7/30/2019 Manila Standard Today - Wednesday (January 16, 2013) issue

1/20

W EATHER

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

TODAY

StandardVol. XXVI No. 283 20 Pages, 3 SectionsP18.00 Wednesday, January 16, 2013

www.manilastandardtoday.com mst@mstandardtoday.com

Soldiers givenblinded order

Troop aid requested 30 minutesbefore clash

Justices nd inrmities in cybercrime law

Joyce P. PaaresPRESIDENT Aquino has ap-pointed Army chief Lt. Gen.Emmanuel Bautista as the 44thchief of staff of the ArmedForces of the Philippines.

The turnover has beenset on Thursday but the ap-pointment will take effect

The source said a police of-cer in the checkpoint opera-tion obtained troop support bytelephone 30 minutes beforethe encounter.

He said Col. Hansel Maran-tan talked to Col. Monico Abang,commander of the Army SpecialForces, who sent a 25-man pla-toon in full battle gear as aug-mentation for peace and internal

security operations against pri-vate armed groups.Somehow, we (special

forces) were blinded by that re-quest, the ofcer said. I think the negotiation for the deploy-ment of Special Forces troopstranspired minutes before theshootout as alleged.

He said the Army never re-ceived such kind of request inthe past and even if we did, itwill take days before it is ap-proved.

The troops arrived on boarda military truck and took posi-tions in the checkpoint. Theybrought to 65 the total force of military and police, which in-cluded 25 from the intelligence

THE Supreme Court orderedMalacanang on Tuesday to re-spond within 10 days to claimsthat the Reproductive Healthlaw signed by President Aquinolast month was unconstitution-al because it could split fami-lies and destroy marriage as aninstitution, which are protectedby the Constitution.

The new law, or RepublicAct 10354, also contains 11provisions that allow couples tochoose to suppress life, whichviolates the Constitution, ac-cording to James and LovelyAnn Imbong, who sought arestraining order to stop itsimplementation.

The Imbong couple citedArticle II, Section 12 of theConstitution, which says: TheStaste recognizes the sanctityof family life and shall protectand strengthen the family as abasic autonomous social insti-tution. It shall equally protectthe life of the mother and thelife of the unborn ...

Despite strong oppositionfrom the Catholic Church,

INTERIOR Secretary ManuelRoxas II on Tuesday orderedthe National Police to followthe rules on the provision of security to candidates to en-sure a safe and orderly mid-term election in May.

Roxas also called on thecitizenry to report any inci-dents of policemen providingunauthorized security to poli-ticians.

He vowed swift actionagainst anyone found violat-ing his order that, he said, wasmeant to insulate the policefrom partisan politics and helpthem perform their electionduties efciently.

He gave his order even asthe National Bureau of Inves-tigation reshufed its ofcialsand six senior police ofcialswere assigned to new posts inthe continuing reorganizationin the police hierarchy.

If we see even a photo of unauthorized [police] personnelnear or in the company of can-didates, that will be enough evi-dence to start administrative andcriminal proceedings against theoffenders, Roxas said.

I want to ensure that the[National Police] remains neu-tral in the conduct of the May2013 elections and all its per-sonnel to stay out of politics.

By Rey E. RequejoSEVERAL senior justices of theSupreme Court on Tuesday agreedwith the arguments of the lawyersof the petitioners against RepublicAct 10175, or the Cybercrime Pre-vention Act, over the inrmities of some of its provisions.

However, Chief Justice MariaLourdes Sereno and Associate

Justice Marvic Leonen ques-tioned the lawyers over the newlaw and appeared to be taking thecudgels for the government.

The oral arguments for andagainst the new law took placeeven as Senator Edgardo Angara,the laws principal authort andsponsor, expressed condence theSupreme Court would not strike itdown as unconstitutional.

But in the House, Bayan MunaRep. Teddy Casio and Gabri-ela Rep. Luz Ilagan said they werehopeful that the high court wouldrule favorably on the petitions ques-tioning the laws constitutionality.

Senior Justices Antonio Car-pio, Teresita Leonardo-De Cas-tro and Diosdado Peralta stressedwhat they considered to be loop-holes in the law, particularly the

provision on online libel and theimposition of penalties for cyber-crimes that are higher than whatis provided for similar crimes inthe Revised Penal Code.

Carpio cited the lack of cleardifference between cybercrimesand their equivalent in the Re-vised Penal Code.

Theres nothing in this law

MANILAA Muslim rebelgroup which signed a 1996 peacepact with the Philippine govern-ment said it sent emissaries onMonday to negotiate the releaseof foreign and Filipino hostagesbeing held by al-Qaida-linkedAbu Sayyaf gunmen on southernJolo island.

Moro National Liberation

Front commander Khabir Malik said his group sent about 10 com-manders to the jungle hideouts of the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo in Suluprovince to convince the extrem-ist groups leaders to release alltheir captives. Malik waited withhundreds of armed rebels in Su-lus Patikul town for word fromthe emissaries, who he said were

given three days to negotiate.He refused to say what the

MNLF would do if the AbuSayyaf militants do not free thecaptives, who police say includea Jordanian journalist and twoEuropean bird watchers.

Were resorting to peacefuldiscussions and Gods wisdom toask them to turn over their hostages

to us, Malik told The AssociatedPress by cellphone from Patikul.If they wont agree, well leave toGod whatever will happen.

Malik said his group took thestep after its commanders decid-ed in a recent meeting to help thegovernment, military and policeclean up the image of Sulu, a

By Christine F. HerreraTHE United Nationalist Al-liance on Tuesday allegedthat the ruling Liberal Partyscreeping crackdown againstits opponents was a departurefrom President Benigno Aqui-no IIIs reform agenda.

The UNA bets, including Mr.Aquinos aunt Margarita Co-

juangco, said that the LPs repres-sive tactics in Cebu only mirrorsits high-handed style in dealingwith its political enemies.

Cojuangco said that themove of LP to le other casesagainst Garcia was obviouslynot in line with President Aqui-nos Tuwid na Daan.

She also accused Interiorand Local Governments Sec-retary Mar Roxas II as the onebehind the continued politicalharassments against Garcia.

The UNA candidates de-scribed the LPs plan to le 16cases against suspended Cebu

By Joyce P. PaaresTHE Liberal Party on Tuesdayshrugged off criticisms that it hasyet to come up with an organizedmachinery for its senatorial betsfor the May 13 elections.

The ruling party said that infact, President Benigno AquinoIII would bring some of the ad-ministration bets to Cebu today.

Still, there appears to be nopoint person for a centralizeddissemination of information onLP activities.

By Macon R. AranetaNO RESTRICTIONS have beenimposed on travelers comingfrom the United States, where au epidemic has been declared,but Health Secretary EnriqueOna has ordered the quarantinepeople at the ports of entry tointensify their screening of pas-sengers for fever.

We must be on our guard to de-tect inuenza cases not only at our

ports and airports but also from ourhealth facilities, Ona said.

And following his order, thequarantine personnel at the Ni-noy Aquino International Airporthave begun watching the peoplecoming from the US mainlandmore closely for u.

As of now, there is no alertcoming from the WHO [WorldHealth Organization], so we are

just monitoring incoming pas-

sengers through our thermal

scanners, said Edgar Maala, thedoctor on duty at the airport.

If we detect passengers withhigh fever, we prescribe medica-tion and document them for re-cord purposes.

The quarantine staff have alsobeen fumigating aircraft comingfrom the United States before al-lowing passengers to board them.

So far, the quarantine peoplehave not reported a single case

Critics. Detractors of the Cybercrime Prevention Act picket outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday as the high courts justices heard the oralarguments for and against it. EY ACASIO AND DANNY PATA

Arrival. MILF commander Khabir Malik, third from left front row, arrives with his comrades in Pa-tikul, Sulu, to seek the release of foreign and Filipino hostages long held by the al-Qaida-linked AbuSayyaf gunmen. AP

On alert. A quarantine ofcer fumigates an aircraft from the USmainland before allowing passengers to board it as a precautionagainst the u as a result of the u epidemic in the United States.

ERIC APOLONIO

Next page

Next page

Baguio chillsBy Dexter A. SeeBAGUIO CITY TheSummerCapital re-corded itslowest tem-perature of 11degrees Cel-sius around 4

Roxas tells

police tostay outof politics

UNA rapsrepressiveacts of LP

Admin partydebunks itsmessed up

Arrivals from US watched for u clues

Palace toldto answerplea vs RH

MNLF seeks release of Abu Sayyafs hostagesNext page Next page

Next page

Next page Next page

Next page

Next pageNext page

AFP has newchief of staff

By Francisco Tuyayand Macon R.AranetaTHE Army wasblinded into send-ing a platoon of spe-cial forces as aug-mentation force fora checkpoint op-eration in Atimonan,Quezon where 13people were riddledwith bullets lastJanuary 6, a rankingArmy ofcer said onTuesday.

7/30/2019 Manila Standard Today - Wednesday (January 16, 2013) issue

2/20

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

News Manila StandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.comJANUARY 16, 2013 WEDNESDAY A2

CUSTOMS Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said Tuesday he

had just started reshufing the agencys ofcials in a bid toenhance his agencys public service.Under his newly-issued Customs Personnel Order,

Lourdes Mangaong, formerly assigned to the X-ray Inspec-tion Project at the Manila International Container Port, wasdesignated collector of the Cagayan De Oro Port.

Former Cagayan De Oro Ports collector, Anju Castiga-dor, was subsequently assigned to the Ofce of the Com-missioner.

Carmelita Talusan is the new head of the X-ray InspectionProject, replacing Mangaoang. She worked at the Subic BayFree Port before her latest appointment.

Adelina Molina, who served as chief of staff at the Of-ce of the Commissioner, has been assigned to the SubicBay Free Port, while Geniefelle Lagmay is the new chief of staff of the Ofce of the Commissioner.

Former Cebu District Collector Ronnie Silvestre will re-turn to the Clark International Airport, while Edward DelaCuesta has been named the new Cebu District Collector.

Biazon said he ordered the reshufe to improve Cus-toms and to strengthen its ability to serve the public.

He said he remained committed to fulll President Be-nigno Aquino IIIs order to rid Customs of mists andscalawags.

Customs reshufesto boost efciency

Palace...which accepts only natural fam-ily planning methods, Congress

passed the Reproductive Health bill last December 19 and Aquinosigned it into law two days later.

The Imbong couple led their case on January 2, but variousgroups and foundations followedwith their own petitions, seekingto stop the laws implementation.The court will deliberate and de-cide the issue after it received thegovernments comments.

Petitioners said the govern-ment should not implement thelaw because it runs counter to itsconstitutional duty to strengthen(familys) solidarity and actively

promote its total development,to protect inviolable marraigeand the right of spouses to builda family in accordance with their religious beliefs.

From Mindanao, the ServeLife CDO, a medical servicescompany, and Rosevale Foun-dation, a school in Cagayan deOro City, also asked the Su-

preme Cour to to stop imple-mentation of the new law.

The petitioners said the new lawwas violative of the Constitution.

Admin...They can accuse us of being

disorganized but I dont think so.We have an organized machin-ery, LP stalwart and Budget Sec-retary Florencio Abad said.

Abad pointed to Senator Frank-lin Drilon, the administrationslates campaign manager, as theone who can answer all questionsrelated to the sorties and events of the senatorial candidates.

Abad said that the president

will bring along senatorial candi-dates and former senators RamonMagsaysay Jr. and Jamby Mad-rigal and former party-list Rep.Risa Hontiveros in LPs rst-ever sortie to Cebu today.

One administration candidatewho declined to join todaysevent in Mandaue City, however,admitted that there have been or-ganizational problems in the slate.

They only informed us of theCebu event the other night. Butwe have other schedules to attend

to and previous commitments.

Its really a problem for us, thesenatorial bet who asked not to benamed said.

The sortie to Cebu, one of thevote-rich provinces in the coun-try, could serve as a critical test toLPs capability to garner votes, asit comes in the heels of the sus-

pension of Cebu Governor GwenGarcia, a member of the United

Nationalist Alliance.Garcia was suspended for six

months by Interior and LocalGovernment Secretary Manuel

Mar Roxas II the LP president-

on-leave.Roxas appointed Agnes Mag-

pale, an LP m ember, as Ac tingCebu Governor in place of Gar-cia, who refused to leave theCapitol and barricaded herself inside the building with her sup-

porters.The United Nationalist Alli-

ance, meanwhile, already helda sortie in Batangas a week ago,and will be visiting the provincesof Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and

Nueva Vizcaya in a two week-

long sortie that will end on Friday.

AFP...on January 20 when outgoing AFP

chief of staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa reachesthe mandatory retirement age of 56.

We thank outgoing AFP chief of staff Dellosa for having served the countryand our uniformed personnel with exem-

plary dedication and commitment. Welook forward to the stint of the incomingAFP chief of staff in continuing the re-forms set in motion by the President and

implemented by his predecessors in ad-vancing the interests of our soldiers andthe enhancement of the defense capabili-ties of our country, deputy presidentialspokesperson Abigail Valte said.

Prior to his appointment, Bautistaserved as commander of the 3rd InfantryDivision of the Philippine Army.

A graduate of the Philippine MilitaryAcademys Dimalupig Class of 1981, hecompleted his Masters in Public Admin-istration at the University of the Philip-

pines.He was the brains behind the mili-

tarys new counter-insurgency programcalled Internal Peace and Security Planor Bayanihan.

Bautista bested other candidates in-cluding Air Force commander Lt. Gen.Lauro Catalino dela Cruz and AFP Vice

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes.As a former internal auditor of theAFP, Bautistas appointment is seen tosupport the efcient management of themilitarys resources.

Roxas...Roxas said the guidelines for se-

curing fair and honest elections in-cluded the strict implementation of the rules in the carrying of rearms

by authorized security personneland other authorized individuals.

The Commission on Electionsstarted implementing its gun banon Jan. 13, the start of the elec-tion period. It is the only agencyauthorized to issue exemptionsto candidates who wish to avail

themselves of security detail fromthe National Police during theelection period.

The NBI announced its reshuffethree days before the election pe-riod started as the transfer or move-ment of ofcers and employees inthe Civil Service is not allowedonce the election period begins.

The order for the reshufe wassigned by NBI Director Nonna-tus Caesar Rojas on Jan 10, buta source at the NBI said the ef-fectivity of the reshufe woulddepend on the turnover of as-signments, especially those han-dling high-prole cases like theAtimonan shooting incident that

resulted in the death of 13 peopleand the Aman Futures.The Atimonan shooting is being

handled by the Regional Opera-tions Services, but its head, DeputyDirector Virgilio Mendez, was notaffected by the revamp.

However, lawyer Romulo Asis,head of the Death InvestigationDivision that is also investigatingthe shooting incident in Quezon,was named chief of the Anti-GraftDivision and was . replaced byFerdinand Lavin.

The top ofcials reshufedwere Deputy Director RicksonChiong, from AdministrativeServices to Technical Services;

Deputy Director Edmundo Aru-gay, from Special InvestigationServices to Administrative Ser-

vices; Deputy Director Ruel La-sala, from Intelligence Servicesto Special Investigation Services;and Deputy Director ReynaldoEsmeralda, from Technical Ser-vices to Intelligence Services.

Rafael Ragos will remain Dep-uty Director for Comptroller Ser-vices.

Meanwhile, National PoliceDirector General Alan Purisimasaid that of the six ofcials as-signed to new posts, two were po-lice directors and one was a chief superintendent who all assumed

their new posts on Tuesday.On Dec. 26, Purisima also or-dered a minor reshufe in the po-

lice organization with the installa-tion of ve senior police ofcialsto new key positions.

In Bangued, Abra, RegionalPolice Chief Benjamin Magalangsaid the sealing or taping of themuzzles of politicians rearmsand theiur safekeeping by the po-lice will be carried out to ensurea safe mid-term election in May.

He said police ofcers will beknocking on the doors of politi-cians to make sure their gunswere taped and then turned over to the police to prevent those from

being used. Jonathan Fernan-dez, Macon Ramos-Aranetaand Dexter A. See

UNA...Governor Gwendolyn Gar-

cia as part of the ruling partysgrand project to strangle its ri-vals in the 2013 elections.

The UNA candidates are inthe second leg of a two-week sortie that include visits to Ca-gayan, Isabela, Quirino and

Nueva Ecija, from Jan. 15 to 17.The DILG earlier designated

Vice Governor Agnes Magpaleas acting governor. Magpale, anLP member, is the running mateof Hilario Davide III, LPs pro-vincial chairman for Cebu.

Roxas, however, denied that politics had something to do withthe ling of the new charges,which stemmed from the use of

buses owned by the provincialgovernment that did not have per-mit from Magpale during the Jan.9 vigil for Garcia at the capitol.

Garcia denied ordering themobilization of the buses, say-ing she did not have controlanymore over the Cebu govern-ments resources.

Magpales move has the full backing of the LP leadership,according to LP Spokesman andHouse Deputy Speaker LorenzoTanada III.

But Cojuangco insisted Rox-as would benet from taking ef-fective control of the vote-rich

provinces once the sitting gov-ernors were ousted during thesix-month election period.

Mar cannot feign ignoranceand one need not be a genius todecipher and know who is behindand who will ultimately benetfrom the removal of, and politicalweakening of Governor Gwen,said Cojuangco.

Another UNA bet, ErnestoMaceda, said the statement of LP spokesman for Cebu lawyer Democrito Barcenas on the lingadditional charges against Garciaremoves all pretenses about themotive behind the suspension,and conrmed that the suspensionsmacked of political harassment.

UNA Secretary General and Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco add-ed that the creeping crackdownon UNA was now in full swing.

Reelectionist Senator Grego-rio Honasan said he was hopingthat the lodging of more chargesagainst Garcia would not resultin a witch-hunt.

Vice President Jejomar Bi-nays daughter Nancy, who isalso running for senator under UNA, said due process and re-spect for the rule of law appearsto have been set aside by the LPwith its plan to deluge Garciawith cases now that the election

period had started.Former Senator Richard

Gordon agreed.

Baguio...a.m. Tuesday, forcing local residentsand visitors to wear warm clothesand gather around replaces.

The active northeast mon-soon coupled with the preva-lence of the tailend of the coldfront is triggering the cold spellin the city which is expected toextend up to the rst week of March, said Dr. Salvador Olin-ares, a weather specialist.

Olinares added that the tem- perature in elevated areas in Ba-guio and Benguet went down toas low as 8 to 9 degrees Celsius.

Bengeut Gov. Nestor B.Fongwan, however, ruled out a

possible shortage of vegetables because farmers had alreadyharvested their crops beforethe onset of the extremely coldweather which could have trig-gered the andap, a Kankana-ey term for the effects of frost to

locally grown vegetables.Fongwan said that there isnow an oversupply of the crops,which resulted in cheaper veg-etables being sold in the mar-ket. He added that Benguet hasenough vegetables to sustain themarkets in neighboring provinc-es and in Manila.

The Baguio ofcial, how-ever, asked the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Customs to closely monitor and

prevent the smuggling of veg-etables from other countries thatare directly competing with lo-cally grown crops.

Justices...that requires a computer to be online before thecrime is committed, Carpio said.

Everybody now uses a computer to type a newsreport, so practically all libel crimes now are cyber-crimes because nobody uses a typewriter anymore.

Carpio recalled that the high court already hadseveral decisions which conict with Sec. 354 of the Revised Penal Code provision on libel.

With that premise, the senior magistrate hintedthat the online libel provision in Section 4 (c) of

R.A. 10175 could be considered unconstitutional.Carpio was reacting to the assertion of UP law professor Harry Roque Jr. that the online libel pro-vision should be struck down for overbreadth.

Peralta stressed that section 7, which allowsthe prosecution of a cybercrime separately fromits counterpart in the Revised Penal Code, wasclearly inrm.

There is really something wrong here, Per-alta said in agreeing with Bayan Muna Rep. andlawyer Neri Colminares, who argued that thequestioned provision violated the constitutional

ban on double jeopardy.De Castro took issue with Section 19 of the

law, which authorizes the Justice Department to block or restrict access to computer data with-out a court warrant.

How do we start determining prima facieevidence? Does that mean law enforcementagents can now snoop around? she asked whenshe questioned lawyer Rodel Cruz.

De Castro also noted the lack of clear guar-antees under Section 12 of R.A. 10175, whichallows real-time collection of trafc data, thatthe right to privacy of citizens will be protected.

Is there any way for the ordinary citizen toknow theyre only collecting trafc data and notcontent data? she said.

Petitioner lawyer Jose Jesus Disini Jr. re- plied: None. The ability to collect copiousamounts of data is unparalleled.

While most of the justices agreed with the petitioners on many points, a couple of themobviously did not.

Leonen, who was appointed by PresidentAquino in November last year, established theneed to regulate Internet use due to cases of cy-

ber bullying.

Is it not the right of government to come inand remove the megaphone from individuals whoare careless? Is there not a state interest in comingin in order to chill them from destroying others?he asked as he cited the case of Christopher Lao,the law student who scolded a trafc aide and thenreceived enormous criticisms online.

Sereno said Regulation of peoples behavior isthe intended effect of criminal statutes. The Internethas allowed the citizens to cross the line.

Sereno admitted she was most concerned bythose who commit suicide after being cyberbullied.

But the petitioners stood pat on how the pro-visions of the cybercrime law violated the civicrights to free speech and due process, amongothers things.

At the end of the four-hour hearing, they asked for an extension to the 120-day temporary restraining or-der issued by the high court in October last year andthat will expire on Feb. 6. Sereno said the high courtwould take note of their manifestation.

The oral arguments will continue on Feb. 22, withthe executive and legislative branches presentingtheir case through the ofce of the Solicitor General.With Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

MNLF... poor, predominantly Muslim region950 kilometers (590 miles) southof Manila that is a stronghold of theMoro insurgents.

The MNLF has denied any linkswith the Abu Sayyaf, but the militaryand police have long suspected somerebels provide refuge and other sup-

port to the extremists. Some ghtersfrom the two groups are related by

blood, security ofcials say.Sulus image has been tarnished

by high-prole kidnappings for ran-som, beheadings, bombings anddeadly attacks blamed on the AbuSayyaf, especially in the early 2000s.Although U.S.-backed Philippinemilitary offensives have consider-

ably weakened the Abu Sayyaf, anestimated 300-plus extremists in Suluand nearby islands remain a nationalsecurity concern.

Malik said the MNLF move wasnot aimed at bolstering the candidacyof its chairman, Nur Misuari, who isrunning for governor of a ve-prov-ince Muslim autonomous region inthe south in elections on May 13. Therebels, he said, would not pay the ran-som demanded by the Abu Sayyaf for the captives freedom.

We have long planned this butwe could not coordinate well andmuster the force well need so theseviolators will listen to us, Malik said.

Maliks group signed an au-tonomy deal with the governmentin 1996 but the pact did not leadto the disarming of the rebels, who

returned to their communities withtheir rearms. The group later splitinto different factions with Misu-aris group retaining hundreds of ghters and accusing the govern-ment of reneging on commitmentsto provide political and economicconcessions under the accord.

The Moro Islamic LiberationFront, a larger insurgent group with

broke off from Maliks group in 1978,is currently engaged in Malaysian-

brokered peace talks with the Philip- pine government.

Sulu provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra saidMalik informed him of the MNLF

plan to negotiate the freedom of thehostages. Sulu police forces were onstandby but would not get involved inthe rebel initiative, he said.

Malik said the MNLF emissarieswould attempt to meet with Radu-lan Sahiron, a one-armed militant,and other Abu Sayyaf commanders.Washington has offered a $1 millionreward for the capture or killing of Sa-hiron, who has been accused of manyterrorist acts.

Authorities believe the cap-tives include a Dutch and a Swisscitizen who were abducted inFebruary while bird watching innearby Tawi Tawi province. AbuSayyaf gunmen are also believedto be holding a Japanese treasurehunter and a Jordanian TV jour-nalist together with two Filipinocrew who reportedly traveled toAbu Sayyaf encampments in Suluto interview the militants in June

but failed to return.

Arrivals...of an incoming passenger withhigh fever.

Health authorities at the airport

on Monday started a stricter moni-toring of passengers from the Unit-ed States following reports of a uepidemic there on Sunday.

They went on alert after udowned 20,000 people in NewYork City and the US Centersfor Disease Control and Preven-tion announced that 47 states hadalready been affected by the u,with 24 to 29 states hard hit in-cluding Florida, Arkansas andSouth Carolina.

The only states without wide-spread u were California, Mis-sissippi and Hawaii.

Ona on Tuesday said theChristmas season usually was thetime when US-based Filipinoschose to vacation with their rela-tives here.

He advised the public to watchout in case they had fever, a sorethroat and bouts of coughing asthese were the common symp-toms of u. He warnedthat inuenza was a serious andcontagious disease, and thatyoung children, pregnant wom-en, the elderly and those withhealth conditions were at risk.

To prevent u from spread-ing, one who is sick should stayhome as it takes only a few days

before the symptoms subside,Ona said.

He said any infected personcould pass the virus to othersa day before their symptomsappeared, or up to 5 days later when they were already ill.

With Eric B. Apolonio

Soldiers...ofce of Calabarzon and 15 policemenfrom Atimonan and Pagbilao policestations.

Shots rang out when two sports util-

ity vehicles arrived at the checkpoint.Among the casualties were a senior police ofcer and army intelligence op-eratives.

The National Bureau of Investiga-tion, which took over all physical evi-dence gathered by scene of the crimeoperative as ofcial prober, said theywere at a loss for words in describ-ing the killings. Neither rubout nor shootout was used by the NBI to de-scribe the killings, but the word am-

bush was ruled out.The ofcer said other than the sol-

diers in camouage uniforms, only theAtimonan police chief was in uniform,which was highly irregular for a policecheckpoint.

Maj. Gen. Alamn Luga, commander of the Southern Luzon Command, hasordered the 25 soldiers, inclduding Col.Abang and two other ofcers, restrictedto barracks pending investigation of the case, according to Col Generoso

Bolina, the Southern Luzon Commandspokesman.

In effect, they are not allowed to goon operations, home leave or vacationuntil the issue is resolved, Bolina said.

He said initial investigations bySOLCOM indicate the Special Forces

troops merely responded to a call for assistance by the local police.They were told that a group of heav-

ily armed men and gun-for-hire sus- pects and drug lords were proceedingto the area and their help was urgentlyneeded, Bolina said.

He said among those killed, Vic Si-man, an alleged jueteng operator, andTirso Lontok, a suspected communistrebel, were not in the SOLCOMs or-der of battle.

Interior and Local Government Sec-retary Manuel Roxas sacked Chief Supt. James Melad, director of the Po-lice Regional Ofce in Region Four,for his alleged refusal to cooperate withinvestigators from the NBI.

Also removed from their posts weremembers of the Provincial PublicSafety Company and the Batangas Pro-vincial Intelligence Group, who wereallegedly involved in the killing lastMonday of Fernando Morales, a close

associate of Siman.There will be no sacred cows. Sorry,

but the government cannot be used as atool to hide the truth from our people,Roxas said.

He said Marantan, who was wound-ed in the encounter, refused to submit

to investigators, declining to answer questions, and would not allow them toinspect his wounds and kept the slugsrecovered in the shootings.

I advise Supt. Marantan to submit toinvestigators from the PNP or NBI. Itsnot good for a man in your situation notto submit to a transparent process so weget to the whole truth in this incident,Roxas said.

Ronald Pidlaoan, Marantans physi-cian, said the police ofcer was wound-ed in his left forearm, left leg and rightknee.

In Malacanang, presidential deputyspokesperson Abigail Valte said Presi-dent Aquino has conveyed his assur-ances that we are serious in getting tothe bottom of his incident.

She said the government wouldthrow the book on Marantan, who waswounded in the encounter and was re-

ported to have declined to submit to acheck-up on the wounds he sustained.

7/30/2019 Manila Standard Today - Wednesday (January 16, 2013) issue

3/20

JANUARY 16, 2013 WEDNESDAY A3

News Manila StandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.comCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Customs reconfigures

Gun ban defied; trader killed

IN BRIEF

Finally, Muhlach gets TRO

DOST to host govt websitesTO curb the growing number of hack-ing attacks, Malacanang on Mondaysaid that it is studying the possibility of directing the Department of Science andTechnology to host all websites run bythe government.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Laci-erda said migrating or moving allgovernment websites to the govern-ment host will ensure their safety fromhackers. Government domain which ismanaged by the DOST, is less prone tohacking, he said.

Those (websites) that are hostedby DOST are secure, for instance (the)PCDSPO (Presidential CommunicationsDevelopment and Strategic

Planning Ofce) and the OP (Ofce

of the President), are run by the govern-ment and as much as the hackers haveattempted to attack the OP (website), ithas never been defaced, Lacierda saidin the report.

Some government websites are host-ed by private entities and there has been asuggestion to move or migrate their host-ing to government so thats being studiedright now, he said. Marlon Magtira

ACTOR Aga Muhlach may now proceedwith his congressional bid in CamarinesSur in May. This cropped up after theCourt of Appeals issued a temporaryrestraining order enjoining a local courtfrom enforcing its order to delist himand wife Charlene Gonzales from the

municipal list of voters.After hearing Muhlachs petitionyesterday, the CAs 12th Divisionthrough Associate Justice VicenteVeloso decided to grant Muhlachsprayer and issue the TRO effectivefor 60 days against the San Jose re-gional trial court.

However, the CA required him to posta bond of P200,000 for possible damagesto be incurred by public respondents as aresult of the order.

Associate Justices Jane Aurora Lan-tion and Eduardo Peralta Jr. concurred.

Gonzales, whose name was also re-moved from the list, joined Muhlach inling the petition and was covered by theTRO. Rey Requejo

Egyptian distinction. President Aquino confers the Order of Sikatuna with a rank of Datu (Silver Distinction) on Egyptian Ambassadorto the Philippines Ahmed Mahmoud Maher Abbas during the farewell call at the Music Room in Malacaan Palace on Tuesday. Abbaswas cited for his efforts to sustain the momentum for more vigorous bilateral relations between the Philippines and Egypt. Foreign AffairsUndersecretary Jose Brillantes looks on. GIL NARTEA

Flying Brahminy.A guest extendshis hand to feed

a BrahminyKite during thelaunching of a

new attraction ata marine-themed

park Tuesday.Brahminy Kites,

known as coastalraptors which

feed on insects,reptiles and sh,are on loan from

the ProtectedAreas and Wildlife

Bureau of thegovernment. Bullit

Marquez-AP

By Joel E. ZurbanoA TOTAL of 52.8 million votersregistered for this years mid-term polls, including those who

joined the list-up overseas.The number rose by 2.03 mil-

lion from 50.85 million in the2010 polls.

The Commission on Elections-Precincts and Voting Center Di-vision analyst Elisa Canete said51,898,906 voters registered in thecountry, while 988,384 signed upas overseas absentee voters. TheForeign Affairs department said398,554 were new registrants.

The new gures surpassed thetotal number of registrants in2004, which chalked up 364,187OAV, followed by 2007 with143,236 and 2010 with 235,950.

The Overseas Absentee Vot-ing Act of 2003 allows qualiedFilipino citizens residing abroadto vote for president, vice presi-dent, senators and party-list rep-resentatives.

In the breakdown per region,Region 4 or the Southern Tagalog

area posted the highest numberwith 8,757,625 registered votersfollowed by Metro Manila with5,995,865 and Region 3 (CentralLuzon) with 5,822,678.

The Autonomous Regionin Muslim Mindanao posted1,288,562 registered voters, downby more than 500,000 comparedto the old list of 1.7 million.

The Comelec actually recorded1,567,409 new voters during theJuly 9 to 18, 2012 registration pe-riod in ARMM but the commis-sion discovered double and multi-ple registrants and subjected themto Automated Fingerprint Identi-cation System process.

ARMM is composed of the prov-inces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindan-ao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The new gures also sur-passed the total number of reg-istrants in 2004, where it onlylisted 364,187 OAV; followedby 2007 with only 143,236; andin 2010 with 235,950.

The elections on May 13 willelect 12 candidates for senators, thehighest elective positions available.

The total number of electivegovernment positions at stake to-tal 18,053, including 59 partylistrepresentatives, 233 congress-men, 80 governors and 143 may-ors. A regional governor, a vicegovernor and 24 assemblymenwill be elected in the ARMM.

The Comelec and the NationalPolice earlier identied a total of 889 election hot spots or electionwatch-list areas in 15 provinces,majority of which were found inthe Ilocos Region, 88 in the EasternVisayas, and 83 in the ARMM.

The provinces considered ashigh-risk areas were Abra, Pangasi-nan, Cagayan, Ilocos Sur, La Union,Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Batangas,Cavite, Masbate, Samar, MisamisOccidental, Maguindanao, Lanaodel Sur and Basilan.

The PNP identied the hotspots or potential ash pointsbased on election violence dur-ing and outside the election pe-riod, political rivalry, the pres-ence of private armed groupsand other threat groups and the

proliferation of rearms.

52-M voters sign up for May pollsChina gears upfor war situation

Another Cabinet manquits; Palace unfazed

CUSTOMS Commissioner RuffyBiazon described the recent chang-es in his agency as a re-congura-tion, adding that the agency didntplay favorites with the selection of district collectors.

We are now doing a re-congu-ration of our organizational structure,especially among our frontline of-cials, to re-position our district collec-tors where they can be most produc-tive, Biazon said.

The retention of Rogel Gatchalian of Manila, Carlos So of Ninoy Aquino In-ternational Airport (Naia) and RicardoBelmonte of Manila International Con-tainer Port (MICP) raised speculationthat the agency was afraid of movingthem because of their political and reli-gious connections.

Gatchalian and Belmonte are al-lied with two prominent politicians,who in turn are allied with PresidentBenigno Aquino III. So, on the other

hand, is a member of a areligious sect.I wont say that is the reason, I have

my own reasons and basis for movingpeople around but its not that, saidBiazon during a forum on Monday.

Both Gatchalian and So havebeen overstaying in their positionsfor about four years.

In his Customs Personnel Orderlast Jan. 10, Biazon reshufed onlyve district collectors assigned insmall ports and 13 other key ofcers.

Asked why he didnt move all thedistrict collectors, Biazon said thereare certain criteria to be considered.

One, of course, the perform-ance, external factors the stakehold-ers. We considered the stakehold-ers. For me, strategy and drive onhow would I effect the changes. Butyou will notice that even if the col-lector is still there we moved peoplein the assessment group, Biazonsaid. Joel E. Zurbano

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

AMID escalating tensions between China and Japanover territorial disputes in the East China Sea, the Peo-ples Liberation Army called on its troops to get readyand be prepared for actual war situations this year.

The Peoples Liberation Armys department of thegeneral staff for the entire force said that they are nowshifting focus to Japan instead of the Philippines thisyear, which has also an ongoing territorial dispute inthe West Philippine Sea since April last year.

According to Peoples Liberation Army Department of the general staff for the entire force this year, the PLA aimsto beef up its troops to prepare them for possible war.

In 2013, the goal set for the entire army and the Peo-ples Armed Police force is to bolster their capabilitiesto ght and their ability to win a war, the PLA postedin the state-owned Peoples Liberation Army Daily.

Last years directive of PLA commander in chief HuJintao only emphasized joint military training and co-ordination among different PLAs.

This year, as Xi Jinping has taken over Hus post, the PLAmilitary troops would undergo hard and rigorous training.

The South China Morning Post said that this yearsstatement stresses the urgency of real combat abilitiesin all military training by repeating ghting wars or dazhang as many as 10 times in the statement.

By Joyce Pangco PaaresANOTHER Cabinet ofcialresigned effective yesterdaybut Malacaang said that wasno big deal.

Trade Undersecretary Cris-tino Panlilios resignation took effect yesterday, following thefootsteps of National DisasterRisk Reduction and Manage-ment Council executive direc-tor Benito Ramos and Philip-pine Health Insurance Corp.president Eduardo Banzon.

There was nothing unusual

in the series of resignationsof high-prole ofcials of theAquino administration thismonth.

However, because of the ap-pointments ban in light of theMay elections, deputy presi-dential spokesman AbigailValte said President BenignoAquino III might opt to assignan ofcer-in-charge to replacethe three ofcials.

Ramos, whose resignationwill take effect on Feb. 1, saidhe was quitting to take care of his ailing wife.

Banzon, who cited personalreasons, will be replaced by

Health Secretary Enrique Onaas OIC.

I think these resignationsare just coincidental, Valtesaid.

I suppose you know thereare times when people need tomove on and need to changedifferent career paths, sheadded.

Last month, the Presidentalso accepted the resignationsof chief presidential legalcounsel Eduardo de Mesa andBureau of Corrections headGaudencio Pangilinan.

Since Mr. Aquino took of-ce in 2010, there have been anumber of high-ranking Cabinetand government ofcials whohave resigned from his adminis-tration, including National Eco-nomic Development Author-ity head Cayetano Paderanga,Transportation Secretary Jose deJesus, Customs chief AngelitoAlvarez, Private-Public Partner-ship Ofce executive director Philamer Torio, Land Transpor-tation Franchising RegulatoryBoard head Nelson Laluces, Bu-Cor head Ernesto Diokno, andInterior Undersecretary RicoPuno.

Senior Supt. Gabriel Lopez,Marikina police chief, identi-ed the victim as Mark JosephAng Luna, 45, of Filipinas Vil-lage, Barangay Malanday, who

was shot at 8 a.m. at the cornerof Bayan-Bayanan Avenue andConcepcion Uno.

A witness said the suspect fol-lowed Luna and red at his head

before escaping with a compan-

ion on a motorcycle.Luna was rushed to Saint Vin-cent Hospital but was declareddead on arrival, the police said.

Gun owner Bradley Barroya,47, jobless, of Barangay Hag-dang Bato Libis in Mandaluyongwas arrested around 11:30 a.m.by anti-illegal drugs agents dur-ing a stakeout operation.

SPO2 Armando Esperanza Jr.said Berroya who was in front of a convenience store had a .45-ca-liber Armscor pistol when frisked.

At the station, Chief Insp.Teddy Tomas said the suspect

presented a rearm licenseFC117434 and permit to carry ID

BDB 1204006969 but was still

detained for lack of proof that hewas exempted from the ban.At Camp Crame, National Po-

lice Chief Alan Purisima said 16rearms were seized and 12 peoplewere arested in checkpoints acrossMetro Manila, Ilocos, Central Lu-zon, Calabarzon, regions 7, 8 and 9.

The enforcement of the gunban was hightened following thekilling in San Juan, Batangas, of Fernando Morales, associate of Victorino Siman, who was amongthe 13 people killed at a checkpointin Atimonan, Quezon, last Jan. 6.

Local Government SecretaryMar Roxas sacked CalabarzonPolice chief James Melad fol-

lowing the shooting at the victis

residence in Barangay Lipahan.Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.on Tuesday gave a passing mark to some checkpoints even as hiscolleagues in the House daredthe police to follow the standardprocedures.

I passed through three check-points last Sunday in Bataan. Itlooked okay to me, he said, not-ing that circumstances may havebeen different in Atimonan.

Aurora Rep. Juan EdgardoAngara said checkpoints be welllighted, properly identied andmanned by uniformed policemen.

Deputy Minority Leader andZambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay

along with San Juan City Rep.

Joseph Victor Ejercito and Que-zon City Rep. Winston Castelosaid the police should act respon-sibly at checkpoints.

Zambales Rep. Jun Omar Ebdanesaid Atimonan was an isolated case,Lets just keep our eyes open forany violation on both sides.

Chairman Francis Tolentino of the Metro Manila DevelopmentAuthority on Tuesday petitionedthe Commission on Elections,seeking an extended liquor ban.

He said exemptions can beallowed hotels and other estab-lishments catering to foreigntravelers with certication by theDeparetment of Tourism.

By Gigi Muoz David, Francisco Tuyay,Maricel V. Cruz and Rio N. Araja

DESPITE a ve-month gun ban start-ing Jan. 13, a Filipino-Chinese traderwas shot dead in Marikina City Tuesdaywhile a gun holder was nabbed by anti-illegal drugs operatives in MandaluyongCity. Police have so far chalked up 12cases of gun ban violations.

7/30/2019 Manila Standard Today - Wednesday (January 16, 2013) issue

4/20

Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor Manila StandardToday mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.comJANUARY 16, 2013 WEDNESDAY A4

THE Supreme Court on

Tuesday heard oral argumentsfrom those who asked itto declare the CybercrimePrevention Act of 2012unconstitutional. There are at

present 16 petitions againstthe law whose passage latelast year took the nation bysurprise.

Two of the mostcontroversial provisions wereabout online libel, whichgives a higher penalty than thealready existing crime of libel,and what is called the take-down clause, which allows the

Department of Justice to shutdown Web sites it believes

unlawful.

Senator Edgardo Angaraconcedes that the law heauthored is awed even as he

points out that the Internet is anentirely new eld, especiallyin law. He remains hopefulthat the Supreme Court wouldnot throw the entire law alongthe problematic provisions

because it addresses manyother evils that pose threats toInternet users in general. Itsnecessary, he emphasizes,citing hacking, identity theftand other crimes the law in itsentirety seeks to prevent.

But those opposing thelaw say it plainly and simply

runs contrary to freedom

of expression. Some feelcompelled to resort to drasticmeasures like hackinggovernment Web sites andstaging rallies in masked facesto drive home their point.

The high court had issueda temporary restraining order on the implementation of thelaw following strong publicindignation against it. Indeed itappeared as though the Aquinoadministration, while claimingto champion transparency andaccountability, was going tothe opposite direction when

the cybercrime law wasswiftly signed into law while

the freedom of information

act continued to languish in both Houses of Congress (theSenate has since passed it butthe House does not seem to seeany urgency in doing so).

The restraining order however will expire onFebruary 6. Beyond that,how the public will receivethe implementation of acontroversial law whichthreatens to impinge on themost common of activities

blogging, for instance, or posting comments on socialmedia networkswill likely be

heightened with the proximityof the May elections.

Tuesdays arguments

enlightened the Supreme Court justices on whether the entirelaw, or just parts of it, must go.It is at least good that the partiesagree that the problematicissues must be addressed.Then again, the evils the lawclaims to prevent may already

be addressed by existing laws.We do not need another one

especially one that curtailscitizens prerogative to speak their minds.

Fear of the unknown must notmove us to violate certain basicfreedoms even under the guise

of caution. The Supreme Courtmust assert this, and soon.

All or nothing

EDITORIAL

Health, family andthe Cybercrime Law

ID NO sooner noted the strangeresignation of Undersecretary Benito

Ramos, the much-maligned disaster coordinating agency chief, when yetanother senior Aquino administration

bureaucrat quit on equally dubiousgrounds. Dr. Eduardo Banzon,

president of the Philippine HealthInsurance Corp., or Philhealth, resigneddue to family and personal reasons,according to Malacaang.

The resignation of Banzon, anaccomplished doctor, academic andtechnocrat, obviously caught the Palace

by surprise, because it had to scrambleto appoint Health Secretary EnriqueOna as caretaker of the agency Banzononce headed. There was no time to nda replacement, let alone to brief one onPhilhealths operations, unlike in thecase of Ramos.

Once again, there were no further details on the abrupt resignation of

Banzon, an appointeeof President NoynoyAquino. The code of omerta that seems togovern all Aquinosappoin teesandwhich has mademany people wonder why family andhealth concerns arealways the reasonsgiven for bureaucratswho quitseemsrmly in place.

B a n z o nwas supposedto implementcontroversial reforms in Philhealth,in furtherance of Aquinos campaign

promise of health care for all.These included a widely criticized

plan to increase Philhealth premiumcontributions, supposedly to cut downon out-of-pocket expenditures for members needing medical care; the

planned increases never took effect for still unknown reasons, even after theywere announced at least three timessince Banzons appointment.

Just once, Id like to hear of anAquino-appointed bureaucrat whoquits because of policy differences,incompetence, corruption or one of thereal reasons for leaving government,instead of the tired, old health-and-family excuse. But that would violatea clause in their hiring contract which

prohibits such candor, it seems, becausethat would make it appear like Aquinomade a mistake in hiring someone and that, apparently, never happens.

* * *If this administration hates looking

like it hired the wrong people, itdetests being found in error (or grosslyincompetent) by passing laws thathave unintended (and unconstitutional)consequences with an equal passion.The new law cracking down oncybercrime is one instance where thegovernment, long after it has beenfound not to have done its homework,seeks to save face by insisting onstanding on shaky legal ground.

But even a Supreme Court as Palace-

oriented as this one should nd no problem striking down the CybercrimePrevention Act of 2012, a.k.a. RepublicAct 10175. The alternative, after all, istotally scary and unacceptable.

As Ive written before, I haveno problem with cracking down onidentity theft, online fraud, child

prostitution, cyber-bullying and

all the other obviously punishableoffenses that an anti-cybercrime lawseeks to address. But the addition of

provisions against online libel andallowing so-called takedowns of Websites suspected of violating the newlaw (including the libel provision) aretotally unacceptable, if not patentlyillegal.

As the oral debates on RA 10175 began yesterday with the expiration of the 120-day restraining order issued bythe Court on the lawpassed late lastyear and signed with the usual alacrity

by Aquino the governments ownofcials are now admitting that perhapssome people have been noynoyingwhen they should have been studying.

Thus, we are treated to the sightof the chairman of the Departmentof Justices Ofce of Cybercrime,

Assistant SecretaryGeronimo Sy,saying that libel isalready punished inthe general criminalcode already.Whether it is

punished in print or online, it is the sameform of libel; youdont have to havea special mentionin the CybercrimePrevention Act.

M e a n w h i l e ,the Ofce of theSolicitor General,

the governments ofcial lawyer,has acknowledged, as well, that thetakedown provision in Section 19 isunconstitutional. Section 19 allows DoJ,without court approval, to block andrestrict access to Web sites it deems inviolation of anti-cybercrime provisions.

The redundant libel provision andthe takedown clause are the two mostunacceptable aspects of the law, which

passed in Congress and was signed by the President apparently withoutanyone noticing them. Now the Palace,according to Prevaricator-in-chief Edwin Lacierda, is saying that whilethe law may be awed, the SupremeCourt must declare it to be so before thegovernment does something about it.

Whatever happened to good oldstudying a law before Congress or Malacaang green-lights it? And whatif the Supreme Court upholds RA10175will we get stuck with a lawthat even its main proponent (the Aquinoadministration) now admits is defective?

It could happen, given the out-and-

out subservience of this Supreme Courtto Malacaang. If that comes to pass,then all hell online and off can beexpected to break loose.

Then, perhaps, the solicitor generaland the head of DoJs cybercrime ofcewill quietly quit, citing health and familyreasons. As for Lacierda, thats never going to happen; hes told more lies thananyone can count, in aid of defendingthe indefensible, and it doesnt seem to

put any strain on his health or his family.

ROLANDO G. ESTABILLOPublisher RAMONCHITO L. TOMELDANManaging Editor

CHIN WONG/ RAY S. EANOAssociate Editors JOEL P. PALACIOSNews Editor

ROGELIO C. SALAZARPresident & CEO

MEMBER

Philippine Press InstituteThe National Associationof Philippine NewspapersPPI

can be accessed at:www.manilastandardtoday.comONLINE

MST ManilaStandard

TODAY Published Monday to Sunday by KamahalanPublishing Corporation at 3rd Floor UniversalRe Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas corner PereaStreet, Legaspi Village, Makati City. TelephoneCLIMACO E. CALIWARA Controller ANITA F. GREFAL Treasury Manager

FRANCIS LAGNITONSenior Deskman ARMAN ARMEROSenior DeskmanLEO A. ESTONILO Senior Deskman

ROMEL J. MENDEZ Art Director ROBERTO CABRERA Chief Photographer

numbers 659-4830 to 32 (connecting alldepartments), 659-4827 (Editorial), 659-4803, 659-4802 (Advertising), 527-5016(Sales and Distribution/Subscription) and527-2057 (Credit and Collection). Faxnumbers: 659 -4804 (Advertising) and 527-6406 (Subscription). P.O. Box 2933, ManilaCentral Post Ofce, Manila. Website: www.manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: mst@manilastandardtoday.comMA. EDITHA D. ANGELES Advertising Manager

EDGAR M. VALMORIDA Circulation Manager

MARLON C. MAGTIRA Online Editor

JOJOA. ROBLES

LOWDOWN

Ofcials arenow admittingthat perhaps somepeople have beennoynoying on thenew law.

Worst, but friendliest airport

A STRANDED British tourist who madethe Ninoy Aquino International Airporthis home for 24 days and experiencedlegendary Filipino hospitality shouldsoften our image of having the worstairport in the world.

Its still a terrible airport but a tador notch better than some African

backwater aireld. Backpackingforeigners who sleep at airports rst

brought to international attention NAIAs lack of amenities. But Manilasgateway can now be considered thefriendliest and most hospitable.

Ask Gary Peter Austin who survivedthrough the kindness of the airportsimmigration, customs personnel andfellow travelers who passed the hatfor food and cellphone load to call theBritish Embassy in Manila. But in theend it was a Dutchman who paid hisreturn airfare back to London.

Austin, a 54-year old former racehorse jockey had a jolly good timeisland-hopping in the Philippines andvisiting a girlfriend in Cebu. His Gulf

Air electronic booking to London wascanceled by the airline and he did nothave the fare for another ticket after spending all his money.

For once, the Department of Tourismcan have someone really attest toits claim that its more fun in thePhilippines!

The story of the stranded Brit and itshappy ending may not have anythingto do with it but Conde Nast Traveller,a prestigious London-based magazine

listed the Philippines among the top 10destinations for 2013. Other destinationsthat made the magazines list wereAmsterdam, Brazil, Galapagos Islands,Kashmir, Oman, New Zealand, theMayan Riviera in Mexico and the Congo

Although we have a festeringterritorial dispute with China, theChinese nd the Philippines as anattractive tourist destination. TheOriental Morning Post, a leading newsdaily in Shanghai, listed the Philippinesas one of the best tourist destinationstogether with Ireland, Korea, Dubai andFinland.

It will be recalled that Beijing at theheight of the Scarborough Shoal tensiontold Chinese travel agencies not to sell thePhilippines as a tourist destination. The

blacklisting followed the hostage taking of several Chinese and Hong Kong tourists.The hostages were killed in a botchedattempt to rescue them from a hijacked

bus three years ago at the Luneta.New Chinese provocation

Beijing, meanwhile, continuesto stoke the simmering South ChinaSea dispute with the Philippinesand other claimant countries. Thelatest provocation, the deploymentof a Chinese patrol ship in the WestPhilippine Sea, was reported by theDepartment of

Foreign Affairs. The Chinese gunboatwas sighted near the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone under theUnited Nations Convention on the Lawof the Sea.

There are disquieting reports thatChina has also published new mapsthat included more than 130 islandsand islets in the West Philippine Seaand waters that are being claimed byVietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. The areais potentially rich in oil and mineral and

also a source of livelihood for sher folk in the coast of Zambales.

The Chinese plan to release the newmaps by the end of January to assert itsclaim over the entire South China Sea isseen as part of the grand plan to documenttheiur claim over the entire South ChinaSea when they are ready to submit to the

jurisdiction of the International Tribunalon the Law of the Sea.

The tension arising from theSouth China Sea territorial disputewas discussed by Foreign SecretaryAlbert del Rosario with his Japanesecounterpart, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida who was recently inManila on a two-day ofcial visit.

Describing Japan as a strategic partner, the DFA announced theJapanese donation of 10 patrol boats tohelp protect its maritime borders. Japanalso has a territorial row with China over the Senkaku Island which the Chinesecall Diaoyu.

Negroponte at PeninsulaFormer US Ambassador to Manila

John Negroponte will speak on currentglobal issues in a breakfast meetingwith select journalists at the PeninsulaHotel on Tuesday, Jan 22.

Negroponte was invited to guestthe 9:30 a.m. event hosted by former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Roberto R.Romulo.

The Director of National Intelligenceand former US Representative to theUnited Nations, Mr. Negroponte isa much sought after speaker in theinternational lecture circuit. Educatedat Exeter (UK) and Yale, he is a career diplomat and has held various key

positions at the State Department. Histalent was rst recognized by PresidentRichard Nixons former NationalSecurity Adviser, Dr. Henry Kissinger.

7/30/2019 Manila Standard Today - Wednesday (January 16, 2013) issue

5/20

JANUARY 16, 2013 WEDNESDAY A5Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor Manila StandardToday mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com

YOU know you are old when youcan no longer put your pants andunderwear on while standing up. Orwhen you have to be helped as yougo down even a few steps, or crossthe street. Or stand up for a long timewithout looking for something to siton.

Sales girls call you Lolo. Frankly,I resent that. Thats why early on, mywife and I taught our children to callus Papito and Manita. Soundsmore endearing, doesnt it?

In any case, with all the maintenancepills I gorge on morning, noon andnight, I am very much aware that I am,at 85 going 86, at the pre-departurearea waiting for the last call to boardthe ight to the Great Beyond.

I have a few regrets. One of themis my inability to chronicle my over60 years as a journalistand themany untoldstories I wasprivy to. I haveseen the bestand the worstof the peoplewho walkedthe corridors of power.

Then again,who wouldbother readingabout me?

***The presence of Federal Bureau of

Investigation agents in the Philippinesto dig deeper into the alleged $5million (or is it $30 million or $40million?) bribe of Pachinko founderKazuo Okada to the bagman of formerPagcor Chairman Efraim Genuino isproof that the American governmentis taking this matter seriously.

According to Reuters (which brokethe story and which is now facing libelcharges led by Okada), the Japanesebillionaire had secured a license tooperate a gambling casino togetherwith three other conglomerates,infusing at least $1 billion each forthe Pagcor Entertainment City alongthe reclaimed area along RoxasBoulevard.

The three other gambling giantsare Andrew Tans Global Alliance in

partne rship with Genti ng Highla ndsof Malaysia; billionaire RickyRazons Bloomberry; and Henry Sysconglomerate.

Just how far the FBI agents, whoare in town with the help of the

Nation al Bureau o f Investi gatio n, canget to the bottom of the alleged payoff remains to be seen.

For one thing, the alleged bribewas reported to have been given toGenuinos bagman after Okadaslicense and permit were approved. Mygulay , that doesnt make sense since abribe is always given before approvalis secured. Which leads me to ask, forwhom then was that alleged payoff?

In any case, what is truly regrettablein connection with this scam is thatwell never see the shadow of theLas Vegas gambling giants coming tothe Philippinesnot while Okada isinvolved with Pagcor.

I call this regrettable since LasVegas gambling giants likes Wynnsand Sands have made Macau andSingapore what they are today-destinations for foreign tourists andgambling casino acionados.

And with the absence of Las Vegascasino giants pouring in billion of dollars into Pagcors EntertainmentCity, how in the world can we everhope to compete with Macau andSingapore? And all because of Okada.

***Malacaang says that the Comelec

gun ban imposed during the electionperiod will not deter crimes. Mygulay , who said it would? Criminalsand lawless elements continue to havemore than 600,000 loose rearms.

Thats why its a good thing thatthe President has ordered PhilippineNational Police chief Alan Purisimaand Interior and Local GovernmentsSecretary Mar Roxas to go afterprivate armies that are known to beequipped with loose rearms.

What bothers me no end is thatthe PNP keeps on telling us thatnationwide crime has gone down byat least 10 percent. I cannot reconcilethis claim with what we all read in thenewspapers and watch on television onthe upsurge of criminality nationwide,especially in Metro Manila.

The fact that even the police areinvolved incrime makesthings worse.

T h econfusing, andat times evencontradictory,s t a t e m e n t scoming fromboth thepolice and the

NBI on theinvestigations

into what really happened in Atimonanis a perfect example of how not toconduct a probe.

***As a lawyer, I believe that business

tycoon Bobby Ongpin has basis for ling a case of graft against Anti-Money Laundering Council executivedirector Vicente Aquino.

As a result of the freezing by theAMLC of Ongins accounts (alongwith the accounts of 20 others) inconnection with the businessmansloans with the Development Bank of the Philippines, Ongpin sufferedirreparable damage to his reputation.This resulted in his loss of someP8 billion in his Philippine Stock Exchange listed corporations.Ongpins suit against Aquino isseparate from his earlier graft suitagainst Bangko Sentral Deputy Gov.

Nestor Espen illa, who led an ex-part e(without hearing the respondentsside) petition at the Court of Appealswhich immediately granted it.

Aquino had sworn under oath thatthe two loans totaling P560 million,which represented only 17 percentof what Ongpin borrowed from othersources for the Philex transaction,were inadequately covered bycollateral and thus irregular. Thatsstupid to say the least since recordsshowed the DBP itself admits thatthe Ongpin loans were adequatelycovered by Ongpins Philweb shares.

All told, the collateral for theOngpin loans was almost thrice thevalue of the loans.

Obviously, Aquino did not studythe case adequately and had aknee-jerk reaction in line with theadministrations continued harassmentand persecution of Ongpin. Behestloans, my foot! Jurisprudence saysthat a loan is behest when its indefault and not fully paid.

I suggest Aquino should study bankin g law s and r egulat ions. H e willbe educated.

No Las Vegas giantsfor Pagcor

EMILP. JURAD O

TO THE POINT

This is all becauseof Okada.

By Nelson FloresMY column last week entitled Thesecularization movement apparentlyneeds some clarication hence this piece.

The meaning of the word secularization,in our countrys case, could not simply bedened by a dictionary since it can onlybe understood in the context of a particulartimeline in our history.

For instance, during the time of Frs.Pedro Pelaez, Mariano Gomez, JoseBurgos, Jacinto Zamora (the Gomburzamartyrs) and Gregorio Aglipay (roughlyfrom 1860 to the 1940s), secularization

pertains to the ght of Filipino priestswho are not from religious or monasticorders for appointment to key positionsin the Church that was then dominatedby Spanish friars, hence the call amongnative clergymen to end frailocracy.

Up to that time, Filipino secular priestswere relegated to secondary roles in

parishes or assigned to far-ung areas thatare undesirable to the Spanish friars.

It was their struggle for the Filipinizationand secularization of the Church andagainst the abuses of the friars that ledto the martyrdom of Frs. Gomez, Burgosand Zamora (Gomburza). It also causedthe start the Propaganda movement, theprinting of Rizals Noli Me Tangere andEl Filibusterismo, the spark that ignited

the 1896 revolution and it also resulted inthe rst great schism in the Church in thePhilippines which led to the formation of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) in1902 and the appointment of Fr. Aglipayas its rst Obispo Maximo or SupremeBishop.

When we became a republic in 1946,secularizations meaning morphed intosomething more about the struggle of thenational government against the undueinuence/meddling of the conservativefaction of the Roman Catholic religionin the public sector since by this time thefriars inuence have waned considerably

and only remained in several exclusiveschools.

The conict between the nationssecular leadership and the conservativeprinces of this religion came to a boilingpoint in 1956 when the latter vigorouslyand openly tried to prevent the passageof the Rizal Bill for allegedly being aviolation of the freedom of conscienceand religion.

The members of this faction, who aresupposed to be exemplars of Christianity,honesty and good faith; maliciouslyaccused the main pillar of Philippinenationalism in the senate and principalsponsor of the Rizal Bill, Sen. Claro MayoRecto, of being an ardent communist andanti-catholic.

Fortunately, the conservatives squidtactic did not work and the Rizal Bill,which aims to make the hero and his work known to our people, eventually becameRepublic Act 1425 and now is part of thehigh school and collegiate curriculum.

Looking back, I think the survivingfamily of Dr. Rizal made a correct decisionin 1912 when they rejected a petition fromthe Jesuits, an inuential Roman Catholicorder, to rebury Dr. Rizal in Luneta (nowRizal Park) from a paupers grave PacoPark and instead accorded that honor to theheros faithful brethren, the freemasons.

Perhaps this fortunate decision of

Rizals surviving family is because theycorrectly perceived that the Jesuitspetition is smack with hypocrisy. Notethat no cleric came out in his defenseand the Catholic Church kept silentduring Rizals trial despite his closenessto at least four inuential Jesuit priests.It is only after Rizal became popular thatthe Roman Catholic hierarchy startedclaiming him.

It could also be justiably supposed thatearly in that point, Rizals family alreadysuspect that the inuential conservativeblock in the Roman Catholic Churchdoes not want anyone or anything that has

something to do with Rizal as later shownby their determined opposition againstRectos proposal to institutionalize theteaching of the heros work to our people.

Recently, this contest between thesecular leadership and the RomanCatholic Church simmered anew whenthe latter exed its muscle in a bid tomaintain its power and political inuenceby trying to prevent the passage of anotherpro-people law, Republic Act 10354 or theResponsible Parenthood and ReproductiveHealth Act of 2012.

Short of excommunicating PresidentBenigno Simeon Aquino III and the other prominent proponents of the controversiallaw, the conservative faction of the churchthrew everything against them, includingthe toilet bowl, so to speak. They used the

pulpit, the schools under their inuenceand other misled institutions in theirattempts to destroy the personalities whowent against their wishes.

Providentially, the reactionary segmentof the Roman Catholic Church again lostthis battle and the age of enlightenmentcontinued its march.

* * *It has been a long time since an

archbishop with genuine priestly qualitiesmade its presence felt to the nation. Amongall the Roman Catholic prelates whopublicly made known their stand against

the RH Bill, only Manila Archbishop LuisAntonio Cardinal Tagle spoke with reasonand due bounds.

I truly nd it admiring that last monthshortly after the House of Representativespassed on second reading the controversialRH Bill which sealed its fate, CardinalTagle, instead of seeking the electoraldefeat of the politicians who workedfor the passage of the controversial lawin the coming elections, prayed for theimmediate healing and unity of the nation.

I thank God for Cardinal Taglessensibility and grace.

So mote it be.

The meaning of the word

It all began in Paradise

ON THE day President Benigno AquinoIII signed the Reproductive Health Act,which seeks to impose birth control onall Filipinos, the Inter-American Courtof Human Rights in Costa Rica redenedthe moment of conception (fromfertilization to implantation) anddeclared that the embryo does not havethe legal status of a person.

It struck down Costa Ricas 12-year-old ban on in-vitro fertilization (IVF),making it available to anyone who wantsit in any of the 22 countries in LatinAmerica and the Carribean under its

jurisdiction. What is IVF? It is a processin which a female egg is fertilized by amale sperm outside the body, in vitro(Latin for in glass), and the fertilizedegg (zygote) is inserted inside thewomans uterus to produce a pregnancy.

To come up with that suitableembryo, several other embryos could bewasted. The Costa Rica ConstitutionalChamber found that inconsistent with theprotection of unborn life, so in 2000 itbanned IVF, consistent with the provisionin both Costa Ricas Constitution and theAmerican Convention on Human Rightswhich guarantees protection of theunborn from the moment of conception.

But in 2004, ten Costa Rican couplesand one fertility clinic led a petitionagainst the ban before the Inter-AmericanCommission on Human Rights. LastDec. 21, the Inter-American Court ruledthat the IVF ban violated the right toprivacy, family life, personal integrity,sexual and reproductive health. It orderedCosta Rica to legalize IVF within thenext six months.

Professor Paolo Carozza, who servedon the Inter-American Commission onHuman Rights from 2006 to 2010, calledit, the worst decision on the protection

of embryonic human life ever issued byan international court. Piero Tozzi of Alliance Defending Freedom complainedthat the ruling turned the right to life onits head and subordinated it to so many

other secondary rights. Pope BenedictXVI expressed his dismay in his annualaddress to the diplomatic community atthe Holy See.

We could share that anguish. InMarch of 2011, at the invitation of myfriend Austin Ruse, president of CatholicFamily & Human Rights Institute or C-FAM in the US, I joined a group of 40scholars assembled in San Jose, CostaRica from various parts of the world todraft an international document that hadsince come to be known as The San JoseArticles. I could not come to the meetingbecause of a wedding in my family andhad to participate via the Internet.

Lord David Alton of the BritishHouse of Lords; Lord Nicholas Windsor of the British Royal Family; OxfordUniversity Professor John Finnis;Princeton University Professor RobertGeorge; Javier Borrego, former Judgeof the European Court of Human Rights;former Foreign Minister and DeputyPrime Minister of Slovenia Alojz Peterle;Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight, Knightsof Columbus; and so many distinguishedprofessors of philosophy, law,

jurisprudence, public policy, medicineand bioethics from the most prestigiousuniversities contributed to and signed thedocument.

We then launched the documentat the UN, the British and EuropeanParliaments, and in all the continents. Allthe 10 articles are online, but here are therst ve:

Article 1. As a matter of scientic facta new human life begins at conception.

Article 2. Each human life is acontinuum that begins at conceptionand advances in stages until death.Science gives different names to thesestages, including zygote, blastocyst,embryo, fetus, infant, child, adolescentand adult. This does not change the

scientic consensus that at all points of development each individual is a livingmember of the human species.

Article 3. From conception eachunborn child is a human being.

Article 4. All human beings, asmembers of the human family, are entitledto recognition of their inherent dignityand to protection of their inalienablehuman rights. This is recognized in theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights,the International Covenant on Civil andPolitical Rights, and other internationalinstruments.

Article 5. There exists no right toabortion under international law, eitherby way of treaty obligation or undercustomary international law. No UnitedNations treaty can be accurately citedas establishing or recognizing a right toabortion.

Treaty monitoring bodies haveno authority, either under the treatiesthat created them or under generalinternational law, to interpret thesetreaties in ways that create new stateobligations or that alter the substance of the treaties.

Accordingly, any such body thatinterprets a treaty to include a right toabortion acts beyond its authority andcontrary to its mandate. Such ultra vires acts do not create any legal obligationsfor states parties to the treaty, nor shouldstates accept them as contributing to theformation of new customary internationallaw.

Through the Articles we had hopedto bury the big lie about the rightto abortion/ reproductive health,which certain forces had been tryingto propagate for years. But the recentruling, like Aquinos RH Act, has shownthat the big lie has more than nine lives.This only means that we and our children,and our childrens children, will have tocontinue, for all our lives, ghting thewar which rst began among the angels

in Paradise.

fstatad@gmail.com

FRANCISCO S. TATAD

FIRST THINGS FIRST

By Candice Choi

NEW YORKCoca-Cola becameone of the worlds most powerfulbrands by equating its soft drinks withhappiness. Now, for the rst time, itsaddressing a growing cloud over theindustry: obesity.

The US-based company on Mondaybegan airing a two-minute ad during thehighest-rated shows on CNN, Fox Newsand MSNBC in hopes of becoming astronger voice in the debate over sodasand their impact on public health. The adlays out Coca-Colas record of providingdrinks with fewer calories over the yearsand notes that weight gain is the resultof consuming too many calories of anykind not just soda.

Coca-Cola says the campaign willkick off a variety of moves that helpaddress obesity in the year ahead, suchas providing more diet options at soda

fountains.For the worlds No. 1 beverage

company, the ads reect the mountingpressures on the broader industry. Laterthis year, New York City is set to putinto effect a rst-in-the-nation cap onthe size of soft drinks sold at restaurants,movie theaters, sports arenas and othervenues.

And when PepsiCo Inc., the No. 2soda maker, recently signed a wide-ranging endorsement deal with popsinger Beyonce, critics called for thesinger to drop the contract or donatethe funds to groups that fund healthinitiatives.

Diana Garza Ciarlante, aspokeswoman for Coca-Cola Co., saidthe new ads arent a reaction to anynegative public sentiment but that thecompany felt it needed to address theissue of the times.

Recent studies have suggested

that sugary drinks cause people togain weight, independent of otherunhealthy behavior. A decades-longstudy involving more than 33,000Americans suggested that drinkingsugary beverages interacts with genesthat affect weight, amplifying a personsrisk of obesity beyond what they wouldbe from heredity alone.

Mike Jacobson, executive director for the Center for Science in the PublicInterest, was skeptical about the intentbehind Coca-Colas ads and said that if the company was serious about helpingreduce obesity, it would stop ghtingsoda taxes.

It looks like a page out of damagecontrol 101, he said. Theyre trying todisarm the public.

In the Coca-Cola ad, a narrator notesthat obesity is an issue that concernsall of us but that people can make a

difference when they come together.

Another ad, which will runlater this week during AmericanIdol and before the Super Bowlfootball championship, is muchmore reminiscent of catchy, upbeatadvertising people have come toexpect from Coca-Cola. It features amontage of activities that add up toburning off the 140 happy caloriesin a can of Coke: walking a dog,dancing, laughing with friends anddoing a victory dance after bowling astrike.

Garza Ciarlante said the 30-secondad, a version of which ran in Brazillast month, is intended to addressconfusion about the number of caloriesin soda. She said the companysconsumer research showed peoplethought there were as many as 900calories in one can.

Coca-Cola notes it has already

made several moves to help customers

make smarter choices, such as puttingcalorie counts on the front of its cansand bottles in the U.S. Last year, it alsostarted posting calorie information on itsvending machines ahead of a regulationthat will require soda companies to doso by 2014.

Public concern over calories countsis apparent in Coca-Colas business. InNorth America, all the growth in its sodabusiness over the past 15 years has comefrom low- and no-calorie drinks, such asCoke Zero. Diet sodas now account for nearly a third of its sales in the U.S. andCanada. Other beverages, such as sportsdrinks and bottled water, are also fuelinggrowth.

Even with the growing popularityof diet sodas, however, overallsoda consumption in the U.S.has declined steadily since 1998,according to the industry tracker

Beverage Digest. AP

Coca-Cola to address obesity for rst time in ads

7/30/2019 Manila Standard Today - Wednesday (January 16, 2013) issue

6/20

Classifeds Manila StandardToday adv.mst@gmail.comJANUARY 16, 2013 WEDNESDAYA6Page Compositor: Diana Keyser Punzalan

E R R O R S

&O M I S S I O N S

I n C l a s s i f i e dA d s s e c t i o nmust be broughtto our attentionthe very day theadver t i sementi s p u b l i s h e d .We will not beresponsible forany incorrect adsnot reported to usimmediately.

(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)

Republic of the PhilippinesDepartment of Public Works and Highways

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEERFifth Leyte Engineering District

Baybay City, LeyteTelephone Number (053) 335-2503

ITEM I

Contract ID : 13IG0018Contract Name : Preventive Maintenance along Ormoc-Baybay-S outhern Leyte

Boundary Road, K1087+000 to K1088+000; K1089+000 toK1092+000; K1092+000 to K1093+000 (Intermittent Sections)

Contract Location : Hindang, LeyteBrief Description/S cope : Removal of Existing Concrete Pavement, RoadwayOf Work Excavation (Unsuitable), Structure Excavation, Embankment from

Borrow, Aggregate Sub Base Course, PCCP 280mm, PCCP (forRoad Shoulder, 200mm), Grouted Riprap, Construction Safety &Health, Warning Signs & Traf c Management.

Approved Budget for the : P 5,335,000.00Contract (ABC)Contract Duration : 75 Calendar DaysCost of Bid Documents : P 10,000.00

ITEM II

Contract ID : 13IG0019Contract Name : Preventive Maintenance Ormoc-Baybay-Southern Leyte Boundary

Road, K1052+000 to K1053+000; K1056+000 to K1056+960;K1056+960 to K1059+000

Contract Location : Baybay, LeyteBrief Description/S cope : Removal of Existing Concrete Pavement, RoadwayOf Work excavation (Unsuitable), Embankment from Borrow, Aggregate

Sub-Base Course, Bituminous Tack Coat, Bituminous ConcreteSurface Course, Hot Laid, PCCP 280mm, Re ective ThermoplasticPavement Marking (white), Re ective Thermoplastic PavementMarking (Yellow), Construction Safety & Health, Warning Signs &Traf c Management

Approved Budget for the : P 24,070,550.00Contract (ABC)Contract Duration : 120 Calendar DaysCost of Bid Documents : P 20,000.00

ITEM III

Contract ID : 13IG0020Contract Name : Rehabilitatio n/Reconstruction of Damaged Paved National Roads

along Tacloban-Baybay South Road, K0985+000 to K0985+500;K0993+000 to K0996+000; K0999+000 to K1002+000

Contract Location : Tacloban-Baybay South RoadBrief Description/S cope : Removal of Existing Concrete Pavement, RoadwayOf Work Excavation (unsuitable), Embankment from Borrow, Aggregate Sub-

Base Course, PCCP 280mm, PCCP 200mm, Reinforced ConcreteCanal, Warning Signs and Traf c Management, ConstructionSafety and Health

Approved Budget for the : P 26,025,100.00Contract (ABC)Contract Duration : 160 Calendar DaysCost of Bid Documents : P 20,000.001. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Fifth Leyte Engineering District, through

the General Appropriation Act CY 2013 intends to apply the sum above stated being the ApprovedBudget for the Contract (ABC) to payments for the abovementioned contract . Bids received inexcess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Fifth Leyte Engineering District (5 th LED)now invites contractors to bid for the abovementioned description of works . Comple tion ofthe works is required for the above stated contract duration . Bid ders should have completed,within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to theProject. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly,in Section 10 Instruction to Bidders.

3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretiona rypass/fail criterion as speci ed in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino Citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations withat least seventy ve percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

4. Contractors/appl icants who are interested in the DPWH civil works are required to register priorto the set scheduled of submission of bid while those already registered shall keep their recordscurrent and updated. Contractors eligibility to bid on the project will be determined using the DPWHContract Pro le eligibility Process (CPEP ) and subject to further post-quali cation . Informat ion onregistration can be obtained at DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. Interested bidders may obtainfurther information from DPWh 5 th Leyte Engineering District and inspect the bidding documentsat the address given below from 8:00 A.m. to 5:00 P.M.

5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested bidders from the addressbelow and upon payment of non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount statedabove. Issuance of Bidding Documents will be on January 18 to February 07, 2013.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government ElectronicProcurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that biddersshall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.

6. The DPWH 5 th LED will hold a pre-bid Conference on January 24, 2013, 10:00 Oclock in the

morning at Of ce of the Bids and Awards Committee, DPWH 5th

LED, Baybay City, Leyte, whichshall be open to all interested parties.

7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before February 07, 2013, 9:00 Oclock in themorning at DPWH 5 th LED, Baybay City, Leyte . All bids must be accompanied by a bid securityin any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 14.

Bids will be opened at 2:00 Oclock in the afternoon of February 07, 2013 in the presence ofthe bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not beaccepted.

8. All interested bidders shall submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) on or before January 22, 20139:00 Oclock in the morning the deadline and purchase the Bidding Documents. Bids willnot be accepted without proof of payment for the purchase of bidding documents. Bidders shalllikewise submit their bids through their duly Authorized Liaison Of cers only as speci ed in theContractors Information (CI).

To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Net Financial Contracting Capacity at leastequal to the ABC or Credit Line Commitment at least equal to 10% of the ABC before droppingof bids.

9. The DPWH 5 th LED reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process,and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability tothe affected bidder or bidders.

10. For further informati on, please refer to:

EUSEBIO T. CULASOIC-Assistant District EngineerBAC Chairman

Attention:Head, BAC SecretariatDPWH 5 th LEDBrgy. Hipusngo, Baybay City, Leyte(053) 335-2230Email Add: charlitosacro@yahoo.com

(Sgd.) EUSEBIO T. CULAS OIC-Assistant District EngineerBAC Chairman

\NOTED:

(Sgd.) LUT B. BACLEA-ANDistrict Engineer

Invitation to BidJanuary 10, 2013

(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)

Name of P rocuring Entity: CTU Main Campus Project Reference Number: Name of the Project: Improvement of Technology Bldg. 1

Location of the Project: CTU Main Campus

Standard Form Number: SF-INFR-05Revised on: July 28, 2004

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID

The CEBU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS , throughits Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the CTU Main Campus, invitescontractors registered with and classi ed by the Philippine Contrac