when the three-day convention
was running on its second day,
but he chose to attend instead the
World Electronics Forum orga-
nized by foreign IT companies in
Mactan.
It is not easy to explain to the
backyard farmers, which comprise
70 percent of the countrys total
pork and chicken production, why
the President was trying to ignore
us when we have been seeking an
audience with him for the past one-
and-a-half years.
Agap Rep. Nicanor Briones,
an SDC director, said the Presi-
dent must realize that some 36
million Filipinos were being em-
ployed by the hog and poultry
sectors, including such allied in-
dustries as feed millers, corn and
coconut farmers.
Casio said the government had
an obligation to give priority to
Filipino producers over the farm-
ers in the United States, Australia
and Canada.
In some countries they really
subsidize their farmers. Here in the
Philippines, we abandon them,
Casio said.
Mr. Aquino chose to send Cus-
toms Commissioner Rozzano Ru-
no Biazon and Agriculture Secre-
tary Proceso Alcala to address the
growers national convention.
But the growers found the Presi-
dents speech, which was read for
him by Alcala, out of tune.
No one applauded the Presi-
dents message, which defended
the recently issued Administration
Orders 5 and 6 that the local pro-
ducers reject as being anti-farmer.
We support the local produc-
ersdemand to stop smuggling and
massive importation, Casio said.
Magsaysay said the people in
Customs and the Agriculture De-
partment who were responsible for
allowing the massive smuggling of
pork and chicken products should
be red.
Biazon has admitted that people
have been smuggling pork and
chicken into the country.
It is not enough that Biazon
would only promise to dig deeper
and to investigate, Magsaysay
said.
Those behind the smuggling and
importation must be punished. Heads
must roll. Christine F. Herrera
Energy...
Mindanao have prompted left-leaning lawmakers
Teddy Casio and Luz Ilagan to demand the repeal of
the Electric Power Industry Reform Act and the rever-
sal of the Aquino administrations privatization policy.
Agham party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones said that law
caused the Philippines to get the distinction of having the
most expensive electricity rates in Asia and Oceania
Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, Maguindanao Rep.
Simeon Datumanong, and Zambalez Rep. Milagros
Magsaysay welcomed President Benigno Aquino IIIs
call for a review of the Energy and Power Industry Re-
form Act. But Casio said the Presidents agreement
to review [that law] does not mean anything unless it
is in the framework of junking the privatization and
deregulation of the industry.
Agham party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones said Mr.
Aquinos call to review the controversial law should
nally move the House energy committee to act on
several pending bills for the purpose.
Angara said the clear direction on the countrys pol-
icy on energy had already been charted charted by the
Renewable Energy Act.
We had already arrived on a solution long before
the recent spate of [rolling blackouts] in Mindanao
happened, Angara said.
He said the Energy Department had approved 268
renewable energy service contracts since 2009, but the
important policy mechanisms provided in the renew-
able energy law had yet to be implemented on account
of ongoing deliberations.
Those mechanisms include the Renewable Portfolio
Standards, the guidelines on net metering and Renew-
able Energy Certicates, and the feed-in-tariff system.
While we should weigh matters of immense public
interest carefully, we also should not allow reection
to turn into inaction, said Angara, chairman of the
Senates science and technology committee.
Caution should not evolve into foot-dragging that trans-
lates into an unresponsive, short-sighted energy policy.
We can do better considering that we are the second
largest producer of geothermal energy in the world, next
only to the United States. We are also the top wind power
producer in Southeast Asia, and we receive double the
solar ux European countries get in a year.
Unfortunately, we are not maximizing this poten-
tial or the regulatory framework we had endeavored to
put in place. With Maricel Cruz
Govt...
I guess there might be something
acceptable [eventually], Deles said.
We think we are nding com-
mon ground, but there are several
difculties especially now that the
discussion is on power-sharing,
wealth- sharing and transition.
Deles said the slow pace of the
negotiationswell behind the gov-
ernments target of signing a nal
peace agreement within the year
was to be expected.
It is a political reality, but the
sooner we come to an agreement,
the better, Deles said.
As far as President Benigno
Aquino III is concerned, he really
wants to make sure all the agree-
ments can be implemented. We
very careful that there will be no
misunderstanding [in signing a
comprehensive peace pact].
Earlier, the MILF warned that
the prospect of signing a nal
peace accord within the term of the
Aquino administration was becom-
ing dim.
No...
But we are keeping the date
close to our chest so as not to
allow the importers to ood the
market with imported but very
unfresh meat.
Alcala and the government
should stop the disinformation
campaign that we are backing out
of the plan to hold the pork and
chicken holiday. That is not true.
There is no stopping us.
The campaign has drawn support
from the countrys largest asso-
ciation of supermarkets, which has
said it is open to joining the protest
if it will benet the sector and as-
sociated industries.
We have not received invitation
from them [pork and poultry stake-
holders], but we have always been sup-
portive of the meat sectors concerns,
group president Steven Cua said.
He said his group aware of the
concerns of the meat industry, es-
pecially the technical smuggling of
frozen meat.
That is why we are really care-
ful where we source our meat in-
ventory. If we feel that the source is
dubious, we do not engage with the
suppliers, Cua said.
But there are supermarkets that
carry cheap imports. As much as
we want to self-regulate, we cannot
do so. We do not have the authority
to do that.
In Mandaue City, after a three-
day national convention, backyard
farmers, who make up 70 percent
of the countrys hog production,
agreed to pursue the week-long
holiday proposed by commercial
farms, which make up the remain-
ing 30 percent of the industrys out-
put, So said.
The unanimous decision means
that the daily consumption of some
4.4 million kilos of pork worth
P728 million and 2.2 million kilos
of chicken worth P286 million or a
total of P1.012 billion per day will
not be sold in various markets na-
tionwide, So said.
The decision came after the close
to 3,000 delegates afrmed their
position that Biazon and Alcala,
who both claimed they were sent
by the President to talk with them,
had nothing new to offer.
President Aquinos emissaries
Commissioner Biazon and Secre-
tary Alcala came and went without
offering any concrete solution on
how to arrest the problems that this
government has inicted on us, like
the unabated smuggling and uncon-
trollable importation of pork and
chicken meat that has resulted in
the growers incurring huge losses
and killing 20 percent of the back-
yard industry, said Daniel Javel-
lana Jr., SDC director and president
of the National Federation of Hog
Farmers Inc.
Biazon and Alcala promised
the same promises that they made
to us but failed to keep one and a
half years ago, So told the Manila
Standard.
So and Javellana said the SDC
ofcials would be meeting with
the leaders of the poultry growers
in Manila on Wednesday to decide
on the exact date that the pork and
chicken holiday would be held.
Gregorio San Diego, president
of the United Broiler Raisers
Association, who also attended
the convention, said the poultry
growers were backing the pork
raisers and were in fact holding
the chicken holiday simultane-
ously with the pork holiday.
We have the same complaints
as the pork raisers and the govern-
ment has been deaf in acting on
these problems, San Diego said.
The pork and chicken growers
will decide when exactly the simul-
taneous pork and chicken holiday
will be held. We are not supposed
to announce it. The government
will just nd out there is no pork
and chicken meat in the markets
nationwide.
So and San Diego said they were
mounting the pork and chicken hol-
iday to cut their losses, which had
amounted to P8.5 billion in the last
eight months alone.
Agham Rep. Angelo Palmones
was frustrated by the governments
inaction despite the ling of several
bills and resolutions to address the
problem.
Briones, an SDC director, said
the national delegates were irked
when Biazon and Alcala pretend-
ed to appear clueless about the
growers problems and demands.
They acted like it was the rst
time they heard of the problems
and the demands for solutions,
Briones said.
The President knows we need
his intervention because nothing
has happened in the series of dia-
logues we have had with Agricul-
ture and Customs ofcials for one-
and-a-half years, said Edwin Chen
of the Pork Producers Federation of
the Philippines Inc.
Henry de Ocampo, a backyard
raiser from Argao, Cebu, conrmed
that backyard raisers were the hardest
hit by the large-scale importation.
So and San Diego said the local
suppliers were more than enough
to meet the countrys consumption.
Briones said the government cre-
ated an articial shortage to justify
the massive growth in imports.
De Ocampo said the industry
was also being killed by the unabat-
ed increase in oil prices.
I started with two piglets under
the Arroyo administration, De
Ocampo said.
It grew to 200 head and 20
sows. After the oil prices increased
under Aquino, I am now down to
50 head and no more sows.
Briones said the country import-
ed 109.36 million kilos of pork in
2008. That rose to 178.9 million ki-
los in 2010 under Mr. Aquino.
Chicken imports rose 178 per-
cent in the same period, to 127.22
million kilos in 2011 from 45.77
million kilos in 2008, San Diego
said.
China...
taking place between the United
States and the Philippines could lead
to armed confrontation over the dis-
puted South China Sea, which Ma-
nila calls the West Philippine Sea.
China and several of its neigh-
bors have rival claims to the un-
inhabited islands in the strategic
maritime region, which is believed
to be rich in oil and natural gas and
straddles strategic shipping lanes
vital to global trade.
Sixteen vessels and two subma-
rines from the Chinese navy will
participate the drill, including ve
missile destroyers, ve missile frig-
ates, four missile boats, a support
vessel and hospital ship.
The drills will also involve 13
aircraft, ve shipboard helicopters,
and more than 4,000 Chinese ser-
vicemen, navy sources said.
On Saturday, a Russian naval
task force arrived at the naval base
in Qingdao with four warships from
Russias Pacic Fleet and three sup-
ply ships from their home port in
Vladivostok.
The Russian warships include
the Pacic Fleets agship Varyag,
a slava-class guided missile cruiser,
Marshal Shaposhnikov, Admiral
Panteleyev and Admiral Vinogra-
dov, three Udaloy-class destroyers.
China said the exercises would fo-
cus on joint air defense, anti-subma-
rine tactics and search and rescue, as
well as simulated rescue of hijacked
vessels and anti-terrorism drills.
This joint military exercise is a
long scheduled one between China
and Russia in order to uphold re-
gional peace and stability, foreign
ministry spokesman Liu Weimin
told a news brieng on Thursday.
China and Russia had together
participated in four military exer-
cises since 2005, some involving
other countries, state media said.
Earlier this month, China and the
Philippines dispatched vessels to en-
force rival claims to the Scarborough
Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines and the United
States also started their annual war
games near the disputed waters,
triggering a warning Saturday from
the Peoples Liberation Army.
The mentality behind this sort
of military exercise will lead to the
road of military confrontation and
armed force as a resolution, the
newspaper said.
The commander of the US Ma-
rines in the Pacic, Lt. Gen. Duane
Thiessen, on Sunday said the Phil-
ippines and the US were bound by
a military agreement that would be
activated in the event of an attack
on Filipino forces.
The United States and the
Philippines have a mutual defense
treaty which guarantees that we get
involved in each others defense
and that is self explanatory, he told
reporters in Puerto Princesa.
A general from the Philippine
Marines on Sunday described Chi-
nas warning as war- mongering.
It appears that they [China] are
the ones who are war-mongering.
The Balikatan exercise will not
affect the Panatag [Scarborough]
Shoal issue because the sites of the
exercises are very far from there,
said Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban,
commander of the Puerto Princ-
esa City-based Western Mindanao
Command.
The Balikatan exercise in the
West Philippine Sea is purely eld-
training exercises and civil-military
operations and disaster response.
The Philippines on Sunday said
it would unilaterally raise its sov-
ereign claim on the West Philippine
Sea, including the Panatag Shoal,
to the United Nations International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea if
Beijing refused to accept Manilas
invitation for arbitration.
We can go there unilaterally if
China is not prepared to come with us
to validate its claims at this proper fo-
rum. Our legal team is now studying
this option, Foreign Affairs spokes-
man Raul Hernandez said.
China claims all of the West Philip-
pine Sea as a historic right, even those
well within the Philippines 200-nau-
tical-mile exclusive economic zone
recognized by the United Nations,
such as the Panatag Shoal.
The tribunal is an independent
judicial body established by the UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea
to adjudicate disputes arising from
the interpretation and application of
maritime laws and agreements.
The tribunal, however, requires
the concurrence of both parties in-
volved in a dispute before an arbi-
tration process can begin.
Hernandez said bringing the
issue to the tribunal unilaterally
would result in a validation of Phil-
ippine sovereignty, but not in a rul-
ing on the territorial dispute.
Earlier, Malacaang said it will
not be intimidated by Chinas de-
ployment of its most advanced
shing patrol vessel in the Panatag
Shoal after Manila pulled out its
biggest warship, the Gregorio del
Pilar, from the area.
DAVAO del Sur tribal chief-
tain Dot Capion said Sunday
the sustainable benets from
the mining project in his area
would far outweigh the impact
on the environment that the
anti-mining groups have been
claiming.
Socially and economically,
we are far better now that an in-
vestor has shown interest in our
community, Capion said.
Capion is the tribal chief of
Sitio Bong Mal in Kiblawan in
Davao del Sur, an ancestral do-
main claimed by the Blaan tribe.
The area was infamous for the
large marijuana plantations and
cattle-rustling activities many
years ago.
Sagitarrius Mines Inc., the
government contractor for the
proposed Tampakan mine proj-
ect, is eying Bong Mal as a site
for some of its key operational
infrastructure and facilities.
Socially, we didnt want to
go down the town center and we
didnt want anyone going up to
our area, but with better roads
things changed, Capion said.
Tribal chief
backs mine
APRIL 23, 2012 MONDAY
A3 News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com
IN BRIEF
Tollway is deal of the year
Tuition hikes to worsen
problem of public schools
Pimentel:
Prosecute
ex-poll
ofcial
Justice wants more Sandiganbayan magistrates
House leaders want
Negros special polls
Apply for licensure tests online
Summer of 2012. Two boys inspect the sun-baked banks of the Marikina River as Metro Manila
sweltered on the hottest day of the year so far last Saturday. MANNY PALMERO
Tropical threads. Models display gowns created by the countrys top designers as organizers launched this years celebration of
Flores de Mayo, with the theme Pais Tropicale, which will be held on May 6 at the SM Mall of Asia. SONNY ESPIRITU
Department of Public Works
and Highways Secretary Rogelio
Singson said the citation from
Project Finance Magazine,
published by the Euromoney
Publications for more than 25
years, is a conrmation that
Philippines is doing the right
approach for infrastructure
development.
The P19-billion nancing
for the TPLEX is the rst
[Public-Private Partnership]
project in the Philippines to
feature an all-domestic cast
of sponsors and lenders, the
magazine said.
The P11.5 billion debt
financing is likely to serve
as a benchmark for the
Philippines ambitious
slate of PPP financings in a
variety of transport and social
infrastructure sectors, the
magazine added.
The two-lane TPLEX
connecting Central and
Northern Luzon is a rst of its
kind to be implemented through
PPP and will cut one-and-a-half
hours off the travel time from
Manila to Baguio.
The project, which involves
the two-phase construction of
an 88.58 km. tollway from La
Paz, Tarlac (end of the Subic-
Clark-Tarlac Expressway) to
Rosario, La Union, is now 67
percent complete for Phase 1
covering Tarlac City to Carmen,
Pangasinan.
The Philippine government
recognizes PPP as an approach
to invest resources for adequate
road infrastructure inasmuch
as the national government
has less nancial resources to
invest on expressways.
The project was awarded
through bidding to the
concession of Private
Infrastructure Development
Corp. (PIDC), led by San
Miguel Corporation and D.M.
Consunji Inc.
Compared to earlier
transportation projects,
bidding award for TPLEX
Project was based on lowest
toll offered rather than
lowest construction cost. The
bidders were also compelled
to provide letters of interest
from lenders rather than
underwritten commitments.
The DPWH has undertaken
reforms needed to create
a more transparent and
conducive environment for
private business and help
generate more bankable
projects.
Financing for the project was
undertaken by three domestic
banks, namely BDO Unibank,
Development Bank of the
Philippines and Land Bank of
the Philippines.
The project also employed
a contractor-led process that
essentially involved the project
company serving as its own
engineering, procurement and
construction contractor.
DPWH ofcials said the
completion of the expressway
will contribute to improving
trafc condition along
McArthur Highway and will
provide faster, safer and
more comfortable means of
transportation to northbound
vehicles and vice versa.
The Phase 1 is the
construction of new two-lane
expressway, 23 viaducts, eight
interchanges, two central toll
plaza, one toll operations center
building, 12 bridges and 63
underpasses while Phase 2 will
be the expansion into four lanes
to be undertaken when capacity
reaches 25,000 vehicles.
By Joel E. Zurbano
A LONDON-BASED trade magazine
cited the Philippines Tarlac-Pangasinan-
La Union Toll Expressway (TPLEX)
project as the Asia-Pacic Transport
Deal of the Year 2011.
By Gigi Muoz-David

SENATOR Aquilino Koko
Pimentel III urged the
Department of Justice to allow
the Commission on Elections
to prosecute former poll
supervisor Lilian Radam, the
alleged principal accused in
the electoral sabotage cases
he led after the May 2007
election.
DoJ prosecutors earlier
led a petition to drop Radam
from the case and make her a
state witness against former
Comelec chairman Benjamin
Abalos despite a Comelec
resolution rejecting the idea.
Too many cooks will spoil the
broth, said Pimentel, chairman
of the Senate committee on
electoral reforms, stressing that
the move of Assistant State
Prosecutor Maria Elvira Herrera
and Assistant City Prosecutor
Orlando Mariano seeking to
drop charges against Radam
may complicate the case led
against Abalos.
The DoJ prosecutors,
however, claried that they
led the motion in compliance
with the requirement of the
law mandating the Justice
department to le the motion
as soon as the accused is
admitted into the governments
Witness Protection Program of
the government.
The Comelec has nothing
to do with our motion, we
are just complying with the
requirement of the WPP law,
Herrera said.
Last April 18, Pasay
Regional Trial Court 117 Judge
Eugenio de la Cruz ruled the
Comelec has waived its right
to present Radam as witness in
the bail hearing of the electoral
sabotage case led against
Abalos.
The court ordered the
prosecution to present their
documentary evidence and
the petition for bail will be
submitted for resolution after
both parties have submitted
their respective comments.
However, Comelec lead
prosecutor Esmeralda Ladra led
a motion for reconsideration to
allow them more time to present
their case in the bail hearings.
Judge De La Cruz has set the
hearing on May 4.
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Department of Justice supports
the passage of a measure in the Senate
seeking to increase the number of
associate justices in the Sandiganbayan,
which has exclusive jurisdiction to try
cases of graft and corruption.
In a position paper submitted to
Senator Teosto Guingona III, vice
chairman of the Senate committee on
Justice and Human Rights, Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima stressed the
necessity to augment the number of
justices at the anti-graft court for the
speedy resolution of cases.
De Lima was referring to Senate
Bill No. 3111, authored by Guingona,
which proposes that the Sandiganbayan
be composed of 44 associate justices
from the current composition of 14.
The legislative measure also seeks to
allow the Sandiganbayan to designate
one justice, instead of three, to hear the
case and receive evidence.
The provision is intended to relieve
two other justices of the duty to be
present during all the hearings and
reception of evidence so that they
could attend to some other cases or
other ofcial matters.
De Lima agreed that more justices are
needed in the Sandiganbayan, but she
proposed that the opinion of the anti-
graft court magistrates, particularly its
presiding Justice Francisco Villaruz,
be solicited in order to determine how
many associate justices are still needed
to facilitate the disposition of cases.
While there is a need to increase
the number of associate justices in
the Sandiganbayan, a thorough study
should be made to determine how
many associate justices are still needed
as well as the number of divisions
that should be created for Visayas and
Mindanao, De Lima said.
However, the Justice Secretary
opposed the provision in SB 3111
allowing one justice, instead of three,
to hear the case and receive evidence.
According to De Lima, since the
Sandiganbayan is a trial court, it
is important that all three justices
should be present during the hearings
to enable them to render the right
decision.
The Supreme Court held in several
cases that ndings of fact by the trial
court are entitled to great weight on
appeal and should not be disturbed
unless for strong and cogent reasons
because the trial court is in a better
position to examine real evidence, as
well as to observe the demeanor of
witnesses, while testifying in the case,
the DOJ chief stressed.
This amplies the importance of
the presence of all the three justices
who are expected to render judgment
based on what they will observe during
the hearings, De Lima explained.
By Vito Barcelo
APPLICANTS for the various li-
censure examinations administered
by the Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC) can now avail
of the agencys online application
system, the Labor Department an-
nounced over the weekend.
The PRC has launched its
online application system to
enable applicants for the various
PRC licensure examinations to
le their applications online.
The PRC, an attached agency of
the DoLE, aims to provide faster
and more accessible services to
its clients through its e-services
programs, one component of which
is the online application system.
Its better to go online than
to fall in line, Labor Secretary
Rosalinda Baldoz said, adding
that the PRCs online application
system will enable applicants for
licensure examination to le and
process their application through
the internet, anytime, anywhere.
Instead of falling in line and
waiting, PRC licensure applicants
can now apply for the examinations
in the comforts of their home, ofce,
school, or a nearby Internet cafe.
This means that at the initial stage,
the applicant need not come to the
PRC to encode the information that
the PRC requires, Baldoz, said .
The online application system
is part of the commitment of
the PRC to fully computerize
its system as mandated under
Republic Act 8981, or the PRC
Modernization Act. It is in line
with the PRCs slogan, Go
on-line, not in line, said PRC
Chairperson Teresita R. Manzala.
Manzala said that to use the
system, PRC applicants only
needs to log on at the PRC Web
site www.prc.gov.ph/online/
application to encode and submit
their application.
However, they will still be
required to go to the PRC for the
verication of their documents,
but this is before the deadline of
the application for their chosen
examination, for payment, and
to get their notices of admission
or test permits.
Any error in the encoded
information that applicants
committed when they applied
online can be corrected during
the validation process, said
Manzala, adding that the online
application system has been
already been successfully
pilot-tested at the PRC ofces
in Baguio, Davao, and Cebu
where the PRC received positive
feedback from online applicants.
HOUSE Majority Leader and Manda-
luyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II
appealed to election lawyer Romulo Ma-
calintal to get out in the way on the con-
stitutional mandate of the Commission
on Elections (Comelec) to administer a
special election on June 2 to ll the va-
cancy in the fth congressional district of
Negros Occidental left behind by the late
Rep. Ignacio Iggy Arroyo.
Gonzales, chair of the powerful House
committee on rules, said Macalintals
petition asking the Comelec to declare
illegal the scheduled June 2 special poll
would only delay the supposed equal
representation of Arroyos constituents
in the House of Representatives.
I dont know how he (Macalintal)
can (stop). It is a constitutional duty of
Comelec to conduct a special election,
Gonzales said, stressing that the House
of Representatives adopted the resolu-
tion on March 12 and was transmitted
to the Comelec the following day.
Gonzales said that the special polls
will be of the best interests of all con-
cerned parties. Maricel Cruz
LAWMAKERS warned the Department
of Education (DepEd) of the huge num-
ber of enrollees ooding public schools
this coming school year after the ap-
proval of various petitions by at least
120 private educational institutions for
increases in their tuition.
Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng
Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mama-
mayan (AGHAM) party-list Rep. Angelo
Palmones said the DepEd decision to grant
the petitions of some 100 private schools in
Metro Manila could further aggravate the
worsening conditions besetting the public
educational system such as lack of school
buildings and textbooks.
My worry is the surging enrolment in
public schools, plus the transfer of those
who can no longer afford private educa-
tion. This will surely result to more short-
age of teachers, classrooms, books, etc and
right now, we are facing a shortage in class-
room supplies, like chalk, Palmones, vice
chair of the House Committee on Science
and Technology, said in a text message.
Meanwhile, at least 300 higher educa-
tion institutions are seeking the permis-
sion of Commission on Higher Educa-
tion (CHED) to increase tuition for the
next school year. Maricel Cruz
Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com APRIL 23, 2012 MONDAY
A4
YESTERDAY was Earth Day.
For the Philippines, the theme
was Earth Day, Every Day,
Everywhere.
Go v e r n me n t a g e n c i e s ,
local government units, and
environmental groups planned
activities for the occasion. An
Earth Day Festival, advertised
through social networking sites on
the Internet, was held at the Cultural
Center of the Philippines grounds.
Its aim was to make people aware
that caring for the environment is
simple and fun.
Last month, the Philippines
was a signicant participant in the
observance of Earth Hour, when
all lights were turned off between
8:30 and 9:30 in the evening. The
Worldwide Fund says a record-
breaking 1,671 RP cities, towns,
provinces and municipalities joined
the global switch-off.
The Philippines supposedly
bested all other countries in terms
of getting its citizens to participate
in this event.
But despite the big to-do over
these environmental events, the
Philippines remains a country
weighed down by environmental
probl ems bot h nat ural and
manmade.
Certainly, we cannot do anything
about our geographical location,
which makes us vulnerable to
typhoons and earthquakes. Nor
can we do anything of impact
with regard to the level of the
greenhouse gases already in the
atmosphere, caused by hundreds of
years of industrialization led by the
worlds leading economies.
We can do many t hi ngs,
nonetheless. The problem is that for
all our lip service to the grand cause
of protecting the environment, we
are not able to do even half of what
we are supposed to accomplish.
Garbage problems especially in
the waterways remain. After the
Ondoy tragedy more than two years
ago, local government units were
instructed to relocate squatters to
get them out of harms way and to
prevent them from throwing their
trash indiscriminately. Alas, local
leaders resorted to courting the
squatters votes for the next election.
Segregation of garbage is a
good practice. It is being done in
schools, ofces and other places.
In ordinary households, however,
the concept is still foreign. It does
not help that garbage collection is
irregular and even non-existent in
some areas.
The use of paper over plastic
wrappers, when applicable, is also
a commendable practice. In fact,
paper bags and reusable containers
have become fashionable. An
ordinary citizen, however, may
go one step further and refuse any
bags whatsoever, if possible, for
purchased items.
Strong emotions such as outrage
over indiscriminate logging and
mining and the use of toxic
substances will yield results only
if they are sustained, and if they are
the product of careful study instead
of mass hysteria.
Finally, merely participating in
text and Internet voting to secure
the distinction of being a new
wonder of the world does not make
one an environment advocate.
Caring for the earth is a lifestyle
and a commitment. It is a conscious
choice to do mundane things for the
environment consistentlywithout
fanfare, without drama. Every day,
everywhere, indeed.
Token environmentalism
Manong Fred asked
me to opine
CALLING Alfredo Tadiar a well-
respected lawyer is to make an
understatement. His credentials speak
for themselves. Manong Fred, as I
am privileged to call him, told me in
a recent gathering in Tuguegarao: I
want you to opine on the resolution of
the Scarborough issue. Coming from
Manong Fred, that was nothing short of
a directive.
Bajo de Masinlocthe Scarborough
Shoalis not an island, neither is it within
the territorial sea of the Philippines. It is
important to be univocal about what our
claim is. Are we claiming territory? If
we are, unless the
Philippines and
China submit to
conciliation or
arbitration, which
seems unlikely in
the light of Chinas
intransigence, then
recourse to judicial
resolution through
the International
Court of Justice is
almost futile. It can
be taken for granted
that China will
refuse to submit to
the jurisdiction of
the court. But it
seems that what we are protesting, and
rightly to my mind, is Chinas bullying
over shing rights. Not only do Chinese
shermen poach on the shoal; Chinese
gunboats shield the poachers from
attempts by the Philippine Navy to
evict them. At 124 nautical miles from
the nearest coast of Luzon, the shoal is
clearly within the Philippine Exclusive
Economic Zone. It is not territorial
rights we should be asserting then, but
sovereign rights, that include rights over
marine resources. Of course, if we are
not even clear about what it is that we are
claiming, we will be more unsure about
the recourse we must take.
This is what distinguishes the
Spratleys dispute from the Scarborough
showdown. The two should not be
identied, and the legal issues are
likewise distinct. In the case of the
Spratley islands, we are claiming
territory, treating the Spratleys under
the Regime of Islands title of the UN
Convention of the Law of the Sea. They
are too far away to be encompassed by
the straight lines that the archipelagic
doctrine allows us to draw. Bajo de
Masinloc however is a series of rocks
and coral reefs, and I am not altogether
convinced that it makes much sense to
make a territorial claimdistinguishing
between the few rocks that jut out of the
sea at high tide, and the body of water
around the rocks.
The Philippiens and China alike are
parties to the UN Convention on the Laws
of the Sea. Both entered reservations
when signing the treaty. Whether these
reservations are effective or not is another
matter, because reservations made
where none are allowed, or those that
contravene the very purpose of the treaty,
can have no force. Given the experience
of the international community with
the difculty the International Court of
Justice has had with acquiring jurisdiction
over recalcitrant state-parties, the
Convention provides a mechanism
for the compulsory settlement of
disputes. When a State becomes a party
to the Convention, or its accession, it
makes a declaration as to the mode of
settlement mechanism it opts forbut
opting for none is not a choice! The
choices are: the International Tribunal
of the Law of the Sea, the International
Court of Justice, arbitration as provided
for in the Convention itself and a special
arbitral tribunal. The default setting is
arbitration: this means that when States
are not in agreement over the mode of
resolution, or have opted for none, then
they are subject to arbitration.
If it is territory we are claiming then
we may have to nd a way of dragging
China before the International Court of
Justice or some special arbitral tribunal
and this will be a long-shot indeed,
considering that
China has dug in
its heels, and puny
Philippines is unable
to drag giant China
anywhere! However,
if it is sovereign rights
we are asserting, then
we might just be
able to invoke Part
XV, Section 2 of the
Convention. The
problem is that
Art. 297(3)(a) of
UNCLOS provides
that where a coastal
States sovereign
rights are concerned,
such a coastal state is not compelled to
accept the dispute settlement methods
laid down. It is my position that it is
the Philippines as coastal state may or
may not submit itself to the compulsory
settlement dispute mechanisms of Part
XV. But if it is the Philippines itself
that invokes them, then China is in no
position to reject them.
But let us not give up on conciliation
as yet. States loathe losing cases
before international tribunals because
subsequent action in violation of
judgment would be clearly illegal. Even
a State with tremendous muscle like
China would not like to be the rascal of
the neighborhood. And when we have
taken resolute steps at reconciliation and
China continues to refuse, then let us turn
to the courts and arbitral tribunals that the
Convention makes availablebut only
after we in the Philiippines have spoken
as one about what it is exactly that we
are claiming.
It does not help that representatives
of government speak discordantly: while
some insist that we are claiming territory,
others assert sovereign rights. The
dispute within our government ofces
must be resolved rst, and then let us, with
all resoluteness, invoke the compulsory
dispute settlement mechanisms provided
for in the Convention.
Waiting for a diplomatic solution to
bloom like a hundred owers is more
futile than waiting for Godot. We should
make use of the compulsory procedures
for settlement of disputes provided
for by UNCLOSbut let us speak as
one about what it is that we claim, and
conicting positions taken by different
ofces or representatives of government
do not help at all!
r a n n i e _ a q u i n o @y a h o o . c o m
rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph
rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph
EDITORIAL
A tree-cutters impunity
COULD advocates for the environment be
overlooking an important issue, blinded as
they are by the more fashionable protest
over the SM-Baguio redevelopment
project and the earth-balling of 182 trees?
Should they not be protesting instead
against the apparent special treatment
being given by the Sandiganbayan Fourth
Division to a former mayor who confessed
to having cut down trees illegally?
Some quarters say the bigger black-
eye that has been inicted on the crusade
to save our trees concerns the case of ex-
Montalban Mayor Pedro Cuerpo.
As mentioned in our column over a
month ago, Cuerpo has been charged by the
Ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan
for alleged violations of the Revised
Forestry Code. The charges were led
by the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources in 2005. Involved in
the complaint were 30,000 board feet of
illegally-cut logs worth some P10 million
which were found in Cuerpos possession.
Recall that the DENR then was
criticized for moving too slowly on
Cuerpos illegal logging cases. Speculation
was that there were instructions from the
powers-that-be at that time to go slow
on Cuerpo who happened to be a major
supporter of then President Arroyo.
In November of last year, however,
DENR Secretary Ramon Paje nally marked
a major feat by winning an approval from
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales for
the ling of charges against Cuerpo.
Morales also ordered that Cuerpo not
be allowed to post bail.
Have the wheels of justice have nally
moved?
Maybe, maybe not.
Reason: despite the Ombudsman
order, Cuerpo remains scot-free.
The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division
has apparently not issued a warrant
of arrest against the suspect.
And now, the whole Cuerpo affair may
have been unnecessarily overshadowed
by the outcry over trees that are not even
going to be cut only earth-balled.
We heard Secretary Pajes earlier
explanation regarding the Baguio mall
issue. According to him, the mall owners
were merely exercising the right of
ownership. He added that the trees were
not being cut but were merely being
transferred elsewhere.
The same could not be said in the
case of Cuerpo who, per records from
the Ombudsman, admitted having cut the
logs and admitted ownership of the logs.
In fact, as the story went, the DENR and
police ofcers had to back off after then-
incumbent Mayor Cuerpo, told them that
he owned those logs.
Cuerpo had neither legal possession nor
ownership of these logs. And those trees
were wantonly cut with no commitment
or action to replace them.
So, which one deserves the publicly
outcry more?
The Baguio mall issue is being made to
look like a setback on the part of the DENR.
On the other hand, the Ombudsmans
action in ling charges against Cuerpo is
seen as a DENR victory. It was the DENR
which exercised much patience to ensure
that the day would nally come when a
suspected big sh illegal logger
could be brought before the bar of justice.
Yet, despite the Ombudsmans order
disallowing Cuerpo from posting bail,
he remains free. No warrant of arrest has
been issued against him in accordance
with established legal procedure.
This is unfair to the DENR. This makes
the feat incomplete and sends the tragic
signal that justice apparently delayed
during the Arroyo administration remains
denied under the Aquino dispensation.
The enforcement of Morales no bail
order against Cuerpo can be done only by
the Sandiganbayans Fourth Division. Its
members alone can explain why a confessed
tree-cutter remains scot-free and has not
been issued a warrant of arrest.
There were hopes that Secretary Pajes
victory in the Cuerpo case would serve
notice to those who desecrate our forests
that the new DENR leadership is serious
in its campaign against illegal logging.
But now, there are questions as to
whether or not the Fourth Divisions
inaction on Cuerpos no bail order
could be sending a counter-signalthat
political connections remain a major
deciding factor as to who gets special
treatment and who does not.
We had the impression that Cuerpo
is a cousin of former President Arroyo.
Members of the Fourth Division may
have been Arroyo appointees, too. We
hope that political ties are not getting on
the way of the proper execution of justice.
Yes, the Ombudsmans action is a big
win for the DENR. But its not complete
until the Sandiganbayans Fourth Division
issues a warrant of arrest and rules on the
case.
Perhaps, some of the passion of
pro-environment advocates should be
channeled to this impending victory
against illegal logging. Or impending
defeat depending on which way the
pendulum of justice swings at the
Sandiganbayans Fourth Division.
We can only hope that this would be a
win for the environment.
ALVIN
CAPINO
COUNTER-POINT
FR. RANHILIO
CALLANGAN AQUINO
PENSES
Waiting for a
diplomatic solution
to bloom like a
hundred owers
is more futile
than waiting for
Godot.
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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ROGELIO C. SALAZAR President & CEO
Earth Day
After Earth Day
A5 Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com
THIRTY-FIVE years ago, during the
martial law regime, then-President
Ferdinand Marcos imposed a travel
tax for Filipinos traveling out of the
country. Included in the imposition
of travel tax were resident aliens and
non-resident aliens who have stayed
in the country for more than one
year. Limited exemptions were put in
place, namely: for overseas Filipino
workers, government officials
whose travel was being paid for by
the government,
f o r e i g n
d i p l o m a t i c
officers, minors
two years old and
below, among
a few others.
The travel tax
was over and
above the airport
terminal fees
being charged
when one
departs from
an airport. The purpose of the tax
was purportedly for the support of
tourism services and facilities in the
country.
All the other administrations after
Marcos adopted the imposition of
the travel tax. Hence, even if one
travels to a nearby destination such
as Hong Kong or Taipei for only a
couple or so days, the amount of
travel tax remains the same: P2,700
for first class travelers and P1,620
for economy and business class
passengers. And because we have
been paying travel taxes for more
than three decades now, it seems like
an inevitable part of foreign travel.
But is it? No other country in the
world imposes travel taxes on its
citizens. What is usually imposed
in other countries is a departure tax
which is equivalent to our airport
terminal fee. Based on reports, the
terminal fee of P750 collected from
every international traveler amounts
to an average of P8.5 billion a year.
This figure does not yet include the
travel tax imposed on Filipinos,
resident aliens and foreigners
who have stayed in the country
for at least one year. Figures for
yearly collections on travel tax are,
unfortunately, not accessible.
What is perplexing about
the travel tax is that the Bill
of Rights in our Constitution
explicitly states that the the right
to travel shall not be impaired
except in the interest of national
security, public safety or public
health. The word impaired, as
appearing in dictionaries, means
diminished or weakened.
Does not the imposition of a travel
tax not diminish or weaken a
Filipino citizens enjoyment of his
constitutionally-guaranteed right
to travel? I submit it does. The
amount is by no means negligible
which may discourage a person
from traveling unless really
necessary. It does, in fact, eat into
the budget allotted by an ordinary
person for his travel expenses.
The Constitution of the United
States of America, on the other hand,
does not explicitly guarantee to its
citizens the right to travel. Yet, this
right is respected with no impairment
except for national security reasons.
No taxes are imposed on its citizens
for travel outside the US, except the
usual departure or airport terminal
fees.
But assuming for arguments sake
that the government is justied in
imposing the travel tax to support its
tourism efforts, have we seen a marked
improvement in our travel and tourism
facilities over the
past 35 years?
Let us examine
NAIA Terminal 1.
This international
airport was rst
built on the same
site, where it is
now located, in
1961. When a
re gutted the
building, the
i n t e r n a t i o n a l
airport was
temporarily moved to where the
domestic airport now is. Then in 1981,
or 31 years ago, Terminal 1 was rebuilt
and re-opened at the original site
where it now continues to stand. Since
then, no signicant and substantial
improvements have been made on the
airport while the rest of the world,
including our Asian neighbors, have
built new and world-class airports.
Recently, we have earned the infamy
of having the second worst, if not the
worst, airport in the world.
One cannot help wondering where
our travel taxes and the airport
terminal fees go. We have been
made to accept, albeit unwillingly,
an impairment of our constitutional
right to travel for some 35 years now.
Yet, what has the government got to
show for it? Is it not time to give
back to the people their unimpaired
and undiminished right to travel?
***
Tuguegarao seminar for judges.
Last week, I was with the Philippine
Judicial Academy team which
conducted a training seminar for
Region 2 judges on the effective
use of the new and expanded Bench
Book for trial courts. Joining us
in the workshop was Fr. Ranhillo
Aquino, my co-columnist at the
Manila St andar d Today, who is
the Vice President for Academic
Affairs of the Cagayan State
University and the Dean of the San
Beda College Graduate Studies. Fr.
Aquino treated us to two evenings
of sumptuous dinners. His kind
hospitality affirmed what we
Filipinos can proudly proclaim to
the world: Despite our governments
shortcomings in providing the best
facilities for its visitors, the Filipinos
generosity, good heart and hospitality
more than make up for the structural
inadequacies. Thank you, Fr. Rannie!
E-mail: ritalindaj@gmail.com
Visit: www.jimenolaw.com.ph
Is the travel tax
constitutional?
Election xation
BONG C.
AUSTERO
ARE WE THERE YET?
THIS xation with an election that will
happen four years from now is premature,
immature and amateur. It serves no
public purpose and meets no common
good except to keep the chattering class
busy calculating the odds of those who
will run in the presidential derby in 2016.
That, or perhaps to give the usual
suspects in Philippine politics ample
time to bet on the right horse or trade
the wrong one. In fairness to the
thoroughbreds who many think will duel
in what will eventually become a two-
horse race, they could still be napping in
their stables but if you hear the noise in
the grandstand you would think that they
are already prancing in the starting line.
A month is an eternity in Philippine
politics. But if one listens on how
surrogates prop up their candidate and
put down the competition, one gets the
impression that the polling precincts
will open in hours and their bet will be
proclaimed winner in days.
The incumbent President Benigno
Aquino III is not even one third into his
term, but the jockeying for the pole position
in the race to replace him has begun. This
should no longer surprise us. The fact is
we have the longest de facto presidential
primary in this part of the world.
But unlike the American model in
which delegates are corralled in state
ghts governed by rules, the Philippine
version is an unrefereed brawl.
This could be the reason we are
getting unli text blasts that either
commend a presidential timber or cut
him down to the size of a presidential
toothpick. Lately, the war has surfaced
in the open with camps no longer
content at just taking potshots at each
other but are exchanging broadsides.
The gloves have come off early.
This is just air war component of
it . Or make it the dirty air war. Just as
intense is the ground war where ,with
the energy of multi-level marketing
mavens, parties are beeng up ranks
with political stragglers who undergo
a quick fashion makeover of donning a
new party uniformeither yellow or
orange, and with matching wristbands to
bootand presto! They are cleansed of
their sins and welcomed as born-again
democrats.
We dont know if their nding a new
home arose from true conversion or out
of political convenience - and electoral
math - that as gatekeepers they can deliver
their efdoms to their new party.
Whatever the reason, the magnitude
of turncoatism is so staggering that
it is akin to seeing vanquished Nazi
divisions going to bed with Iron Crosses
and swastikas on their uniform and
waking up in victorious Allied uniforms.
Well, politics is addition is old
adage. In this era of turbocharged mass
defection, the new mantra is politics is
multiplication.
Some say, however, that having a
bicameral executive branchconsisting
of the houses of Balay and Samar (or is
it now the Coconut Palace?)actually
triggers a contest for excellence which
bodes well for the people as they benet
from the good performance by the
agencies under their spheres of inuence.
If the President, by design, has
indeed assembled a team of rivals whose
individual ambitions fuel excellence
in their assigned tasks, then maybe it
is the kind of a presidential primary
that we want, one that is based on job
performance, and not on some silly tally
of how many political orphans one has
lassoed in or the marquee names one has
lured to some senatorial ticket.
On second thought, that is asking too
much from our candidates and expecting
too much from our people. Call me a
pessimist, but I think we are eons away
from the day when an ofcial will be
rewarded with a higher ofce because
he had built more houses or elded more
trains that run on time.
It will still be Botoxed faces and
blowdried hairdos in Photoshopped
posters, captioned with killer slogans,
plus digitally-enhanced TV ads that tugs
the heart with easy to sing-along ditties ,
with some sprinkling of myth and large
doses of black propaganda that will sway
this telenovela-addicted nation to vote
for a candidate.
Just the same, it is too early to talk
about 2016 when grave problems
confront the nation.
Nobody gives a hoot on who will spend
his way to the countrys top and toughest
job 49 months from now when millions
are presently unemployed. And to this
teeming jobless, lling 12 job vacancies
in the Senate is farthest from their minds.
If this is an intramural within the party
in power, then it should be reminded that
it is too early to offer yet another vision
when it has not fully revealed one or
offer new promises when old ones have
yet to be redeemed.
To those whose eyes moist when
they are addressed Mr. President, just
a reminder: You may drop the ball when
you are too focused on the crystal ball.
Prejudice and discrimination
PASTOR APOLLO
QUIBOLOY
PLUMBLINE
RITA LINDA
V. JIMENO
OUT OF THE BOX
No other country
in the world
imposes this on its
citizens.
(Continued fr om page 1)
As far as memory serves, that
question never publicly arose from 1947
to 1992, when the US 13
th
Air
Force was still headquartered in
Pampangas Clark Air Base, and the
US 7
th
Fleet home ported in Subic
Naval Base in Zambales, and before
China became the worlds second
most powerful economy, with the
second biggest annual military budget
and weapons development program
after the United States.
But it seems to have become the
most vital question for all the other
smaller Asian countries, in framing
their respective foreign policies.
China has not displaced, and is
not about to displace the United
States as the preeminent power,
but it has become the biggest new
political reality in the region and
the world.
Its global economic rise, amid
the slowing of the US and European
economies, has encouraged many
analysts and strategic thinkers alike
to proclaim a shift of soft
power from the Atlantic to Asia
Pacic. Not many would deny China
the right to expect, if not exact,
greater deference and respect from
all its neighbors because of its
new global status.
No Chinese leader has said Asia
belongs to China, or what a Filipino
foreign secretary once foolishly
said in the sixties, (for which he
was promptly sacked)that Asia
is for the Asians, and that by
same logic, the Philippines was
only for the Filipinos. But given its
peculiar historical experience, China
is understandably not eager to
see Americas regional inuence
persist at the cost of its own
legitimate aspirations and interests.
Inversely, the US cannot possibly
entirely welcome Chinas meteoric
rise, whatever else it says in pub-
lic, for political correctness. As
the redoubtable former US Secre-
tary of State Henry Kissinger puts it
in his latest article in Foreign Af-
fairs, the Chinese see the United
States as a wounded superpower
determined to thwart the rise of any
THOSE who are virulently against the
idea of allowing a transgender woman
to get a shot (just a tiny, small crack)
at joining the Miss Universe contest
anchor their objections around four
things.
First, that the essence of the Miss
Universe contest will be ruined by the
entry of women who do not meet what
is being hailed as the ultimate measure of
womanhood, which is the capacity to bear
children. Second, that transgender women
are not natural and have had the distinct
and unfair advantage of having had their
looks improved by advances in cosmetic
surgery. Third, that the move will reduce
the value of the supposedly prestigious
title and reduce it to a caricature. And
nally, that the annual beauty pageant is
already great as it is, why change such a
great thing?
People can hem and haw, try to be
scholarly and sound benevolent, but I
think theres only one reason why these
people feel revulsion at the idea of
seeing a transgender woman sashaying
down the ramp during a Miss Universe
pageant.
Its the same reason why lesbians,
gays, bisexuals, and transgenders
continue to live in the margins of
society. Its the same reason why
women continue to be relegated to
perform support roles in the Catholic
hierarchy (forget about having women
priests or even a woman Pope in the near
future). And it is the same reason why
people living with HIV/AIDS, people of
color, cultural minorities, even people
with disabilities suffer from stigma and
discrimination. All together now, its
really plain and simple prejudice. Its
plain and simple bias against certain
types of people based on negative
attitude or assumptions made without
considering objective information. Its
basically just reacting based on strong
feelings, opinions, and very often,
irrational fear.
Lets debunk the four main reasons
people are citing as basis for their
objections.
The paradigm that says the capability
to give birth is the essence of being a
woman is discriminatory. It excludes
women who, by choice or circumstance,
cannot or have not given birth. Besides,
if that paradigm were absolute, how
come the pageant does not allow women
who have given birth to compete? How
come the pageant disallows winners
to continue their reign once the get
pregnant? How come they do not
impose fertility testing on contestants as
a qualication for joining the contest?
To discriminate against people who
have beneted from science to enhance
their physical appearance is not only
hypocritical; it is patently absurd. We
might as well disallow further advances
in cosmetic science. Besides, it is nave
to believe that 100 percent of beauty
queens have not had cosmetic surgery
done on themselves.
The belief that allowing transgender
women to compete for Miss Universe
will reduce the worth of the title is a
matter of perspective. There are already
quite a number of people who think that
beauty pageants are pernicious and
perpetuate the commercialization and
sexualization of women. Allowing
transgender women will turn off certain
people, but it will also imbue the
whole pageant with social relevance.
A Miss Universe pageant that stands
for equality, that is more inclusive, and
which is actively engaged in efforts to
destroy structural discrimination is not
such a bad idea. Those who continue to
insist that if it aint broken dont x it,
should just be reminded that civilization
happened and we all enjoy the comforts
of modern day conveniences precisely
because some people dared to push us
out of our comfort zones. Wasnt rock
music declared the work of the evil in
the fties? Werent women denied the
right to vote for the longest time?
And that yarn about how transgender
women would eventually outnumber
natural-born women is far-fetched.
I mean, come on, theres a limit to
what medical science can do to erase
masculinity in most transgender women.
It requires a lifetime of commitment to
change gender and perhaps, just for that,
they deserve some empathy.
By shutting the door on transgender
women, we are in effect saying that yes,
our doctors can make money out of
them, they can contribute to society in
some ways, they can even be considered
women. But sorry, theres a limit
to how much they can achieve self-
actualization. Its just a variation of the
metaphorical glass ceiling.
The issue is equality. And this also
means that transgender women just
need to qualify and compete on equal
footing. Jenna Talackova is just asking
for a chance to compete in the Miss
Universe Canada pageant. She has not
won the title. They just want the chance
to be counted, what exactly are they
taking away from us that deserve our
condemnation?
Keeping our balance...
From A1
challenger, of which China is the
most credible. No matter how
intensely China pursues cooperation,
some Chinese argue, Washingtons
fixed objective will be to hem
in a growing China by military
deployment and treaty commitments,
thus preventing it from playing its
role in the Middle Kingdom.
It will be the task of the US and
its Asian allies to assure China
this is not so, just as it will be
Chinas task to assure them and the
rest of the world that it does not
seek to become a hegemon at the
expense of their legitimate
aspirations and interests.
This would call for
far greater collaboration
and cooperation than we
have seen so far in the region or
anywhere else. But it seems not only
possible but above all necessary
to build what Kissinger calls a
Pacific community, in which neither
China would feel encircled by
the US and its allies, nor the US feel
excluded by China and the
rest, but where the two great
powers, and not the least Japan,
Asean, India, Russia and Korea
would play their distinct and
indispensable roles.
With Russia in the north, Japan
and South Korea in the east, Vietnam
and India in the South, and Indonesia,
Malaysia and the Philippines
across the Spratlys, even a highly
empowered China may not be able to
avoid feeling encircled. That
feeling is not likely to go away in
the face of the latest US ofcial
announcement from Seoul, tending
to conrm earlier reports that
on his Asian tour last year, US
President Barack Obama had sought
to create a ring of re around
China.
At the Second Nuclear
Security Summit attended
by Obama and 52 other
heads of state and government in
Seoul on March 27, US Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Global
Strategic Affairs Madelyn Creedon
announced the US plan to build
an anti-ballistic missile defense
shield across Asia, similar to
what it plans to build around the
Russian border in Europe.
This followed reports
about Australia agreeing
to provide multiple
bases for military aircraft, including
drones, warships and troops in
Darwin, Brisbane, Perth and Cocos
Island in the Indian Ocean, and the
Aquino government and the once
powerful Liberal Democratic Party
in Japan pledging open support
to Obamas reported initiative on
China.
Philippine Foreign Secretary
Albert del Rosario has been quoted as
sayingwithout any subsequent
denial or claricationthat the
Philippines welcomes increased US
military presence in the country and
its use of ve airelds and ports,
even without reference to any
treaty authorizing it.
Things like these could make the
concept of a Pacic community a
little more difcult to push.
Despite that, the Philippines could
probably help move such a project
by helping remove the mutual
suspicions that have long dogged
China-American relations and
helping provide the epoxy that could
bring the two powers
closer together. Despite
the natural capacity of
Philippine politicians for making
the most egregious mistakes even
when unprovoked, Filipinos as a
people are uniquely positioned to
provide that kind of service.
(continued tomor r ow)
News
ManilaStandardToday
mst.daydesk@gmail.com APRIL 23, 2012 MONDAY
A6
IN BRIEF
Manila Bay bird sanctuary stays
(MST-Apr. 16 & 23, 2012)
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Transportation and Communications
CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
MIA Road corners Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1300
Tel:(+632)879-9286
NOTI CE OF PUBLI C HEARI NG/CONSULTATI ON
Pursuant to Sections 17 and 26 of Republic Act 9497, the Civil Aviation Authority of the
Philippines (CAAP) will conduct public hearings/consultations regarding the proposed
increase of Passenger Service Charge (Terminal Fee) on all National Airports operated
by CAAP.
All public hearings shall start at 9:00 oclock in the morning of the following scheduled
dates and venues listed below. .
Area
Center/Airports
Date Venue Proposed Passenger
Service Charge
AREA III
Puerto Princess
Busuanga
Romblon
Cuyo
April 26, 2012 and
May 10, 2012
Puerto Princesa
Airport Intemational - P700.00
Domestic P200.00
P150.00
P100.00
P 50.00
AREA IX
Cagayan de Oro
Butuan,Ozamiz,
Siargao and Surigao
Camiguin and lligan
Malabang and Wao
May 3, 2012 and
May 17, 2012
Cagayan de Oro
Airport Domestic P150.00
P150.00
P100.00
P 50.00
AREA V
Iloilo, Kalibo and
Bacolod
Roxas
Antique
May 24, 2012 and
June 7, 2012
Control Tower, Kalibo
International Airport Intemational - P700.00
Domestic P200.00
P150.00
P100.00
AREA VI
Tagbilaran
Dumaguete
Ubay and Siquijor
May 31, 2012 and
June 14, 2012
Tagbilaran Airport Domestic - P100.00
P150.00
P 50.00
AREA VIII
Zamboanga
Dipolog and
Pagadian
Sanga-Sanga, Ipil,
Jolo, and Siocon
June 21, 2012 and
July 6, 2012
Zamboanga
International Airport International - P700.00
Domestic - P150.00
P150.00
P 50.00
AREA X
Davao
Gen. Santos
Colabato
Tandag and Blslig
Allah Valley and Mati
June 28, 2012 and
July 12, 2012
Gen. Santos
International Airport Intemational - P700.00
Domestic - P200.00
Intemational - P700.00
Domestic - P150.00
P150.00
P100.00
P 50.00
AREA IV
Legaspi
Naga, Masbate. Virac
and Daet
Bulan and Sorsogon
July 19, 2012 and
August 2, 2012
Legaspi Airport
Domestic - P150.00
- P100.00

P 50.00
AREA l
Laoag
Tuguegarao, Basco,
Baguio and Cauayan
Itbayat, Palanan,
Vigan, Bagabag,
Lingayen
July 26, 2012 and
August 9, 2012
Termi nal Bui l di ng,
Laoag International
Airport
International - P700.00
Domestic - P200.00
P150.00
P 50.00
AREA VII
Tacloban
Catarman,Calbayog and
Ormoc
Bi l i ran Hi l ongos and
Maasin
August 16, 2012 and
August 30, 2012
Tacloban Airport Domestic - P150.00
P100.00
P 50.00
AREA II
San Jose
Marinduque
Alabat, Jomalig,
Lubang, Plaridel,
Mamburao, lba,
Pinamalayan,Wasig,
Calapan, Baler
August 23, 2012 and
September 6, 2012
Terminal Building,
San Jose Airport,
San Jose,
Occ. Mindoro
Domestic - P150.00

P100.00

P 50.00
The CAAP invites the public to attend and participate in the said public hearings/
consultations.
For particulars, please contact Mr. Jose Briones, Head TWG Committee on Revised Fees
and Charges at Offce Tel. (02)8799122, (02)8799125 and (02)8799126.
RAMON S. GUTIERREZ
Director General
(MST-Apr. 23, 30 & May 7, 2012)
REGIONAL TRIAL COURT
National Capital Judicial Region
BRANCH XIV, MANILA
In Re: Petition for Cancellation
and/or Correction
of Entries in the
Certifcate of Live Birth
of Noli F. Gallinera
NOLI F. GALLENERA,
Petitioner,
- versus -
LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF
MANILA
Respondents.
Special Proc No. 11-126843
For: Correction of Entries
x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x
O R D E R
A verifed petition was fled
before this Court by Noli Furaque
Gallenera for the correction of
entries in his Certifcate of Live
Birth.
It was alleged in the Petition
that petitioner discovered that his
frst and last name as registered
in the copy of his birth certifcate
from the National Statistics
Offce (NSO) had erasures and
alterations. Petitioner's frst name
and last name in Item No. 3 were
erroneously entered as "Glicerio"
instead of "Noli" and "Gallinera"
instead of "Gallenera". Petitioner's
father's name in item No. 7 was
erroneously entered as "Glicerio
Gacelo Gallinera" instead of
"Glecerio Gacelo Gallenera".
Further, petitioner prayed that the
erroneous entry as to the date and
place of petitioner's parents in Item
No. 24 as "2 May 1920 in Bulusan,
Sorsogon" be deleted. In order to
refect the true and correct entries,
petitioner prayed that the said
erroneous entries in his Certifcate
of Birth be corrected.
WHEREFORE, fnding the
Petition to be suffcient in form
and substance, let the same be
set for hearing on May 16, 2012 at
10:00 o'clock in the morning before
this Court sitting at the 2
nd
Floor,
Old NAWASA Bldg., A. Villegas
(formerly Arroceros) St., Ermita,
Manila.
Let a copy of this order be
published once a week for three (3)
consecutive weeks at the expense
of the petitioner in a newspaper of
general circulation in Metro Manila
to which the same may be raffed
to. Any person having or claiming
any interest under the entries
whose correction are sought may,
within ffteen (15) days from notice
of the petition, or fromthe last date
of publication of such notice, fle
his/her opposition thereto.
Further, petitioner is hereby
directed to furnish the Offce of the
Solicitor General with a copy of
the Petition with its annexes and
of this Order, within fve (5) days
from receipt hereof, and to show
compliance with the same.
SOORDERED.
Manila, Philippines, December
21, 2011.
(Sgd.) B. ALBERT J. TENORIO, JR.
Judge
Boy Bayong leads Earth Day celebration in Pasay
New Immigration ofce created
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
THE EcoWaste Coalition deployed its
mascot Boy Bayong to the Earth Day
2012 celebration at the CCP Complex
in Pasay City yesterday to encourage
people to stop using plastic bags and
shift to the traditional and ecologically-
sustainable bayong, or bags made of
woven palm leaves.
EcoWaste Coalition president Roy
Alvarez said they hope to encourage
Filipinos from all walks of life to
personally commit to reducing climate
and environmental pollution by
switching to reusable carry bags and
containers.
The fragile state of our environment
requires a key revision to our
inconsiderate consumption and disposal
habits that tend to view Mother Earth
as a boundless source of raw materials
to be extracted and consumed and as a
dumping ground for leftover toxics and
wastes, Alvarez said.
During the celebration at the
Kalikasan Complex at the CCP in
Pasay City, Boy Bayong greeted
and inspired the public to think out
of the plastic bag and embrace eco-
alternatives to the ubiquitous symbol of
our throw-away culture: plastic bags.
The group said eco-alternatives to
plastic bags include bags and baskets
made from native plants such as abaca,
bamboo, buri, coconut, karagumoy,
nipa, pandan, rattan, water hyacinth
and other local ber materials, cloth
bags fashioned out of used clothes,
curtains, pillow cases, bed sheets and
blankets as well as fabric scraps and
our bags, and carry bags from used
rice, garlic and onion sacks.
The group said shoppers can
limit the use of plastic containers
to wet goods, such as meat, sh and
poultry.
The mascot also assisted Zero
Waste advocates Ofelia Panganiban
and Christina Vergara in sharing skills
to festival visitors on how to minimize
the generation of garbage at home or in
the workplace through the application
of the 3 Rs and more.
3Rs pertain to the green mantra
reduce, reuse, recycle to which the
group has added a few more Rs such
as repair (for broken stuff), rot (for
organics) and reject (for products
packed in excessive packaging as well
as those laced with toxic chemicals,
genetically modied organisms and
other substances of concern).
The Philippine Reclamation
Authority belied earlier claims
made by an environmental group
that the man-made bird sanctuary
would be removed to make way
for the reclamation.
The PRA has always been
one with the Manila Bay Critical
Habitat Management Council
(MBCHMC) in preserving
this critical habitat. We have
secured this place long before its
declaration as a critical habitat.
We will continue to protect it,
Eduardo Destura, representing
the PRA, said in a speech before
the council during Earth Day
celebration rites.
PRA, together with its
partners and developers will
endeavor to preserve this habitat
and prove that progress and
A BIRD sanctuary located along the
Paraaque coastal area, which has become
the subject of intense debate in recent
months, will be preserved and become part
of a major eco-tourism development that
will rise on nearby reclaimed lands.
development can work hand-in-
hand to protect the environment,
he added.
Contrary to what others
have been saying, Destura
stressed that the mangrove will
not be part of the proposed
reclamation.
We shall maintain the integrity
of the habitat. Add to that, it is
being considered to be integrated
to the overall development plan
for eco-tourism purposes. Together
with local government, we intend
to enhance this habitat to make it
a more suitable and sustainable
sanctuary for wild birds, he said.
He further explained that the
PRA is a government agency
mandated by law to contribute
to the nations developmental
goals by creating new lands
through the use of scientic
methods and new technology,
to ensure sustainability.
In recent months, the bird
sanctuary, formerly a squatters
colony, had been the subject
of debate in media after
environmentalists fearing its
removal said it would affect the
thousands of migratory birds that
breed in it.
The media scrutiny brought to
light another issue, the increased
number of bird strikes at Manilas
main airports nearby. The
sanctuary is within the ight path
of the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport and Terminals 2 and 3.
Of late, former Las Pias
Congresswoman Cynthia Villar,
whose family owns one of the
countrys biggest real estate
rms, alleged that the reclamation
would bring about oods.
However, a thorough study
by DHI Water and Environment
of Denmark, an internationally-
recognized rm specializing in
urban ood management, water
utilities, water resources, coastal
engineering, and environmental,
health, and safety risk assessment,
refuted the claims, revealed that
the project would actually help
mitigate the effects of ooding
due to rising sea levels.
Included as key components
of the reclamation are: the
dredging of the Paranaque
river to increase its depth by
two to three meters; dredging
of the Las Pias/Zapote river
mouths to increase their depth
by one to two meters; removal
of a sandbar near the mouth of
the Las Pias river to improve
water ows during heavy rains,
and construction of a 35-meter
water channel gate to improve
water ow.
It will also involve periodic
dredging and the construction of
a retention pond and a oating
debris boom that will reduce the
amount of garbage blocking river
passageways.
The local governments of
Las Pinas and Paranaque have
expressed support for the project
which is expected to boost the
economy of, and bring thousands
of jobs to, both cities.
Boy Bayong ECO WASTE COALITION
Courtesy lane for ADB meet
THE Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA) will designate a tempo-
rary courtesy lane on Roxas Boulevard for
the use of delegates to the three-day annual
meeting of the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) next month.
MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said
the courtesy lane will be for delegates trav-
eling from their hotels to the Philippine In-
ternational Convention Center in Pasay City
where the conference will be held.
Two lanes of Roxas Boulevard will be
declared off-limits to other vehicles during
the conference from May 2 to 5, but after
the delegates vehicles have passed, it will
be opened again to normal vehicular trafc,
the MMDA chief said during the agencys
weekly radio program yesterday.
Around 4,000 economic and nance
ministers and senior government ofcials,
business leaders, ofcials from international
nancial institutions and civil society repre-
sentatives are expected to attend the three-
day conference.
Tolentino said the MMDA will also be
designating courtesy lanes in other areas
where the agency will enforce a modied
daytime truck ban during the conference.
The MMDA chief said he is set to meet
this week with truck operators to discuss the
planned modied truck ban.
There will be adjustments on the time,
particularly on San Marcelino Street in Ma-
nila and near the Luneta Park from May 2 to
5, he said, adding that trucks and container
vans will be prohibited from plying those ar-
eas during the day.
Tolentino said such vehicles will only be
allowed there from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
However, the MMDA assured trucks car-
rying perishable cargo will be exempt from
the daytime truck ban in the affected areas
to ensure the supply of basic goods in the
metropolis.
Safety measure. Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista explains to former Vice
President Noli de Castro the purpose of a marker in one of the places identied by
the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology along the the West Valley
Fault Line in Barangay Libis. Bautista also inspected the disaster preparedness in
the vincinity along with Councilor Eufemio Lagumbay; Elmo San Diego, of disaster
risk reduction management council and head of the department of public order and
safety; and disaster control division chief Noel Lansang.
By Vito Barcelo
THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has cre-
ated a new ofce to hasten the processing of
clearances, certications and verications of
the immigration status of foreigners.
Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. issued a
memorandum order creating the Verication
and Compliance Division which will now
handle the previous functions of three separate
ofces under two divisions in the bureau.
Under the memorandum order, the verica-
tion and certication unit (VCU) and deroga-
tory section under the BI administrative divi-
sion were transferred under the VCD while the
former anti-fraud division was downgraded to
the anti-fraud section under the VCD.
David said the VCDs creation aims to
hasten processing of requests for verica-
tion of the immigration status of foreigners
and certications of arrival and departure re-
cords of international travelers.
Also to be expedited, he added, are re-
quests for certications or clearances usu-
ally needed by Filipinos who have the same
names as those in the bureaus hold depar-
ture list, watchlist or blacklist.
This new ofce will likewise address
the need to implement a system of post audit
and verication of all visa and alien registra-
tion applications, the BI chief said.
David explained that, henceforth, the VCD
shall act as the central clearance, verication
and compliance-monitoring unit of the BI.
Manila offers free
swimming lessons
MANILA Mayor Alfredo S. Lim
launched the Free Learn to Swim pro-
gram for Manilas children and out-of-
school youths at the Army and Navy
Club on Roxas Boulevard.
Lim said Manilas school children
and out-of-school youths will now be
able to learn to swim for their individual
well-being and health and for survival
during calamities and emergency situa-
tions requiring swimming skills.
The mayor encouraged Manilans to
take advantage of the facilities available
at the citys sports complexes includ-
ing the swimming pools where they can
swim safely for free.
The citys swimming pools are located at
the Arturo Tolentino Sports Complex (for-
merly known as Dapitan Sports Complex)
on Instruccion St. in Sampaloc in District
IV, Bagong Buhay Swimming Pool on Pe-
dro Gil St. infront of La Concordia College
in District V, and the Army Navy Club in
Kalaw near Roxas Blvd, also in District V,
and the Jose Cyria Cruz on Selia St. in Pan-
dacan near Plaza Balagtas in District VI.
He said an Olympic-size swimming
pool located in the citys Manila Boys
Town Complex in Parang, Marikina is
also open to the public this summer.
However, he warned residents against
swimming in Manila Bay where the wa-
ters are polluted and contaminated with a
host of diseases-causing bacteria, includ-
ing fecal coliform from human and ani-
mal waste. Macons Ramos-Araneta
Pasig hiring students
for summer jobs program
MAYOR Bobby Eusebio welcomed
2,500 underprivileged but deserving
students as the Pasig City government
launched its Summer Program for the
Employment of Students.
Spearheaded by the Pasig Employ-
ment Services Ofce, the program is
a yearly activity for in-school youths,
aged 15 to 25, that aims to help them
augment their familys income and en-
sure the continuity of their education.
The beneciaries will be working in
various city departments and national
ofces and will receive the salary of a
casual government worker.
Aside from providing much needed
nancial assistance, the program instils
good work values, enhances people skills
and cultivates the spirit of public service.
The beneciaries will be assigned to the
city governments lead departments and
ofces tasked with the implementation
of its commitment to a safe, healthy and
clean Pasig Green City.
Based on their aptitudes and inclina-
tions, the students will be assigned to do
computer work, clerical functions, eld-
work, survey and census, drafting work,
gardening and other environmental
projects as well as community work by
helping educate street children through
tutorial lessons and be a part of the citys
Kalusugan Patrol Program.
A7 Sports Riera U. Mallari, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
Eight nal events in track and eld and 16
in swimming kick off the countrys longest-
running sports showcase for outstanding
collegiate athletes marking its 20
th
edition since
the PRISAA Games was revived in 1991.
Up for grabs at the newly renovated track
oval by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama
are the golds in the mens and womens
1,500-meter races, mens 110-meter hurdles,
womens 100-meter hurdles, mens and
womens shot put and mens and womens
long jump.
At the adjacent Olympic-sized swimming
pool within the complex is a loaded program
consisting of the nals of mens and
womens 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter
breaststroke, 200 buttery, 100 backstroke,
400 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 4x50
medley relay and 4x100 freestyle relay.
While De la Salle-Dasmarias swimmer
My MMF is also my BFF
Swimming, athletics begin
CEBU CITYSwimming and athletics take the
spotlight as competition in the 2012 Private Schools
Athletic Association National Collegiate Games
goes into high gear on Monday at the Cebu City
Sports Center here and nearby venues.
IF you have your BFF, I have my
MMF. In fact, my MMF is also
my BFF.
And what does MMF stand
for?
Moying Martelino Forever.
Moying Martelino, whose
closest friends call himYingmo, is
oneguy youwill hatetohateif, by
any chance, youwill beintroduced
to him and will become sort of
closetohimafterward.
Once Yingmo and you will
hit it right off, he will love you
all his lifeeven if you would
soon learn to hate the one habit
he loves: Smoking. (Do you still
smoke, Yingmo? I ask because
I havent seen you in ages. The
last time we met was in 2006,
but only for about two minutes
as I had to hand to you my
application papers to cover the
Doha Games that year.)
You can tell Yingmo straight
to his face that you hate him
because of his chain-smoking
ways, but he will just smile at
youeven love you all the more.
Most times, he can be funny,
you know.
Yingmo has guts you will
love, including the one that, I
believe, can never be done by
even the so-called bravest men
in history, like Hitler, Bonaparte
and, yes, Diego Silang, if not
Dagohoy.
And that is, to frontline
for youwithout hesitation.
Without regard for his safety,
honor even.
One morning many, many
years ago, Yingmo and I had a
date.
Please arrive before 9 a.m.
tomorrow, Yingmo said to me. I
will doit, thoughtheheavensfall.
What he would do was
unbelievable.
Yingmo would talk to Gen.
Hans Menzi, the stern, non-
smiling owner then of Bulletin
Today (the Martial Law name of
Manila Bulletin).
I was a sportswriter for the
Bulletin then, recruited by my
compadre, Ding Marcelo, and to
whom I am forever indebted; I
became a sportswriter mainly
becauseofParengDing. Thesports
editor then was Lito Fernandez,
who nowlives in the US. Lito was
replaced by Pareng Ding shortly
afterthe1986EdsaRevolution.
At the appointed day with
Yingmo, I arrived at the Bulletin
about 8:30 in the morning.
Yingmo came in at about 8:45.
General Menzi checked in at
minutes before 8, as usual.
And what was Yingmos
mission that day?
To request General Menzi
to allow me to cover the Pesta
Sukan Games in Singapore; the
Philippine quintet was set to
defend its crown there.
Why you? Why not Lito? I
asked.
Your boss had asked me to
do it, and I said, No problem,
Lito, Yingmo said.
Uh-oh. Who can beat that?
Yingmo was then the secretary
general of the Basketball
Association of the Philippines,
whose president, Lito Puyat, is
Yingmos brother-in-law.
As the BAP sec-gen, Yingmo
was the most powerful basketball
animal inthelandthePBAbeing
non-existent yet then.
After Yingmo and I had
been ushered in to the ofce
of General Menzi (may his soul
rest in peace), Yingmo began by
saying, Good morning, General,
IN BRIEF
AL S. MENDOZA
ALL THE WAY
TWO years after breaking into
the sport of triathlon, 14-year-
old Mark Gregory Pile nally
won a gold medal to lead
winners in yesterdays Century
Tuna 2012 Super TriKids Multi
Sports Festival at the Narra Park
inside Ayala Alabang Village,
Muntinlupa City.
Leaning on his strength in
swimming and biking, Pile built
a comfortable lead over his rivals
en route to a solo nish in the
male 13 to 15 STK category in
the event organized by Triathlon
Association of the Philippines, in
cooperation with Ayala Alabang
Village Association and sponsored
by Century Tuna.
Im very happy because this is
my rst gold medal since joining
the sport two years ago. The medal
will further inspire me to improve
on my performance in coming
races, said Pile, an incoming
second year Ateneo high school
student, who recorded the best
time at 26 minutes, 2.66 seconds.
Sixteen-year-old Edward
Vince Macalalad also booked
his rst victory, even as multi-
titled Nicole Danielle Eijansantos
and Margarita Delos Reyes
piled up another gold medal to
their collection for topping their
division in this one-day event
also supported by David Salon,
Gatorade, Fitness First, Speedo,
Standard Insurance, Philippine
Sports Commission and Asian
Centre for Insulation Philippines.
Standing at 59, Macalalad
proved that his decision to leave
basketball was right as he topped
the mens mini-sprint class
(26:07.69) over another 16-year-
old rival Javier Adrian Ocampo
(28:33.42).
Teener Pile wins triathlon gold, nally
Binay graces Forum
IN a rare, personal appearance, Vice
President Jejomar Binay will be the
special guest in tomorrows session of
the weekly Philippine Sportswriters
Association Forum at Shakeys UN Ave.
Binay, also president of the Philippine
Badminton Association, is coming with
new PH badminton team coach Rexy
Mainaky of Indonesia, players Malvinne
Ann Alcala and Marky Alcala, and PBA
secretary general Albee Benitez.
PSA president Rey Bancod of Tempo,
said that in order to accommodate the
hectic schedule of the Vice President,
the forum will be held an hour earlier
at 9 a.m. The second part of the forum,
aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918,
and presented by Smart, PAGCOR, and
Shakeys, features the ofcials of URCC-
Colt 45 XXI Warpath led by founder and
organizer Alvin Aguilar, and the ladies of
the Petron Beach volleyball tournament,
headed by Tisha Abundo, who is holding
the second leg on April 30 to May 1 in
Lingayen, Pangasinan.
ACE karters return to action
as they tackle the different
challenge of the long and wide
course of the Batangas Racing
Circuit in the second leg of
the 2012 Petron Karting Super
Series set April 28 and 29 in
Rosario, Batangas.
VJ Suba of FERN-C Racing
guns for a back-to-back victory
that will rm up his hold on
solo leadership in this event
sanctioned by the Automobile
Association Philippines and
sponsored by Petron Blaze, San
Miguel Corporation, Motorstar
and Aeromed.
Suba, who garnered 40 points
in the ROK Overall class in
the kickoff leg, actually won
the Batangas leg last year with
younger brother Vrei-AR Suba
and Daniel Miranda of Cebuana
Lhuillier-Marcelo Racing
checking in second and third.
But with the wide feature
of the track that opens so
many doors for overtaking,
the Batangas leg could end up
anybodys race.
Christopher Joseph CJ
Tsui of Industria Racing, who
wound up fourth in the kickoff
leg, is second overall just ve
points behind Suba with 35,
while teammate Franco Reyes
is third overall with 29.
Another Industria Racing
karter Javi Benitez and FERN-C
Racings Milo Rivera are tied at
fourth, toting identical 23 points,
while Estefano Rivera also of
FERN-C Racing follows with 15.
Another intense showdown
for supremacy looms between
top teams FERN-C Racing and
Industria Racing.
Petron
karting in
Batangas
Riviera golfest slated
THE Riviera Sports and Country Club in
Silang, Cavite invites enthusiasts of golf
and other sports to join the different sports
events lined up during The Riviera Summer
Golf Festival from April 25 to 29.
Win up to P5,000 in the daily golf
skills challenge activities for all ages and
skill level at the Par3 Executive Course.
Kids may join the free clinics for golf,
taekwondo and soccer from April 25 to
27 at 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
Visit the sports sale at the main
clubhouse for great deals from Titleist,
Footjoy, Ping, US Kids Golf and more at
the main clubhouse.
Join the rst Riviera Family Fun Run
on April 29 for only P250 for a minimum
group of four runners and get to enjoy
other club facilities including the
swimming pool with the giant slide.
For inquiries and tee-time reservation,
call 964-7855, 697-0520, 0917-8400119
or email golffestival@gmail.com or visit
www.golfmix.ph/rivieragolffestival.
DEL Run assured of 30,000 tree seedlings
THE DEL Run (Save the Marikina Watershed Run)
successfully gathered some 3,000 runners Sunday at
the Marikina Sports Park.
Gil Munar, Committee Head of the DEL Run,
said the organizers committed 10 trees for every
registered runner to be planted in 20 hectares of land
within a protected area in Rizal province.
We are thankful to all runners, who joined the DEL
Run. This assures us about 30,000 tree seedlings for
the restoration of the Marikina Watershed, Marikina
Mayor Del De Guzman said.
Three different categories are available in the fun
run which are 5K, 10K, and 21K. The categories are
also divided into Male and Female divisions. Cash
prizes, medals, and certicates are awarded to the
winners of each category.
For the 21K Male category, winners were Eduardo
Buenavista (1st), Elmer Samal (2nd), Cris Sabal (3rd), while
placers in the 21K Female category were Aileen Tolentino
(1st), Cinderella Agana (2nd), Luisa Raterta (3rd).
The DEL Run is a project spearheaded by the city
government of Marikina, in cooperation with the
Rotary Club Zone of Marikina and Department of
Environment and Natural Resources.
Jaevico Dalay, who was last years
most bemedalled male athlete,
wont be around to make waves,
back in action is University of
San Carlos mermaid Lorendale
Echaves, who will aim to surpass
her glittering haul of seven golds
and one silver medal in last years
meet held in Zamboanga.
Also kicking off today are
mens baseball, mens and womens
basketball, mens and womens beach
volleyball, mens football, mens sepak
takraw, womens softball, mens and womens
volleyball, mens and womens badminton,
mens boxing, mens and womens chess, mens
and womens lawn tennis, mens and womens
table tennis and mens and womens taekwondo.
Cebu is 99.99 percent ready to
host the PRISAANational Collegiate
Games, said PRISAApresident and
former PSC commissioner Fr. Vic
Uy, the vice president for finance
of the Holy Name University in
Bohol, who thanked Cebu City
Mayor Rama and Cebu Gov.
Gwendolyn Garcia for their all-out
support of the event.
Ushering in the hostilities
yesterday was the formal inauguration
of the track oval led by Uy, PRISAA national
chairman Dr. Emmanuel Angeles, Rama and
Garcia, who organized the colorful opening
ceremonies where over 3,000 athletes and
ofcials from 16 collegiate contingents
nationwide took part.
Damian wins 2 titles
ZAMBOANGA native Noel Damian
made his presence felt at his own
hometown to cop two titles in the 14th
Smart Presents the HEAD 2012 junior
national Tennis Age-Group Satellite
Circuits fourth leg in Zamboanga City
over the weekend.
Damian, 14, showed his unstoppable
backhand to whip Koronadal leg double
champion Allian Abdulqoahar in the
nals, 7-5, 6-3, and gain the boys
18-under title of the 64-day tournament
supported by Smart Communications,
Chris Sports, HEAD, Meralco, Maynilad
and Toalson. He defeated the top seed
Abdulqoahar in the boys 16-under class,
6-2, 6-2, to pocket his second crown in
the event supported by Noel Lorenzana,
the Smart Division Head for Wireless
Consumer, and sanctioned by the
Philippine Tennis Association.
extending his hand in handshake.
The General stood up, extended
his hand, andsaid, militarily, Good
morning, too. What canI foryou?
After introducing himself,
Yingmo would next say, Sir,
with your permission, may I
invite your Mr. Mendoza to cover
our Philippine basketball team
to Singapore? We will shoulder
all his expenses for the trip.
General Menzis answer would
surprise Yingmo and me
pleasantly, that is.
What do you mean you
will shoulder all his expenses?
the General said. If he goes to
Singapore, I will payforeverything.
Oh, thank you very much,
Sir, Yingmo said.
But what the General would
say next shocked us.
You are welcome, Menzi said.
But sad to say, our boy isnt going
anywhere. Good day.
If Yingmo had shown dejection,
resentment, hed be justied.
But no, he took everything in
stride.
Good day, too, Sir, Yingmo
said, smiling that broad smile of
his. I appreciate the precious
time you gave us. Goodbye.
No hard feelings. Yingmo and
I even became bosom buddies
from that day onwards.
Maybe, I was wrong to say
to him I will shoulder all your
expenses, he said. He is a rich
man, you know.
Maybe.
Not long after, when the
PBA was born in 1975, Yingmo
would sort of vanish. Before I
knew it, he was already in Qatar,
helping that country strengthen
its basketball operations.
Time ies, indeed.
Some time ago, Yingmo was
back. And, in no time, he fathered
the Shakeys V-League together
with Ricky Palou, among others;
the inter-school tournament has
now become the nations No. 1
volleyball event. It is set to blast
off its ninth season on April 24
and, again, it is expected to score
another smashing success.
And, isnt it ironic, that the one-
time Mr. Basketball himself is
now the countrys Mr. Volleyball?
Im proud of my MMF, who is,
as I said, also my BFF. BFF as in
Best Frontline Forever.
Isnt Yingmo the Shakeys
V-League BFF, too?
You bet.
* * *
ALL IN. The first one to draw
bloodalwaysgetsthepsychological
edge. Thus, whoever wins today
betweenTalkNText andB-MEGin
Game 1 of the best-of-seven PBA
Commissioners Cup Finals must
treat the victory as more precious
thangold. It iseverything.
Philippine
team Chief of
Mission Manny
Lopez (left) shakes
hand with British
ambassador
Stephen Lillie
after delivering
a brief message
during a simple
program marking
the 100-day
countdown to the
London Olympic
Games recently.
In his speech,
Lopez said Filipino
sports fans are
looking forward
to witnessing an
action-packed,
drama-lled
Olympiad, which
opens July 27 and
ends Aug. 12.
Petecio gets boxing slot
NESTHY Petecio won the right to
represent the Philippines in the qualifying
meet to the London Olympics after
beating teammate Alice Kate Aparri,
24-12.5, in their box-off Saturday at
the Amateur Boxing Association of the
Philippines gym at the Rizal Memorial
Sports Complex.
Petecio, who needed to shed off
four kilograms in ve days to make the
catch weight of 53 kg., will compete in
the 51-kilogram divisionthe Olympic
categoryof the World Womens
Boxing Championship set May 9-20 in
Qinhuangdao, China. Aparri wont be
empty-handed as she and fellow PH team
campaigner Josie Gabuco will be joining
Petecio in China, seeing action in non-
Olympic weight categories.
National jungolfer Justin Magsino receives a
plaque from an Indonesian ofcial after his rst
runner-up nish in class D consolation division
of the 1st True Visions Tournament recently at
the Rayong Green Valley in Pattaya, Thailand. The
10-year-old Magsino also qualied to play in the
Junior World meet in San Diego, California in July.
Angeles
Sports
Manila Standard TODAY
Talk N Text and B-MEG start
their war for 2012 Philippine
Basketball Association Commis-
sioners Cup domination as they
clash at 7 p.m. today in Game 1
of their best-of-seven titular series
at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Both coaches Chot Reyes of the
Tropang Texters and
Tim Cone of the Lla-
mados acknowledge
the obvious it wont
be a walk in the park.
We have to deal with
the other side. They (B-MEG) are
the toughest, tallest and deepest
team in the league right now and we
just have to nd a way to compete
and beat them, said Reyes. It will
be very close and its about wholl
be able to execute well at the nish.
For his part, Cone said: This
is going to be one great and tough
series. We all know that. We both
have solid groups that can win it.
The Llamados mentor also
hinted at a possible ploy he
and his team might use against
the defending champions.
If they play fast with their up-
tempo game, we may not have a
chance, but if we can slow them
down a bit and make the game
ugly, we do have a chance, added
Cone. Were fresh and hungry and
well see how far that takes us.
League commissioner Chito
Salud strongly be-
lieves that it will be a
toss-up given the ca-
pacity of both squads.
Both teams have
great talents, play-
ers on top of their game. Theres
no clear favorite between them.
Its really exciting and a big treat
to the PBA fans, said Salud.
Both teams took a hard path to
get to this stage as the two faced
formidable opposition in the re-
cently wrapped-up seminals.
Talk N Text avoided elimina-
tion twice before winning the last
two games to nally shrug off pesky
Barako Bull in ve games, while B-
MEG held its ground to avoid Baran-
gay Ginebra from imposing a threat
as it nished that series in four games.
MONDAY
A8
NBA RESULTS
Riera U. Mallari, Editor sports@manilastandardtoday.com sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
By Jeric Lopez

THERES nothing better than two giants
clashing for supremacy.
Chess grand nal starts
THE grand nals of the
2012 National Age-Group
and National Juniors
Chess Championships get
underway today at the
Tanauan Event Center in
Tanauan City, Batangas.
Some 180 qualiers
from Luzon, Visayas and
Mindanao legs for the 12
categories (boys and girls
8-under, 10U, 12U, 14U,
16U and 20-under) in the
Age-Group Championships
are contending for the title
and a berth in the delegation
to the 2012 ASIAN Youth
Chess Championships in Sri
Lanka.
The 30 nalists in the
national juniors will vie
for the bragging rights
as Philippine Junior
champion and the chance
to represent the Philippines
in the 2012 World Juniors
Chess Championships in
Athens, Greece.
A tight race for the
juniors title is expected
with 2010 Juniors title
holders FM Paulo
Bersamina and NM Joey
Albert Florendo, 2011
titlist Fide Master Marie
Joseph Turqueza, FIDE
Master Haridas Pascua
and National Master Alcon
John Datu in the line-up.
The title-retention bid of
WNM Janelle Mae Frayna
will be contested by WFM
Cherry Ann Mejia, WNM
Jan Jodilyn Fronda and
WNM Jedara Docena.
Senator Francis Chiz
Escudero will be the guest
of honor.
LOTTO RESULTS
6/49 000000
3 DIGITS 000
2 EZ2 00
P11.7M+
APRIL 23, 2012
Dumandan
guns for 2
nd
straight title
FRESH from a three-shot
romp in Baguio, Marvin
Dumandan exudes condence
as he heads to Sherwood
Hills in Cavite this week for
the P2.5 million International
Container Terminal Services
Inc. Sherwood Hills Classic,
the third leg of the ICTSI-
Philippine Golf Tour unfolding
Wednesday.
Dumandan rallied with a
closing 64 and pounced on Carl
Santos-Ocampos meltdown to
clinch the ICSTI Camp John
Hay crown and end a long title
drought that stretched back to
late 2010 when he scored back-
to-back victories at ICTSI
Royal Northwoods and ICTSI
Mimosa.
It has been a long struggle,
but this win should boost
my condence as we head
to Sherwood, said the long-
hitting Dumandan, who had
two runner-up nishes at
ICTSI Eastridge and Aboitiz
Invitational in a winless
campaign on the Pilipinas Golf
Tournaments, Inc.-organized
circuit last year.
What makes the upcoming
leg doubly inspiring for
the 32-year-old Davaoeno
shotmaker is the fact that
he won there two years ago,
beating a stellar eld to kick
off a three-title romp in 2010.
But he expects to face a
formidable challenge this week
with Santos-Ocampo hoping to
come out stronger after that
nal round fold-up in Baguio
and a host of others gearing up
for one of the richest legs on
the 16-stage circuit sponsored
by International Container
Terminal Services, Inc.
Im going to take a
lot of positive out of this
experience, said Santos-
Ocampo after settling for
runner-up nish in Baguio.
Playing in the championship
ight is denitely different
compared to just playing a
normal round of golf. There are
more people watching, more
cameras, more noise which
require you even more to stay
within yourself and be calm.
But this is only my second year
as a pro and Ive had a couple
of opportunities to contend. It
can only get better.
Green Lancers
are volley kings
By Peter Atencio
BORACAYUniversity of the
Visayas Green Lancers Jade Be-
caldo and Mike Abria took the
long route in claiming the mens
crown of the 15th Nestea Beach
Volleyball tournament at the Bala-
bag beachfront sand courts here.
Picking their way out of the los-
ers bracket quarternals, Becaldo
and the 6-foot Abria needed to
post three consecutive wins before
coming off with a well-earned 21-
16, 21-19 beating of University of
San Jose-Recoletos duo Jade Illut
and Jason Uy in an all-Visayan
championship round.
Hindi kami nawalan ng
pag-asa. Nagkaroon kami ng
determination na bumawi sa
mga susunod na round, said
Becaldo, a 21-year-old maritime
engineering graduate, who placed
third when he last joined with a
different partner three years ago.
National team member Jovelyn
Gonzaga of the Central Philippines
University claimed her second con-
secutive womens title with new
partner Fiola Mae Ceballos after
turning back University of Mindan-
ao-Tagums Lourdilyn Catubag and
Karen Kay Quilario, 21-16, 21-19.
Gonzaga, an education senior,
and Ceballos never conceded a
set as they swept the two-game,
preliminary-round assignment
and arranged a semis clash with
the University of Santo Tomas
Tigresses.
Ariza: Pacquiao gave me permission to leave camp
TUASON Racing School, the longest-
running and only professional school in
the country and one of the premier racing
schools in Asia, again bagged the Car of
the Year Award for Motorsports, for its
grassroots program in circuit racing (TRS
CUP powered by the Ford Fiesta).
TRS not only started many racing
enthusiasts in their careers in motorsports,
it also helped some of the big-name racers
in achieving their goals. Racers such as
Michelle Bumgarner, Stefano Marcelo
and Basti Escalante have all undergone
training with either JP or Mike Tuason.
TRS has also been enjoying a steady ow
of racers from abroad to take advantage
of the cost-effective training programs
offered in the country. Last year in the TRS
Cup, racers from India, Guam, Singapore,
Germany, Korea and Australia composed
the grid alongside the Philippines bets.
TRS takes another step in opening
doors for their students, as TRS founder
and multi-awarded Racer JP Tuason will
participate in the 30-car Porsche Cup in
Nurburgring in Germany in May with the
support of Castrol, Bridgestone, Standard
Insurance, Toptul, Aguila Glass, Coke
Zero and Oakley.
Tuason, who has raced and trained all over
the world, has converted his experiences into
a systematic and scientic curriculum that
TRS uses in training racing Pinoys.
We believe that after boxing and
football, motorsports is the next sport
Pinoys will be known globally for, said
Tuason. By participating in an event of
this caliber, not only will we have key
learnings on how to prepare more Pinoys
in the global arena, but that we Pinoys will
be recognized as a major contender for
opportunities in racing in Asia.
Tuason has represented the country in
the World Karting Championships both in
Suzuka, Japan and in Egypt. He also had
a successful career in the Asian Formula 3
Challenge, winning races in Zhuhai, China
and BRC Philippines.
Giving back the blessings and honors
achieved in his chosen eld, Tuason
has dedicated himself to the continuous
development of local motorsports through
the Tuason Racing School and as a road
safety advocate.
For more information, visit the
TRS Website at www.tuasonracing.
com. Like TRS on facebook for more
updates and promos www.facebook.com/
tuasonracingschool or email the school for
inquiries at www.info@tuasonracing.com
Tuason competes in European race
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
STRENGTH and conditioning coach
Alex Ariza, who suddenly left the training
camp of pound-for-pound king Manny
Pacquiao and returned to Los Angeles,
claimed that he and the Filipino champ
agreed that he could leave.
However, trainer Freddie Roach
was surprised at the move of Ariza to
abandon both Pacquiao and former junior
welterweight champion Amir Khan in the
middle of training camp in order to train
World Boxing Council middleweight
champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who
defends his title against Andy Lee in El
Passo, Texas on June 16.
As a result of Ariza leaving training
camp, Roach had to turn to a former
amateur ghter Marvin Somodio, who
has impressed him as a trainer and tness
instructor, to ll in.
Nothing went wrong. Manny and I will
meet again here (LA) in a couple of weeks,
Ariza said in an interview with the Manila
Standard after his arrival in Los Angeles.
When asked about the suddenness of his
departure in the midst of training camp of
both Pacquiao and Khan, who have been
training with Ariza and Roach in Baguio
City, Ariza replied: Manny asked me not to
talk about it and just say hey, you know, he
knows and I know and its just between us.
Ariza added Pacquiao told him see
you in LA and to just make sure that Im
waiting for him there.
Pressed for comment on Khan, Ariza
said the former world champion, who faces
Lamont Peterson in a rematch on May 19 at
the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino
said: Hell be coming back with Manny
(May 5 being the scheduled date).
Questioned as to who is going to take
care of Khan now, Ariza said he doesnt
know and when Manila Standar d
suggested Roach, he said yeah, Freddie.
Asked again what happens to the
strength and conditioning program of
Pacquiao, Ariza then begged off, saying
Im in a meeting right now.
Team Pacquiao insiders said Ariza had
made known his plan to leave the training
camp weeks ago in an interview with
boxing writer Ben Thompson, but didnt
tell Pacquiao until last Friday.
On the other hand, Roach only learned
about it when he was looking for his driver
to take him to the Cooyesan Gym last
Saturday. Roach fond out that the driver was
with Ariza in Manila, forcing the American
trainer to take a taxi to the gym.
Pacquiaos adviser Michael Koncz
refuted claims made by Ariza on boxing
Websites that Pacquiao was late for
training camp and disrespected Roach,
who was here two weeks ago.
Koncz said Pacquiao, Roach and he sat
down in New York during the press launch
for the Timothy Bradley showdown and
worked out the schedule.
We were to come to Baguio on
April14. Freddie authorized the two-day
delay to April 16 and Roach said it was no
problem, said Koncz.
Roach also made it clear that Pacquiao
was never late in starting training and
they had agreed to push back the start of
the Baguio training camp from April 14
to 16. Roach was here two weeks earlier
with Ariza, because they were getting
Khan ready for his title rematch with
Peterson, not to begin training Pacquiao,
although Ariza had complained about the
Pacman training in General Santos.
Asias rst
Grandmaster Eugene
Torre, Bernadette
Galas and Mikee
Suede shake hands
with Rotary Club
of Forbes Park
president Bert Galano,
Makati Chess Club
president lawyer
Vicente Aceveda
and Pearl del Rosario
during the opening
ceremony of 7th
Inter-Youth Scholastic
Chess Tournament
yesterday, Sunday
at the Makati Youth
Center in Guadalupe
Viejo, Makati City.
Titans clash in
Game 1 today
Game Today
(Finals Game 1 Smart
Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. B-Meg vs.
Talk N Text
Tuason
WIZARDS 86, HEAT 84
BULLS 93, MAVERICKS 83
NUGGETS 118, SUNS 107
ROCKETS 99, WARRIORS 96
BUCKS 106, NETS 95
76ERS 109, PACERS 106, OT
GRIZZLIES 93, BLAZERS 89
JAZZ 117, MAGIC 107, OT
The TNT Tropang Texters, led here by Jason Castro and Jared Dillinger, will have to nd ways how to stop
B-MEGs James Yap (right) when the two teams clash in Game 1 of the PBA Commissioners Cup nals at
the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Business
B1
Ray S. Eano, Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.com
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX
Closing April 20, 2012
5,156.46
16.82
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 42.6490
Japan Yen 0.012262 0.5230
UK Pound 1.605800 68.4858
Hong Kong Dollar 0.128838 5.4948
Switzerland Franc 1.093135 46.6211
Canada Dollar 1.004924 42.8590
Singapore Dollar 0.799361 34.0919
Australia Dollar 1.032525 44.0362
Bahrain Dinar 2.652661 113.1333
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266667 11.3731
Brunei Dollar 0.796178 33.9562
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000109 0.0046
Thailand Baht 0.032404 1.3820
UAE Dirham 0.272264 11.6118
Euro Euro 1.313900 56.0365
Korea Won 0.000879 0.0375
China Yuan 0.158632 6.7655
India Rupee 0.019216 0.8195
Malaysia Ringgit 0.326179 13.9112
NewZealand Dollar 0.814930 34.7559
Taiwan Dollar 0.033902 1.4459
Source: PDS Bridge
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Friday, April 20, 2012
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
40
42
44
46
48
P42.605
CLOSE
Closing APRIL 20, 2012
5200
4460
3720
2980
2240
1500
1200
VOLUME 1089.220M
HIGH P42.600 LOW P42.730 AVERAGE P42.679
IN BRIEF
Meralco eyes new head
BAT set
to heat up
cigarette
industry
Vista Land raises P4.5b
from 5-year debt issue
PNOC unit okays P20-b budget
First IPO in 2012. Conglomerate GT Capital Holdings Inc. conducted its maiden listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange on Friday
where it raised P21.57 billion, one of the largest in trading history. Shown are (from left) GTCAP president Carmelo Bautista, vice
chairmen Alfred Ty and Arthur Ty, and treasurer Mary Vy Ty; Metrobank Foundation Inc. chairman of the board of advisers and
former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban; GTCAP chairman George Ty; PSE chairman Jose Pardo; PSE director Vivian Yuchengco; PSE
president and chief executive Hans Sicat; and PSE directors Alejandro Yu and David Chua.
PNB raising P3.5b
THE Philippine National Bank is set to launch
P3.5-billion notes this week to fund its expansion
and capital requirements.
The bank, controlled by taipan Lucio Tan, said
it would launch the second tranche of its xed rate
unsecured subordinated notes eligible as Tier 2
capital by April 23.
PNB would sell up to P3.5 billion of the 10-
year notes, with initial price guidance of 5.75
percent to 6.0 percent per annum. PNB has the
right to redeem the Tranche 2 notes at the end of
the fth year.
Net proceeds would be used to nance asset
growth and allow the bank to maintain a strong
capital base. The banks total capital adequacy ratio
stood at 21.65 percent as of end-2011.
The offering period is expected to end on May 4.
Issuance will be on May 9. PNB tapped ING Bank
N.V. as arranger for the issuance and First Metro
Investment Corp. and Multinational Investments
Bancorporation as selling agents. PNB Capital and
Investment Corp. and Allied Banking Corp. are the
limited selling agents.
Firm establishes hub
AMERICAN information technology solutions
provider Metalogix Software has established a
facility in the Philippines as its hub in the Asia-
Pacic region.
The Washington D.C.-based company, which
provides content lifecycle management solutions
for several Microsofts content management,
said it invested in a state-of-the-art infrastructure,
certication and stafng in a new facility in
Bonifacio Global City.
The facility dynamically links to the Metalogix
customer support center hub in its Washington D.C.
headquarters, it said. Metalogix said the new center
expands the companys range, reach and leadership
and will serve as a hub for the sales expansion into
the Asia-Pacic market.
The opening of our state-of-the-art and
fully operational support and sales center in
Philippines that will create 24-hour live support
and strengthen regional sales presence in APAC
is another signicant step in our global evolution
as we continue to extend our range, reach and
leadership in the SharePoint market, Metalogix
chief executive Steven Murphy said in a
statement. R. dela Cruz
By Alena Mae S. Flores
STATE-RUN PNOC Exploration
Corp. will spend P20 billion for
oil and gas, and coal exploration
over the next five years.
Company chairman
Gemiliano Lopez said the
board approved the investment
plan for 2012 to 2016 for
the further exploration,
development and marketing
of oil, gas and coal deposits in
the country.
PNOC Exploration Corp.
is the upstream oil, gas and
coal subsidiary of Philippine
National Oil Co.
Lopez said the investment
also involves the establishment
of power generation plants,
while declining to provide
additional details.
The company had earlier
disclosed plans to invest in oil
and gas and coal exploration
projects overseas over the
medium term.
The company also
participated in the bidding for
15 oil and gas blocks offered
under the Philippine Energy
Contracting Round 4.
PNOC EC set a capital
expenditure budget of P5.484
billion in 2012, slightly higher
than its approved capex budget
of P5.02 billion in 2011.
The company said this
years budget includes the
carry-over of P1.68 billion
from the unused budget in
2011 for projects such as
drilling of exploration well in
service contract 63 East Sabina
in southwest Palawan, drilling
in coal operating contract 41
for the Sta. Barbara and Lower
Butong areas; and construction
of a compressed natural gas
station in Batangas.
By Elaine R. Alanguilan

KUALA LUMPURBritish
American Tobacco said it ex-
pects to sell 150 million ciga-
rette sticks with lower prices
in the Philippines this year, up
from the 50 million it sold in
2009 when it pulled out of the
local market.
Robert Eugenio, BAT Phil-
ippines head of corporate and
regulatory affairs, said the
company will expand its retail
footprint nationwide and keep
prices at promotional levels
to boost sales.
The company is optimistic
this year, as it re-introduces the
Lucky Strike cigarette brand
to Filipino smokers at nearly
half the price of the product in
2009, when the company left
the Philippine market.
Were looking at launching
it nationally by the middle of
the year, Eugenio told Manila-
based reporters in a brieng.
BAT left the Philippines
in 2009, amid losses brought
about by the excise tax system
that penalizes new entrants in
the industry. It staged a come-
back this year amid hopes the
government would put in place
a new tax scheme that provides
for a single tax rate on all ciga-
rette brands.
Eugenio said Lucky Strike
was already being sold in
7-Eleven convenience stores,
and the rm was in talks with
other retailers such as Lucio
Cos Puregold chain to allow
for wider distribution of the
cigarette brand.
HOUSE and lot developer Vista
Land and Lifescapes Inc. has
successfully raised P4.5 billion
through issuance of unsecured
domestic corporate notes.
Vista Land said in a statement
the issue of ve-year notes was
originally targeted to raise P3
billion, but was increased to
P4.5 billion to accommodate
strong demand from institutional
investors.
BDO Capital and Investment
Corp. and Investment and Capital
Corporation of the Philippines
managed the transaction.
Vista Land president and chief
executive Manuel Paolo Villar
said the strong demand for the
notes issue is a vote of condence
of the nancial community in the
company.
Proceeds from the offering
will be used to partially renance
some of its existing debt, and for
general corporate purposes.
We are extremely
pleased with the positive
market reception from local
institutional investors, said
Vista Land chief nance ofcer
Ricardo Tan Jr.
I think the success of
this transaction confirms
that our countrywide
expansion strategy has been
very effective, and that the
companys continued growth
and widening leadership in
housing is being recognized
in both the debt and equity
markets, Tan said.
Jenniffer B. Austria
By Jenniffer B. Austria

BUSINESSMAN Manuel Pangilinan is
expected to be elected chairman of power
retailer Manila Electric Co. in place of
Manuel Lopez when the company meets
for its annual stockholders meeting next
month.
Jose Ma. Lim, president of
Metro Pacic Investments Corp.
which has a substantial stake
in Meralco, conrmed in an
interview Pangilinan was set
to assume the chairmanship of
the countrys largest electricity
distributor by May.
Lim has been nominated as
a director of Meralcos board
this year, replacing Napoleon
Nazareno, who is the president
and chief executive of Philippine
Long Distance Telephone Co.
and Smart Communications.
Lopez, the current ambassador
to Japan, serves as the non-
executive chairman of Meralco
while Pangilinan is the president
and chief executive. Pangilinan
is also the chairman of Metro
Pacic and PLDT.
Lopez, whose familys stake
in Meralco was reduced to 3.9
percent this year, had expressed
interest to step down as chairman,
a position he has held since
2001.
Beacon Asset Holdings Inc.,
a special purpose company
jointly owned by PLDT,
Communications and Energy
Ventures Inc. and Metro Pacic.,
increased its stake in Meralco
to 48.02 percent after acquiring
another 2.66-percent stake in the
utility rm at P295 per share.
The transaction reduced the
stake of the Lopez family in the
utility rm to 3.9 percent.
Meralcos other signicant
shareholder, aside from the Lopez
family and Pangilinans group, is
conglomerate San Miguel Corp.
with a 37-percent stake.
Meralco said it expects core net
income to increase conservatively
by 0.7 percent to P15 billion this
year, amid an expected decline in
distribution tariffs for 2012.
The distributor posted a core
net income of P14.88 billion last
year, up 22 percent from 2010
while consolidated revenues,
which substantially represented
electricity sales, rose 7 percent to
P256.8 billion.
Meralco chief operating ofcer
Oscar Reyes said power sales
soared by nearly 10 percent in
the rst quarter, with the strong
rebound of commercial and
industry sectors.
The rst quarter, compared to
last year, was close to 10 percent
growth, said Reyes.
Business
ManilaStandardToday
business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com
B2
Caveat emptor
WEEKLY MOST TRADED
STOCKS VOLUME
Philodrill Corp. À 2,901,740,000
Oriental Pet. À 1,146,300,000
Greenergy 687,200,000
Megaworld Corp. 673,409,000
Manila Mining À 435,750,000
Oriental Pet. `B 425,900,000
Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 297,881,000
Abra Mining 266,000,000
United Paragon 245,900,000
Phil. Estates Corp. 215,180,000
STOCKS VALUE
GT Capital 16,563,398,790.00
Metrobank 2,265,073,253.50
PLDT Common 2,225,174,300.00
Alliance Global Inc. 1,692,857,236.00
Megaworld Corp. 1,357,269,200.00
Ayala Corp À 1,306,665,180.00
Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 1,008,571,530.50
SM Investments Inc. 943,769,480.00
Security Bank 912,903,106.00
Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. 852,426,030.00
M
S
T
WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW
APRIL 16-20, 2012 APRIL 10-13, 2012
STOCKS CLOSE VOLUME VALUE CLOSE VOLUME VALUE
FINANCIAL
Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 68.70 15,121,610 1,008,571,530.50 63.30 28,177,770 1,760,133,943.50
Bank of PI 75.50 4,582,880 344,951,010.50 73.75 2,765,590 201,289,013.00
Bankard, Inc. 0.78 2,913,000 2,307,540.00 0.78 724,000 568,840.00
China Bank 527.00 299,700 152,362,012.00 482.00 24,370 11,667,358.00
BDO Leasing & Fin. Inc. 1.75 1,364,000 2,361,930.00 1.65 7,280,000 12,852,560.00
COL Financial 23.4 984,300 22,836,990.00 23.4 2,207,900 51,155,695.00
Filipino Fund Inc. 13.98 111,100 1,459,188.00 11.94 48,400 580,678.00
First Abacus 0.80 372,000 299,400.00 0.89 1,000 890.00
First Metro Inv. 68.4 8,450 561,229.00 63.7 2,900 184,255.00
I-Remit Inc. 2.38 414,000 981,280.00 2.54 737,000 1,788,350.00
Manulife Fin. Corp. 525.00 1,330 708,520.00 555.00 580 315,600.00
Maybank ATR KE 22.85 458,000 10,159,345.00 20 366,100 8,195,985.00
Metrobank 90.50 24,997,560 2,265,073,253.50 88.00 8,901,990 769,624,606.00
Natl Reinsurance Corp. 2.21 10,821,000 24,453,110.00 2.39 14,052,000 33,292,400.00
Phil Bank of Comm 75.00 1,380 115,312.50 80.00 2,230 179,241.00
Phil. National Bank 74.70 4,840,970 364,882,496.50 73.70 2,408,500 175,638,434.00
Phil. Savings Bank 85.00 8,820 727,760.00 81.00 101,320 8,056,200.00
Philippine Trust Co. 58.00 2,000 116,000.00
PSE Inc. 350 455,890 159,796,554.00 347 402,580 147,090,012.00
RCBC À 43.2 4,408,400.00 185,401,690.00 40.9 884,100.00 35,815,365.00
Security Bank 146.1 6,361,810 912,903,106.00 139.7 3,340,810 464,726,413.00
Sun Life Financial 1025.00 1,685 1,704,380.00 1023.00 2,540 2,558,500.00
Union Bank 103.60 1,207,850 121,917,228.00 97.00 2,759,100 267,107,628.50
Vantage Equities 1.85 1,115,000 2,064,010.00 1.85 498,000 920,230.00
INDUSTRIAL
Aboitiz Power Corp. 35.05 15,003,000 522,573,135.00 34.75 14,748,900 505,273,770.00
Agrinurture Inc. 11.76 722,000 8,436,194.00 11.62 197,900 2,290,698.00
Alaska Milk Corp. 23.35 2,201,300 51,431,295.00 23.5 604,100 14,192,070.00
Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.53 2,325,000 3,594,510.00 1.57 2,378,000 3,746,970.00
Alphaland Corp. 30 103,800 3,151,800.00 29.25 1,100 32,350.00
Alsons Cons. 1.38 6,562,000 9,048,700.00 1.41 12,741,000 17,643,220.00
Asiabest Group 48.1 651,900 30,756,450.00 47.5 96,600 4,598,600.00
Bogo Medellin 60.00 850 51,110.00
Bloomberry 15.00 13,589,000 188,737,986.00 21.00 2,728,600 68,753,975.00
C. Azuc De Tarlac 16.00 1,200 19,326.00 15.42 14,000 247,004.00
Calapan Venture 2.3 91,500 305,280.00 2.3 118,000 272,980.00
Conc. Aggr. À 65.00 690 46,620.00 68.00 750 52,500.00
Chemrez Technologies Inc. 2.70 783,000 2,121,140.00 2.70 527,000 1,426,420.00
Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 8.2 463,800 3,380,215.00 8.16 949,200 7,739,846.00
Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 6.00 113,582,000 687,021,380.00 6.04 52,404,400 310,203,218.00
EEI 6.20 6,649,000 40,918,347.00 6.19 5,857,300 35,222,808.00
Euro-Med Lab. 2.23 911,000 2,112,040.00 2.15 435,000 1,051,070.00
Federal Chemicals 10.94 3,200 34,322.00
First Gen Corp. 13.98 19,003,200 266,032,036.00 13.7 6,119,200 83,379,338.00
First Holdings A 65.9 3,367,710 221,857,518.50 64.45 827,060 52,694,373.00
Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 23.45 121,100 2,837,585.00 23.50 82,000 1,921,850.00
Greenergy 0.0180 687,200,000 12,324,000.00 0.0180 683,000,000 12,349,600.00
Holcim Philippines Inc. 12.10 3,773,500 44,973,252.00 11.68 507,800 5,961,306.00
Integ. Micro-Electronics 4.9 514,000 2,454,040.00 4.71 274,000 1,317,820.00
Ionics Inc 1.670 1,187,000 2,011,670.00 1.700 873,000 1,499,780.00
Jollibee Foods Corp. 109.00 1,296,530 145,020,128.00 114.90 737,020 84,064,838.00
Liberty Flour 57.00 5,200 278,760.00 54.00 1,880 108,440.00
LMG Chemicals 3.15 655,900 2,365,080.00 3.45 567,000 2,009,360.00
Mabuhay Vinyl Corp. 1.7 1,000 1,700.00 1.5 179,000 261,890.00
Manchester Intl. A 2 233,000 495,700.00 2.03 865,000 2,046,560.00
Manchester Intl. B 2.12 25,000 54,800.00
Manila Water Co. Inc. 24.65 8,639,600 211,207,620.00 24 3,840,700 91,712,525.00
Mariwasa MFG. Inc. 4.01 30,000 130,940.00 4.54 42,000 192,930.00
Megawide 15.04 8,515,900 124,511,330.00 14.72 24,655,000 356,694,292.00
Mla. Elect. Co À 260.00 1,016,390 265,271,022.00 262.00 700,570 183,910,480.00
Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 6.50 2,800 16,935.00
Pancake House Inc. 9.5 400 3,800.00 9.32 1,900 17,548.00
Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 2.76 16,953,000 46,206,580.00 2.7 10,960,000 29,482,730.00
Petron Corporation 10.66 24,967,100 264,023,680.00 10.58 22,135,800 235,279,706.00
Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 9.65 1,020,500 9,690,164.00 9.53 345,300 3,336,453.00
Republic Cement À 8.96 1,823,900 15,981,522.00 7.55 35,300 299,240.00
RFM Corporation 2.63 44,426,000 108,744,690.00 2.20 38,720,000 87,762,610.00
Roxas and Co. 2.5 120,000 216,410.00 2.55 6,000 15,300.00
Roxas Holdings 3.25 73,000 237,250.00 3.45 116,000 393,180.00
Salcon Power Corp. 3.5 68,000 255,430.00 4.16 98,000 421,530.00
San Miguel Brewery Inc. 30.00 93,600 2,797,480.00 29.90 127,900 3,788,295.00
San Miguel Corp À 112.00 1,960,450 220,825,530.00 113.90 1,604,740 182,405,823.00
Seacem 1.79 14,402,000 25,527,530.00 1.79 13,898,000 14,823,960.00
Splash Corporation 1.9 2,070,000 3,958,170.00 1.92 754,000 1,460,560.00
Swift Foods, Inc. 0.139 6,660,000 944,150.00 0.140 17,672,000 3,294,720.00
Tanduay Holdings 3.87 202,000 786,660.00 3.81 307,200 2,136,690.00
TKC Steel Corp. 2.49 627,000 1,553,030.00 2.42 948,000 2,311,300.00
Trans-Asia Oil 1.24 11,415,000 13,986,460.00 1.23 13,316,000 16,620,750.00
Universal Robina 67.00 10,612,530 709,831,712.50 64.90 8,340,290 523,131,223.00
Vitarich Corp. 0.590 4,846,000 2,819,110.00 0.580 45,290,000 28,559,880.00
Vivant Corp. 12.50 86,300 1,029,318.00 12.18 38,500 487,490.00
Vulcan Indl. 1.00 3,429,000 3,390,500.00 0.97 1,083,000 1,051,740.00
HOLDING FIRMS
Abacus Cons. À 0.74 2,955,000 2,164,650.00 0.74 3,839,000 2,824,720.00
Aboitiz Equity 49.10 7,643,990 380,082,114.50 49.25 4,612,200 226,371,975.00
Alcorn Gold Res. 0.0160 84,300,000 1,290,300.00 0.0150 20,600,000 309,000.00
Alliance Global Inc. 12.34 136,953,200 1,692,857,236.00 12.12 113,221,500 1,355,335,114.00
Anglo Holdings A 2.06 806,000 1,659,550.00 2.03 1,724,000 3,592,240.00
Anscor À 4.55 4,096,000 18,493,820.00 4.40 2,263,000 9,953,700.00
Asia Amalgamated A 4.26 1,720,000 6,941,530.00 4.10 2,302,000 9,709,830.00
ATN Holdings A 2.03 143,000 270,810.00 2.03 138,000 271,980.00
Ayala Corp À 416.2 3,063,090 1,306,665,180.00 425 1,601,260 657,458,622.00
DMCI Holdings 57.80 17,007,010 802,373,077.00 54.40 7,054,710 377,533,840.00
F&J Prince A 2.88 106,000 286,530.00 2.58 192,000 520,500.00
Filinvest Dev. Corp. 4.61 2,570,000 11,816,490.00 4.65 1,755,000 8,176,450.00
Forum Pacic 0.260 900,000 234,550.00 0.260 690,000 182,950.00
GT Capital 492 33,691,550 16,563,398,790.00
House of Inv. 4.61 392,000 1,760,530.00 4.50 338,000 1,544,990.00
JG Summit Holdings 34.00 14,233,000 483,499,840.00 33.50 22,342,000 706,733,095.00
Keppel Holdings À 4 20,000 86,720.00 4.26 6,000 25,510.00
Keppel Holdings `B 4.1 16,000 70,530.00 4.35 7,000 29,950.00
Lopez Holdings Corp. 5.69 24,646,500 142,386,166.00 5.55 3,848,900 21,356,557.00
Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 1.21 93,528,000 110,598,980.00 1.19 19,989,000 23,496,650.00
Mabuhay Holdings À 0.660 1,734,000 1,081,330.00 0.650 909,000 576,110.00
Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 3.710 64,880,000 233,817,840.00 3.450 27,844,000 93,178,570.00
Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. 4.33 198,631,000 852,426,030.00 4.17 171,384,000 701,682,140.00
Minerales Industrias Corp. 4.85 2,411,000 11,714,570.00 4.89 93,000 454,290.00
MJCI Investments Inc. 2 1,000 2,000.00
Pacica À 0.0590 18,320,000 1,083,290.00 0.0600 15,280,000 918,800.00
Prime Media Hldg 1.600 257,000 410,410.00 1.600 171,000 276,260.00
Prime Orion 0.520 3,952,000 2,072,950.00 0.520 6,399,000 3,252,100.00
Republic Glass A 2.02 119,000 248,960.00 2.3 111,000 263,020.00
Seafront À 1.47 50,000 73,950.00 1.65 12,000 19,250.00
Sinophil Corp. 0.350 5,230,000 1,831,500.00 0.350 5,200,000 1,833,900.00
SM Investments Inc. 680.50 1,397,530 943,769,480.00 651.00 1,614,550 1,042,621,930.00
Solid Group Inc. 1.28 2,720,000 3,396,410.00 1.25 1,554,000 1,971,380.00
South China Res. Inc. 1.26 60,000 75,700.00 1.26 396,000 489,150.00
Transgrid 490.00 120 58,800.00 460.00 220 104,900.00
Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.2650 16,690,000 4,537,850.00 0.2800 17,530,000 4,940,450.00
Wellex Industries 0.3800 36,750,000 14,216,450.00 0.4000 18,320,000 7,449,650.00
Zeus Holdings 0.620 3,966,000 2,511,770.00 0.630 3,791,800 3,264,660.00
P R O P E R T Y
Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 36.50 6,300 212,410.00 26.00 400 11,550.00
A. Brown Co., Inc. 2.39 32,000 76,870.00 2.37 327,000 785,190.00
Araneta Prop À 0.690 2,275,000 1,533,030.00 0.700 7,041,000 4,949,130.00
Arthaland Corp. 0.186 1,410,000 262,820.00 0.189 1,940,000 354,710.00
Ayala Land `B 21.55 30,928,300 667,537,175.00 20.80 16,935,400 347,076,938.00
Belle Corp. À 5.04 49,240,000 246,574,760.00 4.94 13,188,100 64,772,575.00
Cebu Holdings 7.18 50,391,000 350,120,767.00 6.99 8,095,400 55,395,517.00
Cebu Prop. À 4.9 80,000 398,000.00 5.1 80,000 408,000.00
Cebu Prop. `B 4.9 40,000 196,000.00
Centennial City 1.68 33,805,800 65,359,470.00 1.60 10,897,000 17,385,270.00
City & Land Dev. 2.60 1,089,000 2,525,280.00 2.15 164,000 350,920.00
Cityland Dev. À 1.25 908,000 1,130,330.00 1.23 4,521,000 5,873,020.00
Crown Equities Inc. 0.086 14,330,000 1,173,760.00 0.084 4,080,000 330,550.00
Cyber Bay Corp. 0.88 3,279,001 5,005,140.00 0.89 1,810,000 1,625,960.00
Empire East Land 0.610 6,078,000 3,788,580.00 0.620 4,722,000 2,923,840.00
Eton Properties 3.50 172,000 601,280.00 3.47 41,000 140,920.00
Ever Gotesco 0.190 5,160,000 974,430.00 0.194 2,510,000 486,860.00
Global-Estate 1.89 20,907,000 39,377,240.00 1.90 15,473,000 29,650,270.00
Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.30 110,303,000 143,060,570.00 1.31 70,808,000 90,182,080.00
Highlands Prime 2.04 1,468,000 3,419,940.00 2.10 252,000 561,150.00
Interport À 1.44 10,392,000 15,519,830.00 1.61 3,505,000 5,631,270.00
Keppel Properties 1.84 22,000 41,570.00 1.78 35,000 62,890.00
Megaworld Corp. 2.05 673,409,000 1,357,269,200.00 1.96 243,180,000 469,019,770.00
MRC Allied Ind. 0.2190 12,890,000 2,840,620.00 0.2220 8,530,000 1,900,340.00
Phil. Estates Corp. 0.7700 215,180,000 167,800,690.00 0.8600 115,798,000 102,934,420.00
Phil. Realty À 0.530 439,000 232,900.00 0.530 148,000 78,730.00
Polar Property Holdings 3.49 1,052,000 3,630,850.00 3.55 1,517,000 5,294,330.00
Primex Corp. 3.00 8,000 23,230.00
Robinsons Land `B 18.50 24,248,700 434,928,216.00 16.78 8,190,300 133,887,185.00
San Miguel Prop. 590 10 5,900.00
Shang Properties Inc. 2.49 227,000 563,650.00 2.48 316,000 787,830.00
SM Development À 7.10 14,734,200 104,597,299.00 6.93 6,129,600 42,718,868.00
SM Prime Holdings 16.60 43,198,600 719,881,836.00 16.50 28,080,300 460,935,882.00
Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.75 4,584,000 3,506,950.00 0.78 1,688,000 1,300,760.00
Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.560 279,000 156,240.00 0.560 451,000 252,560.00
Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.200 35,364,000 148,318,540.00 4.300 40,129,000 160,973,280.00
S E R V I C E S
2GO Group 2.3 215,000 497,830.00 2.54 83,000 209,830.00
ABS-CBN 41.8 286,200 11,741,230.00 39.9 134,700 5,362,210.00
Acesite Hotel 11.66 428,100 4,655,988.00 13.28 164,300 2,210,036.00
APC Group, Inc. 0.680 1,753,000 1,186,020.00 0.680 1,188,000 805,020.00
Asian Terminals Inc. 8.8 121,300 1,065,595.00
Boulevard Holdings 0.1720 91,530,000 15,887,840.00 0.1790 46,860,000 8,402,110.00
Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 69.90 1,767,040 122,270,587.50 69.00 621,950 42,533,196.00
Centro Esc. Univ. 9.9 3,200 31,850.00 9.9 145,000 1,449,980.00
DFNN Inc. 7.11 954,000 6,734,578.00 7.09 1,433,600 10,280,317.00
Easy Call Common 3.72 208,000 731,860.00 3.10 69,000 219,250.00
FEUI 945 1,310 1,231,580.00 950 1,330 1,264,050.00
Globe Telecom 1103.00 215,075 248,392,785.00 1134.00 148,255 165,980,820.00
GMA Network Inc. 9.50 5,706,900 53,288,550.00 8.45 1,520,600 13,308,524.00
I.C.T.S.I. 67.6 8,399,560 573,588,936.00 69 4,962,770 336,658,242.50
Information Capital Tech. 0.440 22,000 10,980.00
Imperial Res. À 8.70 13,500 120,490 9.00 3,700 33,304
IPeople Inc. À 6.49 251,300 1,434,422.00 5.47 175,000 934,590.00
IP Converge 3.05 413,000 1,272,670.00 3.01 668,000 2,049,590.00
IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.132 181,020,000 23,695,960.00 0.142 97,810,000 13,995,220.00
IPVG Corp. 1.21 7,320,000 8,926,410.00 1.24 4,477,000 5,572,540.00
Island Info 0.0600 13,200,000 781,470.00 0.0620 460,000 27,650.00
ISM Communications 3.0500 2,650,000 8,008,480.00 3.1200 490,000 1,533,070.00
JTH Davies Holdings Inc. 2.39 86,000 206,900.00 2.4 707,000 1,700,770.00
Leisure & Resorts 7.80 1,705,300 13,126,704.00 7.89 1,985,400 15,507,259.00
Liberty Telecom 2.85 527,000 1,454,620.00 2.78 757,000 2,114,150.00
Lorenzo Shipping 1.81 36,000 66,300.00 1.85 56,000 101,480.00
Macroasia Corp. 3.07 68,000 196,630.00 2.87 281,000 817,530.00
Manila Broadcasting 2.72 1,000 2,720.00
Manila Bulletin 0.71 742,000 495,290.00 0.74 1,724,000 1,260,100.00
Manila Jockey 1.55 663,000 1,018,690.00 1.48 204,000 304,410.00
Metro Pacic Tollways 5.60 200 1,110.00 7.99 1,000 7,990.00
Pacic Online Sys. Corp. 19.92 284,600 5,601,852.00 18.68 20,000 373,620.00
PAL Holdings Inc. 7.50 1,070,900 8,144,475 7.76 1,867,400 14,884,718
Paxys Inc. 2.9 12,890,000 36,750,990.00 2.79 8,837,000 24,932,270.00
Phil. Racing Club 9 40,000 360,000.00 9.2 36,000 326,860.00
Phil. Seven Corp. 42.00 59,700 2,513,450.00 41.00 35,900 1,458,400.00
Philweb.Com Inc. 17.18 6,650,600 112,599,000.00 16.68 969,800 16,187,440.00
PLDT Comm & Energy 4.20 42,000 178,700.00 4.35 126,000 668,180.00
PLDT Common 2550.00 865,865 2,225,174,300.00 2604.00 549,125 1,436,017,820.00
PremiereHorizon 0.37 17,920,000 6,465,050.00 0.335 5,900,000 1,988,500.00
Puregold 23.00 19,522,500 451,388,080.00 22.35 5,436,000 216,562,080.00
Touch Solutions 3.5 152,000 535,930.00 3.86 860,000 3,031,900.00
Transpacic Broadcast 2.94 67,000 185,650.00
Waterfront Phils. 0.530 5,039,000 2,617,240.00 0.520 8,924,000 4,695,820.00
MINING & OIL
Abra Mining 0.0055 266,000,000 1,474,900.00 0.0056 524,000,000 2,916,300.00
Apex À 5.31 1,390,900 7,161,807.00 5.05 6,036,900 30,535,152.00
Apex `B 5.25 631,100 3,261,645.00 5.20 1,352,000 6,905,455.00
Atlas Cons. À 19.16 17,616,700 335,961,330.00 18.92 11,131,400 171,023,006.00
Atok-Big Wedge À 25.80 84,800 2,149,985.00 23.50 5,700 127,865.00
Basic Energy Corp. 0.290 26,174,000 9,458,450.00 0.295 61,930,000 18,717,550.00
Benguet Corp À 25 58,200 1,455,700.00 24.8 33,400 819,460.00
Benguet Corp `B 26.5 32,400 834,505.00 27.4 53,200 1,368,840.00
Century Peak Metals Hldgs 1.75 8,013,000 14,012,900.00 1.75 4,486,000 7,855,180.00
Dizon 49.70 6,721,800 321,809,046.50 50.20 3,222,600 159,857,060.00
Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.95 297,881,000 287,177,150.00 0.87 58,509,000 50,048,500.00
Lepanto À 1.410 95,412,000 134,902,490.00 1.430 71,560,000 101,542,820.00
Lepanto `B 1.520 20,817,000 31,499,270.00 1.550 29,274,000 44,286,030.00
Manila Mining À 0.0730 435,750,000 32,271,050.00 0.0740 837,720,000 62,852,660.00
Manila Mining `B 0.0740 115,000,000 8,537,220.00 0.0750 110,650,000 8,328,140.00
Nickelasia 32.3 3,349,500 106,355,850.00 32.15 4,542,700 148,001,395.00
Nihao Mineral Resources 12.36 35,568,600 440,908,820.00 12.42 45,134,000 540,952,278.00
Omico 0.7800 53,000 42,770.00 0.7800 544,000 425,850.00
Oriental Peninsula Res. 7.920 29,426,900 149,630,244.00 7.980 4,408,100 35,030,883.00
Oriental Pet. À 0.0220 1,146,300,000 25,449,600.00 0.0220 390,000,000 8,622,900.00
Oriental Pet. `B 0.0230 425,900,000 9,704,200.00 0.0230 126,200,000 2,871,500.00
Petroenergy Res. Corp. 6.33 124,500 789,150.00 6.35 21,300 135,635.00
Philex À 20.90 22,584,200 471,436,055.00 20.95 10,540,800 216,726,100.00
PhilexPetroleum 12.4 3,233,500 38,230,036.00 11.66 428,400 4,960,370.00
Philodrill Corp. À 0.053 2,901,740,000 153,687,300.00 0.052 667,330,000 34,876,610.00
PNOC Expls `B 58 10,120 534,910.00 50 25,570 1,304,105.00
Semirara Corp. 244.40 1,497,120 365,674,962.00 245.40 448,760 110,480,420.00
United Paragon 0.0200 245,900,000 5,088,200.00 0.0210 156,300,000 3,282,400.00
PREFERRED
ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 44 111,230 4,853,941.00 42 127,300 5,346,700.00
Ayala Corp. Pref À 578 1,300 751,400.00 580 7,710 4,423,635.00
First Phil. Hldgs.-Pref. 105.3 20 2,133.00 105.3 2,700 284,467.00
GMA Holdings Inc. 9.4 88,232,300 796,793,646.00 8.19 15,838,700 132,252,485.00
PCOR-Preferred 115 20,090 2,309,550.00 115 33,610 3,865,150.00
SMC Preferred 1 76.5 32,590 2,501,051.00 79 6,480 504,948.00
SMPFC Preferred 1027 6,090 6,258,520.00 1034 4,050 4,182,300.00
Swift Pref 1.2 98,000 117,580.00 1.02 10,000 10,200.00
WARRANTS & BONDS
Megaworld Corp. Warrants 1.02 7,853,001 10,913,650.00 0.97 4,796,000 4,529,130.00
Megaworld Corp. Warrants2 0.98 105,000 99,700.00 0.94 25,000 23,500.00
Omico Corp. Warrant 0.0990 1,540,000 151,960.00 0.1090 120,000 14,180.00
S M E
Ripple E-Business Intl 4.5 10,000 45,000.00
PH stocks achieve
best return in Asia
LOCAL equities have yielded the best
return among Asia-Pacic markets so far,
according to global asset manager Russel
Investments.
Russel Investments, which
compiled the Russell Asia-Pacic
index, said the Philippines posted
a 21.8-percent return since the
start of the year, leading all
individual country returns as of
April 16.
The Philippines was
followed by Thailand (with
19.5-percent return), Singapore
(18.7 percent) and India (17.5
percent).
Indonesia had the lowest
return during the period,
followed by Japan and
Malaysia. The region posted an
average return of 10.3 percent
since the start of the year.
The benchmark Philippine
stock exchange index achieved
a new all-time intra-day high
at 5,219 on April 18, driven
mainly by investor exuberance
on the liquid nancial system.
Share prices are expected to
move sideways this week as
the abundant liquidity in the
stock market will likely offset
possible prot-taking.
AB Capital Securities said
the valuations will likely
remain high with little room for
downside because of too much
liquidity in the market.
We only see minor
corrections for the week ahead
as we think there is still so
much liquidity on the sidelines.
We recommend investors to
hold positions as we think a
major correction is yet to occur
unless substantial amount of
liquidity is taken away or there
is signicant change in market
sentiment, AB Capital said.
Investors have been waiting
for a correction to take place
for a few weeks now after the
markets steady rise over the
past trading weeks. However,
the market continues to defy
expectations and instead posted
another all-time high last week.
AB Capital, however, said
if correction occurs, the PSEi
could go down to 4,982 level
this week.
The index rose 1.2 percent
over last weeks ve-day market
trading to close at 5,1156.46 on
April 20, despite mixed market
sentiments linked to Spains
higher borrowing cost, Chinas
economic slowdown and US
recovery.
Average value turnover
zoomed 41 percent to P6.54
billion while foreign net buying
surged to P1.069 billion.
Share price of George Ty-led
GT Capital Holdings climbed
8.13 percent on its rst day of
trading as it closed at P492 from
the offer price of P455 apiece.
GT Capital raised as much as
P18.753 billion from the initial
public offering.
Conglomerate Ayala Corp. also
said last week it was prepared to
invest $1 billion in power and
transport infrastructure projects
over the next ve years. For this
year alone, the Ayala group has
earmarked P91 billion in capital
expenditures primarily for real
estate development and network
improvement of its telecoms
unit.
BDO Unibank Inc., the
banking unit of mall magnate
Henry Sy, targets to increase
its net prot this year by 19
percent to P12.5 billion on the
back of a double-digit growth
in net interest income amid
a favorable macroeconomic
environment.
The countrys largest bank
posted an unaudited net prot of
P2.8 billion in the rst quarter,
up 15 percent from a year ago.
Jenniffer B. Austria
COUPLE of decades ago, the most popular
snacks were Jack and Jills Chippy and Potato
Chips. Despite their popularity, they only came
in one flavor, barbecue. Sodas were all regular
and only available in three variants: black, clear,
and orange. They were sold only in two bottle
sizes. Iced teas and lemonades were made by the
help using real tea and lemons. Powdered juice
drinks were only served on special occasions or
to guests.
Today, we have at least 10 product lines from
each of a dozen snack food manufacturers. Each
of the product lines has its own variety of flavors
ranging from the traditional (natural, cheese,
barbecue) to the exotic (kimchi, sea salt, Italian
dressing). There are more than five variants for
each soda brand. And there are more than 20
variants of juice drinks from at least three major
beverage companies vying for shelf space and
buyers attention.
More options
Common marketing sense tells us that buyers
like more options. More options and choices
naturally lead to more sales. However, Sheena
Iyengar of Columbia University challenged
this assumption. Iyengar and her co-researcher
conducted their study by setting up a stall inside
a grocery in California. For a specific period,
shoppers were offered to sample either six or 24
flavors of fruit jams. Although more shoppers
sampled the jams when 24 flavors were offered,
only 3 percent of them made an actual purchase.
On the other hand, 30 percent of those who
sampled the jams when six flavors were offered
purchased the flavors that they selected.
The findings of the study show that although
the shoppers may initially be attracted to the
variety of choices, but this is no guarantee that
they will make the purchase. In fact, at least
in the study, having too much choices may
actually hamper the shoppers motivation to
make the purchase.
Freedom of choice
It seems to be evident that by offering
variation of the same product, buyers would
have the freedom of choice. However, according
to Iyengar, although choice seems to be present,
the choices are between or among things that
are not that much different from each other. For
example, seven variants of the same soda cannot
be considered as different from each other.
The value of choice depends on our ability to
perceive differences between the options, she
added.
Psychologist and social theorist Erich Fromm
said that freedom of choice is having the ability
to make choices. There is the freedom to
choose only if real and distinct choices are
available. In contrast, having too much of the
same restricts the buyers freedom to make
authentic and informed choices.
In practice, determining the optimal number
of choices that can be offered to buyers can
solve the problem. Logically, a higher rate of
purchase can then be expected.
However, the consequence could become
dire.
Do we really have a choice?
In 2000, surveys conducted by the Food
Marketing Institute show that buyers exhibited
willingness to make major dietary changes
for health reasons. Moreover, the survey also
reveals that buyers rely mainly on themselves
for information regarding food nutrition.
Less than a decade after, statistics of the
Organization of Economic Cooperation and
Development in 2008 reveal that more than 50
percent of the world is overweight as indicated
by the populations body mass index. The
majority of the countries affected are from the
west.
The affluence of the west naturally resulted
in an increased demand for more food choices.
Apparently, a substantial part of the choices that
it had made resulted in the increased number of
health-related problems. Question is, what and
how were the food choices offered?
What were the bases used in identifying the
products that get into the store shelves? Was the
truth used in promoting the products offered?
Were the buyers informed of the effects of the
consumption of the product? Were the buyers
manipulated to favor certain products? Were
alternatives available to the buyers?
Unless these are addressed, buyers choices
shall be restricted to what has been pre-selected
for them. Lamentably, those who are responsible
for the selection may not necessarily have the
best interests of the buyers in mind.
The buyers may not really have a choice, after
all.
R. Carpio So is an entrepreneur and a
management consultant. He lectures on
Strategic Management, Management Principles
and Organizational Behavior at the Ramon V.
del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle
University-Manila. He welcomes comments at
realwalksonwater@gmail.com.
The views expressed above are the authors and
do not necessarily reflect the official position of
DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.
REAL CARPIO SO
GREEN LIGHT
Business
ManilaStandardToday business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com APRIL 23, 2012 MONDAY
B3
Govt to cut duty on imported cars soon
PH needs good businessmen
BSP asks banks to reduce charges further after 2 policy rate cuts
Department of Public Works and Highways
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Surigao del Sur 1 Engineering District
Tandag City, Surigao del Sur
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D
(MST-Apr. 23, 2012)
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the DPWH - Surigao del Sur
1st Engineering District Ofce, Tandag City through the SARO No. SR2012-
02-001597, invites contractors to bid for the aforementioned projects:
Contract ID : 12NH0029
Contract Name : Reconstruction of CriticaI Section aIong
NationaI Roads, Payasan-Los Arcos Road
(Road Slip) Km. 1389+820-Km. 1389+920
Contract Location : Lianga, Surigao deI Sur
Scope of Work : PCCP, Earthworks, Sheet PiIes (SteeI),
Concrete Facing, and Others
Approved Budge for the Contract (ABC) : Php 15,041,385.24
Contract Duration : 150 C.D.
Cost of Bidding Documents : Php 10,000.00
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with
the Revised IRR of RA 9184. Bids received In excess of the ABC shall be
automatically rejected at the opening of bid .
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOl),
purchase bidding documents and must meet the following major criteria: (al 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 similar contract costing at
least 50% of ABC within period of 10 years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting
capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment for at least 10% of
ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/ fall 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 LO.
The DPWH-POCW Central Offce will only process contractor's applications for
registration with complete requirements and issue the Contractor's Certifcate of
Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at DPWH website
www.dpwh.gov.ph
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
Activities ScheduIe
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents April 18, 2012-May 10, 2012
2. Pre-Bid Conference April 27, 2012@ 10:00 a.m.
3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from
Prospective Bidders
May 03, 2012 @ 10:00 a.m.
4. Receipt of Bids Deadline: May 10, 2012 @ 8:45 a.m.
5. Opening of Bids May 10, 2012 @ 9:00 a.m.
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BD's) at DPWH -
Surigao del Sur 1
st
Engineering District Ofce. Prospective bidders may also
download the BD's from the DPWH website, if available. Prospective bidders
that will download the BD's 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 BD's. 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 the post-qualifcation.
The DPWH - Surigao del Sur 1
st
Engineering District Ofce reserves the
right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process at any time prior
to award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability to affected bidder/s.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) AGUSTIN R. ESTAL, MPA
Engineer III
(BAC-Chairman)
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
Manila
(MST-Apr. 23, 2012)
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) through
the General Appropriations Act of 2011. intends to apply the sum of
P28,338.822.40 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to
payment under the contract for Dredging of Navotas River (Navigation Gate
Area), KAMANAVA Area Flood Control and Drainage System Improvement
Project. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected
at bid opening.
2. The DPWH now invites bids for Dredging of Navotas River (Navigation gate
Area). KAMANAVA Area Flood Control and Drainage System Improvement
Project (see Annex I for the detailed work description). Completion of the
works is required within Ninety (90) Calendar days. Bidders should have
completed. within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of
bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is
contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly in Section II, Instructions
to Bidders.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures
using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specifed in the Revised
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184),
otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships or
organizations with at least seventy fve percent (75%) interest or outstanding
capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.
4. Contractors/applicants who are interested in the DPWH civil works are
required to register prior to the set schedule of submission of bid while
those already registered shall keep their records current and updated.
Contractors eligibility to bid on the project will be determined using the
DPWH Contractor Profle Eigibility Process (CPEP) and subject to further
post-qualifcation. Information on registration can be obtained at DPWH
website www.dpwh.gov.ph or CPO, 5
th
Floor DPWH Building, Bonifacio
Drive, Port Area, Manila from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested
Bidders at Central Procurement Offce, 5
th
Floor Department of Public
Works and Highways Building, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila upon
payment of. non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount
of P10,000.00.
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine
Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of
the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding
Documents not later than the submission of their bids.
6. The DPWH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on May 2, 2012, 9:00 A.M. at
Central Procurement Offce, 5
th
Floor Department of Public Works and
Highways Building, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila, which shall be open
to all interested parties.
7. Bids must be delivered on or before May 15, 2012, 10:00 A.M. at Central
Procurement Offce, 5
th
Floor Department of Public Works and Highways
Building, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila. All bids must be accompanied
by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated
in ITB Clause 18.1 of the Bidding Documents.
Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders' representatives who
choose to attend at the address above. Late bids shall not be accepted.
8. For further information, please refer to :
MACARIOLA S. BARTOLO, CEO VI
Project Director
PMO-KAMANAVA
Kawilihan Building
Bonifacio Drive. Port Area, Manila
9. The Department of Public Works and Highways reserves the right to accept
or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any
time prior to contract award. without thereby incurring any liability to the
affected bidder or bidders.
(Sgd.) JAIME A. PACANAN, Ph.D., CESO I
Undersecretary for Support Services
BAC Chairman for Civil Works
Invitation to Bid
for
Dredging of Navotas River (Navigation Gate Area)
KAMANAVA Area FIood ControI and Drainage System
Improvement Project
(MST-Apr. 23, 2012)
Department of Public Works and Highways
Northern Samar 1
st
Engineering District
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Catarman, Northern Samar
Tel. No. (055) 251-8190
I NVI TATI ON TO APPLY FOR ELI GI BI LI TY AND TO BI D
The DPWH - Northern Samar 1
st
Engineering District, Catarman, Northern
Samar through the Bids & Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to apply to
bid for the following contract(s):
1. Contract ID: 12IH0043
Contract Name: Repair/Rehab. Of Mondragon Revetment, Brgy. Eco
Mondragon, N. Samar
Contract Location: Brgy. Eco, Mondragon, N. Samar
Scope of Work: Repair/Rehab. Of Revetment
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 7,263,989.00
Contract Duration: 120 CaIendar Days
Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures in
accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) and
must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino
citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture
with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (c) completion of
a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (d)
Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment
for at least 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the
eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids.
Only contractors duly registered with the DPWH may be allowed to participate
in the eligibility screening. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their
applications for registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Offce before the deadline
for the receipt of LO. The DPWH POCW-Central Offce will only process contractor's
applications for registration, with complete requirements, and issue the Contractor's
Certifcate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH
website www.dpwh.gov.ph.
Interested contractors shall submit their duly accomplished Expression of
nterest statements upon presentation of their original Contractor's Registration
Certifcate in person or through their Authorized Representative as refected in their
CRC to the Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), DPWH - Northern Samar
1
st
Engineering District, Catarman, Northern Samar not later than 2:00 P.M. on May
22, 2012.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1. Receipt of LOIs from Prospective Bidders April 19-30, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.
2. Issuance of Bidding Documents April 19-May 22, 2012
3. Pre-bid Conference May 15, 2012
4. Receipt of Bids May 22, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.
5. Opening of Bids May 22, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BD's) at DPWH-NS1st
Engineering District, Catarman, N. Samar, upon payment of a non-refundable fee
of Php 10,000.00 for Item 2 for Bidding Documents. Prospective bidders may also
download the BDs, if available, from the DPWH web site. Prospective bidders that
will download the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before
the submission of their bids Documents. Bids must accompanied by a bid security,
in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed in
the BD's in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The frst
envelope shall contain the technical components of the bid which shall include the
eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain the fnancial component
of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as
determined in the bid evaluation and the post-qualifcation.
The DPWH-NS1st Engineering District reserves the right to accept or reject any
or all bid and to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract award, without
incurring any liability to the affected bidders.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) LUCAS N. BACSAL
BAC CHAIRMAN
BPO brieng. Information technology expert Rick Lowe (center) joined contact center and business
process outsourcing executives during a disaster preparedness forum sponsored by solutions provider
inContact at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City on April 18. Also shown are (from left) inContact
country manager Junie Pama, Contact Center Association of the Philippines executive director Jojo Uligan,
Business Processing Association of the Philippines executive director Raymond Lacdao and inContact
managing director Mitch Galutera.
FILIPINO students were
encouraged to hone their
skills as responsible business
leaders, with the challenge of
addressing poverty incidence
that affects more than a quarter
of the population.
Jose Leviste Jr., chairman
and chief executive of Pilipinas
Students in Free Enterprise, said
todays students have a crucial
role to play in ensuring that the
poor benet from economic
growth.
SIFE is an international
organization that brings
together bright, young college
students and business leaders
from 39 different countries. At
SIFE, university students give
back to their communities while
becoming the next generation
of socially responsible business
leaders.
Even as the nation prospers,
economic benets are not
reaching those who need it
most. Over a quarter of the
Filipino population continues
to live below the poverty line;
thats more than 20 million
people who need better shelter
and are struggling to put food
on the table every day, Leviste
said in a commencement speech
delivered at the University of
Luzon in Pangasinan recently.
Our countrys economy
is improving, but millions of
Filipinos are still plagued by
poverty. Were limiting our
potential as a nation by failing
to empower the advancement of
our fellow Filipinos. Thats why
having a passion for service is
necessary to confronting the
challenges of your times, he
said.
Leviste cited the example of
University of Luzon students for
developing a service program
that focused on sustainable
development at the grassroots
level. University of Luzon was
declared the Pilipinas SIFE
national champion last year for
a program called Agenda for
Reforms and Initiatives toward
Sustainable Economy.
One of the four initiatives of
the program is the Wealth on
Wonders of Ifugao or WOW
Ifugao project, which helped
boost ecotourism in Mayoyao,
Ifugao.
The initiative helped boost
ecotourism revenue in Mayoyao
by 164 percent. The university-
SIFE team and the community
also worked together to set a
sustainability fund so that the
rice terraces will be preserved
for generations to come.
Leviste cited the University
of Luzon students for keeping
their passion for service. A
passion for service is something
your generation will need to
solve the crisis of poverty and
the social injustice it breeds,
both of which hold back our
country from real progress and
sustainable development, he
said.
By Julito G. Rada
PRICES of vehicles from South Korea
and China are expected to become more
affordable, with the implementation of
trade treaties reducing the import duties
slapped on vehicles from the two East
Asian countries.
Ma. Fe Perez Agudo,
president and chief executive
of Korean car importer Hyundai
Asia Resources Inc., said the
tariff rates on completely-built
vehicles from Korea and China
were set to be reduced to 20
percent from the current 30
percent by May.
Agudo was hoping the
Philippines would honor its
commitment under the Asean-
Korea free trade agreement
and Asean-China free trade
agreement which both called
for tariff reduction on imported
goods traded within the region.
Agudo told Manila Standard
that an executive order for this
purpose was expected to be
issued by the rst week of May.
So we expect the tariff
reduction will be implemented
by May, she said. The
implementation of the tariff
reduction was actually delayed
from the original schedule of
January 2012.
The most-favored nation tariff
rate on imported motor vehicles,
under the two treaties, were
supposed to be reduced to 20
percent beginning January this
year from the current 30 percent.
The import duty would be
further reduced to zero by 2016
for vehicles from Korea and
2018 for Chinese vehicles.
Agudo earlier said the tariff
reduction would help improve
the companys market share this
year. Hyundai currently controls
12 percent of the domestic vehicle
market.
She said aside from the tariff
reduction, other vital keys for
success this year would be the
strong portfolio of products and
services, highlighted by the entry
of new models, such as the all-
new Santa Fe, Veloster and the
India-made compact car Eon.
Eon was launched in the
Philippines during the Manila
International Autoshow in
March, together with the all-new
Santa Fe and Veloster.
Agudo also said Hyundai
was set to introduce four other
models in the local market within
the year, although she refused to
name the models.
Hari had been distributing
11 models in the Philippines,
before the entry of Eon, Veloster
and the all-new Santa Fe.
The Korean car maker
is expanding its number of
dealerships this year to 45 from
the previous 37 to meet the
rising demand of customers for
its vehicles.
By Lailany P. Gomez
THE Bangko Sentral said
banks have more room to
loosen their credit standards
and trim lending rates to match
the regulators own reduction
in policy rates.
Bangko Sentral Deputy
Governor Diwa Guinigundo
said only 75 percent of the
rate cuts done by the central
bank had been passed on by
local banks to their clients so
far.
The Monetary Board cut
the overnight borrowing and
lending rates by 50 basis points
this year, in order to encourage
banks to reduce their own
interest rates and boost lending
activities in the country.
Thus, there is still room
for the rate cuts done by the
BSP earlier this year to be
fully absorbed by the banks,
Guinigundo told reporters.
A 75-percent pass through
rate means that banks lending
rates have fallen by an amount
equivalent to 75 percent of
the 50 basis points cut by the
central bank.
The Bangko Sentral kept the
policy interest rates unchanged
on April 19, following two
consecutive cuts this year, on
signs of manageable inflation
and improved economic
outlook.
Rates for overnight
borrowing and lending were
kept at 4 percent and 6 percent,
respectively, as baseline
forecasts continued to indicate
that inflation will likely settle
near the lower half of the 3-
percent to 5-percent target
range in 2012 and 2013.
Inflation expectations,
meanwhile, have remained
well anchored. The reserve
requirement ratio was also kept
steady at 19 percent.
IN BRIEF
Provinces
Edited by Leo A. Estonilo www.manilastandardtoday.com mst@manilastandardtoday.com
B4
ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City
IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR
APPROVAL OF THE TRANSLATION INTO
DISTRIBUTION RATES OF DIFFERENT
CUSTOMER CLASSES FOR THE THIRD (3
rd
)
REGULATORY YEAR OF THE ERC-APPROVED
ANNUAL REVENUE REQUIREMENT FOR
CELCOR UNDER THE PERFORMANCE BASED
REGULATION (PBR) FOR THE REGULATORY
PERIOD 2011-2014
ERC CASE NO. 2012-049 RC
CABANATUAN ELECTRIC CORPORATION
(CELCOR),
Applicant
x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x
NOTI CE OF PUBLI C HEARI NG
TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:
Notice is hereby given that on March 29, 2012, Cabanatuan Electric Corporation (CELCOR) fled an application
for approval of the translation into distribution rates of different customer classes for the Third (3
rd
) Regulatory Year
of the ERC-Approved Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) under the Performance Based Regulation (PBR) for the
Regulatory Period 2011-2014.
n the said application, CELCOR alleged, among others, that:
1. Under the Commission's Resolution No. 54, Series of 2006, or the "Rules for Setting Distribution Wheeling
Rates (RDWR) for Privately Owned Distribution Utilities Entering Performance Based Regulation (Second and
Later Entry Points) (RDWR), the Performance Based Regulation (PBR)-entrant distribution utility will be given
an Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) which will be used to derive the Maximum Average Price (MAP). Said
MAP shall then be allocated by the distribution utility in setting the rate schedule for its distribution, supply and
metering charges for each customer class or segment;
2. t was among the entrants at the third entry point to the PBR rate setting methodology adopted by the
Commission pursuant to Section 43(f) of Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power
ndustry Reform Act of 2001. As such, on June 19, 2009, it fled an application (docketed as ERC Case
No. 2009-043RC) for approval of its ARR and Performance ncentive Scheme (PS) covering the Second
Regulatory Period from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2014 in accordance with the provisions of the RDWR;
3. Thereafter, the Commission issued the Final Determination for the applicant as contained in its Decision dated
March 8, 2010.
a. Based on the Final Determination, its ARR for the Third Regulatory Year (2013) of the Second Regulatory
Period 2011-2014 as approved by the Commission is as follows:
Building Block
RY 2013
(PhP, Nominal)
Return on Capital 141,538,768
OPEX 132,779,229
Regulatory Depreciation 44,072,000
Corporate ncome Tax -
Other Taxes 1,146,029
Resulting ARR before GSL
Allowance
319,536,026
GSL Allowane 1,597,680
Resulting ARR Before Regulatory
Intervention
321,133,706
Less: Regulatory ntervention 50,000,000
Resulting ARR After Regulatory
Intervention But Before X-factor
271,133,706
b. The MAP
2013
that will apply to it at the start of the Third Regulatory Year as computed based on the Price
Control Formula of the RDWR without the Side Constraints is PhP1.6488/kWh with an X factor of 7.959%.
c. The change in Weighted ndex for the Third Year (CW) as calculated in accordance with Section 4.5 of
the RDWR is 3.57%.
d. The Performance ncentive Factor (S) for the Third Year as calculated in accordance with Section 4.18.2
of the RDWR is PhP0.0263/kWh.
e. The Correction Factor (K) for the Third Year as calculated in accordance with Section 4.3.2 of the RDWR
is PhP0.0912/kWh.
4. n compliance with the requirements under the RDWR and the Final Determination for the conversion of
the approved MAP into a distribution rate structure, it herein applies for the approval of the translation into
distribution rates of different customer classes of its approved MAP for the Third Regulatory Year of the
Second Regulatory Period, as follows:
CUSTOMER CLASS
DISTRIBUTION
CHARGE
SUPPLY CHARGE METERING CHARGE
PhP/kW PhP/kWh PhP/Month/
Customer
PhP/kWh PhP/Month/
Meter
PhP/kWh
Residential - 1.1031 - 0.4280 5.00 0.3541
Small Commercial
Large Commercial
Very Large Commercial
-
-
275.43
0.9171
0.8829
0.7435
43.30
1,043.31
534.45
-
-
-
54.83
1,096.09
3,521.50
-
-
-
Semi-ndustrial
Small ndustrial
Large ndustrial
135.70
290.83
206.90
0.2907
1.4073
0.6264
749.78
3,154.70
430.55
-
-
-
913.52
3,843.66
2,836.99
-
-
-
SL-Metered
SL-Unmetered
-
-
1.0118
0.9343
6.26
38.98
-
-
5.85
-
-
-
Hospital 233.32 0.6069 1,610.91 - 1,692.41 -
The conversion was effected in accordance with the Uniform Filing Requirements (UFR), the relevant
sections of the RDWR, as amended, and the methodology described in Article V of the Distribution
Services and Open Access Rules (DSOAR). t used in its calculations the information contained in the
Final Determination dated March 8, 2010;
5. The Side Constraint Calculation for the Second Regulatory Period which was approved by the Commission
is 10.95% over the CP. The value of SC is 10.95% while CW has been calculated to be 3.57%, thus,
SC
2013
is 14.52%.
CUSTOMER
CLASS
(FCR
k,t
/
FQ
kt
)-S
t
(CR
k,t-1
I
AQk,
t-1
) - S
t-1
%
Increase/
Decrease
STATUS
PhP/kWh PhP/kWh
Residential 1.8733 1.7750 5.54% Within Side Constraints
Small Commercial 1.4496 1.3457 7.72% Within Side Constraints
Large Commercial 1.3724 1.2981 5.72% Within Side Constraints
Very Large Commercial 1.3278 1.3850 -4.13% Within Side Constraints
Semi-ndustrial 0.6563 0.6119 7.25% Within Side Constraints
Small ndustrial 3.3675 3.5879 -6.14% Within Side Constraints
Large ndustrial 1.2372 1.2453 -0.65% Within Side Constraints
SL-Metered 1.5952 1.3390 19.13% Side Constraints Breached
SL-Unmetered 0.9001 0.8559 5.17% Within Side Constraints
Hospital 1.1755 1.2662 -7.16% Within Side Constraints
TOTAL 1.5739 1.5128
The breach in the side constraints on its SL-Metered customers is due to the increase in actual energy
sales for the period January 2011 to December 2011 (617,343 kWh) as against the forecasted energy
sales for Regulatory Year 2013 (179,974 kWh), or an increase of 343.02%;
6. The approval of the instant application will allow it to fulfll its obligations under PBR and avoid irreparable
losses, which will ultimately result in the deterioration of its services, to the damage, and prejudice of the
public, in general, and its consumers, in particular; and
7. t prays that the instant application be approved by the Commission authorizing it to adopt the proposed
distribution-related rate structure and rate schedules.
The Commission has set the instant application for jurisdictional hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial
conference and evidentiary hearing on May 17, 2012 (Thursday) at ten oclock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at the
Training Center, Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, Sumacab Este, Cabanatuan City.
All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by fling, at least
fve (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC's Rules of Practice and Procedure,
a verifed petition with the Commission giving the docket number and the title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the
petitioner's name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner's interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the
way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of
the relief desired.
All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the
proceeding may fle their opposition to the application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the
applicant concludes the presentation of its evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but
the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the
opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.
All such persons who may wish to have a copy of the application may request the applicant, prior to the date of
the initial hearing, that they be furnished with a copy of the application. The applicant is hereby directed to furnish all
those making 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-Apr. 23 & 30, 2012)
Aegis pilots earn-learn drive
Tarlac bank placed under receivership
Coco farmers go organic
P300-m power savings eyed

BALANGA CITYBataan Governor
Enrique Garcia said the province can save
at least P300 million a year in electricity
with the operation of the 600-megawatt GN
powerplants in Mariveles town.
He said Peninsula Electric Cooperative, the
lone distributor here, would be able tom obtain
cheaper electricity starting this year.
The province can also earn at least P300
million in taxes a year from the GN powerplants
in Barangay Alas-asin.
Garcia said GN management has
committed a power rate lower by at least 10
percent to residents in Bataan, being the host
province.
The GN power plants will also provide
electricity to the Freeport Area in Bataan
under chairman and administrator, lawyer
Deo Custodio who commended the timely
completion of the GN projects with the arrival
of locators. Butch Gunio
NIA suspends payments
CABANATUAN CITYThe National
Irrigation Administration has suspended
the payments of irrigation service fees of
farmers for the third cropping season owing
to calamities that struck the country since
September last year.
In Memorandum Circular19 issued to
the senior deputy administrator, deputy
administrators, department managers,
project managers, division managers
and irrigation management officers,
Administrator Antonio Nangel ordered
suspended memorandum circulars 01-
2010 and 28-2011.
MC 01-2010 refers to ISF rates for areas
under the socalled Quick Turn-Around and
ratooning schemes of the Department of
Agriculture. It covers the rst cropping up to
second cropping of 2012.
MC 28-2011 pertains the use of P17 per
kilogram government support price of palay in
the computation of the cash equivalent of ISF.
It applies to the second cropping of 2011 up to
second cropping next year.
Ferdie G. Domingo
TO assure farmers good planting
stocks to replace old unproductive
coconut trees or expand hectarage,
the United Coconut Planters Bank-
CIIF Foundation is promoting
organic farming and widening its
network of nurseries.
The foundation teamed up with
coconut farmer cooperatives in
Quezon, Masbate, Camarines Norte,
Iloilo, Agusan Sur and Surigao Sur
along with the Philippine Coconut
Authority for seednuts free from
diseases.
About 1,050 coconut growers
obtained 105,000 seedlings at cost
instead of paying higher price stocks
from commercial nurseries.
Launched in 2009, Tara Na at
Mag-Organic Farming Project aims
to train coconut farmers on organic
or natural farming techniques which
are cost-effective, the foundation
said.
Indigenous materials such as
fruits, vegetables, molasses or
waste materials like sh gills, bones
or eggshells are used to formulate
soil enhancers, botanical sprays,
and other fermented solutions that
invigorate plants and animals.
The UCPB-CIIF Foundation
tapped its pool of scholars who
trained on natural farming with Don
Bosco in Legaspi City, Iloilo, and
Davao Oriental to handle lectures
and hands-on learning sessions.
The participants applied the
formulations in their vegetable
gardens to augment their income.
Close to 400 coconut farmers
from cooperatives in Masbate,
Iloilo, Cebu, Negros Oriental,
Siquijor, Agusan Sur, Misamis
Oriental, Compostela Valley,
and Davao Oriental attended
the program. Ongoing training
for members of Belwang Multi-
Purpose Cooperative in Camarines
Norte and Sibonga MPC in Cebu
started in December 2011.
Kristine Kate Fernandez
Hometown hero. Cagayan Governor Alvaro Antonio commends
the Sta. AnaTuguegarao stage winner Team Mail & More led by
racer Oscar Rendole (back center) from Nueva Ecija in the Le Tour De
Filipinas. Outclocked were Jeroen Koos Kers from Dutch Global and
Timo Scholz of CCN cycling team. Also cheering the top nishers is
Tourism Region 2 director Blessida Diwa. JESSICA M. BACUD
Copyright protection. Director General Ricardo Blancaor (third from right) of the Intellectual Property Ofce leads
Summer Slam 2012 with National Book Development Board Chairman Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz, Debbie Gaite from
Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (third from left) and ofcers of the publishing industry to mark
World Book and Copyright Day. The annual event is observed by UNESCO on April 23 in over 100 countries.
CEBU CITYAegis has lined up 320 skilled
college graduates and out-of-school youth here to
pilot a campaign to reduce brain drain and spur
regional development.
Jaquelyn Barrios, Aegis vice president
and human resource chief, said the batch
will be trained for business process
outsourcing and contact center sectors
and the chance to get hired by Aegis,
a leading global service provider in
Manila, Baguio, and the Visayas.
Through the Aegis Earn and Learn
Program, we are able to live up to our
Employee Value Proposition of Get-Set-
Go, she said. Participants who join
Aegis at the end of this program will
be set up for success through various
trainings and experiential learning,
helping them jumpstart their careers and
enabling them to go places and reach
their professional aspirations.
The Earn and Learn Program is
a Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority dual training
system that allows Aegis, through its
subsidiary Aspire People Solutions, to
train academic partners to run a nishing
course especially designed for contact
centers and have its graduates participate
in an internship program with
Aegis, with the intent to employ
participants who successfully
nish the course.
Last April 12, a Memorandum
of Agreement was signed by Aegis, Aspire
People Solutions, and Asian College of
Technology, one of Cebus foremost IT
schools and one of the rst academic
partners to participate in the program.
Present during the contract signing
were Cherryll Ann Dela Vega, Aegis
vice president for operations; Dennis
Tagamolila, senior manager of Aspire
People Solutions; Rodrigo Abellanosa,
ACT president; Erwin Verano, ACT vice
president for academics; Luisita Yee,
TESDA provincial head for industry
services; Nancy Lisondram, TESDA
regional head for UTPRAS; and Wilfredo
Sa-a, Cebu Educational Development
Foundation for IT executive director.
The Aegis program consists of trainer
certication, Pre-Employment Language
Enhancement Training, and internship.
Aegis, through Aspire People Solutions,
will manage the selection and training of the
academic partner to run the PLANET phase
on English communication and customer
service, under TESDA standards.
During the internship, participants earn
an allowance, and upon completion, are
qualied at Aegissites in Cebu or Manila.
TESDA fully supports the Dual
Training System tripartite MOA signing by
Aegis, Aspire, and ACT. This undertaking
marks the beginning of our journey
towards producing globally competitive
workforce for the BPO industry, said
Yee, speaking on behalf of TESDA-Cebu
director Buenafe Sta. Rita
THE Monetary Board placed the
First Provincial Bank Inc. under
the receivership of the Philippine
Deposit Insurance Corp. under MB
Resolution 592 dated April 19, 2012
and taken over the following day.
First Provincial Bank is a four-
unit bank with the main ofce along
McArthur Highway cor. Juan Luna
St., Tarlac City with branches are
in Mabalacat, Pampanga; Paniqui,
Tarlac; and La Trinidad, Benguet.
Latest available records show that
as of June 30, 2011, the Bank had
4,233 accounts with total deposit
liabilities of P190.5 million, the
PDIC said in a statement.
According to the latest General
Information Sheet led before Bank
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, the bank is owned by
Blesilo Florido Buan, Florido Buan
and Romina P. Canilao.
The state deposit insurer assured
depositors that all valid deposits shall
be paid up to the maximum deposit
insurance coverage of P500,000.
Depositors with valid accounts
with balances of P10,000 and below,
who have no outstanding obligations
with First Provincial Bank and who
have updated their addresses with
the bank in the past year, need not
le deposit insurance claims.
PDIC targets to start mailing
payments to these depositors to the
last known addresses recorded in the
bank by last week of May 2012.
Depositors whose accounts have
balances of more than P10,000 and
have outstanding obligations should
le their deposit insurance claims.
The claims settlement operations will
be conducted at the bank premises
by third week of June 2012. The
inclusive dates and schedule will
be announced through notices to
be posted in the bank premises and
other public places, the media as
well as through the PDIC Web site
www.pdic.gov.ph shortly.
The Depositors Forum will be
held at 9 a.m. today at the head ofce
and branches.
fashion beauty health wellness
standardlifestyle@gmail.com
W
H
A
T
S
I
N
S
I
D
E
THE PERFECT ARCH
Eyebrows dene the eyes and
also enhance the beauty of the
face. The eyebrows usually make
an impact on our appearance.
If its shaped perfectly, it adds
to our appeal and denes what
special feature we have.
SPRING IS HERE
This Spring, LeSportsac
introduces two
new prints for
the collection
and innovative
reective styles.
Gianna Maniego, Editor
#lovemy
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
ANTI-AGING SKIN
CARE IS POWERFUL
The Kinerase Skin Care System
utilizes kinetin, a potent bio-growth
factor derived from plants, to
improve the appearance of wrinkles
and rejuvenate sun-damaged skin
without causing irritation.
C1
WOMEN like to say that they go to salons
to for me time and pampering. The truth is
that some salons dont have interiors that are
conducive to relaxation.
Salon Beauvoir Upper G/F, Somerset Olympia,
7912 Makati Ave. cor Sto. Tomas St., Makati City
is an exception. Once you enter the salon, you are
immediately transported into a different world. While
most salons have a minimalist and/or modern look,
Salon Beauvoir is unabashedly feminine with walls
done in pastels, elegant chandeliers hanging from the
ceilings, delicate wall treatments and lace curtains.
The interiors, done by co-owner Oliver Conda,
were inuenced by an aristocratic French boudoir.
The inspiration is apparent upon entering the lobby,
which has an impressive reception table, a larger-
than-life velvet couch and a huge vintage mirror. The
main styling area has eight individual dressers lining
the wall and is complemented by ten individual
oating stations in acrylic and steel, fusing vintage
with modern touches. These stations were also
designed by Oliver, says co-owner and wife Donna.
The third co-owner is Liezl Rustia.
If you want privacy, there are three VIP rooms
that are also perfect for sparties and people who want
some peace and quiet.
A visit to Salon Beauvoir starts with a consultation.
The stylist asks you what you what to do and makes
his or her recommendations.
Of course, no matter
how beautiful a salon
is, the nal test is still in
how its stylists address
your beauty concerns.
Salon Beauvoir is
proud to have some of
the best professionals in
the industry on its team,
says Donna.
If there is one
thing I hate about
stylists, its when
they push you to avail
of certain treatments,
even going as far as
to point out that your
hair is dry and needs
this or that. At Salon
Beauvoir, the stylists
gently guide you
through whatever treatment is appropriate for
you, without any hard sell.
Leading the team is the husband-and-wife
tandem of Jojo and Monette Rivera. Monette, the
creative director, honed her hairdressing technique
with Vidal Sassoon in Kuala Lumpur and her color
expertise through various courses with LOreal
Academie. She has over 20 years of experience
in various high-end salons in Metro Manila. Just
recently, Monette bagged the highest award for the
LOreal Master Colorist course and will be sharing
her knowhow as the featured Local Guest Artist of
LOreal for 2012.
Senior stylist Jojo Rivera is considered one of the
best kept secrets in mens hair styling because of
his exceptional expertise in mens grooming.With
over two decades of experience in the industry, Jojo
has won the prestigious Schwarzkopf Hair Styling
Competition and represented the country in the
international competition.
Sam Santos has traveled to no less than 70
countries. His rigorous but exciting trainings in
London as part of the Steiner Group (the ofcial
hairdresser to the queen and her guests) have helped
him hone his craft. With 26 years of experience in
the beauty industry, he is an authority in hair styling,
makeup, treatments, and facials. He was even given
the moniker the Repair Man by his clients because
of his remarkable skill in hair styling and rejuvenating
extremely damaged hair.
Pam Ferrater studied hairdressing at the Center
for Aesthetic Studies (CAS) and later had the chance
to become the personal hair stylist and makeup artist
for the royal family in Brunei. She is multi-skilled
and specializes in hair and makeup.
She does airbrush makeup, says Donna.
Susy Cervantes has trained in top local and
PASTELS, CHANDELIERS and

SEASONED PROFESSIONALS at
By Dinna Chan Vasquez
international salons in her more than 15 years in the
beauty industry. Susy supervises the nail and body
care group of Salon Beauvoir and continues to be the
preferred waxing lady of her exclusive and upscale
clientele.
Salon Beauvoir uses the best and most trusted
brands, including Kerastase, Pureology, LOreal,
Inoa, Davines, and Schwarzkopf for hair color,
treatments, re-texturizing and styling. The salon also
uses Sothys Paris for its facial treatments and OPI,
Essie, and Orly for nail care services. In addition, the
salon also offers makeup services including airbrush
makeup, full facial and mens express facial, body/
back/hand massage, foot spa, parafn treatments and
threading services.
Salon Beauvoir is located at Upper G/F, Somerset
Olympia, 7912 Makati Ave. cor Sto. Tomas St.,
Makati City. Open from Monday to Sunday, 8:00am
to 8:00pm. To book an appointment, call 904-5154,
478-7670 or mobile no. 0916-681-3722.
SUMMER is best celebrated by
connecting with nature and everything
that reminds us of how life begins anew.
Women all over the world have
adorned themselves with owers since
the ancient times. The Michelis Molto
Colorato Collection combines the
lovely gems of nature in this happy,
fresh, and charming collection.
Each stone represents
the meaning of its
color: yellow citrine for
happiness, blue topaz
for freshness, amethysts
purple for boldness,
peridots green for youth, and
white topaz for innocence.
Arranged artfully to
express full feminine
glory, the dainty collection
includes earrings, pendant,
and a ring.
Looking for something less girly
and more goddess-like? The Birthstone
Bangles brings out the fun and irtatious
side of being a woman.
Bracelets were worn in the ancient
days as a way of protecting oneself
from any harm. These gorgeous silver
bangles from Michelis are a delight
to wear and can easily capture the
attention of any onlooker. Attached
with birthstone charms and silver
Michelis Molto
Colorato
collection
brings
out the
happiness
and fun
through
its bright
colors.
The dainty
collection
includes
earrings, pendant,
and a ring.
Great for pairing with
summer accessories,
Michelis birthstone
bangles have
birthstone charms
suited for your
birth month. Can
be worn alone
or stacked
together
to create a
bolder look or
statement piece.
disks, the bangles can be worn alone or
stacked together to create a bolder look
or statement piece.
Looking something to give to the
young ones? Jewelry should be age
appropriate and enhance the youth of
the wearer and not distract from it. The
Michelis Baby Collection is a colorful
way to introduce them charms and
trinkets to these budding jewelry-lovers.
Whimsical and brightly hued,
the collection of bracelets
includes butteries, hearts, and ice
cream charms; bring out the girlishness
and the youthful spirit of any teen or
little lady.
Summer is a season for re-birth, for
rest and recreation, and for shedding
the old with the new. It is symbolic of
personal growth and a wonderful time to
nurture your potential and let out your
creative energy.
Whether its owers, bangles, or
youthful charms, Michelis makes sure
that women of any age can adorn and
express themselves this summer in any
piece of jewelry that ts her personality.
Michelis, the premiere name
in sterling silver jewelry, has been
providing jewelry lovers with premium
sterling silver jewelry since 1998. Their
pieces meet the 92.5% international
standards for sterling silver.
For more information, visit their
website www.michelisjewellery.
com. The collection is available at
all Michelis branches in Greenbelt 5,
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Atrium SM
Megamall, The Podium, Ground Floor
North Wing
A private room for waxing and other treatments
Salon Beauvoir
Salon Beauvoir
C
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M
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N
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A

Y
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B
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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
#lovemy
C3
MONDAY
C2
ANSWER TOMORROW
words of 17-, 24- and
43-Across
58 Informal bridge bid
59 Activist Parks
60 Ball of Hollywood
61 Praise
62 Sheltered valley
63 Brown or cream bar
orders
Down
1 Forbidden cologne
brand
2 Hang on to
3 Partners of aahs
4 Fit of agitation
5 Pungent salad veggie
6 Fictitious
7 Cries from Homer
Simpson
8 Opposite of WSW
9 Plugging-in places
10 ... all snug in __ beds
11 Cool off, dog-style
12 Locale
13 __ of the
DUrbervilles
18 USA/Mex./Can. pact
19 Wooden shoes
23 E pluribus __
ANSWER
TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE
Across
1 Fight-stopping calls,
briefly
5 Discourteous
9 Ireland patron, for
short
14 10 million centuries
15 Soon, to the bard
16 Chicago airport
17 Backstage
20 The second story,
vis--vis the first
LOS ANGELES
TIMES
CROSSWORD
21 Tough Japanese dogs
22 Coll. footballs
Seminoles
23 Over, to Oskar
24 Got married
29 Wee lie
32 Forsters A Passage to __
33 Off ones rocker
34 Dashboard gadget
prefix with meter
35 Robins Marian, for one
36 Market express lane units
38 Car
39 North Pole helper
40 Muscle pain
41 Desi who married
60-Across
42 Sneaky
43 Forefront, as of
technology
46 USA or Mex., e.g.
47 Do __ favor ...
48 Blood deficiency that
causes weakness
51 Embodiments
56 Returning to
popularity, or what youd
have been doing if you
followed the sequence
formed by the first
24 Los Angeles daily
25 Counting everything
26 Spiritually enlighten
27 Completed
28 Kicked with a bent leg
29 No longer lost
30 Luggage attachment
31 Hooch
36 Swelling treatment
37 __ she blows!
38 Exist
40 White whales, e.g.
41 Colorful marble
44 Levy, as a tax
45 Upscale retailer __
Marcus
46 __ acid
48 Unrestrained way
to run
49 Half of Morks
sign-off
50 Barely made, with
out
51 Environmental sci.
52 Beatles nonsense
syllables
53 Manhandle
54 Caesars Behold!
55 The __ the limit!
57 Neighbor of Braz.
ManilaStandardToday
SIMPLIFY your daily make-up
routine and and still look great
at any given time and look great
no matter what you are doing!
Achieving that lasting charm and
allure is now possible, affordable
and uncomplicated with the use of
permanent cosmetic makeup and
still look naturally beautiful.
also enhance the beauty of the face.
Eyebrows are also used as a means
of communication or expression
of your feelings. Women and even
men everywhere worry about their
brows, if they are too bushy or even
too thin. The eyebrows usually
make an impact on our appearance.
If it's shaped perfectly, it adds to
our appeal and denes what special
feature we have.
When eyebrows get overgrown
there's unpleasant plucking in-
volved in re-shaping the brows
and when they are too thin the
everyday challenge of perfecting
your eyebrows by application of
cosmetic products is also tiring!
Thankfully, there is a method that
will surely give you the looks that
youve always wanted less the
hassle of plucking and putting on
eyebrow liner every day.
Prettylooks Aesthetics Centers
latest Eyebrow Reborn brings you
the perfect eyebrows for the per-
fect you. This advanced eyebrow
enhancement technique creates a
new you, from reshaping and re-
constructing, to micro-pigmenting
every eyebrow, replicating each
hair strand to give your eyebrows
a natural look.
It is said that a symmetrical pair
of eyebrows gives framing and
emphasis to ones face. Certainly,
Prettylooks Eyebrow Reborn will
make those eyebrows seem darker,
dened, and constantly tasteful.
Eyebrow Reborn delivers
stunning, yet youthful character.
While error-correcting various
concerns like thin and over
plucked eyebrows, or sparse and
overly unexpressive eyebrows.
These techniques help in adding
fullness and denition without
necessarily having to compro-
mise the natural look.
Prettylooks has mastered the
ne art of accuracy required on
each masterpiece that it creates
for the satisfaction of each client.
Prettylooks strives to constantly in-
novate and improve to provide our
clients with the nest treatments
and results.
The clinic has almost 30 years
of experience, expertise, dedication
commitment to innovations and ex-
cellence. Prettylooks was founded
by Susan Co-Ong, a pharmacist,
educator, inventor, beauty title
holder, researcher and manufac-
turer of beauty products.
Susan was recognized as Asias
number one tattoo artist in a com-
petition held in Taipei, Taiwan in
1992 where she bested accom-
plished and acclaimed permanent
cosmetic makeup artists from dif-
ferent parts of the world.
Eyebrow Reborn creates the
perfect shape with real hairstrand-
like stokes and guarantees naturally
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more defined eyebrows. Pretty-
looks only uses 100 percent safe
organic dyes and only the only
aesthetic clinic that has mastered
1001 different eyebrow shapes.
For more information please
log onto www.prettylooks.com.ph
or visit Unit 201 Grand Emerald
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call 6877507, 4702541 and 0917-
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BRIGHTEN up this time of year with every
possible color combination and have fun with
lively tints for a youthful vibe as Rustans
helps you create a perfect summer with their
latest collection and hottest brands that will
add more color to your life.
Gentlemen need not be all stiff in this hot
weather. Have fun with eye-popping hues
and keep looking fresh with color blocking
outts for that energetic mood. For a more
classic style, folded khaki pants paired with
a bright Tommy Bahama long-sleeved polo
keeps you from looking boring and dull.
As the heat sizzles on, ladies can keep
cool with bright colored dresses from Lilly
Pulitzer that will denitely attract a lot of at-
tention. Accessories breathe new life into any
ensemble. From cuffs, bangles, necklaces,
earrings to bags, Rustans has an assortment
of items to choose from for any summer occa-
sion. Lilly Pulitzers adorable line of jewelry
will denitely catch a lot of attention with
designs that have a young vibe yet oozes with
elegant charm.
Go out in style with Rustans wide selec-
tion of choices to make your summer more
exciting.
For more colorful choices, visit Rustan's
Makati, Rustan's Shangri-La, Rustans Gate-
way, Rustan's Alabang Town Center and
Rustans Cebu.
A summer of color
WITH a passion for sentimen-
tal beauty, renowned fashion
designer Inno Sotto launched
Eau Ext reme, a l i mi t ed
collection of timeless gender-
free scents.
I have always been par-
ticular about scents since I
was a little kid, especially
natural scents. The Inno Sotto
scents help rekindle all things
that you appreciate in the past
as well as the present, Inno
shares.
Havi ng vent ured i n t he
world of scents in 2006, the
desi gner used hi s refi ned
taste and style in selecting
perfumes that will capture the
essence of beauty and time. In
his pursuit to better his craft,
Inno forged a friendship with
Jonathan Risco, president of
world-renowned Gendarme
brand (makers of the favorite
perfume of Tom Cruise, Bill
Clinton and Sharon Stone).
The resul t i s hi s new fra-
grance line.
The Inno Sotto Eau Extreme
is labeled with I, II, and III,
three different scents that give
the feel of a new beginning like
the pristine whiteness of a can-
vas full of possibilities, clean
and fresh before it is splashed
with color.
Do and undo things at a
peaceful yet active state with
Eau Ext reme I. It has t op
notes of Citrus and Tanger-
ine along with middle notes
of White Lily, Jasmine and
Cardamom producing a dry
down of Clean Musk.
For t hose who want t o
grasp the moment or to cheat
time, Eau Extreme II is your
perfect scent. It has White
Tea, Lime and Bergamot top
notes that fade into Peach
Blossom, Sampaguita, Lilac
and White Rose middle notes,
Extreme
fragrances
from
Inno Sotto
Renowned fashion designer Inno
Sotto proudly shows his new Eau
Extreme fragrance line. Qualied
new Rustans Citibank cardholders
who applied within February 3 to
April 30 will receive complimentary
bottles along with their approved
application
leaving an exquisite base note
of Musk, Cl ove St em and
Spruce. It delicately captures
a period when the senses are
escalated and most inclined to
grasp the moment and when
one feels an intense desire to
cheat time.
Recall memories as vivid
snapshots of the past with
Eau Extreme III that has top
notes of Fresh Citrus Accords
that move into middle notes
of Jasmine, Green tea and
Spice eventually ending with
a dry down of Warm Musk
and Transparent Sandalwood.
New Rustans Citibank Card-
holders have a chance to take
rst whiffs of this fresh scent.
Qualied applicants will receive
a free 120ML Inno Sotto Eau
Extreme fragrance with the Inno
Sotto Perfume Welcome Gift
Promotion. Promotion runs until
April 30, 2012.
Drawing inspiration from
the things that Inno appreciates
in life, the Eau Extreme fra-
grances have particular scents
that not only stay in your dress
or skin for a long time, but it
also stays in your mind.
With this new and uniquely
nostalgic scent, Inno Sotto
has once again captured the
essence of beauty. Inno Sotto
Eau Extreme 120ML SRP is
P2,950.
In search of the
perfect brow
STURDY, structured, and fashioned with LeSportsacs
signature rip-stop nylon, the LeSportsac Mens collec-
tion is practical enough for the man on-the-go, but is
rened enough for the ofce. This Spring, the brand
introduces two new prints for the collection and in-
novative reective styles.
The seasons new prints are inspired by the
blue-collar trend. Road Block is tonal blue
color-block stripe, with an easy nod towards
denim fashion and completely wearable
style. Wired is a blue plaid with trafc stop-
ping orange accents toned down with black.
The collections solid anchors Black Onyx
and Blaze (orange) continue to complete the
Spring print and color assortment.
The collections tried and true best-selling styles, the Small
Crossbody, Utility Messenger, Basic Back Backpack, and
Weekend Carrier become offered in reworked reective
detailing. Blocked in reective tape the styles mirror urban
street style in casual cool.
Dependable styles such as the Smart Tote, Multi-Task
Briefcase, Portable Laptop Sleeve, Small Utility Messen-
ger, Bi-Fold Wallet, and Essential Shave Kit continue
on for the Spring line.
In the Philippines, LeSportsac is exclu-
sively distributed by Stores Specialists,
Inc. (SSI) and is located at Greenbelt 5,
Rustans Makati, Rustans Tower, Rustans
Alabang Town Center, Rustans Gateway Mall
and Rustans Cebu.
Its spring at LeSportsac with new prints, styles
The cover story
from SM
WHILE you will certainly be making waves with sultry
swim wear, summer's cover story is just as alluring.
Beach cover ups, after all, have come a long way from
the functional pieces of the past to today's stunning
fashion nds, And at the SM Ladies Wear Department,
everything is light, bright, beautiful and playfully printed
all over in the coco cabaa collection.
Lounge and daydream by the pool in sheer maxi
dresses with painterly prints...catch the summer breeze
in the lightest of caftans...look effortlessly chic with
printed dresses with exotic details...
Beautifully shot on location at the Calaclan
Parola in Olongapo, the latest coco cabaa
summer cover-ups collection is avail-
able at the Ladies Wear Department of
SM Department Store.
WHILE aging is inevitable, sci-
ence-based skin care products are
now available to reduce the signs
of aging. The Kinerase Skin Care
System utilizes kinetin, a potent
bio-growth factor derived from
plants, to improve the appearance
of wrinkles and rejuvenate sun-
damaged skin without causing
irritation.
Our almost three decades of
research has shown that kinetin
exerts powerful effects in delaying
several signs of skin aging,said
Prof. Suresh Rattan, a noted bio-
gerontologist (expert in the biol-
ogy of aging) and considered the
Father of Kinetin.
Rattan, the head of the Labora-
tory of Cellular Aging, Department
of Molecular Biology, Aarhus Uni-
versity, Denmark, was the keynote
speaker during the KINERASE
Skin Care System media launch
held on March 8, 2012 at the Best
Western Premier F1 Hotel, 32nd
Street, Bonifacio Global City in
Taguig.
We welcome the Philippine
launch of the KINERASE Skin
Care System. A growing body of
scientific evidence supports the
efcacy and safety of kinetin in im-
proving wrinkles and sun-damaged
skin, said Dr. Rosalina Nadela,
vice president of the Philippine
Dermatological Society (PDS).
The anti-aging properties of kinetin
were first discovered when scientists
found that it prevented plant leaves
from drying out and withering. Kinetin
also slows down over-ripening and
degeneration of fruits.1
A study conducted by indepen-
dent American researchers with
no nancial interests in Kinerase
and published in the respected,
peer-reviewed journal Cosmetic
Dermatology found that 12 to 24
weeks of treatment with KInerase
signicantly improved the appear-
ance of skin texture, mottled hy-
perpigmentation, and ne wrinkles
[as well as] restored normal skin
barrier function.
The study authors noted results
of recent studies that show kinetin
is a powerful antioxidant that
may help protect the skin against
free radical damage caused by
ultraviolet radiation from sunlight.
They also pointed out that unlike
other skin care products such as
retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids,
Kinerase did not cause irritation,
an added benet that contributed
to high patient acceptance of and
compliance with Kinerase treat-
ment. The study authors concluded
that the effectiveness of kinetin
in maintaining normal function in
aging cells provides the basis for
investigating kinetin as a candidate
for preserving the vitality of aging
skin.
The study was done in the Uni-
versity of Califorina, Irvine and in-
volved 32 patients (all but two were
women) with an average age of 49
years and who had mild to moder-
ate sun-damaged skin. Patients
were instructed to wash their face
with a mild facial cleanser twice
daily prior to applying Kinerase.
One week before the start of treat-
ment, patients were instructed to
apply SPF 15 sunscreen everyday
until the duration of the study.
provides powerful anti-aging ef-
cacy, innovative plant-based tech-
nology, clinically-proven visible
results, and gentle skin-caring for-
mulations. It consists of a Cleanser,
Mist, C6 Peptide Cream (a non-in-
jectable version of Botox), Cream,
Lotion, and Eye Cream. Developed
by Canada-based Valeant Pharma-
ceuticals, a multinational specialty
From left: Dr. Maaliddin Biruar, director, Medical and Scientic Affairs, Invida Philippines; Francis Gaspar, marketing
manager, Invida Philippines; Dr. Malou de Veyra, dermatologist consultant, Makati Medical Center; Eleanor Lopez,
marketing director, Invida Philippines; Prof. Suresh Rattan, head, Laboratory of Cellular Aging, Department of Mo-
lecular Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark; Dr. Rosalina Nadela, vice president, Philippine Dermatological Society;
and Lia Chua, brand manager, Invida Philippines.
Kinerase a powerful, science-based anti-aging skin care range
pharmaceutical company with 20
years of experience in dermatology,
the Kinerase Skin Care System is
marketed by global pharmaceuti-
cal commercialization services
company Invida.
We are pleased to make the
Kinerase Skin Care System avail-
able to Filipino dermatologists and
their patients. Through this science-
based skin care range, timeless,
ageless beauty is now possible,
said Dr. Maaliddin B. Biruar, Medi-
cal and Scientic Affairs Director,
Invida Philippines.
Most women dont mind get-
ting old; its looking older theyre
most concerned about. The Kin-
erase Skin Care System is perfect
for discerning women who want
only scientifically proven treat-
ments to reveal their youthful, radi-
ant skin, said Ninia Torres, country
head, Invida Philippines.
Protect your eyes
with stylish shades
Alabang Town Center, CSIThe City Mall,
Festival Supermall, Magic Mall, Malabon
Citisquare, Market!Market!, Metropoint
Mall, NE Pacic Mall, Nepo Mall, Robinsons
Galleria, Robinsons Metro East, Robinsons
Lipa, Robinsons Manila, SM Bacoor, SM
Batangas, SM Calamba, SM Cebu, SM Clark,
SM Dasmarinas, SM Fairview, SM Lipa, SM
Lucena,,SM Manila, SM Marikina, SM Marilao, SM
Naga, SM North Edsa, SM Novaliches, SM Pampanga,
SM Rosales, SM San Lazaro, SM Sta. Rosa, SM Sucat,
SM Tarlac, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM Southmall,
SM Molino, SM Muntinlupa, SM Valenzuela, Sta. Lucia East and
Trinoma. For the latest news and updates on Fly Shades, like i.love.
yshades on Facebook.
THERE is no denying that summers ofcially here what with the
scorching heat it brings. Its a good thing Fly Shades got you covered
with its trendy and sun-perfect summer 2012 collection. The
collection gives off a laidback vibe combined with colorful
cords to make you enjoy summer in a fun and stylish way.
Its an added bonus that Fly Shades have UV protection
to make that frolic under the sun safer.
Trendy men and women will nd
Baker (320), Cordoba (290), Ecija
(320) and Jambi (340) just right for
a daytime trek along the shores or even in the
sunny streets this season. Men will also get to channel
their inner John Lennon with Otsu (320) while Rugby (320)
evokes masculinity more than any other designperfect to don with
beach shorts or swimming trunks at best.
Heat things up and look cool and smooth doing it with Sicily (340),
Troyes (320) and Warley (270) designs. The fresh and chill look of
these eyewear will make you look hot and at the same time cool you
down with these shielding you from the suns vicious and bright rays.
This is the perfect time to wear the Fly Shades newest collection.
Not only are they colourful and trendy, it will help alleviate the heat
brought by the intense summer heat of the sun. Perfect for beach out-
ings and those out-of-town trips, says Mia Tan, Chief Operations
Ofcer of Fly Shades.
Protect yourself with UV-protected Fly Shades this summer!
Check out the Fly Shades summer 2012 collection at Harbor Point
Subic this March 15 and SM Davao this April and other branches:
APRIL 23, 2012
Haute Sun. coco cabaa
caftan with paisley prints.
Free spirited and breezy printed
caftans by coco cabaa.
and what it does
By Joba Botana
A FRIEND of mine mentioned before that alkaline water can
help cure several diseases including kidney problems, arthritis,
diabetes and even cancer. According to him, there is a scientic
basis to this. Although it is not proven to entirely cure diseases,
the alkaline diet is benecial to the body. The alkaline diet is also
known as the vegetarian diet.
To nd out whether a certain food is alkaline,
you have to know its pH levelthe measure of
exactly how acidic or alkaline a substance is. A pH
of 0 is completely acidic, a pH of 7 is neutral and a
pH of 14 completely alkaline. Our body, however,
doesnt have just one pH level. The stomach has a
pH ranging from 1.35-3.5 as it must be acidic to
aid in digestion. The blood, however, must always
be slightly alkaline, with a pH of 7.35 to 7.45.
The logic behind the alkaline diet is that cer-
The
alkaline diet
tain foodz can help maintain the bodys ideal
pH balance and improve overall health. The
alkaline diet is mostly vegetarian with some
fresh fruits, alkaline-promoting foods such as
soy products and some nuts, grainss and le-
gumes. One must avoid eating acid-promoting
foods, which include meat, fish, poultry, dairy
products, processed foods, white sugar, white
flour and caffeine.
Alkaline food is rich in alkaline minerals, espe-
cially calcium, magnesium, and potassium, All of
these minerals are very important, but potassium
has the biggest effect on your internal pH.
According to Marjorie Nolan, RD, an Ameri-
can Dietetic Association spokeswoman, the
alkaline diet is basically healthy.
"It's a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, plenty
of water, avoiding processed foods, coffee, and
alcohol, which are all recommendations for a
generally healthy diet anyway," she says. "But
our body regulates our pH between 7.35 and 7.45
no matter how we eat."
What it can do
According to experts, eating a diet rich in
vegetables, as with the alkaline diet, can
raise ones urine pH and lower the
risk for kidney stones. However,
there is also no concrete evidence that an alka-
line or vegetarian diet can prevent cancer. Some
studies show that vegetarians have lower rates
of cancer, particularly colon cancer, accord-
ing to the American Cancer Society. That, of
course, works if the dieter exercies regularly,
abstains from drinking [liquors] and smoking.
Clinical studies have proved that people who
eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and hydrate
properly do have lower rates of cancer and other
diseases but, according to expperts, it probably
has nothing to do with blood pH.
Potential r isks
People with kidney disease or medical issues
that require monitoring by a doctor, such as severe
diabetes, should not attempt this diet without
medical supervision.
Experts advise that if someone's blood sugar is
not being monitored properly -- especially if they're
on insulin if they're type 1 or they're a severe type
2 diabetic -- you're potentially running the risk of
your blood sugar dropping too low after a meal if
unaware of the risks.
It all comes down to balance. The alkaline
diet could potentially over-restrict protein and
calcium.
Cordoba
Jambi
C
Y
A
N

M
A
G
E
N
T
A

Y
E
L
L
O
W

B
L
A
C
K
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
#lovemy
C3
MONDAY
C2
ANSWER TOMORROW
words of 17-, 24- and
43-Across
58 Informal bridge bid
59 Activist Parks
60 Ball of Hollywood
61 Praise
62 Sheltered valley
63 Brown or cream bar
orders
Down
1 Forbidden cologne
brand
2 Hang on to
3 Partners of aahs
4 Fit of agitation
5 Pungent salad veggie
6 Fictitious
7 Cries from Homer
Simpson
8 Opposite of WSW
9 Plugging-in places
10 ... all snug in __ beds
11 Cool off, dog-style
12 Locale
13 __ of the
DUrbervilles
18 USA/Mex./Can. pact
19 Wooden shoes
23 E pluribus __
ANSWER
TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE
Across
1 Fight-stopping calls,
briefly
5 Discourteous
9 Ireland patron, for
short
14 10 million centuries
15 Soon, to the bard
16 Chicago airport
17 Backstage
20 The second story,
vis--vis the first
LOS ANGELES
TIMES
CROSSWORD
21 Tough Japanese dogs
22 Coll. footballs
Seminoles
23 Over, to Oskar
24 Got married
29 Wee lie
32 Forsters A Passage to __
33 Off ones rocker
34 Dashboard gadget
prefix with meter
35 Robins Marian, for one
36 Market express lane units
38 Car
39 North Pole helper
40 Muscle pain
41 Desi who married
60-Across
42 Sneaky
43 Forefront, as of
technology
46 USA or Mex., e.g.
47 Do __ favor ...
48 Blood deficiency that
causes weakness
51 Embodiments
56 Returning to
popularity, or what youd
have been doing if you
followed the sequence
formed by the first
24 Los Angeles daily
25 Counting everything
26 Spiritually enlighten
27 Completed
28 Kicked with a bent leg
29 No longer lost
30 Luggage attachment
31 Hooch
36 Swelling treatment
37 __ she blows!
38 Exist
40 White whales, e.g.
41 Colorful marble
44 Levy, as a tax
45 Upscale retailer __
Marcus
46 __ acid
48 Unrestrained way
to run
49 Half of Morks
sign-off
50 Barely made, with
out
51 Environmental sci.
52 Beatles nonsense
syllables
53 Manhandle
54 Caesars Behold!
55 The __ the limit!
57 Neighbor of Braz.
ManilaStandardToday
SIMPLIFY your daily make-up
routine and and still look great
at any given time and look great
no matter what you are doing!
Achieving that lasting charm and
allure is now possible, affordable
and uncomplicated with the use of
permanent cosmetic makeup and
still look naturally beautiful.
also enhance the beauty of the face.
Eyebrows are also used as a means
of communication or expression
of your feelings. Women and even
men everywhere worry about their
brows, if they are too bushy or even
too thin. The eyebrows usually
make an impact on our appearance.
If it's shaped perfectly, it adds to
our appeal and denes what special
feature we have.
When eyebrows get overgrown
there's unpleasant plucking in-
volved in re-shaping the brows
and when they are too thin the
everyday challenge of perfecting
your eyebrows by application of
cosmetic products is also tiring!
Thankfully, there is a method that
will surely give you the looks that
youve always wanted less the
hassle of plucking and putting on
eyebrow liner every day.
Prettylooks Aesthetics Centers
latest Eyebrow Reborn brings you
the perfect eyebrows for the per-
fect you. This advanced eyebrow
enhancement technique creates a
new you, from reshaping and re-
constructing, to micro-pigmenting
every eyebrow, replicating each
hair strand to give your eyebrows
a natural look.
It is said that a symmetrical pair
of eyebrows gives framing and
emphasis to ones face. Certainly,
Prettylooks Eyebrow Reborn will
make those eyebrows seem darker,
dened, and constantly tasteful.
Eyebrow Reborn delivers
stunning, yet youthful character.
While error-correcting various
concerns like thin and over
plucked eyebrows, or sparse and
overly unexpressive eyebrows.
These techniques help in adding
fullness and denition without
necessarily having to compro-
mise the natural look.
Prettylooks has mastered the
ne art of accuracy required on
each masterpiece that it creates
for the satisfaction of each client.
Prettylooks strives to constantly in-
novate and improve to provide our
clients with the nest treatments
and results.
The clinic has almost 30 years
of experience, expertise, dedication
commitment to innovations and ex-
cellence. Prettylooks was founded
by Susan Co-Ong, a pharmacist,
educator, inventor, beauty title
holder, researcher and manufac-
turer of beauty products.
Susan was recognized as Asias
number one tattoo artist in a com-
petition held in Taipei, Taiwan in
1992 where she bested accom-
plished and acclaimed permanent
cosmetic makeup artists from dif-
ferent parts of the world.
Eyebrow Reborn creates the
perfect shape with real hairstrand-
like stokes and guarantees naturally
desired colors with a fuller, and
more defined eyebrows. Pretty-
looks only uses 100 percent safe
organic dyes and only the only
aesthetic clinic that has mastered
1001 different eyebrow shapes.
For more information please
log onto www.prettylooks.com.ph
or visit Unit 201 Grand Emerald
Tower, Emerald Ave. cor. Garnet
Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City or
call 6877507, 4702541 and 0917-
533 1828.
BRIGHTEN up this time of year with every
possible color combination and have fun with
lively tints for a youthful vibe as Rustans
helps you create a perfect summer with their
latest collection and hottest brands that will
add more color to your life.
Gentlemen need not be all stiff in this hot
weather. Have fun with eye-popping hues
and keep looking fresh with color blocking
outts for that energetic mood. For a more
classic style, folded khaki pants paired with
a bright Tommy Bahama long-sleeved polo
keeps you from looking boring and dull.
As the heat sizzles on, ladies can keep
cool with bright colored dresses from Lilly
Pulitzer that will denitely attract a lot of at-
tention. Accessories breathe new life into any
ensemble. From cuffs, bangles, necklaces,
earrings to bags, Rustans has an assortment
of items to choose from for any summer occa-
sion. Lilly Pulitzers adorable line of jewelry
will denitely catch a lot of attention with
designs that have a young vibe yet oozes with
elegant charm.
Go out in style with Rustans wide selec-
tion of choices to make your summer more
exciting.
For more colorful choices, visit Rustan's
Makati, Rustan's Shangri-La, Rustans Gate-
way, Rustan's Alabang Town Center and
Rustans Cebu.
A summer of color
WITH a passion for sentimen-
tal beauty, renowned fashion
designer Inno Sotto launched
Eau Ext reme, a l i mi t ed
collection of timeless gender-
free scents.
I have always been par-
ticular about scents since I
was a little kid, especially
natural scents. The Inno Sotto
scents help rekindle all things
that you appreciate in the past
as well as the present, Inno
shares.
Havi ng vent ured i n t he
world of scents in 2006, the
desi gner used hi s refi ned
taste and style in selecting
perfumes that will capture the
essence of beauty and time. In
his pursuit to better his craft,
Inno forged a friendship with
Jonathan Risco, president of
world-renowned Gendarme
brand (makers of the favorite
perfume of Tom Cruise, Bill
Clinton and Sharon Stone).
The resul t i s hi s new fra-
grance line.
The Inno Sotto Eau Extreme
is labeled with I, II, and III,
three different scents that give
the feel of a new beginning like
the pristine whiteness of a can-
vas full of possibilities, clean
and fresh before it is splashed
with color.
Do and undo things at a
peaceful yet active state with
Eau Ext reme I. It has t op
notes of Citrus and Tanger-
ine along with middle notes
of White Lily, Jasmine and
Cardamom producing a dry
down of Clean Musk.
For t hose who want t o
grasp the moment or to cheat
time, Eau Extreme II is your
perfect scent. It has White
Tea, Lime and Bergamot top
notes that fade into Peach
Blossom, Sampaguita, Lilac
and White Rose middle notes,
Extreme
fragrances
from
Inno Sotto
Renowned fashion designer Inno
Sotto proudly shows his new Eau
Extreme fragrance line. Qualied
new Rustans Citibank cardholders
who applied within February 3 to
April 30 will receive complimentary
bottles along with their approved
application
leaving an exquisite base note
of Musk, Cl ove St em and
Spruce. It delicately captures
a period when the senses are
escalated and most inclined to
grasp the moment and when
one feels an intense desire to
cheat time.
Recall memories as vivid
snapshots of the past with
Eau Extreme III that has top
notes of Fresh Citrus Accords
that move into middle notes
of Jasmine, Green tea and
Spice eventually ending with
a dry down of Warm Musk
and Transparent Sandalwood.
New Rustans Citibank Card-
holders have a chance to take
rst whiffs of this fresh scent.
Qualied applicants will receive
a free 120ML Inno Sotto Eau
Extreme fragrance with the Inno
Sotto Perfume Welcome Gift
Promotion. Promotion runs until
April 30, 2012.
Drawing inspiration from
the things that Inno appreciates
in life, the Eau Extreme fra-
grances have particular scents
that not only stay in your dress
or skin for a long time, but it
also stays in your mind.
With this new and uniquely
nostalgic scent, Inno Sotto
has once again captured the
essence of beauty. Inno Sotto
Eau Extreme 120ML SRP is
P2,950.
In search of the
perfect brow
STURDY, structured, and fashioned with LeSportsacs
signature rip-stop nylon, the LeSportsac Mens collec-
tion is practical enough for the man on-the-go, but is
rened enough for the ofce. This Spring, the brand
introduces two new prints for the collection and in-
novative reective styles.
The seasons new prints are inspired by the
blue-collar trend. Road Block is tonal blue
color-block stripe, with an easy nod towards
denim fashion and completely wearable
style. Wired is a blue plaid with trafc stop-
ping orange accents toned down with black.
The collections solid anchors Black Onyx
and Blaze (orange) continue to complete the
Spring print and color assortment.
The collections tried and true best-selling styles, the Small
Crossbody, Utility Messenger, Basic Back Backpack, and
Weekend Carrier become offered in reworked reective
detailing. Blocked in reective tape the styles mirror urban
street style in casual cool.
Dependable styles such as the Smart Tote, Multi-Task
Briefcase, Portable Laptop Sleeve, Small Utility Messen-
ger, Bi-Fold Wallet, and Essential Shave Kit continue
on for the Spring line.
In the Philippines, LeSportsac is exclu-
sively distributed by Stores Specialists,
Inc. (SSI) and is located at Greenbelt 5,
Rustans Makati, Rustans Tower, Rustans
Alabang Town Center, Rustans Gateway Mall
and Rustans Cebu.
Its spring at LeSportsac with new prints, styles
The cover story
from SM
WHILE you will certainly be making waves with sultry
swim wear, summer's cover story is just as alluring.
Beach cover ups, after all, have come a long way from
the functional pieces of the past to today's stunning
fashion nds, And at the SM Ladies Wear Department,
everything is light, bright, beautiful and playfully printed
all over in the coco cabaa collection.
Lounge and daydream by the pool in sheer maxi
dresses with painterly prints...catch the summer breeze
in the lightest of caftans...look effortlessly chic with
printed dresses with exotic details...
Beautifully shot on location at the Calaclan
Parola in Olongapo, the latest coco cabaa
summer cover-ups collection is avail-
able at the Ladies Wear Department of
SM Department Store.
WHILE aging is inevitable, sci-
ence-based skin care products are
now available to reduce the signs
of aging. The Kinerase Skin Care
System utilizes kinetin, a potent
bio-growth factor derived from
plants, to improve the appearance
of wrinkles and rejuvenate sun-
damaged skin without causing
irritation.
Our almost three decades of
research has shown that kinetin
exerts powerful effects in delaying
several signs of skin aging,said
Prof. Suresh Rattan, a noted bio-
gerontologist (expert in the biol-
ogy of aging) and considered the
Father of Kinetin.
Rattan, the head of the Labora-
tory of Cellular Aging, Department
of Molecular Biology, Aarhus Uni-
versity, Denmark, was the keynote
speaker during the KINERASE
Skin Care System media launch
held on March 8, 2012 at the Best
Western Premier F1 Hotel, 32nd
Street, Bonifacio Global City in
Taguig.
We welcome the Philippine
launch of the KINERASE Skin
Care System. A growing body of
scientific evidence supports the
efcacy and safety of kinetin in im-
proving wrinkles and sun-damaged
skin, said Dr. Rosalina Nadela,
vice president of the Philippine
Dermatological Society (PDS).
The anti-aging properties of kinetin
were first discovered when scientists
found that it prevented plant leaves
from drying out and withering. Kinetin
also slows down over-ripening and
degeneration of fruits.1
A study conducted by indepen-
dent American researchers with
no nancial interests in Kinerase
and published in the respected,
peer-reviewed journal Cosmetic
Dermatology found that 12 to 24
weeks of treatment with KInerase
signicantly improved the appear-
ance of skin texture, mottled hy-
perpigmentation, and ne wrinkles
[as well as] restored normal skin
barrier function.
The study authors noted results
of recent studies that show kinetin
is a powerful antioxidant that
may help protect the skin against
free radical damage caused by
ultraviolet radiation from sunlight.
They also pointed out that unlike
other skin care products such as
retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids,
Kinerase did not cause irritation,
an added benet that contributed
to high patient acceptance of and
compliance with Kinerase treat-
ment. The study authors concluded
that the effectiveness of kinetin
in maintaining normal function in
aging cells provides the basis for
investigating kinetin as a candidate
for preserving the vitality of aging
skin.
The study was done in the Uni-
versity of Califorina, Irvine and in-
volved 32 patients (all but two were
women) with an average age of 49
years and who had mild to moder-
ate sun-damaged skin. Patients
were instructed to wash their face
with a mild facial cleanser twice
daily prior to applying Kinerase.
One week before the start of treat-
ment, patients were instructed to
apply SPF 15 sunscreen everyday
until the duration of the study.
provides powerful anti-aging ef-
cacy, innovative plant-based tech-
nology, clinically-proven visible
results, and gentle skin-caring for-
mulations. It consists of a Cleanser,
Mist, C6 Peptide Cream (a non-in-
jectable version of Botox), Cream,
Lotion, and Eye Cream. Developed
by Canada-based Valeant Pharma-
ceuticals, a multinational specialty
From left: Dr. Maaliddin Biruar, director, Medical and Scientic Affairs, Invida Philippines; Francis Gaspar, marketing
manager, Invida Philippines; Dr. Malou de Veyra, dermatologist consultant, Makati Medical Center; Eleanor Lopez,
marketing director, Invida Philippines; Prof. Suresh Rattan, head, Laboratory of Cellular Aging, Department of Mo-
lecular Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark; Dr. Rosalina Nadela, vice president, Philippine Dermatological Society;
and Lia Chua, brand manager, Invida Philippines.
Kinerase a powerful, science-based anti-aging skin care range
pharmaceutical company with 20
years of experience in dermatology,
the Kinerase Skin Care System is
marketed by global pharmaceuti-
cal commercialization services
company Invida.
We are pleased to make the
Kinerase Skin Care System avail-
able to Filipino dermatologists and
their patients. Through this science-
based skin care range, timeless,
ageless beauty is now possible,
said Dr. Maaliddin B. Biruar, Medi-
cal and Scientic Affairs Director,
Invida Philippines.
Most women dont mind get-
ting old; its looking older theyre
most concerned about. The Kin-
erase Skin Care System is perfect
for discerning women who want
only scientifically proven treat-
ments to reveal their youthful, radi-
ant skin, said Ninia Torres, country
head, Invida Philippines.
Protect your eyes
with stylish shades
Alabang Town Center, CSIThe City Mall,
Festival Supermall, Magic Mall, Malabon
Citisquare, Market!Market!, Metropoint
Mall, NE Pacic Mall, Nepo Mall, Robinsons
Galleria, Robinsons Metro East, Robinsons
Lipa, Robinsons Manila, SM Bacoor, SM
Batangas, SM Calamba, SM Cebu, SM Clark,
SM Dasmarinas, SM Fairview, SM Lipa, SM
Lucena,,SM Manila, SM Marikina, SM Marilao, SM
Naga, SM North Edsa, SM Novaliches, SM Pampanga,
SM Rosales, SM San Lazaro, SM Sta. Rosa, SM Sucat,
SM Tarlac, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM Southmall,
SM Molino, SM Muntinlupa, SM Valenzuela, Sta. Lucia East and
Trinoma. For the latest news and updates on Fly Shades, like i.love.
yshades on Facebook.
THERE is no denying that summers ofcially here what with the
scorching heat it brings. Its a good thing Fly Shades got you covered
with its trendy and sun-perfect summer 2012 collection. The
collection gives off a laidback vibe combined with colorful
cords to make you enjoy summer in a fun and stylish way.
Its an added bonus that Fly Shades have UV protection
to make that frolic under the sun safer.
Trendy men and women will nd
Baker (320), Cordoba (290), Ecija
(320) and Jambi (340) just right for
a daytime trek along the shores or even in the
sunny streets this season. Men will also get to channel
their inner John Lennon with Otsu (320) while Rugby (320)
evokes masculinity more than any other designperfect to don with
beach shorts or swimming trunks at best.
Heat things up and look cool and smooth doing it with Sicily (340),
Troyes (320) and Warley (270) designs. The fresh and chill look of
these eyewear will make you look hot and at the same time cool you
down with these shielding you from the suns vicious and bright rays.
This is the perfect time to wear the Fly Shades newest collection.
Not only are they colourful and trendy, it will help alleviate the heat
brought by the intense summer heat of the sun. Perfect for beach out-
ings and those out-of-town trips, says Mia Tan, Chief Operations
Ofcer of Fly Shades.
Protect yourself with UV-protected Fly Shades this summer!
Check out the Fly Shades summer 2012 collection at Harbor Point
Subic this March 15 and SM Davao this April and other branches:
APRIL 23, 2012
Haute Sun. coco cabaa
caftan with paisley prints.
Free spirited and breezy printed
caftans by coco cabaa.
and what it does
By Joba Botana
A FRIEND of mine mentioned before that alkaline water can
help cure several diseases including kidney problems, arthritis,
diabetes and even cancer. According to him, there is a scientic
basis to this. Although it is not proven to entirely cure diseases,
the alkaline diet is benecial to the body. The alkaline diet is also
known as the vegetarian diet.
To nd out whether a certain food is alkaline,
you have to know its pH levelthe measure of
exactly how acidic or alkaline a substance is. A pH
of 0 is completely acidic, a pH of 7 is neutral and a
pH of 14 completely alkaline. Our body, however,
doesnt have just one pH level. The stomach has a
pH ranging from 1.35-3.5 as it must be acidic to
aid in digestion. The blood, however, must always
be slightly alkaline, with a pH of 7.35 to 7.45.
The logic behind the alkaline diet is that cer-
The
alkaline diet
tain foodz can help maintain the bodys ideal
pH balance and improve overall health. The
alkaline diet is mostly vegetarian with some
fresh fruits, alkaline-promoting foods such as
soy products and some nuts, grainss and le-
gumes. One must avoid eating acid-promoting
foods, which include meat, fish, poultry, dairy
products, processed foods, white sugar, white
flour and caffeine.
Alkaline food is rich in alkaline minerals, espe-
cially calcium, magnesium, and potassium, All of
these minerals are very important, but potassium
has the biggest effect on your internal pH.
According to Marjorie Nolan, RD, an Ameri-
can Dietetic Association spokeswoman, the
alkaline diet is basically healthy.
"It's a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, plenty
of water, avoiding processed foods, coffee, and
alcohol, which are all recommendations for a
generally healthy diet anyway," she says. "But
our body regulates our pH between 7.35 and 7.45
no matter how we eat."
What it can do
According to experts, eating a diet rich in
vegetables, as with the alkaline diet, can
raise ones urine pH and lower the
risk for kidney stones. However,
there is also no concrete evidence that an alka-
line or vegetarian diet can prevent cancer. Some
studies show that vegetarians have lower rates
of cancer, particularly colon cancer, accord-
ing to the American Cancer Society. That, of
course, works if the dieter exercies regularly,
abstains from drinking [liquors] and smoking.
Clinical studies have proved that people who
eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and hydrate
properly do have lower rates of cancer and other
diseases but, according to expperts, it probably
has nothing to do with blood pH.
Potential r isks
People with kidney disease or medical issues
that require monitoring by a doctor, such as severe
diabetes, should not attempt this diet without
medical supervision.
Experts advise that if someone's blood sugar is
not being monitored properly -- especially if they're
on insulin if they're type 1 or they're a severe type
2 diabetic -- you're potentially running the risk of
your blood sugar dropping too low after a meal if
unaware of the risks.
It all comes down to balance. The alkaline
diet could potentially over-restrict protein and
calcium.
Cordoba
Jambi
C4
Isah V. Red, Editor standard.showbiz@gmail.com
showbitz
ISAH V.
RED
SIMPLY RED
THE 7
th
High
Boutique Club
now stands among
the most cutting-
edge conceptual
bars in the country,
after it recently
launched Elevate!
This is a dedicated, compre-
hensive reengineering of the
clubs interiors, amenities, and
services designed to bring guests
a club experience unmatched by
any other club in the Philippines.
Elevate! merges architecture,
interior design for a new look
and feel of the club.
At the same time, guests
will nd that the same 7
th
High
hospitality and quality of ser-
vice has been retained, said Al-
lan Marasigan, 7
th
High general
manager.
The developments upgraded
the audio-visual facilities of the
Club oor and the Lounge. The
Club oor now features ceil-
ing and oors illuminated with
fully interactive LED lights, an
international trend featured in
bars and clubs in Europe, the
US, Hong Kong and Las Vegas.
This will bring to the guests
a better acoustic experience
that few other clubs to date can
match, he added.
During the launch the Club
oor was dressed up in ex-
clusive themes featuring the
seasonssummer, spring, and
wintereach symbolic of a
move towards change.
Despite being barely two
years old, 7
th
Highs Elevate!
provides a globalized club-
bing experience to guests.
According to Jose Haresco,
7
th
High owner, the intent was
to keep the club updated with
global trends in evening lei-
sure and entertainment. We
are striving to bring a global
clubbing experience to the
Philippines, one that is at par
with what can be experienced
in the best clubs abroad, he
says.
JASMINE Curtis celebrated
her 18
th
birthday in
Australia.
I spent quality time with
my family and friends in
Australia, she says. I just
became practical considering
how hard times are these
days. Instead of a lavish party,
I decided to donate to charity.
I also treated my mom to a
shopping spree. It felt good!
The showbiz newcomer is
thankful that her stint on TV5,
Nandito Ako with international
singing sensation David
Archuleta has had positive
feedback.
Many ask if shell go
more daring on screen now
that shes 18. Oh no,! Ha-
ha-ha! Im still very much
comfortable with my present
image. Kissing scenes? Not at
this point, assures Jasmine.
How about love life?
You know, no guy is
courting me at present.
Whether you believe it or not!
Perhaps, its because of my
crazy schedule. Fly here then,
go back to Australia. I know
its a hard set-up if ever.
Anyway, Im not in
a hurry when it comes to
matters of the heart. Theres
a perfect time for every
thing. As Ive always said,
my priorities as of now are:
family, school and work. Yes,
I want to nish my studies,
the reason why even if its
hard to y back to Australia
to attend school then go back
here for my showbiz career, I
dont mind.
Asked if shes entertaining
the thought of getting paired
with Derek Ramsay in a
future project, especially now
that hes with the Kapatid
network, the lovely star
expressed excitement.
Who wouldnt be in
the rst place? Hes Derek
Ramsay. Have you seen his abs
(giggles)? No, but seriously,
itll be a big honor and pleasure
if ever, Jasmine states.
Rufa leaves
Sunday talk show
Many were surprised with
Rufa Mae Quintos decision
to leave GMA-7s top-rating
showbiz talk show Showbiz
Central wherein shes one of
the resident co-hosts.
Its career move, she
explains. Ill be busy with
numerous projects in the
coming days so I want full
concentration.
Some quarters suspect she
had a burn out.
Its not really that. Lets
just put it this way: its been
11 years that I work even on
Sundays, since my SOP days.
Lately, I realized I want to
spend time with my family and
friends and attend mass which
I havent done for a long time
because I have work.
Now, I can plan outings
with my family on weekends
sans worry that I have to report
live for an afternoon show.
Im not saying that I wont be
totally working on Sundays but
I want a slower pace this time,
not the usual hyper which is
required of me.
The comedienne admits it
just happened sooner than she
expects.
I knew that I wanted
to leave the show. Im just
waiting for the right time.
And it just happened. I woke
up and arrived at this decision
without regret. I already
accepted that viewers wont
see me anymore on Sunday
afternoons.
Its inevitable that when
something like this happens,
the $64 question will have
something to do with
switching of home studio. Is
this true in her case?
When it comes to that, Im
not totally closing my doors.
As an actress and host, it will
be nice to experience working
with other personalities. Lets
see, avers Rufa Mae.
Another
singing
search
launched
JOSEPH
PETER GONZALES
SHTICKS
Jasmine Curtis
turns 18
Entertainment to
7
th
Highs level
PHILIPPINE Amusement and
Gaming Corporation and the
Organisasyon ng Pilipinong
Mang-aawit (OPM) will
once again open a door of
opportunities to aspiring
music talents to shine through
the OPM@PAGCOR 2, A
Nationwide Search for the
Total OPM Performer.
PAGCOR Assistant Vice
President for Entertainment Bong
Quintana said the competition
provides amateur but exceptional
Pinoy singers a chance to break
into the Philippine music industry.
caliber.
Prizes at stake are P300,000
and a performance contract for
the Grand Winner, P200,000
for 2
nd
place and P100,000 for
3
rd
place. The rest of the grand
nalists will each receive
P20,000 as consolation prize.
Deadline of submission is
on May 1 for applicants in the
Visayas-Mindanao area, May
10 for applicants in the Luzon
area, and May 18 for applicants
in the Metro Manila area.
Auditions start on May 7 at
Casino Filipino Cebu. Other
audition venues are Casino
Filipino Bacolod (May 9),
Casino Filipino Davao (May
11), Casino Filipino Tagaytay
(May 15), Casino Filipino
Angeles (May 19) and Airport
Casino Filipino (May 22 to 25).
The grand winner will be
proclaimed during the Grand
Finals Concert to be staged at
the PAGCOR Grand Theatre at
the Airport Casino Filipino in
Paraaque City on June 16.
Haresco adds that enriching
the customers club experience
is one way to deliver value.
Why make do with clubs that
wait three or four years before
upgrading? The ambiance is a
valuable part of the experience.
In the case of 7
th
High, we rec-
ognize that this encompassed
everything that can be seen, felt,
heard, and even tasted. Thats
the essence behind Elevate!,
said Haresco.
Experience 7
th
Highs El-
evate in Boni High Street, The
Fort, Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig. For reservations, 7
th

High can be reached at 856-
1786 and (0917) 585-2164.
Natalia Ortega and KC Del Rosario
Elizabeth Chong, Monette de Castro, Ramon Cualoping, and Area
Director Sherina Chan from Singapore Tourism Board
Jed Fernandez, Allana Montelban, Heidi Ng and Lilibeth Campos
Jose Sarasola, Mikey Bustos with Poi dancer from Argentina Fede
7
th
High OM,
Henry Queqquegan,
Managing Director
Lito Trinidad,
GM Allan Marasigan

Manila Standard Today - April 23, 2012 Issue

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