Ms sect b 20161023 sunday by Manila Standard

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2016

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Opinion

EDITORIAL

THE SCIENCE BEHIND SHIFTING PUBLIC OPINION

TRUE FRIENDS

By Pecier Decierdo

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s justconcluded visit to China is perhaps one of the best early moves of the administration.

MANY literate and educated people expect others to behave rationally. That is, they expect the public to form opinions on the basis of fact. Obviously, educated people also expect the same of themselves. When the balance of facts swings to one side, educated people expect public opinion to reflect this change. So imagine the dismay of scientists in the United States when, after decades of spreading information about human-made climate change, public opinion on the issue has barely shifted. It seems that Americans’ views on climate change are dictated not by access to scientific information, which is what the scientists hoped, but rather by allegiance to a political position—either liberal Democrat or conservative Republican. What’s even more dismaying is that education and intelligence simply worsen the gap in opinion rather than close it. That is, the most educated Republicans are the strongest in their denial of humanmade climate change, while the most educated Democrats are the loudest at asserting it. The political polarization of a scientific issue is greatest among the most educated. Scientists are left at a loss on how to take this. What gives? Fortunately, but also unfortunately, we don’t have that same problem here in the Philippines. It is hardly surprising, since we are in a country that is one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. However, the Philippines has its own share of public opinion problems. To give a very current example, many Filipinos strongly support an approach to the issue of drugs that is very unscientific. Decades of research on drug addiction have shown that it should not be approached as an issue of crime but rather an issue of health. Blaming drug dependents for being hooked on drugs, “because it was their choice anyway,” is inconsistent with the scientific consensus on the neuroscience of addiction. Furthermore, the experience of countries that implemented a war on drugs, such as the United States, Colombia, and Thailand, have shown that it is not an effective approach to problem. It is therefore surprising to many educated people that public opinion in the Philippines is overwhelmingly

Joint exploration of resources will also be helpful to us, because by ourselves we do not have the capability to see how rich our own resources could be. Finally, it is a relief to know that the animosity shown by the previous administration to the Chinese has now been tempered by Mr. Duterte’s more amicable approach. This definitely reduces tension in the area and allows us to coexist with our neighbor—talk about geopolitical security. And what of the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration saying that China’s claim does not have basis in law? We don’t know. Maybe it is too soon to rock the boat by ensuring that it is enforced. After all, our friends the Chinese did not even acknowledge the jurisdiction of the PCA over the matter. President Duterte was on his best behavior during his China visit. No curses, no expletives —telling us that he is no loose cannon, that he can calibrate his message and his manner if he wants. And as he was all praises for our giant neighbor, he also took the time to announce a complete break from an erstwhile friend, the US. We shudder to think about the implications, but then again, our minds may just be too finite to fathom the President’s intent. The men whose job it is to speak for the President and put his words in context have their work cut out for them in the next few days. We try to heed the call to be creative or imaginative—but we fail spectacularly.

He did not come in a jet ski, as he had once joked, to assert our claim over territory that our giant neighbor says has been its own for centuries. Rather, Mr. Duterte visited as a tried and tested friend, ready to bend over backwards and alienate all others just so we could show how loyal we are to China. Just imagine the wonders that warming relations between our two countries will bring. Filipino fishermen will now have access to the waters off our own territory now that the Chinese appear more willing to allow them there. There will be billions of dollars in soft loans that available for the Philippines—this would be great for the various infrastructure projects that the Duterte administration has planned for the Philippines. His statements on being mendicants do not apply to China. Our fruit exports, previously banned from China, are allowed in again. This is wonderful news for our banana and pineapple farmers.

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FAMOUS WRITERS ON ICE CREAM, KEBABS, GAMBAS, AND MORE POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE

THERE are many writers who love food and its attendant actions—eating, drinking, and cooking. Conversely, there are cooks and gourmands with the talent for writing about their passions, so that the genre of food writing has

developed over centuries, ever since the first cookbook was written around the first century CE— De Re Coquinaria (On the Subject of Cooking). It’s interesting when authors whose works are primarily in other genres

write about the food that inspired or disgusted them; it gives us a peek into their private lives. Perhaps that’s also what New York Times columnist Amanda Hesser thought when she compiled 26 food-

related recollections of some of the most well-known American writers. “Food,” she says in her introduction, “is the royal road to the unconscious…” The succinct way for a writer to portray a person, she Turn to B2

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in support of the current ‘war on drugs.’ What’s even more surprising is that many equally educated people strongly support this war. In fact, just as in the climate change issue in the US, the level of education merely strengthens rather than diminishes support for the drug war, despite decades of evidence showing its lack of merit. To try to sway public opinion, what many critics of the drug war do is to share information about the ineffectiveness of such an approach. But if the experience of other countries is to be trusted, we know this is not the way. This brings us back to the question: what gives? If accurate scientific information cannot sway public opinion, then what will? And does the inability of accurate information to change opinion indicate that the masses are stupid? Oddly enough, to answer these questions, we must turn to science again. What many people forget is that Homo sapiens is a species with tribal tendencies. We have evolved in the plains of Africa, where strong community ties were as important as having accurate information. The lives of our ancestors depended not only on whether they can remember where the pride of lions are, it equally depended on whether they can count on their tribe members to help them when the lions attack. This story explains decades of findings summarized by John Zaller in his book The Natures and Origins Mass Opinion. In the book, Zaller points out that people are more loyal to their ingroup (their “tribe”) than to the truth. In fact, most people are selective about which facts they take in. If the fact is consistent with their in-group’s position, they will use it form their opinion. When it is contrary, they will rationalize why that fact is irrelevant or invalid. This is called ‘motivated reasoning’. When forming opinions, most people don’t act like scientists. They don’t start with gathering data, and then proceed to making a conclusion only once there is enough data. Instead, most people act like lawyers. That is, they begin with a position, usually the position of their in-group leaders. They then gather data to build a case for that position. While this is a grim prognosis for the species, all is not hopeless. They key to swaying public opinion to reflect the most up-to-date scientific understanding is also in science. In his book, Zaller points out shifts in public opinion start with changing what the elites are talking about. This ‘elite discourse’ includes coverage by the media, discussions among top academics, opinions of public figures, and portrayals in mass media (such as film and TV). The most informed members of ingroups are usually the first ones to reflect this change in elite discourse. The change then spreads to the rest of the group. Once a topic is a prominent part of the in-group conversation, then opinions about it, research shows, are easy to change. Scientists say that the topic has become ‘salient’ in the minds of people. What the elites say about these salient topics then become easily shared to the rest of the in-group members. If we are to change public opinion to reflect the scientific consensus on drug abuse, we must use the same mechanism to shift public opinion away from its currently violent and unscientific tenor, to a more humane and scientific one. So for those who want to change public opinion, there’s a vast scientific literature out there to help you. Read! (Pecier Decierdo is the resident physicist and astronomer of The Mind Museum.)

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adds, is to describe the way they eat. There are memories, says Hesser, that are “accompanied by a taste” — filet mignon at a restaurant with her father, toast in her parents’ kitchen, sweet plums and peppermint tea at the births of her children. “Each of these ordinary tastes, when amplified by powerful feelings, becomes a sensual beacon that illuminates a whole swath of my life.” The writers whose works are in this volume interpreted the theme in their own fashion, thus not all the stories go into detail about food or cooking, but almost all of them end with a relevant recipe.

CLINTON CAN AFFORD SOME TRUMP-LIKE FISCAL CRAZINESS By Paula Dwyer HILLARY Clinton often boasts that her policies wouldn’t add a penny to the national debt. She says that’s because she offsets every new spending proposal and tax break with a budget cut or tax increase. Her fiscal rectitude contrasts with Donald Trump’s fiscal craziness. He ignores accounting niceties to slash taxes and protect entitlement programs. In doing so, he would add at least $4 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. Here’s a heretical thought: Clinton could be a little crazier. She could even steal a page from Trump and propose more deficit spending to rev up the economy in her first few years in office, if she wins. This somewhat surprising recommendation draws from a new economic model that

mimics the effects of tax cuts on behavior. The model, unveiled this week by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with an assist from the Tax Policy Center, seeks to explain how much individuals and corporations work, save, invest and spend when taxes go up or down. It shows that Trump’s tax plan would produce faster economic growth in the short term while Clinton’s would dampen growth. After 10 years, though, the reverse would be true: Gross domestic product would be slightly lower under Trump and slightly bigger under Clinton, compared with current law. In today’s environment of slow growth, minimal inflation and too many labor-force dropouts, Clinton could do more to jolt the economy with short-term tax cuts or more spending increases than she has proposed.

And she shouldn’t be looking for budget cuts, which would erase the stimulative effect. Why not go for the best of both worlds— short-term stimulus a la Trump, combined with long-term fiscal probity, a la Clinton? Clinton seemed to be on the verge of suggesting something like that when her campaign whispered over the summer that she would soon unveil a middle-class tax cut. It never appeared, possibly because she ran out of offsetting tax increases elsewhere. Spending more now to help everyone become more efficient—better roads and airports, faster trains, smarter electric grids— translates into a more robust economy in the future, one that will generate higher tax revenue to pay down debt. Hillary Clinton, if elected, can heed the numbers and go a little crazy. Bloomberg

Hillary Clinton speaks briefly with Donald Trump while attending the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria on October 20 in New York City. AFP

TRUMP IS A LESSON IN DIGNITY AND DEMOCRACY By Francis Wilkinson DEMOCRACY requires dignity to sustain itself. This shouldn’t surprise. The ruling system that democracy replaced had been divinely chosen; the royals had God-given dignity, with all the trappings. For democrats to compete, they had to prove first that the electoral rabble could govern its passions and temper its prejudices, and next that their leaders would be chosen from the highest common denominator, not the lowest. Democratic dignity is mutual dignity. That requires mutual respect and something more. The dignity of democratic institutions must be safeguarded even when the dignity of individuals collapses. Richard Nixon can be discarded if

In “Paris Match,” Ann Patchett recounts a fight she and her lover Karl had in Taillevent, but forgets what she ate. As a reader, I was frustrated— you were at Taillevent, a legendary Michelin-star restaurant, for heaven’s sake! —but she confesses, “The bill—I do remember that much—was $350… It was the best meal either one of us had ever had in our lives, and we missed it.” Ah, but we all know about love and its attendant dramas, so we forgive Patchett and move on to someone who was paying more attention to their meal. Chef Dan Barber tells, in “The Great Carrot Caper,” an amusing story of how he once tried to grow almondflavor-infused carrots (long story) but failed. To appease customers who had come in to his restaurant to try

necessary, the presidency must be saved. Since he began his campaign, Donald Trump has waged a sustained assault on democratic norms and democratic dignity. The first phase attacked individuals, Mexicans followed by Muslims. Trump targeted vulnerable minorities, as demagogues do, but he also belittled and taunted his Republican primary opponents, who felt compelled to adopt his schoolyard tactics in turn. As the campaign progressed, Trump’s past comments were afforded new scope, and gravity, by proximity to new transgressions. A Fox News host’s recount of Trump insults directed at women inspired a vivid new attack on the host herself. Trump’s lashing of Megyn Kelly—was she out of his

the new vegetable, he faked it with almond oil. He was declared a genius and he sold 66 almond carrot salads that night. At first I was irked by Billy Collins’ poem “The Fish” —it was like cheating because it was a short poem, not an essay—but the verses drew me in for their truthful view of a situation that’s all too familiar. “As soon as the elderly waiter / placed before me the fish I had ordered. / it began to stare up at me / with its one flat, iridescent eye. / I feel sorry for you, it seemed to say / eating alone in this awful restaurant / bathed in such unkindly light / and surrounded by these dreadful murals of Sicily…” It sounds absolutely like that pasta place we’ve all been to. George Saunders weighs in with “The Absolutely No-Anything

league?—provided the cathartic template for the general-election campaign against Hillary Clinton, which reached Peak Nuremberg with the spectacle of mobs chanting, “Lock her up.” It’s impossible to calibrate the cost of this. The racism and misogyny and xenophobia, the deployment of falsehoods as a first resort, wear down a culture’s defenses. The virus seeps not only into the political arena, where hangers-on repeat Trump slanders and defend Trump outrages, but into schools and workplaces and homes. Democratic culture is self-referential, a perpetual mirror on itself. It cannot accommodate Trump’s rhetoric, or normalize his politics, without acquiring some of his ugliness. Trump is a walking, talking violation of democratic virtue. He fraudulently

calls the election, democracy’s foundational institution, rigged, and makes no promise to abide by its results. He attacks the free press and encourages his most thuggish followers to threaten journalists. He places himself at the center of national life—“I alone can fix it”—while absolving himself of his pernicious effects on democratic norms and decency. If public polling is correct, we will emerge from the election with Trump far removed from executive power. If he slinks off into the night, we will be long scrubbing the toxins he released. If, as seems more likely, he seeks to monetize resentment, and exploit the moral vacuum in the GOP, Trumpism may not fade for years. This campaign has disgusted and exhausted many. It may not end in November. Bloomberg

Diet” where, in his typical dark and speculative tone, he talks of eating nothing but air—to save the planet, to lose weight, to gain the moral high ground. The accompanying recipe is just as surreal. Gary Shteyngart’s “The Sixth Sense” is an ode to garlic, spices, and food with zing and character; Colson Whitehead tells in “I Scream” how he loved ice cream—until he worked in an ice cream store; Yiyun Li describes the time when Tang powdered juice was a fad in Beijing. And so they go, story after story of how some foods and tastes trigger memories of childhoods happy or sad, lovers lost or gained, homes in Berlin, Nara, Delhi. As with most anthologies, it is uneven in the sense that the reader

might not get what they expected. It would also be more entertaining (and money-for-value) if it were longer; as it is, it’s too short— “bitin”—and that’s never a good thing, whether in food or books. I’d like to see a similar anthology put together here. A couple of years, ago, novelist Krip Yuson sent out a call for manuscripts and recipes for such a book. I hope a publisher shows interest so that this project gets off the backburner. Imagine food stories and recipes from the likes of Yuson, Butch Dalisay, Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, F. Sionil Jose, and other literary luminaries—that would be a treat! Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember

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55 KILLED IN CAMEROON TRAIN DERAILMENT

IRAQ FORCES HAVE KILLED 48 IS ATTACKERS IN KIRKUK

irkuk, Iraq—Iraqi security forces have killed 48 of the gunmen who stormed parts of Kirkuk in a shock attack claimed by the Islamic State group, the city’s police chief said.

DEADLY CLOUD. A picture taken on October 21 shows smoke billowing following a car bomb attack as Iraqi forces units hold a position near the village of Tall al-Tibah, some 30 kilometres south of Mosul, during an operation to retake the main hub city from the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists. AFP

“Forty-eight Daesh (IS) terrorists have been killed in the clashes,” Brigadier General Khattab Omar Aref told AFP, adding that some of them blew themselves up when the security forces cornered them. Special counter-terrorism and intelligence units were hunting down some of the dozens of IS fighters who stormed public buildings in the early hours of Friday. Clashes have been taking place almost uninterrupted since and the city, which lies some 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad, remains under curfew. A senior interior ministry official said that at least 46 other people had been killed in the IS raid and ensuing clashes, mostly members of the security forces. “The security forces control the situation now but there are still pockets of jihadists in some southern and eastern neighbourhoods,” Aref said. “We have foiled this large Daesh plot, which was to take control of government buildings, including security headquarters,” he said. “They were denied just like they are being defeated on the outskirts of Mosul,” the police chief said, in reference to the ongoing offensive by tens of thousands of Iraqi forces to wrest back the city of Mosul, IS’s last major stronghold in Iraq. AFP

Republic of the Philippines

Department of Environment and Natural Resources ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT BUREAU

REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

INVITATION TO BID FOR CONTRACT OF SECURITY SERVICES (16 GUARDS) FOR CY 2017

INVITATION TO BID CONTRACT OF JANITORIAL SERVICES (8 JANITORS) FOR CY 2017

The DENR-NCR, through the GAA-CY 20171 intends to apply the sum of FOUR MILLION THREE HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED FORTY TWO PESOS & FORTY FOUR CENTAVOS (PhP4,365,842.44) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for CONTRACT OF SECURITY SERVICES OF SIXTEEN (16) GUARDS FOR CY 2017. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The DENR-NCR, through the GAA-CY 20171 intends to apply the sum of ONE MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTEEN THOUSAND PESOS (PhP1,813,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for CONTRACT OF JANITORIAL SERVICES OF EIGHT (8) JANITORS FOR CY 2017. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The DENR-NCR now invites bids for CONTRACT OF SECURITY SERVICES OF SIXTEEN (16) GUARDS FOR CY 2017. Delivery of the Services is required from January to December 2017. Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents.

The DENR-NCR now invites bids for CONTRACT OF JANITORIAL SERVICES OF EIGHT (8) JANITORS FOR CY 2017. Delivery of the Services is required from January to December 2017. Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedure using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 -5:00 P.M.

Interested bidders must submit their Letter of Intent from October 19 to November 22, 2016 and may obtain further information from and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 -5:00 P.M.

REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES FOR CY 2017 The DENR-NCR, through the GAA-CY 20171 intends to apply the sum of TWO MILLION PESOS (PhP2,000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for “Procurement of Motor Vehicles for CY 2017”. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The DENR-NCR now invites all interested Phil-GEPS registered contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, authorized franchised dealers to submit Letter of Intent (LOI) and to Bid for the following project, to wit: Purchase Request (PR) No.

Quantity

2016-____

3 unit

Description VEHICLE Body Type Transmission Type Engine Size Displacement Number of Cylinders Transmission Category Power Train Max. Output Max Torque Fuel Type Fuel Capacity Length Width Height Wheel Base Turning Circle Number of Doors Number of Seats Wheel Size Wheel Metal Type Air-conditioning System Entertainment Power Steering and Windows

Approved Budget for the Contract (PhP) PhP2,000,000.00

: AUV : Manual : 2.5L : 2.477 cc : 4 : 5 Speed : Rear Wheel Drive : 75 hp @ 4,200rpm : 149 Nm @ 2,500 rpm : Diesel : 55 L : 4,320 mm. : 1,650 mm. : 1,800 mm. : 2,620 mm. : 10,4 : 5 : 5 : 14 in. : Steel : Mit Air CFC Free Dual Air Condition : 1-DIN Single in Dash CD/MP3 with 2 speaker

Delivery of the Goods is required as indicated in the Bid Data Sheet of the Bidding Documents. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the project in the last five (5) years. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedure using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138. Interested bidders must submit their Letter of Intent from October 19 to November 22, 2016 and may obtain further information from and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 -5:00 P.M. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on October 19 to November 22, 2016 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 website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The DENR-NCR will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on November 10, 2015, at 2:00 PM at the Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City which shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before of 10:00 a.m. of November 23, 2016. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Bidding Documents. Office of the Chairperson Bids and Awards Committee 2nd Floor, DENR-NCR Building National Ecology Center East Avenue, Quezon City Bid opening shall be at 10:30 a.m. on November 23, 2016 at the Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City. 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. Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City The DENR-NCR reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat Procurement Section, 3rd Flr, DENR-NCR Bldg. National Ecology Center East Avenue, Quezon City Tel. 3740091 October 18, 2016.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on October 19 to November 22, 2016 from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable 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 website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The DENR-NCR will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on November 10, 2016 at the Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City which shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before of 10:00 a.m. of November 23, 2016. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Bidding Documents. Office of the Chairperson Bids and Awards Committee 2nd Floor, DENR-NCR Building National Ecology Center East Avenue, Quezon City Bid opening shall be at 10:30 a.m. on November 23, 2015 at the Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City. 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. Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City The DENR-NCR reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat Procurement Section, 3rd Flr, DENR-NCR Bldg. National Ecology Center East Avenue, Quezon City Tel. 3740091 14 October 2016.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on October 19 to November 22, 2016 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 website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The DENR-NCR will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on November 10, 2015 at the Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City which shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before of 10:00 a.m. of November 23, 2016. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Bidding Documents. Office of the Chairperson Bids and Awards Committee 2nd Floor, DENR-NCR Building National Ecology Center East Avenue, Quezon City Bid opening shall be at 10:30 a.m. on November 23, 2016 at the Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City. 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. Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City The DENR-NCR reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat Procurement Section, 3rd Flr, DENR-NCR Bldg. National Ecology Center East Avenue, Quezon City Tel. 3740091 October 14, 2016.

(SGD) DIR. SOFIO B. QUINTANA, Ph.D, CESO IV. Assistant Regional Director for Technical Services and Chairman, Regional Bids and Awards Committee Office of the Assistant Regional Director, Technical Services DENR-NCR Building, National Ecology Center Compound, East Avenue, Quezon City In the case of National Government Agencies, the General Appropriations Act and/or continuing appropriations; in the case of GOCCs, GFIs, and SUCs, the Corporate Budget for the contract approved by the governing Boards; in the case of (LGUs, the Budget for the contract approved by the respective Sanggunian. (Section 5(a), R.A. 9184) (MS-OCT. 23, 2016)

DENR Compound, Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1116 Tel. Nos.: 927-15-17, 928-37-42 Email : emb@emb.gov.ph Visit us at http://www.emb.gov.ph

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon—Fifty-five people were killed and almost 600 injured when a packed Cameroon passenger train derailed on Friday, leaving debris strewn across nearby tracks as carriages swung off the rails. The train, travelling from the capital Yaounde to the economic hub Douala, was crammed with people due to road traffic disruption between the two cities and came off the tracks just before reaching the central city of Eseka, transport minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o said. The minister, via state broadcaster CRTV, said 55 people had been confirmed dead and a further 575 were injured in the incident, updating an earlier toll. “The cause of the accident is not yet clear,” he said, adding that several of the injured were in a very serious condition. “Intervention and security teams have been mobilised,” the rail company Camrail, a subsidiary of French investment group Bollore, announced. Emergency services had been sent from the economic capital to reinforce teams closer to the scene of the accident, while firefighters were coming from Eseka, Doula regional governor Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua said. Transport ministry officials have also rushed to the accident site. The train left Yaounde at around 11:00 am and derailed around midday some 200 kilometers from the capital, the transport minister said. The train route was particularly busy after a bridge on the road linking Yaounde and Douala collapsed in heavy rain overnight Thursday, paralysing traffic and sending extra waves of travellers onto trains. The effects of the rains also impeded the arrival of emergency aid. The road is one of the busiest in the country and one of the main commercial routes in central Africa, carrying trade towards landlocked Chad and the Central African Republic. AFP

In the case of National Government Agencies, the General Appropriations Act and/or continuing appropriations; in the case of GOCCs, GFIs, and SUCs, the Corporate Budget for the contract approved by the governing Boards; in the case of (LGUs, the Budget for the contract approved by the respective Sanggunian. (Section 5(a), R.A. 9184) (MS-OCT. 23, 2016)

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2016 mstdaydesk @gmail.com.ph

Officials unveil the restored exterior panels of “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” – revealing the long-lost detail and splendour that helped make the altarpiece one of the world’s most stolen artworks. AFP

FLEMISH ‘MYSTIC LAMB’ MASTERPIECE RESTORED

FINAL GOODBYE. Mourners rest at a Buddhist temple near the Grand Palace, where thousands of people have been gathering to pay their respects to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok on October 22. AFP

TRUMP TO MAKE ‘CLOSING ARGUMENTS’ D

onald Trump will lay out plans Saturday for the first 100 days of his presidency, in what his campaign is calling his “closing arguments” in one of the most bitter election campaigns in US history. The 2016 election cycle pitting the Republican nominee against former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has turned increasingly toxic, with Trump fueling wild conspiracy theories about vote “rigging” and Clinton warning that the provocative billionaire was straying into authoritarianism. Clinton excoriated Trump as a threat to American democracy Friday for not pledging to honor results of the upcoming presidential

election, as the rivals battled for supremacy in battleground states. “We know the difference between leadership and dictatorship, and the peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart,” Clinton told a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the key swing states up for grabs on November 8. “Donald Trump refused to say that he’d respect the results of this election. By doing that, he’s threat-

ening our democracy.” Her comments marked a stern rebuke to Trump’s bombshell suggestion during their third and final presidential debate that he may not recognize the election result – a surprising rejection of political norms. Trump, 70, then told a rally crowd that he could launch a legal challenge if Clinton prevails. His remarks follow weeks of Trump warning about the likelihood of a “rigged” election including massive voter fraud, despite members of his own party disavowing the comments and Trump drawing condemnation from President Barack Obama. Despite isolated allegations of voter fraud, controversy over the tight 2000 vote and rampant ger-

rymandering, US elections have been regarded as free and fair. Invigorated by both her commanding poll numbers and Trump’s eyebrow-raising declarations, the candidate vying to become America’s first female president was in Ohio aiming to block Trump’s efforts to claim the blue-collar heartland state. Trump, well aware that no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio, campaigned in the Buckeye State Thursday. He is due to head back to the state on Saturday, with running mate Mike Pence. On Friday, the Manhattan real estate mogul hosted rallies in the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. AFP

SUSPICIOUS ENVELOPE FOUND AT CLINTON CAMPAIGN OFFICE NEW YORK, United States—An envelope containing a white powdery substance was sent to one of White House hopeful Hillary Clinton’s campaign offices in New York, though police initially ruled out any danger. The envelope was first delivered to Clinton’s offices in Manhattan, where campaign workers then transferred it to her Brooklyn headquarters, New York Police Department Lieutenant Thomas Antonetti told AFP.

“The preliminary investigation determined that it was negative in terms of containing a hazardous substance,” he added, noting the Department of Health was conducting further evaluation to determine the nature of the substance. Antonetti said the envelope also contained writing, but no death threats. “We’re trying to determine what the substance was. For right now, we can at least rule out any poisonous or deadly nature of the substance,” Antonetti said. AFP

HOLY FATHER. Pope Francis arrives in St. Peter’s square at the Vatican for the Special Jubilee Papal Audience on October 22. AFP

GHENT, Belgium—A painstaking restoration of a 15th-century Flemish masterpiece is revealing the long-lost detail and splendour that helped make the altarpiece one of the world’s most stolen artworks. “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” by the Van Eyck brothers was unveiled 600 years ago at Saint Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent, but since then its full glory has dimmed, after being split into pieces, seized by Napoleon, then the Nazis, and nabbed by thieves. “You could say it is like the rediscovery of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel after its restoration,” Marie Postec of Belgium’s Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage told AFP. “The original was hidden by layers of dirt and alterations, the colours had completely faded. Today, the same thing is happening here, and we have the chance to witness its rebirth,” Postec said. The giant altarpiece, which measures 4.4 metres by 3.4 metres (15 feet by 10 feet), is attributed to Hubert Van Eyck and his better-known brother Jan, and was completed in 1432 when Ghent in modern-day northern Belgium was the wealthy powerhouse of the European wool cloth trade. AFP

UN : SYRIAN ARMY USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN QMENAS UNITED NATIONS—The Syrian army attacked the village of Qmenas with chemical weapons in March 2015, UN experts said in a report released Friday. But they were unable to determine who was responsible for two other chemical weapons attacks -- against Binnish in Idlib province in March 2015 and Kafr Zita in Hama province in April 2014. The report was presented Friday to the UN Security Council. The UN-led joint investigative mechanism (JIM) in late August reported that Syrian government forces had carried out at least two chemical attacks in 2014 and 2015 and that Islamic State jihadists had used mustard gas as a weapon. Of the nine total alleged chemical attacks it is considering in its ongoing probe, the JIM has now attributed three to the Syrian government and one to the Islamic State group. In its fourth report, investigators concluded that there is now “sufficient information” that the attack on Qmenas “was caused by a Syrian Arab Armed Forces helicopter dropping a device from a high altitude which hit the ground and released the toxic substance that affected the population.” AFP