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TODAY
MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2017
Bleeding yet breathing in 2017 AS Manila hosted the 31st Asean Summit IREENE LEONCIO last month, several activities among the REEN IGHT world’s top leaders circled around the theme “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.” According to the event’s website, the theme reflects the Philippine government’s advocacy to promote unity with and among Asean member states and its global partners. A forum entitled “Entrepreneurship in the Digital Economy” concluded the five forums of the Asean Business and Investment Summit. It discussed the role of the digital economy in its aim to increase inclusion in the region. Nick Nash, Group President of SEA Group, opened the discussion as he shared the three key dimensions on why Asean is a unique destination for global investors. One of the topics centered on the region’s great sense of optimism for the future. The Asean region is unified in its optimism that cooperative businesses may bring forth benefits to all parties concerned. According to Michael Czinkota, a professor in International Business at Georgetown University and University of Kent, “Friends and adversaries do not require winners and losers. With all the physical, technical and information resources now easily available, we must search for the spiritual soul of business, and make it catch up with the physical body. We all must contribute to find new paths to help others by sharing their burden. They in turn must be willing to share ours.” As we enter a new year, it may help to share optimism in our own communities, be it on our online feeds and offline relationships. We can take a uniting gaze at the pain our broken ties had caused by our differences in opinions, decisions and preferences. There is much room to foster optimism in our common aspirations; from a global, regional, local lens. We may had been exposed to hurt and injustice from what had been amplified on the news in the outgoing year, yet it is still possible to emerge as one resilient society. We can co-create optimism inspired by the lessons from our sufferings and other’s misjudgments. Sometimes, we need not to look farther to restore bonds within our own professional, social and familial ties. It may help to look at one’s eyes to apologize or extend forgiveness to those who had shaped us for who we are today. I have never been more proud of being a Filipino than I am this year. We had been endlessly thriving and continuously hoping for clarity in dim. I simply cannot say it enough: look how far we’ve come with a different take on optimism. We are bleeding, but we are still breathing. Happy New Year, Philippines! Manigong Bagong Taonpo sa inyong lahat!
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BLASTOFF.
Russia’s Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft carrying members of the International Space Station expedition 54/55 blasts off to the ISS from the launch pad at the Russianleased Baikonur Cosmodrome on December 17, 2017. The three-man space crew featuring NASA astronaut Scott Tingle and crewmates Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Norishege Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency blasted off for a six-month mission at the International Space Station. AFP
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Ireene Leoncio is an aspiring global citizen who was born and raised in Manila. She is on a study leave as a faculty member of the Marketing and Advertising Department of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. Leoncio is currently a PhD Marketing research student in the United Kingdom and in-training to be a yoga teacher. She earned her master’s degree in Washington D.C. She worked for multinational companies managing global brands in Manila, New York City and the San Francisco Bay area. The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty and its administrators.
Evacuation ordered in wildfire fight LOS ANGELES―Evacuation orders were issued Saturday for areas in California’s Santa Barbara County as the state battles its third-largest wildfire since 1932, with winds and dry conditions threatening to help the blaze grow. Santa Barbara’s Office of Emergency Management announced a series of mandatory evacuation orders as well as voluntary evacuation warnings for parts of the county on its Twitter account. The OEM said that “due to extreme traffic on the County Website it has shut down.” The so-called Thomas fire menacing Santa Barbara has already burned 259,000 acres (105,000 hectares) of land, destroyed over 1,000 structures and cost more than $100 million since it broke out on December 4, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. Conditions including winds, dry fuel and low humidity “will continue to support fire growth,” Cal Fire said. More than 8,000 people are involved in battling the blaze, which is now 40 percent contained. Cal Fire also warned that conditions were ripe for new wildfires to emerge. “Over the weekend winds across northern California are expected to reach 30-40 MPH (4864 kilometers per hour). Wildfires can strike anywhere at any time,” it warned in a Facebook post. Only two fires have burned more acreage in California so far this century: the Cedar Fire of 2003, and the Rush Fire of 2012, which scorched 273,246 and 271,911, respectively. AFP
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Measure eyed rejecting US move on Jerusalem U NITED NATIONS―The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution affirming that any change to the status of Jerusalem has no legal effect and must be reversed, in response to the US decision to recognize the city as Israel’s capital. Egypt circulated the draft text on Saturday, and diplomats said the council could vote on the proposed measure as early as Monday. Breaking with the international consensus, US President Donald Trump this month announced he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, sparking protests and strong condemnation. The draft resolution obtained by AFP stresses that Jerusalem is an issue “to be resolved through negotiations” and expresses “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Je-
rusalem,” without specifically mentioning Trump’s move. “Any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded,” it said. Diplomats said they expected the United States to use its veto power to block the measure while most, if not all, of the 14 other council members were expected to back the draft resolution. US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Jerusalem on Wednesday, wading into
the crisis over one of the frain from opening embas- call on Israel to withdraw most controversial issues in sies in Jerusalem, reflecting from territory seized during the Israeli-Palestinian con- concerns that other govern- the 1967 war and have reafflict. ments could follow the US firmed the need to end the Israel seized control of the lead. occupation of that land. eastern part of the city in the It demands that all memThe Palestinians had 1967 Middle East war and ber-states not recognize any sought a toughly-worded sees the whole of Jerusalem actions that are contrary to draft resolution that would as its undivided capital. The UN resolutions on the status have directly called on the Palestinians view the east of the city. US administration to scrap as the capital of their future Several UN resolutions its decision. state. Israel’s UN AmRepublic of the Philippines Philippine Rural Development Project bassador Danny Invitation to Bid for the Danon “strongly Rehabilitation of Billoca-San Juan FarmtoMarket Road and 8 Bridges condemned” the Identification No. PRDP-IB-R001-ILN-001-000-000-2014 Loan No. 8421-PH draft, dismissing it as an attempt by December 18, 2017 the Palestinians 1. The Government of the Philippines (GoP) has receiveda Loan from the “to reinvent hisWorld Bank towards the cost of Philippine Rural Development Projectand it intends to apply part of the proceeds of this Loan to payments under the tory.” contract for the Rehabilitation of Billoca-San Juan FarmtoMarket Road “No vote or deand 8 Bridgeswith ID No. PRDP-IB-R001-ILN-001-000-000-2014-R1. bate will change 2. The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, implementing partner of the Department of Agriculture, now invites bids for theRehabilitation of Billocathe clear reality San Juan Farm to Market Roadand 8 Bridges. Completion of the Works is that Jerusalem has shown below: and always will be Package Description Completion of Unworkable Works Days the capital of IsIII. Rehabilitation/Construction of 140 23 rael,” Danon said Caoayan Bridge and Rayuray Bridge in a statement. IV. Rehabilitation/Construction 157 26 The draft resoof Camandingan Bridge lution calls on all 1 and Construction of CamandinganBridge 2 countries to re-
N. Korea ‘agent’ charged in missile sale plot SYDNEY―A Sydney-based “loyal agent of North Korea” has been charged with trying to sell missile parts and technology on the black market to raise money for Pyongyang in breach of international sanctions, Australian police said Sunday. The 59-year-old naturalized Australian citizen of Korean descent, named in local media as Chan Han Choi, was attempting to broker illicit deals that could have generated “tens of millions of dollars” for North Korea, the Australian Federal Police said. Choi was involved in discussions to set up a ballistic missile production facility and the supply of missile construction plans in addition to components, software and the transfer of technical expertise from Pyongyang, police alleged. AFP Assistant Commissioner
Neil Gaughan told reporters the case was “like nothing we have ever seen on Australian soil”, alleging that the man was in contact with high-ranking North Korean officials. “This man is a loyal agent of North Korea, believing he was acting to serve some higher patriotic purpose.” The alleged agent’s plans did not involve other governments or officials, police said. Authorities did not reveal which individuals or entities the man was allegedly trying to trade with. North Korea is under tough United Nations sanctions aimed at choking off revenue to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. “This is a very important arrest, the charges laid are of the greatest nature,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.
“North Korea is a dangerous, reckless, criminal regime threatening the peace of the region. It supports itself by breaching UN sanctions. “It is vitally important that all nations ... enforce those sanctions because the more economic pressure that can be brought on North Korea, the sooner that regime will be brought to its senses.” Choi, who has lived in Australia for three decades, allegedly used encrypted communication services to facilitate the attempted trades, which included the transfer of coal from North Korea to entities in Indonesia and Vietnam. Choi was refused bail on Sunday after being arrested in the Sydney suburb of Eastwood on Saturday. He faces a total of six charges, with maximum penalties of up to 10 years in jail. AFP
‘Titanic’ movie keeps that sinking feeling alive LOS ANGELES―Part saturnine elegy to doomed youth, part exaltation of the transcendent power of love, blockbuster disaster movie “Titanic” is delivering that sinking feeling to a whole new generation of fans. Tuesday marks two decades since Rose vowed to Jack she’d “never let go”―before spectacularly reneging on her promise, sending her frozen-to-death paramour to a watery grave and leaving “Titaniacs” worldwide sobbing into their popcorn. The anniversary has been celebrated with screenings across the United States, and audiences are still swooning over the young lovers played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet―now both Oscar winners and Hollywood A-listers.
“The Titanic story itself has a timeless quality. It seems to exist outside our daily lives. As this straight moral lesson, it’s something that fascinates us,” director James Cameron told fans at a Los Angeles screening to mark the milestone. Winslet’s love-struck socialite and DiCaprio’s artistic drifter were fictionalized characters in a dramatization of the real-life sinking in 1912 of history’s most famous ship after it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. The film, distributed by Paramount at home and Fox abroad, entered into movie history when it picked up 11 Oscars, including best picture and best director for Cameron.
With a worldwide gross of $2.2 billion, it was the most successful movie ever made until Cameron’s “Avatar” (2009) took $2.8 billion at the box office. At an intimidating 195 minutes, the movie can feel in parts as long as the voyage on which it is based, but it earned mostly glowing reviews, and the theme song “My Heart Will Go On” became a global success for Celine Dion. Cameron, 63, says he sold the idea to Fox executives with “probably the shortest pitch for a major movie in Hollywood history.” “I whipped open this book and in the center is a beautiful doubletruck spread right across both pages of a painting by Ken Marschall, the best artist of the subject of the Titanic,” he recalled. AFP
Bidders should have completed, within the last five (5) years for Road Component and ten (10) years for Bridge Component, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. 3.
Bidding will be conducted in accordance with relevant procedures for open competitive bidding as specified in the IRR of RA 9184, with some amendments, as stated in these bidding documents and is open to all bidders from eligible source countries as defined in the applicable procurement guidelines of the World Bank. The contract shall be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bidder (LCRB) who was determined as such during post-qualification. The Estimated Project Cost for this project are shown below: Package III. IV.
Description Rehabilitation/Construction of Caoayan Bridge and Rayuray Bridge
EPC (PhP) 7,973,000.00
Rehabilitation/Construction of Camandingan Bridge 1 and Construction of Camandingan Bridge 2
9,870,000.00
Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Bids and Awards Committee, Provincial Capitol, Laoag City, Ilocos Norteand inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00am to 4:00pm, Mondays to Fridays. 4.
A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders fromDecember 18, 2017 to January 19, 2018 from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the bidding documents in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (PhP5,000.00). It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the PRDP website (http://www.daprdp.net) provided that bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. As part of the transparency measures being instituted by the Department of Agriculture (DA) the bidders can virtually visit the site of the above-described subproject at http://www.daprdp.net where geotagged base photographs on 50 meter interval and track are viewable. The DA, however, requires that all potential contractors who will be awarded contract under the project shall have undergone geotaggingtraining provided by the PRDP Project Support Office.
6.
The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on January 05, 2018 at 10:00 A.M. at the Provincial Auditorium, Provincial Capitol, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte which shall be open to all interested parties.
7.
Bids must be delivered on or before January 19, 2018 at 10:00 AM at the Provincial Auditorium, Provincial Capitol, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Securing Declaration or bid security in the form of Cash or Cashier’s/Manager’s check or Bank Guarantee issued by a universal or commercial Bank in the amount provided below: Package III IV
Description Rehabilitation/Construction of Caoayan Bridge and Rayuray Bridge Rehabilitation/Construction of Camandingan Bridge 1 and Camandingan Bridge 2
Amount of Bid Security (Php) 160,000.00 198,000.00
Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8.
The Provincial Government of Ilocos Nortereserves the right to accept or rejectany bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.
9.
For further information, please refer to: LANI A. DAQUIOAG BAC TWG BAC OFFICE/PROVINCINCIAL ENGINEERING OFFICE Provincial Capitol Building Laog City, Ilocos Norte (077) 770-3848 or 772-20-49 Email address: bacilocosnorte@yahoo.com (SGD) JOSEPHINE A. RUEDAS BAC Chairperson
(MS-DEC. 18, 2017)