BusinessMirror April 2, 2016

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Saturday, April 2, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 175

P.  |     | 7 DAYS A WEEK

NEW GUIDELINES SUPPOSEDLY OUT

ERC defers new rules on gencos’ output cap 25% T

INSIDE

SUMMER’S NO FUN WHEN YOU HAVE ALLERGIES D4 Monday, April 4, 2016

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HE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has delayed the issuance of a resolution— which comes out on March 15 every year—that sets the generation capacity and market-share caps of generation companies (gencos), pending further studies and review.

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BRETMAN ROCK works the crowd during an event hosted recently

by Benefit Cosmetics at its boutique and brow bar in SM Megamall.

DR. Sheila Chua says allergies can sometimes be lifethreatening.

KAT MADERAZO of BentobyKat is a mother of two who likes to make bento boxes for her kids.

Summer’s no fun when you have allergies AND THEN SOME DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @mariadinna luckydinna@gmail.com

U

P until nine or eight years ago, I didn’t have allergies or even anything remotely close to skin sensitivity. I could use any product I wanted on my hair, face and body. One night, I woke up because I was itching all over. Then, I remembered that I had lunch at a Japanese restaurant where I ate a lot of seafood.

My life has never been the same since then.

I took a series of allergy tests several years ago and found out that the slightest trigger (dust, pollen or, sometimes, even peanuts) could trigger an attack. I once went to Boracay for a four-day working trip and the whole time, I was plagued by urticaria or hives. Urticaria affects 20 percent of people some time in their lives.

When an attack occurs, an itchy patch of skin turns into swollen red welts. The itching can be mild to severe. Scratching, alcoholic beverages, exercise and emotional stress may worsen the itching. Let me tell you that urticaria is not only itchy but painful.

For most of the year, I’m okay, but when the weather is about to change, I need to take antishistamines practically every night. Last month, I took Virlix four nights in a row after I had Chicken Cacciatore one day for lunch. I’m lucky because of the existence of second-generation antihistamines,

The ERC sets the installed generating-capacity and marketshare limitation per grid and for the national grid to ensure a competitive generation sector in the electric-power industry and protect the consumers’ interest.

However, the ERC, in a resolution signed on March 15, said it “sees the need to further study the existing guidelines to address issues on the appropriate determination of the market share of C  A

Maximum share of a genco and its related firms in the national installed generating capacity

which are less sedating than first-generation allergy medications.

So I have become an expert of sorts in dealing with my allergies. I use unscented cleansers and lotions. I make sure my skin is moisturized because if you have dry skin, you will suffer more. When it’s allergy season, I avoid eating tomatoes, chicken and eggs, seafood and dairy products. I cannot avoid my pets but I don’t bring them to the bedroom during those times. After taking an antihistamine, I sleep for at least six hours.

Having allergies isn’t just painful or inconvenient. It can be life threatening, too.

“In a worst-case scenario, you can have difficulty breathing because of an allergy attack. When that happens, you need to go to a hospital,” Dr. Sheila Chua said, GSK’s medical affairs manager. She’s also a dermatologist.

GSK hosted a bento-making event featuring Kat Maderazo of BentobyKat, a mother of two who first made bento boxes for her daughter.

Maderazo sells bento-making tools and holds workshops. The activity is part of GSK’s campaign to help educate mothers in addressing allergies in the family.

“Allergies don’t have to ruin your activities this summer. It is important that you know what’s causing your allergies, so that you know how to manage the symptoms,” Chua said.

When the body detects a potentially harmful substance, it produces antibodies and histamine, which are then released into the bloodstream to fight it off. An inflammatory reaction occurs.

Some common allergic symptoms, aside from urticarial, are rapid shallow breathing, wheezing, sneezing and coughing.

For information, go to www.facebook.com/ MommyDoc. ■ E-mail me at luckydinna@gmail.com.

Girls, worry no more about shaving your underarms

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SPORTS

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SHAVING remains to be the most common method of underarm-hair removal for 70 percent of Filipino women. It is the quickest and most convenient way to get rid of unwanted hair, after all. It helps in emergency situations such as suddenly having to wear a sleeveless LBD for a night out, or going off for an impromptu beach getaway.

But did you know that when you shave, one-third of what you remove is actually skin, which leads to underarm darkening? Along with your hair, shaving takes away the top-most layer of your skin, leaving it irritated. And with continued shaving, skin is unable to heal itself and becomes bumpy, dry and dark.

Now comes a deodorant from global brand Dove to address your underarm worries and woes. With its unique one-fourth moisturizing cream, Dove Deo Original Whitening soothes underarm skin from irritation. It helps repair

B L L

damage caused by shaving, making your underarms lighter and smoother.

Dr. Anna Palabyab-Rufino of the Philippine Dermatological Society says, “Shaving is practically considered a necessity as women want to remove underarm hair, which is why using a deodorant with moisturizing benefits on a daily basis is the perfect way to care for your underarms.”

“In line with Dove’s mission to provide real women with real care, we want to encourage them to go shave, and enjoy their lives fully because Dove Deo takes care of their underarms,” said Apples Aberin, Unilever Philippines public relations head.

So, no more worries about wielding that blade, girls.

JAMES WAXES HOT

BIKE TO WORK As traffic grinds to a halt in the metropolis, more and more people are finding it cool to commute on their bicycles, like this employee spotted at Bonifacio Global City. NONIE REYES

DALIAN WANDA’S WANG IS RICHEST MAN IN ASIA AGAIN

WANG

W

ANG JIANLIN has become the richest person in Asia. Again.

The chairman and founder of Dalian Wanda Group Co. added $1.6 billion to his fortune on Thursday, after shares in its publicly traded property unit jumped 18 percent. The spike, which came after Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co. said its parent group may privatize the company, increased Wang’s net worth to $31.5 billion, putting him $1.8 billion ahead of Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Chairman Jack Ma began the month as Asia’s No. 1 billionaire and ended it as the third richest, with $29.2 billion.

Being Asia’s richest person has been a volatile position lately with Wang, Li and Ma swapping the lead six times in the past month. Thursday’s increase helped Wang claw back some of the $6.6 billion that had been wiped from his fortune in 2016 amid a slowing Chinese economy.

Wang has announced more than $25 billion of investments and acquisitions in 2016, including US film company Legendary Entertainment and a $10-billion industrial park in northern India.

Ma may get his shot at No. 1 again next month as Alibaba’s finance affiliate plans to complete its second round of fundraising and is seeking a valuation of about $60 billion, according to a March 2016 Bloomberg News report. That’s up from the $43 billion reported in an August 2015 Alibaba presentation. Ma owns 6.3 percent of Alibaba and 41 percent of the affiliate, Zhejiang Ant Small & Micro Financial Services Group Co. The world’s 400 richest people have a combined $4 trillion, 1 percent more than they had on January 1.

Wang remains $53.6-billion short of Bill Gates, the richest man on the planet, with $85 billion, according to the Index. Bloomberg News

MPIC’s offer to build connector road up for Swiss Challenge B L S. M

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HE competitive challenge for the multibillion-peso u nsol ic ited connectorroad deal was launched on Friday, after Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) completed the negotiations for the implementation of the infrastructure project.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 45.9890

The DPWH and MPIC executed a joint certification, which confirms that “the parties have reached agreement on the terms and conditions of the implementation of the unsolicited proposal for the design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the project, as reflected in the results of negotiations submitted” to the National Economic and Development Au-

We are hoping to start the construction by the first quarter next year.”

—F

thority Board, and the agreed draft toll-concession agreement submitted to the Department of Finance and the Office of the Solicitor General.

In an invitation to compete, the public works department invited interested parties to challenge the P22.9-billion proposal of Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp. to build and operate an expressway that will connect

the southern and northern corridors of Metro Manila.

According to the invitation, the deadline for the submission of competitive bids is on July 5.

The deal, which aims to link the two thoroughfares to the northern and southern corridors of Manila, has been in limbo for quite some time now, as government officials were at odds as to how

n JAPAN 0.4087 n UK 66.0770 n HK 5.9292 n CHINA 7.1312 n SINGAPORE 34.1215 n AUSTRALIA 35.2460 n EU 52.3539 n SAUDI ARABIA 12.2650

S “MPIC’,” A

Source: BSP (1 April 2016 )

A2 Saturday, April 2, 2016

BMReports BusinessMirror

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Group hits ‘ill-timed’ implementation of FiT-All

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ONSUMER group CitizenWatch questioned the timing of the feed-in-tariff allowance (FiT-All) implementation this summer, when power rates are normally at peak level.

The group said FiT-All is a government initiative that aims to reward renewable-energy producers with higher rates, but would unfairly burden the power consumers.

“We understand the clamor for cleaner energy, but we must strike a balance between this and the need to have enough energy to support the country’s develop-

ment,” CitizenWatch SecretaryGeneral Wilford Wong said.

Wind, solar and small hydropower projects are given incentives in the form of FiT rates, which will be collected by the Nationa l Transmission Cor p. from consumers.

The Energy Regulatory Commission approved the collection of FiT-All in March, translating into an increase of 8 centavos per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in power rates starting in April, a time when power rates typically shoot up due to higher demand. This means an additional monthly bill of P16 for

a small household that consumes 200 kWh a month.

Energy rates in the Philippines are already one of the highest in Asia, burdening not just consumers but also discouraging investments, according to Wong.

Cit i zenWatc h a lso wa r ned against the hype surrounding renewable-energy, including the recent visit of high-profile backer Al Gore.

“The push for renewables is understandable, in the context of climate change,” Wong said. “But we’ve seen from the Negros experience that it’s far from a straightfor-

Macau casino sales drop more than estimates after festival M

ACAU’S casino revenue fell more than analysts’ estimates last month, as mainland Chinese gamblers d i s s ip ate d a f te r Febr u a r y ’s weeklong Lunar New Year holiday.

Gross gaming revenue decreased 16.3 percent to 18 billion patacas ($2.3 billion), according to data from Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, marking 22 consecutive months of declines. That compares with the median estimate of a 15.5-percent drop from six analysts surveyed

by Bloomberg, and a fall of 0.1 percent in February.

Macau casinos have been in a downturn since mid-2014, as China’s anticorruption campaign and a slowing economy kept the country’s high rollers away from the world’s largest gambling hub. Op-

erators, such as Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. and Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd., have opened new resorts since last year to woo more holidaymakers.

About $46 billion of market value was wiped out last year from the city’s six gambling houses, but most of their shares have rebounded so far this year. While Bloomberg Intelligence’s index of Macau gaming stocks rose 16 percent in the first quarter, such increase could be short-lived, said Richard Huang, an analyst at Nomura Holdings Inc. “The recent share rally is based on its low valuation, it isn’t driven by business performance,” Huang said in an interview before the March gaming data were released.

About $46 billion of maket value was wiped out last year from the

city’s six gambling houses, but most of them rebounded so far this year, with Bloomberg Intelligence’s index of Macau gaming stocks gaining 16 percent in the first quarter.

They fell 3.5 percent as of 1:30 p.m., with Sands China Ltd. and MGM China Holdings Ltd. down the most, about 4 percent.

Still, there’s a risk that the rally may be short-lived, as Macau’s shares have seen several shortterm rebound whenever gaming revenue showed some signs of recovery and when there were news of potential supporting policies from the government, said Deutsche Bank AG analyst Karen Tang in a report. The market will probably recover in the second half of 2017, she wrote in a March 30 note.

Investors ex pect casino companies’ first-quarter profit

to improve because the Lunar New Year results came in better than expected, but revenue during the period is no better than the previous quarter, according to a Nomura note. Gambling receipts will probably remain soft in the second quarter because of a lack of major holidays to boost customer traffic.

Investors could a lso begin questioning whether the openings of Wynn Macau Ltd. and Sands China Ltd.’s billion-dollar resorts later this year would help earnings because of the “disappointing” visitation and revenue generated by the new casinos last year, according to the Nomura report published on Monday.

Gaming revenue in the first quarter dropped 13.3 percent to 56 billion patacas. Bloomberg News

ward solution to our energy needs, especially for a developing country like the Philippines.”

In the push for running solarpowered plants, other renewable sources, like geothermal, had to give way, making little dent on the supply, he said.

CitizenWatch said that coupled with higher consumption starting in April, the entry of renewable sources can alter frequency of power and result in grid instability, erratic power supply and brownouts, “As it is, the country is already playing catch-up in putting

up much needed power plants,” said Dindo Manhit, President of private think tank Albert del Rosario Institute.

“The upward economic trajectory that our country is enjoying puts more pressure on the supply of reliable energy and growth will stagnate once this need is not met,” Manhit said.

CitizenWatch asked the Department of Energy to do an inventory on the reliability of each renewable power plant in preparation for the summer months and to educate the public on energy saving tips to mitigate the impact of expected rate hike.

ERC defers new rules on gencos’ output cap C  A

a person or entity covered by the market-share limitations for each grid and the national grid in accordance with Section 45[a] of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act [Epira].”

A s suc h , t he com m i ssion “resolves, to hold in abeyance the issuance of the annual resolution setting the installed generating capacity per grid and for the national grid and the market share limitations per grid and for the national grid until June 2016,” ERC Resolution 03, Series of 2016, stated. The resolution was made public only recently.

Section 45(a) of the Epira states that no company or related group can own, operate or control more than 30 percent of the installed generating capacity of a grid and/or 25 percent of the national installed

generating capacity.

T he limit is based on the maximum capacity of the power plants submitted by the gencos and other entities required to submit the generation-company management reports.

It could be calculated based on the installed generating capacity (IGC), which refers to the sum of the maximum capacities of the generation facilities connected to a transmission or distribution system in a grid.

The national grid has a total of 17,585.17 megawatt (MW) IGC in 2015, from 15,832 MW a year ago.

In Luzon last year’s IGC was at 13,057.76 MW from 12,041.42 MW in 2014. The Visayas has 2,363.69MW from 1,827.29 MW in 2014; and Mindanao, 2,163.72 MW, from 1,963.65 MW in 2014.

Based on existing rules, a power-generation firm could only corner 30 percent of the total IGC on a per grid basis. Thus, if the said rule is applied, the limit for Luzon this year is at 3,917.327 MW of IGC; 709.107 MW on the Visayas grid; and 649.115 MW on the Mindanao grid.

If the operation of the generation company is concentrated in one particular grid, it is allowed to own 25 percent, or 4,346.291 MW, of the national grid’s IGC. To date, the ERC said no firm has violated the market-share limitations.

MPIC’s. . .

C  A

to implement this key infrastructure project. It was originally submitted as an unsolicited proposal back in 2010, carrying a P22.95billion project cost.

This required the execution of a Swiss Challenge, which essent ia l ly g ives ot her par t ies the chance to submit a better offer than the proposal of the original proponent.

The original proponent, meanwhile, has the right to match the offer. In this case, Metro Pacific, the proponent of the 8-kilometer road network that will run from C-3 Road in Caloocan to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila, offered to do the project under a P14-billion multiyear investment plan.

“We are hoping to start the construction by the first quarter next year. The aggressive target of completion is in 2018,” Metro Pacif ic Tol lways Cor p. President Rodrigo E. Franco said in an interview.

The expressway is expected to facilitate the seamless exchange of goods and services between the two ends of the country’s capital.

This would aid truck operators and freight services firms to pick up shipped goods from the ports in Manila and deliver them to the markets.

Economy BusinessMirror

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briefs ‘BIG TIME’ LPG PRICE HIKE PETRON Corp. increased its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices by P1.25 per kilogram and auto LPG prices by 70 centavos per liter. The “big time” price hike took effect on Friday.

The oil firm explained the price adjustments reflect movement in international contract prices for April.

According to the Department of Energy’s oil-price monitor as of March 22, the prevailing prices of an 11-kg LPG cylinder ranges from P395 to P620.

Oil prices, meanwhile, moved up on Thursday, due to the market anticipating the meeting of major oilproducing countries to discuss the potential production freeze on April 17 in Doha, Qatar.

The West Texas Intermediate for May delivery rose by 2 cents and settled at $38.34 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange, while the Brent crude for May delivery increased by 34 cents and closed at $39.6 a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange. PNA

P187M FOR REPAIR OF ZAMBO SPORTS COMPLEX ZAMBOANGA CITY—The government, through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), has given the go signal to start the repair works at the Joaquin F. Enriquez Jr. Memorial Sports Complex in this city.

Engr. Cayamombao Dia, DPWH assistant regional director, told the Philippines News Agency that they already issued the “notice to proceed” to the contractors to rehabilitate the sports complex.

So far, two local private construction firms have been awarded to undertake the rehabilitation project.

The sports complex was dilapidated after it has served as the biggest evacuation center housing more than 100,000 people displaced during the 21-day September 2013 siege.

Dia said the contract cost of the repair works is P187 million. The project is expected to be completed within 276 calendar days.

Covered in the rehabilitation project are the perimeter fence, gate, three bleachers, the rubberized track oval, soccer football field and others.

Dia said Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson is monitoring the rehabilitation of the sports complex.

The funding for the rehabilitation of the sports complex is taken from the P3.9 billion President Aquino allocated for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the siege-affected areas. PNA

P9.7M B.U.B. PROJECTS COMPLETED IN SOUTH COTABATO GENERAL SANTOS CITY—The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has completed an additional P9.7 million worth of community-based projects in parts of South Cotabato province since last year through the Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) scheme.

Belinda Lee Fabie, DILG-South Cotabato local government operations officer, said on Friday that most of the projects were village potable-water systems that were implemented in coordination with concerned local government units.

She added that the recipients were mainly remote barangays in the municipalities of Banga, Polomolok, Surallah, Tboli and Tupi.

Fabie said some of these areas had no access to potable water for many years due to lack of infrastructure and stable resources. She said there were communities that relied only on water from rivers for drinking and their household needs for many years.

“They have now safe and clean water to drink. We saw in their eyes great excitement when we turned over the projects,” she said.

Among the latest beneficiaries of the water system projects is the far-flung Sitio Tebiao in Barangay Buenavista in Surallah town.

The project, which was completed last month, cost around P1.5 million. PNA

SRA bares plan to import addl 50,000 MT of sugar B M G P

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HE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Friday said it is considering the importation of an additional 50,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar to ensure that the supply and price of the commodity remains stable.

SRA Administrator Ma. Regina Bautista-Martin said this is above the 170,000 MT initially approved by the agency to replace the volume exported by the Philippines to meet its US quota. “[The SRA] is studying the need for additional sugar imports over and above the replacement imports to ensure a healthy buffer stock and to temper speculation [and keep traders from trying to riase the price of sugar in the market],” Martin said.

Martin added that the SRA still needs to closely monitor the local production of sugar before their importation plan could be finalized.

She added that the Sugar Board is also studying if the country can ship the additional allocation given by the US Trade Representative under the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) scheme.

Washington, D.C., earlier provided Manila with an additional 12,194 MT of raw-sugarcane allocation on top of its 135,508 MT original quota.

“The board is studying this offer and we shall decide next week,” Martin said.

Philippine Sugar Millers Inc. President Francisco Varua earlier told the BusinessMirror the industry may not be able to fill up the additional quota as this would be too costly for traders.

“The [12,194 MT] volume cannot

fill up a boat, since chartered ships would normally be in the category of 25,000 to 30,000 tons. To charter a vessel of 12,000 tons would cost expensive dead freight,” Varua said.

Meanwhile, the SRA reported that the country has already shipped 135,508 MT to the United States, filling up the regular quota under the SRA’s export-replacement sugar.

“The fifth vessel departed only last Holy Thursday. Exports were done during the peak of the production from January to March,” Martin said.

A total of 96,000 MT of replacement imported sugar have already been issued release clearances by the SRA. Martin said the balance of replacement sugar is expected to arrive in May. Data from the SRA showed that as of March 20, the country’s raw-sugar production declined by 6.53 percent to 1.86 million metric tons (MMT) from the 1.99 MMT recorded in the same period last crop year.

Philippine sugar output for the current crop year is expected to reach 2.14 MMT, 8 percent lower as compared to the 2.32 MMT achieved in Crop Year 2014 and 2015. The drop in production is due to “unfavorable” weather conditions and reduction of sugarcane areas.

“Millgate prices have remained firm as the market continues to speculate that the supply may be tight towards the end of the crop year as weekly production has started to decline. Speculation is further fueled by the scenario of a delayed milling season next crop year due to the continued effects of El Niño,” Martin said.

Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon • Saturday, April 2, 2016 A3

Solar-power plants get COE-FiT eligibility

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B L L

HE Department of Energy (DOE) has issued Certificate of Endorsement for feed-in-traiff (COE-FiT) Eligibility to 11 solar-power plants, accounting for some 292.07 megawatts (MW) to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

The figures are as of March 15, the agency said. More solar-power projects may be issued with COEFiT at the completion of the ongoing validation and assessment of the submissions received by the DOE in relation to the March 15 deadline for the expanded FiT for solar-power generation. It can be recalled that the first tranche of the solar for FiT was at 108.90 MW at P9.68 per kilowatt hour (kWh), while the second tranche was the remainder for the 500-MW installation target at P8.69 per kWh. FiT is one of the policy mechanisms eyed by the DOE as it aims

to maintain the share of renewable energy (RE) to at least 30 percent in the country’s power mix.

The DOE strongly supports the increased use of RE in the country under a level-playing field and transparent implementation of incentives, such as the FiT program, which are key indicators for this.

Under the FiT System, qualified developers of emerging RE sources are offered on a fixed rate per kWh of their exported electricity to the distribution or transmission network. This scheme excludes the energy utilized from RE plants

11

Number of solarpower plants, which got their COE-FiT from the DOE, accounting for some 292.07 MW to the DOE, as of March 15

eligible for own use. Energy Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada said that “the government prioritizes energy security and RE is one of the major contributors to increase the power supply, especially that we are also moving toward clean energy technology.”

The DOE highlights that FiT subscriptions for RE resources has significantly increased to 806.82 MW, from 646.65 MW installations since the start of 2016. The following are the FiT subscriptions to date: biomass has 11 power plants, with a total capacity of 94.25 MW; hydro has four, accounting for 26.60 MW; and wind has six, accounting for 393.90 MW.

Sen. Villar pushes aid for poor college studes

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A R IGA R A , Ley te—Sen. Cynthia A. Villar is advocating that all Filipino families should have at least one college graduate to curb poverty in the countryside.

Villar, chairman of Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture, said that college graduates have a very slim chance to suffer poverty, considering the job opportunities available to them.

“Statistics show that the possibility of becoming poor for a college graduate is at 2 percent. Every time our children obtain college degree, the poverty incidence is reduced,” Villar said, who was here on Thursday as commencement speaker.

“If they could not find high paying jobs, they have an option to venture

into a small business,” she added.

The senator has been pushing for laws that would benefit college students from very poor families.

Among this is the creation of Sugar Industry Fund, with an allocation of P2 billion every year starting 2016. About 10 percent will finance college education of children of sugar farmers.

Another is the continuation of Agriculture Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which has been setting aside P500 million for the scholarships of children of farmers.

Villar also seeks amendments of the Fisheries Code of 1998, which allocate a certain percentage for the scholarship of the children of the fishermen. PNA

PAINT THE WORLD

A group of painters ascend to a rope and wooden platform to apply a new coat of paint on the concrete surface of a newly built skyscraper at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig. BGC has seen a frenzied construction boom in recent years. NONIE REYES

Food-price increase triggered 1.2 percent uptick in Jan GRPI B C U. O

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IGHER food prices triggered a 1.2-percent uptick in the General Retail Price Index (GRPI) in Metro Manila in January, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday.

PSA data also showed that the growth of the GRPI in the National Capital Region (NCR) in January was higher than the 1-percent growth in December 2015, but was still slower than 1.8 percent posted in January 2015.

“The uptrend was mainly due to the 3.3-percent growth registered in the heavily weighted food index,” the PSA said.

The food index is composed of 143 commodity items and, thus, receives the largest weight of 33.25 in the GRPI. This makes food items the most influential in increasing or decreasing the GRPI. Food also accounts for the largest share in the household budget, particularly among the poor.

Despite the 3.3-percent increase in the growth of the GRPI, other commodities tempered the growth of the

index in January.

The beverages and tobacco index and chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats and miscellaneous manufactured articles, GRPI posted slower growths of 2.6 percent and 1 percent, respectively.

Other commodities also continued to post contractions in GRPI, which tempered GRPI growth in NCR. These commodities included the indices of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials at -8.9 percent; crude materials inedible, except fuels, -2.2 percent; machinery and transport equipment, -0.4 percent; and manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials, -0.1 percent.

Meanwhile, on a monthly basis, the GRPI in NCR registered flat growth in January due to minimal increases in the food and beverage and tobacco indices at 0.7 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.

“The food index [increased due to] higher prices of vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, sugar, cooking oil and other vitamins,” the PSA said.

“The index of beverages and tobacco, likewise, inched up [due to] the price increases in whiskey, beer, softdrinks and cigarettes,” it added.

The growth in the GRPI of these indices was offset by the 4.9-percent contraction in the index of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials.

The PSA attributes this to the series of price rollbacks in petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel and liquefied petroleum gas.

The index of other commodities, such as machinery and transport equipment, contracted 0.4 percent, due to price decreases in wires.

Lower prices of paints and related compounds caused the index for chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, to go down by 0.3 percent.

Cheaper prices of plywood, paper and paper products caused the manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials index to contract 0.2 percent, while lower charcoal and sand prices pushed down the index for crude materials inedible, except fuels, by 0.1 percent.

The GRPI is a statistical measure of the changes in the prices at which retailers dispose of their goods to consumers or end-users relative to a base year.

It is an indicator used to monitor

the economic situation of the retail-trade sector. It is also used as a deflator of the national accounts,

especially on the retail-trade sector, and serve as a basis for forecasting business in the retail trade.

A4 Saturday, April 2, 2016 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

editorial

Bank theft: Criminal or something bigger?

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LINE from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare has an officer of the guard saying after the ghost of the dead king appears, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” He was not talking about the famous Scandinavian fermented fish— Surströmming—which has one of the most putrid food smells in the world.

The same can be said about the $81-million bank-transfer scheme, which has been described as criminal money laundering.

Watching our good senators conduct their hearings—while well intentioned — was more of an exercise in the blind being led by the not-so blind. Nothing substantial came from the hearings except a denial of criminal responsibility by all involved even as accusations were hurled by all the players against all the other players.

Top executives at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) seemed to be saying that the bank—which earned P5.1 billion in 2015 and majority-owned by the Yuchengco Group of Cos. (one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia)—had a “slight” internal problem of compliance and control with its money-transfer procedures.

Apparently its motto—“Smarter Solutions”—did not fully apply in this instance.

Further, a bank branch manager in the Philippines—or at least at RCBC—can load $20 million cash in the back seat of a car and deliver the money as the client might request. That may bring new meaning to the concept of “Private Banking” so popular in attracting rich clients.

But there are more things that are troubling. The bank accounts, whether genuine or forged, were set up nearly one year in advance. The overall scheme appears to have been to steal $1 billion. Yet, it all fell apart because on one transfer instruction, the word “Foundation” was spelled “Fandation”? Write this scenario for a crime novel and see if any publisher would take a second glance.

The US intelligence agency National Security Agency (NSA) employs a team called “Follow the Money” to track international money transfers. It uses a software program called the Prosecutor’s Management Information System (PROMIS).

The US bombed Libya in 1986 based on information from bank transfers discovered by the NSA, through PROMIS, that showed Libya had funded a terrorist group, which bombed a Berlin nightclub, killing one American and wounding 200 people.

The main NSA financial database, Tracfin, which collects the “Follow the Money” surveillance results on bank transfers, credit-card transactions and money transfers, already had 180 million datasets by 2011. Further, Tracfin has access to all the transactions that flow through the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system to 9,000 banks and financial institutions including RCBC. Tracfin and PROMIS monitor all these bank transaction with real-time surveillance and immediately stores the information. Within literally seconds of the US Federal Reserve being notified by the central bank of Bangladesh that something was wrong, the NSA would be able to see the complete transfer trail, including what may have happened to the money after it hit our local casinos.

While we trust our good friends not to interfere in the Philippine presidential election or to use our banks to funnel money for whatever their purpose, something smells rotten.

Since 2005

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Party like it’s 1933 John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

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E are at the beginning of the stock market boom that I have been talking about since the third quarter of last year.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Composite Index (PSEi) turned in an impressive performance in March, gaining 8.86 percent. This was the largest monthly gain since its 15-percent increase in September 2010. However, subsequent to that increase, the market actually went slightly lower over the next six months. Further, that large upside movement followed a seven-month uptrend.

Therefore, the September 2010 movement was similar to a buying climax when the market takes a pause. This past March rally came after nearly a year of downside action. March was a reversal of a trend, not a continuation of an uptrend, and that is positive.

This is the only question that matters. Is this truly a reversal in trend

and is it sustainable?

Obviously the answer is a loud “NO.” Global economic growth is being downgraded weekly. Some commentators are convinced China’s economy is about to crash. Corporate earnings here in the Philippines are good but not great. Interest rates in the United States are going higher... or not. The list of potential negatives is long and deep.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index peaked in August 1929 at a high of 380. The US Federal Reserve had raised interest rates, from 3.5 percent in 1927, up to 6 percent in 1929, to help the European economy.

The stock market had doubled.

The DJIA bottomed out in June 1932 at 42.84. A rally into August 1932 took the index to 73 but that rally failed back to a low at 51 in Feb-

But how can stock prices rise when the economy and company profits are declining?

Aren’t stock prices supposed to reflect corporate value?

Company value—like beauty —is in the eye of the beholder.

The Price Earnings Ratio (PER) of the market at the 1929 peak was 19.67. At the June 1932 bottom it was 9.35. But at the February 1933 bottom the PER was 14.88. In January 1934 the PER had risen to 24, which turned out to be the highest PER until December 1997. ruary 1933. That is the lowest the US market has been since then. The next 11 months saw the US economy turn in a negative 45-percent performance. Yet the DJIA went up 139 percent.

But how can stock prices rise when the economy and company profits are declining? Aren’t stock prices supposed to reflect corporate value? Company value—like beauty—is in the eye of the beholder.

The Price Earnings Ratio (PER) of the market at the 1929 peak was

19.67. At the June 1932 bottom it was 9.35. But at the February 1933 bottom the PER was 14.88. In January 1934 the PER had risen to 24, which turned out to be the highest PER until December 1997.

The PSE is going higher and will continue to climb for these reasons.

These are dangerous times and people want a liquid investment. That is why personal bank savings in the country has gone up dramatically since June 2015 and literally skyrocketed last December. Bank lending was up 17 percent in January, as people are anticipating an interest rate increase and stock markets go up as rates go higher.

Your P1 million in a time deposit earns you almost nothing. Do you really want to buy a condominium knowing that you must find a buyer if you want to take a profit? Is this the best time to expand a business with a declining trend in economic growth?

Those same questions were asked by investors in 1933. The ones who chose the stock market became rich.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Visit my web site at www.mangunonmarkets.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis tools provided by the COL Financial Group Inc.

A funny thing happened on the way to recession

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B A. G S | Bloomberg View

T the beginning of the year, fears were widespread that recession was heading toward the United States—and, indeed, the rest of the world. Even the perennially optimistic Wall Street Journal survey of economists put the odds of recession in the coming 12 months at 21 percent, twice the level anticipated a year earlier and the highest reading since 2012. On balance, I believe the pessimism over the economic outlook and in financial markets was overdone early this year—but so, too, is the more recent euphoria.

Early this year major country central banks and world leaders, in effect, acknowledged the impotence of monetary policy in what I call “the age of deleveraging.” They called for labor market and other structural reforms, infrastructure spending, and more business-friendly tax structures. For China, they recommended shutting down zombie companies, such as steel mills, wallowing in excess capacity, and slashing the huge stockpile of excess housing.

Investors, meantime, were worried about big unknowns, including whether Federal Reserve (the Fed) would keep raising interest rates, whether China would continue to devalue the yuan, whether the United Kingdom would leave the European Union, and whether the next US president would be Donald Trump on the extreme right or Bernie Sanders on the far left.

I’ve never been shy about forecasting recession when the conditions are ripe, as I did emphatically during the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and in 2007, as the collapse in subprime mortgages began to unfold. But this year, I simply didn’t see a trigger for a business downturn (although I did allow that if crude oil prices dropped to my target of $10 to $20 per barrel, the resulting financial fallout would probably precipitate a global economic downturn). Instead, I noted that recessions have typically resulted from substantial Fed interest-rate hikes or major shocks.

Sure, the Fed raised interest rates last December and planned four more hikes in 2016, but it had cried wolf so many times about accelerating growth and a resurgent labor market that if it did nothing last year, its credibility would have been further eroded.

Then a funny thing happened on the way to that widely forecast recession. China didn’t massively devalue the yuan and turned, as it has in the past, to infrastructure spending to stave off a collapse in economic growth, despite the predictable result of more debt and more excess capacity.

And with inflation running well below the Fed’s 2 percent target and deflation still a danger, the US central bank scaled back its rate-raising plans. At the March 16 meeting, it halved the number of expected quarter-point rate hikes this year to two, and reduced its 2016 yearend inflation forecast to 1.2 percent from 1.6 percent. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, which dropped 5 percent in January, has been rising since the second week of February and is now about 1 percent higher for the year.

Even so, many of the reasons to be cautious about the outlook for growth have not changed in the past month or so of optimism. First, commodity prices will likely continue to fall as slow global demand growth meets the huge supply resulting from past over-investment and the tendency among many commodity producers to further increase output in the face of falling prices. This is especially true

for oil, as Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (led

by Saudi Arabia) is in a deadly game of chicken to see which major producers will slash prices to eliminate excess supply.

Second, the world is still working off the heavy debts and other imbalances accumulated during the 1980s and 1990s. As one example, total US household debt, as a percentage of disposable (after-tax) income has declined to 104 percent from its 130percent peak, but remains far above the earlier norm of 65 percent. The household-saving rate has rebounded from a 2-percent low in 2005 to 5.4 percent in February, but is still well below the 12-percent level of the early 1980s to which I expect it to return.

Furthermore, the three-decadelong era of globalization is over. It transferred manufacturing and other production from North America and Europe to China and other developing countries and drove economic activity there. But just about everything that can move already has; there’s little manufacturing capacity left to export.

So, from the depths of despair and fears of global recession in January, hope and investor confidence returned in February and March.

But has anything fundamentally changed, on balance?

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph

Opinion

Women making their mark in PHL history

Truth meets mercy: Radio Veritas celebrates 47th anniversary

BusinessMirror

Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual

Jemain Diaz De Rivera

SERVANT LEADER

FORWARD MOVING

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ARCH is Women’s Role in History Month as provided by Proclamation 227, s. 1988. Women today are making their mark in history, in the competitive Philippine business community and the dynamic Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry having a 2016 forecast of $25 billion in revenues and 1.3 million direct employees.

Women making their mark in business and the IT-BPM industry include: Maria Cristina G. Coronel (Beng), president of Pointwest Technologies, president of the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines, and director of the Philippine Software Industry Association. She is a cum laude graduate from the University of Santo Tomas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering; established Pointwest, an IT-BPM company that is fully Filipino-owned and global in standards.

The company has its headquarters and delivery centers in the Philippines, and offices in Western and Midwestern United States.

Karen Batungbacal, executive general manager of the QBE Group Shared Services Centre, effectively running the entire Philippine branch of the company. She took Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, first in De La Salle University but finishing it in the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, United States. She pursued postgraduate studies at Princeton University finishing with a master degree and doctorate units.

Together with other leaders of the industry, they formed an industry association to become the channel between foreign IT-BPM companies, the Philippine government and local industry that would become the IT and Business Process Association Philippines (IBPAP), where she held the presidency for five years.

Marie Grace Dimaranan is an accomplished animator, conceptual artist, and creative director with over 25 years of experience in digital art. A fine arts graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, Dimaranan started as a graphic designer and conceptual artist.

She was elected as president of the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI) in 2013 and is a consistent member of its board of directors. Currently, she is the vice president of ACPI and CEO of Top Peg Animation & Creative Studio Inc., one of the most stable studios in the Philippines involved in production of quality animation.

Haidee Enriquez, vice president for Global talent acquisition at Sitel, has years of management experience in the human resources/operations for the IT-BPM industry. She was bestowed the honor of Associate Fellow in People Management by the Philippine Society of Fellows of the People Management Association of the Philippines. She completed training in general management at Harvard Business School.

She is part of a company that has over 30 years of industry experience and 61,100 employees, operating in approximately 108 facilities in 21 countries, supporting client customers in 62 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific in 40 languages.

Ivic Mueco, senior vice president and country manager of Convergys Philippines Services Corp., is responsible for the management of over 30 operating sites in the country. She joined Convergys as head of operations and was instrumental in leading the business to grow from 800 to more than 55,000 employees today.

Prior to joining Convergys, Mueco served as a business unit director at eTelecare International where she was in charge of program, operations and resource management. Previously, she served as general manager for Datacom IT Services SEA Pte. Ltd., an outsource provider to companies based in Singapore.

Myla Rose Reyes, vice president for health-care operations at SPI Global, is responsible for strategic implementation and operations management. They provide back-office services for medical billing, physician coding, ACO services and other health information-management services that can be performed offshore. Reyes is a Board of Trustee of the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines and was formerly its president. nnn

The industry is fortunate to have extremely accomplished women working in its core. Every day we see other women join them not only to build a career for themselves but to help establish the Philippines as the number one location for IT-BPM.

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ADIO Veritas 846 marks 47 years of service to Filipinos through the proclamation of truth and new evangelization.

On Easter Sunday, March 27, Radio Veritas 846, the leading faith-based AM radio station in the Philippines, celebrated its 47th anniversary at SM City North Edsa Skydome.

This year’s theme is “Truth meets Mercy” in line with the celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by His Holiness Pope Francis.

The anniversary celebration commenced with the Holy Mass at 1 p.m. presided by His Eminence Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, D.D., with Cubao Bishop Most Rev. Fr. Honesto Ongtioco, D.D.,

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NE of the most fascinating aspects of my recent trip to Rojava, the Kurdish region of Syria, was its leaders’ focus on empowering women.

The failure of many Mideast nations to let women play a major role in politics and society has severely impeded their development. At the farthest extremes, Saudi Arabia treats women like mentally impaired children, while the Islamic State (IS) enslaves them.

But in Rojava and North Syria—a self-proclaimed federal state that is recognized by no other country— things are very different. There, the non-Arab but Sunni Muslim Kurds have taken the opposite tack.

Women hold many of the highest posts in Rojava and women’s rights are taught in school.

Moreover, the Syrian Kurds have a female force, the YPJ, that fights fiercely alongside male soldiers against IS jihadis in Syria and even

inside neighboring Iraq.

Would that this approach could be copied throughout the region, although that is hard to imagine.

One can only hope that Rojava’s philosophy of female liberation can survive in this Kurdish enclave that is threatened from all sides.

Drive through Kurdish towns in Rojava and you will see banners on the main streets that display the faces of fallen Kurdish soldiers, including many women. Sometimes the female portraits are clustered around the mustached visage of Abdullah Ocalan, the ideological guru of the Turkish PKK rebel group.

Ocalan’s thinking has also shaped the outlook of the dominant political party in Rojava, the Democratic Union, or PYD.

Veritas, we have been able to continue in the ministry over such a long period of time. We would like to express my sincere gratitude for your continued patronage.

Owned and operated by the Archdiocese of Manila, Radio Veritas continues to be the leading social communications ministry for truth and new evangelization providing religious and magazine programs, church advocacies and social concerns to its listeners.

It was on April 11, 1969, that Manila Archbishop Rufino Cardinal Santos, D.D., with the presence of Antonio Cardinal Samore representing the Vatican, inaugurated the studios of Radio Veritas formerly in Fairview, Quezon City.

In 1986 it was through Radio Veritas where Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin made the call to the people to converge in Edsa to prevent the bloodshed, and ushered in the four-day bloodless

revolution known as Edsa People Power revolution.

That same year, Radio Veritas received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Board of Trustees recognized Radio Veritas’s crucial role in using the truth to depose an oppressive and corrupt regime and restore the Filipino faith in the electoral process.

Currently, Radio Veritas is also going beyond radio through its web site, www.veritas846.ph, and its socialmedia platforms. It is also extending its reach to television through its partnership with TV Maria.

To know more about Caritas Manila, visit www. caritasmanila.org.ph. For your donations, please call our DonorCare lines 563-9311, 564-0205, 09997943455, 0905-4285001 and 0929-8343857. Make it a habit to listen to Radio Veritas 846 in the AM band, or through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph. For comments, e-mail veritas846pr@gmail.com.

The downside of the minimum-wage fad

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AISING wages by government fiat seems to be catching on.

The lowest-paid workers in Britain and California—two of the world’s largest economies—are only the latest beneficiaries of plans to lift the minimum wage.

The goal in every case is commendable, but the method is far from ideal.

On Friday Britain’s minimum wage will increase to £7.20 ($10.36) an hour for workers age 25 and older, rising each year until it is expected to be above £9 by 2020. California has agreed to set a $15 minimum wage by 2022. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to do the same in his state.

At least 25 US cities have raised their minimum wage since 2014. Germany did so last year, and more increases are planned. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for a 3-percent increase in the minimum wage each year.

It’s hard to quarrel with the goal of a “higher wage, lower welfare,

lower tax” society, as the UK’s government puts it. But the minimum wage is a two-edged instrument, because it raises the cost of hiring unskilled labor. Any increase, therefore, runs the risk of raising unemployment— and the bigger the increase, the bigger the risk.

In addition, governments aren’t being honest about who bears the costs.

At least some of the increase in employers’ costs will be passed along as higher prices to consumers.

It’s hard to say exactly what the effects of this minimum-wage activism will be. The economic literature on the subject is voluminous—but inconclusive. A 2014 Congressional Budget Office study concluded that a $10.10 minimum wage in the US would lift 900,000 out of poverty but result in the loss of 500,000 low-wage jobs.

Other studies say the employment effects would be smaller. There’s little experience as yet with minimums as high as $15.

Another problem, especially with national minimums, is that labormarket conditions vary a lot from place to place. Britain’s minimum applies equally to London, where the wage floor by 2020 will be 47 percent of local median income, and Sheffield, where it will be 71 percent.

The one-size-fits-all approach is going to cause problems for Germany as it tries to absorb an enormous influx of unskilled immigrants.

If governments overdo it and push the minimum too high, correcting the error might not be easy. Lowering the minimum will arouse political resistance. The California proposal includes “off ramps” that would allow the government to pause the annual increases, but it couldn’t lower the floor—and current rates of inflation would take a long while to do that without assistance.

A safer and more honest way to support the wages of the low-paid is with a subsidy, using programs such

Doctors can do more to fight addiction

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RESIDENT Barack Obama can convene all the task forces, panel discussions and summit meetings he wants, and they may actually be useful. But a lasting solution to America’s opioid epidemic depends mostly on a meaningful change in physicians’ attitudes about treating addiction.

About 2 million Americans are hooked on prescription pain relievers, and some 20,000 people overdose each year, a rate that nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2008. Two of the most crucial steps in fighting this epidemic are reducing the number of opioid prescriptions written (259 million in 2012 alone, more than one for every US adult) and

Kurdish women on the frontlines B T R | TNS

and other priest-anchors as concelebrant. Performances of singer Zion Aquino, Migs Cuaderno, and the inspirational diva Jamie Rivera also graced the celebration.

For 47 years Radio Veritas continues to uphold its mission to spread the word of God through our social communications ministry. Thanks to the support of our Kapanalig, who are regularly listening to Radio

Saturday, April 2, 2016 A5

Whatever one thinks of Ocalan, now imprisoned in Turkey, his philosophy insists that freedom for women is the essential component of political freedom. “We call this the ‘revolution of women,’” says Hediye Yusuf, copresident of the Kurdish federal state.

I interviewed her in an ornate, former state-owned oil company headquarters in the northern Syrian town of Rumaylan. A petite women with uncovered hair, and wearing a black pants suit, white sweater and no makeup, Yusuf exuded authority.

“If you want to see the revolution of Rojava, women are the majority of the structure,” she said.

Yusuf became politicized in the 1990s when Ocalan was living in exile in Syria. “It was his ideas on women that attracted me the most,” she says. “I believe in the freedom of women. We were interested in how PKK women were fighting in the mountains. We began thinking, ‘Why couldn’t we do things like this?’”

as the US’s earned income tax credit.

Rather than reducing the demand for unskilled labor, a subsidy increases it.

The drawback is political rather than economic—the cost to taxpayers is explicit. This approach, therefore, calls for brave leadership, which is not always in supply.

The best way to raise low wages is to raise productivity by helping workers to acquire skills and by ensuring that new entrants to the work force are well educated. Reform along these lines requires not just political courage but also patience, because the benefits might not be apparent for years.

In the short term, raising the minimum wage—modestly, and with sufficient flexibility to allow for local market conditions—might do more good than harm. Relieving poverty in work deserves to be a high priority.

But smarter ways of doing it shouldn’t be sidelined, and caution should be the watchword. Bloomberg View

expanding access to medical treatment.

The first requires doctors to be less quick to resort to opioids, and monitor patients more closely for signs of abuse.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance for doctors prescribing opioids; the Food and Drug Administration is also adding safety labels about the risk of addiction.

To help with the latter, the Obama administration on Tuesday proposed increasing the number of patients a doctor can treat with buprenorphine, the leading anti-addiction medication, to 200 from 100. The limit is meant to reduce the odds of the drug, which can cause opioid-like highs, getting onto the black

market. Raising it is a reasonable step; the number can probably go even higher.

Equally important, however, is increasing the number of doctors who want to provide this treatment in the first place. Of the country’s 800,000plus doctors, just 32,319 have been certified to prescribe buprenorphine. And that number isn’t increasing nearly as quickly as the opioid crisis demands; only 16 percent of those received their certification in the past year.

Part of the explanation may be the inconvenience of the application process, which requires an eight-hour course. But there is also evidence that physicians are reluctant to take part. One study of

doctors in Washington state found that even among those who get certified to prescribe buprenorphine, only a minority actually do so. The most-cited explanation was a lack of counseling to accompany treatment—even though it’s not clear that such counseling makes a difference. Doctors also blamed time constraints, concern about managing addiction and (most tellingly, perhaps) resistance from their colleagues.

The American Medical Association acknowledged this week that physicians need to do more. Until more doctors put aside their unease or lack of interest in treating addicts, the opioid epidemic won’t end. Bloomberg View

Yusuf spent more than two years in prison under the Assad regime.

Released after the Arab Spring revolt started, she helped draft a new law on women’s rights that abolishes polygamy, which is facing resistance from Arabs in Rojava. She also helped establish the YPJ. At a YPJ office in Qamishli, Rojava’s largest city, I got a glimpse of the impact that the force has had on many young Kurdish women.

Deniz Sipan, an attractive 21-year-old, dressed in fatigues, was an architecture student in Damascus when the Arab Spring began in 2011.

Her nervous family decided to relocate (temporarily, they thought) to their ancestral home in the Kurdish region of Syria.

Sipan soon realized that in this more conservative area her options were limited to teaching—and getting married.

“Kurdish women, when they get married, they give up life,” she said, making a face, and speaking in the excellent English she learned from

watching old American movies. “I didn’t like this idea.”

So, despite her parents’ misgivings, she joined the YPJ and became a frontline sniper.

“Female fighters have their own personality,” she said proudly. “No one can control them and they are highly respected. It gives you the confidence to trust yourself more.”

In the fierce battle to liberate the Yazidi areas of Sinjar, Iraq, which were seized by the IS in 2014, she was initially assigned to the rear guard.

“I couldn’t believe it at first that I could do it,” she says. Eventually, she was on the frontlines in 2015.

“I am fighting for society to understand that they have to let women do what they want,” she says.

“I fight for my country and for women. I saw many women fight better than any man.”

“The men like to fight alongside women,” she added, “because the women smile and laugh when they are fighting. It keeps morale up.”

Sipan says she intends to stay

in the military, and is eager to go back to the front. If women just return home, she says, the situation will revert to male control “over everything.”

It is hard not to wonder what will happen to her and her colleagues. On her cell phone are pictures of military mates who look like US college students on spring break, the women with long flowing hair, the men with happy smiles. But Kemal, a 24-year old commander who trained her as a sniper, was blown up by a suicide bomber, and her best friend, Penaber, 19, fellow female sniper, was shot dead at the front.

Can the example of Kurdish women fighters inspire Arab women elsewhere in the Middle East? Unlikely, but one would like to think so.

“If women are free, society is free,” says Sipan’s older colleague Nujin Roj, who returned from Turkish exile to join in the struggle.

The Rojavan Kurds are trying to promote this message in a resistant Middle East.

News

BusinessMirror

A6 Saturday, April 2, 2016 • Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Abra, NE, Lanao del Norte included in list of election hot spots

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HE National Police has added three more provinces under its areas of concern in connection with the scheduled presidential elections next month.

In a news conference on Friday, Director General Ricardo Marquez, National Police chier, said the provinces of Abra, Nueva Ecija and Lanao del Norte have been included in the list of election hot spots.

The number has brought to nine the total number of provinces listed as areas of concern, or those that need special attention from the National Police owing to the possibility

of breakout of violence.

“Although there have not been significant incidents…it is a matter of focused, proactive measures. We included the three so that we could deploy additional forces there…to install more senior commanders who could manage our operations there,” Marquez said.

“In the case of Nueva Ecija, because of intense partisan rivalries

in the province, we decided that we should give additional forces.

It is the similar reason for Abra,” he added.

Previously, the force listed the provinces of Pangasinan, Masbate, Negros Oriental, Western Samar, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur as election hot spots.

Meanwhile, the National Police announced that seven more private armed groups (PAGs) have been added to the 78 previously identified PAGs. “We have added seven more PAGs in our list. We are now monitoring 85,” Marquez said.

Director Generoso Cerbo Jr., the National Police’s intelligence chief, said the additional PAGs were monitored in Luzon.

Cerbo, however, refused to name the areas where these private armed

groups operates, except saying that they are in Luzon.

Most of the previously identified PAGs are based in Mindanao.

At the same time, Marquez said the PNP wanted additional budget in the performance of its election duty.

Marquez said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has already released P462 million out of the P800 million that was requested by the force.

However, the money that was released would not be able to fully cover the operations that were mapped out by the National Police leadership for the elections.

“I just want to comment for additional budget for the police stations.

They have been on the ground conducting checkpoints since January 9,” Marquez said.

More than 4,000 benefit from PRC Lenten operations

Farmer killed as cops, protesters clash in T Kidapawan City B R A

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FARMER was killed and several others, including a police officer, were injured on Friday as policemen clashed with protesting farmers in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato.

Supt. Bernard Tayong, spokesman for the North Cotabato police command, said forensic experts were still identifying the fatality, and confirmed that several people were wounded in the clash.

Supt. Meridel Kalinga, chief of police of Kidapawan City, was wounded in the clash.

The clash between the police and the protesting farmers occurred at around 10:30 a.m., after policemen tried to clear the highway that the protesting farmers have occupied since Thursday.

“We did not disperse them. We performed the police function of clearing the highway because they were obstructing the flow of traffic. They assembled illegally, and they used minors. They were given time to vacate or face charges, but they resisted and assaulted the police with stones and other weapons,” he said.

The highway, which connects North Cotabato to Davao City, was partially cleared at around 12:30 p.m.

Around 4,000 protesters occupied the highway starting around 5 a.m. on Thursday to demand the release of the rice subsidy that has been reportedly promised to them by the National Food Authority (NFA) in order to mitigate the effects of El Niño.

The protesters were demanding for the release of 15,000 sacks of NFA rice and calamity funds.

Meanwhile, presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte blamed the Aquino administration for the incident.

In a statement, Leonardo Evaco Jr., national campaign manager of Duterte, said: “First there was the Mendiola massacre, then Hacienda Luisita, then the Mamasapano and

now the Kidapawan carnage.

“Blood—blood of enraged and hungered people—are soaked in the hands of the landlord class personified by the Aquino-Cojuangco clique of the ruling elite.

“All these barbaric attacks and needless sacrifices would not have happened if the government and the people running it have responded to the clamor for change when 30 years ago the Filipino people put an end to a dictatorship.”

Evasco added that President Aquino cannot escape blame and responsibility for the incident, since “the hungry farmers [were] demanding for food after a prolonged dry spell.”

Party-list Rep. Neri J. Colmenares of Bayan Muna slammed the killing of the farmer and the wounding of the 30 other protesters.

“Many have been hurt, this is like the Mendiola and Luisita massacres all over again. Sasabihin nila they [Aquino administration officials] are pro-farmer at tutulungan nila ang mga magsasaka, pero sa halip na bigyan ng bigas at pagkain ay pinagbabaril. Anong klaseng gobyerno ito? Sinasagot ang kalamidad ng mas madugong kalamidad,” Colmenares complained.

Fellow Party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate of Bayan Muna expressed “utmost rage” and “condemned to the highest degree” the violent and bloody dispersal of the protesting peasants.

A native of Davao City, Zarate said the farmers who have been seeking relief from the effects of the drought in Kidapawan City and neighboring towns “deserved help and not bullets. “ What is happening in the drought-stricken areas of Cotabato province should be addressed immediately by both local and the national governments.

The government should no longer wait for it to spread to other areas, like the wildfire that currently is ravaging Mount Apo,” he added. With Marvyn Benaning

NLRC upholds dismissal of TV network employee

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HE Sixth Division of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) reversed and set aside the decision of a labor arbiter in an illegaldismissal complaint filed against broadcast company GMA Network Inc. (GMA).

In its decision, written by Commissioner Nieves E. Vivar-de Castro, the NLRC upheld the dismissal of Jesselyn Q. Ignacio, a former workshop assistant under the network’s Talent Development and Management Department.

Ignacio was dismissed from employment for misappropriation of company funds, which is a violation of GMA’s Code of Conduct, as well as a breach of trust and confidence pursuant to Article 296 (formerly Article 282) of the Labor Code.

In its 14-page decision, the commission ruled that the complainant used to hold a position of trust as she was tasked with the proper stewardship and accounting of company funds and thereby afforded the trust and confidence of GMA.

HE Philippine Red Cross (PRC) served a total of 4,308 people in its Holy Week operations from March 23 to March 30, the PRC’s Operations Center reported on Friday.

The PRC provided ambulance service and put up first-aid stations in churches, beaches, swimming pools or resorts, gasoline stations, bus terminals, ports, parks, highways and other public places during the Holy Week.

“As always, our operations would not have been a success without our dedicated staff and volunteers, who selflessly gave their time and talents in service to humanity instead of giving themselves much-needed rest and relaxation. To all of you who made this operation successful, thank you and congratulations for a job well done,” PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said.

The majority of the total number of people served (3,876 people) were for blood pressure monitoring; while 254 people were treated for minor cases, which include sprain, headache, dizziness, jellyfish sting, abrasion, insect bite, food allergy, fainting and dysmenorrhea, among others.

Meanwhile, PRC’s welfare desks were able to serve 131 people, of

which 107 were given psychosocial support, 23 were given referral assistance and one was given tracing assistance—a girl who was lost in Southern Leyte was assisted by the Red Cross to find her parents.

A total of 189 first-aid stations were set up nationwide during the entire operations, as well as 72 firstaid stations with ambulances, 82 roving mobile first-aid units and 121 welfare desks.

The PRC deployed a total of 58 ambulance units and 38 service vehicles. More than 1,900 PRC personnel and volunteers were deployed for the Holy Week operations.

PRC first-aid stations and welfare desks were located in 73 churches, 83 highways, 29 transport terminals, 36 beaches, 16 swimming pools/resorts, 13 gasoline stations and 15 parks.

Sixty-nine PRC chapters, including the PRC national headquarters ,participated in the operations.

“Operation such as this is an example of when volunteers are muchneeded by the Red Cross. The more volunteers we have, the more areas we will be able to reach and the more people we will be able to serve. Which is why we are continuously calling on for volunteers to join the Red Cross,” Gordon said. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Mt. Matutum closed to climbers, trekkers after grass, forest fires

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ENERAL SANTOS CITY— Mount Matutum, South Cotabato province’s highest peak, has been closed indefinitely to trekkers following a series of grass and forest fires that already destroyed more than 10 hectares of its declared protected area.

Tupi Mayor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said on Friday the Mount Matutum Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) ordered the total closure starting on Thursday to ensure its protection in the wake of the continuing long dry spell triggered by El Niño.

He said the board issued the decision following an assessment of the forest and grass fires that hit at least two critical sites in Mount Matutum in the last two weeks.

“All trekking activities in Mount Matutum are temporarily banned, while El Niño is raging,” he told reporters.

The mayor, who sits in the PAMB, said the move is mainly aimed to prevent the occurrence of more grass and forest fires and, at the same time, ensure the safety of the climbers or trekkers.

He said the closure order will stand for the entire 14,000-hectare Mount Matutum Protected Landscape, which straddles the towns of of Tupi, Polomolok and Tampakan in South Cotabato, “until we correct the problem there.”

The PAMB is composed of officials and representatives from the three towns, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local government of South Cotabato and non-governmental groups.

Based on PAMB’s investigation, the first major grass and forest fire in Mount Matutum started on March 23 in Purok 7 of Barangay Kinilis in Polomolok.

The fire, which raged for several days, affected around 10 hectares of mostly grassy portions of the protected area.

Another fire erupted on Sunday in Purok Bong Datal of Sitio Glandang, barangay Kablon in Tupi, destroying about one-fourth hectare of forests.

The board noted that the fires

appeared to be man-made and likely caused by the illegal activities of forest poachers and kaingineros, or slashand-burn farmers.

Agustin Valencia Jr., Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (Menro) head of Polomolok town, said grass and forest fires in Barangay Kinilis have been totally put out and the situation in the area is now under control.

“Based on our assessment, it appeared intentional as there are claimanti-residents near the site,” he said.

Through assistance from the Bureau of Fire Protection and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office personnel and barangay volunteers, he said they dug up trenches to serve as barriers from the affected areas.

He said they also deployed at least 30 enforcers to the area to monitor and prevent the occurrence of fire incidents.

In Tupi, Menro’s forest protection officer in charge Maulvi Bajunaid said the fire that hit a portion of Barangay Kablon is also under control but has not yet been declared a total fire out as of Friday morning.

“There are still burning embers underground in some portions but we’re continually monitoring the situation there on a daily basis,” he said.

Citing their investigation, he said they earlier found a camp site of suspected forest poachers within the area. He said they specifically discovered a cooking area with traces of burnt firewood, improvised kerosene lamps and a pile of peeled rattan poles.

Mount Matutum, an active volcano that has an elevation of 2,286 meters above sea level, is listed as the country’s 14th highest peak.

It hosts the headwaters of five major rivers in Central Mindanao that drain into the Sarangani Bay and the Liguasan Marsh.

Declared as a protected landscape on March 20, 1995, through Proclamation 552, Mount Matutum is also home to a number of rare and threatened wildlife species, among them the Philippine Eagle and the tarsiers. PNA

Academe hails passage of law vs smuggling of agricultural products

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OME of the biggest state universities in Luzon offering agriculture courses have welcomed the passage in Congress of a measure that declared the smuggling of agricultural products as economic sabotage.

Party-list Rep. Conrado Estrella III of Abono, the principal author of the anti-agricultural smuggling law in the House of Representatives, said unabated smuggling has caused not only local farmers to lose their jobs, but has also discouraged students from taking up agriculture courses.

Under the new law, the amount of smuggled agricultural products classified as economic sabotage should be worth more than P10 million for rice, and more than P1 million for other agricultural products, such as sugar, corn, pork, poultry, garlic, onions, carrots, fish and cruciferous vegetables.

“Smuggling distorts the forces of supply and demand. Left unchecked, it will unjustly lower the market price, making it almost impossible for locally produced goods to compete,” the lawmaker said.

“Rampant smuggling will result in diminished employment and higher poverty levels, particularly in the agricultural sector.”

CALL FOR UNITY

Sen. Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr., who is running for vice president, is warmly welcomed by residents of Marilao, Bulacan, during his campaign sortie in the town. ROY DOMINGO

In separate letters to Estrella, officials of three Luzon state universities, all of which offer agricultural courses, hailed the passage of the law and expressed their profound gratitude to the legislator for spearheading its approval in Congress.

Dexter Buted, president of the Pangasinan State University, said the measure “would level the playing field for the Filipino farmer in the domestic market, enabling him

to be more competitive.”

Nueva Vizcaya State University President Andres Taguiam said the measure is “very crucial for the country’s food security program.”

“The illegal presence of smuggled agricultural products has greatly affected our farmers’ income-generating capacity. It reduced their purchasing power and is detrimental to both the agricultural sector and the whole country,” Taguiam

said, “Through this bill, you have given back confidence and hope to our farmers.”

Tereso Abella, president of Central Luzon State University, said, “This legislation will make agricultural endeavors a more viable source of income and encourage our students to pursue them, thus making food production more sustainable for our people.” Claudeth

Mocon-Ciriaco

Sports BusinessMirror

Saturday, April 2, 2016 A7

HANGING TOUGH T

AMY AHOMIRO is back in her comfort zone.

Ateneo, DLSU seek F4 bonus

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EFENDING champion Ateneo and De La Salle go after the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four when they face struggling teams in Season 78 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s volleyball tournament on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lady Eagles face Adamson University at 4 p.m., right after the Lady Spikers take on University of the East in the curtain raiser at 2 p.m.

Ahead by two-and-a-half games over joint third-placers University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University, Ateneo and De La Salle, both sporting 9-2 slates, should have no trouble in clinching the semifinals bonus, which the two fiercest rivals need if they want to cross paths in the championship for the fifth straight season.

On their seventh straight Final Four appearance, the Lady Eagles are hoping to go all the way even without injured middle hitter Maddie Madayag, as Amy Ahomiro is back to her old position where she performs best.

Lance Agcaoili

Lhuillier supports Treat’s Rio bid

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RESH from the successful Davis Cup campaign, tennis patron Jean Henri Lhuillier is now setting his sights on helping top Filipino star Treat Huey in his bid to qualify for the Rio Olympics doubles event.

Lhuillier has been supporting Huey’s international campaign for several years and is excited for the possibility of Huey making it to Rio with another Filipino partner, either Ruben Gonzales or Francis Casey Alcantara.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and I’m confident Treat will give it his best shot.

It’s going to be difficult, but I believe that he has what it takes to make it happen. He has been playing very well this year,” said Lhuillier, president and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier and chairman of the Philippine Tennis Association.

Without the benefit of another Filipino ranked high in the world rankings, Huey’s chances hinge on making it to the top 10 of

ONY LASCUÑA and Justin Quiban barely held on to the lead with a pair of scrambling 71s, enabling Japanese Toru Nakajima and Clyde Mondilla to gain a crack at the crown after the punishing third round in the P3.5-million International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Luisita Championship in Tarlac on Friday.

Lascuña and Quiban, who went 3-up on Nakajima with flawless rounds at the Luisita Golf and Country Club on Thursday, switched places at the helm with roller-coaster rounds from tee-off, yielded the lead to a surging Nakajima halfway through but found themselves tied again at the helm at 207 with those one-under par cards in sweltering heat.

But Nakajima lurked behind at 208 after a 69, failing to sustain an impressive 32 start that startled his joint leading flightmates with a bogey on No. 10. But his run of pars the rest of the way kept the Japanese within sight of a second ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour title after nipping Jay Bayron in the playoff to snare the ICTSI Wack Wack Invitational crown in 2013.

Mondilla made it a four-way battle in the second leg of the 17-stage ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour as the Del Monte ace matched Nakajima’s 69 to seize solo fourth at 209, just

back-to-back bogeys from No. 15.

But he came through with a rare birdie on the treacherous par-3 17th that all but wiped out Angelo Que’s chances, as Park shot the day’s best 67. He, however, stood four shots off the leaders at 211.

Jerson Balasabas, the former amateur hotshot still in pursuit of a big win, turned in a more impressive start of five-under 31 and tied the course record with two more birdies on Nos. 13 and 14. But like the majority of the field, he lost steam, wavered and dropped three strokes in the last four holes, including a closing double bogey for a 68 and 212 in a tie with Orlan Sumcad and Albin Engino, who carded a 70 and 72, respectively.

Que, just four behind Lascuña and Quiban halfway through the event, backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Summit Mineral Water, Pacsports, TaylorMade, Sharp and Champion, stayed in the hunt with an opening 34 and moved to seven-under overall with another birdie on No. 16. But the former threetime Asian Tour winner used three balls on the 214-yard No. 17 and wound up with a 7 and a 73 to drop to solo ninth at 213.

JUSTIN QUIBAN shares the lead with »veteran Tony Lascuña in the third round of the P3.5-million International Container Terminal Services Inc. Luisita Championship.

SUAREZ

SILVER FOR LADON L

IGHT-FLYWEIGHT Rogen Ladon, still ecstatic over his big win the day before to earn a slot in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, fell short of his mission to preserve his lofty No. 1 billing as he narrowly lost his finals bout with Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan on Friday afternoon.

The scores were 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28, giving his old nemesis a split decision in the second match of the penultimate day of competitions at the Tangshan Sports Centre in Qian’An, Hebei Province, which awards 30 slots for the 2016 Summer Olympiad.

Ladon gamely exchanged punches with

Dusmatov, who also prevailed over the Filipino in a similarly close finals at the Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Bangkok last September.

The diminutive Uzbek seemed to have had the better of the exchanges.

Also unable to gain a win and bag the last Olympic ticket in the bantamweight class was Bukidnon’s Mario Fernandez, who was shut out by a wily Kazakh, Kairat Yeraliyev, with the three judges scoring it uniformly at 30-27.

Eumir Felix Marcial tries to salvage a third qualification spot for the Philippines when he faces Mongolia’s Tuvshinbat

Byamba on Friday evening.

The young Zamboangueño will be fighting with swollen knuckles in his dominant left hand, but assured he can win.

Charly Suarez, coming off a sensational third-round technical knockout win over China’s Shan Jun, takes on Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu for the gold medal in the lightweight category on Saturday.

Both fighters have already secured tickets to Rio.

TENNIS patron Jean Henri Lhuillier (left) with Treat Huey.

the world rankings for him to qualify and bring with him Alcantara and Gonzales to the Olympics.

Huey made it to the semifinals of the

Cagayan de Oro hosts regional net series leg

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two adrift of the joint leaders.

“I have to play extra cautious and concentrate on my game tomorrow [today] because my rivals are young and aggressive,” said the 45-year-old Lascuña, a multititled tour winner but still in search of a first win on the former home of local circuit’s version of the President’s Cup. He said putting will be the key in what promises to be a high-noon shootout for the top P650,000 purse in the 72-hole championship sponsored by ICTSI. “I have to keep my putting in check because it will determine the winner. If my putting clicks, I have good chances of winning,” Lascuña said.

Quiban underscored his readiness for the crown on his first foray on the pro tour by draining a 20-foot birdie putt on the last hole to save a 71 and stay side-by-side with the former three-time Order of Merit winner.

“I’ll just play it relaxed. If everything goes smoothly, well and good. If not, it’s also fine,” the 20-year-old Quiban said.

At least six others made a run and moved into contention with impressive starts only to get slowed down by the heat, and errant shots and flubbed putts to stay way behind.

Korean Park Jun-hyeok, eight down after 36 holes on a pair of 72s, strung up six birdies in an eight-hole stretch from No. 4, including four straight, to bounce back, only to reel back with

HE chase for top honors and ranking points in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional tennis circuit shifts to Cagayan de Oro City beginning on Saturday with a huge field seeing action in various divisions at the Golden Friendship Tennis Club (GFTC).

The Group 2 tournament serves as the 13th leg of the country’s premier nationwide age grouper sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop with local aces Gennifer Pagente, Janelle Llavore, Jonelle Llavore, Matt Palasan and Kurt Mosqueda slugging it out with the top players from other provinces, including Koronadal’s Janus Ringia; Gerry Manlangit from Iligan; John David Velez and Patricia Velez from Davao; Angel Novis and Joris Pantujan from Davao del Sur; Nikhel Nowlakha from Iloilo; Kurt Bandolis from Tubod, Lanao; and Hazel, Phel and Pherl Coderos from Cebu.

“We are inviting all tennis aficionados and fans to watch the tournament, which features the region’s leading and upcoming players,” Orson Garcia, president of the GFTC, said.

Patricia Velez and Carmela Llavore heading the girls’ 18-under roster of the event, presented by Slazenger, along with Pagente and Angelica Novis. Pagente, Velez and Novis are also the players to watch in the 16-under category along with Bless Coderos, with Novis and Pherl Coderos also fancied to dispute the 14-under crown with Hazel Coderos and Beyonce Mosqueda in the five-day tournament sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association and backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusive distributor of Slazenger.

2016 Australian Open mixed doubles and quarterfinals of the men’s doubles. He also won the title in Acapulco and is currently No. 30 in World doubles rankings.

OCONER, LIM OUT FOR VENGEANCE L

BC-MVP Sports Foundation riders, headed by George Oconer and Rustom Lim, vow to make up for lost time and give fancied Navy-Standard Insurance a tougher fight when the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016 concludes with the Luzon Leg unfurling on Sunday at Paseo de Santa Rosa in Laguna and ending in Baguio City on April 9.

Oconer came into the Visayas Leg last month as one of the heavy favorites to contend for the title being a runner-up to last year’s winner Santy Barnachea, but failed to meet expectations and finished a dismal 11th overall.

Summer sports clinics on

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The son of former two-time Olympian Norberto, however, is going all out to make up for his earlier disappointments.

“I will give it my best to do better this time,” Oconer said.

In contrast, Lim had a better performance as he finished third overall in the Visayas, after he topped the fifth and final stage in Roxas City that easily installed him as one of the early favorites to foil Navy’s sweep bid.

Another LBC-MVPSF rider to watch is Ronnilan

HE pioneering Basketball Efficiency Scientific Training (BEST) Center starts its summer sports clinics in several venues starting on Saturday.

The sessions, sponsored by Milo and supported by Chris Sports, begin its Wednesday and Saturday classes at the Malate Catholic School.

Classes are set from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon for Preparatory level and Levels 1 and 2 and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. for Levels 1, 2 (12 above) 3 and 4. Caloocan High School will also host clinics from 8 to 11 a.m. for Preparatory and Levels 1, 2 and 3; and Xavier School from 1 to 4

Quita, an unheralded rider from San Jose, Tarlac, who came out of nowhere to finish second behind 2009 Tour champion Joel Calderon of Navy in Stage Four in Roxas City.

“I’m working hard to really win a stage and make a name for myself,” said the 21-year-old Quita, who has made it known he is using cycling to return to school. He could only finish his elementary education due to poverty.

LBC-MVPSF will be a little hard-pressed, though, as Navy is bent on sweeping this year’s LBC Ronda.

p.m. for Preparatory and Levels 1, 2 and 3 Volleyball classes will be at the University of Perpetual Help starting April 8, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Other volleyball venues are at Ateneo College Covered Courts (Tuesday and Friday 8 to 11 a.m.), Malate Catholic School (1 to 4 p.m.) and at Starmall Alabang (Monday and Thursday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.).

Provincial venues open on Monday at the Balibago Sports Complex in Santa Rosa, Laguna, organized by Limuel Tolentino, and at Xavier School Covered Courts in Cagayan de Oro organized by Chow Vega.

National athletes rule Paralympics

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ATIONAL athletes Ronald Subido and Arman Dino led a slew of athletes who bagged multiple gold medals at the close of the fifth Philippine Sports Commission-Philippine Sports Association of the DifferentlyAbled National Paralympic Games at the Marikina Sports Center on Friday.

After ruling the men’s S9 400-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly events, Subido also won the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races in adding to his golden haul in sweeping all of his four events in the meet.

Matching Subido’s four-gold medal feat was Dino, a silver medalist in the same Singapore Para Games, in snapping up the men’s T47 200-meter run, while anchoring the national team to victory in the 4x100-meter relay to go with his golds in the 100- and 400-meter runs the previous day.

Michael Mora pressed his bid to rejoin the national team in topping the men’s F20 javelin throw, sweeping all of his three events following triumphs in the shot put and discus throw of the four-day games.

Sports BusinessMirror

BACK FINALS

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA hasn’t enjoyed much success at Key Biscayne in recent years, but she wins four consecutive three-setters to reach the semifinals. AP

IN THE

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B S W

but rallied from a break down in the final set. Nishikori fell behind 0-40 serving at 4-5 but erased those match points and another in that game, and overcame one more match point serving in the 12th game.

“I thought I almost gave up

Strong start in Houston

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The Associated Press

EY BISCAYNE, Florida—When Serena Williams made an early exit at the Miami Open, the next generation of women’s tennis wasn’t quite ready to fill the void.

Instead, it will be former champions Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka in the final on Saturday.

Eight-time champion Williams was beaten by Kuznetsova in the fourth round, and then the Russian just kept winning. In the semifinals on Thursday, she erased 12 of the 14 break points she faced in a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Timea Bacsinszky.

Kuznetsova, 30, is back in the final 10 years after she won the tournament.

“It means I’ve been a lot of times out here in front of you guys,” she told the crowd with a laugh.

Kuznetsova hadn’t enjoyed much success at Key Biscayne in recent years, but she won four consecutive three-setters to reach the semifinals. At No. 19, she is the lowest-ranked women’s finalist in the event since No. 38 Kim Clijsters earned the 2005 championship.

“I’m happy I could hang in there,” Kuznetsova said. “I haven’t been feeling my best, but I’ve been fighting with every ball and trying to run as much as I could.”

Azarenka advanced by beating No. 2-seeded Angelique Kerber, 6-2, 7-5. Azarenka, who won the tournament in 2009 and 2011, has yet to drop a set in this year’s tourney and is bidding to become only the third woman to win Indian Wells and Key Biscayne in the same year.

Against Kerber, Azarenka broke serve seven times, hit 29 winners and committed only 16 unforced errors.

“I stayed very strong in the end,” Azarenka said. “She’s such an amazing player. She got to so many balls; sometimes I just had to watch them. But I’m glad I kept pushing.”

In men’s play, No. 6-seeded Kei Nishikori overcame five match points and beat No. 16 Gael Monfils, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Next up for Nishikori is a Friday night match against No. 24 Nick Kyrgios, who reached his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal by beating No. 12 Milos Raonic in a matchup of big servers, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Monfils became soaked with sweat on a steamy afternoon

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| SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao Asst. Editor: Joel Orellana

Eight-time champion Serena Williams was beaten by Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round, and then the Russian just kept winning. In the semifinals, she erased 12 of the 14 break points she faced in a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Timea Bacsinszky.

the match,” Nishikori said. “It was tough conditions. Especially the last couple of games, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Kyrgios erased all five break points he faced and earned the only service break in the opening game.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to break during the match,” Kyrgios said. “I came out really energetic and got pretty lucky. That definitely made me more relaxed.”

Five-time champion Novak Djokovic will face David Goffin in the other semifinal.

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan, who turned 38 this week, lost in the semifinals of doubles to PierreHughes Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, 6-3, 6-3. The Bryans hold a record 16 Grand Slam titles but haven’t won a tournament since August.

LEBRON JAMES moves into 12th place on the National Basketball Association’s career scoring list. AP

NBA RESULTS Chicago 103, Houston 100 Cleveland 107, Brooklyn 87 Orlando 114, Indiana 94 New Orleans 101, Denver 95 Oklahoma City 119, LA Clippers 117 Portland 116, Boston 109

OUSTON—Charley Hoffman birdied half the holes on the Golf Club of Houston and had one bogey on Thursday while shooting an eightunder 64 for the first-round lead in the Shell Houston Open.

He had a one-shot advantage over a group that included Scott Brown, the Augusta, Georgia, native who has never played in the Masters. Brown would have to win the Houston Open to get into the field next week at Augusta National.

Jordan Spieth, who will try to defend his Masters title next week, opened with a 67.

Hoffman is no stranger to good starts. It’s the finish that had held him back this year, closing with 75s in his last two events.

“I’ve shot three- or four-over on the back nine on Sunday when I’ve been going from winning the golf tournament to 12th or 15th place,” Hoffman said. “I’ve played fairly solidly from the start of the year to now and haven’t been missing cuts, but I haven’t been able to put four rounds together.

Hopefully I can do that this week.”

Hoffman birdied the first four holes after making the turn, and then added another birdie on No. 8 to break out of what had been a four-way tie with Brown, Dustin Johnson and Robert Castro, who were at 65.

Johnson finished eagle-birdie, hitting 4-iron into 10 feet on the par-5 eighth hole.

Former Houston Open champion Johnson Wagner, who won in 2008 and got into a Sunday playoff here last spring, was another swing back at 66, tied with four other players.

Former Masters champions Phil Mickelson, Charl Schwartzel and Angel Cabrera all posted 69s. AP

JAMES WAXES HOT C

LEVELAND—LeBron James scored 24 points to move into 12th place on the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) career scoring list as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets, 107-87, on Thursday night.

James passed Dominique Wilkins with a three-point play in the first quarter.

The four-time Most Valuable Player, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter, has 26,689 career points.

Kevin Love added 19 points for Cleveland (53-22), which leads Toronto by two-anda-half games for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Thaddeus Young led Brooklyn with 18 points.

James, who also had 11 assists, sparked a 25-6 run to end the second quarter.

Nikola Mirotic scored 28 points and Jimmy Butler added 21 to help the Chicago Bulls win at Houston, 103-100.

In a pivotal game for two teams fighting for the final playoff spots in their conferences, the Bulls outscored the Rockets, 32-20, in the fourth quarter as Mirotic led them back from a nine-point deficit at the end of the third.

The Bulls trail Indiana by one game for the final playoff spot in the East.

James Harden had 24 points and eight assists for Houston, which dropped a half-game behind Utah and Dallas, who are tied for the seventh and eighth seeds in the West. AP