November 21, 2015

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Thursday 18, 2014 Vol.21, 10 No. 40 Vol. 11 No. 44 Saturday, November 2015

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

TOKYO FUNDS RAILWAY PROJECT TO EASE TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN METRO MANILA

PHL gets ₧93.45-B loan from Japan B R M

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APAN extended a loan of ¥241.99 billion, equivalent to P93.45 billion, to fund the North-South Railway Project (NSRP), which aims to ease serious traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

Japanese Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa and Foreign Secretary Albert F. del Rosario exchanged notes for the yen loan last Thursday, in the presence of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Aquino.

The project involves constructing a commuter railway between Malolos and Tutuban, a part of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project, and “contributes to a more secure and sustainable economic development through promotion of investments.”

“We extend gratitude to Japan for their role in helping usher in development into the Philippines.

INSIDE

KARATE KID Sports BusinessMirror

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| SATURDAY A , NOVEMBER 21, 2015 AY mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Djokovic advances to semis L

ONDON—Novak Djokovic only needed a set. The Serb No. 1 rarely settles for less than two, though, especially against one of his favorite opponents.

Djokovic reached the semifinals of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour Finals by extending his dominance over Tomas Berdych, beating the Czech player, 6-3, 7-5, on Thursday in their last round-robin match and stay on course for a fourth straight title.

Earlier, Roger Federer overcame a stubborn Kei Nishikori, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, to finish the round-robin stage unbeaten and claim first place in the group.

Under the tournament’s tiebreaker rules, Djokovic would have advanced even if he lost in three sets, which would have left both players with a 1-2 record. That meant there was little left to play for after he broke for a 5-3 lead in the first and then served out the set.

Djokovic didn’t let up, though, breaking for 6-5 in the second and improving his career record against Berdych to 21-2. He has beaten the Czech five times in the last six years at the ATP finals.

That history might have given Djokovic an edge on the key points at the O2 Arena, he said.

“I know that because I’ve had many close matches with him, because I’ve won so many times against him, maybe there is this factor of a mental edge,” Djokovic said, “maybe an advantage in important moments, decisive moments where I’m able to stick around and stay tough and believe that I can actually win.”

He’ll be up against another familiar face next, with Rafael Nadal awaiting in the semifinals on Saturday. The Spaniard has beaten both Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka in the other group, as he continues a late-season resurgence following a disappointing year.

“It’s a fact that he’s been playing better and he’s been raising his level ever since the US Open,” Djokovic said of Nadal. “I know that, I’ve been watching. I know what is expecting me. We played so many times. I’m going to get ready for that one and hopefully I’ll be able to play at my best.” AP

James, Love, Cavs storm past Bucks

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LEVELAND—LeBron James scored 27 points, and Kevin Love added 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 115-100, in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Thursday.

Cleveland ended a two-game losing streak and avenged a double-overtime loss in Milwaukee on Saturday. The Cavaliers lead the Eastern Conference at 9-3.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 33 points for Milwaukee, and the Bucks rallied from a 21-point deficit in the second quarter to cut the lead to 84-79 late in the third.

Anderson Varejao, who came off the bench to score nine points, helped Cleveland build the lead to 97-84. James scored six points and Love had a three-point play in that stretch.

JR Smith added 18 points for Cleveland.

Antetokounmpo was 12-of-15 from the field and made all eight of his free throws. Greg Monroe scored 17 points, and Khris Middleton added 15 for Milwaukee.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry scored 40 points, as the Warriors rallied from a 23-point, first-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers ,124-117, for their 13th consecutive victory to start the season.

Klay Thompson added 25 points, Harrison Barnes had 21 and Draymond Green 19 for the Warriors, one of four teams in NBA history to open 13-0. They improved to 6-0 on the road.

Chris Paul scored a season-high 35 points, including 18, while igniting the Clippers in the opening quarter in his return from missing two games with a sore right groin. Blake Griffin added 27 points and Jamal Crawford had 15.

In Miami Chris Bosh had 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Heat beat Sacramento, 116-109, taking advantage of Kings star DeMarcus Cousins’s one-game suspension.

Cousins, averaging 30.8 points in his last five games, was suspended for hitting Atlanta’s Al Horford in the head with a forearm on Wednesday night in the Kings’ loss to the Hawks. The Kings are 0-5 without Cousins this season and 11-38 since he joined the team in 2010.

Dwyane Wade led Miami with 24 points, and Tyler Johnson had 19.

Sacramento’s Rajon Rondo had a season-high 18 assists, 14 points and nine rebounds after having three tripledoubles in his previous four games. Marco Belinelli led the Kings with 23 points. AP

NOVAK DJOKOVIC stays on course for a fourth straight title. AP

MAHIRO TAKANO: I want to go to the Olympics and win a gold medal. AP

KARATE KID Mahiro Takano practices with a ferocious frenzy, working out every day after school with her older brother. She was 4 when she started karate, inspired by her brother, then 5, who began lessons with their father, a truck driver.

B Y K The Associated Press

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AGAOKA, Japan—She has a soft spot for Duffy the Disney Bear and her favorite food is chocolate.

She does her homework before dinner but really loves skateboarding, playing video games and bouncing on her trampoline.

If Mahiro Takano sounds like any 9-yearold, think again: The third grader from Niigata, a rice-growing region in Japan, stars in Sia’s latest music video “Alive,” the just-released single from the singer’s upcoming album.

In a backdrop of stark gray, the girl, wearing a white and black wig evocative of Sia’s hairstyle, performs a dazzling routine with quick fists and kicks, and an adorably determined concentration of energy.

Mahiro, a three-time Japan karate champion in her age group, found making a music video was quite fun, and agreed she would do it again, especially if Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift offers.

The video shoot with Sia in a Tokyo suburb took about a week. She made a point to move to match the music, and “look cool,” Mahiro said in an interview at her home, where she was gulping down her dinner of curry and

Scott shares lead

YOUNGEST MVP

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ELBOURNE, Australia—Adam Scott bogeyed his final hole on Friday for a one-under 70 to share the lead with fellow Australian Peter Wilson after two rounds of the Australian Masters at Huntingdale.

Scott and Wilson, who shot his second consecutive 67, had 36-hole totals of eightunder 134 on the southeast Melbourne sand-belt course, where Scott lost two playoffs in 2002 and 2003.

They led by one stroke over Australian Matthew Guyatt (66), while Brett Rumford, who shot 64 for the low round of the day, and American George McNeil (66), were tied for third, two strokes behind.

US Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau, playing in Scott’s group, shot 70. The American was at three under, tied for 12th and five strokes behind the leading pair.

Scott had four birdies on the front nine to lead the tournament by five strokes, but stumbled on the back, double-bogeying the 10th after an errant drive and adding another bogey on 13 before faltering again on the 18th.

“It was a tale of two halves, I played very nice on the front nine, good solid stuff, but I just fought my way home after I lost all my momentum there [on the 10th],” Scott said. “You have to be so precise when you drive around here, and I wasn’t today.”

McNeil, who is a close friend of Melbourne native Geoff Ogilvy and is playing in Australia for the first time, holed his 9-iron from 148 yards for an eagle-2 on the ninth, his final hole of the day.

“Honestly I didn’t see it go in the hole,” the 40-year-old McNeil said.

“Fortunate to go in...kind of pot luck.”

Rumford, who has been idle for most of the year after undergoing emergency surgery in South Africa in March for an intestinal blockage, had a morning tee time in calm conditions. AP

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began lessons with their father, a truck driver.

The moves must be powerful, precise and sharp, and getting better never ends, you can keep working at one detail after another, she added, sounding almost like a guru.

When asked about the appeal of karate, her reply is rather simple—being able to make friends.

“You get to play with them,” such as tag, she said.

Her parents say they are grateful to karate because it teaches a child discipline, hard work, the resilience to perform under pressure and manners. Bowing and cheerful replies, as well as constant practice and respect to hierarchy, exemplified in the belt system signifying skill levels, are integral to karate.

Her teacher Takako Kikuchi acknowledged that some purists may disapprove of a young woman’s participation in a music video.

“But this little girl did not compromise in the music video. She is doing her best, delivering, correctly and thoroughly, one by one, the moves that she knows, with utmost concentration. There is nothing false about it, nothing made up. She is truly telling the world the way of karate,” Kikuchi said proudly.

Mahiro has

boiled eggs before rushing to karate practice.

“She was nice,” she said calmly of Sia. “She kept saying I was fantastic.”

“Amazing” was the way her thoroughly impressed mother, Masayo Takano, remembers Sia repeatedly praising her daughter.

“I was so excited,” her mother said, letting out a squeal not quite as fierce as the long throaty screams her daughter makes during her karate routines.

Mahiro—whose name means “ten thousand kindness, as well as ten thousand talents”—has a quick sweet smile when she isn’t screaming.

Her kicks, turns and punches in the air are part of kata forms that are like choreography in the Japanese defensive martial art of karate.

Kata competition is separate from combat matches, which are also part of the sport.

When doing kata, you slip into a focused character, Mahiro says, by imagining “a far more powerful enemy.”

She lost a contest just once, when she was in kindergarten. She wept, she recalls, so painful was it to lose. The trick is to practice as though you are in competition, and compete as though you are in practice, she said.

And she practices with a ferocious frenzy, working out every day after school with her older brother. She was 4 when she started karate, inspired by her brother, then 5, who

EW YORK—Bryce Harper became the youngest unanimous Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner in baseball history on Thursday, capturing the National League award despite his Washington Nationals missing the playoffs.

Josh Donaldson took the American League MVP, earning the honor after helping boost the Toronto Blue Jays back into the postseason for the first time since 1993.

Harper turned 23 on October 16, after the playoffs had already started. He got all 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The 2012 NL Rookie of the Year led the majors in slugging percentage and on-base average. The outfielder hit .330 with 42 home runs and 99 runs batted in (RBIs).

Harper was the first player from a Washington franchise to win an MVP—no one on the original or expansion Senators or Nationals had done it.

Harper was the fourth-youngest player overall to win an MVP, with Stan Musial, Johnny Bench and Vida Blue also 22 but not quite as old.

Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was second in the voting and Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto was

already been chosen an official “ambassador” for karate for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The sport is vying to be chosen for the games.

Never mind that, even if that happens, Mahiro may not be old enough to compete. The age cutoff is still undecided.

“I want to go to the Olympics,” she says, “and win a gold medal.”

Japan’s official development assistance has been vital in helping improve our investment climate through infrastructure development. An example of this is the signing of the exchange of notes and the loan agreement for the NSCR Project, connecting Malolos to Tutuban,” President Aquino said.

“This will certainly help us improve the land-transportation capacity of the Greater Metro Area, and provide a more environmentally sustainable mode of transport. Moving forward, we hope to continue making concrete progress in our C  A

BRYCE HARPER wins the individual award despite his Washington Nationals missing the playoffs. AP

third. Yoenis Cespedes, acquired by the Mets from Detroit at the July 31 trade deadline, finished 13th.

Harper put aside his injury problems from recent seasons and put up huge numbers. The banged-up Nationals didn’t do nearly so well, starting the season as World Series favorites and finishing far out of contention.

Harper missed a lot of games in 2013 after a pair of run-ins with walls, then was sidelined for much of 2014 following a headfirst slide that hurt his thumb.

This year Harper reported to spring training with one goal—the only number he focused on was games played.

Harper finished with a .649 slugging percentage and a .460 on-base average. He went into the final day of the regular season with a chance to win the NL batting title—Miami’s Dee Gordon edged him—and scored a league-leading 118 runs.

The three-time All-Star also continued to draw fans in the Washington area and beyond. His constantly changing hairstyles are always getting attention and the selfie he took in the outfielder before a game at Nationals Park this season boosted his popularity even more.

His hitting, though, is what makes him so special.

“You could see throughout the season what this guy meant to this ball club. And don’t forget, this guy carried us throughout the whole season,” Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said on Wednesday.

“Every team that we played circled his name and said, ‘This guy’s not going to beat us.’ And with that said, he beat a lot of teams. So it was a remarkable season. As we said at this time last year, I thought that ‘Harp’ was just scratching the surface of what he can be.”

Donaldson received 23 first-place votes. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout got the other first-place votes and finished second for the third time—he won the award last year. Kansas City outfielder Lorenzo Cain was third.

Donaldson led the AL with 123 RBIs and topped the majors by scoring 122 runs. He hit 41 home runs and batted .297.

Traded from Oakland to Toronto last off-season, Donaldson joined a power-packed lineup that included Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. The Blue Jays battered their way to the American League East title and led the majors in runs and homers, with Donaldson leading the way. AP

SPORTS

MUSLIM women stand in front of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) sign at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center on Tuesday.

The Asean summit is ongoing in Malaysia until November 22. AP/VINCENT THIAN

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HOUSE VOTES TO BLOCK SYRIAN REFUGEES BusinessMirror

World The

B2-1 | Saturday, November 21, 2015 • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

US Army veteran Jim Purcell (left) of Burrillville, Rhode Island, displays a placard as US Navy veteran Robert Martinez (right) displays a folded American flag during a rally on Thursday at the Statehouse, in Providence, Rhode Island, held to demonstrate against allowing Syrian refugees to enter Rhode Island following the terror attacks in Paris. AP/STEVEN SENNE

House votes to block Syrian refugees despite White House veto threat

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ASHINGTON—Tapping into heightened security fears after the Paris ter ter-rorist attacks, House Republicans— joined by Democrats—rebuffed President Barack Obama on Thursday and overwhelmingly approved legislation that would effectively halt the resettlement of refugees from Syria and Iraq to the US. Faced with a White House veto, Republican leaders in Congress are threatening to include the restrictions in a must-pass spending bill to keep the federal government running past December 11, raising the specter of another government shutdown.

The House bill would require leaders of the nation’s security apparatus—the heads of the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the director of national intelligence—to certify that refugees who are admitted pose no security threat.

The White House, which has proposed admitting at least 10,000

refugees to the US this fiscal year from war-torn Syria, said the House bill creates “unnecessary and impractical requirements,” noting the current screening process is already rigorous and takes up to 24 months.

Critics say the legislation would essentially shut down the program.

Prospects for passing the measure in the Senate remain uncertain.

The House approved the measure 289-137, with several dozen Democrats joining Republicans, crossing the threshold needed to overcome a presidential veto.

But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat-California, vowed

that a veto would be sustained.

The issue has lit up the presidential campaign trail, with Republicans divided and Democrats siding with the White House.

“Turning away orphans, applying a religious test, discriminating against Muslims…that’s just not who we are,” said Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner.

Republicans, who say the current vetting process cannot guarantee terrorist sympathizers won’t slip into the US undetected, may decide to test Obama’s resolve in the weeks ahead.

The political battle is taking shape as a slight majority of Americans in two new polls said they wanted to restrict Syrians coming to the US. Conservative groups, including Heritage Action, opposed the measure, saying it did not go far enough in curtailing security risks. They want to block part of the broader $500 million the State Department has requested for its refugee-settlement program worldwide next year.

Top Republican senators, including presidential candidates Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas, proposed tougher measures.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, also running for the GOP presidential nomination, opposes blocking Syrian refugees.

Cruz had suggested permitting only Christian refugees from Syria into the country, but such a condition is not part of the House bill.

Despite the robust bipartisan support in the House, the issue has split along partisan lines among the public.

Eight in 10 Republicans disapprove of admitting more Syrian refugees, while two-thirds of Democrats agree with the White House, according to an NBC News/SurveyMonkey online poll released on the eve of the vote.

Independents side mostly with Republicans on the issue, according to the poll.

Senate Democrats were preparing an alternative measure to slap controls on a visa waiver program, which currently allows up to 20 million visitors a year from certain countries to enter the US without biometric and in-person screening.

Some experts say loopholes in the waiver program pose the bigger security problem.

“The country is uneasy and unsettled,” said House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Republican-Wisconsin. “Our first priority is to protect the American people. We can be compassionate, but we can also be safe.”

The administration is struggling to tamp down opposition to the decades-old resettlement program that has enjoyed bipartisan support since it was launched in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. But for many House Democrats under pressure to show they are tough on terrorists, the issue is “toxic” at home, according to one

Democratic aide. A morning meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough before the vote “was not going over well,” according to the aide, granted anonymity to discuss the private session.

White House officials say the House restrictions are unneeded.

Unlike the steady stream of male migrants flowing into Europe from Syria, the State Department says those admitted to the US are different demographically.

Half of the Syrian refugees are children and young people, and 24 percent are males over the age of 21, according to the State Department’s Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System. The vast majority of those men are coming with family members rather than alone, according to the State Department.

Of the Syrian refugees admitted to the US in recent years, the administration said, “not a single one has been arrested or deported on terrorism-related grounds.”

Also on Thursday, FBI Director James B. Comey announced that, while US law-enforcement officials were on heightened alert following the Paris attacks and pledges by Islamic State to strike New York and Washington, federal law-enforcement agents had not substantiated any “credible” threats at this time. Los Angeles Times/TNS

India proposes $15-B salary hike

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P NEL appointed by India’s FiPA nance Ministry recommended a 23.55-percent increase in the salaries and allowances of federal government employees, a move that may boost consumption in Asia’s third-largest economy and derail plans to curb the region’s widest budget deficit.

The changes suggested by the Seventh Pay Commission will benefit as many as 4.7 million workers and about 5.2 million pensioners and will take effect starting January 1.

The government will need to spend 1.02 trillion rupees ($15.4 billion) in the year starting April 1, if the recommendations are accepted.

While a higher payout puts at risk Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s goal of narrowing the deficit to 3.5 percent of GDP, P, more cash in the hands of con P sumers without matching steps to raise supply may fan inflation, undermining efforts by the central bank to cap gains in prices.

Consumer price gains accelerated to 5 percent in October from a year earlier as food costs surged, matching the Reserve Bank of India’s goal for March 2017.

“We see a permanent fiscal stimulus of about $50 billion over the next two years,” Jay Shankar, an economist at Religare Securities Ltd., wrote in a report on Friday. It will raise expenditure by about 0.7 percent of GDP, P, making the P deficit target “impossible to achieve,” he said.

The government is confident of sticking to its fiscal deficit road map, Shaktikanta Das, economic affairs secretary, said in an interview to Bloomberg TV India. The administration aims to shrink the shortfall to 3 percent of GDP in the year through March 2018 after reaching its 3.5 percent goal. Bloomberg News

ROCKSTAR TREATMENT Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is surrounded by admirers, as he leaves the International Media Center following a news conference at the close of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila on Thursday. Asia-Pacific leaders called for increased international cooperation in the fight against terrorism as they held annual talks overshadowed by the Paris attacks. NONIE REYES

IS presence in the US ‘the new normal,’ FBI director says

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EW YORK—When a Brooklyn man pleaded guilty to plotting to join Islamic State (IS) and to bomb Coney Island, it drew little attention outside of New York City despite the spectacular image his confession conjured of a fiery blast ripping through a seaside amusement park.

It was, after all, one of hundreds of such plots that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it had been tracking since long before last week’s Paris attacks, which were a stark reminder of IS’s global reach.

Nowhere was that reminder as chilling as in the United States, where neither alQaeda nor IS has pulled off a major strike

since September 11, 2001. Despite the track record, FBI Director James B. Comey has warned that IS, an organization that was added to the agency’s list of foreign terrorist groups only last year, is now in virtually every state.

“This is sort of the new normal,” Comey said in July after announcing the arrests of 10 people believed linked to Islamic State plots, including some suspected of planning attacks to coincide with the July 4 holiday.

The foiling of alleged plots linked to foreign terrorist groups made big news on the heels of 9/11, but the cases rarely get much notice anymore, unless they follow

events such as the Paris violence. Even the most unusual cases, with exceptionally young defendants or especially wild ac accusations, are easy for most Americans to miss, unless they check the FBI web site, which has a running list of busts.

In August in Alexandria, Virginia, a 17 year old was sentenced to 11 years in prison and a lifetime of monitoring of his Internet activities after pleading guilty to conspiring to support IS. Also in August, the Brooklyn man, Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, entered his guilty plea, admitting he hoped to go to Syria and join IS. If he remained in the United States, Juraboev, an Uzbek-born US resident,

said he planned to either kill President Barack Obama or bomb Coney Island.

The cases were among at least 15 cited by the FBI that month in which defendants were arrested, copped pleas or sentenced.

They included cases in California, Mississippi, New Jersey and Kansas, as well as New York and Washington, D.C., and most involved IS. In the two weeks before the Paris attacks, the FBI announced arrests or guilty pleas in five cases involving IS or al-Qaeda.

On Thursday Comey said no “credible” threats had been substantiated in the US since the Paris violence.

New York City Police Commissioner

William J. Bratton says that more than 20 terrorist plots have been foiled in the city since the 2001 attacks and that the city is the nation’s No. 1 terrorism target.

An IS video released late on Wednesday and featuring footage of New York City landmarks underscored that point. Bratton dismissed the video as a “mishmash” of old clips, but he and Mayor Bill de Blasio held a late-night briefing in Times Square—the site of a failed al-Qaeda-inspired bombing in 2010—to reassure the public.

“There is no city in America that is better prepared to defend and protect against a terrorist attack,” Bratton said.

Los Angeles Times/TNS

WORLD

IRAQI refugee Waad Ramadan Alwan (left) of Bowling Green, who is facing terrorism charges, arrives at the William H. Natcher Federal Courthouse for a detention hearing in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in this June 8, 2011, photo. DAILY NEWS VIA AP

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MORE MEXICANS LEAVING U.S. The World BusinessMirror

B2-2 Saturday, November 21, 2015

Japan guns for world’s biggest defense deal: Aussie submarines

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FELICIANO BERMEJO, 49, speaks during an interview on Wednesday in Tijuana, Mexico. Bermejo spent 21 years in the United States before returning voluntarily to Mexico. A new study finds more Mexicans are leaving the US than coming to the country, marking a reversal to one of the most significant immigration trends in US history. AP/GREGORY BULL

More Mexicans leaving US than coming, study finds

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AN DIEGO—More Mexicans are leaving than moving into the United States, reversing the flow of a halfcentury of mass migration, according to a study published on Thursday.

T he Pe w R esea rc h Center found that slightly more than 1 million Mexicans and their families, including American-born children, left the US for Mexico from 2009 to 2014. During the same five years, 870,000 Mexicans came to the US, resulting in a net flow to Mexico of 140,000.

The desire to reunite famifami lies is the main reason more Mexicans are moving south than north, Pew found. The sluggish US economic recovery and toughtough er border enforcement are other key factors. The era of mass mimi gration from Mexico is “at an end,” declared Mark Hugo Lopez, Pew’s director of Hispanic research.

The finding follows a Pew study in 2012 that found net migration between the two countries was near zero, so this represents a turning point in one of the larglarg est mass migrations in US history.

More than 16 million Mexicans moved to the US from 1965 to 2015, more than from any other country. “This is something that we’ve seen coming,” Lopez said.

“It’s been almost 10 years that migration from Mexico has really slowed down.”

The findings counter the narnar rative of an out-of-control border that has figured prominently in

US presidential campaigns, with Republican Donald Trump calling for Mexico pay for a fence to run the entire length of the 1,954-mile frontier. Pew said there were 11.7 million Mexicans living in the US last year, down from a peak of 12.8 million in 2007. That includes 5.6 million living in the US illegally, down from 6.9 million in 2007. In another first, the Border Patrol arrested more non-Mexicans than Mexicans in the 2014 fiscal year, as more Central Americans came to the US, mostly through South Texas, and many of them turned themselves in to authorities.

The authors analyzed US and Mexican census data and a 2014 survey by Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography. The Mexican questionnaire asked about residential history, and found that 61 percent of those who reported living in the US in 2009, but were back in Mexico last year, had returned to join or start a family. An additional 14 percent had been deported, and 6 percent said they returned for jobs in Mexico.

Dowell Myers, a public policy professor at the University of Southern California, said it’s lack of jobs in the US—not family ties— that is mostly motivating Mexicans

to leave. Construction is a huge draw for young immigrants, but has yet to approach the levels of last decade’s housing boom, he said.

“It’s not like all of a sudden they decided they missed their mothers,” Myers said. “The fact is, our recovery from the Great Recession has been miserable. It’s been miserable for everyone.”

Also, Mexico’s population is aging, meaning there’s less competition for young people looking for work. That’s a big change from the 1990s, when many people entering the work force felt they had no choice but to migrate north of the border, Myers said.

While the US economic recovery is sluggish, Mexico has been free in recent years from the economic tailspins that drove earlier generations north in the 1980s and 1990s. While many parts of Mexico suffer grinding poverty and violence, others have become thriving manufacturing centers under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Automakers including Volkswagen AG, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. have built plants across central and northern Mexico that employ thousands, spawning auto-parts plants and other ripple effects. Highways and rail lines that connect to the world’s largest economy north of the border have attracted more investors.

“The main reason for my return is family,” José Arellano Correa, a 41-year-old Mexico City taxi driver who came back from the US in 2005. “I could help them while I was there, but family comes before money.” Farmworkers recruited from Mexico to harvest US crops

had followed the seasons back and forth across the border until 1965, when the US imposed numerical limits on Latin American immigrants for the first time, launching new waves of illegal immigration that flowed north for decades thereafter.

A federal law passed in 1986, four years after Mexico’s economy convulsed, led to a more fortified border and legal status for millions of migrants. Policies toughened even more after 9/11, with the Border Patrol doubling in size and the US erecting hundreds of miles of fences, and Arizona led a backlash in state capitols as Mexicans moved beyond traditional destinations, like Los Angeles and Chicago, settling in towns throughout the South and Midwest.

Many Mexicans in the US have become frustrated and fearful as efforts to overhaul immigration laws stalled in Congress and President Barack Obama deported roughly 2 million people during the first five years of his administration. Obama’s 2014 order shielding many others from deportation remains blocked in court.

Mexicans who remain in the US also seem more detached from their homeland than before. Pew said their median age was 39 years in 2013, compared to 29 in 1990.

More than three in four had been in the US for more than a decade, compared to only half in 1990.

And only 35 percent of adults in Mexico say they have friends or relatives they regularly communicate with or visit in the US, down 7 percentage points from 2007, Pew found. AP

8 Syrian refugees turn selves in at US-Mexico border

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A N A N T O N I O—E O— i g h t Sy r i a n re f u ge e s t u r ne d themselves in to immigraimmigra tion authorities along the USMexico border this week, ofof ficials said on T hursday. T heir arrival and uncertaint y about their future in the US comes at a time of political upheaval over Sy rian refugees follow ing the dead ly Paris attacks.

Two families—two men, two women and four children—prechildren—pre sented themselves on Tuesday at the port of entry of the South

Texas city of Laredo, the Department of Homeland Security said in a release. The men were taken to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Pearsall, and the women and children to one in Dilley.

One day earlier, five Pakistanis immigrants and one Afghan immigrant were caught near the Arizona border.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who, along with several other governors across the country, recently urged President Barack

Obama to suspend entrance for Syrian refugees following last week ’s deadly attacks in Paris, tweeted a link on Wednesday night to the conservative Breitbart News Network web site, which reported that Syrians had been “caught” at the border. “ This is why Texas is vigilant about Syrian refugees,” the governor wrote. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump followed suit on Thursday with a tweet of his own: “ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria], Maybe?

ECONOMIC UNION, SEA DISPUTE TOP AGENDA IN ASEAN SUMMIT

I told you so. We need a big & beautiful wall.”

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Syria to escape the civil war, most of them to Europe.

For Syrians with means, a lengthy trek to the US border could provide another path to asylum.

Between 2004 and 2013, some 1,4 49 Sy r i a n s we re g r a nte d asylum in the US, most in 2012 and 2013, and were not part of the 70,000 ref ugees f rom around the world that the US accepts annually. AP

ESS than two years after lifting a decades-old ban on arms exports, Japan is navigating one of the most complex and sensitive areas of the defense market: submarines. The country faces a November 30 deadline to submit a final proposal to Australia for its next-generation submarine, the largest such tender in the world right now.

A team of government officials, military officers and corporate executives, with no experience in international arms marketing, is facing off against global heavyweights ThyssenKrupp AG of Germany and DCNS of France for the A$50-billion ($36-billion) program. More than commercial interests are at stake. Winning the race to design and build the submersibles would cement the “special” relationship Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to build with a fellow US ally against an assertive China.

For Australia, cooperating with Japan—whose Soryu is widely seen as the best submarine of its type—risks angering China, its biggest trading partner. “We are basically prepared to share all our technology,” Masaki Ishikawa, a Ministry of Defense official working on Japan’s bid, said in an interview on Friday. “Until now, we had never even shown our submarine technology to our ally, the US.”

Japanese pacifism

THE submarine competition comes as Japan agonizes over how far to loosen the constraints of the pacifist Constitution imposed by the US after World War II and revered by many Japanese. The passage of laws to expand the role of the military met with huge street protests over the summer.

“Make no mistake: a decision in favor of Japan would have tangible strategic implications,” said Mark Thomson, a defense economics analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “It would assist Japan down the path of military normalization, and it would also send an unambiguous message to both Beijing and Washington about the willingness of Australia and Japan to work together.”

With Australia and the US set to jointly develop a combat system to be installed in the new submarines, a Japanese deal could tighten ties between the three countries’ armed forces, Ishikawa said.

Sales pitch

THE A$50-billion contract would be to build the subs and service them over their decades-long lifetime. Defense Minister Marise Pay ne said at the Submarine Institute of Australia on Tuesday the number of subs would be announced next year, though the country needs between eight and 12, analysts say.

Japan is set to ratchet up its sales pitch. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani leaves on Thursday to meet South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and shipbuilder ASC, with that state a hub for naval manufacturing. He’ll join Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida for a meeting with Payne and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on

Higher govt spending seen lifting Q3 growth B B C

November 22. Nakatani plans to raise the deal at the meeting, he told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.

New design

J JAPAN has deployed its conventionally powered 4,000-ton Soryu class subs—the largest of their type in the world—since 2009. The latest models cost about ¥60 billion ($487 million). The Soryu, manufactured

by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, is a close match for the Australian Navy’s needs, though the new submarines would be a fresh design, Ishikawa said.

ThyssenKrupp, Germany’s largest steelmaker, has said its marine unit could build 12 submarines for Australia for about A$20 billion.

Germany has experience exporting submarines, but it hasn’t constructed one to the size Australia requires.

“Our design will be customized according to Australia’s requirements and will be exclusively offered to Australia,” John White, chairman of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Australia, said on Wednesday. The company targets about 70 percent Australian involvement, pledging to create thousands of jobs.

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HE Philippines likely grew at a faster pace in the third quarter, but at a pace still not fast enough to approach the government target this year, said Moody’s Analytics, the nonrating unit of the global credit-rating firm.

In its latest forecast, the Moody’s

‘Zero experience’

THE German government “is confident that our company is able to offer good quality” and “interesting” possibilities to produce locally, Chancellor Angela Merkel said last week at a briefing with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Berlin.

Japan has “zero experience bidding in an international competition of this size, complexity and political sensitivity, so it is flying blind,” said James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor of IHS Jane’s.

“It’s a fact we have no experience selling submarines overseas,” Ishikawa said. “I have seen in the newspapers the view that our pitch has not been good enough. I think it’s necessary to explain in detail why this is the best choice for the Australian Navy’s needs and for Australian companies.”

In response to criticism that Japan wasn’t providing enough information, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has held meetings with more than 100 Australian firms, Ishikawa added.

Three options

AUSTRALIA USTRALIA has asked for three build options: Australia only, overseas only or a hybrid of the two.

Japan’s team is willing to build in Australia, Ishikawa said. The process would start with the establishment of design centers in Japan and Australia, and add an Australiantraining facility for local workers.

“The concept is similar to the way that Japanese motor manufacturers, like Toyota and Honda, work with overseas production,” Ishikawa added. Australia is likely to announce its decision next year, Ishikawa said, adding Australian officials have told him the ousting in September of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, known for his close relationship with Abe, in favor of Turnbull won’t affect the process. Abe and Turnbull met on November 14 on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Turkey.

Bloomberg News

WORLD

A SYRIAN refugee family sits at the immigration office of Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, on Wednesday. South Korea’s spy service told lawmakers on Wednesday that about 200 Syrians fleeing war have arrived by airplane in South Korea, but the government has yet to decide whether to grant refugee status to any of them. SHIN JUN-HEE/YONHAP VIA AP

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Asean community

ASEAN leaders will on Sunday formally launch the Asean community that has been 10 years in the making, encompassing three key pillars: economic, politica security and sociocultural. It will become a formal entity on December 31.

The transformation of the disparate region into a unified market forms the core of the community.

The Asean Economic Community, or the AEC as it is known, is aimed at bolstering the region’s economic clout and counterbalance a rising China and an America that is increasingly assertive in Asia. It goes beyond liberalizing trade in goods.

Services, investment, skilled labor and capital will also be allowed to move across borders more freely, a landmark step in economic cooperation for the region.

In one key development, easing restrictions on work visas will make it easier for people from one country to seek employment in another, but, so far, it applies only to eight professions, including medical, accounting, engineering and tourism.

Who are in the community?

ITS members are the 10 Asean countries with a total population of more than 600 million people, larger than either the EU or North America. Asean was set up in 1967 as a bulwark against communism in the Cold War era, but it was only in the last two decades that attention shifted to economic integration. A wide economic gulf divides Southeast Asia’s rich and middle-income economies—Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand and the Philippines—and its four less-developed members, communist Vietnam and Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Fundamentals

UNLIKE the EU, the 10 members will maintain their economic and financial independence. There will be no central agencies, such as a common central bank, parliament or court as in Europe, and no common currency.

The AEC is based more on consensus than creating overarching institutions that take on some of the powers of member-governments.

Changes will not be abrupt because many of the targets have been implemented gradually over the last five years. While tariff on most goods traded in the region have been largely eliminated, Asean still falls short on more politically sensitive areas of reform, such as opening up protected sectors, like agriculture, steel and motor vehicles. Intraregional trade has remained at around 24 percent for the last decade, far lower than 60 percent in the EU.

Challenges

THE Asian Development Bank, in a research paper earlier this year, warned that creating a fully functional economic community by December 31 is impossible. Southeast Asian officials, however, stress that the formation of the AEC is not the destination but a journey to deeper integration. They say more work is required on domestic reforms, infrastructure and strengthening skills. Efforts must also be made to address trade and investment impediments, nontariff barriers and other regulatory hindrances that are increasingly replacing tariffs as protective measures for some industries. At the same time, government S “S ,” A

S “Q ,” A

Telstra’s entry to spur hike in telcos’ capital spending–Fitch B L S. M

BusinessMirror

unit said the $285-billion Philippine economy likely grew by 5.8 percent during the period.

While this was an acceleration from a quarter earlier—when the economy expanded by 5.6 percent —and from growth averaging 5.3 percent in the first half, this failed to match the year-ago expansion

UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia— Leaders of Southeast Asia will formally declare their diverse region is now an economic community that, in some ways, resembles the European Union (EU), but they have a long way to go before the project becomes fully functional. The declaration will be made at a weekend summit that will also focus on the long-seething maritime rifts in the South China Sea and terrorism.

The 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will also hold talks with their counterparts from eight other countries, including US President Barack Obama.

A look at the key topics in the meetings:

NTENSE competition brought about by the prospect of a new core player will force incumbent Filipino telecommunications companies to ramp up their capital spending in 2016, according to Fitch Ratings.

With the Philippines acknowledged as having the third-worst Internet speeds in Asia Pacific,

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 47.0320

telecommunications giants Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Globe Telecom Inc. are expected to aggressively roll out high-speed mobile and fixedline broadband networks to offer better services.

This will translate to roughly P85 billion in industry capital, roughly 2.4 percent from the current level this year of P83 billion.

“Aggressive network expansion

in 3G or 4G and fixed broadband will keep capital expenditures high at around P85 billion in 2016, from P83 billion in 2015,” the credit-rating agency said in a research note.

Globe CFO Albert M. de Larrazabal said the Ayala-led company is programmed to spend roughly $800 million next year, amid strong demand for mobile data. Its main rival has yet to announce its projected

capital for 2016, but its chairman said the capital-spending levels for next year will likely be “above 20 percent of its revenues.”

“Fitch believes PLDT and Globe will need to invest in bigger pipes and content, ahead of the possible entry of a new mobile entrant and the government’s proposed roll out of free Wi-Fi nationwide by 2016,” the debt-watching body said.

Telstra is expected to debut in

Manila in 2016, through San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) Bell Telecommunications Philippines Inc. It plans to invest roughly $1 billion in a wireless joint venture with the diversified conglomerate. SMC is expected to own 60 percent of the said company—requiring it to invest as much as $1.5 billion—while the remainder will be held by the Australian telecommunications giant.

n JAPAN 0.3835 n UK 71.6438 n HK 6.0679 n CHINA 7.3787 n SINGAPORE 33.0327 n AUSTRALIA 33.4771 n EU 50.5688 n SAUDI ARABIA 12.5416

S “T,” A

Source: BSP (16 November 2015)

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Saturday, November 21, 2015

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PHL gets ₧93.45-B loan from Japan. . .

Cooperation Roadmap for Quality Infrastructure Development in the Transport Sector in Metropolitan Manila Area,” he added.

It was Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who announced during the state visit of the President to Japan in June that Japan would cooperate

constructively in the project utilizing Japanese fund and technology.

The NSRP is the country’s most expensive public-private partnership (PPP) deal and, so far, had offered for bidding only the South Line for P170 billion.

The project involves the construction of a 36.7-kilometer narrow gauge elevated commuter railway from Malolos, Bulacan, to Tutuban in Manila.

It is seen to be completed by the third quarter of 2020.

The second phase of the facility, which will extend the commuter rail up to Matnog, Sorsogon, will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2019. This will be auctioned off under the government’s PPP Program.

Essentially, the whole project aims to revive the Bicol Line of the Philippine Na-

Sea dispute. . .

South China sea

The maritime conflict in one of the world’s busiest waterways has long been a sore point in the region. China claims most of the South

While the North-South Commuter Line shares some of the alignment in the botched NorthRail project, the project is considered a new one.

Based on the 2012 Official Development Assistance Portfolio Review, the contract for the NorthRail Project Phase 1 Section 1 funded by the China Eximbank was “terminated prior to loan closing.”

The government, however, continues to pay for the used amount of the total loan, as well as other charges linked to the premature termination of the contract.

Further, the National Economic and Development Authority report stated that the project is a “subject of arbitration” and that a new express rail project to connect Metro Manila and Clark International Airport will be implemented in its place.

With Cai U. Ordinario & Lorenz S. Marasigan

Continued from A1

corruption and unreliable courts in the region also create roadblocks to trade because they make contracts hard to enforce.

Telcos. . .

tional Railways (PNR), while improving its decades-old facilities that are far below the train systems of its peers.

The two-phase project is part of the P4.76-trillion Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for Metro Manila and its Surrounding Areas, otherwise known as the Dream Plan, which was formulated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The Dream Plan lists the transport infrastructure requirements of the Philippines, facilities that are expected to alleviate potential losses and gain from prospective savings.

If the transport road map would not be implemented through 2030, the Philippines stands to lose roughly P6 billion daily in traffic costs. Currently, it loses P2 billion a day in transport costs.

Continued from A1

China Sea, creating a fault-line in relations with its regional neighbors. Taiwan and Asean members Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also have overlapping claims across the sea.

The Philippines and Vietnam, in particular, have been at odds with China over the region in recent years, with diplomatic squabbles erupting

over oil and gas exploration and fishing rights.

Through land reclamation, China has created artificial islands from reefs to bolster its claims. Earlier this week, Obama renewed calls for China to halt land reclamation, construction and militarization in the disputed area, and is expected to repeat the same message at the Kuala Lumpur meetings. AP

massive that it would require an important asset to be sold,” he said. The diversified conglomerate currently has a market capitalization of P114.17 billion, according to the latest data from the Philippine Stock Exchange.

“However, we believe the impact on industry profitability may be greater over the long term. The potential joint venture will benefit from Telstra’s technology leadership and financial muscle, while San Miguel owns the 700 MHz spectrum, which overs wider coverage and in-building penetration than the higher mobile frequency bands,”Fitch said.

Telstra is known to be one of the first few telcos in the world to have capitalized on the 700 MHz band.

than usual in the next few years, as the company shifts from being a telephone services provider to being a digital enabler.

“Even before the Telstra issue came out, we have already signaled to the market that we will elevate our capital expenditures next year. We still don’t have a figure for that, but it will be significant. There’s clearly a commitment on our part to continue our network rollout for the digital space,” he said.

The investment, he said, will help his company offer better services to its customers, and will help the company move forward from the setbacks that it experienced from its declining legacy revenues.

“That works whether or not Telstra comes in. This is the direction that we are taking,” he said. “The market is going digital, and that’s why we are doing it. Digital services are becoming the key engagement factor—it’s a growing demand. We really have to go there.”

Continued from A1

But the entry of the new player, despite being tagged by local analysts, experts and regulators as something that will shake up the duopolistic market, will prove to be a limited “threat” to the two companies.

“Fitch expects the impending entry of Telstra Corp. Ltd.-San Miguel Corp. joint venture to have only a limited impact on domestic competition in the next two years,” the research body said. “Large cash burn is likely for the new entrant in the initial period, as it will face significant capital outlay to build its network in the absence of mandatory infrastructure sharing.

Alexander Adrian O. Tiu, senior equity analyst at AB Capital Securities Inc., said San Miguel can easily finance the required investment given its robust financial health.

“They may take in a combination of equity and debt for the $1.5 billion. The amount is not so

‘We will do it anyway’

PLDT Spokesman Ramon R. Isberto confirmed that his group will have to keep capital levels higher

Q3 growth. . .

Continued from A1

averaging 6.1 percent. This, however, outpaced the growth print reported in the third quarter last year averaging 5.3 percent.

The acceleration likely came from the recovery in government spending, as the public sector endeavored to disburse as much of its budget as it could to make up for lost momentum.

“Higher government spending was likely the main driver and provided a further boost to investment over the quarter. The government stepped up stimulus after weakness earlier in the year threatened the Philippines’s record of impressive GDP [gross domestic product] growth in recent years,” analysts at Moody’s Analytics said.

What could conceivably slow down the Philippines, according to Moody’s Analytics, was the weak export performance attributable to the slack in global demand—a condition that affected most countries in the region.

“Exports remained a weak point on weakened global demand, especially from China, an important trading partner of the Philippines,” Moody’s Analytics said.

Among other countries that Moody’s Analytics anticipate continued growth for the week include Taiwan, which was expected to contract by 0.9 percent for the quarter.

This was because Taiwan is considerably more exposed to China as a trading partner than the Philippines, thus affecting its economic performance more.

“The weak external sector is dragging on export-driven growth, as demand from China softens and competition in the tech space increases,” the Moody’s unit said of Taiwan.

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Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo • Saturday, November 21, 2015 A3

Bomb threat fails to stop flights of Apec delegates

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By Recto L. Mercene

HE departure of the remaining nine Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit delegates on Friday went on time and as scheduled, unaffected by the heightened police and military surveillance owing to a bomb threat that was received in the morning by the airport police desk.

Bomb experts, backed by bombsniffing dogs, scoured the airport premises for bombs but returned empty handed, showing that the call was a hoax.

Vicente L. Guerzon, the airport’s senior assistant general manager, said the airport police received the call at 5:43 a.m. on Friday from a local mobile number, saying that a bomb was planted at the airport.

The caller, however, did not say

in which of the four passenger terminals the bomb was planted, forcing the airport police authorities to make a sweep of the four terminals.

Security protocol provides that the number of the cellular phone be traced immediately, but several calls to the same number remained unanswered, Guerzon said.

However, Guerzon said intelligence surveillance operations were also increased, in coordination with

the National Police’s Aviation Security Group (Avsegroup).

B omb - s n i f f i ng dog s we re deployed discreetly around the airport terminals, curbside areas and parking areas.

Surveillance operations, in response to the threat, will be in place until further notice, Guerzon said.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was the first head of economy to leave the country after attending the four-day Apec summit in Manila. His aircraft lifted off the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

He was followed by 11 other heads of economy, not necessarily following the schedule provided to the media, apparently owing to the visitors’ time preference, security concerns and the air-traffic considerations.

The Apec representatives who followed Santos include those from Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, Singapore, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Mexico, Chile and Peru, whose scheduled departure was 11 p.m. on Thursday.

On Friday the parade of departing leaders was led by Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau, who took off from Naia at 8:30 a.m., half an hour ahead of his scheduled 9 a.m. departure.

He was followed by the heads of economy of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Taipei, South Korea and Japan.

US President Barack Obama’s blue and white Air Force One Boeing 747 took off at 12:17 p.m. His plane headed for Malaysia, where he will attend the two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

After New Guinea’s head of economy, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla Bandang took off, while Chinese President Xi Jinping lifted off at 10:18 a.m.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye did not allow the media to cover her departure. She took off at 10:25 a.m.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key took off at 12:38 p.m., while Russian Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev left at 2:13 pm.

SC to House: Justify constitutionality of HRET rules

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HE Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) to answer a petition assailing the contitutionality of its new rules.

In a resolution issued on Monday, the Court ordered the nine-member tribunal to comment on the petition filed by Liberal Party Rep. Regina Ongsiako Reyes of Marinduque, seeking to void Rule 6 and Part 2 of

Rule 15 of the 2015 Revised Rules of the HRET. The HRET rules give SC justices in the tribunal veto power by requiring the presence of at least one justice at all time for there to be a quorum.

The lawmaker also questioned for being vague or ambiguous the new rule allowing the vote of even just two members to be the decision of the tribunal in cases of inhibition.

Reyes also asked the SC to void the new rule setting back HRET jurisdiction to June 30 at the earliest, from the long-standing jurisprudence and sections 250 and 253 of the Omnibus Elections Code, where HRET jurisdiction is reckoned from proclamation of winner. The HRET, which is composed of six congressmen and three justices, was given 10 days from notice to comply with

the order and submit its comment.

SC Spokesman Theodore Te said the order was issued “without necessarily giving due course” to the petition.

Reyes was earlier disqualified by the Commission on Elections and later on by the SC in 2013 for being an American citizen. She, however, kept her post, as the HRET has yet to rule on her case. Joel R. San Juan

Comelec schedules public consultation on mall voting

By Joel R. San Juan

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HE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced that it would conduct a public consultation next week with regard to its proposed mall-based satellite voting in the May 2016 polls.

The commission said it has set the public hearing on November 27 at 10 a.m. on the ground floor of the Palacio del Gobernador Building in Intramuros, Manila.

Stakeholders and other concerned parties were invited to participate in the hearing.

“All interested parties are invited to attend the public hearing on the transfer of polling precincts to identified public malls,” the Comelec said.

Among those invited to give their views on the proposal were various political parties and the general public.

“We want to hear the public’s take on this,” Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said in a previous interview.

Under the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), designated polling places cannot be changed without prior notice and a hearing being conducted by the commission.

The public hearing was set amid questions on the legal basis of the mall voting under the OEC, which

prescribed public schools and public buildings within the barangay as voting places.

Under the OEC, private buildings may only be tapped if government-owned establishments are unavailable.

Bautista earlier said that some 2 million voters will benefit if the plan pushes through.

He said about 159 privately owned malls nationwide have already expressed their willingness to allow the Comelec to put up voting precincts in their establishments during the 2016 elections.

In the said proposal, polling precincts that are adjacent to participating mall establishments are set to be transferred to the latter, while those that are not will remain in public schools.

A4 Saturday, November 21, 2015 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

editorial

Last words from and about Apec 2015

W

ith the closing of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) 2015 meeting, several important declarations were announced.

These ranged in topics from “fighting terrorism” to “fighting poverty,” and also included the “world economy” and “climate change.” Two of these caught our attention as regards the Philippines.

The declaration on fighting poverty is reported as follows: “We are mindful that despite the unprecedented economic growth that has lifted millions of people out of poverty, it continues to be a reality for millions of others in our region. We also acknowledge that inequality acts as a brake on economic growth, and that reducing it is essential to spurring development and prosperity in the Asia Pacific.”

The concept of “inequality” has pervaded the discussion of poverty, and is as flexible as a politician’s campaign speech. Is the inequality this declaration speaks of “wealth” disparity or “income” disparity?

If it is wealth, then the richest country per capita on Earth also has the greatest wealth disparity (unequal distribution of assets). That would be the United States. This is based on the Gini coefficient score of 80.56. A Gini score of “0” represents perfect equality. A score of “1” is the worst distribution. By comparison, the Philippines Gini score is 43, while Chile comes in at 73, as does Indonesia.

Interestingly, the Philippines ranks No. 6 in “Growth in Wealth per Adult—2000-2014,” as measured in current exchange rate behind Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, China and Malaysia. However, the top 10 percent of all Filipinos control 76 percent of the total wealth, about the same as in the US, Thailand and Indonesia. But that percentage has been falling since 2000, as the Philippine middle class grows larger.

Income disparity is a completely different situation from wealth disparity.

Here, the Philippines has a poor ranking. The top 10 percent of earners make 76 percent of the income, up from just under 70 percent in 2007. The Philippines is ranked fifth worst behind Indonesia, Hong Kong, Turkey and Russia.

An important part of the whole climate-change discussion is “energy intensity,” a measure of the energy efficiency of a nation’s economy. A high score indicates that it takes more energy to generate economic growth. This is a measure of a nation’s efficiency of energy use for economic growth. Surprisingly, the Philippines gets a considerable amount of economic bang for its energy “buck,” ranking favorably (127) along with Switzerland (122) and better than Denmark (133), Germany (164) and Thailand (200).

What then have we learned from hosting Apec 2015?

The Philippines has come a long way from Apec 1996, and can hold its head much higher than previously. In some areas, we can compete directly against the nations of the Pacific, and in others, there is much room for improvement.

We learned also that even heads of state really do not know much about this country. They are always surprised at how developed the nation really is.

Perhaps, the most important thing we should have learned is that Filipinos can be a little more—maybe even a lot—prouder of the nation and its people.

Why you need to ‘buy Filipino’ John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

A

lthough having studied economic history for countless hours back when college students used lamps fueled by whale oil, nothing represents how a nation can destroy itself better than the United States in the last 40 years.

After World War II, not only had the US manufacturing base survived intact, but had grown in response to the war effort. The rest of the world saw its factories destroyed. The US supplied the raw materials and goods to rebuild both Europe and Asia. As global prosperity grew and technological advances increased the type and number of consumer goods, the US did not have any viable competition.

In the 1960s and beyond, nearly all consumer goods used by Americans were produced by Americans. Americans made their own automobiles, televisions, clothes, shoes and most everything else, from toaster ovens to steel beams to build their skyscrapers.

But growing prosperity has a tendency to make people both a little lazier and a little greedier. Labor unions started bargaining for higher wages that were greater than increases in productivity. Government raised taxes faster than incomes were increasing.

Corporations raised prices to keep up with higher labor costs and taxes, and also to increase their percentage of profits on the goods they made and sold.

Everyone wanted a larger piece of the economic pie that showed no signs of doing anything but to continue to grow.

As US manufacturing costs began to rise, upstart countries, like Japan and Germany—ironically enough— decided that they could effectively compete with US manufacturers.

American consumers who were being squeezed by both increased prices and increased taxes, started “saving money” by buying imported goods.

More imports gave more profits to the foreigners, which then increased their ability to compete even more successfully with American manufacturing.

The process continued to the point where Americans woke up one day and discovered that televisions were no longer “Made in the USA”. While

“Panasonic” sounded like an American brand, the manufacturer was the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Their cars were not Ford, Chrysler, or Chevrolet and coming from Detroit, but were Mazda and Honda made in places like Hiroshima and Sayama.

Nike shoes may have been an iconic American brand founded in the epitome of a rural American city, Beaverton, Washington, but were now manufactured in a formally rural agricultural city called Dongguan.

But when you import the things you buy, you export your money to pay for them. Income and wealth creation in the US could not keep up with the flow of money out of the country to pay for everything Americans wanted. Now comes the next phase: the personal-debt burden. US personal/ household debt—excluding home mortgages—rose from nearly zero in 1950 to $13.8 trillion in 2008. US personal debt, as a percentage of disposable income after taxes, was 68 percent in 1980. In 2007 the average American’s debt burden was 128 percent of his or her disposable income.

That cheap imported car Americans bought in 1970 did not seem like a big deal back then, but rockslides always start with a single pebble moving down the mountain.

Now Americans are trying to focus on buying “Made in America” products.

You may think that buying a few unnecessary imported products doesn’t mean anything. Think again. Here are the facts for the US that are just as

China is trying to warn Taiwan voters

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By Noah Feldman | Bloomberg View

he US and Europe have spent the last week focused on Islamic State, but the possibility of conflict between China and Taiwan is far more dangerous to the world’s security. An important development took place on November 7, when Chinese President Xi Jinping met for a historic summit with Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou.

The meeting has been variously interpreted. But the best read is that it

was a warning from China to Taiwanese voters not to move toward independence. That’s particularly worrisome, because Ma’s nationalist Kuomintang Party (KMT) is widely expected to lose upcoming elections to the independence-minded Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Although China and Taiwan have deep trade ties, this was the first public encounter between the leaders of the two countries since Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek met for talks in 1945.

It was, therefore, calculated on both sides to have maximum public effect. And it matters, in symbolic political terms at least, that Xi is the heir to Mao’s leadership of the Communist Party, while Ma is head of Chiang’s KMT. It’s also crucial to understand that while Xi has already consolidated power more than any Chinese leader in 30 years, Ma’s star is on the wane—and the fortunes of the KMT are declining in tandem.

Ma isn’t running for a third term, and KMT candidates have been struggling in opinion polls when paired against DPP leader Tsai Ing-wen. In mid-October,

with its candidate polling under 16 percent to Ing-wen’s nearly 47 percent, the KMT switched horses, choosing Eric Chu as its new candidate. But a poll later in the month showed Chu’s numbers pretty close to those of his predecessor.

And November’s polling has him improving by only a few points. The presidential election is on January 16.

A big part of KMT’s struggles is the appeal of Tsai. Taiwan’s answer to Elizabeth Warren, Tsai is a sophisticated, progressive former law professor with graduate degrees from Cornell University and the London School of Economics. In the 2012 election, she won 45.6 percent of the vote to Ma’s 51.6 percent—impressive for her first national campaign. In local elections a year ago, she led the party to unprecedented success. If elected, she will be the first female president of Taiwan.

When it comes to national identity, the DPP’s approach has historically differed from that of the KMT. The DPP has previously called for Taiwan to declare independence, which is perceived as a redline by mainland China. Tsai has also been skeptical of deepening trade ties with China.

Should Taiwan declare or even move toward independence, it could trigger

preparations for a Chinese invasion. The US would support Taiwan, and the idea of two great naval fleets confronting in the Taiwan Strait should be frightening far outside the region.

This brings us to the Xi-Ma meeting, and its political meaning. There’s no doubt that Xi would like to see the more cautious, pro-China KMT win the presidential election. Ma has sought such a meeting in the past, and if it were to give the KMT greater stature in the run-up to the elections, that could only be seen as a bonus from Xi’s perspective.

But Xi and the Chinese leadership are sophisticated enough to realize that the meeting alone is unlikely to turn the election to the KMT, and could even backfire if ordinary Taiwanese think that it didn’t produce any practical results.

There was, therefore, more to China’s decision than a simple desire to prop up a friendly government in its hour of need.

Xi was also signaling to Taiwanese voters that he would be prepared to meet respectfully with a government that preserves the status quo with regard to independence. Xi referred to China and Taiwan as “one family,” and called the countries “brothers who are still connected by our flesh even if our bones are broken.” The ideal of unity resonates strongly for Xi’s domestic audience. And it’s also a message that Taiwan shouldn’t separate itself by moving toward a symbolic declaration of independence.

The message for Tsai and the DPP is clear: Don’t rock the boat. As China expands its regional military influence, its interest in keeping Taiwan close is greater than ever. Xi’s increasingly populist,

applicable for the Philippines.

If every American spent an extra $3 on US-made products, it would create almost 10,000 new jobs. Here are two real shockers. Only about 7 percent of the purchase price that an American pays for a “Made in China” product actually goes to China.

Further, for shoes and clothing—a huge import from China—nearly 36 percent of US dollars are spent on Chinese-made items but 25 percent is still spent on US-made products.

That says two things. First, it does not take buying a majority of imported goods of a particular category to disrupt the home economy. Second, even increasing the purchase of locally made products by a little can have a dramatic positive home-country impact.

Of course, your cell phone is still going to be “Made in China,” and probably most, if not all, of the clothes you are wearing. But if Filipinos became just a little more mindful of trying to buy “Made in the Philippines,” it could have a genuine economic impact on the nation. Just a few extra pesos spent on locally made products would make a difference. Besides, camote fries are better and tastier than imported potato fries, anyway. You have just been brainwashed to think otherwise.

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.

nationalist rhetoric requires him to keep a close eye on Taiwan.

Thus, by appearing with Taiwan’s leader two months before Taiwan’s elections, Xi was sending a message of serious attention to Taiwanese affairs. In his mind, China and Taiwan are brothers, and there’s no doubt who’s the older, dominant member of the family.

Will Tsai listen? The DPP has already moderated its stance on independence as part of its presidential campaign. The party’s second-in-command, Joseph Wu, has said it wants to “maintain the status quo” of the “current democratic way of life.” In the delicate signaling game of Chinese-Taiwanese relations, this is a way of saying the DPP wants no movement closer to China, and might be prepared to drop its historic focus on stating its independence.

That’s probably a wise move. After all, Taiwan’s de facto independence from China depends on implicit US support. But there’s no assurance that, if independence were declared and a military crisis followed, the US would be there to protect Taiwan. Many Americans, particularly those outside the military establishment, would be loath to go to war against China to protect Taiwan.

The good news is that Xi doesn’t want military confrontation either. But behind the meeting with the KMT’s Ma is a message that the DPP shouldn’t be too aggressive. If Tsai wins the presidency, expect tensions between the countries to rise—with serious implications for the US defense presence in Asia and the future of the cool war.

Opinion BusinessMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph

What success are they talking about? database

‘T

eam Philippines is behind the success of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation [Apec] 2015 summit,” brags Guillermo Luz, who claims to be the chief operating officer of the Apec 2015 summit and chairman of the Philippine National Competitiveness Council, in his presummit statement published by the Manila Bulletin on November 18.

“We are doing it together as a nation,” Luz said, as he described how both the government and private sector have gone out of their way to prepare for the summit, which has gathered about 1,300 delegates, about 17 heads of economy and over 40 top companies, of which 20 are based in the Philippines.

He continued: “This is the second time the Philippines will play host to the gathering of Apec heads of economy since 1996, when the first one was held at Subic Bay during former President Fidel V. Ramos’s time.

“As a host of a huge event, which brings thousands of people into the country, we had to prepare,” Luz said, stressing that this is “one opportunity for the Philippines to grab the moment to be at the center of a global stage.”

“The organizers tapped local universities for volunteers and mobilized over 300 college students or new graduates, who were trained for various jobs at the airport, the hotels where delegates will be staying and to attend to various tasks at the summit venue.”

“Private-sector members were in close coordination with the government for almost two years for major Apec meetings apart from the summit, including the Apec Business Advisory Council meetings, seven ministerial meetings, and a number of high-level dialogues between Apec leaders and business executives. In fact, a total of 229 organizing meetings and major conferences were held since December last year, all building up to the Apec leaders’ November 2015 meeting,” he said.

Reading from his statement, he was probably right from his vantage point wherever he was, inside a boardroom, a hotel room or elsewhere.

The reality was that, people from all walks of life in Metro Manila and the adjacent provinces of Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, Pampanga and, as far as Quezon in the south and Tarlac and Nueva Ecija in the north, were expressing their anger and annoyance at the Aquino administration and organizers of the international event for unnecessarily restricting their movements and the movements of commerce.

Not only people in Luzon were badly affected, but also thousands of cursing passengers who could not move to the Visayas and Mindanao, as hundreds of flights in Manila airports were canceled by local and international carriers to give way to the arrival and departure of world leaders, multinational traders and other guests who attended the summit.

Road closures, military and police checkpoints, traffic gridlocks and disruptions in the operations of public transport, including train lines, brought the entire metropolis to a standstill.

Not only that. Food chains, from production to the markets and to the consumers, suffered incalculable delays in various points of the metropolis, causing economic dislocation here and there.

Although the government suspended classes at all levels, declared special nonworking holidays and told the traveling public to stay home in the National Capital Region, thousands were still

The reality was that people from all walks of life in Metro Manila and the adjacent provinces of Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, Pampanga and, as far as Quezon in the South and Nueva Ecija and Tarlac in the North, were expressing their anger and annoyance at the Aquino and organizers of the international event for unnecessarily restricting their movements and the movements of commerce. trapped in traffic logjams in many places of the metropolis as police and military authorities suddenly tightened their security measures following the terrorist massacre of innocent civilians in Paris, France.

Most affected were wage earners, street dwellers, beggars and ambulant vendors, whose daily subsistence heavily depended on marginal incomes from the traveling public.

What really turned the Apec event into a shoddy affair was the lack of consultation from people with experience and wisdom in handling such an international event, including Ramos, whose government successfully hosted the Apec meeting in 1996 at the cost of only P500 million.

The 1996 Apec summit participated by then-18 membereconomies (now it’s 21) was held at Subic, a fully developed economic zone with first-class amenities and an international airport, 81.53 kilometers, or 50.66 miles, from Manila.

Ramos and his planners in 1996 knew that if the Apec summit was held in Manila, traffic logjams would have engulfed the entire metropolis, restricted movements of people and commerce, and, thus, caused a terrible economic dislocation. Months before the Apec summit in Manila, he offered his unsolicited advice to the so-called Team Philippines, but the elitist members of the group merely ignored him.

Anthony Q. Esquerra of the Inquirer.net quoted Ramos on November 15, saying: “[S]ana ang gobyerno ay huwag nang maglagay ng mga hadlang dahil sadly, the people are not enjoying the event because of so many obstructions, disruptions, restrictions, canceled flights, traffic inhibition.

“The government could have avoided inconveniencing millions of Filipinos during the Philippines’s hosting of the annual Apec summit had the officials considered conducting the prestigious event in Clark or Subic,” Ramos said.

“The suggestion of some of us, who were not asked—we were just giving US [unsolicited advice] because that is our job as elders of the country—is to do it at Clark because that is the twin component of our best platform for investment and inclusive growth— Subic and Clark,” Ramos said at the Veterans Day celebration in Taguig City last week.

Tomorrow, this column will explain the economic implication of the Apec summit in Manila.

To reach the writer, e-mail cecilio. arillo@gmail.com

A5

Christmas shop and help in Caritas expo Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual

Cecilio T. Arillo

Saturday, November 21, 2015

SERVANT LEADER

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issed the chance to shop and help in Caritas Manila’s social enterprise “Buy and Give Expo 3” in September?

Come to the Activity Center of Ayala Glorietta Mall, Palm Drive, Makati City from November 25 to 27, where “buying is the new way of giving.”

Caritas Expo launches Caritas Margins as the social brand to help end poverty. Caritas Margins provides skills and training to the urban poor communities and marginalized sector, as well as honing them to become social entrepreneurs. It upholds each person’s dignity through the spirituality of work, the building of a culture of self-reliance and community empowerment, and inculcating the discipline of entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

This three-day expo will showcase various Caritas Margins products from different marginalized community partners, ranging from food, home and ladies accessories, personal care products, artwork from resident inmates of penal communities cared for by Caritas Restorative Justice Ministry, and other gift items and décors.

Check out also Segunda Mana items during the three-day expo.

Celebrities who have donated their personal items for this event are: Julius and Tintin Babao; Chris Tiu, Caritas Manila Youth ambassador; and his teammates in Rain or Shine Philippine Basketball Association team; celebrity couple Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes; Sens.

Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Bam Aquino, Loren Legarda and Nancy Binay; Charo Santos-Concio; Cherie Gil; Richard Yap; Aiza Seguerra; and many more. Get the chance to own your beloved celebrity’s personal items for a special cause!

Celebration of the Holy Mass will be held daily, plus special performing artists and Caritas Manila Youth Servant Leadership and Education Program (YSLEP) scholars will be featured for entertainment.

Buy and Give Expo 3 not only supports the livelihood of microentrepreneurs, it likewise helps send youth to college through Caritas Manila’s flagship program, YSLEP.

To-date, Caritas Manila supports over 900 micro-entrepreneurs and more than 5,000 youth scholars nationwide.

Come to Caritas Manila’s Buy and Give Expo 3, where you can shop for Christmas presents at reasonable prices, and help those in need!

Note: We continue the reprint as a series of the Holy Father Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si (On Our Care for Our Common Home).

Weak responses

These situations have caused sister Earth, along with all the abandoned of our world, to cry out, pleading that we take another course. Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years. Yet, we are called to be instruments of God our Father, so that our planet might be what He desired when He created it and correspond with His plan for peace, beauty and fullness. The problem is that we still lack the culture needed to confront this crisis. We lack leadership capable of striking out on new paths and meeting the needs of the present with concern for all and without prejudice toward coming generations. The establishment of a legal framework, which can set clear boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems, has become indispensable; otherwise, the new power structures based on the techno-economic paradigm may overwhelm not only our politics but also freedom and justice.

It is remarkable how weak international political responses have been. The failure of global summits on the environment make it plain that our politics are subject to technology and finance. There are too many special interests, and economic interests easily end up trumping the common good and manipulating information so that their own plans will not be affected. The Aparecida Document urges that “the interests

of economic groups that irrationally demolish sources of life should not prevail in dealing with natural resources.” The alliance between the economy and technology ends up sidelining anything unrelated to its immediate interests. Consequently the most one can expect is superficial rhetoric, sporadic acts of philanthropy and perfunctory expressions of concern for the environment, whereas, any genuine attempt by groups within society to introduce change is viewed as a nuisance based on romantic illusions or an obstacle to be circumvented.

Some countr ies are gradually making significant progress, developing more effective controls and working to combat corruption.

People may well have a growing ecological sensitivity, but it has not succeeded in changing their harmful habits of consumption, which, rather than decreasing, appear to be growing all the more. A simple example is the increasing use and power of air conditioning.

The markets, which immediately benefit from sales, stimulate ever greater demand. An outsider looking at our world would be amazed at such behavior, which, at times, appears self-destructive.

In the meantime, economic powers continue to justify the current global system, where priority tends to be given to speculation and the pursuit of financial gain, which fail to take the context into account, let alone the effects on human dignity and the natural environment. Here we see how environmental deterioration and human and ethical degradation are closely linked. Many people will deny doing anything wrong because distractions constantly dull our consciousness of just how limited and finite our world really is. As a result, “whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.”

It is foreseeable that, once certain resources have been depleted, the scene will be set for new wars, albeit under the guise of noble claims. War always does grave harm to the environment and to the cultural riches of peoples, risks, which are magnified when one considers nuclear arms and biological weapons. “Despite the international agreements, which prohibit chemical, bacteriological and biological warfare, the fact is that laboratory research continues to develop new offensive weapons

The road to Paris: A chance for change

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nternational climate-change conferences produced strong, almost repetitive messages of urgency in the past. Yet, our daily experience of extreme weather events suggests too little has been achieved by negotiators. There are few places where this inability to act have been felt more dramatically than the Philippines. This might be about to change.

On November 30 this year 196 countries will gather in Paris under the United Nation auspices to shape a global agreement that will curb greenhouse-gas emissions responsible for climate change. Their objective is to keep emissions in check so that global temperatures stay within +2°C by the end of the century.

Every country will go to Paris with slightly different expectations.

The draft text, currently under discussion, is well balanced and offers hopes that a compromise can be found.

The European Union (EU) and its 28 member-states—who jointly decided to implement a 40-percent binding carbon-emission cut by 2030—will adopt a constructive position in Paris.

We believe three key elements should form part of the final deal.

First, a common long-term goal for carbon emissions. We need to know by how much greenhouse-gas emissions must be cut to avoid disaster and by when, using available scientific data.

Ignoring this long-term goal would be a bit like running without agreeing on a finishing line. Second, a five yearly revision mechanism should be adopted.

That would allow parties to reassess

national capacities periodically because our world is not static. Developed countries will contribute most to greenhouse-gas emission cuts, but countries gradually becoming large emitters themselves could be invited to adjust their contributions accordingly. The recent visit of French President François Hollande to China has paved the way for such a revision mechanism to be adopted. China, today’s largest emitter, is clearly supportive of the idea. Finally, a certain degree of accountability and transparency is needed so that the international community can keep track of progress in each country.

Would that be enough to make climate change a thing of the past?

Probably not. The best agreement in Paris only makes sense if the level of ambition is sufficient to put us on the right track today. A recent UN report aggregated all countries’ voluntary contributions to carbon-emission reduction until 2030—the “short term” as far as climate change goes. The report sent a strong positive message: 161 countries covering 90 percent of global emissions have taken part in this pre-conference exercise. This is unprecedented. Yes, the momentum is real. The report, however, tells us we are still far from what is needed if we want our children to enjoy the world we enjoyed while growing up. More needs to be done and more needs to be done now. We should not postpone greenhouse-gas emission cuts to a later date.

The further we get from the most desirable or “least cost” path, the more difficult and costlier future adjustment

becomes. The private sector needs predictable, long-term commitments to invest in a low-carbon future today.

The cost of extreme weather events if we act later will also be greater. So great, in fact, that resources available may not be enough to cover future loss and damages due to climate change.

Raising ambition today can be done in two ways. First, every participating country should go back to the drawing board and reassess available low-emission economic policies. There is a lot that can be done domestically.

The Philippines, for instance, has implemented ambitious renewableenergy targets while improving the environmental footprint of its fuel mix. The current administration also prioritised reforestation, which allows carbon capture by the ecosystem. The Philippines has not officially committed to implement these measures domestically under the future Paris agreement (unless foreign assistance becomes available). The recent speech of President Aquino in front of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, inviting all nations to make their commitments unconditional, however, should pave the way for more domestic action.

In parallel to domestic efforts, the amount of finance needed to implement low-carbon policies in the poorest countries will have to be secured.

The EU stands ready to deliver, having spent €9 billion (P450 billion) in 2013 alone on climate finance in developing countries. The Philippines, too, is a driving force in the field of finance.

capable of altering the balance of nature.” Politics must pay greater attention to foreseeing new conflicts and addressing the causes which can lead to them. But powerful financial interests prove most resistant to this effort, and political planning tends to lack breadth of vision. What would induce anyone, at this stage, to hold on to power only to be remembered for their inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so?

In some countries, there are positive examples of environmental improvement: rivers polluted for decades have been cleaned up; native woodlands have been restored; landscapes have been beautified, thanks to environmental renewal projects; beautiful buildings have been erected; advances have been made in the production of nonpolluting energy and in the improvement of public transportation. These achievements do not solve global problems, but they do show that men and women are still capable of intervening positively. For all our limitations, gestures of generosity, solidarity and care cannot but well up within us, since we were made for love.

At the same time, we can note the rise of a false or superficial ecology which bolsters complacency and a cheerful recklessness. As often occurs in periods of deep crisis which require bold decisions, we are tempted to think that what is happening is not entirely clear. Superficially, apart from a few obvious signs of pollution and deterioration, things do not look that serious, and the planet could continue as it is for some time. Such evasiveness serves as a license to carrying on with our present lifestyles and models of production and consumption. This is the way human beings contrive to feed their self-destructive vices: trying not to see them, trying not to acknowledge them; delaying the important decisions; and pretending that nothing will happen.

To be continued

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.

To know more about Caritas Manila, visit www.caritasmanila.org. ph. For your donations, please call our DonorCare lines 563-9311, 564-0205, 0999-7943455, 0905-4285001 and 0929-8343857.

The country is chairing the newly formed Climate Vulnerable Forum, which convened from November 9 to 11 in Manila. Concrete suggestions on risk pooling and mobilization of climate finance through well-targeted taxes on financial transactions were put forward. Such innovative ideas might be the kind of breakthrough we need in the negotiation. The forum also called upon all parties to raise ambition and keep global warming below +1.5°C. They are the countries who will suffer most from climate change.

Their voices must be heard in Paris.

The efforts still needed to make the Paris Conference a success are enormous, but the international community has a real opportunity to address climate change. The Philippines stands out in the global discussion for its ability to generate new ideas on climate finance but also for its potentially exemplary contribution to global mitigation efforts. As a recent campaign by France, the host country, once put it: the road to Paris starts in Manila.

The authors of this article are Ambassadors Franz Jessen (European Union); Josef Muellne (Austria); Roland Van Remoortele (Belgium); Jaroslav Olša Jr. (Czech Republic); Jan Top Christensen (Denmark); Thierry Mathou (France); Thomas Ossowski (Germany); Nicolaos Kaimenakis (Greece); Massimo Roscigno (Italy); Maria Christina Theresia Derckx (the Netherlands); Luis Calvo (Spain); Asif Ahmad (the United Kingdom); and Mihai Sion, Chargé d’Affaires (Romania).

News BusinessMirror

A6 Saturday, November 21, 2015

Share benefits of responsible mining to promote growth in countryside–PMSEA

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HE Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA) on Friday urged mining companies to continue sharing the benefits of responsible mining, and extend services beyond host communities to promote inclusive growth in the countryside.

“Some mining companies are already providing valuable services beyond their operating areas. We are urging them now to continue sharing the benefits of responsible mining, to promote inclusive growth,” PMSEA President Louie Sarmiento said.

Sarmiento said mining companies, through their highly skilled miners, provide valuable services “beyond call of duty” in times of natural calamities—through rescue, relief and even rehabilitation

operations, away from their areas of operation—citing the effort of miners that boosted postdisaster response of the national and local governments in areas devastated

by Typhoon Lando (international code name Koppu) in Luzon provinces recently.

In a show of solidarity and support to the government’s mantra of inclusive growth in hosting the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Manila, some 2,000 officials and

SARMIENTO

representatives from various companies took part in the 62nd Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference in Baguio City.

In his message to participants, Sarmiento urged the mining industry to share the benefits of mining with the bigger community outside mining areas by “helping improve lives of various stakeholders, and share knowledge and skills to enrich others.”

Mining industry’s big players, through the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, had seemingly given up on the current administration and is now pinning their hope on the coun-

try’s next would-be leader to give the minerals-development sector the much-needed boost.

In the recently concluded Apec meeting, he said mining stakeholders remain hopeful that the country will attract new mining investments that will generate more jobs and help spur economic activities in the countryside.

“We are very hopeful that the recent Apec meetings will open doors for new mining investments next year,” he said. He said the Philippines should open its doors for new mining investments from China, Japan, the United States and Canada.

“This year let us heed the call of our theme to be inclusive. Let us realize that by uniting our efforts to improve our impact areas with relevant development that are aligned to the country’s development agenda, we can send a tangible message to the leaders of our country that we are deeply concerned with the welfare of the Philippines as a whole—that the industry is true to its potential and is worth supporting,” Sarmiento said.

Jonathan Mayuga

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Legislator pushes ‘reformed’ vehicle-insurance system

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PRO-ADMINISTR ATION congressman has filed a resolution urging the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Insurance Commission to institute reforms in the Compulsory Third Party Liability (CTPL) insurance for motor vehicles, and eliminate graft and corruption in the two agencies, as well as the proliferation of spurious insurance policies, delayed or nonpayment of claims and predatory pricing of insurance premiums, among others.

“At the onset of their implementation, both the CTPL and PPAIP [Passenger Personal Accident Insurance Program for Public Utility Vehicles] have been beset with the proliferation of spurious insurance policies, delayed or even nonpayment of claims. Predatory pricing of insurance premiums that are markedly unresponsive to the subscribed benefits, undue rebates and commissions, graft and corrupt practices of officials of both agencies and undervalued, or even nonremittance of taxes due the government,” Liberal Party Rep. Winston Castelo of Quezon City said in House Resolution 2277.

It was learned that the government has been losing approximately P400 million annually from unpaid taxes from third-party liability insurance policies issued by fly-bynight insurance companies.

In the said resolution, Castelo proposed the adoption as a model

of the “two management” group system” of the PPAIP of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), which, he said, has “weathered the test of a very meticulous and ever watchful organized transport groups and has successfully surpassed the issues on monopoly, restraint of trade and other legal issues of the Supreme Court in its favor.”

“While many contend that insurance pools, groups or consortia that are administered by an insurance company have a track record of failures, such initiative of the Land Transportation Office in proposing a reformed CTPL for motor vehicles is a golden opportunity that should not be wasted, considering that such program might just be the relief that the Filipino pedestrians have been wanting for so long now,” Castelo added.

In the 1980s to 1990s, the CTPL was marred by various anomalies, including selling of fake policies, over pricing, nonpayment of claims and operations of fly-by-night insurance companies, among others.

In 2000 to 2010 reforms were made to eradicate these problems by instituting connectivity with LTO and third-party payment centers.

While these have led to a reduction in the selling of fake policies and number of fly-by-night insurance companies, other anomalies continue to this date, according to LTO insiders. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | sports@businessmirror.com.ph

Sports BusinessMirror

BLUE EAGLES’ MISSION

Air Force-Cignal HD best-of-three duel on

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IR FORCE and Cignal HD kick off their duel for the Spikers’ Turf Season 1 Reinforced Conference crown on Saturday, with odds just about even between the league’s top spiking teams at The Arena in San Juan City.

Though both teams went through some anxious moments, the twice-to-beat Airmen and the HD Spikers got the job done in the semis just the same, subduing the Navy Sailors, 25-15, 20-25, 29-27, 24-26, 15-12, and the Home Ultera Ultra Fast Hitters, 2522, 21-25, 25-23, 11-25, 15-8, last week to seal what promises to be a classic title clash.

Game time is at 3 p.m.

Home Ultera and Navy clash in their separate best-of-three series for third at 1 p.m., with the league honoring the conference’s top achievers in simple rites before the finals opener.

Given both teams’ depth and talent, a tight, fierce finish is seen in the best-of-three playoff, with Air Force banking on Rodolfo Labrador, Ruben Inaudito, Reyson Fuentes, Jeffry Malabanan, Abdilla Alnakran, Mike Abria, Edwin Tolentino, Niño Jeruz and playmaker Jessie Lopez.

Labrador and Fuentes combined for Air Force’s strong finishing kick in the fifth set, as they foiled the Sailors’ upset bid and stayed in the hunt for the crown in the season-ending conference of the pioneering men’s league presented by PLDT Home Ultera.

Superliga battle for third unfurls at Imus complex

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OVING on from their heartbreaking semifinals losses, Philips Gold and Cignal hope to end the conference in high spirits as they clash for third place in the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix women’s volleyball tournament on Saturday at the Imus Sports Complex in Imus, Cavite.

The third-place match is set at 1 p.m.

Meralco and RC Cola-Air Force, on the other hand, collide for fifth place at 3 p.m. in the interclub league, presented by Asics and backed by Milo with Senoh, Mueller and Mikasa as technical partners and TV5 as official broadcaster. The Lady Slammers and HD Spikers kissed their title hopes good-bye after losing in the knockout semifinals.

The eliminations topnotchers Lady Slammers lost to fourth seed Foton Tornadoes in five sets,18-25, 24-26, 25-18, 25-20, 8-15, while the HD Spikers yielded to defending champions Petron in four sets, 20-25, 24-26, 25-20, 13-25, in Thursday’s Final Four.

Rep. Alex Advincula of Cavite, Imus City Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi, Vice Mayor Armando Ilano and Board Member Ony Cantimbuhan will roll out the red carpet for the teams, as well as the PSL delegation led by President Ramon “Tats” Suzara and Chairman Philip Ella Juico, who confirmed the use of video challenge system in the matches. Lance Agcaoili

Ateneo regains men’s crown; Tigresses prevail

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TENEO regained the men’s crown, while University of Santo Tomas (UST) kept the women’s championship on Thursday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 78 judo tournament at the La Salle-Greenhills Gym. The Blue Eagles amassed 61 points to unseat last year’s titlist Growling Tigers, who settled for the runner-up honors with 45 points in the event backed by Imperium Technology.

Brothers Alfred Benjie (-81 kilograms) and Jose Ariel Querubin (-100 kg), along with Monch Santiago (-90 kg) won gold medals in the final day, as Ateneo regained the title it won two years ago and hiked its overall haul to seven men’s championships.

Santiago was named Most Valuable Player while Nico Clemente, the other Blue Eagles gold medalist in the -66 kg in Wednesday’s opener, went home with the Rookie of the Year honors.

De La Salle banked on Keith Reyes victory in the +100

Kiao Ching off to China

kg category to place third with 19 points, nipping University of the Philippines, which had 18.

UST rebounded from the setback it suffered by the men’s team by dominating the women’s side with 86 points, a huge 62-point margin over runner-up University of the East.

Tracy Honorio (-57 kg), Eunice Lucero (-70 kg) and Aislinn Yap (-78 kg) bagged gold medals for the Tigresses, who won the title for the second straight year—their eighth overall—under Coach Gege Arce.

UST’s other gold medal winners, Khrizzie Pabulayan (-48 kg) and Miam Salvador (-44 kg), took the MVP and Rookie of the Year honors, respectively.

The Lady Maroons finished third with 20 points.

The Tiger Cubs, behind MVP Jefferson Salcedo and Rookie of the Year winner Shaine Arnel Haber, dethroned the Blue Eaglets in the boys division with 53 points. Ateneo had 31 points in second, while De La Salle-Zobel went third with 25 points.

UST also topped the girls division, which was played for the first time as a demonstration event.

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HE Philippine Kiao Ching basketball team is leaving for Fuzhou, China, on Monday, to compete in the 50 years old division of the 31st World Chinese Basketball Championship.

The Filipino-Chinese delegation will be headed by Eduard Tio, Leoncio Chua, Johnny Chua, Jonathan Go, Daniel Ong and Vicente Ip. Comprising the team handled by Benito Gan are Danilo Chua as assistant coach, with Rudy Yu, Andrew Ongteco, Ben Ong, Danilo Ching, Robert Sy, Nelson Yao, Ng Yuk Chi, Aris Franco, Wilford Chua, Peter Yu, Eugene Tsai and Joel Yap.

Saturday, November 21, 2015 A7

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AST season Ateneo de Manila failed to take advantage of its twice-tobeat advantage in the Final Four and ended up losing to eventual champion National University (NU) twice for a heartbreaking exit in the semifinals.

On Saturday the Blue Eagles hope to duplicate what the Bulldogs did to them, but this time against No. 2 seed Far Eastern University (FEU), in the Final Four round of Season 78 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The game is set at 3:30 p.m., with the Tamaraws eyeing an easier route to the bestof-three championship series with a victory over the third-seed Ateneo.

order for any team beating a team twice,” Perasol said. “We learned our lesson that if we don’t bring our A-game, it will be a short season for us.”

Kiefer Ravena, who is set to receive his second Most Valuable Player award, agreed, saying they need to be at their best against the Tamaraws and learn from that Final Four loss to NU last season.

“Last year against NU we also had the twice-to-beat advantage, and we all know what they did to us. Although FEU is a different team, we need to find ways to beat them,” Ravena said. “We know we can beat them, we just have to trust each other.”

Racela rested his starters in their 71-68 victory over De La Salle that snapped the team’s two-game skid on Wednesday. Roger Pogoy and Monbert Arong carried the scoring cudgels for the Tamaraws in eliminating the Green Archers, which gave NU a free ride to the Final Four.

“We want to enter the Final Four with some momentum, that’s why our intention [against La Salle] was to win the game and, at the same time, keep our starters fresh,” said Racela, referring to Mike Tolomia and Mac Belo.

Tolomia played only 10 minutes, while Belo saw action for 13 minutes. Starting center Reymar Jose did not play for FEU to rest his sprained ankle he suffered while warming up in their game against top seed University of Santo Tomas.

Perasol, who will be leaving the team after the season, hopes Chibueze Ikeh would provide solid minutes at center spot and Von Pessumal would recall his shooting touch after struggling in the past two games.

Jerie Pingoy has returned from sick bay, giving Perasol another playmaker who could help Ravena in orchestrating the plays.

The other Final Four pairing pits the Growling Tigers and the Bulldogs set on Sunday also at the Big Dome.

“Ateneo is a tough team. They have improved a lot game by game.

We really have to prepare hard against them,” said FEU Head Coach Nash Racela, whose wards swept the Blue Eagles in the eliminations, 88-64 in the first round, and 66-61 in the second round.

After a 4-4 win-loss record, the Blue Eagles won five straight before dropping their final game in the eliminations to University of the East (UE), 69-54, to settle for the No. 3 spot with a 9-5 card.

Blue Eagle Head Coach Bo Perasol said the loss to the Red Warriors could be a blessing in disguise, which he said prompted his wards to focus on Saturday’s crucial game.

“It [loss] helped us because we will not be complacent and we will be on our toes because it will be a tall

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are Prince Arthur Gaiser II, Philip Charles Gatmaytan, Ronald Rey Santos and Jude Emmanuel Codiñera, the son of former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) star Jerry Codiñera.

Third were The Force of San Francisco High School students Sebastian Lesley Dominique Dait, Marvin Perin, Isaiah John Banato and Maoi She Vidad, who represented Lamut, Ifugao of CAR. The Sharks of AMA-Quezon City—Kylie Rivera, Jethro Ortinalla, Jefferson Magpayo and Manuel Robles—won the 12-under crown at the expense of sister team the AMA-QC Bulldogs of Tristan Amon, Khalijan Diologo, Lih Ambrose de la Cruz and Ren Cobie Tolentino.

The Roosters of De La Salle Greenhills, made up of Victorino Torres III, Mark Angelo Torrijos, Javier Luis Jugo and Jenji Duremdes, son of another former PBA icon Kenneth, placed third.

Best Center president Nic Jorge, a former national coach, said he was elated by the turnout, which he said is an indication of the sport’s popularity here at home.

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OUTH African Jbe Kruger came charging back with two birdies on a windy Friday to shoot a seven-under 65 and force a three-way tie for the lead, with Taiwanese Hung Chien-yao and Lee Chieh-po halfway through the $1-million Resorts World Manila Masters at the Manila Southwoods in Carmona, Cavite.

Kruger came out unruffled by the wind that blew from all over all day, gunning down five birdies in one of the late flights, then hit three more at the back, including the last two to negate a lone bogey mishap on No. 16 and post the tournament-best score in another day of torrid scoring.

He pooled a 10-under 134, the same output by early starter Hung, who logged a bogey-free 67, and Lee, who fired an eagle-spiked 66, as the men of the tour sustained their assault on the Masters layout with 52 breaking par, 12 more than in the first round.

Filipino Rufino Bayron also rallied with three birdies at the back and shot a 66, taking the cudgels for the hosts at 135 in a tie with opening day leader Nicholas Fung of Malaysia, who carded a 69, even as Miguel Tabuena made his move with two eagles for a 68 and a 138, four strokes off the pace.

Japan’s Akinori Tan, Thai Tirawat Kaewsiribandit and Paul Peterson of the US all turned in 67s for joint sixth at 136, while Indian Rahil Gangjee and Thai Arnond Vongvanij fired identical 66s, Masahiro Kawamura and Korean Jeunghun Wang shot similar 69s and England’s Steve Lewton and local ace Jhonnel Ababa both logged 68s to join Tabuena at 10th place heading to the weekend play of the country’s richest championship hosted by the Manila Southwoods.

Joel Orellana

THE Ateneo Blue Eagles need to win twice over Mac Belo, seen here in action against National University’s Alfred Aroga, and the Tamaraws to reach the finals. ALYSA SALEN

ALASKA’S Tony de la Cruz challenges GlobalPort’s Rico Maierhofer (14) and Jay Washington (23) in a rebound battle. NONOY LACZA

ACES ROUT BATANG PIER A

Best-Milo 3-on-3 a success EAMS from Baguio City and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) shared the limelight with the winners from the National Capital Region (NCR) in the first Basketball Efficiency Scientific Training (BEST) Center-Fiba 3x3 basketball tournament recently at Ateneo Courts.

More than 500 players from 128 teams in two divisions joined the tournament organized by the BEST Center in partnership with Milo Ready to Drink and supported by Freego and Rain or Shine.

The Giants of Saint Louis High School in Baguio City surprised the big field by emerging as the first 15-under champions of the new league formed in response to the International Basketball Federation’s call to push what was known as “street basketball” into becoming an Olympic sport.

The Giants are composed by Luis Emmanuel Lising, Antonio Abriol, Magnus Gabriel Ines and Angelo Cashio.

The Meteors of De La Salle-Zobel placed runners-up. They

SOUTH AFRICAN, 2 OTHERS AHEAD

Standard bet Torres prevails

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TANDARD Insurance athlete Monica Torres ruled her class in the inaugural Powerman Pilipinas that lured duathletes from all over the world in Balanga, Bataan, recently.

Torres clocked three hours, 19 minutes and 36 seconds, beating Japan’s Airi Sawada (3:24:55) and another Filipina Miscelle Gilbuena (3:34:14).

Torres, who joined the Standard Insurance team two years ago, celebrated her return to duathlon by ruling the race, finally defeating Sawada for the first time after several tries.

Torres said the bike part was very technical, but banked on her familiarity of the terrain to win the title. Belgium’s multiple world champion Rob Woestenborghs became the first men’s elite champion of the event. He clocked 2:41:42.

It marked the first time the Philippines hosted the event, which attracted 327 athletes in classic duathlon, 36 in relay and 245 in sprint duathlon.

Powerman Pilipinas served as a qualifier for the 2016 Powerman Zofingen. The country will host the event for the next two years.

By Joel Orellana

LASKA showed no ill effects of a long lay-off and tripped GlobalPort with a masterful 123-104 victory on Friday in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Eight players scored in double figures for the Aces, led by Cyrus Baguio’s 17 point, to help Alaska bounced back from a disappointing 92-93 loss to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in its previous game and joined San Miguel Beer at the top of the team standings with a 4-1 win-loss record.

Vic Manuel added 16 points and eight rebounds, Chris Banchero, Sonny Thoss and RJ Jazul each had 14 markers each, Eric Menk chipped in 12, Calvin Abueva added 11, while JVee Casio netted 10 for Alaska, which hardly showed any rust after coming off a 13-day rest.

The Aces’ victory also snapped the three-game winning streak of Batang Pier, who drew 33 points from Terrence Romeo.

Stanley Pringle contributed 16 points for GlobalPort, which never had a serious run after Alaska erected a 60-50 halftime lead despite Romeo’s 20-point performance in the first two quarters. Pringle was slowed by early foul trouble—he had four fouls in the first half.

“I didn’t do anything. The guys did it all,” said Aces Head Coach Alex Compton, whose wards shot an impressive 51 percent on a 47-of-92 shooting.

“The players did a good job of moving the ball. They played as a team. We didn’t give them easy shots. Our defense was the key,” Compton added.

GlobalPort’s other key player, Joseph Yeo, was held to just five points on a 2-of-10 shooting, while Keith Jensen, who had 21 points in their 113-111 triumph over Rain or Shine, had only two from the foul line. He missed all of his eight attempts from the field.

Sports BusinessMirror

Djokovic advances to semis L

ONDON—Novak Djokovic only needed a set. The Serb No. 1 rarely settles for less than two, though, especially against one of his favorite opponents.

Djokovic reached the semifinals of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour Finals by extending his dominance over Tomas Berdych, beating the Czech player, 6-3, 7-5, on Thursday in their last round-robin match and stay on course for a fourth straight title.

Earlier, Roger Federer overcame a stubborn Kei Nishikori, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, to finish the round-robin stage unbeaten and claim first place in the group.

Under the tournament’s tiebreaker rules, Djokovic would have advanced even if he lost in three sets, which would have left both players with a 1-2 record. That meant there was little left to play for after he broke for a 5-3 lead in the first and then served out the set.

Djokovic didn’t let up, though, breaking for 6-5 in the second and improving his career record against Berdych to 21-2. He has beaten the Czech five times in the last six years at the ATP finals.

That history might have given Djokovic an edge on the key points at the O2 Arena, he said.

“I know that because I’ve had many close matches with him, because I’ve won so many times against him, maybe there is this factor of a mental edge,” Djokovic said, “maybe an advantage in important moments, decisive moments where I’m able to stick around and stay tough and believe that I can actually win.”

He’ll be up against another familiar face next, with Rafael Nadal awaiting in the semifinals on Saturday. The Spaniard has beaten both Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka in the other group, as he continues a late-season resurgence following a disappointing year.

“It’s a fact that he’s been playing better and he’s been raising his level ever since the US Open,” Djokovic said of Nadal. “I know that, I’ve been watching. I know what is expecting me. We played so many times. I’m going to get ready for that one and hopefully I’ll be able to play at my best.” AP

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aturday, November 21, 2015 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

James, Love, Cavs storm past Bucks

C NOVAK DJOKOVIC stays on course for a fourth straight title. AP

MAHIRO TAKANO: I want to go to the Olympics and win a gold medal. AP

KARATE KID Mahiro Takano practices with a ferocious frenzy, working out every day after school with her older brother. She was 4 when she started karate, inspired by her brother, then 5, who began lessons with their father, a truck driver.

By Yuri Kageyama The Associated Press

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AGAOKA, Japan—She has a soft spot for Duffy the Disney Bear and her favorite food is chocolate.

She does her homework before dinner but really loves skateboarding, playing video games and bouncing on her trampoline.

If Mahiro Takano sounds like any 9-yearold, think again: The third grader from Niigata, a rice-growing region in Japan, stars in Sia’s latest music video “Alive,” the just-released single from the singer’s upcoming album.

In a backdrop of stark gray, the girl, wearing a white and black wig evocative of Sia’s hairstyle, performs a dazzling routine with quick fists and kicks, and an adorably determined concentration of energy.

Mahiro, a three-time Japan karate champion in her age group, found making a music video was quite fun, and agreed she would do it again, especially if Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift offers.

The video shoot with Sia in a Tokyo suburb took about a week. She made a point to move to match the music, and “look cool,” Mahiro said in an interview at her home, where she was gulping down her dinner of curry and

Scott shares lead

YOUNGEST MVP

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ELBOURNE, Australia—Adam Scott bogeyed his final hole on Friday for a one-under 70 to share the lead with fellow Australian Peter Wilson after two rounds of the Australian Masters at Huntingdale.

Scott and Wilson, who shot his second consecutive 67, had 36-hole totals of eightunder 134 on the southeast Melbourne sand-belt course, where Scott lost two playoffs in 2002 and 2003.

They led by one stroke over Australian Matthew Guyatt (66), while Brett Rumford, who shot 64 for the low round of the day, and American George McNeil (66), were tied for third, two strokes behind.

US Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau, playing in Scott’s group, shot 70. The American was at three under, tied for 12th and five strokes behind the leading pair.

Scott had four birdies on the front nine to lead the tournament by five strokes, but stumbled on the back, double-bogeying the 10th after an errant drive and adding another bogey on 13 before faltering again on the 18th.

“It was a tale of two halves, I played very nice on the front nine, good solid stuff, but I just fought my way home after I lost all my momentum there [on the 10th],” Scott said. “You have to be so precise when you drive around here, and I wasn’t today.”

McNeil, who is a close friend of Melbourne native Geoff Ogilvy and is playing in Australia for the first time, holed his 9-iron from 148 yards for an eagle-2 on the ninth, his final hole of the day.

“Honestly I didn’t see it go in the hole,” the 40-year-old McNeil said.

“Fortunate to go in...kind of pot luck.”

Rumford, who has been idle for most of the year after undergoing emergency surgery in South Africa in March for an intestinal blockage, had a morning tee time in calm conditions. AP

boiled eggs before rushing to karate practice.

“She was nice,” she said calmly of Sia. “She kept saying I was fantastic.”

“Amazing” was the way her thoroughly impressed mother, Masayo Takano, remembers Sia repeatedly praising her daughter.

“I was so excited,” her mother said, letting out a squeal not quite as fierce as the long throaty screams her daughter makes during her karate routines.

Mahiro—whose name means “ten thousand kindness, as well as ten thousand talents”—has a quick sweet smile when she isn’t screaming.

Her kicks, turns and punches in the air are part of kata forms that are like choreography in the Japanese defensive martial art of karate.

Kata competition is separate from combat matches, which are also part of the sport.

When doing kata, you slip into a focused character, Mahiro says, by imagining “a far more powerful enemy.”

She lost a contest just once, when she was in kindergarten. She wept, she recalls, so painful was it to lose. The trick is to practice as though you are in competition, and compete as though you are in practice, she said.

And she practices with a ferocious frenzy, working out every day after school with her older brother. She was 4 when she started karate, inspired by her brother, then 5, who

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Scott

EW YORK—Bryce Harper became the youngest unanimous Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner in baseball history on Thursday, capturing the National League award despite his Washington Nationals missing the playoffs.

Josh Donaldson took the American League MVP, earning the honor after helping boost the Toronto Blue Jays back into the postseason for the first time since 1993.

Harper turned 23 on October 16, after the playoffs had already started. He got all 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The 2012 NL Rookie of the Year led the majors in slugging percentage and on-base average. The outfielder hit .330 with 42 home runs and 99 runs batted in (RBIs).

Harper was the first player from a Washington franchise to win an MVP—no one on the original or expansion Senators or Nationals had done it.

Harper was the fourth-youngest player overall to win an MVP, with Stan Musial, Johnny Bench and Vida Blue also 22 but not quite as old.

Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was second in the voting and Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto was

LEVELAND—LeBron James scored 27 points, and Kevin Love added 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 115-100, in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Thursday.

Cleveland ended a two-game losing streak and avenged a double-overtime loss in Milwaukee on Saturday. The Cavaliers lead the Eastern Conference at 9-3.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 33 points for Milwaukee, and the Bucks rallied from a 21-point deficit in the second quarter to cut the lead to 84-79 late in the third.

Anderson Varejao, who came off the bench to score nine points, helped Cleveland build the lead to 97-84. James scored six points and Love had a three-point play in that stretch.

JR Smith added 18 points for Cleveland.

Antetokounmpo was 12-of-15 from the field and made all eight of his free throws. Greg Monroe scored 17 points, and Khris Middleton added 15 for Milwaukee.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry scored 40 points, as the Warriors rallied from a 23-point, first-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers ,124-117, for their 13th consecutive victory to start the season.

Klay Thompson added 25 points, Harrison Barnes had 21 and Draymond Green 19 for the Warriors, one of four teams in NBA history to open 13-0. They improved to 6-0 on the road.

Chris Paul scored a season-high 35 points, including 18, while igniting the Clippers in the opening quarter in his return from missing two games with a sore right groin. Blake Griffin added 27 points and Jamal Crawford had 15.

In Miami Chris Bosh had 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Heat beat Sacramento, 116-109, taking advantage of Kings star DeMarcus Cousins’s one-game suspension.

Cousins, averaging 30.8 points in his last five games, was suspended for hitting Atlanta’s Al Horford in the head with a forearm on Wednesday night in the Kings’ loss to the Hawks. The Kings are 0-5 without Cousins this season and 11-38 since he joined the team in 2010.

Dwyane Wade led Miami with 24 points, and Tyler Johnson had 19.

Sacramento’s Rajon Rondo had a season-high 18 assists, 14 points and nine rebounds after having three tripledoubles in his previous four games. Marco Belinelli led the Kings with 23 points. AP

began lessons with their father, a truck driver.

The moves must be powerful, precise and sharp, and getting better never ends, you can keep working at one detail after another, she added, sounding almost like a guru.

When asked about the appeal of karate, her reply is rather simple—being able to make friends.

“You get to play with them,” such as tag, she said.

Her parents say they are grateful to karate because it teaches a child discipline, hard work, the resilience to perform under pressure and manners. Bowing and cheerful replies, as well as constant practice and respect to hierarchy, exemplified in the belt system signifying skill levels, are integral to karate.

Her teacher Takako Kikuchi acknowledged that some purists may disapprove of a young woman’s participation in a music video.

“But this little girl did not compromise in the music video. She is doing her best, delivering, correctly and thoroughly, one by one, the moves that she knows, with utmost concentration. There is nothing false about it, nothing made up. She is truly telling the world the way of karate,” Kikuchi said proudly.

Mahiro has

already been chosen an official “ambassador” for karate for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The sport is vying to be chosen for the games.

Never mind that, even if that happens, Mahiro may not be old enough to compete. The age cutoff is still undecided.

“I want to go to the Olympics,” she says, “and win a gold medal.”

BRYCE HARPER wins the individual award despite his Washington Nationals missing the playoffs. AP

third. Yoenis Cespedes, acquired by the Mets from Detroit at the July 31 trade deadline, finished 13th.

Harper put aside his injury problems from recent seasons and put up huge numbers. The banged-up Nationals didn’t do nearly so well, starting the season as World Series favorites and finishing far out of contention.

Harper missed a lot of games in 2013 after a pair of run-ins with walls, then was sidelined for much of 2014 following a headfirst slide that hurt his thumb.

This year Harper reported to spring training with one goal—the only number he focused on was games played.

Harper finished with a .649 slugging percentage and a .460 on-base average. He went into the final day of the regular season with a chance to win the NL batting title—Miami’s Dee Gordon edged him—and scored a league-leading 118 runs.

The three-time All-Star also continued to draw fans in the Washington area and beyond. His constantly changing hairstyles are always getting attention and the selfie he took in the outfielder before a game at Nationals Park this season boosted his popularity even more.

His hitting, though, is what makes him so special.

“You could see throughout the season what this guy meant to this ball club. And don’t forget, this guy carried us throughout the whole season,” Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said on Wednesday.

“Every team that we played circled his name and said, ‘This guy’s not going to beat us.’ And with that said, he beat a lot of teams. So it was a remarkable season. As we said at this time last year, I thought that ‘Harp’ was just scratching the surface of what he can be.”

Donaldson received 23 first-place votes. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout got the other first-place votes and finished second for the third time—he won the award last year. Kansas City outfielder Lorenzo Cain was third.

Donaldson led the AL with 123 RBIs and topped the majors by scoring 122 runs. He hit 41 home runs and batted .297.

Traded from Oakland to Toronto last off-season, Donaldson joined a power-packed lineup that included Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. The Blue Jays battered their way to the American League East title and led the majors in runs and homers, with Donaldson leading the way. AP