World
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2017
C3
Russia slams US sanctions W
ASHINGTON―US President Donald Trump reluctantly signed off on the new sanctions against Russia Wednesday, bowing to domestic pressure and putting the efforts to improve US ties with the Kremlin in peril.
RAKSHA BANDHAN FESTIVAL. An Indian vendor arranges rakhi (sacred thread) for sale at his shop in New Delhi on August 3, 2017. The Raksha Bandhan festival is marked by sisters tying sacred threads known as rakhi on their brother’s wrists as a prayer for his prosperity and happiness. AFP
Brazil’s Temer defeats charges BRASILIA-Brazilian President Michel Temer hoped Thursday to turn a surprisingly easy victory in blocking his corruption trial into momentum for austerity reforms, but more turmoil could await the unpopular leader. Temer needed a third of the lower house of Congress’ support to avoid being suspended from office and put on trial in the Supreme Court. After hours of angry, often raucous debates he got 263 votes―more than half of the chamber. Another 21 deputies were either absent or abstained, deepening the defeat for anticorruption prosecutors. Accused of agreeing to take millions of dollars in bribes, Temer was the first Brazilian president to face a criminal charge while in office. Revelations from the “Car Wash” anti-graft operation― which has recently targeted Temer, eight of his ministers, a third of lower house lawmakers and many other senior politicians―have prompted disgust among Brazilians. But Temer portrayed the “clear, indisputable” rejection of his trial as amounting to a fresh mandate. Ever since coming to power a year ago following the impeachment of leftist president Dilma Rousseff, the center-right Temer has pursued austerity reforms which he says will revive Brazil after two years of deep recession. The reforms are opposed by many ordinary Brazilians, but welcomed by the business community, which has seen Brazil fall from emerging market poster child to regional basket case. Now Temer says he has new wind in his sails. “We are pulling Brazil out of its worst economic crisis in our history,” Temer said after the vote. “I want to complete the biggest transformation ever done in our country.” “The markets will be happy,” said Gesner Oliveira, at the Go Associados consultancy. “It suggests that continuing the reform agenda is possible.” AFP
Abe to launch new cabinet after scandals TOKYO―Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday was set to announce new defense and foreign ministers as part of a cabinet revamp he hopes will stem a decline in public support after a series of scandals and missteps. Political blue-blood Abe, in office since late December 2012, has pushed a nationalist agenda alongside a massive policy effort to end years of on-off deflation and rejuvenate the world’s thirdlargest economy. But he has seen public support rates plummet in the past few months over an array of political troubles, including allegations of favoritism to a friend in a business deal―which Abe strongly denies. Abe will reportedly reappoint former defence minister Itsunori Onodera to the post after close political ally and fellow hawk Tomomi Inada resigned last week following a scandal at the ministry over the handling of military documents. He is also set to tap as ministers some
who have opposed his policies, including Taro Kono, the son of a dovish former foreign minister known for issuing a 1993 apology as chief cabinet secretary over Japan’s use of “comfort women”―a euphemism for sex slavery―in World War II. US-educated Kono is set to replace Fumio Kishida, who served as foreign minister since Abe came to power. Kishida, often tapped as a future prime minister, is moving to a top post in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. “I deeply regret that my shortcomings have invited this situation,” a chastened Abe said ahead of the formal announcement of the cabinet changes. Abe’s LDP suffered a drubbing in local Tokyo elections last month, which analysts and newspapers blamed on an increasing “arrogance” on the part of the prime minister. Kono, 54, is known as an independentminded, anti-nuclear power advocate, in sharp contrast to Abe’s support for atom-
ic energy. Meanwhile, Seiko Noda, 56, once hailed as Japan’s most likely first female prime minister and who once tried to challenge Abe for the party leadership, was expected to serve as internal affairs minister. Returning defense chief Onodera, 57, held the post for nearly two years until September 2014, and has vowed to restore unity and confidence within the ministry. His expected appointment also comes amid rising tensions surrounding North Korea’s missile development. Pyongyang launched its latest missile late Friday, just hours after the US and Japan moved to step up sanctions against it following its earlier test of an ICBM capable of reaching parts of the US. Meanwhile, Abe was seen leaving some key posts, such as finance minister and chief cabinet secretary, unchanged. AFP
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the sanctions amounted to “full-fledged economic war on Russia” and demonstrated Trump’s “total weakness... in the most humiliating way.” “It ends hopes for improving our relations with the new US administration,” Medvedev declared on his Facebook page. Trump signed the legislation behind closed doors, after the failed White House efforts to scupper or water down the bill. Trump’s reluctance was on full display in an angry signing statement, in which he called the legislation “significantly flawed.” “In its haste to pass this legislation, the Congress included a number of clearly unconstitutional provisions,” he said, including curbs on the president’s ability to “negotiate” with Russia. “I built a truly great company worth many billions of dollars. That is a big part of the reason I was elected. As president, I can make far better deals with foreign countries than Congress,” Trump claimed. The legislation―which also includes measures against North Korea and Iran―targets the Russian energy sector, giving Washington the ability to sanction companies involved in developing Russian pipelines, and placing curbs on some Russian weapons exporters. It also notably constrains Trump’s ability to waive the penalties, a statement of mistrust from the Republican-controlled Congress, which remains unsettled by Trump’s warm words for President Vladimir Putin. “The framers of our constitution made the Congress and the President coequal branches of government. This bill has already proven the wisdom of that choice,” Senator John McCain said in a biting statement. “I hope the president will be as vocal about Russia’s aggressive behavior as he was about his concerns with this legislation.” The sanctions seek to penalize the Kremlin for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election―which Trump won― and Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Trump said he would “honor” some of the bill’s provisions, but stopped short of saying it would be fully implemented. The White House said only that Trump would give Congress’s “preferences” mere “careful and respectful consideration.” “I am signing this bill for the sake of national unity. It represents the will of the American people to see Russia take steps to improve relations with the United States,” Trump said. Trump received the legislation at 1:53 pm on Friday, but waited until Wednesday to sign it. The nearly week-long delay in signing had raised speculation that Trump might veto or try to somehow shelve the sanctions, which were approved in a 98-2 Senate vote. AFP
Violence, chaos plague Rio one year after the Olympics RIO DE JANEIRO―Plagued by violence, white elephant sports facilities and corruption scandals, Rio de Janeiro today is unrecognizable from the feel-good city greeting the world at the Olympics exactly a year ago. Rio was the first South American city to hold the Summer Games and organizers were credited with staging a successful show―from the moving opening ceremony to the exploits of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and US swimming superman Michael Phelps. But as soon as the athletes packed their bags and cameras stopped rolling, barely hidden
problems erupted. Eduardo Paes, mayor of Rio during the Olympics, said he had made the city, boosted by the temporary deployment of 50,000 troops, “the safest place in the world.” Last month, the army had to return, sending some 8,500 soldiers to support Rio’s cash-strapped police in their brutal fight against the narco gangs ruling with near impunity in swaths of the city’s favelas. Muggings have rocketed in richer neighborhoods, parts of the favelas are like war zones, and stray bullets fired from high powered rifles mean that no one
is safe. The last few weeks have seen gunfights spill several times onto the major highway passing the international airport, forcing drivers to stop and hide behind their cars. Roberto Alzir, head of security strategy for the state of Rio, said the city wished it still had that Olympic-level support from the military. “Today those reinforcements have left and we have trouble paying our police,” he said. Despite promising there’d be no white elephants, authorities have struggled to find uses for the facilities built for the two week Olympics. AFP
Manila
ORIE NTA L MINDORO E LEC TRIC COOPE R ATIV E , INC. Standard (O R M E C O)
TODAY
INVITATION TO BID All interested bidders are invited to participate in the actual bidding for these three (3) LOTs detailed as follows: LOT - I
Supply of Materials for Correction of Lines Damaged by Typhoon Nina (Recloser, Steel Poles, Wood Poles, Steel Crossarm, Spool Insulators, Steel Ground Rod, and Conductor Bares) Approved Budget Cost: Php23,000,000.00 (VAT-Inclusive) Source of Funding: Typhoon Nina Delivery Schedule: To be announced during the pre-bid proper. LOT - II Supply of Wood Poles (Australian Hardwood), Steel Poles, Pole Line Materials and Distribution Transformer with Fuse Cut-out and Arrester. Approved Budget Cost: Php52,585,000.00 (VAT-Inclusive) Source of Funding: 5% Reinvestment Fund Delivery Schedule: To be announced during the pre-bid proper. LOT - III Supply of Service Motorcycle for Meter Readers Approved Budget Cost: Php3,920,000.00 (VAT-Inclusive) Source of Funding: 5% Reinvestment Fund Delivery Schedule: To be announced during the pre-qualification proper. GENERAL GUIDELINES 1. Interested bidders may secure BID DOCUMENTS and obtain further INFORMATIONS from the ORMECO, Inc. Bids and Award Committee (BAC)/Procurement Section, ORMECO, Inc., Simaron, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. A non-refundable fee in the amount of Php25,000.00 for LOT - I, Php50,000.00 for LOT - II, and Php5,000.00 for LOT - III and shall be collected as payment for BID DOCUMENTS. 2. Interested bidders must be accredited as supplier before joining the pre-bidding conference and accreditation will start on August 7, 2017 at 8:00am until 5:00p.m. of August 11, 2017. You can call at telephone numbers 043-2882349/043-2869375 or send an email at ormeco_ coop@yahoo.com. 3. PRE-BID CONFERENCE will be held at ORMECO, Inc. Board Room, Sta. Isabel, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro at 2:00 p.m. of August 14, 2017 for LOT - I, 3:00 p.m. of August 14, 2017 for LOT - II, 2:00p.m. of August 15, 2017 for LOT - III. 4. SEALED PROPOSALS will be received at 2:00 p.m. of September 4, 2017 for LOT - I, 3:00 p.m. of September 4, 2017 for LOT - II, 2:00p.m. of September 5, 2017 for LOT - III, immediately after which, the said proposals will be opened during the actual bidding in the presence of the attending bidders. 5. ALL BIDS must be accompanied by a BID BOND payable to ORMECO, Inc. in the form of CASH, CASHIER’S CHECK, MANAGER’S CHECK or BANK DRAFT issued by a reputable bank equivalent to TWO PERCENT (2%) of the Approved Budget Cost (ABC). No Bid Bond in the form of Surety Bond shall be accepted. The bidder with the lowest calculated bid will be considered the winning bidder. 6. The winning bidder shall issue FIVE PERCENT (5%) in the form of CASH, CASHIER’S CHECK, MANAGER’S CHECK or BANK DRAFT from a reputable bank, representing the PERFORMANCE BOND. 7. If the bidder who submitted the best offer refuses to push through with his / her proposed BID during and after the bidding, his / her Bid Bond shall be forfeited, and failure of bidding shall be declared. 8. ORMECO, Inc. reserves the right to accept or reject any Bids, declare failure of bidding and not to award the contract without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. ORMECO, Inc. also has no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnity bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids. ORMECO, INC.
HIGHLY ACTIVE. Vehicles travel along an ash-covered road in North Sumatra on August 3, 2017, after the
Mount Sinabung volcano erupted. Sinabung roared back to life in 2010 for the first time in 400 years. After another period of inactivity it erupted once more in 2013, and has remained highly active since. AFP
Simaron, Calapan Cit y
(MS-AUG. 4, 2017)
(SGD) MR. RONIE T. MORALES BAC CHAIRMAN