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MESSAGES
SWS survey: More Pinoys
expect a happy Christmas
Baguio chills
as south gets
rain on Xmas
Tunay na diwa ng Pasko
Season of sharing
The Year of Faith
Aquino hopeful of extending truce with Reds
Solons see SC upholding RH legality
One million
th
Korean tourist
expected soon
UNAs big
guns told:
Act like
wise men
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Garcia gets break
in spirit of Xmas
Home for Christmas. Thousands of domestic and international passen-
gers jam the airport terminals in Manila to be with their loved ones on the
long holidays. ERIC APOLONIO
Brighter Metropolis. Like sparkling nuggets of diamonds laid out in darkness, Metro Manilas night and Christmas lights as viewed from the air
reect the seasons spirit. VER S. NOVENO
Magpale said Garcias de-
ance of a six-month suspension
order from Malacanang and the
widely-publicized visit of leaders
of the United Nationalist Alli-
ance (UNA) to display support to
the suspended governor was just
senseless uproar.
We will not be diverted
by this senseless uproar. Our
By Joyce Pangco Paares
THE Aquino administration has
expressed optimism that an indef-
inite ceasere will soon be forged
with the Communist Party of the
Philippines, National Democratic
Front and New Peoples Army.
Presidential peace adviser Teres-
ita Deles said there was so much
to be thankful and hopeful for af-
ter both sides agreed on a 27-day
Christmas ceasere, the longest
holiday truce so far that began on
Dec. 20 and will end on Jan. 15.
Both sides have agreed to
continue discussions that will
hopefully lead to an extended, in-
denite truce, Deles said.
The peace panels of the gov-
ernment and the communists met
under a special track of the nego-
tiations facilitated by Norway on
Dec. 17 and 18.
Government chief negotiator
Alexander Padilla said both sides
THE principal author of the repro-
ductive health bill said Monday
he is condent that the Supreme
Court will sustain its legality,
should supporters of the Catholic
Church challenge the constitu-
tionality of the law.
We are going to win hands
down the nal round in the SC.
This bill is very constitutional.
Weve studied it very well. It has
been cleansed of any constitu-
tional inrmity, said Albay Rep.
Edcel Lagman.
You cannot beat a good idea,
you cannot vanquish relentless ad-
vocates and you cannot possibly
defeat a measure which will be pro-
motive of the welfare of the Filipino
people, particularly our women and
children, Lagman said.
After both houses of Congress
approved the bill on third and -
nal reading, Antipolo City Bishop
Gabriel Reyes said a group of
Catholic lawyers was set to ques-
tion the measure before the Su-
preme Court once President Beni-
gno Aquino III signs it into law.
I know that a group of Catho-
lic lawyers has a plan to make an
appeal before the Supreme Court
By Maricel V. Cruz
AN administration ally on
Monday urged leaders of the
United Nationalist Alliance to
act like wise men by uphold-
ing the rule of law and respect-
ing the legal process behind the
Palace-ordered suspension of
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
In going to Cebu to express
their support for Garcia, who has
holed up inside the provincial
capitol, Vice President Jejomar
Binay, former President Joseph
Estrada and Senate President
Juan Ponce Enrile were adding
fuel to the re, said Eastern Sa-
mar Rep. Ben Evardone.
Gwen called Binay, Erap
[Estrada] and Enrile her three
kings, so they should act as the
three wise men, Evardone said
BAGUIOS residents and visi-
tors put on their thicker sweat-
ers and jackets on Monday as
the temperature in the mountain
city dropped to 11 degrees Cel-
sius around 5 a.m. on Christmas
Eve.
Mondays reading was the
second lowest this year in Ba-
guio City following the 10.4
degrees Celsius recorded in
February, and weathermen have
predicted colder days ahead.
The northeast monsoon has
become stronger towards the
end of the year, thus we expect
much lower temperatures in the
coming days, weather special-
ist Salvador Olinares told the
Manila Standard.
Olinares said Baguios cool-
er weather was likely to attract
more vacationers wanting to
escape the heat in the lowlands,
but he warned the citys farmers
to be vigilant against frost.
The weather bureau, mean-
while, said the low-pressure
area that had been moving clos-
er to the country had enter the
Philippine area of responsibility
and was expected to bring rain
to the areas devastated by Ty-
phoon Pablo. By Eric Apolonio
TOURISM ofcials said on Mon-
day they expect Korean tourists to
hit the one million mark this month
as air trafc at the Ninoy Aquino
International airport peaked dur-
ing the Christmas holidays.
A total of 832,437 Koreans ar-
rived in the country in the past eight
months and new arrivals on board
a Philippine Airlines ight from In-
chon on December 27 could hit the
one million mark, a senior ofcial
said.
MORE Pinoys expect a happy
Christmas: prefers health and
family togetherness over money
A majority of Filipinos ex-
pect a happy Christmas this year,
while also yearning for non-mate-
rial gifts such as good health and
family togetherness over money.
This was revealed by pollster
Social Weather Stations, which
surveyed 1,200 respondents from
Metro Manila, the balance of Lu-
zon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The SWS said 64 percent of
Filipinos expect a happy Christ-
mas, 26 percent said it would be
neither happy nor sad, while nine
percent expect a sad Christmas.
Asked by an open-ended ques-
tion of, Ano po ang inyong pina-
ka-gustong regalo na matanggap
ngayong darating na Pasko?
(What do you most prefer to
www.manilastandardtoday.com mst@mstandardtoday.com
TODAY
Standard
Vol. XXVI No. 265 16 Pages, 3 Sections
P18.00 Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Standard
KILALA tayong mga Pilipino sa pagkaka-
roon ng pinakamahabang pagdiriwang ng
Kapaskuhan. Setyembre pa lang, nasas-
abik na ang lahat dahil sa mga aguinaldong
kanilang tatanggapin, gayundin sa pag-
sasama-sama ng buong pamilya habang
pinagsasaluhan ang Noche Buena. Subalit
hindi maikakahon sa mga regalo, sa mara-
rangyang salu-salo, o sa mga makukulay
na palamuti ang tunay na diwa ng Pasko.
Sa gitna ng ating mga pagdiriwang, lagi
sana nating tandaan ang mga kuwentong bumubuo sa Kapasku-
han; ang pag-aalay ng Panginoon ng kaniyang bugtong na anak
para tubusin ang sangkatauhan mula sa kasalanan. Bahagi rin ng
aral ng Kapaskuhan ang pagiging bukas-paladng isang estrangher-
ong nagkusang pagbuksan ng pinto sina Joset Maria, at hinayaan
silang magpalipas ng gabi sa munting sabsaban; na may tatlong
haring nagsakripisyot hindi inalintana ang mahabang paglalakbay,
maihatid lamang ang kanilang mga handog sa banal na sanggol.
Ang okasyong ito, higit sa lahat, ay tanda ng wagas na pagmama-
hal ng Panginoon sa atin.
Pagkakataon ang Pasko para magpasalamat sa lahat ng bi-
yayang ating natamasa. Sa ngalan ng buong pamahalaan, nagpa-
pasalamat ako sa lahat ng Pilipinong nakiambag sa pagtatag ng
kultura ng katapatan at malasakit sa kapwa. Dahil sa kakaibang
pagsusumikap na ipinakita sa tuwid na daan, higit na nagiging
makabuluhan ang Paskong Pilipino. Ang mga inisyatibang gaya
ng Sitio Electrication Program, na ngayon ay nagbibigay-liwanag
sa libu-libong pamilya, na datiy nangangapa sa dilim: Kayo ang
gumawa nito. Ang ating Conditional Cash transfer, na umaalalay sa
ating mga kababayan tungo sa kinabukasang may saysay, malusog,
at maunlad: Kayo rin ang gumawa nito. Ang pagtalikod natin sa
negatibismot agam-agam, habang patuloy na lumalawak ang sak-
law ng positibong pagtanaw, sa pamahalaan man o sa kalakhang
lipunan: Kayo ang gumawa nito. Hindi pa rin nagbabago: Kayo
ang lakas ng gobyerno. Malinaw po: Ang bawat butil ng tagumpay
na ating inaani ay nagmula sa ipinunlang pagsusumikap ng sam-
bayanan; Kayo po, ang aming mga Boss, ang gumawa nito.
Lahat nang itoy sumasalamin sa tunay na diwa ng Kapaskuhan:
pagbibigayan, pagpapakumbaba, at pagmamahal sa ating kapwa.
Mulit muli nating pinatutunayan sa mundo: Bukod tangi ang
Paskong Pilipino dahil sa kahandaan ng bawat isang maging tan-
glaw sa kaniyang kababayan, hindi lamang tuwing Kapaskuhan,
kundi sa araw-araw na pagbagtas sa tuwid na daan.
Isang maligayang Pasko po sa inyong lahat.
PRESIDENT BENIGNO AQUINO III
CHRISTMAS has always been the sea-
son when we celebrate our faith in the Al-
mighty. It is also the time of year when we
give thanks for all the blessings we have
received in the past year.
The season is also the time to spread
the joy that the holiday brings. And so as
we celebrate the yuletide season, may we
remember the true spirit of Christmas and
share the love, hope, goodwill, and peace
to everyone. May we not forget our less
fortunate brothers and sisters, especially those affected by Typhoon
Pablo in Mindanao. Let us nd it in our hearts to help them in their
time of need.
And may I ask everyone to say our prayers for our Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFWs), especially those who will spend this
season away from their loved ones. May the Lord bless them and
their families and always keep them safe.
I would also like to use this opportunity to appeal for your help in
saving Joselito Zapanta, an OFW who was has until March next year
to raise the blood money to save him from execution in Saudi Arabia.
Joselitos mother is a 50-year old housewife with her own health
problems while his father is a part-time carpenter whose age makes
it difcult for him to compete for scarce jobs.
Our generosity especially during this season of sharing will go a
long way in saving this young mans life.
VICE PRESIDENT JEJOMAR BINAY
THIS year we celebrate the Christmas Sea-
son within the Year of Faith declared by
Pope Benedict XVI. What can the Year of
Faith contribute to the Christmas spirit?
Faith is a living and sustained relationship
with God. It is the Triune God who initiates
this relationship by coming to us. Faith be-
comes complete in our response to God in
trust and love, transforming our relationship
with other people, society and creation.
In a real sense, Christmas is all about
faith. To remove faith from Christmas is to empty it of its mean-
ing. It is a season born of faith and a privileged time to renew our
faith. On the one hand, Christmas vividly recalls the coming of the
Savior Jesus Christ, incarnate by the power of the Holy Spirit. He
comes as one like us except in sin, because as the Savior he cannot
participate in humanitys rejection of God. He opens the door for
us to enter Gods life. His obedience and delity is the door to God.
He is the way. On the other hand, every Christmas season invites
us to receive Jesus as the true Son of God become esh, to accept
him as our Savior and to enter the door to life in the Holy Spirit.
Faith in God leads us to solidarity with our neighbors, especially
the poor whom Jesus loves. Faith makes us sharers in Jesus saving
mission and heralds of true freedom from all that enslaves us.
I pray that all Christians may appreciate more the precious gift
of faith during this Christmas season. As we behold the Christ
Child, humble and poor, let us thank God for his great love for us
and let us respond with all the love we could give. Only pure divine
love can save us! I wish all you and your loved ones a Blessed
Christmas and a Peaceful New Year!
+ LUIS ANTONIO G. CARDINAL TAGLE
Archbishop of Manila
By Bart Ochea, Christine Herrera, Maricel Cruz
and Joyce Paares
SUSPENDED Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia
will be allowed to cling to her seat in the provin-
cial capitol in the spirit of Christmas, according
to Acting Governor Agnes Magpale as opposition
leaders and candidates in elections next year joined
the controversy and basked in the limelight.
drive to weed out corruption
will even be more intensified,
Magpale said and warned she
would audit Garcias spend-
ing spree while clinging to
power.
Gwendolyn Garcia and her
spending spree while she clings to
power will be examined under the
sharp scrutiny of this administra-
tion, Magpale said.
In Malacanang, a senior of-
cial supported Magaple and said
they will let the holidays pass
before dealing with Garcias de-
ance of the President Aquinos
suspension order.
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News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
A2
P500-million donation. Mel Lopez Jr. (right), chairman of Philippine National Oil Co. Exploration Corp., is thanked by University of
the Philippines president Alfredo Pascual for donating in behalf of PNOC EC a P500-million endowment fund for the schools science and
engineering students.
In separate media advisories,
Petron Corp., Pilipinas
Shell Petroleum Corp., PTT
Philippines and Total Philippines
said they would be raising the
price of kerosene by P0.60 per
liter, regular gasoline by P0.55,
premium and unleaded gasoline
by P0.50, and diesel by P0.45.
This reects the movements
in the international oil market,
Petron said. But the company said
the areas devastated by Typhoon
Pablo would be spared the
price increases.
The pump prices in Davao
Oriental and Compostela Valley
will not be increased, Petron
said.
Petron and Shell raised
their prices at 12:01 a.m. on
Dec. 24, while Total and PTT
said they would be raising
their prices at 6 a.m. on
Christmas Day.
On Dec. 18 the oil
distributors cut diesel prices
by P0.80 per liter, kerosene by
P0.55, premium and unleaded
gasoline by P0.20, and regular
gasoline by P0.25.
Premium, unleaded and
regular gasoline are now being
sold at P49.30 to P57.75 per
liter, regular gasoline at P47.60
to P53.90, kerosene at P47.88 to
P55.13, and diesel at P39.50 to
P42.50. Alena Mae S. Flores
Gas, diesel
prices up
on 24, 25
THE oil distributors started raising their
pump prices on Monday, and by as
much as P60 per liter, as a result of the
higher oil prices abroad.
Garcia...
There is no new directive yet
from the President. I think it is
something that we can deal with
later on, Presidential Commun-
cations Development Secretary
Ramon Carandang said.
UNAs top leaders ---- for-
mer president Joseph Estrada,
Vice President Jejomar Binay,
Senate President Juan Ponce
Enrile, Ernesto Maceda --- ew
to Cebu during the weekend to
declare support to Garcia, who
refused to leave her ofce when
issued her suspension order last
Wednesdday.
Magpale holds ofce in the
nearby Palace of Justice where
she meets provincial ofcials
and employees and issue memo-
randa regarding procedures and
security matters in the capitol.
Police have cordoned the area
to prevent supporters of Garcia
from entering the compound.
I will not stand idle, Mag-
pale said.
The Acting Governor, who is
the sister of Cabinet Sectetary
Rene Almendras, called on Gar-
cia to respect the suspension or-
der and step down and said she
will also step down as soon as
the governor gets a restraining
order from the Court of Appeals.
Lawyers of Garcia has led a
petition to stop the suspension
but it was held up by the long
Christmas holidays.
Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Ca-
sino joined the National Union
of Journalists and the National
Press Club, demanding that
Magpale recall her order to
shut down Sugbu TV, a 24-hour
cable channel operated by the
provincial government, which
deprived Cebuanos of their con-
stitutional right to information.
It was arbitrary on the part
of Magpale to shutdown the
media outlet leaving the re-
porters and editors clueless
as to whether they would still
have their jobs after Christmas
and the Cebuanos deprived of
their right to information, Ca-
sino said.
The media outlet was tasked
to cover the activities of the Of-
ce of the Governor. Now, if
Magpale wanted to cover her as
acting governor, and she does
not approve of the editorial pol-
icy, then all she had to do is talk
to the editorial board and man-
agement, not shut them down,
he said.
Responding to queries from
reporters regarding the shut-
down, Magpale said Sugbu
TV will resume operation after
questions over operational costs
and budget were threshed out.
We are careful with our -
nances. The provincial treasurer
submitted to me the provinces
nancial report as of December
19 and Iwant to cry, Mapgale
said but declined to elaborate.
She assured Cebuanos that the
operations and day-to-day func-
tions of the provincial govern-
ment will continue unhampered
and not subjected to personal
caprices and whims.
The people of the Province
of Cebu are assured that despite
the continued deance of the
suspended governor, your act-
ing governor is not remiss in
imposing the clear mandate of
the law, which is to uphold an
atmosphere of civility and strict
compliance to our Local Gov-
ernment Code and the Constitu-
tion, she said.
Magpale described Garcias
disrespect of the legal process
as a reprehensible act that di-
vided the people.
The acts of suspended Gov-
ernor Gwendolyn Garcia un-
questionably show a blatant
disrespect and mockery of our
legal processes and the violation
of her sworn oath that she will
abide by our laws and uphold
the Constitution, she said.
Reacting to the publicized
visit of UNAs leaders to Cebu,
a spokesman of President
Aquinos Liberal Party (LP)
described their actions as un-
wise and said they were add-
ing fuel to the re.
We lament that UNA lead-
ers are stoking the re instead
of making the law and our legal
processes prevail, said Eastern
Samar Rep. Ben Evardone.
He said UNA leaders should
have advised Garcia to leave the
capitol and let the legal process
take its course.
The vice governor should be
allowed to serve as acting gov-
ernor until the courts have de-
cided on her case. We maintain
that there is nothing political
about the suspension. Let us not
make a mountain out of a mole-
hill, Evardone said.
Solons...
because its against the Consti-
tution against religious free-
dom, Reyes said.
The Constitution states that
the government should protect
the family and marriage. The RH
bill is against the goodness of
family and the stability of mar-
riage, he said.
Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan, an
RH advocate, said that the RH bill
does not only promote population
control but also the right of Fili-
pino women to informed choice.
In a country where 221 wom-
en die each year because of lack
of maternal and reproductive
health care, a legislated repro-
ductive health program is long
overdue such that postponing or
delaying it is a crime and denying
it altogether is a form of violence
against women, Ilagan said.
She said that Gabriela Wom-
ens Partys support for the RH
bill was anchored on the premise
that for reproductive health to
achieve its desired results, it must
go hand in hand with other neces-
sary and meaningful reforms that
will truly redistribute our social
wealth, reforms that will genuine-
ly empower the poor and respect
their human rights.
On Wednesday, the House of
Representatives and the Senate
ratied the bicameral conference
committee report on the RH bill.
Lagman earlier said that Presi-
dent Aquinos certication of the
RH bill as urgent very tremen-
dous positive effect on the enact-
ment of the measure.
While Lagman acknowledged
that the benets of RH law would
not be felt immediately, he said it
would help the country meet its
commitments to the Milleninium
Development Goals, particularly
those on maternal health, reduc-
tion of infant mortality, attain-
ment of universal primary educa-
tion and eradication of extreme
hunger and poverty.
The approval by Congress of
the RH bill follows a string of
failed attempts that began in 1998.
On each occasion, the Catholic
Church mounted a vigorous cam-
paign to oppose its passage.
The bill approved by Congress
promotes contraceptives that are
medically safe, affordable and
ethical products and supplies and
will these available to the poor.
The bill also mandates the
teaching of sex education to
Grade 6 pupils in public schools.
Maricel V. Cruz
UNAs...
in a text message following
Garcias refusal to vacate the
provincial capitol despite her
suspension, which was ordered
Wednesday.
Evardone accused the UNA
leaders of posturing and politi-
cizing the issue.
We lament that UNA leaders
are stoking re instead of [allow-
ing] law and legal processes [to]
prevail, Evardone said.
If they believe in legal pro-
cesses, they should have ad-
vised Gwen to leave the capi-
tol and let legal process take
due course because she herself
has sought refuge in legal sys-
tem in ling motion for a TRO
(temporary restraining order).
The vice governor should be
allowed to serve as acting gov-
ernor until the courts have de-
cided on her case. We maintain
that there is nothing political
about the suspension. Let us not
make a mountain out of mole-
hill, Evardone said.
A Palace spokesman on Mon-
day declined to comment on Bi-
nays show of support for Garcia,
and whether this would sour his
relations with President Benigno
Aquino III.
I dont want to speculate on
that, said Secretary Ramon
Carandang of the Presidential
Communications Development.
Our position is that this is a
process that has to be followed
and we are all obliged to follow
the law. And you cannot choose
which law you will follow and
which you will not so let us all
follow the law and let us not cre-
ate a situation where people are
encouraged to violate the law,
he added.
We are hoping that as active
members of the government,
Senate President Enrile and Vice
President Binay can reason with
Governor Garcia and ask her,
again, what we have been say-
ing all along: to follow the rule
of law...We are hoping that as
leaders of the government they
can encourage her to do the right
thing, Carandang said.
Aquino...
agreed to start talks on the forg-
ing of a Common Declaration of
National Unity and Just Peace,
which upon signing would trig-
ger the immediate implementa-
tion of an indenite truce.
The two panels will meet again
early next year to exchange com-
ments on their respective drafts
of the common declaration.
The issue of prisoner releases,
however, was not discussed dur-
ing the two-day special track.
Padilla said that was to avoid
any snags in the talks as the issue
had caused the negotiations to
bog down in the past two years.
Earlier, government peace panel
member Jurgette Honculada, in a
paper entitled The Emotional Cal-
culus of Conict, said at least two
people died daily in the past three
decades as a result of the clashes
between government troops and
the communist rebels.
Honculada said that, from
1978 to 2010, the statistics from
the Armed Forces of the Philip-
pines and the Philippine National
Police showed the fatalities had
reached 29,553, and of those
13,412 were communist rebels,
8,264 were soldiers and police-
men, and 7,877 were civilians.
This translates to two to three
deaths daily for the period,
Honculada said.
Baguio...
The super storm made landfall on Dec. 3 and then swamped
Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental the next day, killing
1,067 people, affecting 6.24 million others, destroying 178,000
homes and causing damage worth P34 billion.
Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council, on Sunday said the death toll from
the storm could approach 2,000 because 834 people remained
missing.
Weather forecaster Fernando Cada said Compostela Valley
and Davao Oriental could experience moderate to heavy rain
starting Monday afternoon and up to Thursday.
The rest of the country including Metro Manila were expect-
ed to have fair weather.
Ramos said the residents of Surigao and Eastern Mindanao
had been preparing for any emergencies in case the low-pres-
sure area developed into a storm as it moved inland toward
Surigao del Sur, Samar and parts of Mindanao region.
Although there were still no reports of any casualties de-
spite the raining environment in Surigao and Davao provinces,
people are on alert for possible evacuation in the event of high
flood waters, Ramos said.
He said the storm victims in the evacuation centers were all
safe and being taken care of by government disaster workers
and volunteers from the private sectors.
The situation in Surigao, Compostela Valley and the rest of
Eastern Mindanao is still normal, and we have not monitored
any serious incidents as a result of the intensification of the
[low-pressure area], Ramos said.
He said there would be no Christmas parties in the areas dev-
astated by Typhoon Pablo because the people there were still
burying their dead and were more concerned with food, water
and shelter.
The Disaster Council said 13,940 people were still in the
evacuation centers, although 959,000 others had returned to
their flattened homes. Dexter A. See, Jonathan Fernandez
and Francisco Tuyay
SWS...
receive as a gift this Christ-
mas?), the respondents said
they would like to receive the
gift of good health [good
health at humaba pa sana ang
buhay ko), malusog na pan-
gangatawan ng buong pami-
lya,) and family togetherness
(kaming pamilya ay magkasa-
ma-sama sa Pasko at meron ka-
ming handaan, gusto ko lang
magkakasama kaming pamilya
ngayong Pasko.
Still, a signicant number said
they would like to receive mate-
rial gifts, particularly money to
be used to buy items for their
Christmas celebration. [pera
para may pangastos, bigyan ng
budget para sa mga gastusin sa
Pasko.
The SWS said those who wish
for non-material gifts for this
Christmas were considerably
higher than the 2011 gures,
while those who prefer good
health also increased.
In contrast, there are now less
Filipinos who prefer to receive
material gifts, while those who
wish to receive money also de-
clined.
The survey added that expec-
tations of a happy 2012 Christ-
mas were higher in Balance Lu-
zon and Visayas than in Metro
Manila and Mindanao.
Compared to 2011, expecta-
tions of a happy Christmas rose
in Balance Luzon and Visayas,
but understandably fell in Mind-
anao because of the devastation
caused by typhoon Pablo, while
it hardly changed in Metro Ma-
nila.
Typhoon Pablo left more than
1,000 people dead, hundreds
still missing and billions worth of
properties destroyed, particularly
in several towns in Davao Orien-
tal and Compostela Valley.
In recent surveys, expecta-
tions of a happy Christmas usu-
ally ranged from 66 percent to a
record-high 89 percent in Mind-
anao, but fell to a record low of
52 percent this year.
One...
It would be a milestone. Korea
is one of our largest source,
Tourism attache for Korea Mar-
icon Ebron said.
The Department of Tourism
has a target of 4.2 million tourist
arrival this year and 10 million
by 2016. The Christmas Season
is one of the peak months for
tourist arrivals in the country.
The four airport terminals
handle an average of 36 air-
crafts per hour of landings and
departures. Majority of the
ights of wide-bodied aircrafts
come from the Middle East and
the trans-pacic route.
As we aim for higher visi-
tor arrival targets in the years
ahead, we need to intensify our
drive to deepen business tie-ups
and develop new market seg-
ments that the Philippines can
effectively cater to, Tourism
Secretary Ramon Jimnez said.
Tourism ofcials said they
were preparing an elaborate wel-
come ceremony at terminal two
for the lucky one millionth Kore-
an passenger on board the Philip-
pine Airlines ight from Inchon.
We are giving him a big sur-
prise, one ofcial said.
News
ManilaStandardToday
mst.daydesk@gmail.com DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
A3
P1.3b for farmers registry okayed
Strictly not for sale. A recracker called Goodbye Philipines is practically banned, according to Police General Alan Purisima, because it poses danger to revelers. The national
police chief made the rounds of reworks stores in Bocaue, Bulacan on Monday. MANNY PALMERO
Juicy bits. Fruit vendors in Quiapo, Manila are making a killing as consumers rush to buy native and im-
ported fruits on the belief that rounded fruits bring good luck during Christmas and New Years Day.
LINO SANTOS
Cebu car trader convicted of smuggling, gets 8 years
Comelec imposes ban on public works
DFAs mission: Bring home
the Pinoys from Damascus
Five IS teachers indicted for childs death
Prevent
abuses
against
the elderly
THE Court of Tax Appeals has
convicted an importer from
Cebu for smuggling vehicles
into the country in 2008.
Justice Secretary Leila de
Lima disclosed that Roel Say-
son, owner of Trex Eve Auto
Sales and Services in Mandaue
City, was found guilty of vio-
lating the Tariff and Customs
Code of the Philippines by the
third division of CTA for illegal
importation of 15 units of KIA
Sportage and Hyundai Galloper.
The appellate court found
Sayson guilty of wrongfully de-
claring the shipment worth some
P1.8 million, which arrived at
the Port of Cebu from South Ko-
rea on board the vessel S/S Maas
Trader in Feb. 2008, as used
truck replacement parts.
Sayson was sentenced to
imprisonment of eight years to
12 days in a 22-page decision
penned by Associate Justice
Lovell Bautista.
De Lima immediately wel-
comed the conviction, which
she considers an important feat
in governments legal cam-
paign against smuggling, and
lauded the teams from DOJ and
Bureau of Customs that han-
dled the case.
It underscores the commit-
ment of this government to be re-
lentless in our campaign against
these smugglers and their pro-
tectors, she said.
It was the biggest smuggling
conviction scored so far by the
government. Last July, the Ma-
nila regional trial court con-
victed three importers Danilo
Villar Danilo Opiniano and Ron-
nina Alojado in two separate
cases for smuggling used cloth-
ing or ukay-ukay in the country.
Smuggling cases amounting
to P1 million or more are han-
dled by CTA. Those amounting
to less than a million pesos go to
the RTCs. Rey E. Requejo
By Joyce Pangco Paares
PRESIDENT Be-
nigno Aquino III has
approved the release
of P1.28 billion for
farmers-and-sher-
men registry proj-
ect to help identify
target-beneciaries
of agriculture-related
programs and ser-
vices.
Budget Secretary Florencio
Abad said the project will address
the urgent need for a comprehen-
sive and systematic information
system that will help the govern-
ment identify and locate farmers,
farm laborers, and shermen.
For the rst time in our his-
tory, the rural poor - including
small owner-cultivators, land
holders, tenants and regular and
seasonal farmers will have
their names and addresses duly
registered in a comprehensive
database, Abad said.
This will end years of anoma-
lies where farm subsidies and
agricultural programs like rice
procurement and the provision of
cheap rice only end up with traders
and afuent farmers, he added.
The Registry System for Ba-
sic Sectors in Agriculture is an
inter-agency effort among the de-
partments of interior, budget, ag-
riculture, and agrarian reform, the
National Statistics Ofce and the
National Anti-Poverty Commission.
The registry will also be used
as basis for developing programs
and policies for the agriculture
and sheries sectors.
This database will be a valu-
able part of the administrations
planning and policy-making
strategy for our agri-sheries
sector, allowing us to accurately
determine the number of farmers
and shermen who will benet
from government subsidies and
aid, Abad said.
The registry also serves as
an excellent auditing mechanism
by ensuring that only the poorest
will benet from our agricul-
tural programs, thus reinforcing
President Aquinos campaign for
transparency and accountability
in the delivery of critical goods
and services, he added.
By Joel E. Zurbano
INFRASTRUCTURE projects
will be halted from March 29 to
May 13 for the upcoming mid-
term polls next year.
In a resolution promulgated
on Dec. 18, the Commission on
Elections enbanc said that all road
constructions and repairs will be
prohibited except for ongoing
projects or works commenced be-
fore March 29, 2012.
It stated that before March 29,
the secretary of Public Works and
Highways and local government
ofcials must submit to the Elec-
tions commission the list of autho-
rized public works projects. This
means such projects, including
foreign-assisted works, will carry
on implementation even during
the conduct of the elections.
To avoid the ban, Public Works
secretary Rogelio Singson recent-
ly ordered his men to wind up the
bidding process of all 2,719 proj-
ects for 2013.
We are advancing the program
of work. We are starting to bid now
so that by January, most of these
projects were already awarded (to
winning bidders), he said.
The agency allotted with
P152.9 billion in 2013 to build
roads, bridges, ports and airports.
Singson said the agency aimed
to nish the bidding process be-
fore the end of December not only
because of the election ban but it
is also bent to commence these
projects during summer months.
We want these biddings n-
ished so we can take advantage of
the dry months. We hope to nish
the small projects before the start
of the rainy season, he said.
The road and bridge projects
which will be covered by the ban
are those from the provincial level
down to the barangays.
Singson assured the public that
the bidding process for infrastruc-
ture projects would be shortened
so that the department could begin
accepting bids for projects as early
as January based on the General
Appropriations Act of 2013.
Construction of roads leading
to tourist destination and airports
were among the projects of the de-
partment for 2013.
In the area of road infrastruc-
ture, Singson said his agency
lined up the construction of roads
leading to tourist destinations, air-
ports, RORO (Roll On Roll Off)
port, food production areas and
economic zones.
The department also aimed
to upgrade from gravel to con-
crete national arterial road, to be
followed by national secondary
roads, and third, improvement of
national bridges from temporary
to permanent.
By Sara D. Fabunan
IN view of the escalating conict
in Damascus, Foreign Affairs
Secretary Albert del Rosario went
to Syria to step up efforts to re-
patriate all Filipinos working in
the war-torn area.
Del Rosario, who was accom-
panied by Undersecretary Jesus
Yabes arrived in Syria, met 35
Filipinos who were repatriated by
the Philippine Embassy in Da-
mascus.
The 35 Filipinos have returned
home to celebrate Christmas with
their families.
Del Rosario assured the Fili-
pinos that the Syrian government
would continue to support the
repatriation of Filipinos.
Syrian ambassadors Hamzeh
Dawalibi and Majd Aldeen
Nashed assured the Philippines of
safety for the repatriates.
The embassy has proposed
to del Rosario alternative safe
house or relocation center for Fil-
ipinos as part of the Embassys
Contingency Plan in view of the
increasing frequency of ghting
in the capital.
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Justice Department has found
sufcient basis to indict in court ve
teachers of an international school
for their failure to ensure the safety
of students during a eld trip that re-
sulted in the death by drowning of a
13-year-old student last September.
In a resolution, DOJ pros-
ecution attorney Gail Stephanie
Maderazo recommended the
criminal prosecution of Tyler
Herbst, Susan Rigby, Socorro
Laplana, Leah Joy Cabanban, and
Geronimo Alguno -- all teachers
of the Cebu International School
(CIS) -- for reckless imprudence
resulting in homicide under Arti-
cle 365 of the Revised Penal Code
for the death of Grade 8 student
Kyle Julian Gullas Weckman.
Weckman reportedly died
while swimming in the waterfalls
of Sitio Kanawan, Morong, Bata-
an during a eld trip activity de-
scribed by the teachers as a small
falls trek with survival technique
on September 12, 2012.
While we take notice of re-
spondents insinuations that com-
plainants witnessess might have
been inuenced to execute their re-
spective afdavits under the pain of
being potentially held liable for the
death of complainants son, this of-
ce nds the same to be evidentiary
matters which should be threshed
out in a full blown trial on merit,
Maderazo said.
However, the Prosecution At-
torney dismissed the complaint led
against CIS School Superintendent
Deidre Fischer as the command re-
sponsibility did not apply in the case.
By Maricel V. Cruz

A MEASURE was led in the
House of Representatives seeking
to address abuses against senior citi-
zens by providing for stiffer penal-
ties on the offense.
House Bill 6690 authored by La-
guna Rep. Maria Evita Arago aims
to develop strategies for preventing
and punishing crimes that target or
affect seniors by collecting appro-
priate data to measure the extent of
crimes committed against them.
The ling of the bill, Arago said,
came in response to combat abuse
against senior citizens and enhance
penalties by developing a compre-
hensive process and strategy for the
prevention of crimes against senior
citizens by reason of their vulnerabil-
ity and old age.
The bill requires the Department
of Justice to conduct a study relating
to crimes against senior citizens.
The proposed Senior Citizens
Safety Act mandates the DOJ to ad-
dress other issues on crimes target-
ing or disproportionately affecting
seniors, crime risk factors for se-
niors, including the times and loca-
tions at which crimes victimizing the
elderly are most likely to occur, the
nature and extent of crimes targeting
senior citizens, such as health care
fraud, and other effective ways to
prevent or reduce the occurrence of
crimes against senior citizens.
Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
A4
THIS is the third Christmas for
the Aquino administration, which
has always prided itself in taking
the highrather, the straight and
narrowroad in governance.
Specically, Mr. Aquino has
been trumpeting the initiatives he
has made in combatting graft and
corruption. His immediate pre-
decessor, former President Glo-
ria Macapagal-Arroyo, has been
held as a prime example of of-
cials prosecuted for their alleged
misdeeds in the past.
No holiday furloughs have
been allowed for the ailing Mrs.
Arroyo, now on hospital arrest at
a government hospital following
charges of plunder. She was ear-
lier detained on charges of elec-
toral sabotage but was allowed to
post bail because of lack of evi-
dence of her involvement.
This year, too, we saw how the
former chief justice of the Su-
preme Court was impeached and
found guilty for not being forth-
coming in his Statement of As-
sets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
Many believed that this omission,
while by no means acceptable for
a leader of the Judiciary, was not
an impeachable offense.
Some gains were made on the
economic front, and Palace of-
cials were quick to claim that the
credit upgrades, the better-than-
expected economic growth in the
past quarter, and the improved
standing in an international trans-
parency survey had all been be-
cause of those initiatives towards
good governance.
Unfortunately, though, the
Presidents resolve to curb graft
and corruption has been limited
to those belonging to the oppo-
site side of the political fence.
A different set of rules apply
to his friends, allies, class-
mates and partymates. He was
quick to dismiss the accusations
against a political adviser, for
instance, who was caught with
guns inside his vehicle, a gam-
ing executive who vacationed
in opulence courtesy of a casino
operator whose business he was
supposed to be regulating, and
an undersecretary accused of
accepting jueteng payola.
More recently, we have seen
an obviously political maneuver
against the Cebu governor who
was suspended by the Depart-
ment of the Interior and Local
Government for alleged usurpa-
tion of authority. Oddly enough,
this case was led by the former
vice governor who had already
died. As of press time, a standoff
persists at the provincial capitol.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Gar-
cia is closely identied with the
United Nationalist Alliance, the
rival coalition for the 2013 na-
tional and local elections. Cebu
is seen as a vote-rich province,
able to make or break the politi-
cal fortune of a national ofcial
in a tight race.
The Liberal Partys and, by
extension, the Presidents, act
would gain more credibility if he
would duplicate it, this time in-
volving a local political ally like-
wise facing controversy. Many
Liberal Party members, after all,
have not been with the party since
the beginning; they only joined it
because it was expedient for their
own purposes.
Then again, such display of
even handedness is perhaps too
much to expect from a President
who continues to lead as though
he were only President of his own
supporters, and that those dis-
agreeing with or critical of him
were, by default, his enemies.
Mr. Aquino, whether he likes it
or not, is President also of those
who do not agree with him all the
time. He must thus not squander
a legitimate advocacy by using
it only against his political foes.
He must show he is ready to have
equal zeal in exhorting his own
friends to abide by the same set
of standards.
Without this, we are left with
no option other than to believe
that the Daang Matuwid is an
empty sloganno matter how
much we wish it were not so.
Holiday wish
EDITORIAL
Deal breakers
AS I write this piece, Vice President Je-
jomar Binay and Senate President Juan
Ponce Enrile are hopping on a chartered
plane to Cebu to support the embattled
Governor Gwen Garcia, whos still
holed up in the provincial capitol in
deance of a suspension order. Former
President Joseph Estrada may also fol-
low them there, rounding out the United
Nationalist Alliance leadership troika in
an unmistakable display of outright op-
position to the Liberal Party-led admin-
istration.
Garcias quandary came right af-
ter jueteng accusations were revived
against Governor Espino of Pangas-
inananother vote-rich province like
Cebu where DILG Secretary Mar Rox-
as also lost during his vice-presidential
campaign of 2010. Regardless of the
merits of their cases, the timing of the
crackdown on the twoas well as pos-
sibly other incumbent governors against
whom the LP wants to eld candidates
of its ownreeks to high heavens of
yellow politics at its smelliest, i.e. redo-
lent with the unctuous sanctimony of
the daang matuwid political party.
I feel in particular for the Senate
President, who must still be recovering
from the shock of the President vetoing
the requirement in the new sin tax law
that cigarette manufacturers must buy
at least 15 percent of their raw material
from local tobacco manufacturers. This
provision was specically requested by
Enrile on behalf of his Ilocano constitu-
ency, and must have been a major con-
sideration for his support of the measure.
In justifying his veto, the President
piously intoned that such a local-sourc-
ing requirement would violate the free
trade agreements to which the Philip-
pines is a signatory. Well! Im sure
that there are many other licit and illicit
violations of the spirit and letter of free
trade that might better merit presiden-
tial attention. Look no farther than, say,
the rise of smuggling under two years of
Aquinoballooning by nearly ten times
from its level under the Arroyo admin-
istration, based on a simple comparison
of IMF with local trade statistics.
Enrile is anything but ignorant of the
law, and Im sure that any possible in-
consistencies of his request with inter-
national agreements would have been
foreknown to him and, therefore, pre-
cleared by him. Nope, what happened
to him smells like someone reneging on
a dealsomeone who was emboldened
to do so by his stratospheric popularity
ratings, and who now has no compunc-
tion about going after duly elected gov-
ernors. Heck, if you can do it to a chief
justice, whats a governor or twoor
three and more?
* * *
The Christmas celebration on this,
the third month of the Year of the Faith,
has got to be a rough one for the Church
in this country.
In his homily today at our parish
church, the priest celebrantan intense
fellow who teaches at a local semi-
naryconfessed to being at a total loss
for words following the passage of the
RH law. He felt so discouraged that he
even started to doubt the relevance of
the Church, its priests, and its teachings
to todays world. How could this institu-
tion, so much a part of the countrys life
and history, be rebuffed on something as
basic as this?
Our priest went on to compare his
emotional turmoil to what the Blessed
Mother must have feltat the tender
age of fourteenupon receiving the
Divine request that she agree to bear
a child even before her marriagean
offense punishable by stoning, which
would have killed both her and the
unborn child. It took enormous cour-
ageas well as uninching faithfor
someone so young to agree to some-
thing like that.
Obedience very often requires such
courage, and so obedience is usually
found in short supply. There was cer-
tainly no surfeit of obedience among the
local Catholics who allowed themselves
to be stampeded into support for the
RH bill--ignoring the pleadings of their
Church, ignoring the fact that women
all over the world have anyway been
bearing on the average one less child
every decade, ignoring the common-
sensical proposition that the coercive,
taxpayer-nanced impositions of an RH
law are not essential in order to teach
sexual responsibility to our young, at-
tend to the health needs of our women,
or raise families incomes through eco-
nomic growth. Turn to page A5
The Christmas
truce
HERES a Christmas story that re-
ally happened.
At around Christmas in 1914,
along the Western Front of World
War I in France, British and German
soldiers ghting in the trenches in
the so-called war to end all wars
did a very strange thing: they started
laying down their arms and entering
no mans land, greeting each other
for the holidays.
According to Wikipedia, [t]
hrough the week leading up to Christ-
mas, parties of German and British
soldiers began to exchange seasonal
greetings and songs between their
trenches; on occasion, the tension
was reduced to the point that indi-
viduals would walk across to talk
to their opposite numbers bearing
gifts. On Christmas Eve and Christ-
mas Day, many
soldiers from both
sides as well as,
to a lesser degree,
from French units
independently
ventured into no
mans land where
they mingled, ex-
changing food and
souvenirs.
As well as
joint burial cer-
emonies, several
meetings ended in carol-singing.
Troops from both sides were also
friendly enough to play games of
football with one another.
Soon, the feelings of goodwill
started by the truce spread beyond
Christmas. At one point, it was re-
ported that more than 100,000 sol-
diers involved in the informal cease-
re, even after the ghting had re-
sumed after the holidays.
[I]nfantry units in close proxim-
ity to each other would stop overtly
aggressive behavior, and often en-
gage in small-scale fraternization,
engaging in conversation or bartering
for cigarettes. In some sectors, there
would be occasional ceaseres to al-
low soldiers to go between the lines
and recover wounded or dead com-
rades, while in others, there would be
a tacit agreement not to shoot while
men rested, exercised or worked in
full view of the enemy.
The Christmas truce, as it was
called, was not to last, especially af-
ter the superiors of the soldiers be-
came alarmed about the fraternizing
across the battle lines. Generals rep-
rimanded and even court-martialed
subordinates who would allow such
benign contacts with the enemy on
either side, and non-stop bombard-
ment and the use of poison gas in the
trenches eventually ended any good
feeling among the soldiers.
By the time of armistice in 1918,
15 million people would have been
killed in World War I. But for one
Christmas, there was peace and
goodwill even amongst men who
has sworn to kill each other for their
country.
* * *
The story of the unusual truce was
not reported in the press until the
New York Times broke the story at
the end of the year. Newspapers in
Britain, Germany and France fol-
lowed suit, only to be forced to print
statements from their respective gov-
ernments to the effect that fraterniz-
ing with the enemy was not ofcially
sanctioned and constituted the grave
wartime offense of treason.
Over the years, the unusual, un-
declared Christmas ceasere was
relegated to a footnote in the his-
tory of the Great War. It was only in
2005 that a French lm, Joyeux Noel
(Merry Christmas) was made out
of the incident and screened at the
Cannes Film Festival.
The Premier League established
the Christmas Truce Tournament
in 2011, a football tournament for
youth players from England, Bel-
gium, France, and
Germany, Wiki-
pedia said. The
tournament will
be played annu-
ally until at least
2014, the centen-
nial anniversary
of the original
Christmas truce.
A Christmas
truce memorial
was also unveiled
in Frelinghien,
France, in November 2008. On that
day, at the spot where, on Christmas
Day 1914, their regimental ancestors
came out from their trenches to play
football, men from the 1st Battalion
of The Royal Welch Fusiliers played
a football match with the German
Battalion 371, the report said. The
Germans won 21.
On Christmas Day in 1988, a story
in the Boston Globe mentioned that a
local FM radio host played Christ-
mas in the Trenches, a ballad about
the Christmas truce, several times
and was startled by the effect, ac-
cording to David G. Stratman in his
book We Can Change The World.
The song, written by John McCutch-
eon, became the most requested re-
cording during the holidays on sev-
eral FM stations in the area.
* * *
The story of the Christmas truce
reminds us that, left to our own de-
vices, we would probably be greet-
ing one another Merry Christmas
today, even if we are sworn enemies.
And that we would probably not be
ghting each other at all over such
things as country and ideology, if not
for our superiors who are far away
from the trenches and do not risk
their lives at all.
And so I wish everyone, friend
and foe alike, Merry Christmas!
We may resume hostilities later. But
in the meantime, a little peace on
earth and some goodwill towards our
fellow men are in order.
Maligayang Pasko sa Lahat!
I wish everyone,
friend and foe
alike, Merry
Christmas!
ROLANDO G. ESTABILLO Publisher
RAMONCHITO L. TOMELDAN Managing Editor
CHIN WONG/ RAY S. EANO Associate Editors
JOEL P. PALACIOS News Editor
ROGELIO C. SALAZAR President & CEO
MEMBER
Philippine Press Institute
The National Association
of Philippine Newspapers PPI
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BYPASS
DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
A5 Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com
MY choice for People of the Year
2012 are the many volunteers from
Dick Gordons Philippine National
Red Cross, the Philippine Coast Guard,
Philippine Navy, the Armed Forces of
the Philippines and the many from the
private sector, who went out of their
way and even risked their live for the
endless rescue, search and retrieval
operations during the devastating
typhoons Sendong and Pablo.
I consider them the silent heroes of
the day, who went out of their way to
serve their fellowmen. They represent
the true spirit of Christmas Day which
we Christian worldwide mark today.
These volunteers likewise represent
the true spirit of Christmas and of
Filipinos, who in times of need can be
relied upon. May
their tribe increase.
* * *
Id like to tell this
story for Christmas
Day.
A wealthy man
and his son love to
collect rare works
of art. They had
everything in their
collection, from
Picasso to Raphael.
They would often sit together and
admire their great works of art.
When the Vietnam conict broke
out, the son went to war. He was very
courageous and died in battle while
rescuing another soldier. The father
was notied later and grieved deeply
for his only son.
About a month later, just before
Christmas Day, there was a knock at
the door. A young man stood at the door
with a large package in his hands. He
said:
Sir, you dont know me, but I am
the soldier for whom your son gave
his life. He saved many lives that day,
and he was carrying me to safety when
a bullet struck him in the heart and he
died instantly. He often talked about
you, and your love for art.
The young man held out his package.
I know this isnt much. Im not
really a great artist, but I think your son
would have wanted you to have this.
The father opened the package. It
was a portrait of his son, painted by the
young man. He stared in awe at the way
the soldier had captured the personality
of his son in the painting. The father
was so drawn to the eyes that his own
eyes welled up. He thanked the young
man and offered to pay for the portrait.
Oh, no sir, I could never repay that
your son did for me. Its a gift.
The father hung the portrait over his
mantle. Every time visitors came to his
home, he took them to see the portrait
of his son before the showed them
any of the other great works of art he
collected.
The man died a few months later.
There was a great auction of his
painting soon enough. Many inuential
people, excited over seeing the great art
collected and having an opportunity to
purchase one for their collection. On
the platform sat the painting of the son.
The auctioneer pounded his gavel.
We will start with the portrait of the
son. Who will bid for this painting?
There was silence.
Then a voice in the back of the room
shouted: We want to see the famous
paintings. Skip this one.
But, the auctioneer persisted, and
said: Will someone bid for this
painting. Who will start the bidding?
One hundred dollars, two hundred
dollars? another voice shouted
angrily: We didnt come to see this
painting. We came to see the Van
Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with
the real bids But, still, the auctioneer
continued; The son! Wholl take the
son?
Finally, a voice came from the very
back of the room. It was the longtime
gardener of the old man and his son. He
said in a loud voice:
Ill give $10 for the portrait. Being
a poor man, it was all he could afford.
The auctioneer persisted and shouted:
We have $10, who will bid $20?
The crowd shouted: Give it to him
for $10. Lets see the masters. But, the
auctioneer shouted back. Ten dollars is
the bid, wont some bid for $20?
At this point, the crowd was
becoming angry. They did not want
the painting of the son. They wanted
the more worthy investments for their
collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel:
Going once, twice, sold for $10 A
man sitting on the second row shouted,
Now, lets get on with the collection.
The auctioneer laid down his gavel
and said:
Im sorry,
the auctioneer is
over. When I was
called to conduct
this auction, I was
told of a secret
stipulation in the
will of the old man.
I was not allowed
to reveal that
stipulation until
this time. Only the
painting of the son would be auctioned.
Whoever bought that painting would
inherit the entire estate, including the
paintings of the masters. The man
who took the portrait of the son gets
everything!
We must remember that God gave
his son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel
cross to save mankind. Much like the
auctioneer, his message this Christmas
Day is: The son, the son, wholl take
the son?
* * *
Another story apropo for Christmas
Day I love retelling is Footprints
(author unknown) which goes as
follows:
One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along
the beach with the Lord. Across the
sky ashed scenes of his life. For each
scene he noticed two sets of footprints
in the sand: one belonging to him and
the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life
ashed before him, he looked back at
the footprints in the sand. He noticed
that many times along the path of his
life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that they happened at
the lowest and saddest times of his life.
This really bothered him and he
questioned the Lord about it.
Lord, you said that once I decided
to follow you, youd walk with me all
the way. But, I have noticed that during
the most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints. I
dont understand why when I needed
you most youd would leave me.
The Lord replied: My son, my
precious child. I love you and would
never leave you. During your times
of trial and suffering, when you see
only one set of footprints, it was then
I carried you.
* * *
These two stories reect the spirit
of Christmas when God made His son
come down to become man and save
mankind.
And it had to be through the Blessed
Virgin who the Holy Ghost gave Jesus
Christ to be born. It was, after all, a
woman, Eve, who caused mankind
to suffer the Original Sin. God in His
wisdom made God the Son be born
from a woman.
I wish everybody a blessed
Christmas and a prosperous New
Year.
A Christmas greeting
ALLOW me to greet all of you a very
Merry Christmas!
Amidst the non-stop parties, reun-
ions and heavy trafc, let us not for-
get the reason for the season: That
our Saviour Jesus Christ was sent into
this world to take away our sins. From
His example, we forgive and forget
a years worth of friction, hurts, and
pain. This is the time to reach out to
long-lost loved ones, forgotten friends,
and bitter enemies.
In our Congress, two landmark leg-
islations were passed this year: the Sin
Tax and Reproductive Health Laws.
These two issues were polarizing, to
say the least. However, it is no secret
that of those two, the Reproductive
Health Law produced the most divisive
and acrimonious of debates. The inten-
sity of the issue divided our nation.
I personally advocated a position
against the Reproductive Health Law
for reasons I have discussed in my
previous columns. While I still believe
rmly in my position, I also recognize
that we are a democracy and that this
law went through the proper procedure
before it got passed. We must respect
our institutions even if it did not favor
our positions. This is the essence of
our Republican country. Healing starts
when we accept the results of our insti-
tutional processes.
Early this year we made a pledge
that the minority bloc of the House of
Representatives shall be a constructive
group. We will not criticize for criti-
cisms sake but we will also not be a
rubber stamp for anyone. As a group,
we made our voices heard on top-
ics such as the widespread smuggling
of agricultural products and the huge
budget of the conditional cash transfer
program. We will continue with our re-
sponsibility as a check on this admin-
istrations shortcomings and excesses.
Allow me to greet our one and only
chief executive, President Benigno
Aquino III, for his courageous steward-
ship of our country for this year. As I
have mentioned, we have just passed
two landmark pieces of legislation and
this would not have been possible with-
out his leadership. Allow me also to
commend him because he was able to
solve the teacher/classroom enigma, the
answer to which has annually eluded
previous presidents of our country. His
solitary but solid voice of reason against
Chinese bullying during the Asean sum-
mit is also something to be admired.
Mr. President, this year has been
challenging for all of us. While our
views conicted from time to time,
rest assured that our thrust has always
been for the good of the country. Yes
we have our differences, some of them
deep and personal at times, but we will
always recognize you as our leader.
Once again, a blessed Christmas to
all of you!
DEAN TONY
LA VIA
EAGLE EYES
These remind
us of the meaning
of this season.
Deal...
From A4
Christmas and exile
FILIPINOS traditionally spend
Christmas Eve with their families, in
the comfort of their homes. The season
is a much-needed time to unwind from
the burdens of the past twelve months,
and rejoice in the warmth of loved ones.
The same cannot be said of the majority
of overseas Filipino workers, however,
who must spend this holiday season
abroad, separated from family by the
necessity of work. Recent trips to the
Middle East and Hong Kong, where
I encountered many migrant workers,
reminded me of this. It is for them and
especially the Leadership and Social
Entrepreneurship alumni and students
of the Ateneo School of Government in
Italy, Hong Kong and Dubai that I write
this column. As a former migrant worker
myself, I also write from experience.
While the overseas workers work
abroad gives both their families and
the country economic advantages, it
is no doubt a painful exile. The recent
statistics puts the number at a little over
two million; apart from the lucky few
allowed to bring their immediate family
with them to the host country, we can
imagine how many families must
endure an absent parent or child, brother
or sister, who would otherwise be with
them during the Noche Buena.
Its not just in the eld of overseas
employment, though, where this pain
of exile is acutely felt. Sometimes, one
can be far from home even when close
to home. Typhoon Pablo left in its wake
a path of destruction and displacement
across parts of Mindanao. Almost 20
thousand people, from four and a half
thousand families, were forced from
their homes only a couple of weeks
from Christmas. Over 66 thousand
homes have been destroyed.
Whether migrant worker or Pablo
refugee, for an exile, the Christmas
lights can glow dimly in the night. The
haunting lament of the exiled people of
Israel in Psalm 137 seems appropriate:
How could we sing the song of the
Lord in a foreign land? Beside the rivers
of Babylon, remembering you, we sat
down and wept, on the willows we hung
up our guitars; remembering you, we sat
down and wept.
Yet in front of exile, Filipinos
demonstrate resiliency. Looking
through our history, it has become a
classic trait of our people. Christmas
generally does not disappear because
one is far from home, or has lost ones
home. Coping mechanisms and the
generosity of others helps ll the void.
Relief ows to the refugees of Pablo in
order to provide some Christmas cheer.
Extended families and trustworthy
neighbors host the children of migrant
parents to ensure that some love is given
to them on Christmas day. Filipinos
abroad often seek each other out to
celebrate the holidays. It may not be that
perfect Christmas, but this charity in
the face of challenge is, without a doubt,
no reason for gloom, and every reason
to celebrate.
For the faithful among us, we draw
comfort in the observation that exile is
woven into the Philippines two major
religious faiths. In Islam, the Prophet
Muhammads ight, along with the
earliest Muslims, from Mecca to Medina
to escape religious persecution. In
Christianity, Christs birth in Bethlehem
as a result of an imperial census drawing
the Holy Family from their home in
Nazareth; subsequently, their ight to
Egypt to escape the threat of King Herod.
That rst Christmas was a Christmas-
in-exile, spent in the company of lowly
shepherds and strange foreigners, far from
home and hearth.
Sharing is the proverbial heart and
soul of Christmas. It extends beyond the
physical gifts we give to one another,
into presence. Through desire and the
grace of The Lord, the breaking of all
distances and barriers become possible.
Homeand by extension, community
becomes more than a physical place: it
becomes the shared experiences and
memories, the warm smiles and ready
hugs as we greet each other, whether
as family and close neighbor, or as
stranger, even foreigner. It becomes
our commitment to help each other live
through the worst of times, as we work
and hope for the best of times.
And this is where we must extend
our Christmas cheer to our migrant
worker compatriots, and our fellow
countrymen left in Pablos wake. We
work, and give, to help rebuild homes
and livelihoods from the wreckage of
ood and wind; to ensure that families
with loved ones abroad are taken care
of in the absence of parents, siblings, or
children. We give comfort to those left
lonely, reminding them that they are not
alone in their exile. On the larger scale,
we can commit to building a nation
worthy of our exiles coming home:
improved governance and citizen
participation as catalysts for political
reform, economic development, and
social change (though perhaps such a
commitment is more worthy of a New
Years resolution, seven days from
now)developments which would
ultimately reduce climate change
vulnerability and the pressures of
economic migration.
So I wish all of you and especially
those so far from home a love-lled
Christmas, and may we resolve, through
charity and compassion, to see our
exiles home, or at the least, to make
their Christmas a less lonely day.
Facebook Page: Dean Tony La Via
Twitter: tonylavs
TEVYES opening dialogue in the
musical Fiddler on the Roof has been on
my mind a lot lately. A ddler on the
roof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our little
village of Anatevka, you might say every
one of us is a ddler on the roof, trying
to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune
without breaking his neck. It isnt easy.
You may ask, why do we stay up there
if its so dangerous? We stay because
Anatevka is our home... And how do we
keep our balance? That I can tell you in
one word... Tradition.
In so many ways, thats what the
Catholic Church has been trying to do
in the last few months. And thats also
what many of us try to sustain every
year during Christmas and New Year.
Theres wisdom in the effort. Traditions
keep us anchored rmly on the ground
when buffeted by strong forces of
change. Traditions provide comfort
and solace and security. But as we also
learned in Fiddler on the Roof, even the
most hallowed traditions must give way
to usher in a new world.
Christmas has always been about
traditions. I know people who survive on
less than three hours of sleep everyday
from December 16 to Christmas day just
to keep up with the family tradition of
attending the Misa de Gallo religiously.
Not very many people are fond of Queso
de Bola but what is a Christmas dinner
table without these ubiquitous balls, and
the ham, and the fruit salad? I know a
family that watches a lm version of
Charles Dickenss A Christmas Carol
while a friend still rereads the book
every year on Christmas Eve. I know
my editor rounds up her children for a
family picture every Christmas.
There are a number of Christmas
traditions in my family as well, most of
them handed down from generations.
We try to sustain many of them, but
some have just become too difcult
to maintain. We dont anymore hang
stockings in the staircase (kids today
wisen up and discover early on that
theres no fat man in a red suit, thanks to
the Internet). Weve also become more
practical and have since then come up
with a schedule on where the family
reunions will be held each year rather
than hop from one house to another and
have too many families replicating the
preparations.
This year I have decided to concede
to creeping old age and delegated the
buying and the wrapping of Christmas
gifts to a grown daughter. I have
discovered just how liberating it is
to have a personal shopper and I am
not only talking about the physical
convenience of not having to brave
crowds at Greenhills or SM and worry
about matching people with gifts and
actually buying them; she just happens
to be more practical, less nicky and
therefore more cost-efcient.
The traditions are slowly being
adjusted to suit current realities. The
aguinaldo now comes in little red
envelopes; never mind the fact that
most dont really understand what the
Chinese characters say. Many still
bother with colorful wrapping papers
and gay ribbons, but half of the presents
I got this year came conveniently stuffed
into colorful paper bags bought straight
from National bookstore. Because there
are now more than ten ights a day to
Leyte, most of the Noche Buena fare in
our table were own all the way from
my hometown including the lechon and
the various kakanin by cargo. At least
we still get to savor moron (chocolate
suman that takes at least a whole day
of laborious preparation) and yes,
rice cakes made up real galapongand
leavened by tuba (wine made from
coconut sap). Theres a Kinect/x-box
gadget in the living room and at the rate
kids have been glued to it in the last few
days, theres probably not going to be
parlor games anymore today. Well all
probably going to have virtual bowling
and sports games all day long.
Changes will continue to shape the
way we celebrate Christmas and the
other important events in our lives.
Thats just the way things are in this
world. But we can all take comfort
in the fact that while traditions may
get reinterpreted and readjusted to
suit the growing complexities of
living in the present, the essence
behind these traditions will continue
to be there. Christmas is about
celebrating families and enjoying
the warmth that only genuine love
and affection can bring.
And yes, its still about hope and
faith. Christmas is a wonderful time to
be reminded that there are always great
things in store for all of us if we continue
to have faith in God, in ourselves, and in
others.
From our house to yours, Merry
Christmas everyone! May your
Christmas be meaningful and lled with
all the great things of the season.
Traditions
DANILO
SUAREZ
MINORITY REPORT
People of the
year
BONG C.
AUSTERO
ARE WE THERE YET?
EMIL
P. JURADO
TO THE POINT
The passage of this law is hailed as a victory for cafeteria Catholics, who be-
lieve they have a right to pick and choose which doctrines they want to follow, and
still call themselves Catholic. They are t company for the secularists, who feel
oppressed by the mere presence of a Church and wish most of all to be able to pur-
sue whatever their heart desires with no obligation to some higher authority. And
both of them will be witting or unwitting accomplices of the Western liberal-left
agenda, whose sponsors even now are already sharpening their knives in prepara-
tion for the upcoming battles to be fought: divorce (ask the Speaker of the House),
same-sex marriage, and abortion, most likely in that order.
All of which brings me back to what I thought was the real point of our
priests homily, so appropriate for the Year of the Faith: It is adversities like
this that sharpen and strengthen the faithful. Issues may change, tactics must
adapt, but the marching orders remain the same: to lead by service, to convert by
example, and through our untiring efforts, to open the room inside mens hearts
within which the Lord will do the rest.
Merry Christmas, dear reader!
gbolivar1952@gmail.com
News
ManilaStandardToday
mst.daydesk@gmail.com DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
A6

IN BRIEF
Govts nameless Red list hit
Albay rescue team takes over Davao hospital
De Lima: Michael Ray not yet acquitted
Agency eyes ban
on provincial buses
Pasig homes razed
IT will be a bleak Christmas for some 15
families in Pasig City after their houses
were destroyed during a re that broke
before dawn on Monday, the local re
station said.
Fire Ofcer 3 Antonio Nahag said the
re started around 3:48 a.m. at the Alva-
rez Compound on Dr. Sixto Avenue in
Barangay Maybunga and torched at least
ve houses made of wood and concrete
materials. The re put out around 4:45
a.m. Gigi Muoz David
Another Divisoria re
YET another smoldering re broke out in
Manilas Divisoria district early Monday
morning and resulted in injury to at least
three people, re ofcials said on Monday.
The re broke out at 12:30 a.m. at the
three-story Sun Master Building at at the
corner of Tabora and M. de Santos Streets
and reached Task Force Charlie as of 5:45.
Earlier this year, another re broke out
at the popular Tutuban Mall and took sev-
eral days to extinguish.
On Monday afternoon, another re hit
the building of the Government Service
and Insurance System in Sta. Mesa, Ma-
nila around 3 p.m., but was put out half an
hour later. Macon Ramos-Araneta
Artist Jerry Araos, 68
ALTERNATIVE artist Jerusalino V.
Araos passed away after a lingering ill-
ness at his home in Diliman, Quezon City
on December 23. He was 68.
Araos was a former communist gue-
rilla who was captured during Martial
Law. Shortly after his release, he held his
rst exhibit in Hiraya Gallery in 1980 and
called the show Bartolina to reect his
experience as a guerilla and political de-
tainee.
The Araos family said the artist asked
that no wake be held and that his cremat-
ed ashes be placed at the Araos Garden in
Antipolo City.
Carolina Grio-Aquino, 89
RETIRED Supreme Court Associ-
ate Justice Carolina C. Grio-Aquino
passed away at 3 a.m. Monday after a
lingering illness, announced her daugh-
ter Carmen Menchu Aquino-Sarmien-
to. She was 89.
The remains of the former magistrate
are at her home at 59 D. Tuason, Sta. Mesa
Heights, Quezon City and will be Interred
on Dec. 29.
She was appointed to the Supreme
Court by President Corazon Aquino and
served from Feb. 2, 1988 until Oct. 22,
1993 after her husband Chief Justice Ra-
mon Aquino had left the SC.
Lessen holitrash,
group asks public
CATEEL, Davao OrientalVeteran
and multi-awarded emergency re-
sponse group Team Albay has tem-
porarily taken over the operation and
management of the only local hospi-
tal here and now uses it as a base its
medical relief operation for victims of
Super-Typhoon Pablo.
The takeover by Team Albay of the
Cateel Emergency Hospital, which serves
ve other towns, two of them hard-hit
Bangaga and Boston, was damaged by
typhoon but still basically serviceable.
The 72-man Team Albay was
among the rst groups to rush to Min-
danao three days after the devastation.
Albay Gov. Joey Salceda dispatched
the team aside from the P500,000 cash
assistance each for Davao Oriental and
Compostela Valley.
Headed by Dr. Cedric Daep, Al-
bay Provincial Safety and Emergency
Management Ofce chief, the team
rst pitched camp in the attened town
of Boston, where its Water and Sani-
tation unit had immediately provided
17,500 litters of potable drinking water
to victims in the rst two days.
Team Albays medical group, head-
ed by Dr. Eric Raborar, on the other
hand, pushed farther and took base at
the neighboring town of Cateel, with
its mobile medical units fanning out
and treating villagers in isolated sites
in the absence of established evacua-
tion centers.
From there, the team was allowed to
take over the Cateel Emergency Hospi-
tal, to maximize health services, and as a
staging point of other medical missions
in nearby areas. Team Albays mem-
bers, all experienced in disaster risk re-
duction management and well trained in
emergency response, are broken elded
out in sub-team in the engagement area
according to their expertise.
Salceda said Team Albay will con-
tinue to serve in the areas ravaged by
Pablo, where victims needed their help.
He had earlier called for the setting up
of a national coordinating body for re-
lief, early recovery and rehabilitation
of these areas to ensure effective mo-
bilization, fair allocation and efcient
utilization of resources and coordinate
private sector engagement.
By Ferdinand Fabella
AN environmental conservation
group made a last-minute appeal
to the public to reduce holiday
trash by keeping and recycling
gift packaging instead of throw-
ing it in garbage bins.
Tin Vergara, Zero Waste Cam-
paigner of EcoWaste Coalition,
noted that unsightly piles of gar-
bage in the streets have been a
perennial problem during the holi-
days, further contributing to envi-
ronmental degradation.
Foreseeing bigger garbage ac-
cumulation from the traditional
gift-giving activities, Vergara re-
minded the public that every piece
of gift wrapper and packaging that
is saved for future use will reduce
what EcoWaste calls as holitrash
(holiday trash).
We urge recipients to value not
only what is inside the gift, but also
the materials used to wrap it, Ver-
gara said, adding that a gram of
waste prevention is worth a kilo of
environmental solution.
She added a little creativity
will help in trimming down the
volume of packaging materials
sent to dumpsites or landlls for
disposal.
The bags, boxes, cards, hampers,
packets, wrappers and ribbons that
are used by people who still prefer
to give wrapped gifts can be reused
or repurposed in a variety of ways,
Vergara pointed out.
Christmas paper or plastic gift
bags can be reused as carry bags
or as pouches for school supplies,
class projects, ofce needs and the
like, she said.
On the other hand, Christ-
mas gift boxes can be reused as
an organizer to store small toys,
trinkets and other knick-knacks,
photos and mementos, needles,
threads, buttons and other sew-
ing essentials, CDs and DVDs,
as well as bills and many other
things, the group added.
According to the Metropolitan
Manila Development Authority
(MMDA), Metro Manila produces
up to 8,600 tons of waste daily,
consisting of food and organic dis-
cards (50 percent), plastic (25 per-
cent), paper (12 percent), metals
(ve percent), glass (three percent),
residual waste (four percent), and
hazardous waste (one percent).
13-hour re. Fireghters nally put out the re that hit four buildings in Manilas Divisoria district after 13 hours. The re started at
12:30 a.m. of Monday and was declared out at 1:58 p.m. Experts estimate damage at P10 million. DANNY PATA
By Rey E. Requejo
GOVERNMENT lawyers are set to
appeal the order of a Manila court to
release former chief superintendent
Michael Ray Aquino from detention
at the National Bureau of Investiga-
tion for his allegeed involvement in the
November 2000 killings of publicist
Salvador Bubby Dacer and his driver
Emmanuel Corbito.
The decision of the Manila Re-
gional Trial Court was not an acquittal.
It was not an assessment of evidence
based on the standard of beyond rea-
sonable doubt, said Justice Secretary
Leila de Lima.
She said she consulted with the
panel of prosecutors handling the
case and agreed to appeal the deci-
sion of Manila RTC Branch 18 Judge
Carolina Icasiano-Sison to release
Aquino.
De Lima explained that the court
failed to consider the testimony of an-
other accused, former superintendent
Glenn Dumlao, in dismissing the dou-
ble murder case against Aquino.
We have read the ruling and it ap-
peared that the court did not consider the
testimony of Dumlao who tagged Aquino
to the crime, the DOJ chief said.
Aquino was cleared after the RTC
dismissed this year the bid of another
accused, former Supt. Cezar Mancao
II, to become a state witness.
The DOJ chief likened the case of
Aquino to that of Sen. Panlo Lacson,
another accused in the double murder
case, who was cleared by the appel-
late court last year when it reversed the
DOJs nding of probable cause.
In the one-page order, the RTC cited
as reason for Aquinos release its deci-
sion last Dec. 17 granting the demurrer
to evidence, which sought dismissal of
the case due to insufciency of evidence
presented by the prosecution without
the need to present the defense.
Aquino, former head of opera-
tions of the defunct Presidential An-
ti-Organized Crime Task Force, was
detained at the NBI headquarters fol-
lowing his extradition from the US in
June 2011 to stand trial for the Dacer-
Corbito twin slay.
Merry Christmas animals. Children accompany Malabon Zoo owner Manny Tangco in
giving fruits to the zoos animals, including a bear, gorrila and a seal, in celebration of the
Christmas season. MANNY PALMERO
The human rights group Ka-
patan and the labor group Kilu-
sang Mayo Uno both questioned
why the joint order signed by
Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas
II and Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin was not made public and
the names of the people in the list
By Christine F. Herrera and Rio N. Araja
LEFTIST organizations and activist con-
gressmen assailed on Monday the joint
order of the Departments of Interior and
Local Governments and National Defense
on the capture of 235 unnamed people
although the government had offerd
bounties amounting to P466.88 million.
were also withheld.
Congressmen belonging to
the so-called Makabayan bloc
also hit the joint order as moot
and unlawful especially since
President Aquino signed the De-
saparecidos Law only last week.
They also hit the President,
Roxas, Gazmin and the military
for their supposed hypocrisy
in refusing to publish the names
of the people on the list even as
the military denied knowledge of
the list and claimed it to be non-
existent.
This list should be scrapped
or at the very least there should
be a full disclosure of such a list-
ing, which in military terms is
basically an order of battle, said
Bayan Muna Rep Neri Javier
Colmenares.
Members of legal organiza-
tions and party list groups might
have been included on the said
list as the government contin-
ues to le and pursue fabricated
charges and violate due process
rights of activists, Colmenares
added.
One very frightening conse-
quence of this list is that certain
military ofcials might resort to
surveilling, arresting or killing
fall guys, activists and anyone or
producing fake surrenderees in
order to get the reward money,
the congressman said.
Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy
Casio, for his part, said the
government should disclose the
names of those in the list so that
the public will know if these list
contained names that have pend-
ing warrants for their arrest.
Gabriela Reps. Luz Ilagan said
it worries her that the Aquino ad-
ministration was posturing to talk
peace with the communists when
it has also ordered the arrest of
the personalities involved in the
peace talks.
How will we have a proper
dialogue if this is what will hap-
pen? Ilagan asked.
The government should scrap
this list so as to facilitate the talks
or at the very least publicly dis-
close the whole list to be exam-
ined. As things stand, this list can
be used by death squads to assas-
sinate anyone who is supposed to
be there, Colmenares said.
It seems that acts of denial
are usual responses of the Aquino
government and the AFP, when
confronted with questions on
their accountability for human
rights violations. Mga denial
kings ang mga nasa Malacanang
at AFP! The lies that they have
sown through their counter-in-
surgency program Oplan Baya-
nihan are now being exposed,
said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan
secretary general.
By Rio N. Araja
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority is determined
to relocate the terminals of provincial buses to the suburbs to re-
duce vehicular trafc in the metropolis before the end of the term of
President Aquino.
Yves Gonzalez, chief of the agencys Trafc Discipline Ofce,
said the MMDA, Department of Public Works and Highway and
Department of Transportation and Communications have been
closely coordinating plans to put up the Metro Manila-Provincial
Integrated Bus Axis System.
Like what President Benigno Aquino III promised in his State-
of-the-Nation Address, we at the MMDA and other agencies are de-
termined to put up integrated terminals for provincial buses in the
outskirts of Metro Manila, Gonzalez said.
He said provincial buses are one of the major causes of gridlock
in the metros major roads because people from the provinces work
here in Metro Manila. They go home to their provinces during the
Holy Week, Christmas and long weekends. Migration brings about
trafc problem.
DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
A7 Sports Riera U. Mallari, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Clippers extend win run to 13
Colts, Bengals make playoffs with wins
Blake Grifn scored 23 points,
Chris Paul had 17 points and 13
assists and the Clippers extended
a franchise record with their 13th
consecutive victory, 103-77 over
the Phoenix Suns on Sunday
night.
Reserve Jamal Crawford add-
ed 22 points for the Clippers,
who won in Phoenix for the rst
time since April 17, 2007. Los
Angeles overall win streak is
an NBA season best and its six
straight road victories are also a
franchise best.
Were just taking care of
business right now, Grifn said.
To be honest, were not really
concerned with You havent
won here since then or You
havent won this many games in
a row.
We hear it all but were
about just getting these wins and
if they come within a streak or
when we havent won some-
where, thats ne.
The Clippers have won by an
average of 13 points and boast
four victories of 20 or more
points during their streak.
I thought our starters did
Spurs rout
Mavericks
in Dirks
return tiff
SAN ANTONIODirk
Nowitzki wasnt expecting to
play much during his season
debut Sunday night against the
San Antonio Spurs.
Still, after missing the Dal-
las Mavericks rst 27 regular-
season games, he didnt expect
to take a seat on the bench after
20 minutes with the game com-
pletely out of hand.
In the middle of the third
we were down by 80, so I
didnt really have to go back
in, Nowitzki said, exagger-
ating the Mavs largest decit
just a bit.
Danny Green scored a ca-
reer-high 25 points and the
Spurs spoiled Nowitzkis sea-
son debut with a 129-91 rout of
the Mavericks.
San Antonios largest lead
was actually 46, but the decit
seemed larger to Dallas.
We got a (butt-kicking),
thats it, Shawn Marion said.
No need to explain it ... it
was an old-fashioned (butt-
kicking).
The Spurs set a franchise
record with 20 3-pointers, be-
sting the record of 19 they set
Dec. 8 in Charlotte. San Anto-
nio also set a season high for
largest margin of victory.
Tony Parker had 18 points,
Kawhi Leonard added 17, Tim
Duncan 15 and Stephen Jack-
son 14 for the Spurs (21-8).
Darren Collison scored 15
points to lead Dallas (12-16),
which lost its third straight.
Vince Carter added 13 points
and Chris Kaman had 10.
San Antonio also had 33 as-
sists, a season-high 17 steals
and forced 20 turnovers.
We dont create that many
turnovers normally, Spurs
coach Gregg Popovich said.
So thats a heck of a night
for us as far as steals are con-
cerned. Thats not going to
happen very often. We were
fortunate it was one of those
nights when your opponent
has a bad night and you have
a great night and it ends up like
tonight.
It came on the night Nowit-
zki returned following surgery
on his right knee Oct. 19 after
battling soreness the previous
season.
He entered with 6:28 left in
the rst quarter to a hearty mix
of cheers and boos. The former
MVP quickly picked up a re-
bound for Dallas and nished
with eight points - going 3 for
4 from the eld - and six re-
bounds in 20 minutes.
Nowitzki decided to play
less than an hour before tipoff
after testing the knee during
practice last week.AP
McIlroy wins US
golf writers award
PHOENIXThe Los Angeles Clippers
are starting to make easy victories look
routine.
a good job in the rst quarter
and then our second quarter, we
jumped on them, said Clippers
coach Vinny Del Negro.
Jared Dudley scored 19 points,
Luis Scola had 11 and Markieff
Morris added 10 for the Suns,
who have dropped two straight
after winning four in a row.
Phoenix shot 52.2 percent in
the rst quarter but only 29.8
percent the rest of the way and
tied a season low for points.
Chris Paul was a one-man
wrecking crew on defense,
Dudley said. He took us com-
pletely out of our offense. Our
turnovers and bad offense led to
points. Theyre a team you really
cant afford to do that to.
Suns coach Alvin Gentry was
ejected with 2:33 left in the rst
half when he received a pair of
technical fouls seconds apart.
The teams combined for six
technical in the games rst three
quarters.
Ive got to do a better job of
keeping my cool in that situa-
tion, Gentry said. He (Rodney
Mott) thought I deserved two
technical fouls so thats the way
it is.
Phoenix kept it close for the
first quarter and the first half
of the second. Shannon Brown
sank an 11-foot pull-up jump-
er on a fast break as the Suns
trimmed an eight-point deficit
to 43-40 with 5:36 left in the
first half.
That would be the Suns next-
to-last eld goal of the half.
Crawford, meanwhile, hit a
long 3-pointer and a pair of free
throws to key a 15-3 run that
helped give the Clippers a 58-43
lead at halftime.
It was our defense right there
towards the end of the half,
Paul said. I think we were up
like six and then you look and
were up 15. We got some very
timely steals.
Los Angeles continued to ex-
tend its lead in the third, aided by
ve Phoenix turnovers in the rst
three minutes of the period, and
used a 16-3 run to end the quarter
for a 91-60 lead.
The Suns had 16 turnovers
against the Clippers, who lead
the NBA by forcing an average
of 17.5 per game. Los Angeles
was a bit sloppy with the ball,
too, turning it over 16 times. AP
World agency
suspends Spains
doping laboratory
Young champions. The Best Center-Team Philippines present their championship and individual
trophies shortly after beating teams from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore in the recent NHK 15-and-
Under Invitational Basketball Championship in Singapore. Best Center founder and president Nic Jorge
(middle, standing) presented the players (front row from left) Icel Dizon, Carl Feliciano, Jomari Alfaro,
Jasspher Mangahas and Carl Jimenez; and (back row) Trishtan David, Alwyn Santos, Eduardo Velasquez, Jr.,
Josiah Chua, Vincent David, Leon Lorenzana, John Abesamis and coach Manny Cuevas.
Volley champs.
Members of the Hope
Christian High School
team, headed by
Most Valuable Player
Justin Dorog and
best blocker Desiree
Cheng, display their
medals and trophies
after capturing the
10th Shakeys Girls
Volleyball League
crown at Rizal
Coliseum recently.
The Mighty Sports
Association-backed
Hope CHS tossers,
handled by coach
Jerry Yee, held off the
Colegio de San Agustin
side, 25-19, 19-25,
25-14, 29-27, to annex
their eighth Shakeys
GVL championship.
HOUSTONRory McIlroy is
the near unanimous choice as
the best male player by the Golf
Writers Association of America.
McIlroy received 190 out of
the 194 votes cast by GWAA
members. Three votes went to
FedEx Cup champion Brandt
Snedeker, and the other went
to Tiger Woods. McIlroy pre-
viously won player of the year
awards from the PGA Tour, Eu-
ropean Tour, PGA of America
and British-based Association
of Golf Writers.
The GWAA said Wednesday
that Stacy Lewis was voted best
female player with 79 percent
of the vote, while double major
winner Roger Chapman won the
senior player award with 60 per-
cent of the vote.
This is the fourth time in the last
ve years that the GWAA award
has gone to a European player.
In Scottsdale, Arizona, two-
time champion Phil Mickel-
son and Masters winner Bubba
Watson have committed to play
in the Phoenix Open.
Defending champion Kyle
Stanley, 2011 winner Mark Wil-
son and 2010 champion Hunter
Mahan also are entered in the
Jan. 31-Feb. 3 event along with
Rickie Fowler, Nick Watney,
Carl Pettersson, Nicolas Col-
saerts and Lucas Glover.
Mickelson won at TPC
Scottsdale in 1996 and 2005.
The former Arizona State star
will open his season Jan. 17-20
in the Humana Challenge in La
Quinta, Calif.
In another development, the
Indonesian Open will revert
back to the Asian Tour from
next season after three years on
the OneAsia circuit.
No details were given by the The
Asian Tour on the date and how
much prize money will be at stake,
sponsors or a venue for the event,
which they rst staged in 1974. AP
MADRIDThe World Anti-Doping Agen-
cy has suspended Spains accredited lab in
Madrid from carrying out doping tests for
three months.
The suspension comes weeks before Ma-
drid submits its nal bid to host the 2020
Summer Olympics.
WADA said Friday the lab may appeal
the decision to the Court of Arbitration for
Sport within 21 days. The Montreal-based
agency said the lab failed to meet require-
ments but did not elaborate.
Spains Anti-Doping Agency cited a mix-
up of two urine samples in August. It said in
a statement one sample was contaminated
by a sample from a different athlete that
contained a high concentration of a banned
substance.
The statement said no athlete was incor-
rectly accused of doping and the labs head
of quality control resigned after the suspen-
sion.
Meanwhile, a year ago, JR Celski barely
could get to the start line at the U. S. short
track speedskating championships because
of a painfully swollen broken ankle suf-
fered at a World Cup event in Japan.
Now Celski is good as gold, with a national
championship to add to his list of accomplish-
ments during this record-setting season.
His wins in the 500, 1,500 and 3,000
along with a fth-place nish in the 1,000
helped him lock up the national title Satur-
day. Lana Gehring won the womens title
with wins in every event the past two days.
Both earned spots for the U.S. in the nal
two World Cups of the season and a chance
to compete in the world championships in
Hungary in March. AP
ONE year after putting together the NFLs worst
record, the Indianapolis Colts are headed to the play-
offs.
Joining them on Sunday were the Cincinnati Ben-
gals, nishing out the eld in the AFC.
The Colts (10-5) equaled the 2008 Miami Dol-
phins as the only teams to win at least 10 games after
losing 14 or more the previous season. Top overall
draft pick Andrew Luck completed a 7-yard touch-
down pass to Reggie Wayne late in the fourth quarter
for a 20-13 victory at Kansas City.
Cincinnati qualied for a second straight postsea-
son berth for only the second time in franchise his-
tory, edging archrival Pittsburgh 13-10. The Bengals
have never gone to the playoffs in successive years
that did not involve a strike-shortened season.
Luck nished with 205 yards passing to break
Cam Newtons year-old rookie record of 4,051 yards
in a season. He also extended his rookie record for
fourth-quarter comebacks to seven by leading his
team downeld in the closing minutes.
Mission accomplished. Thats all I can say,
Colts interim coach Bruce Arians said. Without
getting emotional again, knowing that (coach Chuck
Pagano) is going to be back Monday, the work week
shouldnt be as stressful.
Pagano has been sidelined since a loss to Jackson-
ville in Week 3.
For the Bengals (9-6), Andy Dalton hit A.J. Green
with a 21-yard pass in the nal moments, setting up Josh
Browns 43-yard eld goal with 4 seconds remaining. The
loss eliminated the Steelers from contention.
A lot of people talked about we hadnt been in
in back-to-back seasons in 30 years, Green said.
I dont worry about that stuff. Ive been here two
years and we made the playoffs all two years. Thats
all we can control.
Minnesotas 23-6 win at Houston prevented the
Texans from earning home-eld advantage through-
out the AFC playoffs. AFC South champion Houston
(12-3) still can get that by winning at Indianapolis in
the season nale.
New England has won the AFC East, Denver the
West. Baltimore clinched the North by beating the
New York Giants 33-14, sending the defending Su-
per Bowl champions to the brink of elimination.
Washingtons 27-20 win at Philadelphia, com-
bined with New Orleans beating Dallas 34-31 in
overtime means the Redskins (9-6) will win the NFC
East by beating the Cowboys next week.
But Dallas (8-7) takes the division by winning that
game at Washington, which the league has exed to
prime time.
They know what it means, coach Mike Shana-
han said. Theyve been working toward this oppor-
tunity to win the division. Any time you win the di-
vision, everybody knows you have a home game in
the playoffs. We talked about that from Day 1. They
knew what we had to do to get there. We havent ac-
complished anything yet.
Green Bay clinched at least the third seed in
the NFC when it routed Tennessee 55-7. The NFC
North champs (11-4) still could wind up second
overall in the conference and get a bye and moved
into the No. 2 slot when Seattle romped over San
Francisco 42-13. AP
UK paper suing Armstrong
LONDONLance Armstrong is
being sued for more than $1.5 mil-
lion by a British newspaper over the
settlement of a libel action, which
followed doping allegations against
the cyclist that it published.
The Sunday Times paid Arm-
strong 300,000 pounds (now
about $485,000) in 2006 to set-
tle a case after it reprinted claims
from a book in 2004 that he took
performance-enhancing drugs.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency
concluded this year that Arm-
strong led a massive doping pro-
gram on his teams. Armstrong
was stripped of his seven Tour de
France titles and banned from cy-
cling for life.
The Sunday Times announced
in an article in its latest edition
that it has issued legal papers
against Armstrong.
It is clear that the proceedings
were baseless and fraudulent,
the paper said in a letter to Arm-
strongs lawyers. Your represen-
tations that you had never taken
performance enhancing drugs
were deliberately false.
The paper, which is owned by
Rupert Murdochs News Corp.,
said its total claim against Arm-
strong is likely to exceed 1 mil-
lion pounds ($1.6 million).
The Sunday Times is now de-
manding a return of the settlement
payment plus interest, as well as
its costs in defending the case,
the paper said. AP
Donaire hopes to ght again in March or April
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
AN exhausted but grateful World Box-
ing Organization/Ring Magazine and
World Boxing Council Diamond Belt
super bantamweight champion Nonito
Donaire left for his home in Las Vegas
yesterday to enjoy Christmas with wife
Rachel and friends and to throw a big
party for his friends, following an ex-
tremely successful year in the ring.
Donaire, who won the WBO title
in February from Wilfredo Vazquez
Jr. of Puerto Rico and defended it
successfully against two-division
champion Omar Andres Narvaez of
Argentina, International Boxing Fed-
eration champion Jeffrey Mathebula
of South Africa and Mexican Jorge
Arce last Dec. 15, told the Manila
Standard he was not thinking about
boxing, not yet, but I expect to ght
sometime around March or April, so
lets see what they (Top Rank) come
up with.
Donaire, who was given a warm
welcome by ght fans as he guested on
several top shows on ABS-CBN and
its various radio networks and was a
special guest at the networks Christ-
mas party, told the Manila Standard he
was grateful for the wonderful recep-
tion given him by ABS-CBN chairman
Gabby Lopez and top executives of the
network, including vice president for
sports Peter Musngi.
Its been a great week, I enjoyed my-
self, but I am tired. It was a short trip
and always on the run, but it all lifted
my spirits, said the skilled ghter re-
garded as a top contender for Fighter of
the Year honors.
Donaire was particularly grateful
for his courtesy call on President Be-
nigno Aquino III, which he regarded as
memorable.
He recalled that when he rst met
President Aquino, he had just been
elected.
He was talking about all the things
he wanted to do and now a few years
after all the things he had said, he has
done and that was interesting to me
because wow, he meant what he said.
That was admirable and I respect the
president for that.
He said the president gave him
good advice about my career.
Donaire said the president told him
dont get attached to boxing and
forget that your life, your health
and your family are more impor-
tant. Being smart when the times
comes, to quit the sport.
DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
A8
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Sports
Manila Standard TODAY
sports@manilastandardtoday.com sports_mstandard@yahoo.com Riera U. Mallari, Editor
By Jeric Lopez
IN a heated series where everything
is even, getting every little advan-
tage possible is a huge boost.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
P61.3M+
P7.1M+
6/55 360842412907
6/45 020103243510
4 DIGITS 8924
3 DIGITS 629
2 EZ2 1225
LOTTO RESULTS
BROOKLYN 95 Philadelphia 92
NY KNICKS 94 Minnesota 91
Utah 97 ORLANDO 93
SAN ANTONIO 129 Dallas 91
LA Clippers 103 PHOENIX 77
SACRAMENTO 108 Portland 96
Mixers, Painters resume duel
NBA HOME TEAM IN CAPS
Coach: Gold not yet turned over to PH
Yap still amazes
Letrans choices down to 3
Aces bring Christmas cheer to poor kids
With their best-of-seven se-
ries knotted at 1-1, San Mig
Coffee and Rain or Shine both
want a vital edge over the oth-
er as they resume their semi-
nal showdown in the 2013
Philippine Basketball Asso-
ciation Philippine Cup today.
The Mixers and Elasto
Painters both aim for an im-
portant 2-1 series lead when
they play each other again in
a Christmas-day Game 3 at 6
p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.
San Mig Coffee coach Tim
Cone wants his wards to come
out like they did in Game 2 for
them to have a good chance to
win their series.
We need to consistently
keep this ferocity against this
team (Rain or Shine) if we
want to get ahead, said Cone.
After falling behind 0-1, San
Mig Coffee bounced back em-
phatically last Friday with a
106-82 win to even the series.
Cone said altering the
match-ups made a huge dif-
ference as they played with a
small line-up effectively.
We went to a small line-up
and we got the match-ups we
needed in Game 2. Its about
adjustments again. Now, ex-
pect Rain or Shine to come
back with a vengeance, said
Cone.
Two-time Most Valuable
Player James Yap exploded
for 34 points in Game 2 de-
spite a sore right knee to show
the way for the Mixers. He
thinks that the Mixers ability
to limit the Painters offense
will be the key the rest of the
series.
Rain or Shine is not just
your ordinary team. They will
be back. Our defense will
have to be sharp and con-
sistent if we want to win
against them, said Yap.
Rain or Shine coach
Yeng Guiao vowed
that his team will
come out much
stronger this time to
avoid the fate it suf-
fered in Game 2.
Were all set for this
Christmas-day game. We re-
viewed and studied the videos
and we will correct our mis-
takes, said Guiao, who was
tossed out in the third quarter
of Game 2 after two technical
fouls due to excessive com-
plaining.
Guiao likes where his squad
is right now in this series. He in-
sists the mentally tougher team
will have the inside crack.
Its all even now. It will be
the mental aspect of the game
that will have a huge impact,
he said.
After the humiliating defeat
in Game 2, the teams worst
defeat since Guiao took over
as coach, the veteran mentor
is condent he knows what
the Painters need in order to
recover from that setback.
We cannot afford another
huge mental breakdown just
like in Game 2 if we want to
regain the lead, said Guiao.
JAMES Yap coming up with a
big game now and then is ex-
pected. Yet when he does it still
amazes.
Like what he did against Rain
or Shine last Friday in leading
San Mig Coffee to an equalizing
victory in their Philippine Bas-
ketball Association Philippine
Cup seminal duel that earned
for him the Accel-PBA Press
Corps Player of the Week hon-
ors for the period Dec. 17 to 23.
In that game, Yap exploded
for a personal conference-high
34 points and added 10 re-
bounds for his rst conference
double-double that helped boost
the Mixers to a 106-82 win.
What made the performance
more noteworthy and earned
him the scribes nod over
Alaskas Calvin Abueva was
the fact Yap should have been
hobbled by a strained right
knee and bone spurs on his
right ankle.
Hes been a warrior hav-
ing to play through a myriad of
injuries and he certainly came
up with a big performance just
when we really needed it to
match his moniker Big Game
James, noted San Mig coach
Tim Cone. Hes a remarkable
player playing remarkable bas-
ketball and he can make the
game so easy at times.
For the two-time most valu-
able player, it was simply a mat-
ter of doing what he can for the
team. Kailangang mag-step
up, he stated.
Besides, he added, he wanted
to give a sort of present to the
fans in this most special of sea-
sons. Malapit na ang Pasko
kaya maganda na sigurong gift
sa mga supporters ng team at ng
PBA, he said.
Also, theres his measly
11-point output in an 83-91 loss
in the best-of-seven opener just
two days before.
Gusto ko talagang mak-
abawi, he claimed.
His injuries still nag him, but
not enough to prevent him from
going 11-for-21 from the eld
last Friday, including 7-for-12
from beyond the arc. Thats a
very far cry from his 3-for-13
clip in Game One, when he took
just two three-point tries.
Parang masyado kong pina-
hihirapan ang basketball noon,
drive ng drive, he admitted in
the post-Game Two interview.
Naisip ko, parang nakalimu-
tan kong may jumper ako sa
labas. Iyun ang ginawa ko sa
game na ito.
By Peter Atencio
ITS now a three-way ght
on who will coach the Letran
Knights in the coming season.
Athletic moderator Fr. Vic
Calvo, who is also the season 88
management committee chair-
man of the National Collegiate
Athletic Association, on Satur-
day said that their seven-man
list has been whittled down to
three, but refused to name them.
He informed College Rector
Fr. Tamerlane Lana of his choic-
es during a closed-door meet-
ing after interviewing the seven
candidates.
A new coach from among the
list will be chosen to handle the
Letran Knights before the end of
the year.
Athletic moderator Fr. Vic
Calvo said this yesterday as the
school is set to begin screening
applicants, who could possibly re-
place former mentor Louie Alas.
Comprising the list are assis-
tant coaches Justino Pinat and
Monch Gavierres, former cager
Ronjay Enrile, former College
of St. Benilde Blazers coach
Carlos Garcia, former coach
Larry Albano and Nel Parado.
Louie Alas quit immediately
as head coach after the Letran
Knights nished their cam-
paign in the recent 88th sea-
son. He is planning to take a
yearlong leave.
By Peter Atencio

INITIATIVES for the Philippines
to gain an additional gold medal
in the recent 2011 Southeast Asian
Games remain unresolved.
Investigations, appeals and
sanctions are still continuing
in Malaysia after a member of
their 4x400 meter relay team
in athletics tested positive for a
banned substance last year, and
other members were reportedly
ordered to skip the tests.
The World Anti-Doping Agen-
cy has elevated the case to the
Court of Arbitrations for Sports
in Switzerland after sanctions
imposed on a coach and six ath-
letes were not carried out
The controversy started when
relay team member, Mohd Yunus
Lasaleh, tested positive for metan-
dienone, an anabolic steroid.
However, Malaysian athletics
ofcials have failed to imple-
ment the sanctions.
We are still waiting word
from the organizers over a gold
medal which was supposed to
be turned over to our national
team, said Philippine national
athletics head coach Joseph Sy.
The Wada remained rm in
its recommendation to impose a
lifetime ban on former national
coach Harun Rasheed for his
involvement in the scandal, ac-
cording to the Straits Times of
Malaysia. Malaysian ofcials
have not acted on the recommen-
dation.
On the other hand, the Wada
has agreed to the Malaysian
Athletic Unions plans to hand a
two-year ban on the six-member
relay team. A four-year ban was
earlier sought by the world body.
The Wada had earlier disre-
garded an independent inquirys
ndings which found former Ma-
laysian Athletic Union deputy
president Karim Ibrahim liable
after he directed the coach to tell
the athletes not to take the out-of-
competition tests at the National
Sports Institute in May, 2011.
Harun said Karim told him to
do so and the latter was later re-
corded on tape as saying he took
responsibility for sending three
of the athletes away to Bulgaria
to evade the tests.
The world body is now hold-
ing Harun responsible for the en-
tire incident and wants the coach
suspended for life.
The MAU is seeking to obtain
a lenient sentence through the
Court for Arbitration for Sports.
Harun was earlier suspended
for a year when Datuk Seri Sha-
hidan Kassim was MAU presi-
dent while the involved athletes
-- Siti Fatima Mohamad, Norjan-
nah Haszah Jamaluddin, Nu-
rul Sarah Kadir, Siti Zubaidah
Adabi, Yee Yi Leng and Noor
Imran Hadi -- were let off with
a warning.
By Reuel Vidal
ANY other professional bas-
ketball team could probably
be excused from doing char-
ity work when in the middle
of the playoffs. But the Alaska
Aces are not your ordinary
team. So in the middle of the
playoffs for the 2013 Philip-
pine Basketball Association
Philippine Cup, the entire
team took an afternoon off to
bring early Christmas cheer
to 38 children from the urban
poor communities of Payatas,
BASECO and Laguna.
Christmas arrived early for
the children with the eld
trip organized by Alaska
Milk Corporation, in col-
laboration in with the HOPE
World Wide Philippines
Shelter for Children in need
of special protection.
The Alaska Aces from Gen-
eral Manager Joaqui Trillo, to
the entire coaching staff and
all the players, the utility staff
and the ball boys and even E.
Cow spent an afternoon to
bring the children to Enchant-
ed Kingdom.
The Alaska Aces took time
off to host a Christmas Out-
reach Program with children
San Mig Coffees Marc Pingris (15) gets hit on the face by Rain or Shines JR Quinahan (left) in Game 2 of their teams PBA Philippine Cup
seminal game. The Mixers leveled the best-of-seven series at 1-all following a 106-82 win.
who were six to 16 years old. The
Aces spent a few hours with the
children at the Enchanted King-
dom, had lunch and gave away
Alaska t-shirts, basketballs, E.
Cow dolls and assorted Alaska
milk products.
Alaska Aces General Manager
Joaqui Trillo said this was Alas-
kas way of sharing its blessings
with the community.
Actually, this is the rst time
that these kids are gonna be
treated out in place like this (En-
chanted Kingdom). We asked the
players to make these kids happy
by going to Enchanted Kingdom
and treat the children out to lunch.
In that way, just for a while, the
children would feel loved and
forget all the bad things that have
happened to them in the past,
said Trillo.
Reaching out to the community
is a regular activity of the Alaska
Aces, who have gone to similar
outreach activities to the Philippine
General Hospital cancer ward and
just a few months ago to the Chil-
drens Hospital in Quezon City.
PBA veteran Dondon Hontive-
ros said he was happy and thank-
ful for the chance to be able to
help the kids of HOPE.
Hindi biro iyong pinagda-
daanan nila. Sobrang trauma
sa mga batang ito ang nang-
yari sa kanila. So for us, para
pagaanin ang feeling nila, ka-
hit konti, napakaganda itong
naisip ng management para
makatulong. Bibihira ang mga
batang nabibigyan ng chance
na ganito (to be with PBA pro-
fessional basketball players),
said Hontiveros.
For himself and his teammates
the Cebuano basketball star said
he wished everyone good health
and for the team to become a
champion this conference.
Alaska veteran forward Ed-
die Laure, himself a father of
two wonderful daughters who
are varsity volleyball stars, said
he felt privileged to be able to
bring happiness to the children
of HOPE.
Masaya ito kasi may mga
batang matutulungan kami. Kahit
konti lang nakapaghatid kami ng
saya sa kanila. Sobrang sakit ang
dinanas ng mga batang ito. So in
our little way makapagpasaya kami
sa kanila. Sana lang mas dumami
pa ang mga tumulong sa ganitong
mga bata kasi mahirap talaga ang
pinagdadaanan nila, said Laure.
The Alaska Aces, led by E. Cow, brought Christmas cheer early to 38
children in special need of protection with an afternoon visit to the
Enchanted Kingdom recently.
Business
Manila Standard TODAY
DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
B1
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Ray S. Eano, Editor business@mst.ph
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.com
IN BRIEF
European group bullish on free trade deal
Govt asks LGUs to conserve biodiversity sites
Abacus,
Chinese
OK joint
venture
Govt begins e-trike bidding
VOLUME 687.950M VOLUME 867.800M
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX
Closing December 21, 2012
OIL
PRICES
TODAY
P584-P695
LPG/11-kg tank
P47.15-P53.07
Unleaded Gasoline
P38.40-P41.05
Diesel
P40.30-P52.20
Kerosene
P27.20-P31.00
Auto LPG
FOREI GN EXCHANGE RATE
Currency Unit US Dollar Peso
United States Dollar 1.000000 41.0580
Japan Yen 0.011850 0.4865
UK Pound 1.628200 66.8506
Hong Kong Dollar 0.129039 5.2981
Switzerland Franc 1.097213 45.0494
Canada Dollar 1.012761 41.5819
Singapore Dollar 0.820883 33.7038
Australia Dollar 1.046901 42.9837
Bahrain Dinar 2.65240 108.9043
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266660 10.9485
Brunei Dollar 0.817528 33.5661
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000104 0.0043
Thailand Baht 0.032669 1.3413
UAE Dirham 0.272257 11.1783
Euro Euro 1.324700 54.3895
Korea Won 0.000931 0.0382
China Yuan 0.160508 6.5901
India Rupee 0.018255 0.7495
Malaysia Ringgit 0.327439 13.4440
NewZealand Dollar 0.832709 34.1894
Taiwan Dollar 0.034471 1.4153
Source: PDS Bridge
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Friday, December 21, 2012
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
40
42
44
46
48
Closing DECEMBER 21, 2012
5,823.940
26.20
HIGH P41.060 LOW P41.160 AVERAGE P41.133
5200
4460
3720
2980
2240
1500
1200
P41.070
CLOSE
By Alena Mae S. Flores
THE Energy Department has pre-
qualied seven companies to bid for the
governments electric tricycle project, a
government ofcial said over the weekend.
Energy Undersecretary Loreta
Ayson said the list of the pre-
qualied e-vehicle manufacturers
would need clearance from the
Asian Development Bank, which
is extending a $300-million loan
to replace 100,000 gasoline-fed
tricycles in the country.
There are companies, about
seven who were prequalied to
participate in the bidding for the
e-trike project. Under the project,
the result of bid evaluation we
do has to be concurred by ADB,
Ayson said.
She said two to three companies
were local manufacturers while
the rest were foreign.
She said ADB must clear the list
before Energy Department could
proceed with the implemenation
of the e-trike project.
We pass through ADB every
step of the way. Procurement will
be done by lots. So there could
be different winning bidders for
different lots. A contractor can
get a maximum of three lots,
depending on its capacity or
category, Ayson said.
She said requirement per lot
varied from 5,000 to 15,000
e-trikes, depending on the
schedule of procurement.
E-trikes are a cleaner,
greener transport solution for the
Philippines, and provide a better
quality of life for trike drivers,
Neeraj Jain, ADBs country
director for the Philippines, said
in an earlier statement.
This project can help
transform transportation in the
Philippines, and positions the
country as a leader in electric
vehicle development, Ayson
said.
In addition to its $300-million
loan, ADB is administering
another $105-million credit
facility and grant from the
Clean Technology Fund for
other Philippine environmental-
focused projects.
The government, meanwhile,
will provide $99 million as
counterpart funding for the
project. The project will run for
ve years, with completion date
expected by December 2017.
The new e-trikes, which will
run on an electric motor and
rechargeable lithium-ion battery,
will be introduced to Metro
Manila and other urban centers
across the Philippines under a
lease-to-own arrangement.
The project will replace
100,000 gasoline-powered trikes
and will enable the country to
save more than $100 million a
year in fuel imports.
This project will lessen
the Philippines dependence
on foreign oil imports, and by
fabricating and assembling the
tricycles domestically, it will
create up to 10,000 jobs in the
5-year project implementation,
said Ayson earlier.
By Jenniffer B. Austria
LISTED holding company
Abacus Consolidated Resources
& Holdings Inc. said it agreed
in principle to tie up with CJI
Jiangsu Foreign Economic
Cooperation Corp. of China to
develop its land properties in the
Philippines.
CJ Jiangsu is the third-largest
state corporation in China with
headquarters in Nanjing. It has
businesses in 80 countries and
has 130 projects worldwide.
Abacus in a disclosure to the
stock exchange said the signing
of documents between the two
parties would be formalized and
disclosed once nalized.
The board of directors of
Abacus earlier authorized the
company to enter into a joint
venture agreement for the
development of its real estate
properties, including holdings
in Batangas and Aurora
provinces.
Abacus, meanwhile, said the
development and production
from a coal mining property in
Tago and Marihatag, Surigao
del Sur would commence within
the rst quarter of 2013.
All the permits and
clearances have been obtained,
Abacus said.
Abacus owns an interest in
the mining property through its
25-percent holding in Lodestar
Investments Holdings Corp.
Abacus said it would increase
its authorized capital stock to P5
billion from P3 billion to cover the
planned stock dividend declaration.
It will change its corporate name to
Abacore Consolidated Resources
& Holdings Inc.
THE European Chamber of
Commerce of the Philippines
said a free trade agreement
between the Philippines and
European Union can be sealed
within the next three years.
ECCP executive vice
president Henry Schumacher
said in a statement it was high
time for the two parties to
proceed to the negotiating table
and start the scoping stage for
the agreement. European
businessmen have committed
to support the two parties and
conclude negotiations on the
trade agreement.
Schumacher said the ECCP
could assist in the process and
that a three-year timetable for
signing the FTA was realistic.
The ECCP can blend
with the two sides and aid
in having both the EU and
the Philippines negotiate,
agree on parameters, address
issues, and eventually come
to terms, Schumacher said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary
Albert del Rosario earlier
said the Philippines was
committed to moving the
FTA negotiations forward,
make the necessary structural
changes and recruit the people
that would implement them.
He said the Philippines would
benet from the free trade deal
on numerous fronts, especially
on increased exchange of
investments, goods and services
and visitors.
Del Rosario cited the
benets of the Philippines-
Japan Economic Partnership
Agreement.
The agreement with Japan
has resulted in them becoming
the number one foreign investor,
number two in tourist arrivals
and number one in ofcial
development assistance. If the
FTA with EU is signed, more
European investors will come
and do business here, Del
Rosario said. Julito G. Rada
Labor agenda. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz shook hands with International Labor Organization Director-
General Guy Ryder as she gives him a personal welcome gift at the close of their recent meeting in Makati City recently. Baldoz
and Ryder discussed labor and employment matters, especially the ILOs global decent work agenda. Ryder, the 10th ILO director
general, was on a two-day ofcial visit to the Philippines, his rst as ILO chief.
By Othel V. Campos
THE Protected Areas and
Wildlife Bureau asked local
government units to participate
in the Biodiversity Partnerships
Project in drawing up policies
that will protect endangered or
critical species in their areas.
Before the program expires
by 2016, local government
units should be able to create
ordinances that will protect
the agriculture landscapes and
tourism spots in the country,
PAWB director Theresa Mundita
Lim said in an interview.
The six-year program is funded
by a $4.5-million grant from the
Global Environmental Facility
with supplementary funding of
$300,000 from the United Nations
Development Programme as well
as local government counterpart
of $12.8 million.
Lim said her agency would
only guide the LGUs in creating
a biodiversity prole in every
city or municipal development
agenda by creating a model for
the land-use plan.
We will continue to remind them
of our international commitments to
the Millennium Development Goal
and other international protocols.
That way they will include these
agenda in their development
blueprint, she said.
The multi-sectoral partnership
involving government agencies
and local government units aims to
demonstrate how LGUs can plan
and manage economic activities and
growth in ways that meet landscape-
level biodiversity conservation and
sustainable developments.
The partnership was created to
enable local government units to
build their knowledge and capacity
in biodiversity impact assessment.
This would include the
integration of biodiversity
conservation in the local land
use and development planning,
including strengthening the
enforcement of wildlife trade
regulations, to prevent poaching
and trading of endangered or
critical species.
The program also seeks
to strengthen partnerships
between the Housing and Land
Use Regulatory Board; the
Agriculture, Local Government
and Trade Departments; non-
government organizations; as
well as the Leagues of Provinces,
Cities and Municipalities.
By Anna Leah Estrada
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino
III approved a P1.28-billion
budget to establish a database
for farmers and shermen, who
will be the target beneciaries
of the governments agriculture
programs.
The budget will fund the
Registry System for Basic Sectors
in Agriculture or RSBSA, an inter-
agency project of the National
Statistics Ofce, National Anti-
Poverty Commission and the
Budget, Agriculture, Agrarian
Reform, Local Government
Departments.
The RSBSA is envisioned
to be a nationwide database of
baseline information of farmers,
farm laborers and sher folk
from identied provinces,
as well as geographical
coordinates of agricultural and
shery workers households.
The data will be used as basis
for developing programs and
policies for the agriculture and
shery sectors.
Budget Secretary Florencio
Abad said the project would
address the urgent need for a
comprehensive and systematic
information system that would
help the government identify
and locate farmers, farm
laborers, and shermen.
For the rst time in our
history, the rural poor including
small owner-cultivators, land
holders, tenants and regular and
seasonal farm workers will have
their names and addresses duly
registered in a comprehensive
database, Abad said.
PH approves P1.28b
for farmers database
Hot money decreases
FOREIGN portfolio investments or hot money
yielded a net inow of $15 million in the rst
week of December, down from $37 million
registered in the same period last year.
The latest amount brought total hot money
inows to $3.7 billion as of Dec. 7, down from
$3.9 billion a year ago, data from the Bangko
Sentral showed.
Foreign portfolio investments refer to overseas
funds that are parked in local stocks, government
securities and money market instruments.
These foreign funds are a part of the countrys
balance of payments capital and nancial
account, which recorded a net inow of $395
million in the rst three quarters.
Amid global uncertainties arising from
the euro area crisis, residents investments
abroad increased as some investors continued
their search for safe-haven assets while non-
residents investments in the country fell, the
Bangko Sentral said.
Major sources of inows were net subscription
by non-residents to the bonds otation of the
national government, bank, and local private
corporations, non-residents net placements in
equity securities issued by domestic corporations
and banks, and issuance of peso-denominated
government securities. Anna Leah Estrada
Gardenia sees higher sales
GARDENIA Bakeries Philippines Inc., a
leading bread manufacturer, expects a 20-
percent sales growth next year, on the back of
strong consumer demand.
Gardenia Bakeries president and general
manager Simplicio Umali Jr said in a phone
interview half of the growth projection would
be led by rising demand for existing products
while the other would be from new products that
would be launched next year.
These new products are still in the process of
development. We will schedule their launching
sometime next year, Umali said.
He said Gardenia would launch new variants
of Wheat Raisin Bread. The Wheat Raisin Bread
is doing very well in the market, he said.
Umali said despite the rosy outlook, the
company would put on hold the previous
expansion plan owing to logistical problems. We
are carefully planning it [expansion], he said.
We are also tying up with shipping
companies to ensure the ow of our distribution,
particularly in Visayas and Mindanao. The cost
of shipping, particularly in RORO [roll-on, roll-
off] is expensive. Its difcult to ship out of
Cebu, Umali said.
Gardenia serves some parts of Visayas and
Mindanao from its manufacturing plant in Lapu-
Lapu City which started operations in January
2011. Its manufacturing plant in Luzon is based
in Laguna. Julito G. Rada
Business
ManilaStandardToday
business@mst.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com
DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
B2
PH ready to exit junk bond status
US redesigning major airports
to turn them into terminal bliss
2012s biggest tech stories
CHIN WONG
DIGITAL LIFE
2012 was an eventful year in technology. The
world continued its inexorable march toward
a mobile and multi-screen environment, with
Apple battling ercely with Google, and its
hardware partner, Samsung, taking the ght
to the courts as Android overtook iOS as the
leading operating system for smart phones.
Elsewhere, some nations plotted to impose
state control over the Internet, while at home,
our leaders passed a draconian law that would
send bloggers to years in jail for online libel.
Everybodys got a list, so here, in classic
David Letterman style, are my Top 10 Tech
Stories for 2012:
10. Facebook ubs its IPO. Despite reaching
1 billion users, the worlds biggest social
network Facebook dropped the ball on its widely
anticipated initial public offering, disappointing
investors and company executives alike. Amid
a computer glitches that marred trading in
the rst hours of the IPO; accusations that its
underwriter, Morgan Stanley, had overpriced
the shares; and allegations of insider trading,
Facebook traded throughout the rest of the
year below its IPO price of $38. In addition,
Facebook, Morgan Stanley and Nasdaq have
been sued by angry investors.
9. Netizens stop SOPA. An effective Web-
based campaign fought off two Internet-
regulation bills in the United States, the Stop
Online Privacy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP
Act (PIPA). Wikipedia, Reddit and many others
shut down for a day or put up banners explaining
why they werent operating and urging visitors
to sign petitions against SOPA. Google, Yahoo!,
eBay, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, AOL, and
Mozilla also spoke out against the bills. Under
pressure, the US House shelved plans to draft
the bill.
8. ITU treaty rejected. A bid by some
authoritarian states to impose government
controls over the Internet through an international
treaty failed with the United States and 54
other countries refusing to sign the document
at the International Telecommunications Union
summit in Dubai. Gratifyingly, the Philippines
also chose not to sign the agreement.
7. Microsoft bets big on Windows 8.
2012 was a milestone year for software giant
Microsoft, which had missed the boat in
previous years in two increasingly important
marketssmart phones and tablets. Its answer
was Windows 8, a new operating system
designed for touch-enabled screens. The OS is
a huge departure from its previous Windows
desktops and is likely to meet resistance among
its established customers.
6. Tablets become ubiquitous. You can see
them everywherein malls, in coffee shops
and in airports. Touch-screen tablets, led by
Apples iPad and a horde of Android devices
from multiple manufacturers are fast becoming
ubiquitous. Market researcher IDC expects the
number of tablets sold worldwide this year
to reach 122.3 million, and in 2013 to 165.9
million. At the same time, IDC predicted PC
sales to crawl up by only about 1 percent to 367
million units this year. Even at this rate, one out
of four computing devices (not including smart
phones) will be tablets this year.
5. Software companies turn to hardware.
Google entered the hardware business this
year with its Nexus 7 tablet while Microsoft
introduced its own Surface tablet to show off
its Windows 8 and Windows RT operating
systems. It is unclear, however, how well
Microsofts bid will fare in a market thus far
dominated by Apples iPad and inexpensive
Android competitors.
4. Apple lands $1 billion blow vs. Samsung.
The two giants in both the smart phone and
tablet markets, Apple and Samsung, continue
to duke it out in court. In August, a California
court gave Apple a $1 billion victory after
a jury found that some Samsung products
infringed on Apples patents. The court has
turned down Apples bid to ban the sale of
Samsung phones in the United States, however.
Samsung is appealing the California ruling,
and the companies are tied up in similar suits
around the world.
3. Social media grow up. Social media
networks continue to grow, accounting for
20 percent of peoples total time online on
computers, and 30 percent online on mobile
devices, the latest Social Media Report from
Nielsen and NM Incite says. The proliferation
of mobile devices and connectivity help fuel
this growth.
2. Android rules. Despite Apples court
victory, Google Android rules the smart phone
market. IDC reported that Android accounted
for 75 percent of the smart phones shipped
worldwide in the third quarter. Apple was a far
second, with 14.9 percent. Androids growth
was 91.5 percent year on year, double the
overall market growth of 46.4 percent. Googles
OS isnt just taking market share from Apple,
but also Research In Motion, whose Blackberry
platform continues to lose money and users.
The future also looks uncertain for Nokia,
once the worlds leading phone manufacturer,
has dropped out of the top ve companies (1.
Samsung, 2. Apple, 3. RIM, 4. ZTE, and 5.
HTC). Its decision to dump its own operating
systems and bet the company on the untested
Windows 8 is still a big question mark.
1. Internet censorship rears its ugly head at
home. Despite victories against SOPA and the
ITU treaty, Internet censorship is on the rise, a
new report says. The Philippines drew its share
of criticism with the passage of the Cybercrime
Prevention Act, which imposes stiff jail terms
on bloggers for online libel and enables the
government to shut down Web sites without a
court order. Hackers associated with the Internet
collectively known as Anonymous hacked and
defaced multiple Web sites and social media
accounts belonging to Philippine government
agencies in protest. The law has been suspended,
pending the resolution of 15 challenges to its
legitimacy before the Supreme Court.
Column archives and blog at:
http://www.chinwong.com
By Karl Lester M. Yap
THE Philippines is on the verge of its rst
investment-grade credit rating as President
Benigno Aquino bolsters tax collection
and oversees a resurgence in growth de-
cades after the nation fell behind regional
neighbors.
Standard & Poors last week
raised its sovereign rating outlook
for the Philippines to positive,
prompting Finance Secretary
Cesar Purisima to say the nation
is only half a step away from
exiting junk status. The economy,
more than twice the size of
Malaysia and 10 times bigger
than Singapores in 1960, is now
catching up with neighbors after
languishing for decades.
An upgrade would bring
the Philippines on par with
India and former colonial ruler
Spain, energizing Aquinos
drive to transform the nation
from a regional laggard into
Southeast Asias fastest-growing
economy. As the president lured
investments and pursued tax
evaders to narrow the budget gap,
Philippine debt and the currency
outperformed those of Malaysia,
Thailand and Indonesia this
year, where governments have
struggled to curb decits because
of a legacy of subsidies.
After years of lagging behind,
the Philippines is nally catching
up under Aquino, said Chua Hak
Bin, the Singapore-based head of
emerging Asia economics at Bank
of America Corp. Government
nances have been improving,
debt ratios are declining, and
we expect an investment-grade
status sometime next year. The
Philippines has really sparkled
this year.
The $225-billion economy
expanded 7.1 percent last quarter
from a year earlier, the fastest
pace in Southeast Asia, and the
government forecasts growth of
as much as 7 percent next year.
Best performer
Philippine dollar debt has
returned 15.4 percent this year,
beating Indonesia, Thailand and
Malaysia, according to indexes
of Asian dollar-denominated
government bonds compiled by
HSBC Holdings Plc. The peso
has gained more than 6 percent
this year, the best performer after
the South Korean won among
Asias 11 most-widely traded
currencies tracked by Bloomberg.
The Philippine Stock Exchange
Index surged to a record two
weeks ago.
The country is also ranked
the highest junk level at
Moodys Investors Service and
Fitch Ratings.
We may raise the ratings
next year on an improved
government revenue structure,
a continued diminished reliance
on foreign currency government
debt nancing, or a lower
government debt burden, S&P
said in a statement. The current
administration possesses a level
of legitimacy, support, and
stability that reduces political
uncertainty and allows for
improved legislative efciency.
Sin tax
Aquino, 52, signed into
law a so-called sin-tax bill of
higher cigarette and liquor taxes
Thursday, after overcoming
opposition from tobacco and
alcohol companies. The move,
estimated by the government
to raise P184.3 billion ($4.5
billion) in the next four years,
is credit positive as it would
improve several scal ratios
that measure the affordability
and sustainability of debt,
said Christian de Guzman, a
Singapore-based assistant vice
president at Moodys.
Fitch was the rst to raise the
countrys rating to one step below
investment grade in June 2011,
with S&P following in July this
year. Moodys took the action in
October, its second upgrade in 16
months, citing improved economic
performance and continued scal
revenue buoyancy. Fitch and
Moodys have a stable outlook on
their Philippine ratings.
If revenue-enhancing
measures such as the sin tax
measure afford the authorities
the scal space to improve the
quantity and quality of public
investment spending, and leads
to a higher sustainable GDP
growth trajectory, it would be
positive for the ratings, said
Philip McNicholas, Fitchs Hong
Kong-based director of Asia
Pacic Sovereigns.
Regional ratings
S&P last raised its ratings
on Thailand in 2006, and on
Malaysia in 2003. Both nations
are investment grade. S&P lifted
Indonesias rating to one step
below investment grade in April
last year. Meanwhile, Moodys cut
Vietnams rating in September.
The Philippines had a budget
decit of P115.74 billion in
the January-to-October period,
compared with a government
target of P279 billion this year,
or 2.6 percent of gross domestic
product. Aquino targets narrowing
the shortfall to 2.3 percent of
GDP from 2013 onwards.
If policies remain supportive,
well be seeing a decade or more
of very high growth rates,
said Aninda Mitra, Singapore-
based head of Southeast Asian
economics at Australia & New
Zealand Banking Group Ltd.
Its got a young population,
weve seen improvements
in governance and we are
seeing signs of a pickup in
investment.
In contrast, countries like
Thailand and Malaysia are
facing middle income traps as
they havent been able to shift
production into more value-added
industries, he said, referring to a
failure to increase productivity to
a level that would boost wages
and allow more high-technology
investment. Bloomberg
By Jason Keyser
CHICAGOGetting stranded at
a US airport once meant enduring
hours of boredom in a kind of
travel purgatory with nothing
to eat but fastfood. These days,
it can seem more like passing
through the gates of Shangri-la
to nd spas, yoga studios, luxury
shopping and restaurant menus
crafted by celebrity chefs in
terminals with a calming, sleek
design.
Stung by airline bankruptcies
and mergers, more US airports are
hunting for alternative revenue
streams by hiring top design rms
to transform once chaotic and
dreary way stations into places
of Zen-like tranquility and luxury
where people actually want to get
stuckand spend money. As the
holiday travel season is in full
gear, airports are putting what one
designer calls terminal bliss on
display in hopes of drawing in
higher passenger numbers and
revenue.
Its classy, its very classy. ...It
makes you feel good about the
layover, said Marty Rapp, 70, who
was getting rosy cheeked last week
with the help of a large glass of
merlot under ice-crystal chandeliers
at Chicago-OHares Ice Bar, whose
white and softly reective decor
gives the feeling of being secluded
in an igloowhere everyone is
drinking and merry.
Airport redesign has been
accelerating in the US over the past
10 years, fueled by a combination
of things like an airline industry
beset by bankruptcies and
consolidation that is less able to
shoulder as much of the operating
costs for city-owned airports
through landing fees and gate
rentals. More revenue from better
retail and dining helps make up
the shortfall.
At the same time, travelers
are becoming savvier and want
more than just to get from A to
B. The airport has become almost
a destination in its own right, a
place worthy of stopping off for
a while for a little shopping or
pampering.
Theres the ability to go
swimming at some airports,
theres the ability to actually
perfect your golf swing at some
airports, there is the ability
toits not just getting a quick
massage on your shouldersits
almost really going to a spa in
some cases, said Bill Hooper,
an architect at global design rm
Gensler, which has transformed
airport terminals, including
San Franciscos Terminal 2,
whose abundant natural light,
art installations and cool club
feel set a new benchmark for
contemporary airport design.
The United States and Canada
still lag behind Europe and Asia
when it comes to the number of
airports that are architectural
gems and the array of unique
offerings. Stockholms Arlanda
Airport has a wedding package
where couples can tie the knot in
the control tower balcony. And
Seouls Incheon International
Airport is building a six-level
terminal that will include a
soaring glass-paneled ceiling
giving passengers the feeling they
are passing through a terrarium-
like wonderland, complete with
babbling brook, tropical plants
and butteries.
But American airports are
catching up. Space-age-looking
redevelopment at Denver
International Airport slated to be
nished by 2015 includes a Westin
hotel and conference center with
a rooftop pool and views of the
Rockies. With an outdoor plaza
for events and a fast new rail line,
the airport hopes to be seen as an
extension of downtown, about 23
miles (37 kilometers) away.
Dallas-Fort Worth International
Airport opened a nearly mile
(1.6-kilometer)-long walking
path over mosaic oor art inside
Terminal D in April. There are
two optional cardio step courses
leading up 55-foot (17-meter)
high staircases, and the path ends
up at a free yoga studio, where
barefoot travelers with a view of
taxiing aircraft can stretch behind
light-diffusing screens.
In a sense, airports have taken
some of the members-only airline
club lounge experience and
opened it up for all. AP
A diner at Wolfgang Puck Cafe, in this photo taken Dec. 18, 2012 at OHare International Airport in Chicago,
sits in a sidewalk cafe setting in Terminal 3. Getting stranded at an airport once meant camping on the
oor and enduring hours of boredom in a kind of travel purgatory with nothing to eat but fastfood. Tough
economic times are helping drive airports to make amends and transform terminals with a bit of bliss:
spas, yoga studios, luxury shopping and restaurant menus crafted by celebrity chefs. AP
Aquino Purisima
File photo shows the Makati nancial district. The Philippines is catching up with its Asian neighbors after
languishing for decades.
Business
ManilaStandardToday extrastory2000@gmail.com business@mst.ph DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
B3
Asian stocks flat over fiscal cliff
Holiday spending
muted on weekend
Xstrata to invest $5.6b in copper-gold project in Papua New Guinea
Oil prices fall below $89 a barrel
ATLANTALa s t - mi nut e
shoppers crowded into malls and
stores to scoop up discounted
clothing and toys during the last
weekend before Christmas, but
many didnt seem to be in the
spending spirit.
This holiday season, Americans
have a lot on their minds on top of
the now familiar job worries.
Consumers in the Northeast
and Mid-Atlantic, which account
for 24 percent of retail sales
nationwide, were tripped up by
Superstorm Sandy. The storm
hit in late October and disrupted
businesses and households for
several weeks.
Shoppers are also increasingly
worried about the fast approaching
scal cliff deadlinethe
possibility that a stalemate
between Congress and the White
House over the US budget could
trigger a series of tax increases
and spending cuts starting Jan. 1.
Condence among US consumers
dropped to its lowest point in
December since July because
of growing concerns about the
economy, according to a monthly
index released Friday.
And the recent Newtown,
Conn., school shooting also
dampened shoppers spirits,
analysts said.
This conuence of factors has
led to a muted approach to holiday
shoppingbad news for retailers,
which can make up to 40 percent
of annual sales during November
and December and were counting
on the last weekend before
Christmas to make up for lost
dollars earlier in the season. The
Saturday before Christmas was
expected to be the second biggest
sales day behind the Friday after
Thanksgiving.
Its so hard to put yourself
in the mood, said Linda
Fitzgerald, a 51-year-old nurse
from Yonkers who was with her
17-month-old granddaughter
at The Garden State Plaza in
Paramus, N.J., on Saturday. She
was out Christmas shopping for
the rst time this year.
She planned to spend $1,500
on gifts such as clothes for her
boyfriend, down dramatically from
$4,000 last year. She had expected
to start shopping last weekend, but
simply didnt feel like it, facing
a sisters cancer diagnosis and
worry about the economy and the
Connecticut shooting.
Similarly, Deborah OConner,
51, from Westwood, N.J., also at
Garden State Plaza on Saturday,
had intentions of nishing her
holiday shopping early, but
Superstorm Sandy put a wrench
in her plans. She spent all last
month helping out her parents
and her cousin, whose Long
Island, N.Y., homes suffered
damage. AP
BANGKOKAsian stock
markets were mostly at in
thin trading Monday, as hopes
faded for a budget deal by the
end of the year that would pre-
vent the US from reaching the
scal cliff.
Markets have been on edge as President Barack
Obama and Republican leaders squabble over how
to reduce the US governments budget decit.
Neither house of Congress is expected to meet
again until after Christmas.
Its not clear how the two sides might reach a
deal before Jan. 1, when automatic government
spending cuts and tax increases are set to kick in if
no deal is in place. Those changes, worth hundreds
of billions of dollars, threaten to throw the worlds
No. 1 economy back into recession.
Hong Kongs Hang Seng, which opened lower,
swung into positive territory to post a 0.1 percent
gain and close at 22,531.51 after a half-day of trading.
South Koreas Kospi rose less than 0.1 percent to
1,981.82. Australias S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3 percent
to 4,635.20, largely on the back of gains in resource
shares. Benchmarks in Taiwan and Thailand fell.
Japanese markets were closed for a public holiday.
Aside from Hong Kong, other stock markets that
will close early Monday for Christmas Eve, include
those in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
Among individual stocks, Cathay Pacic Airways
rose 1.4 percent, days after ight attendants at the
Hong Kong-based carrier settled a labor dispute.
Australian mining contractor Macmahon Holdings
plunged 4.3 percent.
Rising gold prices on Friday helped shares linked
to the precious metal. Hong Kong-based Zijin
Mining Group, Chinas largest gold miner, rose 2.4
percent. Australian gold miner Newcrest Mining
gained 1 percent.
Wall Street stocks plunged Friday. The Dow
Jones industrial average lost 0.9 percent to close
at 13,190.84. The Standard & Poors 500 index fell
0.9 percent to 1,430.15, and the Nasdaq composite
fell 1 percent to 3,021.01.
Benchmark crude for February delivery fell 13
cents to $88.53 per barrel in electronic trading on
the New York Mercantile Exchange.
On Friday, investors took money out of oil and
other energy commodities, a sign that they expect the
economy to slow. The contract for February delivery
fell $1.47 to nish at $88.66 per barrel in New York,
the contracts lowest point in three weeks.
In currencies, the euro rose slightly to $1.3182
from $1.3176 late Friday in New York. The dollar
rose to 84.33 yen from 84.23 yen.
The odds are that US lawmakers wont be able
to reach a budget agreement after Republican
House Speaker John Boehner failed to get his
caucus support for Plan B, which would have
extended tax cuts on incomes below $1 million,
Senator Joseph Lieberman, a retiring Connecticut
independent, told CNN.
Futures on the S&P 500 Index dropped 0.6
percent. The gauge fell 0.9 percent on Dec. 21, the
most in more than a month, after House Republicans
scrapped the vote on higher taxes for top earners
and sent budget talks deeper into turmoil.
Korea Gas slid 4.9 percent to 69,800 won today.
The company postponed the sale of 5.4 trillion
won ($5 billion) worth of asset-back securities,
according to spokesman Park Gi Hung, saying the
rm will proceed with the sale next year.
Innolux Corp. and AU Optronics Corp., Taiwans
biggest makers of liquid-crystal displays, slumped
in Taipei trading after the Economic Daily reported
Chinese television makers will reduce orders.
Innolux lost 6.9 percent to NT$15.55 and AU
Optronics slid 6.7 percent to NT$12.50. Both
companies may not return to prot in the rst
quarter, the Economic Daily reported. Innolux
spokesman Lin Chen-hui couldnt be reached for
comment, while Hsiao Yawen, spokeswoman for
AU Optronics, declined to comment.
Billabong International Ltd. slid 0.6 percent to
83 Australian cents as the Australian surf-wear
company agreed to give a buyout group including
Sycamore Partners LLC access to its nancial data
after reviewing their A$527 million ($548 million)
offer. AP, Bloomberg
BANGKOKOil prices fell
Monday, just eight days before
the US arrives at the scal
cliff deadline without a budget
agreement in place.
If no deal is reached by
Jan. 1, steep tax increases and
government spending cuts
will automatically take effect
that will jar the U.S. economy
and potentially throw it into
recession, economists have
warned.
Benchmark oil for February
delivery fell 14 cents to $88.52
per barrel at midday Bangkok
time in electronic trading on the
New York Mercantile Exchange.
The contract fell $1.47 Friday
to nish at $88.66 per barrel in
New York, the contracts lowest
point in three weeks. It dropped
to $87.96 per barrel at one point
Friday.
Oil prices tend to drop when
a major world economy is
threatened by a downturn, which
more often than not leads to
reduced demand for energy.
It was little more than a week
ago when news emerged that
President Barack Obama and
House Speaker John Boehner
had signicantly narrowed
their differences and appeared
within striking distance of an
agreement. Since then, however,
negotiations have stalled with
Obama and Congress on a short
holiday break.
Brent crude, used to price
international varieties of oil, fell
6 cents to $108.91 per barrel in
London.
In other energy futures trading
on the New York Mercantile
Exchange, natural gas lost 2
cents to $3.43 per 1,000 cubic
feet. Heating oil rose marginally
to $3.0124 a gallon. Wholesale
gasoline fell 2 cents to nish at
$2.7355 a gallon.
Investors are just nervous
about exposure to anything at
the present time and hence are
selling things like oil, said
Gavin Wendt, a senior resource
analyst and founder of Mine
Life Pty in Sydney. Oil is
an industrial commodity and
potentially once the situation
with the scal cliff is resolved,
we may see an increase.
Everybody is watching the
scal crisis in the U.S., Robin
Mills, the head of consulting
at Dubai-based Manaar
Energy Consulting and Project
Management, said in a telephone
interview yesterday. There
seems to have been a breakdown
of progress at the end of last week
and the oil markets reected this
negatively.
Hedge funds boosted bullish
bets on WTI oil by the most
in more than four months
before the budget talks stalled.
Money managers raised net-
long positions by 19 percent in
the seven days ended Dec. 18,
according to the Commodity
Futures Trading Commissions
Dec. 21 Commitments of Traders
report. It was the largest gain
since the week ended Aug. 7.
Oil in New York has technical
resistance along its upper
Bollinger Band, around $90 a
barrel today, according to data
compiled by Bloomberg. Futures
fell on Dec. 21 after settling above
the indicator the previous day,
signaling prices are overbought.
Sell orders tend to be clustered
near chart- resistance levels.
International demand for crude
matches supply and the global
market is stable, Saudi Arabian
Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told
reporters in Cairo on Dec. 21.
Members of the Organization of
the Petroleum Exporting Countries
estimate that prices will stabilize
above $100 a barrel in 2013 and
OPEC will hold an emergency
meeting if they fall below that
level, Irans oil ministry said on
its website yesterday, citing Oil
Minister Rostam Qasemi.
AP, Bloomberg
Fishing trawlers return to the marina they share with the naval base harbor in Suao, Taiwan in this photo
taken on Dec. 5. This base and Taiwan in general are critical elements in what military strategists call the
rst island chain, a string of territoryknown in China as the Diaoyutai and in Japan as Senkaku. While
most explanations for the territorial rows focus on nationalistic pride and access to rich shing grounds
or potentially large reserves of oil and gas, the rst island chain once gured prominently in strategic
calculationsand some say still has strategic relevance today. AP
Xstrata Plc, the worlds fourth-
largest copper producer, estimated
it will cost $5.6 billion to develop
the Frieda River copper and gold
project in Papua New Guinea,
according to its partner.
The largest undeveloped open-
pit copper and gold project in the
country has a mine life of 20 years
and is capable of producing an
annual average of 304,000 metric
tons a year of copper and 451,000
ounces of gold in its rst ve
years, Port Moresby, Papua New
Guinea-based Highlands Pacic
Ltd. said today in a statement.
Xstrata, which owns 81.8
percent of Frieda and manages
the project, said in June it plans
to sell part or all of it, following
rivals including BHP Billiton Ltd.
and Rio Tinto Plc in rationing
capital spending after a slump
in commodity prices. Talks with
groups including the Papua New
Guinea government, which has
expressed interest in taking as
much as a 30 percent stake, will
be held in 2013, said Highlands.
The project will produce
substantial cashows at the
forecast metal prices for almost
20 years, Highlands Managing
Director John Gooding said in
the statement. Subject to such
discussions and future applications
and approvals in 2013/2014, we
believe Friedas development
could commence mid-decade with
rst production later this decade.
Frieda may generate $1.1
billion a year in free cash ow in
its rst ve years, according to the
feasibility study. The estimated life
of mine cash ow is about $556
million a year, Highlands said.
Xstrata also identied
additional capital savings in
relation to waste disposal in
its extended 2012 study of the
project that could reduce the
initial spending to about $5
billion, said Highlands.
Highlands shares were
unchanged at 14 Australian cents
at the close in Sydney, while
the benchmark index gained 0.3
percent. Xstrata shares rose 0.8
percent to 1,051 pence in London
on Dec. 21. Bloomberg
Customers shop for Rudsak shoes at Macys shoe department in New York. Shoes are coming out of the closet and landing under the Christmas
tree. Theyre a top seller this holiday season, a big feat considering they dont usually make peoples gift lists. AP
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
B4
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Manila Standard TODAY
WORLD
Traditions
in Chad
kill kids
Qatar eyes increase in non-energy growth
Argentina applying the brakes on bicycle sales
Disputed islands test military doctrine
Sanctions
overcome
Iran
Fraud alleged in Egypts refrendum
IN BRIEF
Ho ho holy discount:
Tax-free outlet busy
QATAR, the worlds biggest liq-
ueed natural gas exporter, has
raised its forecasts for economic
growth this year and in 2013 as
non-energy industries expand.
The nations real gross domestic
product will increase 6.3 percent
in 2012, compared with a previ-
ous forecast of 6.2 percent, while
economic growth in 2013 may rise
to 4.8 percent compared with an
estimate of 4.5 percent in June, the
General Secretariat for Develop-
ment Planning said in a statement
today.
Half of Qatars economy will
be based on petroleum produc-
tion next year, the government
said. The countrys economic
growth was the fastest in the
world in 2011 and 2010, ac-
cording to the International
Monetary Fund. The expansion
was driven by the completion
of 14 gas liquefaction plants,
raising exports of the fuel. No
further plants are planned amid
a moratorium on development
of the North Field, the worlds
largest gas reservoir.
Construction will pick up as in-
frastructure projects begin to take
effect after delays and we are also
expecting growth in high value-
added services such as nancial
services, transportation and com-
munication, Frank Harrigan,
director of the department of eco-
nomic development at the plan-
ning body, told reporters today.
All of the growth will come from
non-oil and gas until about 2015,
when a natural gas project called
Barzan begins operation, he said.
Qatars economic expansion
is based on robust growth in
the non-oil and gas industries,
the government body said. The
government forecasts 9.3 percent
expansion in those industries this
year, and 9.6 percent in 2013.
The government revised its 2012
nominal GDP, which reects the
cost of oil, to 14.7 percent from
11.2 percent amid higher-than-
forecast crude prices. The coun-
trys 2012 scal surplus is esti-
mated at 7.9 percent of GDP, and
5.3 percent pof GDP in 2013, the
planners said. Bloomberg
MOUSSOROOn the day of
their sons surgery, the fam-
ily woke before dawn. They
saddled their horses and set out
across the 12-mile-long carpet
of sand to the nearest town,
where they hoped the reputed
doctor would cure their frail, fe-
verish baby.
The neighboring town, almost as
poor and isolated as their own, hosts
a foreign-run emergency clinic for
malnourished children. But thats
not where the family headed.
The doctor they chose treats
patients behind a mud wall. His
operating room is the sand lot that
serves as his front yard. His oper-
ating table is a plastic mat lying on
the dirt. His surgical tools include
a screwdriver. And his remedy
for malnourished children is the
removal, without antiseptic or an-
esthesia, of their teeth and uvula.
That day, three other children
were brought to the same tradi-
tional doctor, their parents pay-
ing up to $6 for a visit, or more
than a weeks earnings. Not
even a mile away, the UNICEF-
funded clinic by contrast admit-
ted just one child for its free
service, delivered by trained
medical professionals.
The 4:1 ratio that you see in this
sandy courtyard on just one day in
just one town is a microcosm of
what is happening all over Chad,
and it helps to explain why, de-
spite an enormous, international
intervention, malnutrition contin-
ues to soar to scandalous levels
throughout the Sahel.
The world poured more than $1
billion into the band of countries
just south of Africas vast Sahara
Desert to address hunger this year
alone, according to a United Na-
tions database. A third of that mon-
ey went to Chad, where 15 percent
of children are acutely malnour-
ished, says a report by aid group
Save the Children. Thats among
the highest rates in Africa. AP
Or how about some new lug-
gage? The Vatican shop stocks
Samsonite Cordoba Duo carry-ons
for 123, a nice markdown from the
135 on the Samsonite website. But
if a last-minute splurge is in order,
the Vatican can also oblige: Take
this leather-bound travelling trunk
from Florences The Bridge
leatherworks, with its ve drawers,
plaid interior, six wooden hangars
and shiny brass buckles.
At 5,900, it comes with a
matching leather golf club bag,
just what every monsignor needs.
Theres a little-known open
secret in the Vatican gardens,
a few paces behind St. Peters
Basilica and tucked inside the
Vaticans old train station: a
three-story tax-free department
store that rivals any airport duty
free or military PX, stocking ev-
erything from Churchs custom
grade shoes (483 a pair) to Bau-
me et Mercier watches (ladies
1,585, mens Capeland 5,000).
But its not open to the public,
only to Vatican citizens, employees
and their dependents, diplomats ac-
credited to the Holy See and (unof-
cially) their lucky friends.
To be sure, Rome is no stranger
to tax-free retail. Embassies, near-
by military bases and the UN food
agencies have commissaries for
their employees, where imports
of everything from American ice
cream to French wine can be had
minus the 21 percent sales tax in-
cluded in list prices in Italy.
The Vatican has that and more,
given that its its own sovereign
state the worlds smallest oper-
ating in central Rome. At 44,030
square kilometers, the Vatican city
state is the physical home of the
Holy See: the pope and governing
structure and administration of the
Catholic Church. AP
SUAO, Taiwan Perched on a
narrow promontory jutting off
Taiwans heavily industrialized
northeastern coast, the Suao naval
base is only 220 kilometers from a
rocky group of islets at the center
of a bitter territorial dispute be-
tween Japan and China.
Along with Taiwan, the islets
called the Diaoyutai in China
and Senkaku in Japan form
part of what military strategists
call the rst island chain. The
string of islands and atolls extends
along Chinas eastern periphery
from South Korea to the southern
Philippines, taking in a number of
other disputed territories nota-
bly the Paracel and Spratly islands
in the South China Sea.
While most explanations for the
territorial disputes focus on national-
istic pride and access to rich shing
grounds or potentially large reserves
of oil and gas, the rst island chain
once gured prominently in strategic
calculations and some say still has
strategic relevance today.
Military interest in the chain
dates from at least the 1920s, when
American planners concluded it
could play a key role in helping the
US defend against rising Japanese
militarism. After the communist
victory in the Chinese civil war in
1949, Washington came to regard
the chain as an important vehicle
for containing Chinese military ex-
pansion, with special emphasis on
Taiwans role in it. US Gen. Doug-
las MacArthur called the island an
unsinkable aircraft carrier, whose
position 160 kilometers off China
gave it the ability to project power
all along the mainlands eastern
coast.
MacArthurs doctrine helped fo-
cus Beijings attention on the chains
strategic value. Admiral Liu Huaqing,
head of the Chinese navy from 1982
to 1986, saw control of the waters
within its boundaries as the rst step
in a three-stage strategy to transform
the navy into a formidable platform
for projecting Chinese power. The
next stage, he wrote, involved control-
ling a second island chain linking the
Ogasawara Islands including Iwo
Jima with Guam and Indonesia,
while the third stage focused on end-
ing American dominance throughout
the Pacic and Indian oceans, largely
by deploying aircraft carriers in the
region. AP
CAIROEgypts opposition said
Sunday it will keep ghting the
Islamist-backed constitution after
the Muslim Brotherhood, the main
group backing the charter, claimed
it passed with a 64 percent yes
vote in a referendum.
The opposition alleged vote
fraud and demanded an investi-
gation a sign that the referen-
dum will not end the turmoil that
has roiled this country for nearly
two years since the uprising that
ousted authoritarian leader Hosni
Mubarak. Many Egyptians, espe-
cially the tens of millions who live
in extreme poverty, had hoped the
new constitution might usher in a
period of more stability.
A heated political debate over
the past month leading up to the
referendum at times erupted into
deadly street battles. There were
no mass opposition demonstra-
tions on Sunday after the unof-
cial results came out.
Renewed violence and politi-
cal tensions have further imper-
iled Egypts already precarious
economy, reeling from dwindling
resources and a cash-strapped
government whose plans to bor-
row from the International Mon-
etary Fund had to be pushed back
because of the turmoil.
The nance ministry said Sun-
day the budget decit reached
$13 billion in the ve months
from July-November, about 4.5
percent higher compared to the
same period last year.
Ofcial results of the referen-
dum are not expected until Mon-
day. If the unofcial numbers are
conrmed, it will be a victory
Islamist President Mohammed
Morsi, who is from the Brother-
hood. AP
TEHRAN-Irans oil minister
claimed Sunday his country has
successfully overcome sanc-
tions on the sale of its oil, state
TV reported.
The UN and West have im-
posed tough economic sanc-
tions on Iran to try to persuade
it to stop its uranium enrichment
project, including a ban by the
EU on oil imports, but Iran re-
mains deant.
Oil Minister Rostam
Ghasemi that the industry
was in bad shape about two
months ago because of the
oil embargo, but resorting to
planning in the oil industry,
we left the bottleneck behind,
almost. The EU imposed its
embargo in July.
Ghasemi said Irans oil sector
would be able to export its oil to
the farthest spots around the
world. In contrast, China, India
and Korea recently announced
that they have cut back their oil
imports from Iran to comply
with international sanctions.
Ghasemi also said that Iran
has set up its own insurance for
oil tankers after Western compa-
nies refused to cover them. AP
BUENOS AIRES Summer has
arrived in the Southern Hemisphere,
and bicyclists all over the Argentine
capital have hit the streets to enjoy
the warm weather. That means this
should be peak season for bicycle
manufacturers and shops all over
town, but the ride hasnt been so
smooth this year.
Instead, economic dysfunction has
curtailed any possible boom. Card-
board boxes full of partially assem-
bled mountain bikes, missing a ped-
al, seat or handlebars and unable to
be sold, gather dust in a corner of the
Musetta bicycle factory in suburban
Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, theyre
running out of stock at Nodari Bikes,
a neighborhood cycling store.
Civic leaders have tried to make
Buenos Aires a bicycle-friendly city,
but thats been stymied by another
government initiative protection-
ist import bans designed to spur do-
mestic production that have instead
strangled supplies of everything
from bananas to prescription drugs.
Enacted by the national govern-
ment on Feb. 1, the new laws block
or restrict the importing of some
600 goods while requiring foreign
companies to partner with local
manufacturers. Thats helped Ar-
gentinas domestic manufacturing
capacity rebound, while unemploy-
ment has dropped and the nations
balance of trade has improved. But
many products are also hard to nd,
pushing up prices and further heat-
ing up ination. AP
Mandela unt
for discharge
J O H A N N E S B U R G
Former South African leader
Nelson Mandela will probably
spend Christmas Day in a
hospital because his doctors
want to be satised his health
has improved satisfactorily
before sending him home, a
South African media outlet
reported Sunday.
Presidential spokesman
Mac Maharaj said the
physicians caring for Mandela
had given no indication of an
imminent discharge from
a hospital in Pretoria, the
capital, according to IOL, a
South African news website.
Mandela was hospitalized
on Dec. 8. He was diagnosed
with a lung infection and
also had gallstone surgery;
ofcials have said his
condition has improved and
that he was responding to
treatment. AP
Older Bush still
in hospital care
HOUSTON President
George H.W. Bush, who has
been in a Houston hospital
with a lingering cough since
November, needs to build up
his energy before he can be
released, doctors said Sunday.
Methodist Hospital spokesman
George Kovacik said in an
emailed statement that doctors
are still optimistic the 88-year-old
Bush will make a full recovery,
but are being extra cautious
with his care. Bush is in stable
condition, he said.
Bush was hospitalized Nov.
23 for treatment of a bronchitis-
related cough. Hospital ofcials
have said Bush has been
receiving physical therapy to
increase his strength.
Bush spokesman Jim
McGrath said on Thursday
that Bush could be released in
time for Christmas. AP
VATICAN CITY
Anyone left on
your gift list just
aching for a 65-inch
Samsung 3D at-
screen television?
Just your luck. The
Vaticans duty-free
department store
has one on sale for
2,899 ($3,840) a
nifty savings over
the 3,799 ($5,032) it
costs at Italys main
electronics chain
Euronics
People pedal on 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in this Nov, 28, 2012
photo. Civic leaders have tried to make the city bicycle-friendly, but thats
been stymied by protectionist import bans that leave fewer bikes available
because the business has mostly relied on foreign-made parts. AP
In this photo taken on Dec. 5,
2012, a shing vessel passes
docked warships in the naval
base harbor in Suao, Taiwan.
This base and Taiwan in
general are critical elements in
what military strategists call
the rst island chain, a string
of territory extending from
the Korean peninsula to the
Philippines that also includes
the disputed islets--known in
China as the Diaoyutai and in
Japan as Senkaku. AP
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
standardlifestyle@gmail.com
home work relationship
THOUSANDS OF
PUZZLES
From a hobby to a Guinness
World Records award, our very
own, Gina Lacuna is now the
owner of the worlds largest
collection of jigsaw puzzles.
AN EARTH-FRIENDLY
CHRISTMAS
Makati Medical Center ensures the
holiday season is felt in the most
environment-friendly way.
dotcom
Manila Standard TODAY
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
C1
TUESDAY DECEMBER 25, 2012
W
H
A
T

S
I
N
S
I
D
E
FOR basketball moms Danica Sotto-Pingris, Maya Montecillo-
Bono, Ruselle Alinea-Barroca, and Manina Jose (wives of San
Mig Coffee Mixers players Marc Pingris, Ken Bono, Mark Baroca
and assistant coach Mon Jose, respectively), planning meals for the
Christmas seasons numerous family get-togethers and the much-
awaited Noche Buena, starts early.
Wanting their Christmas feast to be every bit special, the basketball
moms themselves are hands on in preparing the menu. At the Pingris
household, the Noche Buena spread typically includes lechon, rice
cakes, lengua and kaldereta. The main cast of the Baroccas Christ-
mas dinner includes roasted chicken, quezo de bola, and pesto pasta.
The Bonos Noche Buena fare, meanwhile, includes morcon, chicken
relleno, and bibingka, while at the Joses home, its cold cuts, roast
beef, and different kinds of cheeses.
Though the families have different signature dishes, Danica,
Maya, Russel, and Manina agree that one Christmas staple will be
on all their tables come Christmas: Purefoods Fiesta Ham. Flavor-
aged and slow-cooked to achieve the right avor and tenderness, the
number one Christmas ham brand in the country is very much a part
of the Filipino Christmas tradition. With a new smoked selection
that includes Smoked Boneless, Smoke Bone-In (spiral-sliced) and
Smoked Chicken, moms can now nd even more ways serve ham.
Here are some recipes that have the basketball moms seal of ap-
proval.
Danicas Huevos a la Julieta
(developed by chef Ed Quimson)
Ingredients:
6 pcs whole eggs
1 pc Baguette
200 grams white onions, small dice
200 grams tomato, small dice
200 grams Purefoods Fiesta Ham, small dice
cup olive oil
cup white wine
1 cups chicken stock
ltr tomato sauce
3 pcs bay leaf
1 tbsp sugar
Salt & pepper to taste.
Procedure:
In a sauce pan saut the onion and tomato in olive oil.
When tomato and onions are pasty add all the liquid ingredients
and esta ham cubes and let simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste.
In a glass baking dish, pour the tomato and ham mixture. Position
sliced baguette in between ham pieces, crack the eggs on top of each
slice of bread and bake till eggs are cooked in the oven.
Ruselles PUREFOODS FIESTA HAM
with Coffee-Rum Glaze
Ingredients
1 (1 kilo) piece whole Purefoods Fiesta Ham
cup cloves
cup brown sugar
Glaze:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp mustard
1 cup Rum
2 tbsp San Mig Coffee instant coffee, dissolved in
1 cup hot water
Procedure:
Run a knife across the fatty surface of the ham to create diamond
patterns. Push clove stem into the ham to create decorative patterns.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over the ham and bake for 10 minutes or
until sugar caramelizes.
To make the Glaze: In a saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients.
Mix well. Let mixture simmer over medium heat until slightly thick-
ened. Remove from heat. Brush glaze over ham. Serve.
Makes 10-12 servings.
Maninas Ham and Cream Cheese Roulade
with Strawberry Coulis
Ingredients:
For the ham and cream cheese mixture:
1 sheet store-bought puff pastry
1-225g bar Magnolia Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Purefoods Fiesta Ham, sliced into strips
1 lit. Magnolia Nutri-oil
For the raspberry coulis:
1/3 cup strawberry jam
1/4 cup water assorted herbs and greens for garnish
Procedure:
Cut the puff pastry sheet into rectangles.
Combine the ham and cream cheese in a bowl. Mix well. Fill
each rectangle of puff pastry with ham and cream cheese mix-
ture. Roll and seal then fry on low heat until golden in color.
When done, slice into bite size pieces.
For the strawberry coulis, combine the two ingredients well.
Transfer the coulis into a Glad Sandwich Bag. Cut one cor-
ner of the bag with scissors to use as piping bag. Pipe the cou-
lis on top of each roulade, garnish with a little herbs and greens.
Serve immediately.
Mayas Bottled Ragu with PUREFOODS FIESTA HAM
Ingredients:
cup olive oil
1 pc white onions, nely chopped
2 clove garlic, nely chopped
1 pc carrot, nely chopped
375 g Purefoods Fiesta Ham, minced
125 ml dry white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
500 g fresh plum tomatoes, peeled,
seeded and chopped
tsp salt to taste
1 tsp Italian at parsley, nely chopped
freshly ground pepper to taste
Procedure:
Warm the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion,
garlic and carrot and saut until soft for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the
ham, using a wooden spoon. Continue to saut over medium-low
heat. Do not allow the ham to harden.
Pour in the wine and allow to evaporate for about 2 minutes. Dis-
solve the tomato paste in water and stir it in. Simmer for 8 minutes
until thickened. Add the tomatoes and salt. Continue to simmer until
the sauce is thick and aromatic for about 40 minutes. Stir in the pars-
ley and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
Pack into sterilized bottles while hot. Seal bottles.
To Serve: Reheat sauce and serve with cooked pasta and grated
Magnolia Queso de Bola.
Seasons eatings from the basketball moms
recipe les
Have a HEALTHY
(but DELICIOUS) CHRISTMAS
THESE days, the Noche Buena does not require one
to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen. It is not
uncommon for people to order their Christmas
feast or just eat at a restaurant with the family.
Its certainly more convenient and because
portions are not big (unlike when you cook
at home), you dont have to deal with a lot
of leftovers after Christmas.
Seafood lovers will enjoy the Pacic Tanigue
and Mango Kilawin, a raw salad of sliced raw
kingsh with ripe mangoes, mint and coriander
in lemon vinaigrette. The refreshing combination
of mint, coriander and mangoes in an Asian salsa
complements the cool avor of the raw sh.
Mussels with Malunggay and Coconut
Milk, juicy New Zealand mussels are
cooked in coconut milk with mor-
inga leaves for a soupy dish that
goes well with steamed rice, is a
healthy choice for an entree.
If you cant live without
meat, choose the Colombo
Beef Smoore. Based on a Sri
Lankan dish, this curried pot
roast of US Beef Top Blade is
cooked in spices and coconut
milk. The Crispy Han Chicken
Wings is Fely J.s take on Ko-
rean fried chicken wings.
Dishes served at the restau-
rant are based on Fely Js heirloom
recipes, which she collected from
her travels around the Philippines and
Asia. She often innovated on the recipes
of popular dishes making them her own.
Fely Js Kitchen is at the second oor,
Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City.
The LJC Group of Restaurants also has its Good
to Dine Campaign, a fundraising to benet indigent
cancer patients at the Philippine General Hospital.
From Sept. 17 to Dec. 31, 2012, a portion of sales
from orders of selected dishes from LJC restau-
rants will be set aside for the Cancer Institute of the
Philippine General Hospital.
Dishes that have been identied for the cam-
paign are: Binukadkad na Pla-Pla at Ab (Seren-
dra/TriNoma Mall/SM Mall of Asia/Alabang Town
Center); Lola Isings Adobo at Caf Adriatico
(Malate/Gateway Mall/SM Mall of Asia); Mojito
at Caf Havana (Greenbelt 3); Beef Salpicao at
Larrys Caf and Bar (Serendra); Sinuteng Baby
Pusit at Bistro Remedios (Malate); Spanish Gar-
lic Chicken at Lorenzos Way (Greenbelt 5/Boni
High Street); Dilis-cious Rice at Fely Js Kitchen
(Greenbelt 5); and Sinigang na Bangus Belly at
Abs Farm (Magalang, Pampanga).
The LJC Groups Good to Dine Campaign is be-
ing implemented following the success of past sim-
ilar efforts. In 2010, when the campaign was rst
held, the company raised P217,920 for the Cancer
Institute. In 2011, the collection totaled P200,000.
From the sale of selected dishes, P10 would be set
aside for the campaign. The campaign covers only
dine-in and takeout orders made any day of the
week during the said period.
Cruz (1941-2008) transformed the casual din-
ing experience in the country when he opened Caf
Adriatico across Remedios Circle in Malate, Ma-
nila in 1980. The restaurant started the bistro trend,
which many restaurants tried to imitate. However,
the LJC restaurants carry on his legacy of style,
taste and passion for the good life, which to him
meant living well within ones means and with the
things one loved most.
Cruz introduced the bistro lifestyle with Bistro
Remedios, Bistro Burgos and Bistro Lorenzo. Oth-
er successes included Solana, his only foray in for-
mal continental dining, the Italian restaurant Prego,
Ang Hang and its menu of Asias spiciest dishes,
the ambience of old world Cuba and its specialties
with Caf Havana, and the dishes of the Indian sub-
continent at Bollywood. His last restaurants, Ab
and Fely Js Kitchen, paid tribute to the memory of
his parents, the writer-bon vivant E. Aguilar Cruz
and Felicidad de Jesus.
To date, the LJC Restaurant Group includes Caf
Adriatico, Bistro Remedios, Caf Havana, Ab,
Larrys Caf and Bar, Fely Js Kitchen, Lorenzos
Way, Abes Farm and LJC Catering.
During his lifetime, Cruz supported a number of
charitable projects, including yearly feeding pro-
grams for indigent communities in Malate, and the
Sining, Sorbetes Atbp. Christmas project of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines. He also provid-
ed training opportunities for scholars of the Rotary
Clubs Punlaan project.
Following his death in 2008 from cancer, the
LJC Group continued with his humanitarian en-
deavors by supporting the Sagip Kapamilya
drive following the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy
in September 2009. It also launched in May 2010
the EAC Foundation scholarship program for un-
derprivileged students of Magalang town in Pam-
panga. Dinna Chan Vasquez Mussels Malunggay
Beef Smoores
Fely J.s Kitchen has new menu items taken
from the les of Fely J. Cruz, mother of The
LJC Group of Restaurants founder, the late
Larry J. Cruz.
For starters, enjoy the taste of Lumpiang
Sariwa, fresh spring rolls of julienned coconut
heart and vegetables with shrimp served with a
sweet peanut sauce. If you are seeking a truly
Filipino dish, this fresh spring roll will stimu-
late your appetite for a full meal.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
TUESDAY C2
DECEMBER 25, 2012
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
ManilaStandardToday
dotcom
standardlifestyle@gmail.com
fashion beauty health wellness
By Ed Biado
ADMIT it; youre mean. When
you see or hear about something
you dont like, you take to Twit-
ter and Facebook to speak your
mind. Theres nothing wrong
with that. After all, its a free
country and were all entitled
to freedom of expression. Still,
it doesnt mean that youre not
mean.
This year, a lot
of people experi-
enced the wrath of
Philippine social
media users as they
became the butt
of Internet jokes
and memes and the
subject of trending
topics on social net-
works. We, as Fili-
pino netizens, gave these people
their 15 minutes of fame (or in-
famy) because we couldnt stop
talking about them.
We talked about the #AMA-
LAYER girl. That video of her
berating a female security guard
spread like wildre and we called
her all sorts of names. Did she de-
serve it? Maybe. Were we out of
line? Maybe some of us were. But
whats done is done. She became
so famous for a few days that shes
been interviewed on TV. And the
media is still keeping tabs on her
occasionally until now.
From a liar to an alleged
plagiarist (and Im saying al-
leged because I dont want to
be sued for libel). Senator Tito
Sotto claimed to be a victim of
cyberbullying (I know, right?!)
after he was exposed of pla-
giarizing various sources. We
coined Sinotto to describe acts
of unlicensed copying and some
demanded that he be kicked out
of the Senate. And because of
that incident and most of his suc-
ceeding words and actions, he
became the kontrabida who
we loved to hate.
Just like that guy who was
videotaped smacking an MMDA
guy. That really angered every-
one on Facebook
and Twitter, and
immediately, he
was the most de-
tested person. The
social media out-
rage happened af-
ter it was reported
on TV, depicting
him as the big, bad
brute without rst
getting his side of the story.
We also lashed out on SM Ba-
guio. In April, people trended
#BoycottSM because the mall
was supposedly cutting down the
precious Baguio pine trees. As if
SM was the rst and only entity
to do that. For the sake of those
who are not aware, the SM group
had a permit from the Baguio
City government and did what
was required of them to mini-
mize the damage.
Then, theres Lucy Liu, who
was the subject of some posts be-
cause of a comment she made on
TV that a few insecure Filipinos
believe to be racist. It wasnt racist,
by the way, and she even issued an
apology, which was very gracious
of her. So lets leave it at that.
(Tomorrow: The year in condo
advertising)
After all, when one has a col-
lection of over a thousand puz-
zles of all shapes and kinds from
all over the world, and each one
painstakingly done and com-
pleted one by one over the past
26 years, one can only take pride
in the accomplishment.
In her case, Gina, a literally
rags to riches life story of a high
school graduate who used to
walk the streets of Carriedo, Ave-
nida Rizal, Escolta, and Cubao
peddling her products to small
stores and departments stores,
has reached a state that will be
the envy of a lot of people, even
more educated than her.
For one, her collection of jig-
saw puzzles, ofcially listed
at 1038 for the time being, are
displayed in a mini museum at
the Mansion Puzzle, a bed and
breakfast 11 room lodging place
in Barangay Asisan in Tagaytay
City (by the way, she owns the
lodging place, one of several
properties she has built for her-
self and her family) , has given
an award that she never imagined
would be bestowed on her, the
Guinness Book of Records
Two years ago, a Brazilian lady,
Luiza Figuereido had 238 jigsaw
puzzles, and was listed in the Guin-
ness Book of Records as the most
number owned and done by an in-
dividual, in her case, Gina started
on this hobby 26 years ago, nish-
ing her very rst puzzle a Mickey
Mouse Racing Team she bought
in Hong Kong on her very rst trip
abroad, this after she discovered
the joy of doing jigsaw puzzles
from friends who were into it rst.
Gina did not just surpass the
number, she more than tripled it
when she rst realized that she had
very good chances of breaking the
Brazilian's record when she rst
opened her mini museum and saw
how many puzzles she already had.
The Brazilian's mistake was in
claiming in her Facebook page
that she can never be beaten any-
more in this category, claiming
she still had 500 puzzles to go, af-
ter I knew what I had to do and
I wanted to really go beyond her
record to discourage her to try for
THE spirit of Christmas is in full
swing again at Makati Medical
Center as it brings festive holi-
day cheer to patients and visitors
via its spruced-up facilities.
Decked with red and white
decor and glittering bright lights,
the countrys leading hospital
has been transformed into a vi-
brant holiday feast for the eyes,
with stars, paper doily chande-
liers, and red paper balls hanging
from the ceiling, and white twigs
adorning walls. But the celebra-
tion is more special this year: not
only is this a merry Christmas for
MakatiMed, it is a merry one for
Mother Earth as well.
In keeping with its Going
Green efforts, MakatiMed cel-
ebrates a Green Christmas this
year. Save for the acrylic reus-
able Christmas balls, all of the
materials used for decorations
used twigs, paper doily chande-
liers, paper stars and balls, fabric
owers and leaves, and energy-
saving LED lightsare Earth-
friendly.
Guests, upon entering, are also
sure to be taken in by a dazzling
15-foot Christmas tree which has
already been lit during a simple
ceremony with the MMC Choir,
composed of medical and corpo-
rate personnel, serenading attend-
ees and the timeless and much-
loved belen (nativity scene).
do not puzzle her anymore
Puzzles
By Lito Cinco
JIGSAW puzzles are meant to puzzle and
challenge people but in the case of Gina Gil
Lacuna, they no longer puzzle her but instead
provide her a great deal of satisfaction.
Rags2Riches launched its 2012 Holiday
Collection at the Power Plant Mall via an
exhibit featuring creations from acclaimed
bag designer Amina Aranaz-Alunan.
Presented by RCBC Bankard Diamond
Platinum MasterCard, the event showcased
chic and elegant bags and accessories made
by the nanays of Payatas using upcycled
scrap cloth and Aminas favored materials
such as mother of pearls, straw and wood.
Rags2Riches Reese Fernandez-Ruiz
personally welcomed guests at the event.
Joining her were Bankard president and
chief executive Oscar Biason, chief oper-
ating ofcer Myla Untalan, chief nancial
ofcer Eugene Fernandez and marketing
head Angela Mirasol.
Present during the event are Sen. Loren
Legarda, award-winning journalist Ces
Drilon, Hapinoys Bam Aquino and Mark
Ruiz, and Gawad Kalingas Luis Oquinena
and Issa Cuevas-Santos. Adding sparkle to
event were Aminas muses for the collec-
tion, including Tricia Gosingtian, Danika
Navarro, Alyssa Lapid, Camille Co, Kriz
Uy and Patricia Prieto.
Another highlight of the event was the
turnover by RCBC Bankard Diamond Plati-
num MasterCard of its P200,000 donation
to Gawad Kalinga. The donation is part of
the cards Diamond Cares program where
Bankard donates 25 centavos for every
P100 spent to Gawad Kalinga SIBOL, a val-
ue-based education program for kids.
RCBC Bankard Diamond Platinum Mas-
terCard cardholders also got exclusive invites
to the event and availed of special discounts
to the Rags2Riches 2012 Holiday Collec-
tion. Whats more, they got a chance to win a
pair of Miladay diamond earrings courtesy of
RCBC Bankard Diamond MasterCard.
The collaboration between Rags2Riches
and RCBC Bankard was truly a sparkling
affair that enabled the fashion-forward who
Rags2Riches launches holiday collection
Amina Aranaz (center) with her parents
Becky and Jose Aranaz
KNOWN for its distinctly
deliciousyet reasonably
priceddishes, hip and mod-
ern interiors, relaxed yet ele-
gant ambience, and commend-
able staff service, Romulo
Caf makes for a great holiday
destination for the merry sea-
sons celebrations and special
occasions.
Whether its for this years
highly-anticipated Media
Noche, Christmas day meal, or
holiday get-together, the icon-
ic flavors of the restaurants
culinary creationsalso avail-
able for take-outmake every
Christmas spread a delectable
and festive one.
Lola Virginias Chicken Rel-
leno (roasted chicken stuffed
with ground pork, raisins,
chorizo, and peas) is a dish
so special that it is cooked
and prepared in the Romulos
own kitchen. Theres also Tito
Gregs Kare-Kare, the Ro-
mulos unforgettable take on
the classic Filipino favorite,
served with house bagoong.
Other must-tries include
Beef Kaldereta with Keso de
Bola, Bagnet Pakbet, Boneless
Crispy Pata Binagoongan, and
vegetarian options like Meat-
less Tortang Talong, Guinata-
ang Sigarilyas and Tofu and
Ampalaya with Tausi Sauce.
With its personalized ap-
proach to Filipino food, Ro-
mulo Caf makes dining to-
gether this season even more
memorable. So head over to
the restaurant for your serving
of your favorite local special-
tiesor take them home to
enjoy with loved onesfor a
holiday meal that truly bares
the heart and soul of authentic
Filipino comfort food.
Romulo Caf has branches
in Makati (148 Jupiter St. cor.
Comet, Bel-Air Village) and
Quezon City (32 Sct. Tuason
St.). For inquiries, reserva-
tions, and more information,
call 478-64-06 or 822-02-86
(Makati) 332-72-73 or 0915-
662-31-21 (Quezon City), or
visit www.romulocafe.com.
Savour the signature avors of Romulo Cafs heirloom dishes
Five Days of Yearend Review:
The year in social media infamy
The greening of Christmas
purchased the bags, to make a positive con-
tribution in the lives of both the children
of Gawad Kalinga, and the nanays of
Payatas; bag makers of Rags2Riches.
it again," related this genial lady.
And that is what she did, and
even as she has just received her
own award from Guinness, but not
after double and triple checking
the actual number by adjudicator
Seyda Subasi Gernici, aided by
two independent witnesses who
also did their own count, Gina is
already looking ahead to the future
and says 2000 is an easily achiev-
able number for her to complete.
She formally received the cov-
eted recognition recently at an
awarding ceremony held at the
Mansion Puzzle in the presence
of Gina's family members and
close friends, including Tagaytay
Mayor Abraham Tolentino who
has already included a visit to the
Mansion Puzzle, particularly for
students, as a new attraction for
Tagaytay. Media people were also
present to document the event.
"I went to a friend's house one
time and I saw them having fun
while doing a puzzle, that was how
I got into it. Now I buy puzzle ev-
erywhere, even ordering on-line, I
love to do puzzles done by great
artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and
Renoir. The truth is I still have
around 600 boxes of unopened
puzzles," related Gina.
Now she plans to rest for
awhile and savor her achieve-
ment but for sure, "I will con-
tinue doing puzzles, for one it
helps me to remember names of
people. I believe doing this will
help prevent Alzheimer's among
old people. I also plan to donate
puzzles to cancer patients who
can do the puzzles while waiting
for their treatment in hospitals,"
added Gina who has retired al-
ready from the businesses she
has, and turned them over to
younger family members .
Among the puzzles that she is
determined to nish is the 32,000
piece Double Retrospect, 17 feet
long and 6 feet tall, known as
the world's hardest puzzle, I have
started working on this in my
house in Taytay and I plan to nish
this by February 12 next year, a gift
for my son's birthday," said Gina.
And if she does complete it
by that date, she may have a
new world record. "I am vy-
ing for the recognition of being
the fastest woman to nish the
Double Retrospect, that is why
I am targeting February 2013 to
complete it."
Gina Lacuna (left) receives her award from the
Guiness World Records for the largest collection of
jigsaw puzzles
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
TATTOO, the broadband
brand of Globe Telecom,
has announced that it is now
offering iPad mini with Wi-Fi +
Cellular, as well as the fourth-
generation iPad with Wi-Fi +
Cellular.
Tattoo is offering the new
iPads with a range of data plans
without a contract, allowing
customers to activate or cancel
a plan at any time.
iPad mini is a new iPad
design that is 23-percent thinner
and 53-percent
lighter than the
third generation
iPad, features a
7.9-inch Multi-
Touch display,
FaceTime HD
and 5 megapixel
iSight cameras,
ultrafast wireless
performance and 10-hours of
battery life.
The fourth-generation iPad
features a 9.7-inch Retina
display, new Apple-designed
A6X chip, FaceTime HD
camera, and ultrafast wireless
performance.
Both fourth generation iPad
and iPad mini come with iOS 6.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Public Works and Highways
ALBAY 2
ND
DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE
Rediras Building, Regional Equipment Services Compound
Airport Site, Legazpi City
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D
The Department of Public Works and Highways Albay 2
nd
District Engineering
Offce, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to apply to
bid for the aforementioned projects:
1. Contract ID : 12FB0053
Contract Name : Rehabilitation of Flood Control System along
Padang River Upper Section
Contract Location : Brgy. Padang, Legazpi City
Scope of Work : Construction of 110 I.m. ood controI dike &
dredging/deepening of 390 l.m. river channel
ABC : Php 19,499,946.45
Contract Duration : 120 C.D.
Cost of Bid Docs : Php 25,000.00
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised
IRR of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected
at the opening of the bid.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of ntent (LO) and
applications for eligibility and latest Class A documents are to be accepted by the
BAC together with the bids and other relevant documents on or before the deadline
for submission of bids. To purchase bid documents must meet the following major
criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned
partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture, (c) with PCAB License
applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (d) completion of a similar contract
costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (e) Net Financial
Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment at least equal
to 10% of ABC, (f) latest CPES rating preferably with a SATSFACTORY RATNG.
The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and
preliminary examination of bids.
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for
registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Offce before the deadline for the receipt
of 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 form may be downloaded at DPWH website www.
dpwh.gov.ph.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents From December 21, 2012 to January 18, 2013
2. Pre-Bid Conference January 8,2013, 10:00 a.m.
3. Deadline of Receipt of LO from
Prospective Bidders
January 18,2013, 10:00 a.m.
4. Deadline of Receipt of Bids January 18, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
5. Opening of Bids January 18, 2013, 2:00 p.m.
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BD's) at DPWH Albay
2
nd
Engineering Offce, upon payment of a non-refundable fee stated above for LO
and Bidding documents. Prospective bidders may also download the BD's from
DPWH web site, if available. Prospective bidders that will download the BD's from
DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bids
documents. The Pre-Bid Conference shall be open only to interested parties who
have purchased the BD's.
Bid must be accompanied by a bid security or Bid Securing Declaration, in the
amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the revised RR and GPPB
Resolution No. 03-2012 as amendments of Section 27.5 of the RR of R.A. 9184.
FORM AMOUNT OF
BID SECURITY
(% of ABC)
Validity
Period
Cash or cashier's /Manager's Check issued by a
Universal or Commercial Bank
Two Percent
(2%)
120 C.D.
Bank draft/ guarantee rrevocable LC, issued by a
Universal or Commercial Bank
Surety Bond callable on demand issued by a
surety or insurance company duly certifed by the
Insurance Commission as authorized to issue such
security
Five Percent
(5%)
120 CD.
Any combination of the foregoing. Pr opor t i onat e
to share of form
with respect to
total amount of
security.
n lieu of a bid security mentioned in Sec.27.2, the
bidder may submit this form that is an undertaking
which states, among others, that the bidder shall
enter into contract with the procuring entity and
furnish the required performance security within
ten (10) c.d., or less, as indicated in the Bidding
Documents, from receipt of the Notice of Award,
and committing to pay the corresponding fne
and be suspended for a period of time from
being qualifed to participate in any government
procurement activity in the event it violates any
of the conditions stated therein as required in the
guidelines issued by the GPPB
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 component of the bid, which shall include a
copy of the CRC The second envelope shall contain the fnancial component of the
bid. Submitted Financial and Technical documents, original and two (2) photocopies
as copy one (1) and copy (2)are required to be properly book bounded numbered
and paginated in compliance with D.O.#90 s. 2012. Contract will be awarded to the
Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and post
qualifcation.
The Albay 2
nd
District Engineering Offce reserves the right to accept or reject
any bid, to annul the bidding process at any time prior contract award, without
thereby incurring any liability to affected bidder/s.
(Sgd.) ELIGIO J. ARBOLEDA
OIC Chief, Construction Section
BAC Chairman
Approved:
(Sgd.) WALTER F. LUBIANO
OIC District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 25, 2012)
(MST-Dec. 25, 2012)
Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
QURNO DSTRCT ENGNEERNG OFFCE
Cabarroguis, Quirino
-oOo-
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of Department of Public Works and Highways
- Quirino District Engineering Offce, Cabarroguis,Quirino, invites contractors to bid for the
aforementioned project/s:
1. Contract I.D. : 12BK0074 (Re-advertised)
Road Upgrading (Gravel to Paved) Based on
GraveI Road Strategies, Trafc Benchmark for
Upgrading to Paved Road Standard (HDM-4 Project
Analysis)(MFO-2) Intermittent Section; Jct. Victoria
- Maddela - Alicia - Kasibu Bndry. Road
Name of Project : (K0386+7660 - K0386+9760)
Location : Aglipay, Quirino
Scope of Work : Road Upgrading (Gravel to Paved)
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : P46,753,612.22
Duration : 179 CD
Cost of Bid Documents : P25,000.00
2. Contract I.D. : 12BK0075 (Re-advertised
: Road Upgrading (Gravel to Paved) Based on Gravel
Road Strategies, Trafc Benchmark for Upgrading
to Paved Road Standard (HDM-4 Project Analysis)
(MFO-2) Intermittent Section; Cordon-Aurora
Bndry. Road (Jct. Dumabato - Aurora Bndry.)

Name of Project : K0406+308 - K0407+849,
Location : Nagtipunan, Quirino
Scope of Work : Road Upgrading (Gravel to Paved)
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : P37,238,916.69
Duration : 179 CD
Cost of Bid Documents : P25,000.00
3. Contract .D. : 12BK0076 (Re-advertised)
: Road Upgrading (Gravel to Paved) Based on Gravel
Road Strategies, Trafc Benchmark for Upgrading
to Paved Road Standard (HDM-4 Project Analysis)
(MFO-2) Intermittent Section; Dumabato-Balligui
Road
Name of Project : (K0373+728-K0374+000 & K0376+443-K0377+168)
Location : Maddela, Quirino
Scope of Work : Road Upgrading (Gravel to Paved)
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : P12,396,804.41
Duration : 121 CD
Cost of Bid Documents : P25,000.00
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised IRR
of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the
opening of bid.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of ntent (LO), purchase bid
documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH,
(b) Filipino citizen of 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 a period of 10 years, and (e) Net
Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment for at least
10% of the ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check
and preliminary examinations 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 application 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.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1 Receipt of LOIs from prospective bidders January 2, 2013 not later than 10:00
A.M.
2 Issuance of Bid Documents December 19, 2012 - January 8, 2013
3 Pre-Bid Conference December 26, 2012 at 2:00 P.M.
4 Receipt of Bids January 8, 2013 not later than 10:00
A.M.
5 Opening of Bids January 8, 2013 @ 2:00 P.M.
6 Notice of Award January 14, 2013
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents at the BAC Secretariat, DPWH -
Quirino District Engineering Offce, Cabarroguis,Quirino, upon payment of a non-refundable
fee/s of (as stated above). 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 open only to interested parties who have purchased the BD's.
Bids must accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in
Section 27.2 of the Revised RR.
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 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 Department of Public Works and Highways - Quirino District Engineering Offce,
Cabarroguis, Quirino reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding
process at anytime prior Contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the
affected bidder/s.
Approved:
(Sgd.) NESTOR T. PAGATPATAN
OC-Chief Construction Engineer
BAC Chairman
DPWH NFRA-07 Standard Advertisement-Revised RR
DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
C3
email: tech@mst.ph
Tech
ManilaStandardToday
Smart unveils ground-breaking smartphones
HTC to challenge Apples IPad?
MARLON C. MAGTIRA, Section Editor
CHRISTIAN CARDIENTE, Asst. Editor
Globe bares local
availability of iPad mini
HTC plans to make tablets based on
the Windows operating system, giving
Microsoft another ally in its challenge
to Apple and Google in the $63.2
billion market, people familiar with the
matter said.
WIRELESS services provider Smart Communications, Inc. has made
available two new devices which promise to take the smartphone
experience to new heights.
We are pleased to announce that the Google Nexus 4 and the HTC
Windows Phone 8X are now up for pre-order at www.smart.com.
ph, said Smart Postpaid business head Kathy Carag.
We believe that these two pioneering devices will offer Filipinos a
more superior smartphone experience on Smarts superior network,
Carag added.
The Google Nexus 4 which is the rst phone in the world to sport
the latest version of the mobile operating system (4.2 Jellybean).
The advanced software is literally the culmination of 5 years of hard
work as it features new camera functionalities, NFC capabilities, and
wireless streaming of content between compatible devices, to name
a few.
C o u p l e d
with a quad-
core processor
and 2GBs of
RAM, this LG-
manufactured
s ma r t p h o n e
is easily the
zippiest of its
peers especially
with the touch-
optimized user
interface.
For those
looking for a
different yet
equally amazing
device, there is the Windows Phone 8X by HTC.
Clad in a chic unibody shell, the 8X is the rst phone in the country
which runs Windows 8the omnipresent operating system
designed by tech giant Microsoft, which offers a unied computing
experience whether on a phone, a tablet, or a PC.
Through the wonders of mobile Internet and cloud technology,
applications and content across several Windows 8 devices can be
synchronized, said Carag. And with Smarts world class data
connectivity, the experience is fast and seamless.
Camera buffs will also adore the Windows Phone 8Xs 8-megapixel
iPad mini
with Wi-Fi +
Cellular
HTC, excluded earlier this year
from the rst batch of Windows
tablets, is working on a 12-inch
device and a 7-inch version
that can also make phone calls,
according to a person familiar
with the companys plans, who
declined to be identied as the
information isnt yet public.
Microsoft Chief Executive
Ofcer Steve Ballmer is racing to
get more Windows-based tablets
into stores, making up for delays
that have made it harder to catch
Apple, Google and Amazon.
com in a market projected by
researcher NPD to almost double
to $123.5 billion in 2015.
Microsoft will end the
year with a 2.9 percent share,
compared with Apples majority
and Googles more than 40
percent, according to IDC.
No matter where you look,
theres not a breadth of devices to
look at, Wes Miller, an analyst
at Directions on Microsoft, said
in an interview. While more
variety of hardware might help,
he said, good devices with good
battery life and price, as well as
compelling applications would
have to come together.
Sally Julien, a spokeswoman
for HTC, and Mark Martin,
a spokesman for Redmond,
Washington-based Microsoft,
declined to comment.
More Tablets
HTCs products, to debut in 2013,
will be based on the Windows RT
version of Microsofts operating
system, designed for machines
with chips using technology from
ARM Holdings Plc, according to
a person familiar with the plans.
Delays in those machines, as well
as another version running on
Intels chips, have meant Microsoft
has few Windows devices capable
of challenging Apples iPad.
A 7-inch tablet would be the
rst of that size for Windows
RT, as Microsoft tries to compete
with the iPad mini, Amazons
Kindle Fire and Googles Nexus
7 in the market for smaller,
cheaper tablets.
HTCs tablets are tentatively
scheduled for release in the third
quarter and would run on chips
from Qualcomm, one person
said. Production details and
exact schedules havent been
nalized, the person said.
Partner Search
HTC had also been considering
a tablet with Windows 8 running
on Intel, but scrapped those plans
because the company determined
An HTC Flyer tablet device is displayed for a photograph at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Bloomberg
it would have to charge too
mucharound $1,000 -- for the
device, making it difcult to sell
enough of them.
Microsofts own Intel-based
Surface tablet with Windows 8,
will cost $899 or $999, depending
on the model, when it goes on
sale next month.
HTC was turned down for
participation in the initial round
of Windows RT devices, a
process Microsoft controlled
tightly, people familiar with the
matter said in June.
As it turned out, most of the
devices greenlighted through that
program werent ready for sale
when Windows RT was released
in October. Toshibas machines
have been scrapped altogether.
That may have left Microsoft,
which has grown closer to HTC
in the smartphone market in
recent months, on the hunt for
more willing partners.
Sales of Microsofts own
Surface tablet have been
disappointing, according to
analysts such as Craig Berger
at FBR Capital Markets & Co.
He and other analysts have
expressed concern that its hard
to nd many Windows tablets at
retail outlets. Microsoft hasnt
disclosed Surface sales gures.
Taoyuan City, Taiwan-based
HTC is looking for new revenue
opportunities as it has lost share
of the Android phone market to
Samsung Electronics Co. HTC in
October forecast fourth- quarter
revenue that would mark its
lowest sales in 11 quarters.
Earlier this month, HTC also
canceled a project to make a
larger-screen version of its
Windows Phones because of
concerns the screen would have a
lower resolution than competing
models, a person familiar with
the matter said. Bloomberg
camera with 1080 HD Video capture and the wide angle 2.1-
megapixel front facing which is perfect for taking barkada shots.
Earlier this month, Smart also made available the ZTE T82 and
the Sony Xperia V Philippines rst smartphones with Long Term
Evolution (LTE) connectivity.
Both devices are free on Smart LTE Plans 2000 and 1500,
respectively, and are capable of using connecting to Smarts LTE
network.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
DECEMBER 25, 2012 TUESDAY
C4
Isah V. Red, Editor standard.showbiz@gmail.com
showbitz
Manila Standard TODAY
ISAH V.
RED
SIMPLY RED
The Superstar, Nora Aunor, shows shes the countrys greatest actor in Thy Womb
WHAT the lm critics
will not want to miss
among the seven
movies in this years
Metro Manila Film
Festival is Br illante
Mendozas Thy
Womb.
Already honored by critics
overseas, the lm won for Nor a
Aunor a Best Actress trophy at
the Asia Pacic Screen Awards in
Bribane, Australia, and Best Director
for Brillante Mendoza.
Aunor was in Davao City for the
special screening of the lm when
she got word from Mendoza who
was in Brisbane earlier that she won
the award.
With the other awards, like the
Bisato de Oro from a group of critics
at the Venice lm festival, any lm
connoisseur will not want to be left to
watch La Aunors performance in the
lm that is giving her career a new
sheen, after drifting from one bad
movie to another in a long time.

Greatest Filipino actor
I have seen Thy Womb at a private
screening at a well-equipped cinema
in Cubao, Quezon City. I have to
confess that I have not been watching
Filipino movies lately as I have
grown frustrated over the quality of
lms produced by the industry. If it
is not a love triangle, its a comedy
with asinine humor that panders to
the visceral instincts of the audience.
Thy Womb has brought me back
to the cinema, but not because it did
Id be reckless in patronizing local
movies again.
Mendozas narrative construct
of Thy Womb is nothing literary, but
it is closer to an ethnographic lm,
reminding me of the work of Rober t J.
Flaher ty whose Nanook of the North
that realistically portrays the Inuit
people. Mendoza had gone to Tawi-
Tawi and put his actorsNora Aunor,
Rafael Bembol Roco, Lovi Poe
and other professional performersin
the midst of the people of the area.
The lmmaker captures the life
of Badjaos in an environment that
is steeped in tradition. Aunor who
plays the village midwife Shaleha is
unable to give her husband, Bangas-
an (Roco) a child. Thats the irony of
their lives as a couple. Yet, Shalehas
devotion to her husband compels her
to look for him a new wife for him to
feel his being a man.
The lm is basically bound to
that plot. Lesser lmmakers may
have thrown in subplots to make the
lm more byzantine in nature, but
Mendoza focuses on Shahela and
Bangas-an and how her search is
nally decided.
The Womb is not the kind of dramatic
lm you see from Star Cinema, Viva
or Regal. It is an ethnographic lm as
Mendoza introduces us to the culture
and tradition of the Badjaos. Aunor
is perfect for the role as she is lost in
among the Badjaos, embracing the
peoples thoughts and emotion. She
is Shaleha, not Nora Aunor, from the
moment we see her aiding a woman
give birth until she gives Mersilas
(Lovi Poe) baby to her mothers arms.
We are mesmerized at how Aunor is
able to absorb deeply the psyche of an
infertile Badjao woman, and how she
will anything, anyhow to make Bangas-
an happy. We cry when Bangas-an tells
her, without saying much, to give the
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People
are talking about
Nonito Donaire
Mexican Jor ge Arce has recently
announced retirement after he was
knocked out by the Filipino boxer. It was
Nonitos 30
th
straight career victory in 11
years, a feat that now ranks him as the sixth
best boxer in the world. Manny Pacquiao
needs to ponder on this. He can choose
Arces move or beat Nonitos record.
Julia Montes
Walang Hanggans phenomenal success
is still fresh among the avid viewers of the
hit television series and people will have
another treat from the young actress. Julia
is currently in Europe lming a romantic
movie, which is also top-billed by her
onscreen partner Coco Mar tin.
Jessica Sanchez
The 16-year-old American Idol runner-
up is the most searched personality on
Yahoo! Philippines this year. To her fans,
this is just the icing on the cake because
she is scheduled to hold a solo concert at
the Big Dome on Valentines Day. Will
her popularity among netizens make her
stage a sold out arena?
are not talking about
Bwakaw
No amount of publicity and glairing
reviews helped the lm to be part of
the list of ve nominees for the best
foreign language lm in the upcoming
Golden Globe Awards. Every year we
are critical about the Film Academy of
the Philippines bet to the prestigious
award. Until now they havent learned
their lesson. Truly, you cant teach the
old dogs at the FAP new tricks.
Baron Geisler
The actor is again involved in an
incident that permanently puts his name
in the bad light. At the TV5s MVP Ball,
Baron caused four different incidents and
you bet, its all because of alcohol. Will it
be another trip to the rehab?
Claudine Bar retto
Oops, she did again. Rumors are
spreading like wildre that Claudine is
involved in another altercation incident,
this time with a doctor of The Medical
City. If theres any truth in this rumor,
people are no longer surprised. Do we
have to explain it further? Nope, we
wouldnt want to be in thrilla with her.
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Critics choice:
Thy Womb
baby back to the mother.
Roco afrms himself as the actor
to beat, even as Aunor shines a
gazillion times in the lm. He knows
its Aunors lm, and he doesnt do
anything to eclipse her. There was
one tender scene between the actors,
perhaps the rst in Noras career.
No, you wont squirm because it
isnt awkward. But you will pity
Shaleha whose passion remains
strong for Bangas-an who is equally
ery in his love for his wife that she
is just unable to make her man feel
whole as a man.
Shor t but good
Lovi Poe appears briey in
the lm. Despite the abbreviated
appearance, she makes quite an
impact.
First, as Bangas-ans new
wife, she is the counterpoint to
Aunors hardworking, dedicated
and devoted partner. She may have
been pretty when she was younger,
but Mersila is young and prettier.
She is also calculating. At one point
in the lm, she confronts Bangas-
an and reminds him that when she
gives birth, he will leave his wife.
That surprises Bangas-an, but
doesnt tell Shaleha who is outside
talking to Mersilas parents.
That scene without much
words, nearly broke our hearts,
looking at a clueless Shaleha,
fullled her mission for Bangas-an
is accomplished, but leaver her out
in the cold.
Mercedes Cabral who plays
Aisha, the young woman bride in
a wedding scene, doesnt do much
acting, but Mendoza captures her as
a woman whose wedding is shaken
by the sudden bursts of gunre that
nearly disrupted the celebration.
Shaleha, a relative, orders everyone
to just continue dancing. It was a
moment lled with tension, and
for a while, Mendoza shows how
life is among the Badjaos, and
their peace is every now and then
punctuated by the realities of a
chilling presence of bad elements
and the governments armed peace
enforcers.
Welcome to Tawi-Tawi
While Thy Womb is about
Shaleha, Bangas-an, and Mersila, it
is also a portrait of the southernmost
tip of the Philippines. While we
hear or read only about Tawi-Tawi,
not many of us have been to the
island where the Badjaos live on
houses on stilts above the sea.
Mendozas ethnographic style
captures how these people conduct
their day-to-day business and we
are introduced to their way of life
even if we arent actually there.
When the couple Shaleha and
Bangas-an sells dried sh at the
oating market, we say, How
come we dont know we have
something similar to what Thailand
have been selling to tourists as an
attraction?
But Thy Womb is not a travelogue,
it is a ethnographic narrative lm. It
may not have the dramatic conict
that is so typical of Tagalog lms, but
Mendoza knows that the lm can be
moving when the characters know
that life in itself is lled with little
conicts that everyone of us have
to overcome to make us and other
happy. And in the case of Shaleha,
the conicts she may have resolved,
but that does end her struggle for
happiness?

MMFF Awar ds
I wont be surprised if the Metro
Manila Film Festival jurors will
ignore Nora Aunor, Bembol Roco,
and Brillante Mendoza in the
awarding ceremonies tomorrow.
But if they give them the awards
due them, it is but proper.
With or without the awards,
Filipinos should watch Thy Womb.
Not because it stars Nora Aunor, but
because it tells us more about our
country than any other movie the
local industry has ever produced.
Lovi Poes Mersila makes quite an impact
Director Brillante Mendoza with Lovi Poe, Nora Aunor and Bembol Roco