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Sunday, April 17, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 190

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DBM releases ₧233.8M as LGU share in mine taxes By Marilou Guieb Correspondent

MINE TOUR On a media mine tour at the OceanaGold

(Philippines) Inc. Didipio mine site in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, campus journalists Nonie Perante and Audrey Mei Diaz are oriented by Didipio Operations Information Officer Lenilee Ananayo about how a gold-processing plant (background) works. The mine tour is the final leg of a Media Mining 101 workshop launched by the mining firm for media practitioners in the Cagayan Valley region. LEONARDO PERANTE II

Power firms await policy on fuel mix after Aquino

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

OWER producers’ longterm investment plans will largely depend on the priorities of the incoming administration. In particular, the power firms await the issuance of a more definite fuel-mix policy.

Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Corp. President Francisco L. Viray, a former energy secretary, said the company would definitely explore opportunities offered by the muchawaited energy-mix policy of the incoming administration. “We will pursue opportunities offered by developments in the regulatory environment,” he said in an interview, referring to a firm fuelmix policy, which concurrent Energy Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada hopes would be in the form of legislation. See “Power Firms,” A2

The new Iba: Zambales capital fast catching up with progress By Henry Empeño Correspondent

I BEST ENERGIES FOR THE GOOD Dear Lord, we do not have to limit our search for signs of the reality of Your resurrection by focusing on such exceptional acts of courage and faithfulness. Fortunately, even our corrupt and corrupting society, full of endless forms of moral misery, we have thousands of people who are living witnesses to Your resurrection through their dedication to their duties. The millions of parents who spend their best energies for the good of their children, the dedicated teachers in the classroom, the writers, the doctors, the nurses, the caregivers and the paramedics...all those practicing an honest profession with generous dedication, are living proofs of the reality of Your resurrection that any human virtue finds its ultimate reason, its true meaning and the lasting reward. Amen! Word & Life, Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB and Luisa M. Lacson, HFL

BA, Zambales—After existing for several decades as a laidback summer destination of unspoiled beaches, seafood fiestas and mango festivals, this capital town of Zambales is finally emerging into a modern city, befitting its stature as the premier municipality in the province. Along the town’s business district, the neon signages of popular fast-food franchises, commercial banks, supermarkets and retail shops announce the coming of age of Iba as a business center and leisure capital of Zambales. New buildings are rising, too, along the major streets of the capital, as businesses scramble to lay claim to new opportunities brought about by the growing local economy. As of late, a midsized mall has sprouted at the town center, bringing Bench and Penshoppe, and other brand-name fashion stores to customers who previously bought dresses at the nearby public market. Tricycles, the ubiquitous means of transport in this town of 14 vil-

PESO exchange rates n US 46.2560

THE central business district of Iba, Zambales, now continues to attract more shops and popular franchises, like Jollibee and McDonald’s. henry empeño

lages, have also increased severalfold over the years, as more schools opened, beach resorts increased in numbers, and traders brought in more goods. “It was never like this 10 years or even five years ago,” said Noli Basul, a former newsman in Olongapo City who fell in love with the rustic community and settled there some 20 years ago. “Now, there are more beach resorts and shops, and there are 12 banks operating here.”

“This only means that there’s money going around the local economy, and that local entrepreneurs and businesses are doing good. This is a good sign that progress, finally, has arrived here,” Basul added. Locals say that Iba has always been a center of religious activity and had little trade ever since it was founded by Augustinian Recollect priests as the village of Paynauen in 1611. Located roughly at the See “Iba,” A2

Top finance officials: World economy still faces threats

Ap photo

HE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P233.8 million to cover the 40-percent share of local government units (LGUs) from excise taxes collected from the mining industry between December 2011 and the fourth quarter of 2014. During the period, total collection from mining taxes reached P585 million. Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said the funds should be directly credited to the accounts of the recipient provinces, municipalities and barangays. “We have issued the allotment and corresponding cash allocation for the release of the lawful share of LGUs in the proceeds from the utilization and development of minerals in their respective areas. The funds are now released based on the joint certification of mining tax collections issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Treasury, as well as the schedule of the corresponding shares of recipient LGUs,” Abad said in a press statement. Abad added that the funds released are charged against the P1.5 billion appropriated for the purpose in the current year’s national budget. The proceeds from the share of LGUs shall be appropriated by their respective Sanggunian to finance local government and livelihood projects. The DBM press release listed the Caraga region to have received the largest share, in the amount of P100.5 million. Caraga hosts several mining projects producing various mineral commodities, including gold, copper, chrome, nickel, iron and limestone. See “DBM,” A2

“The United States cannot and must not be the only engine of growth.... All major economies need to deploy a full tool kit of economic-policy measures.”

—US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew

ASHINGTON—The global recovery has regained most of the ground lost from the market turbulence at the beginning of the year, finance officials of the world’s largest economies said on Friday. But they worry that growth remains uneven in the face of a variety of threats, ranging from terrorist bombings to Britain’s upcoming vote on whether to leave the European Union. The finance ministers from the Group of 20 (G-20) major economies pledged to pursue policies that will bolster growth and further stabilize financial markets, but they offered no new measures to accomplish these goals. Reflecting some of the challenges the countries face, Lou Jiwei, China’s finance minister, defended his country’s handling of its economy against criticism that has seen two major credit-rating agencies recently downgrade the outlook for Chinese bonds. The joint statement from the G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors repeated many of the promises the group had made at their last meeting in Shanghai in late-February. However, at that time, global financial markets had just gone through a significant bout of turbulence over concerns about a worse-thanexpected slowdown in China, falling oil prices and the threat they posed to the global economy. US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said the resolve demonstrated by the finance officials to bolster global growth represented a strong statement rebutting the voices of antiglobalization. He said cooperation was needed, because “the United States cannot and must not be the only engine of growth.... All major economies need to deploy a full tool kit of economic-policy measures.” While there are still many challenges, finance officials said they were encouraged that markets had stabilized. Stephen Poloz, head of the Bank of Canada, said the mood this week was much better than at the February meeting in China: “I came away feeling a little more encouraged than when I arrived.” Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said the world’s financial markets are starting to regain “composure,” although he said “downside risk” persists. Aso expressed particular concern about risks from volatility in capital flows and foreign-exchange rates. AP

n japan 0.4228 n UK 65.4661 n HK 5.9639 n CHINA 7.1344 n singapore 33.9344 n australia 35.5616 n EU 52.1166 n SAUDI arabia 12.3386

Source: BSP (15 April 2016 )

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, April 17, 2016

Power firms… A new energy secretary may replace Monsada when a new Philippine president is elected next month. For now, Monsada’s office is pushing for the industry to source 30 percent of its energy requirements from coal, 30 percent from renewable energy and another 30 percent from natural gas. The remaining 10 percent will come from oil-based power plants. “An energy mix will define new opportunities, at least for us,” said Viray, adding that “opportunities will be different,” should there be no issuance of a firm energy-mix policy by the next administration. Viray said the company is aiming to produce 2,000 negawatts of power-generating capacity in five years. “Then, we just have to do with

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whatever opportunity comes along,” he said, when asked to comment if the government fails to come up with a firmer fuel-mix policy. “But we do hope an energy-mix policy will be promulgated soon.” The Phinma-led group’s power portfolio currently stands at about 500 MW. Its list of power projects with partners includes a 135-MW clean-coal power plant in Calaca, Batangas, with AC Energy; a 20-MW geothermal project in Santo Tomas, Batangas, with the Yuchengco Group and the Philippine National Oil Co.; the 54-MW San Lorenzo wind farm on Guimaras Island; and an expanded 30MW geothermal plant. Trans-Asia also acquired Power Barges 101, 102 and 103, which

have a combined capacity of 96 MW, from the government. AC Energy Holdings Inc. Chief Operating Adviser Patrice Clausse, in a separate interview, said a fuel-mix policy serves as a guide to investors. He underscored the importance of the government’s role in the future of power-supply security and reliability. “A fuel-mix policy will be very important to the industry. It will obviously have a bearing on what kind of projects we will have to focus on moving forward,” he said. The power arm of conglomerate Ayala Corp. has currently assembled over 700 MW of attributable capacity. Since its inception, Clausse said the company has been trying to strike a balance of providing cheapbased load power, while also providing renewable energy. “That balance has to be maintained, and that goes back to the point of having a fuel-mix policy. Coal remains the cheapest source of power, and in the Philippines, electricity rates are relatively elevated. Having said that, you need a long-term, clear and consistent government policy,” he said. AC Energy, together with partners GN Power Kauswagan Ltd. Co., South Luzon Energy Corp. and Northwind Power Development

Iba…

Corp., is pursuing several power projects and is close to achieving its target of assembling over 1,000 MW of attributable capacity from power plants within this year. Coal, a cheaper source of fuel to fire up power plants in the country, makes up about 40 percent of the country’s power mix, DOE Director for Electric Power Industry Management Bureau Irma Exconde said in an earlier interview. Based on latest DOE data, the country’s total installed capacity stood at 18,695 MW. Dependable capacity, meanwhile, stood at 16,451 MW. Of the installed capacity, coalpower plants make up 31.5 percent, while oil-based and natural gas-fired plants account for 19.3 percent and 15.3 percent, respectively. Data indicated the share of renewable-energy sources, such as geothermal, at 10.3 percent; hydro, at 19.3 percent; wind at 2.3 percent; solar, at 0.9 percent; and biomass, 1.2 percent. Energy think tank and global consultancy IHS of Singapore strongly urged the Philippine government to craft a stronger policy framework that will ensure a balanced power-sector fuel mix. The future, however, is uncertain, as coal is seen to take up 56 percent

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center of the coastal province of Zambales, Iba was settled in by Zambals and soon by Ilocano migrant-farmers from the north. When it became the permanent capital town of Zambales (taking the honor from Masinloc town, which held the title when Zambales still incorporated several towns now under the jurisdiction of the nearby province of Pangasinan), Iba became the center of the civil government and, hence, also of commerce. Aside from hosting offices of the provincial government and national agencies, the local economy was also sustained by farms producing rice, vegetables, livestock and high-value crops, like mangoes, as well as tourism revenue from the beach resorts, hotels and restaurants that sprouted over the years along the town’s 7 kilometers of finesand beaches. Business has been good, said Basul, who holds the position of Sangguniang Bayan secretary, that the annual revenue of this growing municipality (even without the Internal Revenue Allotment from the national government) has jumped from around P10 million or P12 million 10 years ago to around P50 million nowadays.

www.businessmirror.com.ph of the mix by 2020 and only 35 percent for gas. This is because there are 23 new coal-fired power plants lined up for commercial operation in the next five years, IHS noted. Aboitiz Power CEO Erramon Aboitiz has been urging the government to craft effective policies to protect the consumers, as well as the business interests of the private sector. “The government has got to have a target or policy to work on moving forward,” he said. Aboitiz was particularly referring to a more comprehensive fuel-mix policy. “What happens to the competitiveness of somebody’s power plants? If the private sector, on its own, is allowed to make decisions as to what fuel or what technology to use and still remains competitive in this market, then by all means let them.” “From the national perspective, it makes sense to have some policy diversification. But how to achieve that has to be determined and worked on,” Aboitiz said. Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan also said the government should come out with a clear policy identifying the power demand, supply deficit and type of fuel source to guide investors on how they will embark on future projects. “We need to know that energy mix so that the private sector

Mayor Jun Rundstedt Ebdane, who now oversees the town’s push for modernity, said the municipality is poised for more development in the coming years, as the government and private enterprise combine to bring Iba to the next level. “The thrust we’ve been pursuing since I was elected mayor in 2013 was to make the capital town of Zambales look like a capital town,” Ebdane said. “This is very important, because Iba is the seat of government, and it also hosts many government offices.” He recalled the time when Iba reeked of garbage, because there wasn’t an effective system of solid-waste management, especially at the market area. “So we removed the eyesores. We improved the streets that have been neglected for quite some time, and now we are building a modern public market to replace the one that has burned down twice. And little by little, as you can see, more businesses have since then been moving into Iba, and we hope that with these, there will be more economic opportunities for residents, too,” Ebdane said. Taking on the slogan “Bangon Iba!” to emphasize the need to improve the town’s economy and the residents’ quality of life, Ebdane sought to push the town toward modernity while preserving traditional fea-

would know where to move. Should we turn to coal plants? Should we turn to gas plants? What are the limits?” Pangilinan said. Meralco is the country’s largest distribution-utility firm, with over 5 million customers. It is also engaged in the power-generation business, being handled by Meralco PowerGen Corp. “I don’t know whether there’s enough time for such policies to be articulated between now and June, or will it move over to the next government?” Pangilinan said, referring to Monsada’s intent to legislate a fuel-mix policy. “We aspire for a balanced energy mix, because we can’t be dependent on a single resource. As far as the DOE is concerned, we need power to make sure there is sufficient and reliable power supply. They say it’s crazy to have all these coal plants, but I say it’s crazier to have no power at all,” Monsada said. The DOE’s position, she said, is “coal plants are not here forever. But we need them now, and if these coal plants comply with the standards, then we can’t do anything.” Monsada’s office said previously the agency would impose stricter standards on coal-fired power plants as part of the country’s aspiration to lessen carbon emissions.

tures that make it an ideal residential area and a superb vacation spot. He said today’s changing skyline in the town complements the growing popularity of Iba as a tourist destination. “Now that we have more restaurants and resorts, and even a mall, more visitors arrive because they have more places to go to. And the more visitors we get, the more that local residents earn,” Ebdane said. The latest project of the local government is a P110million public market in Barangay Dirita-Baloguen, about two blocks from the existing marketplace. The project was funded with loans from local banks. Ebdane said the project, which began in January 2015 and completed last month, was the solution to a long-standing land row that left the Iba public market a virtual squatter on a 5,000-square-meter lot that is being claimed by private persons. “Residents of Iba have long clamored for a new market building, since the old market has burned down in 2009 and again in 2010,” Ebdane said. “Finally, we now have a market that befits a capital town, and something that we can all be proud of,” he added. With more facilities rising in Iba, local tourism gets stronger, especially during summer. “A lot of businesses are going up here, but Iba remains to be the beach capital of Zambales,” said Vilma Reyes, manager of Palmera, one of the more popular beach resorts in town. Reyes said that while tourism business remains largely seasonal in Zambales, with summer and end of the year as the peak seasons, Iba gets visitors “virtually year-round,” as residents from Manila and landlocked provinces in Central Luzon choose Iba because of its location. Iba is around 200 km northwest of Manila and is accessible via the scenic Zambales Highway, which connects at the Subic Bay Freeport to the Subic-Clark Expressway. Reyes said a lot of foreigners visit Zambales, and for that matter, the beaches of Iba, because they are not crowded. “Moreover, the food here—especially seafood fare, like crabs, lobsters, tropical fishes and seaweeds— are not only abundant; they also relatively cheaper.” Zambales Provincial Tourism Officer Tel Mora also said that Iba’s annual festivals—the Zambales Dinamulag Mango Festival, which is held here, and Iba’s homegrown Paynauen Duyan Festival—are raking in visitors to the province each summer.

DBM…

Continued from a1

The other regions with large shares include Region 7, with P29.2 million; Region 2, with P27.3 million; Region 4B, with P22.2 million; and the Cordillera Administrative Region, with P21.7 million. The regions with the lowest shares are Regions 11 and 6, with P52,440 and P95,300.76, respectively. The 40-percent share from gross collection derived from national wealth, such as from mining, royalties, forestry and fishery charges within an LGU’s juisdiction, is mandated under the local government code. Ideally, the national wealth tax is to be derived from the collection of the preceding year, but takes years to be fulfilled. In the past, this prompted Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan to file a bill for direct remittance to the LGU during his term as city representative in Congress, saying then that the setup of the shares having to pass through the national government is not effective, as most LGUs do not receive their shares. He cited Benguet province at that time, which had been deprived of its shares from the operations of mining companies for many years. Domogan cited the system used with special economic zones, where LGUs collected directly from their share from the locators. Domogan’s bill was passed in the lower house, but the Senate did not act on it. Eventually, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. expanded the proposed bill of Domogan in his “Bigger Pie, Bigger Slice” bill, amending Republic Act 7160, for the expansion of the tax base from which the sharing is computed. If approved, this would increase the 40-percent national wealth-tax share of LGUs to 50 percent.

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NewsSunday BusinessMirror

Roxas, Robredo use campaign slogan as nicknames in ballot By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

GROUP of informationtechnology experts has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to explain the use of the daang matuwid campaign slogan as nicknames of the Liberal Party (LP) standard bearers Manuel A. Roxas II and Leni Robredo in the May 9 election ballots. Philippine Computer Society (PCS) Foundation former President Noel “Toti” Cariño, PCS Director Nelson Celis, Glenn Chong, Jojo Buerano, Mike Aragon and Rev. Nanding Paunil of Prayer Life Ministries, citing Section 5, Rule II of Comelec Resolution 9984, said the candidate’s name to appear on the official ballots shall be limited only to the candidate’s surname, first name or nickname, and the acronym of the political party or coalition, which collectively shall not exceed 30 characters. The words “Daang Matuwid” added to the names of Roxas and Robredo, candidates of the LP, are clearly not their surnames, first names or nicknames, and acronym of their political party or coalition. Everybody knows, except perhaps the Comelec, that it is a campaign slogan which, under the rules of the commission, cannot and should not have been printed on the official ballots, they said during a forum over the weekend in a hotel in Quezon City. They also said that, if the poll

body cannot be fair to the candidates, “can it be expected to be fair to the electorate?” This only goes to prove that the Comelec is willing to bend its own rules to favor certain candidates. If it can bend its own rules at will on seemingly petty or innocuous matter as the contents of the official ballots, what can prevent Comelec officials from bending their own rules and security protocols in the conduct of the automated elections in which they have the absolute power to access the system and change its data, including the election results, anytime? the group added. Meanwhile, senior members of the House Committee on Justice chided former Sen. Francisco Tatad for his continued “persecution” of presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe Party-list Reps. Silvestre Bello III of 1BAP, Samuel Pagdilao of ACT-CIS, Rodel Batocabe of Ako Bicol and Terry Ridon of Kabataan and National Unity Party Rep. Emil Ong of Northern Samar said Tatad “should stop flogging a dead horse.” The lawmakers criticized Tatad for seeking a reversal of a Supreme Court (SC) decision that upheld with finality Poe’s legal right to run for president. Tatad has filed a second motion for reconsideration to the SC ruling that junked bids to disqualify Poe on alleged questions over her citizenship and residency.

Troops track down kidnappers of 4 Indonesian tugboat crewmen

AMBOANGA CITY—The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) has ordered its troops in the provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi to monitor possible landing of a gunmenladen speed boat bringing four Indonesian hostages.

Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., Westmincom spokesman, said the Westmincom order was issued as unidentified heavily armed men have attacked a tugboat that injured a crew member and seized four others, all Indonesians. However, Tan said they have yet to ascertain the identities of the gunmen, as they could be pirates who are just using the names of the Abu Sayyaf Group. “There is no proof that they [Abu Sayyaf bandits] are the ones who did that [abduction],” Tan added. He said the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on Friday in the sea off Pondo Sibugal, Sitangkai, TawiTawi. The identities of the victims were not immediately available, except that they are among the 10 Indonesian crew members of T/B (Tugboat) Henry, Tan said. He added that the victims were passing the area when around seven unidentified gunmen aboard a speed boat painted gray and blue attacked them.

Tan said the gunmen seized the four Indonesians and sped off to a still undetermined direction, leaving behind the remaining six, including the wounded crewman. He said troops were sent to track down the gunmen, as well as the victims.

‘Reopen border between Sabah, Sulu’

SULU—The Lupah Sug Bangsamoro Women Association Inc. based in Sulu over the weekend appealed to the Malaysian government to immediately reopen its borders in Sabah to travelers and commercial traders from the southern Philippines. Curbing criminal activity in the cross-border area that separates Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines is not achieved by unilateral action, but requires joint policing, targeted punitive action, and the uniform application of laws against deadly shadow economies, such as piracy and kidnapfor-ransom that plague these porous

Group bares discrepancies in overseas-voting process

HE Philippine Computer Society (PCS) asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to explain the reported discrepancies between the actual votes on the physical ballot and the voters’ recorded or printed voter receipts during overseas absentee voting (OAV). “We have received reports in social media complaining that the voter receipts of OAV voters in Lebanon, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Taiwan did not match those whom they actually voted for, especially for the position of president. In some of these reports, the voter receipt showed no one was voted for president when, in fact, in the physical ballot, it was actually shaded and voted for. In other reports, the voter receipt showed a candidate’s name different from the one actually voted for in the physical ballot,” former PCS President Noel “Toti” Cariño said. The group also criticized Comelec Chairman Andres D. Bautista after he allegedly threatened last week that voters, who make petty complaints regarding supposed discrepancies in

their voter receipts, will be charged with an election offense. “We view this as a feeble attempt to frighten the voters and dissuade them from complaining any observed discrepancy in the voter receipt. Instead of the Comelec encouraging voters to complain as a concrete measure against election cheating, it opted to side with election manipulators, even perhaps facilitate it, by dangling the sword of possible criminal charges to silence the voters,” they added. Meanwhile, overseas voting officially started on April 9 at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy in Washington. Among the first to cast their ballots are Army TSgt. Maria Olga O. Abella and Chargé d’Affaires Patrick Chuasoto who voted on the first and second days of voting, respectively. This year the Philippine Embassy adopted mixed voting, with the Automated Election System-Modified Postal Voting as default option, where all registered Filipino overseas voters with complete mailing addresses

on record can expect to receive their ballot packets through the mail. The ballot packets contain the official ballot, ballot envelope, paper seal and instruction to voters, mailed a day to a week prior to the start of overseas voting. As of Friday about 97 percent of ballot packets have already been mailed. The remainder requires correction of mailing addresses. A list will be posted on our web site, requesting these voters to either provide their updated addresses or come to the embassy to personally cast their vote. Voters may expect to receive their ballot packets in the next couple of days. The voter may then mail or personally deliver the accomplished ballot to the Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group at the Philippine Embassy, to be received no later than May 9 at 5 a.m. Prior to the start of the voting period, the Philippine Embassy also held the first-ever Overseas Voter’s Education Forum on March 30 at the Romulo Hall, where video-recorded

messages from presidential and vicepresidential candidates who responded to the embassy’s invitation were shown to the Filipino community in Metro D.C. “It was your determination to be heard, to have a say in the governance of your country, that made overseas voting possible. We call on you now, the 176,064 registered Filipino overseas voters in the United States of America, to exercise the right you fought for, and cast your ballot.” Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia urged the Filipino community present during the said forum. “Overseas voter turnout is an indicator of the voters’ perceived stake in the outcome of the elections, and of the trust of the voters in our electoral processes,” Cuisia added. For the duration of the overseas voting period, the Embassy is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily for those registered Filipino overseas voters who prefer to personally hand in their accomplished ballots or cast their votes. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz and Recto L. Mercene

PLCPD urges poll bets: Give children a break By Marvyn N. Benaning Correspondent

HEPhilippineLegislators’Committee on Population and Development Inc. (PLCPD) has called on the presidential candidates to commit themselves to protecting children’s rights. At a news briefing at Max’s Restaurant at Scout Tuazon in Quezon City on Friday morning, PLCPD Executive Director Romeo C. Dongeto said the committee has been working for the past 28 years to protect children and goad the government to give them protection from corporal punishment and institutional oppression and exploitation. Dongeto explained that PLCPD “is not a partisan political organization and has never received a single red cent out of the pork-barrel system.” The pork-barrel system, which is known as the Priority Development

Assistance Fund (Pdaf), had already been declared illegal by the Supreme Court. Asked on what it plans to do now that the United Nations (UN), the US State Department and the Human Rights Watch had renewed the demand for justice for 1,084 people summarily executed in a city in Mindanao since 2002, Dongeto said “PLCPD has ties with human-rights groups and is concerned about the injustice done, but its mandate is to work with the legislature in enacting laws that protect children.” A total of 80 minors were killed since 2002 by a death squad in the Mindanao city. A presidential candidate said the investigation into the murders of the minors should be pursued, and vowed to pitch in with a battery of lawyers to nail the mastermind and his cohorts. Many children have also been brutalized during military operations against communist guerrillas

Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo • Sunday, April 17, 2016 A3

and other lawless groups. D u r i ng t he sa me br ief i ng , PLCPD advocacy officer Janelle Rabe stressed the need to protect children from being abused and exploited, noting that the state is mandated to protect minors under the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Kitty Amante of World Vision, a Christian non-governmental organization, said 42 million, or 42 percent, of the country’s entire population are children who should be saved from malnutrition, drug abuse, bullying, child trafficking and child labor. Danica Magtubo, peer educator at Y-Peer Philippines, also called for intensified children’s education while asking that parents be taught as well about UNCRC, the relevant laws against corporal punishment and verbal abuse. Rabe, Amante and Magtubo noted that the battle for children’s rights could be heightened if the

state itself supports the campaign financially, helps end teenage pre g n a nc ie s, w it h te e n a ge r s giving birth at a rate of 24 per hour, or 576 a day, for a total of 210,240 babies a year. PLCPD also launched the music video “Voice for Change” during the briefing and asked the people at large to propagate not only the music but the message that the time is ripe to give children a chance by changing the entire system that keeps them neglected, their potentials not utilized. In conclusion, Dongeto, Rabe, Amante and Magtubo called on the media to help spread the message of “iChange: Vote for Change” that covers protection of children under situations of armed conflict, children’s participation in disaster risk reduction and mitigation, children’s health and nutrition, anti-cor poral punishment and positive discipline and adolescent reproductive health.

frontiers, the group said. “Yet, in a perverse application of ‘beggar thy neighbor policies’, Malaysia imposed a blockade on Sabah in response to the kidnapping of its nationals by criminal extremists,” the group said in a statement. “This decision is arbitrary, counterproductive, and will not bring about a long-term solution to the problem of criminal terrorism that Malaysia and the Philippines both face,” the statement added. The group said the Malaysian action punishes legitimate businessmen, traders, including tourists and relatives of families living in Sabah who had no hand in the kidnapping, and are, in fact, victimized by the same piracy and other threats to their lives and livelihoods. “By closing its borders, Malaysia succumbs to the fear and threat of criminal extremism that the perpetrators wanted to create, a threat that should unite rather than tear us apart,” the women’s group statement said. The action is but a temporary

response, yet it unduly strains the fraternal and friendly relations between our countries—a solidarity nurtured too by the positive interaction and engagement between small traders, especially women, who possess strong ties of friendship with their Malaysian counterparts, the group also said. “Communities in Sulu and TawiTawi already feel the brunt of the blockade with the spike in food and petroleum prices already 70 percent to date, threatening food security in the area. This has deep economic and social repercussions to the already strained condition in Mindanao brought about by the drought and the energy crisis. “Worse, the competition over local and more expensive resources will have ominous implications to existing grievances and conflict dynamics in the Sabah-Sulu corridor, the statement said. The group also called on the Philippine government to dialogue with Malaysia to take collaborative and nuanced actions to address security and economic issues in its shared borders. PNA

SundayV

Busine

A4 Sunday, April 17, 2016 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

editorial

Welcome home, Manny

ETTER late than never, but we cannot pass up this opportunity to welcome home Manny Pacquiao, the man who, for the nth time in the last several years, has brought honor to his country and pride to his fellow Filipinos. His triumph over Timothy Bradley Jr., a worthy opponent, is an important achievement, but it is nothing to the intensification of love of country and of fellow Filipinos that he has brought about. His revival of nationalism and unity among us is for all time. We’ve had our share of great world champions in the past. There are the immortals Francisco Guilledo, better known as Pancho Villa, world flyweight champion in the late-1920s, acknowledged as one of the most outshining boxers of that generation; Ceferino Garcia, world middleweight champion of the late-1930s, a great knockout artist known for his “bolo punch”; and the one and only Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, whose reign of seven years, two months and 29 days as junior lightweight champion of the world in the 1960s has stood unbroken to this day. These great warriors are members of boxing’s International Hall of Fame. We are proud of them. Now comes Manny Pacquiao. To mention a few bits of memorabilia, Manny is the only man in the whole history of boxing worldwide to have been world champion in eight different weight classes—ranging from flyweight (112 lb) to junior middleweight (152 lb). Among other things, he was Fighter of the Decade for the 2000s; Fighter of the Year in 2006, 2008 and 2009; deemed by BoxRec, the computer boxing organization, “The Greatest Asian Fighter of All Time.” Manny’s achievements go beyond the boxing arena. As everybody who has traveled abroad would testify, foreigners in the past associated Filipinos with dishonesty (arising most likely from experience with dishonest taxi drivers, pickpockets and petty thieves), and plunder of the public treasury (the result, no doubt, of reading of the shameless thievery of congressmen and senators), making the Filipino cringe in shame and embarrassment. No longer. These days when a foreigner finds that the tourist is a Filipino, he or she immediately remarks, “Oh, you are a countryman of Manny Pacquiao, the great boxer!” making the Filipino swell with pride and honor. By all accounts, unprecedented global success has not ruined Manny. He remains generous and kind, devoting substantial portions of his wealth to the less fortunate among his countrymen in his home province and other parts of the country. All these do not mean Pacquiao has no detractors. He has. These critics are correct in saying that Manny is the most notorious absentee from Congress, attending only four sessions out of 200 in the years he was a congressman. This criticism is valid, but we must add that it is nowhere as socially repugnant as the conduct of those who use perfect attendance to cover their plunder of the national treasury. Welcome home, Manny. You deserve peace and quiet in the home of your loved ones and in the hearts of your fellow Filipinos.

Since 2005

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Reducing food waste could help mitigate climate change A

TEAM of researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK, for short) in Germany has shared its new findings to Database that, “for the first time, provides comprehensive food-loss projections for countries around the world while also calculating the associated emissions.”

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Database

By Cecilio T. Arillo

“Currently, one-third of global food production never finds its way onto our plates. This share will increase drastically, if emerging countries, like China and India, adopt Western nutrition lifestyles, the analyses show. Reducing food waste would offer the chance to ensure food security, which is well known. Yet, at the same time, it could help mitigate dangerous climate change,” lead author-researcher Ceren Hic said. Hic argued that “reducing food waste can contribute to fighting hunger, but, to some extent, also prevent climate impacts, like more intense weather extremes and sealevel rise.” Even though food availability on a global average has been higher than required in theory, some developing countries still have to fight undernourishment or hunger. The PIK study showed that about a 10th of overall global greenhousegas emissions from agriculture could be traced back to food waste by midcentury. “At the same time, agriculture is a major driver of climate change, accounting for more than 20 percent of overall global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2010. Avoiding food loss and waste would, therefore, avoid unnecessary greenhouse-gas emissions and help mitigate climate change,” explained Prajal Pradhan, another PIK researcher who coauthored the new report. Researchers at the PIK analyzed body types and food requirements for the past and different future scenarios, accounting for demographic changes, as well as food demand and availability and associated emissions. They found that while the global average food demand per person remains almost constant, in the last five decades, food availability has rapidly increased. “More important, food availability and requirement ratio show

Jürgen Kropp, deputy chairman of PIK research domain Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities, explained that an estimated “1.3 billion tons of food per year are discarded, and food losses occur mostly in developing countries due to less-efficient agricultural infrastructure.” a linear relationship with human development, indicating that richer countries consume more food that is healthy or simply waste it,” Pradhan said, adding that, consequently, greenhouse-gas emissions associated with food waste could increase tremendously from 0.5 to 1.9-2.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents per year by 2050. One gigaton equals 1 billion ton. Emissions from agriculture alone are expected to rise by up to 18 gigatons of CO2 equivalents by 2050 due to an unbridled demographic growth and lifestyle changes, the new PIK study said. “Thus, emissions related to discarded food are just the tip of the iceberg,” Pradhan said, further explaining that “it is quite astounding that up to 14 percent of overall agricultural emissions in 2050 could easily be avoided by a better management of food utilization and distribution. Changing individual behavior could be one key toward mitigating the climate crisis.” Jürgen Kropp, deputy chairman of PIK research domain Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities, explained that an estimated “1.3 billion tons of food per year are discarded, and food losses occur mostly in developing countries due to less-efficient agricultural infrastructure.” “Many emerging economies like China or India, are projected to rapidly increase their food waste as a consequence of changing lifestyle, increasing welfare and dietary habits toward a larger share of animalbased products and, at the same time, undermine efforts for an ambitious climate protection,” Kropp said.

How the food-supply chain can be made smarter and more efficient, and convince consumers to reduce food waste are the questions the PIK researchers are looking into. These questions require further research, but the study sheds light on the complex interplay of food security and climate change that will become even more important in a future that will have to feed around 10 billion people. “Avoiding food loss could pose a leverage to various challenges at once, reducing environmental impacts of agriculture, saving resources used in food production, and enhance local, regional and global food security,” Kropp said. The PIK, founded in 1992, is a member of the Leibniz Association and receives core funding of about €11 million from the German federal government and the Federal State of Brandenburg. A similar amount of additional project funding is raised from external sources in competition with other institutions, a large part coming from European Union’s grant programs. The PIK’s researchers in the natural and social sciences from all over the world work closely together to study global change and its impacts on ecological, economic and social systems. They examine the earth system’s capacity for withstanding human interventions and devise strategies and options for a sustainable development of humankind and nature. Interdisciplinary and solution-oriented approaches are distinctive characteristics of the institute. The PIK has four research domains: Earth System Analysis, Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities, Sustainable Solution and Transdiciplinary Concepts and Method. From these domains, the PIK generates fundamental knowledge for sustainable development primarily through data analysis and computer simulations of the dynamic processes in the earth system, but also of social processes. To reach the writer, e-mail cecilio.arillo@ gmail.com.

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opinion@businessmirror.com.ph • Sunday, April 17, 2016 A5

The Tango President I

T takes Maureen Dowd, America’s best newspaper columnist, to capture the moment for the man of the age dancing the tango. “Barack Obama,” she writes in The New York Times, “is tangoing into history—and there’s something perfect about that.”

Free Fire

By Teddy Locsin Jr.

She explains: “The tango has been described as vertical solitude. And this president is all about vertical solitude.” There is his height, his leanness, his chiseled face, his unswerving stand on issues whatever the blow back from ignorance, fear and racial prejudice—and there is his cold and silent contempt for less-than-intelligent reaction to events. Indeed, the thing about tango, which I struggled in vain to learn, is that less is more. The male dancer mostly stands, imperturbable, while his sexy companion drapes herself on his shoulders, falls back on his arm in blindly faithful surrender to its strength, or wraps her leg around him. But he does not seem to care. His attention is all on himself, on the sparseness of his movements, and on how economically

he dances to the end—not one unnecessary step: no flourishes, no hesitation. Obama had politely told the professional dancer at the Argentine state function—after she asked permission to dance with the American president: “You lead; I will follow.” Yet, he pulled her along, the dancer confessed, to the end. That’s Obama: The man who strode down the White House red carpet to the lectern virtually holding bin Laden’s severed head in one hand, to announce he had dropped bin Laden’s bullet-riddled body in the Indian Ocean. “That’s how he’s been,” Dowd said. The young black man who said “it is time to move beyond colors, blue and red, black and white, the man whose flesh creeps at wearing a flag pin on his lapel,” when he can be serving America with his whole being and

not just with a fashion accessory of clothing. At the end of his second term, he shared a bench with Raul Castro at a baseball game in Havana—unthinkable to three generations of Americans. Back on the mainland United States, two Cuban exiles beat themselves silly in the Republican primaries. Baseball in enemy country was just another step in the presidential tango. Buenos Aires next. Before that, he swept unheeding “through the British Petroleum oil spill, James Foley beheaded by ISIS, the Paris attacks, the San Bernardino attacks and Brussels” airport suicide bombing; which he discussed rationally and briefly while watching the Cuban game with Derek Jeter, whom I had the privilege to watch on the sidewalk most mornings when he stepped out of his Trump Tower digs

The lessons of a US coal giant’s collapse T

HE bankruptcy of Peabody Energy Corp., the largest US coal producer, is the most vivid illustration yet of the market’s deep and welcome shift away from coal. It could also be calamitous for the environment: If Peabody goes out of business, who will clean up the pollution it has left behind?

Under federal law, companies must pay for the reclamation of the land they have contaminated through mining. The usual way to do this would be to require them to put up money or collateral to cover those costs. But some states, with the federal government’s blessing, allow companies to “self-bond”— essentially, to promise that when the time comes to clean up a mine,

they’ll have enough money to do the job.

Confronting coal

PEABODY’S bankruptcy shows the folly of this practice. Of the six states in which Peabody has mines, four— Wyoming, New Mexico, Illinois and Indiana—allow self-bonding. In those states, taxpayers could be on the hook for up to $1.15 billion. A federal bankruptcy judge has some discretion to force Peabody to make good on its commitments to states, and the judge should use it. Failing to clean up an old mine, beyond leaving behind an eyesore, can let toxins leak into the water

supply, threatening animals and people alike. Leaving a surface mine unreclaimed can also prevent local communities from using the land for grazing, farming, hunting and recreation. Wyoming’s Powder River Basin alone will require an estimated $800 million. The broader question is how many more Peabodys there may be, and how to pay for the environmental damage they have caused. The company is the latest in a string of US coal producers to fail, in an industry that has lost 20,000 jobs and 94 percent of its market value since 2011. US coal production in the first three months of 2016 fell 38 percent

Protect our history with every bite By Jennifer Bates

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals/TNS Forum

OSTON—Saint Augustine, Florida Jamestown, Virginia. The events that took place at these sites helped write our country’s history. But now our gluttony could erase them forever. Our seemingly unquenchable appetite for meat, dairy foods and eggs condemns billions of sentient animals annually to miserable lives in squalid pens and jam-packed cages followed by deaths that are terrifying and painful. But it is also fundamentally altering our landscape. Widespread animal agriculture is responsible for up to 51 percent of the global greenhouse-gas emissions that are heating up the planet at an alarming rate. Warmer air

means that glacial ice—and giant hunks of it—could disintegrate in just a few decades. If the West Antarctic ice sheet melts, it could raise sea levels by 12 feet or more, and if that happens, the physical record of our country’s early history along the East Coast will literally wash away. But our relentless drive for foods made from animals will decimate more than cultural landmarks. The animal-agriculture industry fouls everything that it touches as it oozes across the planet. It churns heavy metals and other poisons into our water and spews toxins, such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, into the

air. It sickens and chokes human communities unfortunate enough to be in its suffocating shadow and eliminates entire species as it clear-cuts huge swaths of forest. What will future generations think of us when they learn that they can’t explore Boston or see a glacier up close because our generation valued the pleasure of the palate over the environment and its diverse life forms? We will lose everything to our expanding waistlines—our clean water and fresh air, our healthy communities and national treasures—if we do not make a change, and soon. Earth Day is a good time for us to make that change. Every year more

in New York. “More people die from slipping in their bathtubs than from terrorism,” Dowd said, an observation that must have been running through his head. So when Ted Cruz vowed to carpet bomb ISIS and Trump to nuke the Middle East, Obama kept a cool eye on the ball in Cuba while his men, the same who had dropped bin Laden into his watery grave in the Indian Ocean, killed two top ISIS leaders that day. In a roomful of Republican savages dancing without rhythm for rain, Obama is the tango dancer. Thank you, Maureen Dowd, for the last fair portrait of a great American president. No thanks, Obama, for setting the bar of leadership too high for anyone anywhere after him to reach.

from the same period last year. One thing states should do is not to allow the practice of self-bonding. In Peabody’s case, the federal government in February warned states that continuing to allow the practice was a bad idea. Yet, Illinois, for example, continued to allow it even after the state’s attorney general raised concerns about Peabody’s ability to meet its obligations. Yes, requiring coal producers to bear the full cost of their cleanup obligations may push some into bankruptcy. And mining companies are some of these states’ largest employers. But states can’t halt the long slide of the coal industry by al-

lowing coal companies to discount their environmental obligations. And even if they could, regulators’ responsibility is to the interests of the public. Better to insist on honest accounting, then let the market decide who survives. It’s an issue that affects more than just coal mining. The federal government allows oil and gas companies to self-bond, a practice now under review for companies working in the Gulf of Mexico. The case of Peabody is a warning to all levels of government about the risks of letting companies simply vouch for their ability to clean up after themselves. Bloomberg editorial

than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, like composting or choosing to buy locally grown produce. But what if those participants—one-seventh of all humanity—also went vegan? Billions fewer animals would be raised and slaughtered for fleeting meals, and the domino effect would be astounding. The dramatic reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions would slow the rising of oceans. Water previously channeled into factory farms would instead be used for human consumption. Oceanic dead zones—areas where little life can survive, thanks to pollutants from farm runoff— could begin to rebound, as could

ecosystems damaged by rampant overfishing. Fewer animals would also mean more crops for human consumption. As things stand now, we grow enough food for every human on the planet. But much of what we grow is diverted into feed for cows, chickens and other animals so that the populations of rich countries can eat animal flesh and eggs and drink animal milk—an inefficient system that is as unjust to the world’s poor as it is cruel to animals. So on this Earth Day, don’t settle for small actions. Make the choice that will help preserve humanity’s past, protect its present and ensure its future: Go vegan.

Were the Panama Papers planted? Who cares?

AST week a respected Russia scholar in the US speculated the Kremlin might be behind the so-called Panama Papers, the big dump of data about offshore accounts that implicated several countries’ officials in shady dealings. And on Thursday President Vladimir Putin of Russia blamed the US for the leak.

Bloomberg View

By Leonid Bershidsky

So far, the Panama Papers have caused the resignation of Iceland’s prime minister (whose wife owned some bank debt that the government was trying to restructure) and Spain’s industry minister (who had denied, falsely, that he’d had any offshore dealings). There probably will be further fallout: The millions of documents haven’t been fully investigated. Still, it’s probably safe to say that there will be no resignations, firings or criminal inquiries in Russia. The Russian portion of the Panama Papers is not actionable. It details the offshore activities of Bank Rossiya, a financial institution that belongs to Putin’s close friends. Companies linked to the bank, and to Putin’s friends, appear to have profited from spurious stock deals and huge, artificially created breach of contract fines. The companies also received inordinately big amounts of

money for consulting and lobbying services. Yet, the transactions appear legal, and, at least, in Russia no one is going to investigate them. All Putin’s friends can do is roll their eyes: Most of them—and Bank Rossiya—are targeted by Western sanctions and could be subject to property seizure. And Putin’s name doesn’t appear anywhere in the papers. Putin, who doesn’t deny the authenticity of the papers, made a point of noting the absence of names. “They are not accusing anyone specifically,” he said during his annual call-in show on Thursday. “That’s the thing, they are just muddying the waters.” That’s exactly what makes Clifford Gaddy, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a top US expert on Russia, suspicious. In an article on the Brookings site, Gaddy called the revelations about Putin’s friends a “nonstory” that would, “on net,” benefit Putin. The geographical breadth of the revelations would allow him to claim that “everybody does it,” and he wouldn’t be personally affected. Thus, it makes sense that the Russians had some role in the leak. Gaddy

wrote: “Any actual reputational damage to Putin or Russia caused by the Panama Papers is, in fact, pretty trivial. For that cheap price, the Russians would have 1) exposed corrupt politicians everywhere, including in “model” Western democracies, and 2) fomented genuine destabilization in some Western countries. What I wonder, then: Is it a setup? The Russians threw out the bait, and the United States gobbled it down. The Panama Paper stories run off Putin like water off a duck’s back. But they have a negative impact on Western stability.” Gaddy, however, doesn’t see himself as spinning a conspiracy theory. As he told me in an e-mail, “It was a question to those who publish this information and draw conclusions on the basis of it without, it seems to me, asking themselves: `Are we sure in publishing this information that it is reliable? That it is complete and unfalsified, and that it is not designed to serve someone else’s agenda?’” To Gaddy, Putin’s statement that the information in the Panama Papers is accurate is also suspect on these grounds: “It would be fun, but I’m sure unproductive, to ask him: ‘Really? And exactly how

do you know that?’” The problem with this theory, however, is that it’s, well, just a theory. Putin has as much evidence that the Panama Papers are a US plot as Gaddy does that they’re a Russian one, and yet, the Russian president said, “We know there are employees of official US agencies in this, and the story first appeared—I asked Peskov, my press secretary, on Friday—in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The Sueddeutsche Zweitung is part of a media holding, and this media holding belongs to the Goldman Sachs financial corporation, so the long ears of those who ordered this stick out everywhere, and those ears don’t even blush. We shouldn’t expect any remorse from them, they will keep doing it anyway, and the closer to the election, the more such leaks there will be.” On Friday Dmitri Peskov had to apologize for the Sueddeutsche Zeitung passage—the German daily has nothing to do with Goldman Sachs. It was all his fault, Putin’s press secretary said. But the mistake is telling: Putin the ex-spy has been looking for clues that would link the leak to the US—because who else could be interested in stirring things up ahead of the September parliamentary

and 2018 presidential elections in Russia? Gaddy dismisses Putin’s conspiracy theory: “Of course, he would say this.” Any corruption-related leak of this magnitude can hurt or benefit multiple parties. It makes sense to apply Occam’s razor to these considerations before coming to any conclusions about the leak’s source. That can only be established if the leaker comes forward or is exposed. But I would argue that, in the end, that the provenance isn’t important—only the accuracy of the data is. Putin has confirmed that the Russian part is accurate. The information is, of course, more damaging than Putin is willing to admit: It exposes the inner workings of Russia’s crony capitalism. The material also has proved accurate regarding accounts of people from Iceland, Spain, the UK and elsewhere. So why get hung up on its source? It makes much more sense to applaud the work of the investigative journalists who checked and developed the leak. It’s an extraordinary collective performance by a much-maligned professional community that has proved convincingly that it has an important social role to play.

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A6 Sunday, April 17, 2016

Ex-legislator warns vs hijacking of party-list system by dynasties By Marvyn N. Benaning

Correspondent

FORMER congressman warned over the weekend that “dubious, bogus and dynastic” organizations listed in the 2016 elections are out to hijack the party-list system.

for t he m a rg ina lized and underrepresented. “However, this noble idea has been disfigured by traditional politics. This is evident among many party-list nominees now running for Congress,” Casiño said. Casiño argued that the time is ripe for amendments to the party-list law to be discussed and enacted to ensure that marginalized groups are represented in Congress. “Party-list groups backed by politica l dy nasties def initely have the lion’s share of resources to fuel their campaigns, skewing the party-list elections in favor of dominant, traditional politicians, undermining the spirit of the system. This is a tragedy for our marginalized sectors that deserve representation at the Lower

House,” Casiño added. He said the Supreme Court’s decision that party-list groups need not be marginalized to participate in the party-list system opened the floodgates for elite interests and powerful political clans to join the party-list elections. In 2013 Bayan Muna, through its representative Neri Colmenares, filed House Bill 179, or the Genuine Party-list Group and Nominees bill. The bill amends Section 9 of Republic Act 7941, or the Party-List System Act, disqualifying anyone who has been elected and served as mayor, vice mayor, governor, vice governor, congressman, senator, vice president and president from being a party-list nominee. The measure also disqualifies those who are related to incumbent

government officials by affinity or consanguinity to the third degree, appointed and served in the Cabinet within five years from the party-list election they are being nominated for and served as a provincial director of the National Police or battalion commander in the Armed Forces. Casiño, who is Bayan Muna’s second nominee, vowed to push for party-list reforms in the 17th Congress. “This bill reiterates the essence of the party-list law. Former politicians, their kin, and high-ranking police and military officials have no business representing the oppressed and marginalized. “Already, they dominate power and influence in the country. This meager space for the marginalized must be defended,” Casiño added.

Speaking at a media forum in Quezon City over the weekend, former Party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna said the election watchdog Kontra Daya has found out that political dynasties control some party-list

groups and their nominees are invariably children, nephews or nieces of politicians. “At the party-list system’s very core is the objective of giving voice to the people on the fringes, reserving a portion of Congress

‘Sustainability needed for future generations’

SC reminds lower courts of laws, rules vs TROs, injunctions on environmental cases

USTAINABILITY means leaving something for our children.” Thus said Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, president of the Ateneo de Manila University, during his keynote address in a recent forum that focused on collaborative action on sustainability. Enforcing the theme “Collaboration for a Sustainable Future,” Villarin said future generations would need food, water, energy, air and land. “This means we can’t behave like guests at the Mad Hatters’s tea party, polishing off one plate and moving on to the next. We need to act responsibly, leaving something for another day,” he added. The forum was sponsored by global power, energy and gas technology leader Shell. In showing how the country is a leading proponent of multistakeholder collaboration in the region, the different panel discussions presented concrete examples of partnership, where all sectors of society work together to address vital resource challenges. The growing demand for food, water and energy in a continuously progressing world has been creating stresses to the environment, said David Hone, Shell International’s chief climate-change advisor. Hone set the tone of the forum as he discussed how a future with net-zero carbon emissions can be achieved by encouraging a “responsible development of all energy sources and trade.” But Hone recognized that some sectors and some countries would transition more slowly. “Energ y t ra nsit ion is not something that will happen in a month, a year or a decade. Our children and grandchildren will continue to experience it,” Hone said. More than discussing the challenges and enforcing solutions, the Shell “Powering Progress Together [PPT]” conferences have actually become a venue for forging collaborative initiatives among stakeholders. Ed Chua, Shell Philippines country chairman, underscored examples of these advocacies and encouraged the stakeholders present to take part in worthwhile projects for the future, as well. “The PPT conferences have become a platform for forging collaborative initiatives with advocacy partners, such as the Manila Observatory for a climate resilience project, the De La Salle University for the establishment of a water research center and the Mind Museum for the permanent exhibition of “Future Cities: Planet-Friendly Technologies.”

HE Supreme Court (SC) has reminded trial court judges to strictly observe rules and laws prohibiting the issuance of injunctions or restraining orders against gover nment agencies enforcing environment laws. Circular 87-2016 dated April 4, signed by Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez, was issued by the SC in response to persistent reports of violations by municipal trial court (MTC) and regional trial court (RTC) judges of the said policy. The move was welcomed by the country’s top environment officials and advocates saying it will hasten the prosecution of environmental cases. Injunction orders and temporary restraining orders (TROs) impede the enforcement of environmental laws by concerned government agencies, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said. In a text message to the BusinessMirror, Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje said adherence to the policy by the lower courts will hasten the resolution of thousands of cases filed by the agency against violators of environmental laws. “We want to thank the SC for the said circular. This will hasten the thousands of cases we filed against violators of environmental laws, particularly illegal loggers,” Paje said. In the past five years, the DENR

PAJE: “We want to thank the SC for the said circular. This will hasten the thousands of cases we filed against violators of environmental laws, particularly illegal loggers.”

has filed a total of 1,638 cases against illegal loggers as part of its intensified campaign against illegal logging, following the issuance of Executive Order 23. Of the total number of cases, the DENR was able to cause secure the conviction of only 202 respondents. The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), meanwhile, said the SC’s reminder to the RTC and MTC judges is consistent with a 1991 opinion on the case of the Pollution Adjudication Board vs Court of Appeals and Solar Textile Finishing Corp. In part, the SC said, “Stopping the continuous discharge of pollutive and untreated effluents into the rivers and other inland waters of the Philippines cannot be made to wait until protracted litigation over the ultimate correctness or propriety of such orders has run its full course, including multiple and sequential appeal xxx...which may take several years,” lawyer Mike Matias of the EMB’s Central Office said. The EMB enforces environmental laws including the Clean Air

Act and Clean Water Act. The DENR is also pursuing cases against violators of the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act against illegal wildlife traders. The Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), on the other hand, is in charge of filing cases against violators of the Fisheries Code of 1998, which prohibits destructive fishing methods. Lawyer Gloria Estenzo Ramos, vice president of Oceana Philippines, meanwhile, commended the SC for issuing the circular. “We very much welcome the circular, as we continue to revitalize our imperiled fisheries and protect our vastly threatened natural lifesupport systems. We commend your good office in ensuring the continuous upholding of the rule of law in guiding our magistrates,” Ramos said in her letter to Marquez. She said the policy further strengthens the country’s judicial system in protecting the people’s rights, boosts the morale of environmental law enforcers, and sends a strong message that the highest court will not tolerate impunity. “We look forward to the stronger enforcement and proper prosecution of violators of environmental and fisheries laws in the country. We are optimistic that hand in hand, we will be able to restore the abundance of our oceans to feed the growing

Filipino nation amid the perceptibly felt impacts of climate change,” Ramos said. Other enviromental groups, however, are pessimistic. “It is a welcome move if the intention is to hasten the stoppage of environmentally destructive project and/or prosecution of environmental violators. But on our experience, it is more the lack of implementation of administrative orders to apprehend violators or suspend activities proven to violate envi laws or DENR orders [sic],” Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment said. Section 10 of the “Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases” provides that “Except the Supreme Court, no court can issue a TRO or writ of preliminary injunction against lawful actions of government agencies that enforce environmental laws or prevent violations thereof.” Likewise, Section 134 of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, as amended by Republic Act 10654, provides that “no injunction or restraining order from the municipal trial courts and regional trial courts shall lie against the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources upon the ex parte motion or petition filed by any person or entity in the exercise by the department and BFAR of its regulatory functions in support of the implementation of this code.” Jonathan L. Mayuga

Slex management taps barangays to secure motorists, commuters

HE South Luzon Expressway (Slex) has started generating the support of villages where the tollway passes through in an effort to secure motorists using the highway. The Traffic Management, Safety and Security Department (TMSSD) of Manila Toll Expressway Systems Inc. (MATES) initiated the community relations program, dubbed as Ugnayang Barangay sa Slex, to generate

the support and cooperation of the communities around the Slex for the enhanced security and safety of motorists and commuters alike. The community coordination is expected to minimize, if not eliminate, incidents of stone throwing, vandalism, stealing of road fixtures and traffic devices and other mischievous activities along Slex. In the latest forum, about 30 representatives from different

barangays attended. The event was held at the MATE’s office in Calamba, where TMSSD officers and supervisors, headed by retired Air Forces Col. Chito Silbol, explained the provisions of Republic Act 2000, or the Limited Access Highway Act. Silbol also talked about the recent road and lawless incidents within the tollways. Silbol also expressed appreciation for the barangays’

assistance after last year’s forum, which led to the arrest of suspected thieves and brought down the incidents of stoning, theft and vandalism, among others. MATES and barangay representatives agreed to foster continuing closer coordination and communication on security and traffic concerns affecting the Slex, its interchanges and the surrounding vicinities.

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DENR steps up fire-prevention efforts on mountains

HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is stepping up efforts to strengthen fire prevention and protection efforts at Mounts Kitanglad and Kalatungan, which were hit by forest fires early this month. The Protected Areas Management Boards (PAMB) of Mount Kitanglad Range National Park and Mount Kalatungan Range Natural Park are now preparing to activate community-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils and draft a fire prevention master plan to harmonize all fire prevention efforts in the two protected areas (PAs) in Northern Mindanao. Mount Kitanglad is one of the eight Association of Southeast Asian Nations Heritage Parks in the Philippines, while Mount Kalatungan is an important bird sanctuary. The two PAs are considered priority conservation sites because of the rich biodiversity that thrive in the areas. DENR Northern Mindanao Regional Director Ruth Tawantawan earlier commended local communities, people’s organizations (POs) and mountaineers for helping the authorities put out the forest fires that hit Mount Kitanglad and Mount Kalatungan in Bukidnon province last weekend. While the fires at the two mountains have been put out, Tawantawan wants to put in place stronger measure that will prevent forest fires, particularly in Northern Mindanao’s PAs. Tawantawan lauded forest protection officers and the community volunteers for their quick response to put out the fires. In particular, Tawantawan lauded the members of Kitanglad Guard Volunteers (KGV), a group of tribesmen in Northern Mindanao, and several volunteer mountaineers who helped DENR forest rangers and personnel construct an 11-kilometer firebreak to contain the blaze. The firebreak prevented further destruction of natural forests, grasslands and areas covered by the National Greening Program in the two PAs. As of April 10, fire has been contained except the one in Barangay La Roxas in Pangantucan town. Employees from the office of Community Environment and Natural Resources in the towns of Manolo Fortich, Valencia, Don Carlos and Talakag responded to the fire, she said. Ta nt aw a n added t h at t he training provided by the department to members of POs on fire prevention paid off. “Preparedness is the key. The extensive orientations and seminars on fire prevention which have been conducted for POs last year, in anticipation of the El Niño have prepared them for this disaster,” she said. Tawantawan also reported that the fire originated from extremely parched areas of the mountains. She warned against the irresponsible disposal of lighted cigarette butts, the practice of slashand-burn or kaingin farming and hunting activities in the area could result in fires in the densely populated areas in the lowlands and grasslands. Jonathan L. Mayuga

Legislator seeks conservation of documents, artifacts in wake of fires

OLLOWING the fires that razed the University of the Philippines Faculty Center and several building at the University of the East’s Claro M. Recto campus, the chairman of the House Committee on Trade and Industry asked the government to prioritize the digitization and preservation of archives, records and other scientific, historical and cultural artifacts. Nacionalista Party Rep. Mark Villar

of Las Piñas said the development of the academe should be seen as a priority in the government agenda. “It is high time that the result of the long, and arduous process of research, invention and creation are protected,” Villar added. “The recent incident has exposed the vulnerabilities of status quo. It is important that we provide solution efficiently and effectively. While what was

loss may never be recovered, we hope that moving forward we could propose a solution that will prevent this from happening again,” he added. The lawmaker said a technical working group should be formed to facilitate not only the digitization, but also recommend additional infrastructure that may be lacking in the current system. “Our country need not lose an-

other important artifact. We have no shortage of technical experts, and now, more than ever, we’d need to convene them and ask—what sort of protection do you need,” he said. “We need to know what process, methodology, structure and facilities would best forward the protection and preservation of our archives, records and artifacts provided our current circumstances and

socioeconomic limitations,” he added. In 2010 the House of Representatives, in partnership with the World Bank, launched the Knowledge for Development Center, an electronic library and archives, that digitized the lower chamber’s archives collection since 1907. The lower chamber is the first nonacademic institution to have such facility in the country. JoveeMarieN.delaCruz

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Editor: Jun Lomibao • mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

NCR CHAMP ANEW By Joel Orellana

EGASPI City—The National Capital Region (NCR) was unforgiving even on the last day of the Palarong Pambansa to punctuate its 12th straight year of domination of the annual multisport competition for studentathletes. The Big City athletes took the gold medal in secondary boys’ baseball, volleyball and football, and secondary girls’ volleyball and basketball to cap their amazing run in the weeklong competition. NCR’s secondary boys’ baseball team defeated Calabarzon, 8-3, in the gold medal match at the Mayon Rivera Subdivision in Sto. Domingo, Albay, while the Big City booters edged Central Visayas, 2-1, in a football final marred by a brawl. Tempers flared in the second half, with NCR’s Darryl Aban punching Cebu goalkeeper Joseph Kei Seniza, which nearly resulted to a free for all inside the pitch. The Big City spikers swept the secondary boys and girls divisions that were well attended by local fans and athletes from other regions. NCR downed Western Visayas, 25-27, 25-14, 25-21, 25-19, in the secondary boys finals, while their secondary girls counterparts, represented by King’s Montessori School in Quezon City, defeated Calabarzon, represented by De La Salle Lipa, 25-23, 14-25, 25-22, 25-21, at the Bicol College gym on Saturday. “Depensa ang nagdala sa amin dahil alam namin malalakas sila sa opensa,” NCR

secondary girls’ volleyball Coach Onyok Getigan said. “Last year we beat Davao, pero mas mahirap ngayon. Puso ng mga bata ang nagdala sa game dahil magagaling ang players ng Calabarzon.” The Big City secondary girls basketball team downed Negros Island, 80-68, for the gold medal, while the NCR secondary girls football squad edged Central Visayas, 2-1, in the final at the Albay Sports and Toursim Complex. After six days of competition in 17 regular sports, NCR emerged overall champion anew with 104 gold, 57 silver and 48 bronze medals. Calabarzon would up second with 40-43-59 gold-silver-bronze tally, followed by Western Visayas with 35-35-39. Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), which finished fourth overall last year in Davao del Norte, finished with a 24-22-16 haul and dropped to No. 9 with 12-19-15. Central Visayas improved from sixth to fourth with 29-31-29, followed by Northern Mindanao, which retained fifth position with 25-24-36. Negros Island, competing in the Palaro as a region for the first time, was impressive with 21 gold, 28 silver and 39 bronze medals. Soccsksargen placed seventh with 20-20-29, followed by Central Luzon (1714-28), CAR (12-19-15), Davao region (8-1819), host Bicol region (8-15-18), Zamboanga Peninsula (6-7-15), Eastern Visayas (6-3-9), Ilocos region (5-11-21), Mimaropa (5-7-7), Cagayan Valley (4-9-8), Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (3-4-9) and Caraga (1-5-11).

NATIONAL Capital Region’s Jealean Lazo scores against Calabarzon’s Jamie Margaret Frago in the girls’ secondary volleyball final on Saturday. NONOY LACZA

against the tall frontline of the Gin Kings. “We had a week to keep him [Henderson-Niles] in game-shape. We must get him to familiarize with the system because we will be up against a tall team,” Rain or Shine Head Coach Yeng Guaio said. The 6-foot-8 big man finished with 12 points and six rebounds against the Elite. Ginebra, on the other hand, will rely on the solid backcourt tandem of LA Tenorio and Mark Caguioa, and the equally impressive 7-foot center Greg Slaughter and reinforcement Othyus Jeffers to sustain a fast-paced offense against Rain or Shine. Tropang TNT, meanwhile, hopes to bounce back against Alaska after suffering a 104-98 loss to top-seed San Miguel on Friday.  Ramon Rafael Bonilla

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

IRSTIE ELAINE ALORA booked a ticket to the Rio Olympics after topping Iranian top seed Akram Khobdabandeh, 10-2, in the women’s +67 kilograms semifinals on Saturday in the Asian Taekwondo Olympic qualifying tournament at the Mariott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City. Alora simply outclassed Khobdabandeh and capped her victory

FILIPINO MMA FIGHTERS TRIUMPH The Philippines’s Samuel Morrison prevails in his round-of-16 match in the men’s -80-kgs class against Pakistan’s Muhammad Faheem, but saw his Rio Olympics dream dashed by Taiwanese Wei Ting-Liu in the quarterfinals. ROY DOMINGO

ATENEO SENDS TEAMS TO VOLLEYBALL FINALS

BEN ASKREN pummels Russian challenger Nikolay Aleksakhin. NORIEL DE GUZMAN

EN ASKREN lived up to his billing, but the spotlight was more focused on Filipino mixed martial artists on Friday night in the One Fighting Championship “Global Rivals” at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Askren emerged winner in a five-round welterweight nontitle bout after his Russian challenger, Nikolay Aleksakhin, failed to make the 170-pound limit during the weigh-in on Thursday.  Askren, a former Olympian wrestler, pounded Aleksakhin with vicious knees and elbows to score a convincing unanimous-decision win and remained unbeaten in 15 matches. “He was tough. He never quit. I was very much in control of the game, but the guy kept on fighting,” Askren said. Bets from Team Lakay of Benguet, meanwhile, were a class of their own and went 5-foot-5 on fight night. Geje Eustaquio delighted the hometown

crowd with a convincing unanimousdecision victory over Malaysian rising star Gianni Subba in the coheadliner match. Eustaquio negated his opponent’s height advantage with his deadly striking power, combining his lethal punch and kicks to fend off Subba’s standing defense on his way to his second consecutive win in less than three months. American Lowen Tynanes and Australian Reese McLaren scored unanimous-decision victories over Koji Ando of Japan and Muin Gafurov of Tajikistan, respectively. Former featherweight world champion Honorio Banario was back on the winning track after five straight defeats, with a tough three-round unanimous-decision win over fellow Filipino Vaughn Donayre. Martin Nguyen finished Li Kai Wen in the first round via referee stoppage.

Ramon Rafael Bonilla

Hong Kong bets dominate Day 1 of Subic triathlon

HE highly touted Hongkong team swept the junior men and women elite competitions to dominate Day One of the 23rd NTT-ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon that started and ended at the ACEA Beach inside the sprawling Subic Freeport. Oscar Louise Coggins led from start to finish and crossed the line solo in 58 minutes and 28 seconds, powering power Hongkong’s domination of the top 5 places in the men’s junior elite division. Shing Him Wong finished the 750-meter swim/10-kilometer bike/5km run event in 59:12 for the silver medal and James Tan clocked 1:00:31 for the bronze medal. Michael Lam and Tse To Wong completed Hong Kong’s domination. “It got pretty hot in the run leg but I handled it pretty well. I was really hoping for a top 3 finish, “ said Coggins, 18, who only placed third in the same event last year. Talisay’s (Cebu) Andrew Remolino, 16, was the best placed Filipino in sixth place in the event organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and presented by the SBMA Tourism Department with support from the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission. Hongkong’s Bailee Brional Brown was a run-away winner in the women’s elite race with a 1:09.36 clocking. Singapore’s Jeremia Christy Suriadi was a distant second in 1:12:49, while top seed Zoe Natasha Bowden of Malaysia was third in 1:13:51.

ALORA BOOKS TICKET TO RIO

RAIN OR SHINE VS SAN MIGUEL

AIN or Shine tries to draw first blood against crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra at the start of their best-of-three quarterfinals series on Sunday in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. The game is set at 5:15 p.m., with the Elasto Painters coming off a weeklong rest after they eliminated Blackwater, 118-107, on April 10 and clinched a playoff tussle with the Gin Kings, who shut down Meralco, 103-90, on Wednesday. Tropang TNT and Alaska kick off their own quarterfinals duel at 3 p.m. Rain or Shine and Ginebra ended the regular season with similar 7-4 win-loss records, but the Elasto Painters had the luxury of resting their injured players and gave new import Pierre Henderson-Niles time to adjust and prepare for the matchup

Sunday, April 17, 2016 A7

By Lance Agcaoili

TENEO went 2 and 0 on Saturday afternoon, sending its men’s and women’s teams to the Season 78 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) volleyball finals. And the Ateneo teams, the reigning champions in both divisions, beat the same foe—its Katipunan neighbor University of the Philippines (UP)—and played the played the Final Four owning a twice-to-beat advantage. The Blue Eagles hurdled the Fighting Maroons, 25-12, 25-13, 25-16, while the Lady Eagles frustrated the Lay Maroons, 25-19, 25-16, 25-2, at the MOA Arena. Ateneo foiled UP on its first semifinals appearance in four years in the men’s division, as well as in the women’s side where the Lady Maroons got themselves in the Final Four for the first time in 13 seasons. With the victory, two-time league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Alyssa Valdez completed a rarity in the UAAP—seeing action in all her maximum five seasons of eligibility in the finals. “I’m so thankful that for the fifth time, I’m entering into the Finals with different teammates and different coaches. I’m just really lucky to be there again for the last time,” said Valdez, who finished with 16 hits she highlighted with 14 kills and five digs. Jhoana Maraguinot led all scorers with 17 points on 10 attacks, four aces and three blocks for Ateneo. Setter Jia Morado had 40 excellent sets, while libero Gizelle Tan protected the floor with 19 excellent receptions and 12 digs. Reigning MVP Marck Espejo topscored for the Blue Eagles with 12 points—all from 12 spikes—and had nine excellent receptions. Skipper Isay Marasigan delivered 11 hits on eight attacks and three blocks, while setter Ish Polvorosa had 30 excellent sets.

by a roundhouse kick to the Iranian’s head in the third round—good for three points. Alora became the country’s fifth qualifier for Rio after hurdler Eric Cray, boxers Charly Suarez and Rogen Ladon and weightlifter Hidylin Diaz. “Talagang pinagaaralan namin ‘yung Iranian at gamitan siya ng speed,” said Alora, 26, of their strategy against Khobdabandeh, who bagged a silver medal in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Alora advanced to the finals against Incheon Games gold medalist Seavmey Sorn of Cambodia later in the day. A La Salle Business Administration graduate, Alora beat Nepal’s Nisha Rewal, 9-0, in the quarterfinals. Only the champion and runner-up in the tournament will qualify for the Rio Olympics in

a cast of 35 countries that drew more than 200 Olympic hopefuls. Alora’s triumph softened the impact somewhat of heartbreaking setbacks suffered by Samuel Morrison and Kristopher Robert Uy to their respective rivals earlier in the tournament sponsored by Meralco, Smart, PLDT, the Philippine Sports Commission and Resorts World Manila. Vying in the men’s -80-kg division, Morrison, a 2015 Singapore Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, hurdled Pakistan’s Muhammad Faheem in the round-of-16, after the latter was disqualified for feigning injury. But Mirroson lost to Taiwanese Wei Ting-Liu, 7-9, in the quarterfinals. Uy bowed out of the men’s +80-kg division to Palestine’s Bahri Tanrikulu, a former threetime world champion, 6-7.

GREEN WINS IN SOUTHWOODS

AVIN GREEN pulled through in a pressurepacked, stretch-run shootout with Donlaphatchai Niyomchon and edged the Thai ace and Singaporean Deng Shan Koh by two on a closing 65 to snare the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Manila Southwoods Championship ADT crown at the Legends course in Carmona, Cavite, on Saturday. It was a fitting ending to a tournament that lived up to its final round hype as wide open with a slew of names

storming into and dropping off the lead on a birdie hit or bogey mishap until Green surged GAVIN GREEN handles himself well in the final round.

ahead on par-three No. 16—not on a birdie feat but on a Niyomchon double-bogey—before the 22-year-old Malaysian put the lock on the crown with gritty pars in the last three holes for a 16-under 278 total. “It was a really interesting round. I played solid and Donlaphatchai was on my back from the start. But I stayed patient out there and I just kept hitting good shots and kept the ball in play,” Green said after nailing his second ADT win worth $10,500, following his breakthrough at the PGM Northport Glenmarie Championship in February. “I think I handled myself really well and this win means a lot to me,” said Green, who will head to Japan for the Asian Tour next week, thus, skipping the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic. Green and Niyomchon, who started the final round three shots off erstwhile leader John Michael O’Toole of the US, gunned down four birdies at the front to wrest control as O’Toole fumbled with two early bogeys and two birdies for a 36 and the other front-runners tumbled down one after the other with so-so starts. Niyomchon actually took charge with backto-back birdies to open his backside drive, but Green countered with three straight birdies from No. 11 to draw level only to fall behind again with a bogey on the next. But as the pressure mounted in steamy condition, the Thai bogeyed No. 15 and dropped two precious shots on the 16th on a mishit and a poor recovery shot that fell into the greenside bunker, losing grip of the lead share and enabling Green to zoom ahead again—for good. His sizzling 65 was a big rebound from a mediocre 72 on Friday that knocked him off the halfway leaderboard to joint fifth as he beat Niyomchon, who wound up with a 67, and Koh, who closed out with three straight birdies, but ran out of holes for a big comeback. Koh also had a 66 and tied Niyomchon for second at 270 and each took $5,550.

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A8 | S

unday, April 17, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

RAFA ON TRACK M

ONACO—A ninth Monte Carlo Masters title is getting closer for Rafael Nadal, with most of his rivals out of the way—including Roger Federer, who again misses out on one of the few trophies not already in his glittering collection. But Federer—a four-time runner-up on the French Riviera—was not too disappointed, considering that his priority was to come back safely after more than two months out following knee surgery. Nadal beat Stan Wawrinka, 6-1, 6-4, on Friday to set up a third semifinal here against Andy Murray. Federer lost, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, despite being two points from victory when 5-4 up in the decider with Tsonga 15-30 down on his serve. This was Federer’s first tournament play since arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for torn cartilage on February 3, and defeat was softened by relief at avoiding any relapse. “It was good to play back-to-back, yesterday and today, good to play two hours 10 [minutes] today,” Federer said. “It was nice to play an intense match. I’m happy how the body reacted.” With top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Wawrinka— the French Open champion—also out, Federer himself picked Nadal when asked about the favorite. “He is still a major player on clay,” Federer said of Nadal, whose last title here came in 2012. The statistics agree with Federer. Nadal leads Murray, 16-6, in career meetings and 6-1 on clay. For the other two semifinalists, Nadal is 11-2 up on Gael Monfils—4-0 on clay—and 8-4 on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, having beaten him here in the semifinals three years ago. Nadal went on to lose the 2013 final to Djokovic, who was stunned in the second round this year by Czech Jiri Vesely, an unheralded Czech player ranked 55th. In a one-sided contest between former champions, Nadal broke Wawrinka four times, and made the semifinals for the 11th time. “When I had the opportunity, I was trying to

RAFAEL NADAL closes in on ninth title in Monte Carlo, as the US’s Christina McHale reacts after winning a point in her match against Australia’s Samantha Stosur during their Fed Cup World Group playoff in Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday. AP

control the point,” Nadal said. Murray took out Milos Raonic, 6-2, 6-0, for the second time this year. “If I play like I did today, I’ll have a chance,” said Murray, who lost to Nadal in the semifinals in 2009 and 2011, when Nadal was winning eight consecutive Monte Carlo titles. Murray beat Nadal in the Madrid Masters final last year, when he won his first two career titles on clay. The Briton thinks patience will be the key factor against the nine-time French Open champion. “He can make you go for winners from uncomfortable positions,” said Murray, who did not face a break point against the big-serving Raonic. “You have to not allow that to happen.” Nadal improved to 15-3 in career matches against Wawrinka, who began as a winner in three of their last five contests. Having saved 15-of-17 break points in the third round against Dominic Thiem, Nadal conceded only one chance this time. Wawrinka drew jeers from the crowd in the fifth game of the first set when he broke his racket, angrily bending it around his thigh. The Swiss player was also frustrated by the noise level coming from people enjoying their lunch in the restaurant perched above center court. “I don’t believe they saw a lot of the match...I think they also drank a lot of alcohol,” Wawrinka said. “When you don’t play well and you’re not in your match, it can bother you.” Following his countryman Wawrinka onto center court, Federer looked like beating the eighth-seeded Tsonga for the 12th time in 17 matches. AP

NBA APPROVES SPONSORS’ LOGOS ON PLAYER JERSEYS

EW YORK—The National Basketball Association (NBA) will begin putting sponsorship logos on player uniforms in 2017 and 2018, a move that could generate at least $100 million annually and a step that the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Hockey League (NHL) have yet to take. The three-year trial was approved on Friday by NBA owners, and will take effect when the league’s contract with Nike begins. The patches will appear on the front left of the jersey, opposite Nike’s logo, and measure about 2 ½" x 2 ½" inches. Logos appear on international and Major League Soccer (MIS) jerseys, and many athletes in individual sportswear their sponsors’ attire in competition. Commissioner Adam Silver had said going with logos was inevitable because of the potential to add revenue. WNBA and NBA Development League teams already have logos, and NBA clubs were wearing them on practice jerseys. Silver called the plan an “experiment,” and said it was hard to estimate how much revenue it would generate because teams would be responsible for their own sales, and some could decide not to participate. But he said it could be $100 million annually. Owners also discussed a North Carolina law that limits antidiscrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people. Silver called it “problematic” for the league, but there was no decision on moving next year’s All-Star Game out of Charlotte. “The league believes that these groups need to be protected, but again, I think the right way to work to the proper resolution here is for the league to remain engaged in the conversation, rather than setting ultimatums or announcing we’re not going to play our All-Star Game in Charlotte,” Silver said. There was also a presentation from Evan Wasch, the league’s head of analytics, about ways the NBA could become more sophisticated about next season’s scheduling to find further rest opportunities for players. So the main business completed was the jersey sponsorships vote. MLS teams began selling jersey sponsorships in 2007, and they generate more than $6 million annually in revenues. Adidas enters the final year of his contract as the NBA’s official outfitter next season. When Nike takes over, its logo will become the first on league’s jerseys— except for those of the Charlotte Hornets, who are owned by Michael Jordan. AP

PHELPS WINS AGAINST THE WIND

MICHAEL PHELPS conquers foes and wind dusts. AP

ESA, Arizona—Michael Phelps won the 200-meter butterfly at the Arena Pro Swim meet on Friday night, where wind gusts up to 30 mph whipped up the water and created challenging conditions. Phelps touched first in one minute and 58.14 seconds. Clark Pace finished second in 1:58.71. Katie Ledecky won the 400 freestyle by a whopping 5.93 seconds. The world record holder cruised through the water in 4:02.15, undeterred by the cool temperatures and buffeting wind that had swimmers bundling up after their races. “It’s hard not to feel it, but I tried to forget about it as much as I could,” Ledecky said. “I never really have goal times for meets like this. I just try to be consistent.” Phelps led all the way in winning at the meet near his training base at Arizona State.

He had never swam in such windy conditions before. “I’m pretty sure there were whitecaps underneath the block,” he said. “I felt like I was swimming backward. It didn’t feel very good. I actually thought I was going to fall off the block.” The wind whipped flags on the pool deck and scattered anything that wasn’t secured. The 50 freestyle was especially turbulent. Nathan Adrian won the men’s race in 21.69 seconds, third-fastest in the world this year. Anthony Ervin, the 34-year-old former Olympic champion, was second in 22.28. Cullen Jones, who is 32, finished third in 22.30. It was Adrian’s fourth straight win in the event in the Arena Pro Series this year. Madison Kennedy took the women’s race in 24.45, a lifetime best that made her the third-fastest American all-time in the 50 free. The wind seemingly pushed the

swimmers along and made the water even choppier than it usually is in the splash-anddash event. “It’s a bit distracting,” Adrian said. “Dealing with a little adversity at an inseason meet is never a bad thing.” In the women’s 200 fly, Cammile Adams won in 2:08.59. Katinka Hosszu of Hungary was seventh in the eight-woman final. Missy Franklin finished fifth in the 100 backstroke, won by Maya DiRado in 1:00.71. Franklin failed to break a minute, touching in 1:01.28. Hosszu was third before she returned later to finish fifth in the 400 free. David Plummer won the men’s 100 back in 54.29. Ryan Lochte was second at 55.35. In other events, BJ Johnson won the 200 breast in 2:14.16; Michael McBroom won the 400 free in 3:49.04; and Breeja Larson led all the way in defending her title in the 200 breaststroke in 2:26.64. AP