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Thursday 18, 2014 Vol. No. 40 Friday, September 25,102015 Vol. 10 No. 351
P25.00 nationwide | 7 sections 32 pages | 7 days a week
PHL ripe for another credit-rating upgrade A
nother creditrating upgrade is in the offing for the country, after international credit watcher Fitch Ratings raised its outlook on the Philippines to “positive” on the back of improved governance standards and competitiveness indicators.
INSIDE
Vasil who? Sports
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BusinessMirror
| Friday, September 25, 2015 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao
KIRyIENKA SURpRISING wINNER OF TIME-TRIAL wORLd chAMpIONShIp
VASIL WHO?
BELARUS’S Vasil Kiryienka celebrates his gold medal in the men’s elite time trials at the International cycling Union Road world championships. AP
By Dave Skretta
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The Associated Press
ICHMOND, Virginia—Only a handful of people at the start line knew Vasil Kiryienka’s name on Wednesday. They all knew it by the finish line. The rider from Belarus topped a surprising podium in the time trial at the world championships, roaring over the 53-kilometer course, while three-time world champion Tony Martin and heavy favorite Rohan Dennis missed out on medals entirely. Kiryienka made the ride from the Kings Dominion amusement park to downtown Richmond in one hour, two minutes and 29 seconds. Adriano Malori of Italy was nine seconds back to take silver, and Jerome Coppel of France another 17 seconds back to earn bronze. “Kiryienka has been knocking on the
door for a while. I feel like he’s been up there for a long time,” said Taylor Phinney, the top American rider in 12th place. Perhaps, he’s been knocking on some doors, but he certainly wasn’t among the favorites. Spain’s Jonathan Castroviejo and Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands were next, both of them having started with medal aspirations. But Dumoulin may have been undone by a massive effort in the recently concluded Vuelta a España, nearly winning the three-week grand tour. Then came Dennis, who helped BMC Racing to the team time-trial gold on Sunday. He was fourth through the second time check and was picking up time, but had a mechanical problem and needed to change bikes. That lost time may have been enough to keep him off the podium. “Maybe I would have come close to a medal,” he
FILIpINO-AUSTRALIAN Jason day, in this file photo posing with the wanamaker Trophy after winning the professional Golfers’ Association championship, is one of the big guns for the FedEx cup. AP
said, gazing at the final results. “It was a lot different than we expected. I’m not sure, to be honest, what happened. I expected Tony to be on the podium no matter what.” Indeed, Martin has been one of the world’s best in the race against the clock for years, and was trying to join Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara as the only riders to win four world titles. He was second at the first time check, too, but kept losing seconds all the way to the finish, where he was at a loss trying to understand what had happened. “It was super-fast and then I lost my rhythm. I couldn’t find it back,” he said, “and then I also lost morale to the finish. It was absolutely not my day.” Martin said he didn’t think the broken collarbone he sustained in the Tour de France, or the missed training time, hurt his chances. He also didn’t blame Sunday’s team time trial, where he was part of the silver medal-winning Etixx-QuickStep squad.
“I had a very good preparation, never had pain, so I felt quite OK,” he said. “I wanted to go for gold. I was sure I would go for gold, and it came out completely different than I expected.” The British team, trying to land a top 10 to secure two berths at the Rio Olympics, failed in their quest with Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas missing to injury and fatigue. Stephen Cummings came home in 14th and Alex Dowsett was 17th among the 65 riders who took the start. The course is open to training on Thursday before competition resumes on Friday with the start of the road races. The women’s elite race is on Saturday and the men’s elite race is on Sunday. Riders will be happy to get away from a long, undulating time-trial course that left them exposed to gusty winds. In fact, the race was so grueling on Wednesday that Australia’s Michael Hepburn vomited off his bike twice as he approached the final 100 meters.
Hepburn’s time stood for nearly 30 minutes before the heavy hitters took the course. Coppel, the relatively unknown French time-trial champion, was the first rider to post a time that looked as if it would stand. Malori finally bumped him from the top step, the three-time Italian timetrial champion gritting his teeth as he powered down Broad Street. Kiryienka was still on the course, though. The bronze medalist in 2012, he was fastest from the first time split on, effortlessly slicing through the wind on the long straightaways. And by the time Kiryienka crossed the finish line, the two remaining riders on the course had no chance to catch him. Jurgen van den Broeck of Belgium, who finished well off the pace, may have summed things up best after gazing at the standings: “It’s a pretty surprising top 3.”
BIG 3 BATTLE FOR $10-M BONUS By Doug Ferguson
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The Associated Press
TLANTA—The best three players in golf have combined to win 12 tournaments and over $25 million this year, so the appeal of a $10-million bonus for capturing the FedEx Cup might not be as great as simply winning the final showdown of the season. But there was a time when money mattered for Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. McIlroy was an 18-year-old rookie in 2007 playing his second tournament as a pro when he finished third at the Dunhill Links Championship. That not only wrapped up his European Tour card, it paid just over $300,000 (£211,332). “I remember I wanted this watch,” McIlroy said on Wednesday. “And I remember it was the week after the Dunhill Links in 2007, and it was one of the bigger prize funds on the European Tour. At this stage, the money from the European Tour was just going into my debit account, whatever bank I was using in Ireland. And I went to get money out of the ATM the week after and the check had obviously been put in. “And I wanted to check my balance and it was like £220,000, and I was like...I mean, I went straight to the store and bought the watch.” Now they’re more interested in a pair of titles—the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup—along with a singledigit number. The battle for No. 1 enters its sixth straight week in golf. Day reached the pinnacle for the first time in his career with no argument. His six-shot victory in the BMW Championship last Sunday was his fourth win in his last six starts. That includes a record score at the Professional Golfers‘ Association (PGA) Championship
and a six-shot win at another FedEx Cup playoff event. Day also is No. 1 going into the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake, though with a much slimmer margin. To make the Tour Championship a weighted free-for-all for the 29 players at East Lake (Jim Furyk withdrew with injury), the points have been reset so that the top 5 players only have to win the tournament to claim the $10-million bonus. Day is followed by Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson and Bubba Watson. McIlroy, who missed two months and one playoff event because of an ankle injury, is No. 11. For him to claim the FedEx Cup, he would have to win the Tour Championship and the top 5 in the standings would need to finish out of the top 6 depending on their ranking. Part of him wonders if he’s due for that to happen. McIlroy was the No. 1 seed in 2012 on the strength of winning two FedEx Cup playoff events, tied for 10th at East Lake and lost out to Brandt Snedeker. He was the top seed going into the postseason a year ago on the strength of his two majors, was runner-up in the Tour Championship and finished behind Billy Horschel, who won the last two events. “So maybe this time being outside...maybe get the job done a different way,” McIlroy said. No one has ever won three FedEx Cup playoff events, and that’s an opportunity for Day. The 27-year-old Australian is pounding his driver long and straight, his short game is finally getting its due attention and he’s putting well. It’s an unbeatable combination, as the victories attest. Perhaps even more daunting is that Day is 101-under par in his last seven tournaments dating to the British Open. No one knows how well Day is playing more than Spieth. They have been in the same group seven of the last nine rounds dating to Sunday at the PGA Championship. Spieth was runner-up at Whistling Straits, missed the cut in the opening two FedEx Cup events and then got his game turned around last week north of Chicago. Or at least he thought he did. Spieth opened at 65-66—and he was still seven shots behind Day. “What he did...I mean, he destroyed my score in those rounds for lack of a better term,” Spieth said. “It is very motivating because my personality, I don’t like getting beat in anything and I’m very stubborn. It doesn’t make me angry. It makes me want to get back to the level I was playing at this whole year, and see if the top of my game can beat the top of anybody else’s game when they’re at their best.” That’s the beauty of this Tour Championship. All the best are at their best. The top 5 in the FedEx Cup are among the top 6 in the world ranking. Starting on Thursday, they get one last chance to battle for at least one trophy (Tour Championship), maybe two (FedEx Cup) and a $10-million bonus.
Sports
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soulful experience Motoring BusinessMirror
Henry Ford Awards Best Motoring Section 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 2011 Hall of Fame
Editor: Tet Andolong
Friday, September 25, 2015 E1
Soulful experience soul oF moTion The new mazda 6
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Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino
HERE is more to the stunning, refined and imposing presence of the third-generation Mazda 6. At a glance, it stimulates your senses and makes you understand what the “Kodo-Soul of Motion” design philosophy is all about. Even when standing still, it gives the impression that it is constantly moving.
Prominently, the exterior exudes charm that stems from the character lines and distinctive silhouette, which contribute to the New Mazda 6’s striking stance. The signature five-point grille unites with the slender adaptive projector type LED headlamps with daylight running lights.
Together with the hood, they create a fascia with a strong sense of charisma that seems to come straight at you. The Mazda 6’s rear is not lacking in terms of aesthetics with its equally molded delineations with black trim highlighting the twin exhaust with polished tips. What contributed to the car’s eye-catching posture is the combination of the 19-inch, gunmetal finished rims and 225/45 series tires. Harmonized with the test unit’s soul red body color, the New 6 is definitely an attention magnet wherever it goes. Upon opening the vehicle’s doors, this writer was immediately enamored with the eye-catching, two-toned interior color scheme. Perforated, white leather material that accentuates the black leather
seats and trim, along with additional brushed metal touches here and there added a pleasing element of elegance. The ergonomic and intuitive cockpit makes the New Mazda a true driver-oriented car. Aside from the chunky steering wheel with embedded controls and paddle shifters, the 7-inch touchscreen operated infotainment with Bluetooth connectivity sits high enough for ease of operation. A command control knob located just below the shift handle makes screen operation fast, easy and safe. Moreover, it is packed with other automated features, such as
electronic parking brake button, push start/stop ignition, auto on/ off headlamps and wiper control among others. The New Mazda 6 drives just, as well as it looks thanks to the numerous advancements included in the vehicle package. For one, there’s the state-of-the-art i-Stop feature, which promotes fuel efficiency by triggering a seamless mechanism that switches off the engine at every stop and resumes ignition faster than the initial startup as soon as the brake pedal is released. If the driver wants the motor to run continuously, there’s a separate switch available to disengage it.
The New Mazda 6’s 2.5-liter engine, which is coupled to a six-speed A/T, offers a choice of dynamics to suit particular driving preferences. In default mode, the engine reaction is smooth and provides adequate torque with the gear shifting done with the low end range. On the other hand, there’s an accessible power toggle that instantaneously transforms the engine into a more aggressive unit. The accelerator pedal—even with light pressure—becomes more sensitive to any throttle opening and moves the gear shifting to a higher range. A significant amount of force
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THe cockpit layout is ergonomic and intuitive.
becomes evident and results in more powerful acceleration that’s somewhat close to a V6 motor. In manual mode, the engine is even more responsive and changing gears is kept within the optimum range, making speeding up seamless and overtaking a cinch. On the road, the combination of the front MacPherson struts and rear independent multilink suspension provide a comfortable ride and excellent handling. Steering is accurate and reactive, thanks to the electronic-assisted rack and pinion.
A positive outlook means that a rating upgrade is possible in the next 12 to 18 months for the country. Of the three major credit watchers, Fitch is the only credit watcher that rates the Philippines a notch above junk status. Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services puts the country two notches above junk status. “Governance standards and competitiveness indicators, as measured by international organizations, have shown steady improvement through the Aquino administration. Global competitiveness, as ranked by the World Economic Forum, has risen to a level Continued on A2
Continued on E4
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n Kodo-Soul of Motion inspired exterior design n Two-toned interior color scheme n i-Stop idling stop system n Engine performance on power mode n Adaptive LED projector type headlamps
speciFicATions
By Bianca Cuaresma
dimensions n Overall length: 4,865millimeters n Overall width: 1,840 mm n Overall height: 1,450 mm n Wheelbase: 2,830 mm n Front track: 1,595 mm n Rear track: 1,585 mm n Tire size: 225/45 R19 n Price as tested: P1.785 million (plus P16,800 premium for the Soul Red color option)
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DENR to review CoC of VW Philippines By Catherine N. Pillas
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BusinessMirror media partner
they kick off a five-day amphibious military exercise at the Philippine Marines training center in Ternate, Cavite, on Thursday. The naval exercise, dubbed Pagsisikap 2015, is aimed at enhancing the capability of the Marines’s fleet and forces, as well as to strengthen its interoperability. AP
n Minimal tire rebound n Side mirror’s position, which produces a blind spot
Motoring
n Vehicle: Mazda 6 Skyactiv-G 2.5 n Type: Midsize Sedan/Executive Sedan/Large Family Car n Engine: 2.5 liter, in-line four cylinder, DOHC, 16 valve, gasoline-fed n Maximum power: 185 hp at 5,700 rpm n Maximum torque: 250 Nm at 3,250 rpm n Transmission: Skyactiv-Drive Six-speed automatic
NAVAL EXERCISE Philippine Marines from the Naval Special Operations Group storm the beach to simulate an “extraction” of a kidnapped victim, as
he Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to look into the compliance of Volkswagen (VW) Philippines to the country’s own emission standards, prompted by the admission of the world’s largest carmaker that it has skirted emission regulations in the United States.
PESO exchange rates n US 46.7380
Environment Undersecretary Jonas R. Leones said the worldwide scandal that VW is now facing has signaled the DENR to review the certificate of compliance (CoC) of the local unit for its distributed diesel models. “We will first determine the models of Volkswagen that the international media reported as having been tampered with. After that, we’ll compare the data on
emission testing they have abroad and compare it with the data they submitted here; and, if we see that it similarly does not comply with our standards, because the emission results for the same models are not right, we will be compelled to revoke the CoC,” Leones said in a phone interview. Leones, the former Environmental Management Bureau director, said the Philippines adopts different emis-
sion standards other than those of the US’s. He declined to prematurely give implications on the local market. VW Philippines was contacted for comment, but said it is waiting for the official statement from its mother unit in Europe. VW announced that its CEO Martin Winterkorn has resigned, days after admitting that the company has rigged diesel emissions Continued on A2
POLICY RATES KEPT AS WHAT ANALYSTS ANTICIPATED
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n a move widely expected by markets, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) kept all policy knobs unmoved during Thursday’s policy meeting, as the benign inflation provided further room for the monetary authority to keep its key rates steady. In its sixth monetary meeting for the year, the Monetary Board reaffirmed that the current monetary setting remains appropriate for the present economic conditions in the country, keeping the repurchase rate (RP), or overnight lending rate, at 6 percent, and 4 percent for the reverse repurchase rate (RRP), or overnight borrowing rate. The interest rates on term RRPs, RPs and special deposit accounts (SDA) were also kept steady.The reserve requirement ratios were, likewise, left unchanged. The seven-man monetary policymaking body of the BSP decided against changing its policy stance for the seventh consecutive time due to its assessment of benign inflation for this year and the next two years. In fact, the central bank has lowered its inflation forecast for the 2015 inflation average anew in its September meeting. Inflation in the country is now expected to average at 1.6 percent this year— indicating that any increases in inflation in the next months will be minimal. The current inflation average of the country as of August this year is at 1.7 percent. This is due largely to the continuing softening of oil prices, as well as food costs. In contrast to the adjustment in the inflation path for the year, the inflation forecasts for 2016 and 2017 were revised upward, due mainly to the expected gravity of the dry spell’s impact, which is expected to be felt this year and the next. The central bank adjusted its inflation forecast for 2016 to 2.6 percent— slightly higher than the earlier forecast of 2.5 percent. For 2017, meanwhile, the forecast is now at 3 percent, from the earlier assessment of 2.6 percent. The forecasts for both years are within the government’s target for 2016 and 2017, at 2 percent to 4 percent. According to the central bank, the higher inflation seen for 2016 and 2017 is due to the stronger El Niño expectations, global uncertainty and, Continued on A2
n japan 0.3887 n UK 71.2568 n HK 6.0310 n CHINA 7.3212 n singapore 32.7802 n australia 32.7871 n EU 52.2624 n SAUDI arabia 12.4628 Source: BSP (24 September 2015)