Manila Standard Today - Sunday (October 14, 2012) Issue

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LUCITO CHAVEZ
Tinapayan Festival baker
shares secret ingredients to
success
JO-IMEELYN
KAPUNAN
Lands a dream
job at The Body
Shop
BUSINESS A8 ARTS & LIFE B1 FEATURES
H
unted by US-backed
Filipino troops in 2005, Abu
Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy
Janjalani and other al-Qaida-
linked militants sought refuge in the
mountainous stronghold of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front, the largest
Muslim rebel group in Mindanao.
Next page
Next page
Next page
A5
But the rebels turned them away, afraid that harboring extremists
would scuttle their peace talks with the government. The following
year, Janjalaniamong the most-wanted terrorist suspects in Southeast
Asiawas killed by troops in another jungle area.
The rebels rejection of Janjalani, which was reported at the time by
military and police intelligence ofcials, shows the potential of har-
nessing the main Moro insurgents in ghting extremism and preventing
their vast strongholds from serving as one of the last remaining refuges
of al-Qaida-afliated militants, who have been clobbered by years of
crackdowns across Southeast Asia.
Philippine ofcials hope a preliminary peace deal the government
recently clinched with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will eventu-
ally turn the 11,000-strong insurgent group into a formidable force against the
By Florante S. Solmerin
HUNDREDS of Muslim women
wearing hijab (head covering)
lead a run for peace along
EDSA on Sunday as part of the
celebration of the historic sign-
ing of the framework agreement
between the government and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front at
Malacaang.
This run by Muslim women in
EDSA is the rst of its kind and
its signicance also underlines the
need for awareness on the wearing
of Hijab (veil) as an important part
of our Islamic Faith, celebrates di-
versity and peaceful coexistence in
the mainstream. This is also a good
opportunity for us to present the
positive paradigm about Islam in
response to the different challeng-
es being faced by Muslims, said
Bai Rohaniza Sumndad Usman of
Young Moro Professionals Net-
work, which organized the event.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff
Gen. Jessie Dellosa said some
Muslim women in the service will
also be joining the run to raise
awareness on Islamic religious
practice of wearing hijab and
in support of the governments
peace efforts.
Dellosa thanked Lt. Col. Samuel
Sagun, commander of the mili-
tarys 7th Civil Relations Group
based in Camp Aguinaldo, who
helped organize the event.
Sagun said the run is also sup-
ported by the Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao Regional
Legislative Assembly, civil soci-
ety peace advocates like Fitianol
Islam, Khadija Center for Muslim
Women Studies, PeaceTech, Asia
America Initiative, Generation
Peace, and GroupAid.
By Sara Fabunan
and Eric Apolonio
MOROS, Christians and mem-
bers of indigenous communities
in Mindanao have embarked on
a four-day Peace Caravan that
journeyed from Davao City to
Malacanang in Manila to witness
the historic signing of the new
framework agreement between
the government and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front.
The Peace Travel Caravan,
according to the MILF website,
travelled the route via Lupata
port to Liloan, Allen to Matnog,
to the Bicol and Quezon prov-
inces and nally, to Manila.
The delegates, who came from
Davao City, Cotabato City, Ma-
guindanao, North Cotabato, La-
nao del Sur and from as far as
Marawi City, are expected to ar-
rive on Sunday (today) afternoon
and will join fellow peace advo-
cates in a Peace vigil in welcom-
ing the ceremonial signing on
Monday, Oct. 15.
According to Mindanao Peo-
ples Caucus networking and
liason ofcer Mariel Andrea
Ayyi Gardiola, the Caravan
drew young and old, men and
men, Muslim and Christian del-
egates from all tribes and faiths
in Mindanao.
Gardiola, who is also a mem-
ber of the Civilian Protection
Component of the International
Monitoring Team, added that
they made the long journey to be
part of the historic event.
We travel by land and sea and
spend long days and nights of
travel to show our deep gratitude
and thanksgiving that we have -
nally reached the light at the end
of the long dark tunnel, she said
in a statement.
This is a legacy [of ] President
Aquino has nally fullled, she
added.
Other organizations which
joined the Peace Caravan include
representatives of peace advocates
from the religious, civic society
organizations and ofcials of
Autonomous Region in Muslim
Sunday
MST
The Sunday Edition of ManilaStandardTODAY
Vol. I No. 16 12 Pages, 2 Section
P18.00 SUNDAY, October 14, 2012
Peace agreement seen
isolating al-Qaida allies
Muslim women
go for Sunday run
From Mindanao to Mendiola, peace caravan rolls
3-way tug of war looms over sin tax bill
MASTER
OF THE
POLE
We usually
think of pole
dancing as sensual. Ciara
Sotto-Oconer wants to
change that by promoting
pole dancing as a means
to stay t.
Seventh CRG commander Lt. Col. Sagun and youthleader Bai Roha-
niza Sumndad Usman are organizers of the hijab run in support
of the peace agreement between the govenrment and the MILF.
Photo by FLORANTE S. SOLMERIN
Improvised boat. Schoolchildren use an
inated tire tube in crossing a river to go to their
school in Rizal province after a bridge linking the
roads collapsed recently. Residents have petitioned
the local government to build a hanging bridge
since crossing the river when it becomes swollen
poses danger to students and residents. AP
By Maricel Cruz
and Macon Araneta
LAWMAKERS re-
main divid-
ed over the
sin tax bill
while tobacco farmers
are keen on the proposed
version of Senator Ralph
Recto whose revenue-re-
ducing rate has Malacanang
expressing dismay.
Health advocates meanwhile
denounce Recto for shepherd-
ing in the Senate a watered-
down version of the bill that
could deprive the government
of revenue intended for health-
care system.
While the House minority
and the Senate commitee head
are at loggerheads, here comes
Senator Miriam Santiago go-
ing ballistic again, calling for
war on the Recto version. She
says her own version, ignored
by the committee leadership,
will raise P60 billion. When
cigarettes and liquor are cheap,
more people will use them,
she said.
Recto, seeking a three-tier tax
rate for tobacco and distilled prod-
ucts, came up with a committee
BIG BLOW
TERRORISM TO
PROPOSED CORE TERRITORY
OF THE BANGSAMORO
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
OCTOBER 14, 2012 SUNDAY
A2
Sunday
NEWS
ManilaStandardTODAY
[email protected]
It was the worst
ooding that hit Siocon,
said Engr. Ed Nercuit,
manager of the Civil
Engineering Services
of TVI Resource De-
velopment (Phils.) Inc.
The company is cur-
rently mining copper
and zinc in Canatuan.
Born and raised in Sio-
con town, it was the
rst time that Nercuit
witnessed neck-deep ood waters
that caused the evacuation of more
than 8,000 Siocon folk.
It was the rst destructive ood
recorded in the area in six decades,
stressed Mayor Cesar Soriano of
Siocon as he apprised the Depart-
ment of Social Welfare and Devel-
opment Regional Director Teod-
ulo R. Romo Jr. of the calamity
Lawin brought to his constituents.
Nercuit and his TVIRD road
maintenance crew worked 48
hours straight to repair the roads
blocked by landslides. They
dredged without relent the Pis-
awak spillway of debris to lessen
the impact of the ood waters.
He and his men worked uninch-
ingly throughout the storm.
Lyle Tunday, a resident of Ba-
rangay Manaol, one of the hard-
est barangays hit by Lawin, was
awakened by a tide that almost car-
ried him and his family to the sea
off Siocon. Had I woken up just 10
minutes late, I wouldnt have been
able to evacuate my family to safer
grounds, Tunday said.
Until now, he does
not know where he got
the strength to break
a window so his wife
and two small children
could escape the surg-
ing tide. As they ed,
the ood swept away
their furniture and the
domestic animals of
neighbors. His two
motorcycles were not
spared by the ood.
The PAG-ASA station in
Malangas, Zamboanga Sibugay
reported that the rainfall depth
from 7 a.m. of September 23 to
7 a.m. of September 24 was 227
millimeters broke recorded rain-
fall highs in the area.
Soriano said that damage to
agriculture, infrastructure, houses
and other structure is estimated to
reach P81 million. Infrastructure
accounted for the heaviest damage
amounting to P30 million.
He said that 70 percent of his
town was submerged as waters
from Lituban River overowed
in Barangay JP Brillantes. The
Siocon Poblacion had no electric-
ity for several days because it was
submerged under two meters.
As the provincial government
and Philippine National Red
Cross sent disaster and relief aid
to Siocon, TVIRD repaired the
85-kilometer road that connects
the municipality to Zamboanga
del Norte and the Peninsula to
enable foodstuff and medicine to
reach the ood victims.
IT WILL take some time before people
forget how tropical storm Lawin battered
Siocon and Canatuan in Zamboanga del
Norte last September 23 and 24. Strong
winds, thunder and lightning shook both
Siocon and Canatuan. The unceasing
rain resulted in massive ooding that
submerged houses. The rampaging rivers
indifferently carried away several houses,
too. Trees fell and several roads were
blocked by landslides that virtually iso-
lated Siocon from its neighboring towns
and the rest of Zamboanga Peninsula.
The rampaging waters which overowed in barangays in Siocon and Canatuan tore down several houses.
TVIRDs backhoe immediately
responded to the call of distress. It
dredged the culverts and the Pisawak
spillway to reduce the amount of
overowing of water in the spillway
due to the persistent heavy rains.
75% of the overow was reduced.
Nercuit and his crew worked
48 hours straight to repair the
roads blocked by landslides and
continuously dredged the Pis-
awak spillway of debris to lessen
the impact of the ood waters.
He and his men worked un-
inchingly throughout the storm.
He monitored the spillway that
connects Canatuan to Siocon prop-
er and other barangays of the mu-
nicipality, including the port area
of Barangay Sta. Maria. The roads
maintained by the CES crew all-
year round were used by Governor
Rolando Yebes, the Philippine Red
Cross, and the DSWD to deliver
food, medicine, and clothes to the
victims.
Meanwhile in Canatuan,
TVIRDs Community Relations
and Development Ofce distrib-
uted food to 47 Subanon families
who were evacuated to the Sub-
Ofce of the Local Government
of Tabayo because their houses
were located in landslide-prone
areas. We wanted to ensure their
safety, explained TVIRD safety
department manager Art Abad.
The houses of two employees
were affected y landslides while they
were working in the plant. Teams
from CreDO, Safety, Security, and
Public Affairs departments rushed to
the landslide site and evacuated the
families of the two employees.
Heroes, who need neither
praise nor recognition, emerge
during dire times. Nercuit, Bo-
bong Valenzuela, and the whole
CES crew returned to the Ca-
natuan mine site tired, sick, but
fullled because they rose to
the occasion for the communi-
ty. This is when Pusong Minero
and Kalingang TVI are truly
felt by the people of Siocon and
Canatuan. Lullie A. Micabalo
Engineer Ed Nercuit
Mining towns pick up the pieces
Big...
remnants of the Abu Sayyaf
and other radicals, including
several Indonesian and Malay-
sian militants believed to be
taking cover in the southern
Mindanao region.
We can wage battle with the
MILF, Defense Secretary Vol-
taire Gazmin said. This will
really isolate groups like the
Abu Sayyaf.
The United States, Britain
and Australia, aware of the
emerging peace agreements
potential counterterrorism
dividends, were among the
rst to praise the framework
accord with the rebels an-
nounced Oct. 7 by President
Benigno Aquino III. It will
be formally signed in Manila
on Monday.
Foreign governments have
supported the peace process
partly because of counterterror-
ism policies, Bryony Lau of
the Brussels-based Internation-
al Crisis Group said. They also
worried about poor governance
and high levels of poverty that
have plagued the insurgency-
affected regions, he said.
While the Moro rebel group
has cut ties with foreign ex-
tremists to safeguard peace
talks, there may well still
be individual ... command-
ers with continuing ties, Lau
said, adding that the frame-
work agreement increases
the incentives for the MILF
leadership to ensure that their
members are not harboring
such people.
Under the deal, the Moro
rebel group committed to deac-
tivate its armed guerrilla units
beyond use when both sides
have nalized an agreement on
Muslim autonomy.
A nal pact could be reached
in three years, ofcials and the
rebels say. One option is to
integrate qualied guerrillas
into a police force that would
secure the new Muslim au-
tonomous region, to be called
Bangsamoro. The rest of the
insurgents, they say, could re-
turn to civilian life once they
lay down their rearms.
The Malaysian-brokered
talks, aiming to wean the Moro
guerrillas from foreign and lo-
cal extremists and outlaws,
led to a 2002 agreement on a
government-rebel joint action
group that was designed for the
insurgents to help interdict and
capture terrorists in their areas.
Under the agreement, the reb-
els have fed information and
helped solve several ransom
kidnappings in the south.
Still, military and police in-
telligence reports have showed
that some Moro rebel com-
manders continued to provide
refuge or clandestinely sup-
ported foreign militants linked
to extremist groups.
Ameril Umbra Kato, com-
mander of one of the Moro
groups largest guerrilla units,
had long been suspected of
supporting Indonesian and
Malaysian extremists even
before he broke off from the
main group last year, partly
due to his rejection of the
peace talks. Among his known
followers is Abdul Basit Us-
man, a Filipino bomb maker
and trainer with links to the
Indonesian-based Jemaah Is-
lamiyah militant network and
a suspect in several deadly
bomb attacks in the south.
Washington has offered a
$1 million bounty for Usmans
capture or killing.
Katos forces attacked sev-
eral army camps and outposts
in August in two southern prov-
inces. As army troops bombard-
ed Katos forces, Moro Islamic
Liberation Front guerrillas
stayed within their community-
like encampmentsmarked
by green ags to prevent them
from accidentally being drawn
in the ghting.
Later, about 3,000 Moro
insurgents surrounded their
breakaway colleagues and
forced the hard-line leaders
to sign a pledge to inde-
nitely stop attacks and give
the talks a chance, according
to Muslim rebel negotiator
Mohagher Iqbal. AP
3-way...
report that placed the sin-tax revenue at
P15 billion a year as against the P60 bil-
lion the Palace and its congressional al-
lies wanted.
Its a leap of faith if we pass it (the gov-
ernment version). But expect a distruption
in the industry, workers, farmers and con-
sumers. Government revenues will decline
on a massive scale, Recto warned.
House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez
said that he stood by the bill approved by
the House of Representatives which pro-
vided for an estimated revenue of P31.28
billion in excise taxes from sin products.
I think the House-approved version
would be the most acceptable and logical
version of the sin tax bill, Suarez told
the Manila Standard, saying that the two-
tier taxation system for would be ben-
ecial both for the government and local
tobacco farmers and liquor workers who
have feared of losing their livelihood
once the bill gets enacted.
Suarez said that the Recto version la-
beled as the Rcto-Morris Report in refer-
ence to the cigarette giant, was unrealistic.
The current sin tax law based on the
1996 prices of cigarettes and alcohol prod-
ucts was intended to be a smoking deter-
rent to discourage the youth from the habit,
said Suarez, member for the minority in the
bicameral conference committee.
A separate version of the sin tax bill,
House Bill 5727 had the revenue watered
down to P30 billion with P24 billion set
for the governments Universal Health
Care program.
But Filipino tobacco farmers are in-
clined to support the Recto version even
as they blasted Malacaang for wanting to
impose excessively high taxes on cigarettes
at the expense of the countrys millions of
tobacco farmers and liquor workers.
Secretary Ricky Carandang of the
Presidential Communications Develop-
ment and Strategic Planning Ofce was
quoted as having said: the bill will not
have a negative impact on our farmers.
The 20,000-strong Philippine To-
bacco Growers Association (PTGA)
demanded the government to be sen-
sitive enough to the plight of tobacco
farmers once a repressive version of
the proposed law is passed.
PTGA represents tobacco growers from
the provinces of Pangasinan, La Union,
Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Isabela, Ca-
gayan and Occidental Mindoro.
The House-approved version of the tax
imposes a P12 tax per pack for cigarettes
with retail prices of P11.50 and below start-
ing 2013.
It also imposes a tax of P22 per pack if
the price is below P11.50 and P30 if it is
above P11.50.
The House-approved version also ad-
opted the provision which provides that
tax rates imposed shall be increased by
eight percent every two years thereafter
effective Jan. 1, 2015.
For fermented liquor like beer, except
tuba, tapuy and similar liquors, a tax of
P13.75 starting 2013 if the retail price
per liter is P50.60 or less.
Similarly, a P18.80 tax-rate shall be
imposed if the price of more than P50.60
per liter.
The 34-man Northern Luzon Alliance
headed by La Union Rep. Victor Ortega
as group president vowed to push for the
Recto version.
From...
Mindanao line agencies led by Re-
gional Governor Mujiv Hataman.
As the Peace Caravan makes its way to
Manila, Malacanang was busy preparing
a warm welcome to all its visitorsboth
foreign and those coming from Mindanao.
The visiting foreign dignitaries will
be led by Malaysian Prime Minister
Najib and his wife Datin Paduka Seri
Rosmah Mansor, who are scheduled to
arrive at the Ninoy Aquino Internation-
al Airport on Sunday (today) for his
rst ofcial visit in the country.
In a radio interview, presidential
deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said
everything was in place for the arrival
of the foreign dignitaries.
They had a run-through today (Satur-
day) for the arrival honors for the Malay-
sian Prime Minister and tomorrow [Sun-
day], they will have a walk through at 3
oclock in the afternoon for the signing of
the Framework Agreement, Valte said.
She added that the ceremony is his-
toric, since this is the rst time that the
MILF will be welcomed at the Palace.
This is quite historic since its the
rst time that the MILF will ever be in-
side the Palace, said Valte.
Aside from the dignitaries and MILF
ofcials, several civil society organiza-
tions will also witness the signing.
Prime Minister Najib was personally
invited by President Benigno Aquino
II to witness the signing of the Frame-
work Agreement in recognition of Ma-
laysias signicant role as facilitator of
the peace talks since 2011.
The Malaysian Prime Minister will
be accompanied by other Malaysian
government ofcials and a business
delegation led by AlloyMTD Chair-
man and Chief Executive Ofcer Dato
Azmil Khalid, who is the pro-tempore
chair of the Kuala-Lumpur based Ma-
laysia-Philippines Business Council.
Other foreign dignitaries who are ex-
pected to attend the signing ceremony,
include the Secretary General of the Or-
ganization of Islamic Cooperation.
The Philippine Government and the
Filipino people are eagerly awaiting to
welcome Prime Minister Najib as he ar-
rives at our shores to witness the signing
of the Framework Agreement. His visit is
expected to further scale up Philippines-
Malaysia relations, which is experiencing
a renaissance these days. We are ready to
show him and his delegation the world-
famous warm Filipino hospitality, said
Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia J.
Eduardo Malaya said.
The successful talks herald a bright,
new dawn for all Filipinos - Muslims,
Lumad indigenous people, Christians
and all others who comprise the Filipi-
no nation. There is a celebratory mood
in the entire country, notably in Mind-
anao, Ambassador Malaya said.
Muslim...
The run will start from the People Power Monument towards the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) Grandstand starting at 6 a.m.
We believe that religious understanding and freedom is a vital step towards achiev-
ing peace in our country. We are inspired to hold this historic run of Hijab-clad Muslim
women as a symbolic response to the negative portrayal of Muslims in media, following
the hype b y the controversial lm Innocence of Muslims that caused violent reactions
locally and in areas in the Middle East and also in relation to the recently discriminatory
policy of banning the Hijab in private schools and certain health facilities in the south,
said Amirah Gutoc, YMPN chair on Committee on Women.
This run is a very promising event as it is also timely with the signing of the Framework
Agreement on the Bangsamoro region. This goes to show that our nation continuously com-
mits itself in winning the peace and it is our call in this gathering for all Filipinos to welcome
this development and altogether give peace a chance, said YMPN Chairman Nash Kasim.
AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil Military Operations (J7) Rear Admiral Miguel
Jose Rodriguez added that Presidential Assistant for Muslim Concerns Yasmin Bus-
ran Lao, Philippine Commission on Women Chairperson Remedios Ignacio-Rikken,
ofcials from the Ofce of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP),
Department of Health (DOH), National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF)
and civil society organizations are also expected to participate in the gathering.
[email protected]
Sunday
NEWS
ManilaStandardTODAY
A3
Pirates release 21 PH sailors
Laoag
nally
has new
bishop
Poll chief: P1m bond will deter nuisance candidates
3 nabbed for Ortigas blast
Ozamiz Gang leader falls
By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan
AFTER eight months in captivity, the 21 Filipino
sailors on a bulk carrier that was seized last
February were released by Somali pirates, the
Department of Foreign Affairs announced on
Saturday.
DFA spokesman could not immediately
identify the Filipinos, but said details
of their arrival will be announced on
Sunday.
Hernandez said the seamen were the
crew of the Liberian-agged, Greek-
owned ship bulk carrier MV Free
Goddess that was seized by the pirates
last Feb. 7.
The Associated Press reported that
they were following the payment of a
$2.3 million ransom.
Bile Hussein, a pirate based in Garacad
in the semi-autonomous Puntland region
of Somalia, said the brigands initially
wanted to be paid $9 million, but they
agreed to lower the ransom and they
released the ship on Thursday.
The ships owners, Free Bulkers SA,
did not comment about the ransom
payment claims but they conrmed that
ship had been released and that all the 21
Filipino crew are well.
They said the ship was seized in the Arabian
Sea carrying a consignment of steel coils from
the Black Sea but they did not specify the
destination or source of the cargo.
The company didnt want to specify
exactly what day the ship was released,
as shes still in dangerous waters.
Hijackings by Somali pirates have
signicantly reduced in the last couple
of years because many ships now
carry armed guards and there is an
international naval armada that carries
out onshore raids. In 2010, pirates seized
47 vessels, so far this year theyve taken
ve, a decrease that could signify that
the scourge is ending, though experts say
it is too early to declare victory.
Pirates still hold six ships and 156
crew members. At the height of Somali
piracy, pirates held more than 30 ships
and 600 hostages at a time.
The overwhelming majority of
hostages have been sailors on merchant
ships, though European families have
also been seized while traveling in
the dangerous coastal waters. Four
Americans were killed in February 2011
when the pirates who boarded their
ship apparently became trigger-happy
because of nearby US warships.
For the pirates, the risks of being
arrested, killed or lost at sea are
overshadowed by the potential for huge
payouts. Ransoms for large ships in
recent years have averaged close to $5
million. The largest reported ransom
was $11 million for the Greek oil tanker
MV Irene SL last year.
The ransoms are often air-dropped
down to hijacked ships.
Somalia has been mired in conict
since longtime dictator Siad Barre was
overthrown by warlords in 1991 who
then turned on each other.
Somalias inland conict has helped
piracy ourish on the waters off the horn
of Africa. With AP
By Francisco Tuyay
THE San Juan City police have
arrested two men and woman who
are believed to be the ones who
lobbed a grenade at the ofce of a real
estate rm in front of the Greenhills
Arcade on Ortigas Avenue early on
Saturday.
The three, all employees of real
estate rm LK Global Holdings
Corp., were identied as Michael
Anthony Asinas, Roberto Marquez
and Kristel Lugtu who were arrested
in Bulacan after they allegedly
threw a grenade in front of the
realty rms ofce at Bonaventure
Plaza around 1:15 a.m. Saturday.
Eastern Police Director Chief
Superintendent Miguel Laurel said
the suspects are still being questioned,
but the police believe they threw the
grenade due to vengeance after the
company led charges of qualied
theft against them.
San Juan City Police Chief Senior
Supt. Rainier Espina said the company
led the charges last April because
the three employees allegedly failed
to remit to the rm some P20 million
in mortgage payments from their
clients.
A security guard watches over the blast site at Bonaventure Plaza. MANNY PALMERO
POPE Benedict XVI has appointed a
new bishop for the Diocese of Laoag
in Ilocos Norte which has been vacant
since August 2011.
The Pope named Lingayen-Dagupan
Auxiliary Bishop Renato Mayugba to
the post which was last occupied by
Archbishop Sergio Utleg who was
appointed to head the Archdiocese of
Tuguegarao in June 2011.
The 56-year
old bishop
was born
De c e mb e r
4, 1955. He
entered the
p r i e s t h o o d
on April 25,
1981. His
e p i s c o p a l
o r d i n a t i o n
was on
December 27,
2005.
No date yet has been set for the
installation of the new bishop of Laoag
with around half-a-million Catholics.
Meanwhile, Infanta Bishop Rolando
Tirona, 66, will be ofcially installed
as the new archbishop of Caceres at
the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint
John the Evangelist in Naga City on
Nov. 14.
Last Sept, 8. Pope Benedict XVI
appointed Tirona to take over the
archdiocese from retired Archbishop
Leonardo Legaspi, 76, who led
more than one million Catholics in
Camarines Sur for 28 years.
Several members of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines
and local government leaders are
expected to grace the occasion.
The archbishop-elect was born on
July 22, 1946 in Sampaloc, Manila.
In 1967, he professed as a member of
Order of Discalced Carmelites. He was
ordained a priest on April 21, 1974.
In November 1994, Pope John Paul
II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of
Manila. He was appointed Apostolic
Administrator of Malolos in January
1996. In December 1996, he was
named bishop of Malolos.
It was on June 28, 2003 when the
pope appointed him bishop of Infanta.
By Joel E. Zurbano
ELECTIONS Commissioner Sixto
Brillantes Jr. is toying with a novel idea
that may just deter nutcases from ling
nuisance candidacies that waste the
governments time, effort and money.
Brillantes oated the proposal a day
after the Commission on Elections
disqualied three underaged senatorial
candidates and summoned 57 others
to a hearing on October 18 and 19 that
will determine the legitimacy of their
candidacies for the Senate.
Brillantes said he is thinking about
requiring candidates running in future
elections to pay a bond before they are
allowed to run for ofce.
Maybe a P1 million bond will be
enough. Maybe that will remove the
noisy ones, the elections chief said,
adding that the one of the terms of the
bond can be a xed number of votes.
If they dont get number of votes,
they will forfeit the bond. If they get it,
that will certainly mean they are not a
nuisance candidate. This will prevent
the nuisance candidates, he said.
But Brillantes reiterated that he was
still thinking about the idea and it can
no longer be applied for next years
elections.
He also rejected suggestions to charge
a ling fee from candidates registering
their election bids.
We cannot charge candidates.
Running for public ofce is a matter
of right. You cannot prevent anybody.
If we start charging people, we will get
sued. Anybody who is qualied can run
and le a COC, he said.
So far, Brillantes said only 27 of the
84 candidates for senator are qualied to
run in the May 13, 2013 mid term polls.
Twenty-one of the candidates
belonged to President Benigno Aquinos
Liberal Party and Vice President Jejomar
Binays United Nationalists Alliance.
The senatorial candidates of Liberal
Party are incumbent Senators Loren
Legarda, Francis Escudero, Aquilino
Pimentel III, Alan Peter Cayetano, and
Antonio Trillanes IV; Congressmen Juan
Edgardo Angara and Cynthia Villar;
former senators Ramon Magsaysay
Jr. and Jamby Madrigal; losing 2010
senatorial bet Risa Hontiveros; Paolo
Aquino IV and Grace Poe-Llamenzares.
The UNA senatorial candidates are
incumbent senator Gregorio Honasan;
incumbent congressmen Juan Ponce
Enrile Jr., Maria Milagros Magsaysay
and Joseph Victor Ejercito; former
senators Richard Gordon, Juan Miguel
Zubiri and Ernesto Maceda; Margarita
Cojuangco and Nancy Binay.
The other qualied candidates are
incumbent Bayan Muna party list Rep.
Teddy Casino, 2010 losing presidential
bet John Carlos delos Reyes, Marwil
Llasos, Rizalito David, Palawan City
Mayor Edward Hagedorn and retired
Gen. Ramon Montano.
The commission issued Resolution
9540 resolving to give due course to
the certicates of candidacy of the said
candidates, but Comelec spokesman
James Jimenez claried that the list is
not yet ofcial because the commission
is still accepting motions to disqualify.
Visiting daddy. In celebration of National Childrens Month, the Navy allowed the children of the ofcers and crew of the BRP Gen. Mariano Alvarez to visit their fathers
and tour one of the countrys patrol boats while docked at Sangely Point in Cavite City. DANNY PATA.
By Francisco Tuyay
RICKY Cadavero, the alleged leader of
the notorious Ozamiz crime syndicate,
fell into the hands of the authorities
along with his girlfriend and two
cohorts after police swooped down on
their hideout in Cavite
City on Saturday.
Cadavero, alias
Kambal, was arrested
with his girlfriend Fe
Tolentino, alias Akay,
and henchmen Randy
Maratas and Avelino
Lagata, said National
Capital Region Police
Ofce Regional Director
Leonardo Espina.
Espina said the police
operation was supervised
by Southern Police
District director Chief Superintendent
Benito Estipona in coordination with
the NCRPO and the Quezon City and
Cavite City police.
The police also seized from
Cadavero and his cohorts two
calibre .45 pistols, one .38 revolver,
assorted ammunition, 12 cell phones,
three bank passbooks and assorted
documents.
Also found in their possession were
three vehiclesMitsubishi Montero,
Toyota Innova and Honda CRV
which are believed to have been used
in several robbery
incidents in Metro
Manila and adjoining
provinces.
Estipona said they
located Cadavero from
documents that were
found in the possession
of gang members who
were arrested earlier
Gregorio Telen, alias
Alex; Antonio Espera,
alias Lamsoy; and
Ramil Espera, alias
Junjun, who were
collared on Oct. 7 and
9.
Estipona said they are still hunting-
down two other members.
Cadavero is believed to be directly
involved in 15 robberies at the Alabang
Town Center, Robinson Mall, 7/11
convenience stores, LBC outlets and
other establishments.
[email protected]
A4
Sunday
FEATURES
ManilaStandardTODAY
Edited by Roderick t. dela Cruz
PAUL Yu moved his furniture
and home decoration business
out of China in 2006 amid the
rising labor cost in what is
now the worlds second-largest
economy.
Yu, a Taiwanese citizen, chose to relocate his
operations to Cebu in the Philippines, where he
discovered a large pool of talented craftsmen and
where the salary is competitive in the region.
Today, his company, Paul-Yu Industrial Corp., is
the largest home decoration and furniture maker in
Asia and is a major player in the Philippines nearly
$2-billion woodcrafts and furniture industry.
Due to the rising production costs in China and
knowing the quality of craftsmanship of Cebuanos,
we have established ve huge factories in the
Cebu Export Processing Zone. Currently, we are
employing 1,200 Cebuanos, Yu says.
Woodcrafts and furniture is one of the fastest-
rising exports of the Philippines, keeping the
export sector in the growth territory, despite the
slump in electronics, traditionally the countrys
main export.
The National Statistics Ofce says sales of
woodcrafts and furniture abroad surged 57 percent
to $1.8 billion in 2011. This further increased 15.1
percent to $1.4 billion in the rst eight months of
2012, and on track to breach $2 billion this year.
In August alone, woodcrafts and furniture
exports became the countrys second top export
(next to electronics), rising 23.9 percent to
$205.7 million, on the back of a 50-percent
increase in volume.
Paul Yu Industrial Corp. exports all of its products
such as furniture, decorative lamps, chandeliers,
mirrors, screens, decorative lanterns, window
blinds, home decorative items and other products
to more than 82 countries, mostly in Europe,
North America, South America, the Middle East,
Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Yu says his company sources materials of
over 10,000 kinds from all over the world. His
materials include paper, wood, foliage, stone,
rattan, seashell, copper, iron, ceramic, PVC, poly
resin, glass, bamboo, cloth and many others.
We source our materials from countries where
they originate. Such approach enables our designers
to render ethnic, exotic themes and tastes in our
lamps. For instance, we get botanic paper and coco
bark from the Philippines and cotton paper from
Taiwan, says Yu.
The companys ve factories at the Mactan
Export Processing Zone in Lapu Lapu City cover a
total production area of 35,000 square meters.
Yu adopts a strategy focused on quality than on
price. He admits that despite being the largest in
its industry, his company had to deal with a lot
of challenges before making it big. For design
perspectives, we remind ourselves to be six to 12
months ahead of our competitors, he says.
However for price war, we learn to not be
seriously involved since based on experience, our
customers might buy from the very cheap vendors
once or twice, but they all come back to us since
these cheap vendors lack the quality and design that
we offer and the necessary certicates or the inability
to the production specications, Yu adds..
Yu says to gain more exposure, his company is
BOOSTS CEBU
ECONOMY
Asias largest
furniture maker
joining the 56
th
edition of Manila Furnishings and
Apparel Merchandise ExchangeAsias design
and lifestyle event which will highlight the Filipino
artisans and their craftsmanship this month.
The Center for International Trade Expositions and
Missions, the export marketing authority of the Trade
Department, will hold Manila Fame 2012 at the SMX
Convention Center in Pasay City on Oct. 17 to 20.
Manila Fame, conceptualized originally as
an event to showcase the products of design-
driven entrepreneurs wanting to have exposure
in the international market, has been expanded
to accommodate not only small and medium
entrepreneurs but even big companies such as
Paul-Yu Industrial Corp.
This is the rst time for Paul-Yu Industrial Corp.
to join Manila Fame. Aside from the fact that some
of our existing big accounts go to visit this show,
we would like to show our new products and meet
new international buyers through the event, says
Yu. The Philippines domestic market is also very
attractive. We would like to test product acceptance
and market trend by meeting local buyers.
Yu says his company is joining the event to source
for new designs as top management and designers
attend shows, visit customers stores, listen to
corporate buyers and product managers, and take
suggestions from the sales people in the stores.
Venturing in Manila Fame is a new experience
to Paul-Yu, although it has attended several
international shows including Hong Kong
International Lighting Show, Hong Kong
Houseware Fair, Tendence in Frankfurt, Ambiente
in Frankfurt, Las Vegas Furniture Show and
Singapore Furniture Show.
For us, Manila Fame has remarkable exhibitors.
Participating in this event will open another
window for our business, says Yu.
He says Citem has been supportive in the
choice of their products and in a subsidizing their
participation.
Paul-Yu is just one of the many manufacturers of
creative and innovative furniture and furnishings,
holiday gifts and fashion products that will be
participating in Manila Fame. For more information,
visit www.manilafame.com or subscribe at www.
manilafame.wordpress.com. RTD
WITHIN just ve years, multi-brand family
footwear boutique Res|Toe|Run created a network
of more than two dozen restaurant-themed shoe
stores that elevated the shoe shopping experience
in the country.
Res|Toe|Run brand manager Joy Austria says the
company is embarking on an aggressive nationwide
expansion program not only in Metro Manila but
also in the provinces.
The plan, she says, is to expand to a 30-store
network by the end of the year. To date, Res|Toe|Run
has 26 stores, including the newly opened three
provincial doors in Baguio Techno Hub Camp John
Hay; Robinsons Calasiao, Pangasinan; Harbor
Point, Subic; and two Metro Manila outlets located
in Robinsons Place Magnolia, Quezon City and
Lucky China Town Mall, Binondo.
The expansion pace is set to continue at a rapid
rate with the slated opening of three more outlets in
Cavite, Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod, she says.
Austria says in addition to its local expansion
efforts, Primer Group, the mother unit of
Res|Toe|Run also opened its rst international
agship store at Paradigm Mall in Malaysia
recently.
To support its growth targets, the company
imposed new marketing strategies, including
additional manpower, expanded product lines
and setting up of distribution channels to hasten
delivery of services and maintain the stores
shopping experience.
The expansion, according to Austria, allows the
company to create more jobs and to fully introduce
locally its wide array of globally known, hard-to-
Footwear boutique
elevates shoe shopping
experience
nd premium imported footwear brands which
include Shulong, Espadrij, Gourmet, Bandals,
Kickers, Quiksilver, The North Face, Columbia,
Salomon, Bandals, Boxfresh, Native, Tretorn,
Ellesse, Zem, Roxy, DC, Flipsters, Fitop, B-sided,
Kruzin and Sanuk.
People look for footwear that perfectly suits
their lifestyle and this is where Res|Toe|Run comes
in. The locals are very excited about the concept,
the look and the brands offered in Res|Toe|Run.
The sneakers and sandals are the most commonly
top footwear that sells, she says.
Currently, we are strengthening our ladies
collection of footwear brands since this is where we see
an opportunity. We will provide for them new brands,
like Free Fish and Marie Claire, along with styles that
will cater to their shoe cravings and wants. This will
certainly make Res|Toe|Run the ultimate destination to
satisfy their shoe cravings, Austria says.
To maintain a consistent image, all Res|Toe|Run
outlets both local and abroad maintain the
casual environment which customers have been
accustomed to.
All Res|Toe|Run doors have the caf setup
look and ambiance. Of course, we make it a point
to include in the design of the store products or
anything that a particular place, for instance the
province, is known for. This way, we still create
authenticity and originality for the customers to
shop, Austria says.
Res|Toe|Run is the countrys rst and only
restaurant-inspired boutique that elevates shoe
shopping standards by innovating itself as a
delectable one-stop destination for footwear
acionados of all ages.
It was named after the three major footwear
categories it offers: Res (which represents casual
footwear); Toe (composed of toe-aunting sandals
and ip-ops) and Run (which is made up of
athletic and athlete-inspired footwear).
Other Res|Toe|Run outlets are located in
Ayala-Trinoma, Glorietta 4, Podium, Gateway
Mall, Festival Mall, Alabang Town Center, Ayala
Marquee Mall, Ayala Cebu, Robinsons Galleria,
Robinsons Ermita, Robinsons Place Ilocos Norte,
Robinsons Place Palawan, Robinsons Dumaguete,
Robinsons Gensan, Robinsons Tacloban, Market!
Market, Avenue Square Naga, Embarcadero
Legazpi City, Ayala Abreeza Davao and Solenad 2
Nuvali in Laguna.
aspiring to venture into the industry as well
as to those already into the business,
he says.
Recently, Buhay Panadero
ended its programming on
air, but Chavez says another
group of bakers is planning to
revive it sooner or later.
Tinapayan Festival is a
known participant in a Trade
Depar t ment - l ed
program of
launching
generic bread
products that are
affordablethe Pinoy Tasty and
Pinoy Pandesal.
Pinoy Tasty was launched in 2011 followed by Pinoy
Pandesal later on. Compared to the branded loaves priced
at P58, Pinoy Tasty costs P38.50 while Pinoy Pandesal is
sold at P23 per pack of 10.
Pinoy Tasty now accounts for 10
percent of our total production.
Consumers buy it because
it is a lot cheaper
compared to the
branded ones.
The taste is
good
and
s o
is the
quality, he says.
Chavez also serves
as the vice president of
Philippine Federation
of Bakers Association
Inc., an organization
of community bakers
nationwide. He says
even with the influx of
cheaper imported flour in the
local market, his business would
always patronize locally-milled ones.
Its for the plain reason of not sacricing the quality
of our products. When you have proven the qualify of a
certain product, why switch to others, he says.
Future plans
Chavez remains bullish about the future,
saying one advantage of bread over other food
items is that it can be eaten anywhere, anytime
of the day without much preparation.
This business becomes more protable
during holidays, especially the Christmas
season. All these years, I have also observed
that people tend to eat more during rainy and
cold seasons. And we take advantage of that.
As much as we want to go also on vacation,
we cant do that because sayang ang benta,
Chavez says.
He says after the planned expansion in
Metro Manila is put in place, he wants
to establish another business in Cuenca,
Batangas to help his province mates as
well.
As Christmas season is fast approaching,
Chavez assures the public that barring any
untoward incident, there will be no increase
in bread prices. He says prices of basic
ingredients such as our, egg and sugar
are stable at the moment while the cost of
liqueed petroleum gas is also steady.
He says all his successes were achieved due
to frugality, hard work and perseverance. He
says he will always be grateful to his parents
for teaching him those traits.
[email protected]
A5
Sunday
FEATURES
ManilaStandardTODAY
By Julito G. Rada
LUCITO Chavez, the
man behind the successful
Tinapayan Festival
Bakeshoppe, learned the
importance of hard work,
frugality and perseverance
from his parents when he
was still a child in Cuenca,
Batangas.
Tinapayan Festival, now one of the best known
bakeshops, is located just a stones throw away
from the University of Santo Tomas in the populous
district of Sampaloc, Manila.
At an early age, although I am the only child,
my parents taught me how to persevere and work
hard. At age nine, I was already helping them, doing
different chores in our Caltex gasoline station in
Cuenca, Chavez says.
He says back in the 1960s, the town of Cuenca
was already considered as the home of the best
bakers in Batangas. But Chito, as he is known to
his friends and relatives, never thought of engaging
in bakery business someday.
That changed when he was about to take the nal
exams during his last year in college as a Psychology
student. My father died at a very young age of 57
and I was forced to inherit the management of our
poultry farm and gasoline station, he says.
He says later on, they decided to put up a small
bakery. My investment was just P17,000. I was
still single then. My mother was apprehensive at
rst, thinking that I could not feed my own family
when I get married by just selling bread, he says.
At rst, it was just gaya-gaya, some kind
of a trial, thinking that our small bakery would
be successful just like the other ones in our
neighborhood, he says. He soon discovered the
bakery business was not as easy as he thought
it would be, because his baking skills were not
enough and he needed to look for other locations
where not only pan de sal could be sold.
It was in 1996 when they decided to sell their
bakery shop and gasoline station in Cuenca
and used the money to put up another bakery in
Sampaloc. The exact location is 1650 Dapitan
corner Don Quijote Street.
The original name of our bakery was New
Fame Bakery. But I eventually changed it to
Tinapayan Festival, in honor of the bakers of
Cuenca, Batangas, he says.
This time, Chavez says he had formal baking
lessons.
The very rst product of Tinapayan was
brownies because I thought students would
patronize it as we are near UST, he says. Later on,
they added monay, ensaymada, cheese roll, cheese
loaves, ube loaves, mongo loaves, pacencia, pan
de coco, and pianono to their shelves, all of which
can be bought and ordered in bulk.
With relatives as his rst employees, he says
it was hard for us because we were just leasing
the place, not to mention the different problems in
marketing and distribution.
I also had to be there in our daily operations,
ensuring that proper baking processes should be
observed, and packaging and distribution should
always be on time, he says.
His perseverance and hard work soon paid off,
enabling him to buy their rented place after just 11
months in operation. Subsequently, he was able to
buy properties in Batangas.
Ingredients for success
I can say that what I have achieved can
be attributed to sipag [hard work] and tiyaga
[perseverance]. At the beginning, despite the fact
that I lacked the proper baking skills, I exerted all
efforts to learn, he says.
Chavez says currently, aside from UST, among
their clients are a chain of restaurants, hotels and
schools in Metro Manila.
Tinapayan recently had its second distribution
outlet in Market! Market! in Taguig. My wife
and I are now planning to expand in Metro
Manila, scouting possible locations in Pasig,
he says.
Chavez says despite the fact he can now delegate
duties to his staff, he makes sure he is present to
monitor every aspect of the business.
What I have learned all these years is that you
should be focused on your business. Besides, I
really like what I am doing and I love to taste our
products. Even my wife and children also take part
in running our business, Chavez says.
Chito got married late. He now has three
childrentwo boys and a girl.
During school vacations, I require them to
devote three to four hours of their time daily to our
bakeshop, he says.
Giving back to the community
Chito previously had a radio program on baking
called Buhay Panadero. He says among the
constant guests at the program are people who
also became successful in the baking industry.
One of them is Jun Umali, the general manager of
Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc.
What we discussed there were issues affecting
the industry. We also tackled the latest baking
technologies. Its a good way of sharing our
knowledge and different techniques to those
Tinapayan Festival baker
shares secret ingredients to success
By Othel V. Campos
VEGETABLE farmers aim to revive shallot export
to lost markets in Asia to encourage production of
the so-called sibuyas tagalog.
With the assistance from the government,
we are hoping that shallot export will be back
to 100 container vans per week. But well be
greatly relieved if exports will reach as much as
50 container vans per week. Thats what we hope
in 2013, Vegetable Importers and Exporters
Association president Leah Cruz says in an
interview.
Traditionally, shallot farmers export their produce
to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Exports, however, dipped starting in 2006, after
importing countries imposed stringent standards
on vegetables.
Indonesia, in particular, imposed stricter rules
on good agricultural production or GAP methods,
banning the use of certain fertilizers and pesticides
the Filipino farmers are still using.
As of September 2012, shallot exports amounted
to just 5,200 metric tons, down by 63 percent from
14,222 MT in 2011.
Amid the slump in demand, farmers were forced
to sell at a loss, averaging as much as P25 per
kilogram from as high as 80 per kilo in the past.
Farmers and traders alike expect as much as
P723 million in lost opportunities in 2012. Export
revenues from shallot exports in 2011 amounted
to P853 million, but this fell to P130 million as of
September this year.
Cruz says the Agriculture Department offered
assistance to shallot farmers to improve their
farming methods and increase yield in preparation
for the revival of exports to traditional markets and
possibly, expand to other foreign destinations.
The DA has trained us on good farming practices
which we are now sharing to shallot farmers
nationwide, she says.
The governments High Value Crop Development
Program, which conducted a study on the shallot
industry, says the productivity of shallot producers
can be improved through the application of
scientic methods of farming, subsidized seedlings
and farm inputs as well as the expansion of areas
planted to shallots.
Shallots are traditionally planted in areas in
Ilocos provinces, Zambales, Pangasinan, Mindoro
and Nueva Vizcaya. Newly-planted areas are in
Batanes and even within the New Bilibid Prison in
Muntinlupa City.
Cruz says the Bureau of Plant Industry is taking
the necessary steps to speed up and expedite the
process of exportation of shallots at the least
cost.
Farmers aim to revive
sibuyas tagalog exports
IF I won the lottery I would open a cof-
fee shop for writers, where writers can
caffeinate and dream and write in peace-
ful and aesthetically pleasing surround-
ings, with food and coffee on demand.
It will open its doors at 10 oclock in
the morning, a perfect time for having a
cup of coffee and an ensaymada while
reading the days newspapers and the
latest magazines, before segueing on to
a lunch of pasta and sandwiches.
If you want something hot and hearty,
you can have a bowl of soup, in the
Campbells avors we loved as children
clam chowder, cream of mushroom,
minestronebut made from scratch.
None of the food served at this caf
will come from cans, but from farmers
markets, certied organic farms, and
friends backyard plots. Herbs will be
grown in pots on the window sills and
the cook will pull off a leaf or two from
the growing plants to add to a bubbling
stew or to garnish a dish of carbonara.
The vegetables will be brought into
the kitchen fresh from harvest, dirt still
clinging to the roots, to make satisfy-
ing, earthy dishes that will ground you
even as they ll you up to set you free
to think.
After your meal, you can settle down
to write, with a potful of brewed Ben-
guet arabica or Batangas liberica coffee
by your side and your choice of dessert
beside it. Waiters will only murmur gen-
tly when they take your order, so as not
to become a distraction or annoyance,
and then leave you alone, not to disturb
you again except when you summon
them to rell the coffee pot or bring you
another slice of deep dish apple pie red-
olent of cinnamon and nutmeg.
The waiters will never ask you to
leave, even if its late. The manager
will merely dim the lights gradually as
a signal for closing time, which is at two
oclock in the morning, because many
writers are more productive at night and
the wee hours. There are fewer interrup-
tions thenphone calls, meetings, and
excited people rushing up to you to gab
about one thing or another, that may or
may not be interesting. Usually its not.
There will be free wi- with the stron-
gest possible signal obtainable, and
plentiful sockets for Macs and netbooks
and mobile phone chargers and tablets
inset along the baseboards and on the
oor. The password for the wi will
change everyday: nickjoaquin, long-
form, and butterscotch will be some
of them. Because the owner is a writer
and knows a great many words, no pass-
word will ever be used twice.
For those who prefer to write in long-
hand, bottles of Waterman ink in blue-
black and South Sea blue (a lovely
turquoise) will be offered on a tray to
rell their personal fountain pens, on
the house. Other inks of different brands
and vintagesJ. Herbin, Diamine, Pi-
lot Iroshizuku, Private Reserve, Sailor,
Noodlerswill be listed on a special
menu, like ne wines. Notebooks with
guaranteed fountain-pen friendly paper
will be offered on the menus reverse
sideClarefontaine, Rhodia, Daycraft,
Green Apple and more. There will be
house postcards, if you want to send a
friend a note, and the waiters will, at
your request, arranged to have your let-
ters posted.
Regulars will have reserved spaces in qui-
et corners. My friends will have their own
personal chairs with engraved brass name-
plates afxed to the backs, and no one else
would be allowed to use those chairs.
There will be a few paintings and
framed photographs, but most of the space
will be taken up with books on shelves,
oor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall. Anyone
may read the books on the premises, and,
in the manner of a circulating library on
the honor system, take them away, and
bring them back or replace them others of
their own that they want to share.
Inside shadow boxes on the wall or
forming the tops of tables, there will be
memorabilia from writersperhaps one
of Butch Dalisays baseball caps, or Jing
Hidalgos purse, maybe a book of poetry
by Gemino Abad, with the poets anno-
tations in the margins.
At six oclock every night, the place
will turn into a bar, with beer and nuts
and sizzling sisig, so that writers so in-
clined may get drunk and maudlin and
reminisce about the good old days, or
throw around new ideas and hatch artis-
tic collaborations, as they are so moved.
On weekend nights there will be po-
etry and book readings and open-mic
nights. Anything goesyou may strum
the guitar, sing the blues, perform stand-
up comedyin the name of freedom of
artistic expression.
A dream coffee-shop? A sanctuary
of the mind? Whos to say it cannot
come true?
I will buy a lottery ticket tomorrow.
* * *
Email: [email protected], Blog: http://
jennyo.net, Facebook: Gogirl Caf,
Twitter: @jennyortuoste
They almost got
away with it
EDITORIAL
Coming of age
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A6
Sunday
OPINION
ManilaStandardTODAY
WE LINED up at the box of-
ce weighing our options. No
one was in the mood to watch
yet another movie about yet
another kerida even if local
entertainment industrys most
popular couple was in it. I
know having a mistress is con-
sidered normal in these parts,
but how many movies about
extramarital affairs do we have
to produce every year? The
Other Woman made a killing
at the tills just a few months
ago and yet another movie
involving a romantic rigodon
de honor, A Secret Affair, is
about to hit local theaters in a
few days. Be-
sides, weve
been told that
the kerida in
this particular
movie didnt
have fangs
and therefore
didnt be-
have badly.
The Mistress
didnt feature
a strip off contest, so wheres
the fun in that?
Most of us were burned by
the latest Bourne movie so no
one was in the mood for yet
another movie about yet an-
other spy/assassin who lost his
memory. Besides, someone in
our group quipped that he al-
ready had his ll of amnesiac
characters from local soap op-
eras anyway. So we passed on
Taken 2, as well.
A cartoon, a horror movie,
and The Perks of Being a Wall-
ower were our other choices.
The Perks of Being a Wall-
ower had Hermione Granger,
err, Emma Watson in it. Plus
it was the movie version of a
bestselling book which some
of us have read. Its a coming-
of-age story narrated through
letters written to an unidenti-
ed person by a freshman high
school student going through a
harrowing stage in his life. The
book tackled suicide, bullying,
drug use, violence, homosexu-
ality, depression, incest, and
ultimately, redemption. So we
ducked into the cinema and
prepared for the worst.
However, the fact that author
Stephen Chbosky also directed
the lm caused some trepida-
tion. Very few books are trans-
ferable to the big screen; The
Perks of Being a Wallower,
which is brooding and often
times rambling, seemed one of
them. Authors who direct lm
versions of their books also
tend to become either over-
zealous of their work to the
point of ridiculous redundancy
or tend to lm a com-
pletely different version
of the story as if doing
so will correct the aws
in the book. Fortunately,
Chbosky does a good
translation. The Perks of
Being a Wallower, the
movie, is a good interpretation
of the book. It is faithful to the
spirit of the book but allows
for some rework to adjust the
story to a different medium.
Heres my review of the
movie: Its fairly okay. Its
not Oscar material, but its not
a total waste of money either.
Some of my students raved
about the movie so I guess the
age factor is relevant (its just
difcult to empathize with the
concerns of a 16-year old when
one is pushing 50). What pro-
pels the movie forward is the
great ensemble acting. The
very talented
Ezra Miller
(who plays a
gay character
in the movie)
threatens to
over s hadow
everyone else
but the direc-
tor mercifully
keeps things
at an even
keel. Watson shows some act-
ing mettle here, we would have
been bewildered if she pulled
out a wand and shouted mag-
ic spells halfway through the
movie. The movie could have
been mawkish and kitschy and
it is to the directors credit that
it doesnt descend to that level.
The book was forbidden read-
ing for high school students
supposedly because of its ma-
ture content. Of course the
ban made it more popular and
catapulted its status to becom-
ing the must-read book among
high school students. I guess
school authorities never re-
ally learn; if they didnt ban the
book it would have gone largely
ignored. My own high school
forbade us from reading Harold
Robbins books because of its
racy content; the ban effectively
created a demand for The Betsy
and The Lonely Lady. My par-
ents told me the same thing hap-
pened with Lady Chatterleys
Lover during their time.
Its futile to enforce censor-
ship in this day and age when
practically everything can be
shared quickly and easily. The
electronic version of The Perks
of Being a Wallower could be
easily downloaded in the net.
A much more proactive alter-
native to censorship is to help
students understand mature
content by providing a suitable
context. The best form of pro-
tection is to empower minds so
that students can reject or ab-
sorb information based on ob-
jective and critical appraisal of
facts rather than hearsay.
BONG C.
AUSTERO
ARE WE THERE YET?
On censorship
and The Perks
of Being a
Wallower
THOUSANDS of consumers were
shocked this month upon seeing a no-
tice from Meralcothe lone power
distributor in Metro Manilasaying
they must cough up their bill deposit by
a certain date. Failing to do so would
amount to a disconnection.
According to Meralco, the bill de-
posit is based on the difference be-
tween estimated consumption and the
average monthly bill.
This explanation is lost on millions of
Meralco customers who already have a
difcult time meeting their electricity
bills. After all, Manilas rates are the
highest for an Asian city, according to a
report by the Japan External Trade Or-
ganization, at $0.23 per kilowatt hour.
Disconnection notices are not uncom-
mon. Many get their services cut upon
failure to pay after a number of days.
This credit standing was apparent-
ly a factor in determining who should
pay the deposits rst. It virtually en-
sured that those required to pay are
exactly those who have trouble paying
their obligations on time.
The resulting public opposition
prompted the Energy Regulatory Com-
mission to summon Meralco and have
it explain the collection of the new
rates. Meralco then offered to postpone
the collection to January next year, and
spread the amount over 12 months to
help ease the burden on consumers.
This is not an offer the public should
be thankful for. Imagine what could
have happened had consumers chosen
to suffer in silence and struggled to pay
for fear of getting cut off.
The ERC says the bill deposit is
justied exactly how, nobody but
Meralco really knows.
A group of consumers has denounced
the bill deposit as arbitrary and illegal,
and they have not yet been proven wrong.
Electricity consumers are held hos-
tage by Meralcos antics because it
monopolizes the power distribution in-
dustry in Metro Manila. This however
must not embolden the company to im-
pose additional burden on the hapless
Filipino consumer. It is a public utility,
rst and foremost.
The government, for its part, must
take a more active role in ensuring pub-
lic welfare instead of waiting for com-
plaints from aggrieved consumers. If
not, ordinary citizens would be denied
powerelectricity and voice, both.
JENNY
ORTUOSTE
POP GOES THE WORLD
[email protected]
A7
Sunday
FOREIGN
ManilaStandardTODAY
Asian stocks
post decline
since August
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Public Works and Highways
DAVAO ORIENTAL FIRST DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Baganga, Davao Oriental
Region XI
INVITATION TO BID
(MST-Oct. 14, 2012)
The DPWH Davao Oriental First District Engineering Offce, through its Bids and
Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to apply to bid for the following
project:
1. Contract ID : 12LF0027
Contract Name : Rehabilitation of Dapnan Bridge along Surigao
del Sur Bdry.-Davao Oriental Coastal Road
Contract Location : Baganga, Davao Oriental
Brief Description : 22.08l.m Asphaltic Plug Joint (Expansion
Joint, Type-AL) Replacement of 8pcs.-Bearing
Pad, 662 sq.m. Bituminous Concrete Surface
Course, Hot Laid
Approved Budget for
The Contract (ABC) : Php5,000,000.00
Contract Duration : 48 Calendar Days
Source of Funds : CY 2013 Regular Infra
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised
IRR of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically
rejected at the opening of bid.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must purchase bid documents and must
meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with the 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 10% of ABC. The BAC will
use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary
examination of bids.
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration
to the DPWH POCW Central Offce before the deadline for the receipt of LOIs.
The DPWH POCW Central Offce will only process contractors application for
registration with complete requirements and issue the Contractors Certifcate
of Registration (CRC). Registration forms may be downloaded at the DPWH
website www.dpwh.gov.ph.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents October 13, 2012 to November 5, 2012
2. Pre-Bid Conference October 25, 2012 @ 10:00a.m
3. Deadline Receipt of Bids November 5, 2012 until 9:00a.m
4. Opening of Bids November 5, 2012 until 2:15 p.m
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at BAC Secretariat,
DPWH Davao Oriental First District Engineering Offce, Baganga, Davao
Oriental, upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Php5,000.00 (BDs Fee).
Prospective bidders may also download the BDs from the DPWH website,
if available. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH
website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bids
documents. The Pre-Bid Conference shall be open to all interested bidders.
Bids must accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form,
as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed in
the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The frst
envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid which shall include a
copy of the CRC. The second envelope shall contain the fnancial component of
the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as
determined in the bid evaluation and post qualifcation. Only the Prospective
Bidders or their duly authorized representatives as indicated in the CRC
will submit BDs.
The DPWH Davao Oriental First District Engineering Offce reserves the right
to accept or reject any bid, and to annul the bidding process anytime before
contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s.
Approved By :
(Sgd.) ALBERTO L. CAINGHOG
Asst. District Engineer
Chairman, BAC
DEPARTmENT OF PuBLIC WORkS AND HIGHWAYS
Negros Oriental 3
rd
District Engineering Offce
Siaton, Negros Oriental
INVITATION TO BID
(MST-Oct. 14, 2012)
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the DPWH, Negros Oriental
3
rd
District Engineering Offce, Siaton, Negros Oriental, through the Proposed
FY 2013 DPWH Infrastructure Program invites contractors to bid for the
aforementioned project(s):

1. Contract ID: 12HL0028
Contract Name: Road Upgrading (Gravel to Paved) based on HDM-4
Project Analysis
(Intermittent Sections)
Contract Location: Sta. Catalina Pamplona Tanjay City
1) K0065+400-K0067+(-295)/K0066+570-K0067+097/
2) K0067+(-014)-K0067+(097)/K0067+097-K0068+100/
3) K0071+000-K0071+321/K0071+262-K0070+660/
Scope of Works: Concrete Paving
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php49,000,000.00
Contract Duration: One hundred twenty (120) Calendar Days

The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with
the Revised IRR of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be
automatically rejected at the opening of bid.

To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI),
purchased bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior
registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership,
corporation, cooperative, or joint venture, (c) with PCAB license applicable to
the type and cost of this contract, (d) completion of a similar contract costing at
least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting
Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment at least equal to 10%
of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility
check and preliminary examination of bids.

Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for
registration to the DPWH Central Procurement Offce (CPO) before the deadline
for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH Central Procurement Offce (CPO) will only
process contractors applications for registration with complete requirements
and issue the Contractors Certifcate of Registration (CRC). Registration
Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph.

The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown
below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents October 11, 2012 to October 30, 2012
until 9:30 AM.
2. Pre-Bid Conference 2:00 PM, October 18, 2012
3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from
Prospective Bidders
Until 2:00 P.M. on October 25, 2012
4. Receipt of Bids Deadline: 10:00 AM., October 30, 2012
5. Opening of Bids 10:30 AM., October 30, 2012
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at Negros
Oriental 3rd District Engineering Offce, Siaton, Negros Oriental upon payment
of a non-refundable fee of Php20,000.00 per set. Prospective bidders may also
download the BDs from the DPWH website, if available. Prospective bidders
that will download the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on
or before the submission of their bids Documents. The Pre-Bid Conference
shall be open only to interested parties who have purchased the BDs. Bids
must accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as
stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.

Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed
in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman.
The frst envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall
include a copy of the CRC. The second envelope shall contain the fnancial
component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest calculated
Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and post-qualifcation.

The DPWH, Negros Oriental 3
rd
District Engineering Offce reserves the
right to accept or reject any or all bid, to annul the bidding process anytime
before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s.

Approved by:
(Sgd.) VIRGINIA C. CATIPAY
BAC Chairman

Noted by:

(Sgd.) ARAmIS E. TORREFRANCA
District Engineer
Annex "A"
Toyota Motor Corp., Asias largest car-
maker by market value, dropped 3.7 per-
cent after reporting its biggest drop in China
sales since at least 2008. Hutchison Wham-
poa Ltd., an operator of ports and telephone
companies which gets 55 percent of sales
in Europe, slid 1.2 percent. Softbank Corp.
plunged 21 percent, the biggest slide since
October 2008, after Japans third-biggest
phone operator said its in talks to invest in
loss-making Sprint Nextel Corp.
The MSCI Asia Pacic Index lost 1.5
percent to 120.78 this past week, the big-
gest weekly drop since the nal week of
August. The IMF cut its global growth
forecast, Japanese car sales fell in China
and Spains debt rating was lowered two
levels to BBB- from BBB+, citing mount-
ing economic and political risks.
We are clearly seeing the impact of a
Chinese slowdown globally, said Nader
Naeimi, Sydney-based head of dynamic
asset allocation at AMP Capital Investors
Ltd., which manages almost $100 billion.
Equity markets have had a very strong
run, so it wont be surprising if they go
through some correction. In a sense, actu-
ally a correction will be healthy.
The MSCI Asia Pacic Index has gained
6.1 percent this year as central banks in Eu-
rope, the U.S., Japan and China added stim-
ulus measures to counter a global economic
slowdown and the European debt crisis.
The Asian benchmark traded at 12.78 times
estimated earnings on average, compared
with 13.61 times for the Standard & Poors
500 Index and 11.96 times for the Stoxx Eu-
rope 600 Index.
Japan Crisis
Japans Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell
3.7 percent, its biggest weekly decline
since May. Japans Economy Minister Seiji
Maehara said he has a sense of crisis as
the government downgraded its economic
assessment for a third month, the longest
streak since the 2009 global recession.
The biggest declines in more than a
year for Fast Retailing Co. and Soft-
bank dragged the Nikkei 225 Stock
Average to its fourth day of declines
Oct. 12. Without those two companies,
the benchmark gauge would have risen
1.4 percent yesterday, according to data
compiled by Bloomberg.
Japan and China agreed to hold talks
over a territorial dispute that has disrupt-
ed trade and resulted in a slump in China
sales for Toyota, Nissan Motor Co. and
Honda Motor Co. last month. No date has
been set for the vice-ministerial level dis-
cussions, Japans foreign ministry said.
Australias S&P/ASX 200 Index rose
0.4 percent. Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index
gained 0.6 percent, while Chinas Shanghai
Composite Index advanced 0.9 percent. South
Koreas Kospi Index slipped 3.1 percent.
Singapore Policy
Singapores Straits Times Index re-
treated 2.1 percent for its biggest weekly
decline since May. The countrys central
bank unexpectedly refrained from easing
monetary policy even as the economy
contracted last quarter, saying ination
will remain elevated for some time.
Toyota and Honda reported China sales
plunged after rioters torched dealerships
and smashed cars in protests sparked by
the territorial dispute. Japanese auto brands
may lose their market- share lead in the
country for the rst time since 2005, ac-
cording to data from the China Passenger
Car Association. Toyota lost 3.7 percent to
2,934 yen, while Honda dropped 3.5 per-
cent to 2,338 yen. Bloomberg
WASHINGTONThe US
budget decit has topped $1 tril-
lion for a fourth straight year, but
a modest improvement in eco-
nomic growth helped narrow the
gap by $207 billion compared
with last year.
The Treasury Department said
Friday the decit for the 2012
budget year totaled $1.1 trillion.
Tax revenue rose 6.4 percent from
last year to more than $2.4 trillion,
helping contain the decit.
The governments revenue
rose as more people got jobs and
received income. Corporations
also contributed more tax rev-
enue than in 2011.
Government spending fell 1.7
percent to $3.5 trillion. The decline
reected, in part, less defense spend-
ing as US military involvement in
Iraq was winding down.
Barack Obamas presidency
has now coincided with four
straight $1 trillion-plus annual
budget decitsthe rst in his-
tory and an issue in an election
campaign that ends in Nov. 6.
Obamas Republican challeng-
er, Mitt Romney, contends that
Obama failed to achieve a pledge
to halve the decit he inherited by
the end of his rst term.
When Obama took ofce in
January 2009, the Congressional
Budget Ofce forecast that the
decit for that year would total
$1.2 trillion. It ended up at a
record $1.41 trillion.
The increase was due, in part,
to higher government spend-
ing to ght the worst recession
since the Great Depression of
the 1930s Tax cuts enacted un-
der President George W. Bush
and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
contributed to the decits.
The budget gaps in 2010 and
2011 were slightly lower than
the 2009 decit as a gradually
strengthening economy generated
more tax revenue. But the decits
still exceeded $1 trillion.AP
COLUMBUS, OhioRepublican presi-
dential candidate Mitt Romney is promot-
ing newfound enthusiasm for his candida-
cy as President Barack Obama highlights
the success of American automakers in
the wake of a government bailout. Both
men are preparing for their second debate,
set for Tuesday in New York.
Obama was hunkering down Satur-
day in Virginia to go over the game
plan for the town-hall style debate
with Romney. But his weekly ofcial
radio address spoke of an industry
thats critical to Ohio, another battle-
ground state and perhaps the most im-
portant to his Republican opponents
White House hopes.
The US president is not chosen
by a nationwide popular vote but in
state-by-state contests, making bat-
tleground states like Ohiowhich
are neither reliably Republican nor
Democraticimportant in such a tight
election. Ohio is perhaps the most im-
portant of these states because no Re-
publican has lost the state and gone on
to win the White House.
We refused to throw in the towel and
do nothing. We refused to let Detroit go
bankrupt, Obama said in the address,
a transcript of which was released early
Saturday morning.
Romney opposed using government
funds to help the auto industry go through
bankruptcy. Many analysts believe the in-
dustry would not have survived if it had
relied on private investment for rescue.
Its an issue that has dogged Romney in
Ohio, where numerous auto parts suppli-
ers also beneted from the survival of the
big three automakers.
Romney is concluding a week of
campaign rallies that saw him drawing
larger, more excited crowds than he has
through the fall campaign. More than
10,000 people turned out to several ral-
lies, with the campaign saying that more
people were signing up to attend events
in the wake of Romneys strong debate
performance last week in Nevada.
Ive had the fun of going back and
forth across Ohio, and this week I was
also in Florida and Iowa, I was in North
Carolina and Virginia. And you know
what? There is a growing crescendo
of enthusiasm, Romney told a crowd
of thousands at a sunset rally Friday in
Lancaster, south of Columbus, where he
and running mate Paul Ryan appeared
together.
Saturday will be the fourth of the
last ve days Romney will spend cam-
paigning in this industrial, Midwest-
ern state critical to his hopes of win-
ning the White House. His campaign
swing comes as he and Republicans
criticize Obama for the handling of
the terrorist attack on the US Consu-
late in Benghazi, Libya.
Romney accused Vice President Joe
Biden of doubling down on denial
concerning security at the diplomatic
post where the US ambassador and three
other Americans were killed. During
the vice presidential debate Thursday,
Biden said we werent told about the
Benghazi consulates requests for addi-
tional security. Although a State Depart-
ment ofcial told Congress on Wednes-
day about the requests, the White House
said Friday that Biden was speaking just
for himself and for the president.
The vice president directly contra-
dicted the sworn testimony of State De-
partment ofcials, said Romney, who
was eager to stoke a controversy that
has ared periodically since the attack.
American citizens have a right to know
just whats going on. And were going
to nd out. AP
President Barack Obama is shown speaking at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in this le photo. Analysts say its
more than the President Obamas lackluster debate performance that has some Democrats on edge a month from Election Day.
Party loyalists, both in Washington and in battleground states, are fretting that Obamas campaign has been slow to rebound
after Republican Mitt Romneys commanding debate. Theyre worried that the Democratic ticket isnt aggressive enough in
blocking Romneys post-debate pivot to the political center. AP
Romney and Obama focus on debate
ASIAN stocks fell this week, posting the big-
gest weekly decline on the regional gauge since
August, after the International Monetary Fund cut
its forecast for global growth and Spain had its
credit rating downgraded.
DAVIS, CaliforniaA dog that lost its snout while saving two girls in
the Philippines has been brought to the University of California, Davis,
where veterinarians will try to x its injuries.
Surgeons at UC Davis veterinary medical teaching hospital looked
over the mixed breed dog named Kabang on Thursday.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Kabang became a star in the
Philippines after it got in front of a speeding motorcycle, saving the dog
owners young daughter
and niece.
But the crash took off
its snout and its upper jaw.
Veterinarians in the Philip-
pines were unable to treat
the injury.
So Karen Kenngott, a
critical care nurse from
Buffalo, New York,
spearheaded an online
fundraising campaign for
the dogs care.
UC Davis surgeons say
Kabang will need multiple
surgeries, but they are con-
dent they can improve its
condition. AP
US deficit tops $1
trillion for 4
th
year
Dog that lost snout
saving girls arrives in US
In this le photo provided by the University
of California-Davis, a family member plays
with Kabang, a dog in the Philippines,
which lost its snout while saving two girls.
The dog was brought to UC, Davis, where
veterinarians will try to x its injuries. AP
[email protected] Sunday
BUSINESS
ManilaStandardTODAY
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012 SUNDAY
A11
Sunday
Manila StandardTODAY
Business
A8
By Othel V. Campos
WORKING for a company that embraces
corporate social responsibility and
promotes organic products is a dream job
for Jo-Imeelyn Kapunan, the marketing
manager of The Body Shop Philippines.
I came across this opening for The Body Shop. Theyre looking
for a marketing director, so I sent a brochure of myself. I was with
several companies before and The Body Shop should be my fth.
This is my full experience for a beauty product, she says.
What attracted her to The Body Shop, she says, is the companys
rounded set of values. The retail company promotes force for positive
social and environmental change revolving around ve core values.
These values support community fair trade, defend human rights,
against animal testing, activate self-esteem and protect the planet.
With these values, how can you go wrong? In addition, our new
brand platform Beauty with Heart is really about putting in three
words what the body shop stands for. Its not just a tagline. It really
epitomizes what the body shop isabout not only looking good nor
feeling good, its about doing good, too, she says.
Cor por ate social responsibility
The Body Shop embraces corporate social responsibility. Its
founder, Anita Roddick, was a human rights activist, before she
founded the Shop in Brighton, England, several decades back.
Before anyone can say about things like Go Green or Embrace
Individuality, or Activate Self-Esteem, she was actually doing that
already, says Kapunan.
The company is actively pursuing social and humanitarian causes to
continue the legacy of its founder. Currently, the company promotes
the foundation lip butter where three local charities were identied to
benet from the proceeds of an ongoing corporate campaign.
Each of The Body Shop markets has local charities that they support
through The Body Shop Foundation. For instance, The Body Shop
Philippines has been working with and for Child Hope Asia since 2006.
The Body Shop actually gave them mobile vans so they go to
different areas in Metro Manila to educate children. These vans are
actually mobile libraries much like the kariton of Kuya Efren, says
Kapunan, referring to 2009 CNN hero of the year Efren Peaorida.
Loose change donated by The Body Shop patrons makes education
on the streets possible. We encourage them to pass it [loose change]
on to Child Hope Asia, Kapunan says.
Another social indulgence is the ongoing commitment of the
company to provide livelihood to marginalized sectors. Orthopedically-
handicapped residents of Tahanang Walang Hagdanan were given
opportunity to make a living by creating wooden crates for The Body
Shop using the palettes where products are shipped from abroad.
These crates we used as both decorative and functional implements
in all our stores. This is an afrmation to our commitment to the
environment to promote and practice the Three Rsreduce, reuse,
recyclewhile giving other sectors a chance at improving their
lives, says Kapunan.
Communications gr aduate
Kapunan, who grew up in a competitive world, has recently nished
her Masters degree at the Ateneo de Manila University. Before
this, she graduated with an undergraduate degree in Organizational
Communications at the University of the Philippines Manila.
She says her dad wanted her to be an actuary, a reason why she spent
her rst year at the Diliman Campus for a degree in Mathematics.
However, she feels her calling really is in Communications, so she
transferred to the Manila Campus, located just across Manila Science
High School, her alma mater.
We, at The Body Shop, look at competition as an invitation to
progress, to improve ourselves, she says.
Despite the incursion of a horde of new beauty products, mostly
from Korea, The Body Shop, she says, continues to be at the top
bracket of the more popular brands. The Shop remains unfazed by the
inux of new brands debuting in the country, neither is it threatened
by competition.
Again, its all about healthy competition. The more players there
are, the more people become aware about taking care of their body. I
think competition is at its healthiest level and we welcome it. Were
condent of our products because we know what is our unique selling
proposition. So were quite happy with that, she says.
Kapunan says among the foreign beauty brands, The Body Shop is
able to maintain the highest rate of brand awareness, which is achieved
if the people who promote them also use the products themselves.
Body Shop acionado
Indeed, Kapunan considers herself an acionado of The Body
Shop products. Her lipstick, cheek rouge, lip dener, eye make-up,
and even her perfume and healing oil are all from The Body Shop.
She underscores the fact that most of The Body Shop products are
organic-based, a critical feature she puts premium into as she is, most
of her life, allergy-prone.
Being the only girl in the family, Kapunan is the kikay in the
brood of three. Having been a solo child until she was eighth years
old, her parents had doted on her until she was dethroned by her
two male siblings.
Looking back, I think we all have our particular place in the
family, she says.
Kapunan says as a wife, she is managing well, trying to maintain
a healthy balance between work and family. Her husband is from the
nancial services sector.
There are so many thing that Im thankful forworking for a
company that embraces the greatest ideals; having a family that is
supportive of my work. I am very thankful that I am able to go to the
course I really want and land a job that is related to my course. With my
job, I was able to exercise what I learned from school. I really think that
my family, especially my father is happy for me, she says.
The Body Shop
A CHARMING 30-year-old Singaporean lady, whose
entrepreneurial venture with her Italian husband changed
the global accommodation industry, believes in the
growth potential of the Philippines so much she visited
Manila twice this year.
Jia En Teo, a US-educated entrepreneur, says her
company, Roomorama.com, now promotes 300 properties
in the Philippines for short-term rentals or staycation,
a number that is expected to treble by end of the year.
Roomorama is a fuse of the words room and panorama.
In the Philippines, we have more than 300 properties.
That would probably grow three times by the end of the
year, Teo says in an interview at a restaurant in Makati City.
Teo co-founded Roomorama with her husband Federico
Folcia in January 2009 to provide travelers with a better
alternative to staying in a hotel. Their online platform is a
pioneer in short-term rental accommodation, which emerges
as a real game changer in the hospitality industry.
She estimated the size of the short-term rental market
in the US and Europe alone to be in the vicinity of $85
billion annually.
We decided to create a plaftform to help people nd
apartment or house no matter where they work, says
Teo. The industry has gained a lot of legitimacy in the
past year and a half. People see it as a competition to
hotels. However, we are giving travelers a different way
of traveling. If you want to stay in Manila for say three
weeks, we are lling the gap in the market by helping
you nd apartments.
Roomorama, a one-stop shop for short-term rentals,
links travelers to owners or managers of properties such
as apartments, condotels, service apartments, villas,
houses and residential projects that could be rented
out for the short-term. A typical stay in Roomorama
properties ranges from one week to two weeks, costing a
minimum of $100 a night.
Ser ving distinct mar ket
Teo explains that Roomorama serves a distinct
market for high-end and mid-range properties. We
serve business travelers, families, small groups and
not so much the backpacker. We dont have cheap
accommodation. Ours is much more value for money
because of the amenities, she says.
Top properties in the Philippines listed on Roomorama
include Paradise Island Villa on Panglao Island in Bohol;
Cocos Garden in Paco, Manila; the Millennium Services
Residences in Makati; One Oasis Conco Complex in
Davao City; Plush Condominium in Makati; Ayala
Apartment in Makati; and Country Cottage Loft in
Baguio City.
Teo says she was born in Singapore, but traveled
to the US for college education. I am 30 this year. I
came to the US for college. I went to the University
of Michigan where I studied Economics and Political
Science. Then after that, I went to work for Bloomberg
in New York. I worked there for three years, before co-
founding Roomorama, she says.
She says the idea of establishing Roomorama was
developed because of constant travels. I and my husband
were both working at Bloomberg, basically in nancial
information. We were at that time both traveling a lot.
As young professionals, we wanted to have a unique
experience when we travel, she says.
Teo says that unique experience can only be enjoyed
if travelers live like locals and adapt to their lifestyle,
even for a short period. She says this is a gap that needs
to be lled in the accommodation sector.
You would want to say you lived in a condo in
Manila, rather than say you stayed in a hotel, she says.
Roomorama serves a diverse group of customers
such as business travelers, business owners, conference
participants, and even photographers, professional
models and designers.
We wanted people to live like locals. The whole
idea is when you travel, you want to enjoy a unique
experience and different culture, she says. There are
thousands of apartment right now. How we nd them,
how we book them and how we convince people to open
their homes is what we do, Teo says.
We began with 11 properties in the US. This year, we
have 60,000. By the end of the year, we will probably have
100,000, she says. About 20 percent of these properties
are in Asia. we have properties in Singapore, Hong Kong,
China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia,
Malaysia. We are based in Singapore, she says.
Philippine operations
The Philippines has a special role in the growth of
Roomorama because its customer support team of eight
professionals is based in Cebu City, and they serve the
needs of customers 24 hours a day for seven days a week.
Teo says the short-term rental market in the country
is also growing, with the construction of new residential
projects in Metro Manila and other major cities.
In Philippines, because the concept is still new, the
market is now in its infant stages. However, within 10
years or so, as afuence increases and more Filipinos
travel around the region and the world, we estimate that
the Filipino market alone will probably grow close to the
$1-billion range, she says.
She says Roomorama started in the Philippines only
early this year and already has more than 300 properties
in the country.
When we rst started, we were focusing on Manila and
contacting the hosts there, but now the concept is starting
to gain attention in other large cities like Davao and Cebu
as well, and we are seeing more and more owners starting
to list their properties as they hear about Roomorama via
word of mouth. We expect to triple the inventory in the
Philippines by the end of the year 2012, Teo says.
In April this year, Roomorama announced a merger
with Lofty.com, another short-term rental site based in
Europe, with Roomorama.com emerging as the surviving
online platform. RTD
Roomorama founder changes accommodation industry
Jo-Imeelyn Kapunan
Jia En Teo
She lands a dream job at
Sunday
ManilaStandardTODAY
ARTS & LIFE
B1
SUNDAY OCTOBER 14, 2012
"I was about 120 pounds
before. I was malaman. I lost
weight because of Bikram yoga
but pole dancing helped tone
my body," shares Ciara.
Ciara rst encountered pole
dancing when she was living in
Las Vegas and working on Fe-
ver. She was told to lose weight
and had to be enrolled in a t-
ness program at a 24-hour gym
where one of the programs be-
ing offered was a pole danc-
ing class. To those who cannot
imagine Ciara ever being fat
and think that she is just being
coy when telling this story, she
swears that she was actually
overweight according to the
show's standards.
Ciara never liked working
out, which was why she was
drawn to pole dancing. But she
also did not like the sensual
kind.
"I mean no offense to any-
body but it's not my thing.
Some girls are really good at it
but I would rather promote pole
dancing as a sport and a tness
program. Pole dancing has been
associated with gentlemens
clubs and strip joints. I make
sure I dont do the pole act in
that way," she says.
Young and lovely
Ciara must have grown up
being compared to her mother
Helen Gamboa, who was, in the
1960s, what Anne Curtis is to
Filipinos today. In person, Ciara
is a lovely girl with beautiful and
expressive eyes, hair up to her
waist and a petite frame.
She arrives at Movement
Dance Studios at Unionbank
Plaza in Pasig dressed in a
tank top and a mini skirt, under
which is her pole dancing out-
ta pair of animal print short
shorts and a hot pink bra top.
At the back of the shorts are the
words "Pole Hearted," which
happens to be the name of the
clothing line for pole dancing
that Ciara is coming out with
very soon.
She teaches at Movement
several times a week and the la-
dies at the reception desk admit
that Ciara's classes are always
fully booked.
"Ciara is the nicest and most
unaffected girl. Walang arte.
She's very friendly and ap-
proachable. Her students love
her," says Jennifer.
Her 12 p.m. class that day
started several minutes late be-
cause we were taking Ciara's
picture in the other room but
by the time she got back to the
pole room, the girls and one guy
were already doing their warm-
up exercises.
One of the girls whispers
that they wouldn't mind even
if Ciara was more than several
minutes late because "she's
such a great teacher."
Ciara says she loves teaching,
especially when she sees how
her students grow and develop.
"The great thing about pole
dancing is that you always
get better. As a teacher and a
performer, I still have a lot to
learn," she shares.
Battle scars
Ciara loves how her body has
changed since she began pole
dancing. On her wedding day
two years ago, her waistline
was at 20.5 inches with the help
of a corset made by corsetiere
and milliner Mich Dulce, Ci-
ara's schoolmate at Poveda.
"I had to wear the corset ev-
ery day for two months. That
is called corset training. You
feel full most of the time, but
you still have to eat. Otherwise,
youll get dizzy," she says.
Ciara also explains why one
has to wear a tank top or sports
bra and shorts during a pole danc-
ing class. It is not to look sexy.
"Bare skin is needed in order
THE POLE
Words by Dinna Chan Vasquez
Images by Sonny Espiritu
WHEN Ciara Sotto-Oconer takes off
her shirt, the rst thing you notice is
her abdomen, which could be some-
thing that is a product of time spent
on a surgeons operating table but is
not. Ciara, who used to have a 27-
inch waistline, now hits the tape at 24
or 25 inches.
MASTERING
to properly stick to and grip the
pole to position and hold many
of the moves. Wearing long
pants or long-sleeved shirts or
leotards make this more dif-
cult," she says.
She shows me the skin on her
arms.
"Look, it's so dry. Before
dancing, you can't wear lotion or
you cannot grip the pole proper-
ly. You also need a small towel
to wipe the sweat off. Sweating
if a no-no," says Ciara.
Her battle scars are not
wounds but bruises and "burns"
from skin contact with the pole
but Ciara says she doesn't mind.
"My body has less fat. Its
leaner and stronger. When I did
kickboxing, I could not lift my
body weight. With pole tness,
I can do it.
Pole dancers like Ciara are
also prone to injuries like
strained wrists and shoulders.
Stretching everywhere
Pole dancing is a mixture of
modern dance with incredible
strength and endurance. It takes
incredible upper and lower body
strength as well as abdominal
strength.
Ciara reveals that she has to
stretch every day. Some of her
photos on Twitter show her
stretching practically every-
where, including an airplane.
"At home, I would be talking
to my husband (Jojo Oconer)
and suddenly, he would exclaim,
'Asan na kausap ko? (Where is
the person I am talking to?). I
realize that I am doing a head-
stand," she shares.
She adds that Jojo is very
supportive of her career and
doesn't mind the seemingly
endless hours of practice.
To keep her body in "ght-
ing form," Ciara does not
drink sodas or eat white rice
and pork. She enjoys beef only
twice a week.
"I am a very hearty eater but
that's basically my diet. I don't
eat white rice but I can have
brown rice," she says.
When asked what tips she
could give those who want to try
pole dancing, Ciara says: You
need a high tolerance for pain
and discomfort but as your body
transforms, you will feel more
condent. Pole dancing is a lib-
erating experience that women
should try at least once.
I want to
promote pole
dancing as
a means to
be t
She will soon come out with a clothing line called Pole Hearted
I still have a lot to learn, says Ciara. Ciarateachespoledancingseveral timesaweekat Movement DanceStudios
ARTS & LIFE
ManilaStandardTODAY
Sunday
ARTS & LIFE
ManilaStandardTODAY
B2
Anne loves
diamonds
because they
bring out her
inner shine
By Elvin G. Luciano
REPORTS of hacking have tak-
en center stage in local media
lately, mainly in protest against
the Cybercrime Law.
In Cebu City, a different kind
of hack marathon or hacka-
thon took place with Smart
Communications Inc. taking the
lead.
The Smart Developer Net-
work (Smart DevNet), together
with the Google Developers
Group (GDG) Cebu Chapter, re-
cently gathered a group of local
Web and mobile developers at a
developer event billed, #Smart-
Acts Cebu: A Hackathon for
Social Good. The event aimed
to encourage and inspire local
developers to create eb and mo-
bile applications that can benet
communities, particularly in the
eld of education and disaster
preparedness.
Nine teams competed within
a few hours of quick yet me-
ticulous coding, designing and
testing, and in the end, the app
created to point users to safer
zones in times of disasters and
emergencies; and an app/site
that would help train IT students
solve real-world problems took
the top prizes.
Teach, guide or point
Tudlo, a Visayan word that
means to teach, guide or point,
was the name given to the ad-
judged best disaster response
app, and the app does just that
in times of calamities or emer-
gency situations.
Developed by Vince Loremia,
Lester Cabalon and Raffy Eng-
lis, the app aims to address the
challenge of spreading quick,
useful and most importantly, ac-
curate and credible information
that might actually save peoples
lives.
Team lead Loremia said the
app can be helpful not just in
major calamities but also in day
to day emergency situations.
In Manila, for example,
whenever theres heavy rain,
theres always ooding. The app
can point you to a safer destina-
tion, he said.
Real-wor ld r eady
IT gr aduates
Challenging and encourag-
ing IT students to solve real-
world problems even while still
in school was what inspired the
team of Albert Padin, Luis Pat-
rick Villaruz and Ian Bert Tu-
sil to develop AskBuildShare
(www.askbuildshare.com)the
winner of the best education app
award.
AskBuildShare serves as a
wish list where anyone can
submit dream apps that will
address certain needs. Student
developers can then pick an idea
to play around with, try to build
it, and when successful, share
itwhile learning in the pro-
cess.
We thought, why dont we
challenge the IT students to have
(a real-world) mindset, said
team lead Padin. Its cool and
exciting, and at the same time
they are encouraged to learn
new technologies so they can be
developed further.
Judge Max Limpag, technol-
ogy head of Innopub Media saw
that quality in AskBuildShare
that made it stand out in the pool
of entries.
Having that platform where
students can take in real world
problems, problems that are re-
ported by people, that I think in
a way helps prepare students for
the industry, said Limpag.
Hackathon Judge Marco van
den Berg, head of Information
Technology Service at the In-
ternational Rice Research Insti-
tute (IRRI), thinks Tudlo won
because its a very carefully
prepared application, with very
good materials.
Its made by a very profes-
sional team. They obviously
thought about what they wanted
to do, thought very well about
who will use their application,
said van den Berg.
The judge also gave a special
prize, the best use of technol-
ogy award to the Plot and Res-
cue Assistant app by Anthony
Yanto and Dandeljane Maraat.
The two will y to IRRI in Los
Baos, Laguna to participate in
a hackathon for agriculture.
Its encouraging to see that
an international organization
like IRRI would y all the way
from Los Baos, Laguna to Ba-
colod City and see what a so-
cial good hackathon looks like.
We cant wait to see what kind
of agriculture-centric apps will
come out of the upcoming IRRI
hackathon, said Paul Pajo, de-
veloper evangelist for Smart.
Smart Developer Network
(DevNet) also handed out priz-
es for the best student team app
(Election Awareness Campaign
App) and the best use of Smart
Application Programming In-
terface (Plot and Rescue Assis-
tant).
Fr om ideas to r eality
This is the second hacka-
thon that Smart sponsored for
developer communities re-
cently, with others more be-
ing planned in more locations
across the country.
Jim Ayson, Smarts senior
manager for partner manage-
ment said the company is col-
laborating with developers and
programmers nationwide be-
cause it is now not just a telco,
but a technology company.
We want to promote general
awareness of mobile app devel-
opment and technopreneurship
and help foster a very active and
vibrant developer community.
We believe a good local devel-
oper community is an integral
part of a healthy tech ecosys-
tem, said Ayson.
Hackathons are held at least
once a quarter in the GDG Cebu
community, said Ruben Licera,
Jr. Community Manager for GDG
Cebu. Events like this not only
hones the skills of the developers
in developing tools and products
but also allows them to network
with other developers or partners
to help them launch their own
product. It is also a time where
they are upgraded with the lat-
est trends in techology and best
practices are shared.
During Smarts rst hacka-
thon held at the University
of Southeastern Philippines
(USEP) in Davao City, the team
of Rolly Rulete, Jay Albano and
Pablito Veroy was picked as one
of the winners for its Project
NOAH for Mobile.
Participants of the Cebu #SmartActs hackathon for social good after a day of developing and presenting their mobile and Web apps.
During hack marathons or hackathons, participants build their applications for a short amount of time.
Hacking for a good cause
It was a sure and slow rise to
where I am today. And I will always
be thankful that I didnt give up on my
dreams, says Anne, who is one of the
faces of My Diamond.
Like most females, Anne loves dia-
monds.
Every girl dreams of wearing dia-
monds which bring out her inner shine.
I reward myself with diamonds be-
cause diamonds remind me of how its
possible to be both tough and beautiful
at the same time,she says.

Diamonds are forever
Basketball player Chr is Tiu, who is
the other face of My Diamond, dia-
monds are a sign of delity.
For men who buy jewelry for their
loved ones like their moms, wives or
girlfriends, its important that the jew-
eler is credible, he says.
My Diamond has quickly grown
to become one of the countrys pre-
mier jewelry stores carrying a mis-
sion to provide every Filipino with
authentic jewelry.
Diamonds are understood and val-
ued according to what is universally
referred to as the 4Cs: cut, color, clar-
ity, and carat weight. There is howev-
er a fth C which only My Diamond
provides. This is Certication.
As a local brand comprised of ex-
pert jewelers and gemologists educat-
ed from the GIA (Gemological Insti-
tute of America), My Diamond goes
beyond the normal four Cs by provid-
ing a certicate with every jewelry
piece indicating that each stone has
been graded and examined.
My Diamond has slowly created
an identity of its own. Most of my
Diamonds jewelry pieces are locally
designed and created.
Buying tips
When buying jewelry, especially
diamonds, here are some tips:
*Look for a stamp or tag showing
the precious metal content, such as 14k
or 18k.
*Look for an independent, third-
party gemstone grading report, such
as from the Gemological Institute
of America. This would prove the
stone is natural and describe any
treatments done to it. If theres
no third-party report, ask for
other proof of the stones
quality.
Dont be afriad to ask
questions. It is your right as a
consumer.
Nearly every diamond
has imperfections. Thats what
clarity is about. Clarity grades
include FL, IF (Flawless, In-
ternally Flawless); VVSI,
VVS2 (Very, Very
Slightly Includ-
ed); VS1,
VS2 (Very
ANNE Cur tis is, without a doubt, the Philippines sweetheart.
Whether she is acting in a movie, hosting a TV show, singing
in a concert, recording an album or appearing in a commercial,
Filipinos denitely show their support for the Filipino-
Australian beauty who started her showbusiness career in the
late 1990s when she was only a teenager.
time to shine
Anne Curtis
Its
Slightly Included); SI1, SI2 (Slightly
Included); and I1, I2, and I3 (Included).
The grades of cut are Ideal, Very
Good, Good, Fair and Poor.
Carat is about weight, not size. A
well-cut diamond might weigh less but
look bigger. Another important thing to
remember about carat weight is that as
it increases, the cost increases.
Only buy from a seller who has
been in the business for a number of
years and who knows diamonds.
Diamonds can also be articially
treated, most commonly by being frac-
ture lled, irradiated or laser treated.
This is all right as long as it is disclosed
to the buyer. If you want an untreated
diamond, look for terms likeclarity
enhanced. Dinna Chan Vasquez
Chris Tiu
says men
buying
jewelry
for the
women in
their lives
should
go to
reputable
jewelers
B3 OCTOBER 14, 2012 SUNDAY
Sunday
tech.mst.ph
ManilaStandardTODAY
email: [email protected]
Invitation to Bid
CONSTRUCTION OF SHORE PROTECTION/FLOOD CONTROL IN LA UNION 2
ND

DISTRICT ROCK BULKHEAD AND SLOPE PROTECTION WORKS
Brgy. San Nicolas West, Agoo, La Union
(MST-Oct. 14, 2012)
1. The DPWH-LUSDEO, through the REGULAR INFRA 2013 intends
to apply the sum of PHP 19,199,986.99 being the Approved Budget for the
Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for 12AF0092. Bids received
in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
2. The DPWH-LUSDEO now invites bids for Construction of Rock Bulkhead
and Slope Protection. Completion of the Works is required 180 Calendar
Days. Bidders should have completed from the date of submission and receipt
of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is
contained in the Bidding Documents, Particularly, in Section II. Instructions to
Bidders.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures
using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specifed in the mplementing
Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise
known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH-LUSDEO
and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00am
5:00pm.
5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested
Bidders from the address below and/or any DPWH Field Offces upon
payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of
PHP 25,000.00.
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the
Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and
the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that the bidders shall pay the
fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.
6. The DPWH-LUSDEO will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on October 19,
2012 - 2:00pm at DPWH-LUSDEO, Natividad, Naguilian, La Union BAC
Offce which shall be open to all interested parties.
7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before October 31,
2012 10:00am at DPWH-LUSDEO, Natividad, Naguilian, La Union BAC
Offce. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable
forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.
Bids will be opened at 2:00pm on October 31, 2012 in the presence of the
bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids
shall not be accepted.
8. The DPWH-LUSDEO reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to
annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract
award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.
9. For further information, please refer to:
CECILIA A. AQUINO
BAC Secretary
DPWH-LUSDEO
BRGY. NATIVIDAD, NAGUILIAN, LU
(072) 6091716
(Sgd.) VIRGILIO T. DACANAY
BAC Chairman
Region I
La Union 2
nd
District Engineering Ofce
Natividad, Naguilian, La Union
Invitation to Bid
CONSTRUCTION OF SHORE PROTECTION/FLOOD CONTROL IN LA UNION
2
ND
DISTRICT ONE (1) UNIT AND EXTENSION OF EXISTING GROINS
Brgy. San Manuel Norte and San Manuel Sur, Agoo, La Union
(MST-Oct. 14, 2012)
1. The DPWH-LUSDEO, through the REGULAR INFRA 2013 intends
to apply the sum of PHP 19,199,882.16 being the Approved Budget for
the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for 12AF0090. Bids
received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid
opening.
2. The DPWH-LUSDEO now invites bids for Construction of one (1)
unit Extension of Existing Groins. Completion of the Works is required
180 Calendar Days. Bidders should have completed from the date of
submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The
description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents,
Particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding
procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specifed in the
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA
9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH-
LUSDEO and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below
from 8:00am 5:00pm.
5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by
interested Bidders from the address below and/or any DPWH Field
Offces upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents
in the amount of PHP 25,000.00.
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the
Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS)
and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that the bidders
shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission
of their bids.
6. The DPWH-LUSDEO will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on October
19, 2012 - 2:00pm at DPWH-LUSDEO, Natividad, Naguilian, La Union
BAC Offce which shall be open to all interested parties.
7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before October
31, 2012 10:00am at DPWH-LUSDEO, Natividad, Naguilian, La Union
BAC Offce. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of
the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.
Bids will be opened at 2:00pm on October 31, 2012 in the presence
of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address
below. Late bids shall not be accepted.
8. The DPWH-LUSDEO reserves the right to accept or reject any
bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior
to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected
bidder or bidders.
CECILIA A. AQUINO
BAC Secretary
DPWH-LUSDEO
(072) 6091716
(Sgd.) VIRGILIO T. DACANAY
BAC Chairman
Region I
La Union 2
nd
Region I
La Union 2
nd
Invitation to Bid
CONSTRUCTION OF SHORE PROTECTION/FLOOD CONTROL IN LA UNION
2
ND
DISTRICT ROCK BULKHEAD AND EXTENSION OF GROINS
BRGY. SAN ISIDRO, AGOO, LA UNION
(MST-Oct. 14, 2012)
1. The DPWH-LUSDEO, through the REGULAR INFRA 2013 intends to apply
the sum of PHP 19,199,957.90 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)
to payments under the contract for 12AF0091. Bids received in excess of the ABC
shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
2. The DPWH-LUSDEO now invites bids for Construction of one (1) unit
Extension of Existing Groins. Completion of the Works is required 180 Calendar
Days. Bidders should have completed from the date of submission and receipt
of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is
contained in the Bidding Documents, Particularly, in Section II. Instructions to
Bidders.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures
using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specifed in the mplementing Rules
and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the
Government Procurement Reform Act.
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH-LUSDEO
and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00am
5:00pm.
5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested
Bidders from the address below and/or any DPWH Field Offces upon payment of
a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of PHP 25,000.00.
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine
Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of
the Procuring Entity, provided that the bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding
Documents not later that the submission of their bids.
6. The DPWH-LUSDEO will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on October 19, 2012
- 2:00pm at DPWH-LUSDEO, Natividad, Naguilian, La Union BAC Offce which
shall be open to all interested parties.
7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before October 31, 2012
10:00am at DPWH-LUSDEO, Natividad, Naguilian, La Union BAC Offce. All
bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in
the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.
Bids will be opened at 2:00pm on October 31, 2012 in the presence of the
bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids
shall not be accepted.
8. The DPWH-LUSDEO reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul
the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award,
without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.
CECILIA A. AQUINO
BAC Secretary
DPWH-LUSDEO
(072) 6091716
(SGD.) VIRGILIO T. DACANAY
BAC Chairman
Wearable tech market on the rise
Smart explores LTE roaming
partnerships with Asian telcos
ENCOMPASSING such
varied products as augmented-
reality eyeglasses, cocktail
dresses that light up when a
cell phone rings, and sports
bras that monitor heart rates,
the wearable technology
market is on the fast track
with growth, with shipments
likely to rise by more than 500
percent from 2011 to 2016.
In 2011, 14 million wearable technology devices
were estimated to have been shipped, according to
a new report from global technology analyst IMS
Research. By 2016, shipments will increase to
92.5 million units, with growth by nearly threefold
between 2011 and 2016, according to the research
rms forecast.
Wearable technologies provide a range of
benets to users, from informing and entertaining,
to monitoring health, to improving tness, to
enhancing military and industry applications.
Because of all these uses, IMS Research foresees
major potential for growth in all kinds of wearable
technology products, said Theo Ahadome of IMS
Research.
Fitting into four different categories: tness and
wellness, healthcare and medical, industrial and
military, and infotainment, wearable technology
includes products that are worn on an individuals
body for extended periods of time, signicantly
enhancing the user experience via features
including advanced circuitry, wireless connectivity
and independent-processing capability.
Fitness and wellness wearable technology
products are used to monitor activity and emotions,
while healthcare and medical devices monitor vital
signs and augment senses.
Industrial and military wearable technology
receives and transmits real-time data in military or
industrial environments. Infotainment technology is
used to receive and transmit real-time information
for entertainment and enhanced-lifestyle purposes.
With the wearable technology segment so broad
in terms of products and applications, IHS has
developed three scenarios for growth in the coming
years: a pessimistic low-end outlook, a most likely
midrange forecast and an optimistic, high-end
prediction.
The optimistic scenario is one where signicant
progress and success has been achieved in wearable
technology, including the introduction of new
products and widespread availability from major
brands. In this scenario, 171 million devices will
ship in 2016 a whopping twelve-fold expansion
from last year.
Notwithstanding the growth gures, these various
scenarios reect continuing uncertainty over the
long-term future of wearable technology and the
varying factors that affect future outcomes.
The highest revenue-generating areas last year
for wearable products were in two segments
healthcare and medical on the one hand, and tness
and wellness on the other.
Infotainment will likely overtake tness and
wellness to become the second-largest application
area in terms of revenue, driven by robust growth in
the area of smart watches and smart glasses.
The United States is the leading region for
wearable devices at present. This wont change
anytime soon, as IHS forecasts the US will continue
to be the largest geographic region for wearable
technology through 2016.
Europe, meanwhile, is growing its share of
revenue for wearable devices and will be the
second-largest region by 2016, most notably in the
healthcare and medical application area. This is
because healthcare providers there are expected to
respond to the successful cases recorded in the US.
For the rest of world, Japan is expected to
constitute the major market, particularly in the
infotainment area.
WIRELESS services provider
Smart Communications, Inc.
is in talks with several Asian
telecommunications companies
to allow Smart subscribers
abroad to surf the Internet via
Long Term Evolution (LTE).
Discussions are currently
ongoing between Smart and Japans
NTT Docomo, Hong Kongs
Hutchison Telecommunications,
South Koreas KT Corp., and
Singapores StarHub.
We are working on LTE
roaming arrangements with other
leading Asian telcos so Smart
subscribers would continue to
have the best Internet experience
when traveling abroad, Alex
Caeg, Smart International Carrier
Business head, said.
Currently the fastest fourth-
generation (4G) wireless
connection in the world, LTE is
capable of speeds as fast as 100
Mbps, making it ideal for high-
speed broadband applications.
It allows users to stream high-
denition (HD) videos faster,
download HD movies in minutes,
and play lag-free online games.
Smart commercially launched
its LTE service last August the
rst Philippine telco to do so.
Smart LTE is also one of the rst
commercial deployments of the
technology in Asia.
Now were looking at
conducting LTE trials with other
telcos, especially those who, like
Smart, are part of the Conexus
Mobile Alliance, said Caeg, who
is currently the board chairman
of Conexus.
NTT Docomo, Hutchison, KT,
and StarHub are all members of
Conexus, one of Asias biggest
mobile alliances which seeks to
develop and enhance international
roaming and corporate mobile
services for the benet of the
member-companies customers.
The Conexus alliance has
a combined customer base of
more than 330 million mobile
subscribers, 50.9 million of
whom are Smart subscribers.
Imollo email app launched in PH. The popular easy-to-use communication tool in Europe,
Imollo, is nally launched in the Philippines. Imollo promises efcient, easy, and free le-sharing, online
storage, and no-frills communication in a single platform. Imollo users can email, chat, and make quick,
safe le transfers of up to 500mb to multiple contacts with a single drag-and-drop. Users can download
Imollo for free at www.imollo.com. In photo are Imollo ofcers (from left) Tommaso Arciuli, Marcello Reina,
Raffaele Lafortezza, Gianni Serrano and Luca Amenduni.
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Manila StandardTODAY
Sports
Sunday
Black said this after the Loyola
dribblers took their fth straight
mens basketball championship
in the 75th University Athletic
Association of the Philippines
last Thursday.
This is what Black will leave
behind after eight years of han-
dling the schools basketball
program.
Thats how I want to be re-
membered for as a coach of the
Ateneo Blue Eagles. Basical-
ly, its the foundation for the
program. When I first came
in, I had good players, said
Black moments after Ateneo
won over the University of
Santo Tomas Tigers, 65-62,
in Game 2 of their best-of-
three finals showdown.
Of the many players who
emerged from the program, Nico
Salva remained to help Ateneos
drive for ve, together with Jus-
tin Chua and Juami Tiongson,
Salva was plucked from the
San Beda Red Cubs to be with
Chua, who was picked from the
Chiang Kai Shek Dragons, and
Tiongson, who was with Blue
Eaglets that year in 2008, when
Ateneo won the rst of a series
of championships.
The program will still be
around even with Black gone
and already concentrating on his
role as coach of Talk N Text in
the Philippine Basketball Asso-
ciation a day after winning the
championship.
The challenge for the new
Ateneo coach will be looking for
new players, who will replace
Salva, Chua and Tiongson, who
are graduating at the end of the
schoolyear.
Even without me, it (team)
will continue to be strong. Next
year, with some key players
leaving, it will be up to the next
head coach to get out there and
recruit again, added Black.
The 63 Salva, who earned
a second straight Finals Most
Valuable Player plum, Chua
and Tiongson, wont be
around next season, with
Greg Slaughter and Tonino
Gonzaga. This will put shooting
ace Kiefer Ravena at the fore-
front of the team, which will
have Sandy Arespacochaga
as its interim coach.
So far, Arespacochaga
will be calling the shots
with the help of Jamike
Jarin and Gene Afa-
ble. The schools
search committee is
still looking for a t-
ting replacement for
Black.
Team manag-
er Paolo Trillo
said with nine
months to go
before the
start of the
next
LOOKING into the history of matchups
in the National Collegiate Athletic Asso-
ciation mens basketball tournament, the
defending champion San Beda Red Lions
were able to face the University of the Per-
petual Help Altas once in the past.
On the other hand, the San Sebastian Col-
lege Stags will be having their third series of
semis showdowns with the Letran Knights.
The rst time the Red Lions met the Altas
was way back in 2004, when the Altas had the
twice-to-beat incentive and were able to get
away with a 57-48 triumph in their opening
encounter. In their next clash, the Altas eked
out a 58-56 win and went on to play against
the Philippine Christian University Dolphins,
who eventually won the title that year.
The Stags were able to make it past the
Letran Knights only once in three Final
Four appearances.
The last time they did was in 2001, when
the Recoletos squad enjoyed a twice-to-beat
privilege and went on to beat the Jose Rizal
University Heavy Bombers for the crown.
The Knights had the incentive when they
reached the championship round at the ex-
pense of the Stags in 1999 and 2005.
SBC Lions vs Perpetual
Help Altas
A Final Four nish is no longer the goal
of the Altas, who will enter the seminals
playing inspired basketball.
Coach Aric del Rosario said his boys are
not only ready to give their best against the
defending champion San Beda Red Lions,
they also have set their hearts and minds on
a rst nals appearance in eight years.
Siyempre pangarap namin ang Final Four.
Pero ngayon finals na, said Del Rosario as
the Altas went into an early afternoon practice
last Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Altas were the last squad to make it
to the Final Four after they eased out Jose
Rizal University Heavy Bombers, 73-68,
in their playoff match last Thursday at the
Arena in San Juan.
Del Rosario said he was inspired by the
University of Santo Tomas Tigers, a team
he steered to four consecutive crowns from
1993 to 1997.
He told his boys to look at the UST Tigers
for inspiration, a few minutes after UST lost to
eventual champion Ateneo in the 75th Univer-
sity Athletic Association of the Philippines nals.
Kailangang itaas niyo ang pangarap
niyo, parang UST, said Del Rosario of his
huddle with his players.
The Red Lions, who topped the eliminations
with 15 wins and three losses, are favored with
their twice-to-beat privilege against the Altas.
They have lost to the Altas, 87-88, in
overtime in the rst round, before bouncing
back with a 60-53 triumph in the second.
SBC coach Ronnie Magsanoc said he is wary
of what the Altas have become this season.
Its even for us. Theyre a well-coached
team. If we play our usual smart game, we
well make it, said Magsanoc.
The Altas will try to make an effort to stop
Red Lions big man Jake Pascual, who aver-
ages 9.9 points and 8.8 rebounds. He will get
help from Nigerian big man Olaide Adeogun,
Baser Amer, Arthur de la Cruz and Anjo Car-
am from outside and within the paint.
The Red Lions will have their hands full
trying to contain Jet Vidal, who can deliver
17.2 points per game. And they will also
try to neutralize guys like Nosa Omorogbe,
George Allen and Justine Alano.
It was Omorogbe, who won the game for
the Altas in the game against the Bombers,
following a crucial steal from Alex Almario
and two charities that helped Perpetual make
it back to the Final Four after eight years.
SSC Stags vs Letran Knights
New SSC coach Allan Trinidad warned
the Letran Knights not to take the Stags too
lightly in their Final Four clash.
Trinidad, who recently took over from
Topex Robinson, said this Monday after the
Stags won over the Red Lions, 69-55, to
clinch the second seeding.
Dalawang beses kaming tinalo ng Le-
tran sa eliminations. Pero, huwag silang
masyadong overcondent, said Trinidad,
who recalled Letrans 80-74 win in the rst
round and its 82-67 triumph in the second
round over the Stags.
He said the Stags will no longer rely on
their Big 3, Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual
and Ian Sangalang.
Other players, according to Trinidad, are
stepping up, and their rotation would now
also include others like Jovit de la Cruz, Mi-
chael Juico and Michael Miranda.
With Pascual serving a one-game sus-
pension following a disqualifying foul
during the last match, Abueva is expect-
ed to also double his efforts against the
Knights, who took the third seeding with
their 12-6 slate.
The Knights, who have 11 semis appear-
ances just like the Stags, are looking for
their third nals appearance at the expense
of the Stags.
Basta ang mindset namin is we have to
beat them twice to reach the next level, said
Knights coach Louie Alas after they posted
a 76-58 win over the Arellano Chiefs at the
end of their elimination- round assignments
last Oct. 6
The Knights will have a weeklong rest
and the presence of Raymond Almazan,
the teams prized slotman, who was absent
for two months, will give the teams wing-
men more open looks and help fellow big
men Jam Cortes and Jonathan Belorios job
easier inside the paint.
Letrans offense will rest on Kevin Alas,
who norms 20 points per game, while Cor-
tes can help our with an average of 11.9
points. Peter Atencio
That old
BLACK
MAGIC
Its anybodys ballgame in the Final 4
By Peter Atencio
OUTGOING Ateneo Blue Eagles coach Norman Black said he
would like to be best remembered for the good program that he
helped set up for the school, in terms of recruiting talented play-
ers, who can make a difference.
Calvin Abueva will be the main man for the SSC Stags in the
Final 4. SONNY ESPIRITU
Ateneos Nicho Elorde
(left) tries to barrel his
way against the defense
of USTs Paulo Lorenzo
in a game won by the
Eagles. SONNY ESPIRITU
season, that they have their eyes
on three talented prospects, like
Fil-American Chris Newsome,
Cagayan de Oro standout Paul
Siarot and junior cager Antonio
Asistio.
The 62 Newsome, who
used to go to school in New
Mexico, has already com-
pleted his residency with the
school. He and the 64 Siar-
ot has been ne-tuning their
games playing for Ateneos
Team B. In the junior division,
Asistio may make it to the
Blue Eagles nal roster with
his averages of 16.7 points
per game.
In the eight years that Black
handled Ateneo, the Blue Ea-
gles nished the eliminations
in 2005 at third place with a
10-5 record. They later lost to
La Salle in the semis.
In 2006, they were rst in
the elims at 10-2, got past the
Adamson Falcons in the Final
Four, but lost to UST in the
championship round.
A year later in 2007, the
Loyola dribblers secured the
third seeding in the Final Four,
where they lost to La Salle.
During the ve years that
they were champions, the Blue
Eagles had their best elimina-
tion-round records in 2008,
2009, and 2011, with 13-1
cards on each season and win-
ning over La Salle, University
of the East and Far Eastern
University, in those respective
years.
Their rst championship
in that ve-year stretch will
also be best remembered be-
cause it was achieved against
arch-rival La Salle. Further-
more, Ateneo players won all
the individual UAAP awards
for Season 71, with Rabeh
Al-Hussaini taking the MVP
plum and the Most Improved
Player Award. Nonoy Baclao
claimed the Finals MVP title
and the Defensive Player of
the Year Award, while Ryan
Buenafe was chosen Rookie
of the Year. Chris Tiu, on the
other hand, earned the Maaas-
ahan Player of the Year Award,
while Buenafe and Salva were
in the All-Rookie Team and
Mythical Five.
We worked the entire year.
We pushed our players a lot.
We asked a lot out of them.
And they came up big for them-
selves, for the community and
for the school. So theres noth-
ing like leaving the school with
another championship, said
Black, who also thanked busi-
nessman-tycoon Manny V. Pan-
gilinan for the support he gave
to the program.
Norman Black leaves
Ateneo with five straight
titles. SONNY ESPIRITU
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