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Monday, April 30, 2018 Vol. 13 No. 198

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number of resort owners on the now-shuttered Boracay Island point to the discrepancies in the government’s list of establishments said to be not connected to the main sewer line. T he bu si ness ow ners a nd representatives question why they are on the list of violators that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has released, when the sewer line hasn’t reached their area yet, or

they have already submitted the required documents and certifications to the agency. Shangri-La Resort and Spa Boracay, as well as its staff quarters, for instance, were issued notices of violation. (See “Severe penalities,

83 percent

We’re on a hill, so the sewer line has yet to reach us.”—Po

fines face 186 Boracay businesses not connected to sewer lines,” in the BusinessMirror, April 28, 2018.) The resort, however, is in Barangay Yapak, an area still unserviced by the Boracay Island Water Co. (BIWC). In a Viber message to the BusinessMirror, Shangri-La Boracay’s Spokesman Mica Cordero

Alberto C. Agra

ead

PPP L Alberto C. Agra Part One

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s an 83-percent rating good? If the passing grade is 75, yes, of course. For those who pursue excellence, it could be better. What is this 83 percent? This is the average mark of the Philippine public-private partnership regulatory framework per the recently published report of the World Bank. The Procuring Infrastructure PPP 2018 (2018 PPP Report) “assesses the regulatory frameworks and recognized good practices that govern PPP procurement across 135 economies.” The “aim of this publication is to help countries improve the governance and quality of PPP projects.” Continued on A15

Continued on A2

PCSO confident of hitting revenue target for 2018

BANNING‘BALIMBINGS’: PUNDITS BANK ON NEW CHARTER VS.TURNCOATS By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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NLY in the Philippines could a juicy fruit earn scorn. Locally-called balimbing, the fruit of the Averrhoa carambola has a double meaning in the country; the political definition of which refers to the derogatory turncoat. The more severe meanings are traitor and two-faced Janus. Modern politics is the culprit for turning a vitamin-rich star fruit to represent political turncoats, according to Ramon C. Casiple, executive director at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform. Casiple explained the use of balimbing to refer to turncoats first became popular in Philippine politics when former allies of the late dictator and former President Ferdinand E. Marcos switched to the party of then-opposition stalwart Corazon C. Aquino in the run up to the 1986 Snap Presidential Elections. The reference was also easily accepted by many because, just like the star fruit’s color when ripe, yellow was also the cam-

paign color of Aquino when she ran against Marcos, Casiple said. Yellow was the dominant color used during the 1986 Edsa People Power event that led to Marcos’s ouster and demise from power. Aside from its shape and color, the starfruit is also available for all seasons. “If you slice the fruit, you would see a star shape. When you look at it at any angle, it looks the same,” Casiple told the BusinessMirror. “ The term balimbing became a colloquial term to also refer to politicians who are always there despite changes in political environment because they have no principles.”

Constitutional birth JUST as old as the reference, political turncoatism or party switching has become rampant and evident in the country’s long history. Asked if it is already part of Filipino culture to be a balimbing or be a turncoat, Casiple disagreed, saying it’s just a form of survival, especially in politics. See “Banning,” A2

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Sewer-line ‘violators’ chide DENR for releasing ‘faulty’ list By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

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By Rea Cu

@ReaCuBM

he Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is optimistic of reaching its revenue target of P55 billion this year, as it expects to increase the number of its authorized agent corporations (AACs) of Small Town Lottery (STL) by as much as 16.

₧55 billion

pasay city fiesta Aliwan Festival, an annual event hosted by the city of Pasay in Metro Manila, is touted as among the country’s biggest festivals, bringing together multiple celebrations, including the diverse cultures of the local population, and attracting tourists from across the country and the globe. BERNARD TESTA

Taxpayers fund NFA’s cheap rice–Duterte

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resident Duterte ordered the National Food Authority (NFA) to ensure the availability of cheap rice at all times by filling its warehouses, whether through its

domestic procurement program or importation. The President made this pronouncement in a news briefing upon his arrival from Singapore where he attended the 32nd Association of

Sout heast A si a n Nat ions Summit in Singapore. “It’s better to sell cheap rice to Filipinos. It doesn’t matter if the government incurs See “Taxpayers,” A16

The revenue target of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for 2018

PCSO Assistant General Manager for Operations Remeliza J. Gabuyo told the BusinessMirror that the board of the government- owned and -controlled corporations has already approved the establishment of six AACs this month. “Actually [the revenue target for 2018] is not P60 billion but P55 billion. The [PCSO] Board recently approved, two weeks ago, another six AACs in different areas,” Gabuyo told the BusinessMirror at the sidelines of the PCSO road show event last Saturday at Lipa, Batangas. See “PCSO,” A16

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Source: BSP (27 April 2018 )

BMReports BusinessMirror

A2 Monday, April 30, 2018

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Sewer-line ‘violators’ chide DENR for releasing ‘faulty’ list Continued from A1

said, while she has no information if the resort has received a notice of violation (NOV), “we [operate] our own STP [sewage-treatment plant] with permits.” Other resorts served NOVs are, likewise, in Barangay Yapak, such as Hotel Soffia, Alta Vista de Boracay, Zoe Mei Resort, and Boracay Eco-Village Resort and Convention Corp. Archie Po, owner of Hotel Soffia, said “we’re on a hill, so the sewer line has yet to reach us. What we do is recycle our wastes into our own leaching field, which produces fertilizer. We use this to grow the plants in our garden.” BIWC has already started on its

Banning. . .

sewage-expansion project, which will cover Barangay Yapak, such that by 2022, the company’s sewerage service is expected to cover the entire island of Boracay. The Ayala Group and state-owned Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, the infrastructure arm of the Department of Tourism, own BIWC. In a separate interview, Edd Fuentes, owner of the Sun Villas Resort and Spa Beachfront and Restaurant, said, “three DENR teams went [to the resort] on separate occasions and were given copies of our certification of sewer connection from the BIWC.” The certification issued on March 14, 2018, a copy of which was provided the BusinessMir-

Continued from A1

“This is not culture. It can be changed by changing the rules of the game,” he said. “That is what it means to have Charter change. You will have new game rules.” Casiple pointed to the failure of the 1987 Constitution to develop a good political party system as having given birth to political turncoats. The consultative committee (Con-com) tasked to review the 1987 Constitution is eyeing to ban turncoatism. The Con-com also plans to institutionalize and strengthen political parties in its new set of provisions for the new constitution under the country’s shift to federal form of government. If adopted, these latest provisions, which are still up for vote on en banc session on May 2, will add up to their list of proposed political reforms including the anti-political dynasty provision. Con-com member and Political Science Professor Julio C. Teehankee said in a briefing last week that they have already agreed in principle on the subcommittee level to adopt the proposed provisions.

Institutionalization UNDER the 1987 Constitution, there are no existing provisions on turncoatism. Teehankee, chairman of the Con-com’s subcommittee on leveling the political playing field, noted the long history of party-switching. Between 70 percent and 75 percent of politicians have switched parties since 1987, he said. Taking note of these historical junctures, Teehankee said they are proposing to prohibit candidates and party officials from changing parties two years before and two years after an election and to prohibit members of political party elected to public office from changing parties during their term. Political parties are also prohibited under the proposed provision from accepting “transferees” within the prohibited periods, and that violation is a ground for cancellation of registration. Violators of the provisions shall lose the post to which they have been elected, barred from appointment to any post, barred from running in the next election and return any party funds they spent for campaign. Casiple said the country should have long instituted this ban against turncoatism because it has undermined the political party system. “Because of turncoatism, it has become the entry point of [political] dynasties and personalistic politics,”

PCSO. . .

Continued from A16

Its first-quarter revenues represent the combined revenue from all PCSO products, namely, Lotto, Keno, Sweepstakes and STL. Lotto and other digital games accounted for P7.8 billion of total revenues; STL, P6.1 billion; while Keno and instant sweepstakes accounted for P1.4 billion and P663 million, respectively. Sales from STL accounted for 38 percent of total revenues,

ror, said: “This is to certify that Sun Village Resort Central-1/The Sun Villa Beachfront with BIWC account no. 500***** located at Station 1, Barangay Balabag, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, is connected to the sewerage system of Boracay Island Water Company.” (Account number hidden to protect the resort.) The certification was issued by Eduardo S. de la Cruz Jr., BIWC Used Network manager, and noted by Carlito A. Magro Jr., Business Zone Manager, Balabag DMZ. When he first saw his resort on the list of violators, which earlier circulated on the island, “we complained but was told to send a letter to Iloilo [DENR regional office], and so we did. OK na raw,

he said, noting that unless the country has this provision, turncoatism will persist to be a problem. Casiple added that politicians tend to turncoat especially after a president from another party wins. Politicians from the losing party tend to align to the party of those in power, especially the President in order to survive and be a recipient of President’s goodwill.

Barber’s cut Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers of the Second District of Surigao del Norte, who filed House Bill 7431 or the “Anti-Political Turncoatism Act” in March, said he supports the proposed provisions by Con-com, although there are some slight differences with his bill. “It’s more credible if it came from a nonpolitician rather than coming from me,”Barbers said. “[And] if you try to compare it, [Con-com’s provision on turncoatism] is stiffer than mine.” Under the bill, no elected public official may change his political party affiliation during his term of office and no candidate for any elective public office may change his political party affiliation within one year before and one year after election in which he participated but lost. “Their perspective of a politician is different from the perspective of a nonpolitician,”he said. “They are not looking at the subsequent elections. They are looking at the long-term effect and long-term benefits of having this kind of political reforms.” Barbers also noted that turncoatism became rampant also because the country has allowed it to happen when the 1987 Constitution became silent on turncoatism. “If we included that provision and we made it more stringent and if the leaders had principles and ideologies, this should not have happened, right?,” he said.

Strong parties ASIDE from turncoatism provision, Teehankee said they are also proposing a set of provisions to strengthen political parties. Under the current constitution, there is only onesentence provision on Section 6 of Article IX-C Commission on Elections under the current Constitution, which reads as: “A free and open party system shall be allowed to evolve according to the free choice of the people, subject to the provisions of this Article.” “All political parties, both the established ones and the new ones, are now obligated to recruit from the marginalized sector and the underrepresented,” Teehankee said. “We also want to open our party system

registering the highest increase in revenue at P3.28 billion, 14.2 higher than the P2.87 billion recorded in the same period last year.

Beneficiaries

The PCSO also increased the number of beneficiaries served by the agency through its flagship Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP), brought about by the increase in revenues. For the first quarter of 2018, the PCSO assisted a total of 120,356 patients nationwide, expanding by 34 percent, from

they [inspection team] said. But we never even got a letter from them [DENR 6] acknowledging receipt of our letter.” The notation on DENR’s list for Sun Villa said, “not connected without DP [discharge permit]. For further evaluation prior to issuance of NOV.” Djila Weinbrenner, owner and proprietor of The Lazy Dog Bed and Breakfast also said her establishment “has been connected to the sewer line since it became available five years ago. We were the first one in our area. When this list came out three weeks ago, I immediately went to the DENR to clarify the alleged violation. DENR asked us to request for a new certificate of connection from the BIWC, of which we

only not only to the marginalized but also to the middle class…by mandating our political parties to actively recruit from the professionals from the middle class and the underrepresented sector.” Marginalized sectors include the peasants, workers, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities and fishermen, while the underrepresented sectors include women, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), persons with disabilities, the professionals, the educators and the youth, among others. Party-list Rep. Rodel M. Batocabe of Ako Bicol also told the BusinessMirror this is a vague proposal, which can be abused by stakeholders and Commission of Elections (Comelec). “It would be better if we open the system to everybody who wants to join and let the people decide,” he said. “It shouldn’t be left to select people like the Comelec who will run or not.” Although Batocabe recognized that Con-com’s intention is good and noble, he said the implementation will be very difficult. “There will be again question on the definition of the underrepresented, marginalized so it would just be better now to adopt the present...partylist system,” Batocabe said.

‘Revolutionary’ proposal ASKED for his opinion about this Con-com proposal, Casiple said it is “impractical” to make this a requirement for political parties. “But if this proposal can be carried, why not?” Teehankee also said they are also introducing a “revolutionary” proposal, which mandates political parties to have a proper and proportionate number of women candidates in an election. “We have a separate provision on gender representation for women, something that we not had it this country, despite the fact that we already had two women presidents,” he said. Although Casiple said this proposal has “democratic logic” since half of the population are women, he remains “skeptical” this could be legislated. Also, Con-com is also proposing that political parties, their affiliated organizations, coalitions and candidates shall not receive assistance—financial or in whatever form—from foreign governments or their agencies, criminal or unlawful sources. Violation of the provision would result in cancellation of registration without prejudice to other charges under existing laws. The Con-com is expected to submit its final draft to the President on July 19, days before the Chief Executive’s State of the Nation Address on July 23.

89,755 patients served last year. The agency also disbursed over P440 million to local government units (LGUs), where there are existing STL operations and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, which received P187 million. The PCSO further pointed out that it continues to address challenges to its operations such as illegal gambling. Ted Quijano, head of the advisory council for STL, said during the event that the PCSO is proposing several revisions in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the STL in the hopes of eradicating illegal gambling. “If you don’t monitor the AACs it may become illegal. That’s why we are enforcing stricter monitoring in terms of choosing AACs to eliminate the illegal ones from the list, to make sure that there will be no criminal offenses, tax evaders, or those involved in drugs,” Quijano said. Gabuyo pointed out that the provision imposing a 20-percent tax on lottery winnings under the recently implemented Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law may discourage bettors from patronizing Lotto and STLs. The PCSO will submit a proposal to amend the law. “For the lotto, all winners receiving prizes above P10,000 is subject to a tax of 20 percent. Below P10,000 is tax-exempt. Of course, if you will compare the price winnings of lotto against STL, the STL they can bet as low as P1, so the winners seldom hit the P10,000 prize mark. For lotto winners, their winnings really decrease because of the TRAIN law,” she said. The TRAIN law imposes a 20-percent tax for lotto winnings reaching P10,000 and above. It was signed by President Duterte in December 2017 and the law was implemented starting January 2018. “For now, we are continuously coordinating with the BIR [Bureau of Internal Revenue] as per the TRAIN law. We will submit our position paper [because TRAIN’s provisions] will really affect our lotto sales. In fact, it’s not only the 20-percent tax on price winnings, including the increase in DST [documentary tax stamp] from 10 percent to 20 percent,” she added.

have complied and submitted. The DENR officers I spoke with at the EMB [Environment and Management Bureau] office in Manoc-Manoc said that should be enough to clear us from the list. We have all the documents to prove it.” Said list notes the resort is “not connected, without DP. For further evaluation prior to the issuance of NOV.” Weinbrenner retorted in Filipino, “they’re taking a long time to validate.” She added, “It’s unacceptable to be included in this list, being an establishment that fully complies to regulations and has never asked for favors and shortcuts.” The DENR list is the latest as of April 27, 2018.

Congress. . .

Continued from A16

duties: adopt uniform standards on signage for use throughout the Philippines to facilitate travel around the country; provide directional signage in tourism facilities and destinations, including airports, land border crossings and bus train, and other public transit locations; and prepare and disseminate multilingual travel and tourism information and promotional materials. Moreover, the task force shall: establish a toll-free telephone assistance system run by multilingual operators to provide assistance to domestic and foreign tourists; coordinate with LGUs the establishment of tourist help desks in identified tourist destinations; and institute measures to prevent unlawful acts or harassment being committed on tourists. Aggressive campaigner Rep. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr. of the Second District of Camarines Sur said the DOT should now undertake an aggressive marketing campaign to sell the Philippines’ other prime tourist spots. Villafuerte said the DOT, the local government units and the private sector should work together on new marketing strategies to sell the Philippines as Asia’s premier ecotourism and adventure sports hub. He added the DOT can take advantage of the country’s natural attractions and the Filipinos’s famed hospitality and relative fluency in English to market the Philippines as an ecotourism haven. Citing the example of Camarines Sur, Villafuerte said the success of the tourism sector in the province was anchored on its promotion and development as a sports and adventure destination. He said promoting a site as a sports tourism hub has a higher probability of tourists returning to the area because they have to train there to improve their skills. He added that given the right tools, the DOT would not find it difficult to sustain the Philippines’s growing number of foreign tourist arrivals even with the closure of Boracay Island, given that even authoritative and respected online publications, such as forbes.com, have acknowledged the country as among Asia’s booming tourist locations owing to improvements in infrastructure and land, air and sea connectivity.

Tourism bills

Meanwhile, among the pending tourism bills are: ■ An Act declaring the municipality of Barlig in Mountain Province as Tourism Development area and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring Pilis Falls in Barangay Palili in Bataan as ecotourism site and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring the municipality of Jovellar in Albay as an ecotourism zone and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring city of Butuan a heritage tourism zone and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring the province of La Union as a tourist destination and the “Surfing Capital of the North” (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act providing for the establishment of Lingayen Gulf Marine Eco-Tourism Park in Pangasinan and

In a related matter, Fuentes wondered why resorts need two permits from the DENR to run a generator. “We already paid P2,203 for the permit to operate the genset. Then another team comes by to inspect, and we were told we would have to pay the same amount for the permit to discharge [air coming from the genset]! Why didn’t they tell us before and why do we need two permits?” He added, “I’ve always said I welcome the rehabilitation of Boracay; it’s about time this happened. But I wish they just conducted it more orderly. It’s obvious these inspection teams, all from the DENR, are not talking to each other. Neither are they updating their head office.” appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring Manok-Manok Island in Masbate as an ecotourism site and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring La Mesa Dam Ecopark in Quezon City as a tourism site (pending in the House Committee on Tourism). ■ An Act declaring the Lantawan Ecopark in Agusan del Norte as a priority tourism site and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring the Mapaso-Hot and Cold Spring in Agusan del Norte as a priority tourism site and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring the Sagrada Familia Cave in Zambales as an ecotourism zone and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the House Committee on Appropriations). ■ An Act declaring the Mount Pinatubo in Zambales as an ecotourism zone and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the House Committee on Appropriations). ■ An Act declaring the province of Misamis Oriental a tourism development area and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring the province of Lanao del Norte a tourism development area and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring the Limasawa Tour ism Development Aut hor it y (pending in the House Committee on Tourism). ■ An Act declaring the Candon City eco tourism zone in Ilocos Sur and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An Act declaring the province of Leyte a tourism zone and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the Senate). ■ An act declaring Pag-asa Island cluster in Palawan as ecotourism destination and protect area and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the House Committee on Tourism). ■ An Act declaring the Kaparkan Fall in Abra as an ecotourism site and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the House Committee on Tourism). ■ An Act declaring Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands in the Surigao del Norte as an ecotourism zone and appropriating funds therefor (pending in the House Committee on Tourism). Rep. Geraldine B. Roman of the First Distric of Bataan, one of the authors of these tourism bills, said it is the policy of state to accord priority status to sustainable, vibrant and profitable tourism development as one of the engines of socioeconomic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment. “In today’s growth trend, the problem of unemployment remains unresolved. Tourism-related sector is becoming an increasingly important source of economic prosperity by way creating job opportunities,” Roman said. Also, Rep. Fernando V. Gonzales of the Third District of Albay said Tourism Act of 2009 declared tourism as an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance, which must be harnessed as an engine of socioeconomic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment and to continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all Filipinos.

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Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Monday, April 30, 2018 A3

Duterte vows to bring home Pinoy workers from Kuwait By Manuel T. Cayon

PRAYER FOR JONAS Relatives and friends of activist Jonas Burgos offer a

prayer during an event at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, to commemorate the 11th anniversary of his abduction. NONOY LACZA

Group weighs in on return of 0.26M OFWs in Kuwait

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HE Associated Labor UnionsTrade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) fears a looming “chaos” in the domestic labor market if the repatriation of 260,000 OFWs in Kuwait pushes through. “There are no available jobs here in the Philippines for them. There are already 11 million Filipinos with part-time jobs and without jobs,” ALU-TUCP Spokesman Alan A. Tanjusay was quoted in a statement as saying. “And if they will be made to return, we will have a crisis.” Tanjusay said the government should have prepared a compre-

hensive reinteg rat ion before even considering such large-scale repatriation. For his part, recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said he expects about 100,000 OFWs, employed as professionals in Kuwait, will not heed the call for voluntary repatriation of the government. He said these professionals would prefer staying in Kuwait because of their current high salaries. “There are no jobs in the country that can match their present positions in Kuwait, and if there are, the salary can never match their present wages,” Geslani said. Samuel P. Medenilla

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@awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

AVAO City—Diplomatic tensions between Kuwait and the Philippines appear to be coming to a head as President Duterte announced last Sunday that Manila will bring home all Filipinos from the small emirate between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

“We adjust; but I’ll withdraw all the Filipinos there. We’ll not ask any help from you. We’ll spend for their return,” Duterte said. “In the meantime, please treat them just like human beings.” The Commander in Chief expressed these thoughts in a statement issued upon his arrival past midnight of Saturday from Singapore, where he attended the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. Duterte’s stance to withdraw all Filipinos from Kuwait came after Kuwait expelled Philippine Ambassador Renato O. Villa and recalled its envoy from the country. Duterte said in a speech delivered upon his arrival here that he would

leave Villa’s case to the succession process among diplomats. However, the country’s Chief Executive clarified he has no grudge against Kuwait. “There’s no bitterness in our hearts for after all, at one time, we were also there to help you and there [are] thousands of Filipinos whose lives [were] lifted from poverty because of the work,” he said in his arrival speech. “Nothing of a sort of vengeance; my only concern now is to get back Filipinos,” he said, adding he would spend “the entire P4.4 billion to get them out,” referring to an emergency fund. “We will spend the money, all of

it, to the last peso to get them back,” Duterte said. He added the money may be used to pay off the debts of the stranded Filipinos. The President said some 700 Filipinos were currently in the temporary shelters “seeking sanctuary.” Duterte expressed hopes Kuwait would allow these stranded Filipino workers to go home but that Kuwaiti employers may still opt to press charges in their courts. “My hope is for Kuwait to do away with the charges,” he said. Quoting Sen. Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, the President added he would rather see Filipinos coming, going out, being taken out,[or] forced out than have them back in a casket.” Duterte said Filipino professionals who wish to stay in Kuwait may do so. But for those whose employers want them to leave, the President asked them to come home. “For the household workers whose employers want them to stay—that is their choice, but choose the better option,” Duterte said. “All I ask is that the employers treat the Filipinos with the humanity they deserve. Please do not abuse Filipino workers.” He particularly appealed to “Filipino household service workers, whose employers do not want them anymore to please come home out of your sense of patriotism and honor.”

The President vowed the “government will do its best to help you return and resettle,” noting that funds from China may be used to aid Filipino workers in Kuwait. He said in a news briefing here that China has informed him it needs foreign workers, including English-language teachers. Initial estimates indicate that China may need as many as 100,000 workers, mostly teachers. The rest would be under the responsibility of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), according to Duterte. “I would also try to look at other jobs available to them,” the President said, noting that Tesda may train returning workers from Kuwait on caregiving as several countries were now demanding for caregivers. “Even if it would be hard, we can survive,” he said. He added the economy “is doing good” and the country may need soon the expertise of the migrant workers. The government started the repatriation program for Filipino workers in Kuwait on February 11 following the reports of deaths and maltreatment of Filipino workers. The repatriated Filipinos have also availed themselves of the extended amnesty program of the Kuwaiti government. With Bernadette D. Nicolas in Manila

Economy

A4 Monday, April 30, 2018 • Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon

BusinessMirror

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Ease foreign ownership rules for mass media, Con-com told By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

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@joveemarie

senior deputy minority leader last Sunday urged the consultative committee (Con-com) to consider relaxing the restrictions to foreign ownership of Philippine mass media, educational institutions and telecommunications.

Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay in a statement said now is the right time to consider greater foreign participation in certain sectors of Philippine economy. The Con-com was tasked by President Duterte to draft possible

changes to the 1987 Constitution. The panel, led by retired Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, is expected to submit its recommendations to the President, who intends to transmit the proposals to Congress. Under Article XVI, Section 11

of the Constitution, only citizens of the Philippines, or corporations, cooperatives or associations wholly owned and managed by Filipinos, may own and operate mass media. “We have to allow greater foreign participation in certain economic sectors if we are to quickly attract fresh investments, create new jobs and improve services in the years ahead,” Atienza said. According to Atienza, the constitutional provision forbidding any foreign equity in Philippine mass media “has become totally irrelevant, amid rapid technological advances.” “In fact, the prohibition has been rendered meaningless by Internet streaming, as well as global broadcasting via cable and satellite TV,” Atienza said. “[Also,] we disallow majority foreign ownership of Philippine educa-

tional institutions, yet we send our brightest children to study overseas,” he added. Under Article XIV, Section 4 of the Constitution, all educational institutions, except those established by religious groups and mission boards, have to be owned solely by citizens of the Philippines, or by firms at least 60 percent owned by Filipinos. The lawmaker said it is also “counterproductive” the provision restricting Philippine telecommunications to entities at least 60 percent held by Filipinos. “Owing to the foreign equity limit, we now have slowest average Internet connection speed in all of Asia, and Filipinos have for years been forced to live with the substandard broadband services of two dominant suppliers,” Atienza said. Article XII, Section 11 of the

Constitution limits foreign equity in Philippine public utilities, including telecommunications, to no more than 40 percent.

Drug test for candidates

Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers of the Second District of Surigao del Norte, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, asked the Con-com to include a constitutional provision that would provide for a mandatory drug test for all candidates in national and local positions. Barbers, in a radio interview, said the mandatory drug-testing provision under the new Constitution should also cover all government officials. “It can also be considered while they are drafting the [new] Constitution under the Charter change,” Barbers said.

Barbers was referring to the Supreme Court ruling declaring as unconstitutional sections of Republic Act (RA) 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which requires drug testing for candidates for national and local elective posts and those facing criminal charges punishable by more than six years imprisonment. Earlier, President Duterte ordered the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to disclose the names of barangay officials in the agency’s drug watchlist. Barbers said the PDEA should file appropriate charges against barangay officials allegedly behind the illegal-drug trade in the country. He also said the names of mayors, governors, congressmen and other politicians involved in the illegal drugs should also be made public.

tidbits: From animation An additional 100,000 Pinoys went abroad Creative to fashion accessories to seek greener pastures in 2017–PSA I

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arrive at the Manila International Airport Terminal 1, where they will board a plane that would take them to their country of destination. The Philippine Statistics Authority said in a report that the number of OFWs rose by 4.4 percent in 2017 from the figure recorded in 2016. NONIE REYES By Cai U. Ordinario @cuo_bm & Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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early 100,000 more Filipinos went abroad and became overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) last year, according to the latest report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Data from the PSA showed there was an average of 2.34 million Filipinos working abroad at anytime between April and September 2017, 4.42 percent higher than the 2.24 million recorded in the same period in 2016.

“OFWs include overseas contract workers [OCWs] who were presently out of the country during the reference period to fulfill an overseas contract for a specific length of time or who were presently at home on vacation during the reference period but still had an existing contract to work abroad, and other Filipino workers abroad with valid working visa or work permits,” the PSA said. “Those who had no working visa or work permits [tourist, visitor, student, medical and other types of nonimmigrant visas] but were presently employed and working full time in other countries were also included,” it added. The PSA said OCWs, or those with existing work contract, comprised 97 percent of the total OFWs during the period between April and September 2017. The rest of the OFWs worked overseas without a contract. The OCWs who had existing work permits were higher in 2016 and comprised 97.5 percent of the total OFWs during the period from April to September 2016. The rest, or 2.5 percent, worked overseas without a contract. In terms of remittance, OFWs sent an estimated P205.2 billion in April to September 2017, higher than the P203 billion recorded in the same period in 2016. These remittances included cash sent home worth P146.8 billion; cash brought home, P48.3 billion pesos; and remittances in kind, P10.1 billion. A majority, or 62.8 percent of OFWs, sent their remittance through banks, while 3.1 percent sent their remittance through agencies or local offices; 0.8 percent via door-to-door delivery; 0.1 percent, friends or coworkers; and 33.1 percent through other means. “The remittances sent by OFWs to their respective families may just be a part of the total salary received by the OFWs,” the PSA said. “Further, if the family received during the reference period goods and products sent by this OFW, the imputed value of such goods was included in his/her total remittance.” The PSA also explained that the information obtained were based on the answers given by the survey respondents to the questions on how much cash remittance was received by the family during the period April to September 2017 from a family member who is an OFW and how much cash did this member bring home during the reference period, if any. PSA data showed more than half, or 53.7 percent of the OFWs, were female, while the other 46.3 percent were males. The largest proportion of OFWs were aged 30 to

34 years old comprising 21.7 percent of all OFWs, followed by those aged 25 to 29 years with 20.4 percent. A third, or 37.6 percent of OFWs, were employed in elementary occupations, while 18 percent worked as service and sales workers. OFWs who worked as plant and machine operators and assemblers comprised 13.7 percent, and craft and related trade workers, 11.4 percent. The largest proportion of OFWs was from Calabarzon, who represented 20.7 percent of total OFWs. Those coming from Central Luzon comprised 12.9 percent, and those from the National Capital Region and Western Visayas, both were 9.5 percent. On the other hand, the smallest number of OFWs came from Caraga, or 1.7 percent of total OFWs. Saudi Arabia was the most preferred country of destination among OFWs, or 25.4 percent of the total. The other countries of destination were the United Arab Emirates, 15.3 percent; Kuwait, 6.7 percent; and Hong Kong, 6.5 percent. The 2017 Survey on Overseas Filipinos (SOF) only covered OFWs aged 15 years old and over, and working abroad between April 1 and September 30, 2017.

Teaching kits for OFWs

OFWS who will return to the country to become public-schools teachers are now entitled to P20,000 worth of teaching kit under the new guidelines issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Earlier this month, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III implemented Department Order 190, series of 2018 containing the guidelines of the “Sa ’Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir” (Spims) three years after it was launched in 2015. Among the new provisions of the guidelines is the teaching kits provided by the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) to Spims beneficiaries. “Just recently the secretary of labor has approved the teaching kits. We could now give them a laptop and all other assistance they need for them to teach,” Geronico M. Herrera, NRCO officer in charge for Workers’ Reintegration and Technical Support Division, said during a forum at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman last Saturday. Aside from a laptop, the teaching kits also include instructional materials, and other school supplies and gadgets. The measure aims to entice more OFWs to avail themselves of the program. “We encourage more OFWs to applied since the DepEd [Department of Education] still has a lot of available vacancies for them,” Herrera said. To qualify for Spims, an applicant must be an Filipino citizen or Philippine passport holder, and have passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers with accumulated teaching experience of at least one full year for the last five years. They must also not have stayed or resided in the Philippines for more than three years.

am grateful to Miguel del Rosario, the president and CEO of Toon City, for inviting me to his fascinating studio in Mandaluyong. I was impressed to see his team of 400 animation artists at work. Starting as a traditional animation service provider for Walt Disney Television Animation, Toon City has steadily grown over the years into becoming a choice subcontracting animation facility of Asia. Toon City is the animation production house for major clients around the world, including Walt Disney Television Animation, Universal Animation, Warner Bros. Animation, MoonScoop Productions, etc., offering the very best in high-quality traditional, 3D/CGI and flash animation artistry. Drawing from its wealth of experience, Toon City continues to deliver timely and outstanding quality feature film and TV series animation to its ever demanding clients. Toon City now belongs to an exclusive roster of studios, having been recognized with an Emmy award for its Outstanding Animated Children’s Program in 2010 for Curious George. Miguel is also the president of the Animation Council of the Philippines (ACPI). He informed me that the major animation studios in the Philippines are employing more than 10,000 artists. For the first time in quite a number of years, I visited Manila FAME on April 20 and regret to have to say that the Department of Trade and Industry and the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions have to reinvent the show jointly with the industry to bring international buyers back in large numbers. It is unfortunate that international buyers are visiting Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong and see little reason to fly into Manila. I enjoyed the discussions with many of my former “clients” who, in the past, exhibited at trade shows we were representing or promoting, from Frankfurt to Cologne, from Paris to Milan, from Bangkok to Hong Kong, from Singapore to Tokyo. If “Creative Philippines” is ever going to be the battle cry of the creative industries of the Philippines, Manila FAME has to be brought back to its old fame. One reason to visit Manila FAME was to catch up with Butch Carungay, who is the driver of the Fashion Jewelry Industry in Cebu (Cebu being the fashion accessories capital of the Philippines). Unfortunately, I did not ‘catch’ him but I visited the booths of quite a number of the sector representatives. It is unfortunate to see, that a confluence of factors afflicting every aspect of the value chain are fast making the fashion jewelry sector a victim of SIS (Sunset Industry Syndrome) and it is high time to reverse the trend. The main reasons for the development are found in:

creative philippines By Henry Schumacher Design—not the asset that it was; other countries have vastly improved as second-generation owners run factories or put more emphasis on design; very little investment in new design tools and equipment, such as 3D printers/ rapid prototyping. Supply—The financial crisis in the United States of 2007 greatly eroded what was already a very weak supply chain; logistics are expensive in an archipelago like the Philippines; erratic government support for importing equipment/materials. Capacity—Lack of mechanization; very few companies are compliant; inefficiencies at every level; ageing work force. Quality—Weak supply chain; many testing companies have closed; insufficient investment in latest machinery, such as 3D printers. While we live in a hyper-changing world and have to compete with an unprecedented amount of merchandise in an environment where people are spending less on personal belongings, there will always be a market for fashion jewelry—big enough for the Philippine fashion jewelry industry. As mentioned above, the industry is currently at a critical precipice and needs to be jumpstarted immediately and turned around quickly. What needs to be done? Ignite enthusiasm among the sector players—There is a need to

create excitement;

Launch collaborations­—The

industry needs fresh ideas/blood; work with other young designers from other sectors/disciplines. Explore collaboration with other Asean countries via the Creative Cities Network; Sector branding— Recraft an overall marketing/image strategy for the sector based on current macro trends in the industry. Encourage the development of local brands with the intent of exporting the brand internationally; New platforms—Target top international markets through enhanced digital marketing; and New channels—As trade shows diminish in importance, alternative ways of showcasing the sector need to be explored quickly. Work with foreign trade posts to bring products closer to end consumers through instore campaigns with major retailers. In the longer term, it is imperative that the sector continues to innovate to maintain the momentum, create longer-lasting and consistent value so the products remain compelling in the ever-evolving marketplace.

Comments are welcome—e-mail me under Schumacher@eitsc.com.

Agriculture/Commodities BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Monday, April 30, 2018

App aims to help rice farmers cut costs

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

he Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) said it is developing an Android application (app) that would allow farmers to assess the nitrogen content of their crop and help them cut fertilizer costs. The PhilRice, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), said the app is based on a four-stripped “ruler” called Leaf

Color Chart (LCC), which is used in assessing nitrogen status of the rice plant. “The handy diagnostic tool,

which identifies the nutrient deficiency through colors ranging from yellow green to dark green, helps farmers save one to two sacks of nitrogen in every hectare,” the PhilRice said in a statement. “Now a mobile app in the pipeline, it will generate nitrogen recommendations from the digital images of rice leaves taken directly from the field,” it added. Nitrogen is an essential rice plant nutrient for growth and improves grain yield and quality, according to the PhilRice. Ailon Oliver Capistrano, PhilRice senior researcher, said the app will utilize the smartphone’s

camera to take images of the leaves of the rice plant, which would be then assessed by the app as nitrogen concentration could be measured through the leaves. “Different camera types are normally installed in smartphones with variations in terms of resolution. We found that all cameras will deliver an almost similar reading. This means that we can settle for the lowest or median camera resolution as it is also lower in cost,” Capistrano said. The app measures the intensity of green color based on the captured leaf images and converts this into values correlated with

the amount of nitrogen in the leaf, according to the PhilRice. “The app is more accurate than the LCC because the assessment of the leaf color will no longer be based on the perception of users, which varies from person to person,” Capistrano said. The PhilRice said the app will undergo field testing and the accuracy of its nitrogen recommendation w il l be eva luated this year. According to the International Rice Research Institute (Irri), nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient being a component of amino acids, nucleic acids, nucleotides,

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chlorophyll, enzymes and hormones. Nitrogen promotes rapid plant growth and improves grain yield and grain quality through higher tillering, leaf area development, grain formation, grain filling and protein synthesis. The Irri also noted that nitrogen is the most limiting element in almost all soils. Thus, the proper application of nitrogen fertilizers is vital to improve crop growth and grain yields, especially in intensive agricultural systems. Insufficient and/or inappropriate fertilizer management can be detrimental to crops and the environment.

The World BusinessMirror

A6 Monday, April 30, 2018 • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Trump-Kim meeting will take place ‘over the next three or four weeks’

N. Korea to close nuclear test site in May

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EOUL, South Korea—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to shut down the country’s nuclear test site in May and open the process to experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States, Seoul’s presidential office said last Sunday. The event may serve as a dramatic setup to Kim’s crucial nuclear negotiations with President Donald J. Trump that may take place in the next few weeks, amid widespread skepticism on whether the North will ever fully surrender its nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Trump expects his historic meeting with Kim will take place “over the next three or four weeks.” “Strength is going to keep us out of nuclear war, not get us in,” Trump told a rally in Washington, Michigan, last Saturday. Earlier, he said details of the summit are being ironed out, and that he’d spoken with the leaders of South Korea and Japan about preparations for the meeting. The call early Saturday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in was “a long and very good talk,” Trump said. Kim made the comments during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last Friday at a border truce village, where he also expressed optimism about his meeting with Trump, saying the US president will learn he’s “not a person” to fire missiles toward the United States, Moon’s spokesman Yoon Young-chan said. Moon and Kim during the summit promised to work toward the “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula, but made no references to verification or timetables. Seoul had also shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington to set up a potential meeting between Kim and Trump. “Once we start talking, the United States will know that I am not a person to launch nuclear weapons at South Korea, the Pacific or the United

States,” Yoon quoted Kim as saying. “If we maintain frequent meetings and build trust with the United States and receive promises for an end to the war and a nonaggression treaty, then why would we need to live in difficulty by keeping our nuclear weapons?” Yoon quoted Kim as saying. North Korea this month announced it has suspended all tests of nuclear devices and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and plans to close its nuclear testing ground. Kim reacted to skepticism that the North would only be closing down the northernmost test tunnel at the site in Punggye-ri, which some analysts say became too unstable to conduct further underground detonations, following the country’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test last September. In his conversation with Moon, Kim denied that he would be merely clearing out damaged goods, saying that the site also has two new tunnels that are larger than previous testing facilities, Yoon said. The Friday summit between Moon and Kim kicked off a global diplomatic drive to deal with the North’s nuclear and missile threats, which after a flurry of weapons tests last year involve purported thermonuclear weapons, developmental ICBMs and quick-fire solid-fuel missiles. While the meeting ended with no new concrete measures on the nuclear standoff, the more substantial discussions on the North’s denuclearization—including what, when and how it would occur—were always going to be reserved for a KimTrump summit. The new round of nuclear negotiations with North Korea comes after

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in cross the military demarcation line to the South side at the border village after a quick step on the North’s side of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. Korea Summit Press Pool via AP

a decades-long cycle of crises, stalemates and broken promises that allowed the country the room to build a legitimate arsenal. Seoul has said Kim expressed genuine interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons. But North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of “denuclearization” that bears no resemblance to the American definition, vowing to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its troops from the Korean Peninsula and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan. There is widespread doubt whether Kim will ever agree to entirely abandon his nuclear weapons when he clearly sees them as providing his

only guarantee of survival in a region surrounded by enemies. Some analysts see Moon’s agreement with Kim at last Friday’s summit as a disappointment, citing the lack of references to verification and time frames and also the absence of a definition on what would constitute as a “complete” denuclearization of the peninsula. But Patrick McEachern, a former State Department analyst currently with the Washington-based Wilson Center, said it was still meaningful that Moon extracted a commitment from Kim to complete denuclearization, which marked a significant change from Kim’s previous public demand to expand his nuclear arsenal quantitatively and qualitatively.

Venezuela’s turmoil testing Brazil’s limits

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ACARAIMA, Brazil—Hundreds turn up each day, many arriving penniless and gaunt as they pass a tattered flag that signals they have reached the border. Once they cross, many cram into public parks and plazas teeming with makeshift homeless shelters, raising concerns about drugs and crime. The lucky ones sleep in tents and line up for meals provided by soldiers—pregnant women, disabled people and families with young children are often given priority. The less fortunate huddle under tarps that crumple during rainstorms. The scenes are reminiscent of the waves of desperate migrants who have escaped the wars in Syria and Afghanistan, spurring a backlash in Europe. Yet this is happening in Brazil, where a relentless tide of people fleeing the deepening economic crisis in Venezuela has begun to test the region’s tolerance for immigrants. This month the governor of the northern Brazilian state of Roraima sued the federal government, demanding it close the border with Venezuela and provide additional money for her overburdened education and health systems. “We’re very fearful this may lead to an economic and social destabilization in our state,” said the governor, Suely Campos. “I’m looking after the needs of Venezuelans to the detriment of Brazilians.” The tens of thousands of Venezuelans who have found refuge in Brazil in recent

years are walking proof of a worsening humanitarian crisis that their government claims does not exist. They also constitute an exodus that is straining the region’s largely generous and permissive immigration policies. Earlier this month, Trinidad deported more than 80 Venezuelan asylum-seekers. In Colombian and Brazilian border communities, local residents have attacked Venezuelans in camps. During the early months of this year, 5,000 Venezuelans were leaving their homeland each day, according to the United Nations. At that rate, more Venezuelans are leaving home each month than the 125,000 Cuban exiles, who fled their homes during the 1980 Mariel boat crisis and transformed South Florida. If the current rate remains steady, more than 1.8 million Venezuelans could leave by the end of this year, joining the estimated 1.5 million who have fled the economic crisis to rebuild their lives abroad. As Venezuelans began resettling across Latin America in large numbers in 2015, for the most part they found open borders and paths to legal residency in neighboring countries. But as their numbers have swelled— and as a larger share of recent migrants arrive without savings and in need of medical care—some officials in the region have begun to question the wisdom of open borders.

Campos said she took the “extreme measure” of suing the federal government because the influx of Venezuelans led to a spike in crime, drove down wages for menial jobs and set off an outbreak of measles, which had been eradicated in Brazil. At least 93 people were killed during the first four months of this year, already exceeding the 83 violent deaths recorded last year, Campos said. And law-enforcement officials say drug trafficking in the region has increased as destitute Venezuelans have been drafted into Brazilian smuggling networks. The population of Boa Vista, the state capital, ballooned over the past few years as some 50,000 Venezuelans resettled here. They now make up roughly 10 percent of the population. At first, residents responded with generosity, establishing soup kitchens and organizing clothes drives. By last year however, local residents in Pacaraima, the border town, and Boa Vista, the state capital, which is 130 miles from the border, felt overwhelmed. “Boa Vista was transformed,” Mayor Teresa Surita said. “This has started generating tremendous instability.” On a recent morning, squatters who took over the Simón Bolivar plaza, one of the city’s largest, prepared meals on small wood-burning stoves. Some napped in hammocks while others stared blankly, having nowhere to go and nothing to do. New York Times News Service

“The two leaders established a framework for plausible resolution of the most pressing issues on the peninsula, credibly agreed to further leader-level discussions, and frankly recognized the devil will be in the details of implementation,” he said. “This is a great start and should be cause for cautious optimism,” McEachern said. “The public conversation should now shift from speculation on whether North Korea would consider denuclearization to how South Korea and the United States can advance this denuclearization pledge in concrete steps in light of North Korea’s reciprocal demands for concrete steps toward an eventual peace agreement.” Moon over the weekend briefed

Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his talks with Kim. Moon told Abe he conveyed Japan’s desire to normalize ties with North Korea after resolving issues on “past history.” Kim replied that he’s willing to negotiate with Japan, Moon’s office said. The office didn’t provide details but Abe reportedly said that Moon did raise the North’s abduction of Japanese citizens during his meeting with Kim. Japan says North Korea abducted at least 17 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to train its agents in Japanese language and culture in order to spy on South Korea. North Korea has acknowledged abducting 13 Japanese in the 1970s. It allowed five of them to visit Japan in 2002 and they stayed. North Korea says eight others have died, but their families say the North’s statement cannot be trusted. North Korea has invited the outside world to witness the dismantling of its nuclear facilities before. In June 2008 international journalists live broadcast the demolition of a cooling tower at the Nyongbyon reactor site, a year after the North reached an agreement with the US and four other nations to disable its nuclear facilities in return for an aid package worth about $400 million. But the six-nation deal eventually collapsed after North Korea refused to accept US-proposed verification methods and the country went on to conduct its second nuclear test detonation in May 2009. Yoon said Kim also revealed plans to readjust its current time zone to match the South’s. The Koreas used the same time zone for decades before the North in 2015 created its own “Pyongyang Time” by setting the clock 30 minutes behind South Korea and Japan. North Korean then explained the decision as an effort to remove a legacy of Japanese colonial rule. Local time in South Korea and Japan is the same—nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. It was set during Japan’s rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Yoon said that the North’s decision to return to the Seoul time zone was aimed at facilitating communication with South Korea and also the United States. AP and Bloomberg News

Squeeze Iran and it will cave in like N. Korea, top Israeli says

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F North Korea abandons its nuclear weapons, credit belongs to President Donald J. Trump for his aggressive rhetoric and increased sanctions—and a similar policy would defang Iran, a senior Israeli minister said. Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said Iran is even more vulnerable to such pressure than North Korea because it doesn’t yet have nuclear weapons, while its people are less cowed by their leaders and wouldn’t passively accept tighter economic sanctions. “If it happens in North Korea, it’s proof that this way works and will work with Iran,” Katz said in an interview in New York. “Whether through fixing the nuclear agreement or nixing it, such a policy could even lead to the fall of the regime. Now is the time to be very tough against Iran.”

Macron’s ‘big mistake’

Israel has been seeking support amid growing tensions with Iran that have raised concerns about a direct military conflict between the countries in Syria. Israeli leaders have lobbied against Trump’s proposal to pull US troops out of Syria, and sought to persuade Russia not to send state-of-the-art air defenses there. Iran has been backing President Bashar al-Assad and the Shiite group Hezbollah, a longtime Israeli enemy, in the Syrian civil war. Katz, 62, a member of Israel’s security Cabinet who promotes himself as a potential successor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was critical of French President Emmanuel Macron for his attempt last week to persuade Trump to stay in the

Iran nuclear deal. “Macron made a big mistake. He should have gone to Iran to persuade Iran to change, not to Trump,” he said. Macron and other European leaders have been promising add-ons to the accord that will address US concerns about issues including Iran’s ballistic missile program and its regional interventions. Trump is threatening to pull out of the deal May 12 if those fixes can’t be agreed.

‘Go hungry’

While many analysts—including within Israel’s own security establishment—say such a step will turn a spurned Iran into a dangerous foe, and send a message to North Korea that it can’t count on the US to keep its word, Katz sees things differently. He argued that Iran’s government is weak and its economy deeply troubled, giving it few options if the US were to ratchet up pressure. “Iranians aren’t willing to go hungry like North Koreans,” he said. Earlier this month, Israel carried out a predawn air strike said to have killed several Iranians at a military base in Syria. Katz described such action as “backing a red line,” and said Israel will keep Iran and Hezbollah away from its borders. He said Russia, Iran’s ally in Syria, is aware of Israeli concerns. He called Russian President Vladimir Putin “very smart,” and said he doubted Russia would follow through with delivery of S-300 missile-defense systems to Syria, which Israel has strongly opposed. Bloomberg News

www.businessmirror.com.ph

The World BusinessMirror

Monday, April 30, 2018 A7

Korean unity pressures Trump as bargaining chips slip away

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ASHINGTON—President Donald J. Trump lost no time hailing the historic nature of last Friday’s meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea.

But the gauzy images and vows of peace by Kim Jong Un and his counterpart from the South, Moon Jae-in, have complicated Trump’s task as he prepares for his own history-making encounter with Kim. While the two Korean leaders pledged to rid the heavily armed peninsula of nuclear weapons, they put no timeline on that process, nor did they set out a common definition of what a nuclear-free Korea would look like. Instead, they agreed to pursue a peace treaty this year that would formally end the Korean War after nearly seven decades of hostilities. The talk of peace is likely to weaken the two levers that Trump used to pressure Kim to come to the bargaining table. A resumption of regular diplomatic exchanges between the two Koreas, analysts said, will inevitably erode the crippling economic sanctions against the North, while Trump

will find it hard to threaten military action against a country that is extending an olive branch. To meet his own definition of success, Trump will have to persuade Kim to accept “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization” of North Korea—something Kim has shown no willingness to accept in the past, and few believe he will accede to in the future. “This summit has put even greater expectations, greater hype and greater pressure on Trump,” said Victor D. Cha, a Korea scholar at Georgetown University who was considered by the Trump administration to be ambassador to Seoul. “He hyped this meeting with his tweets, and now the entire focus is going to be on his negotiating prowess.” “This is a moment of his own making,” Cha added. Characteristically, Trump betrayed no anxiety in recent days as he discussed the challenges of the

summit meeting, which is scheduled for late-May or early-June in a location still to be determined. He took much of the credit for the diplomatic thaw on the Korean Peninsula, and he said he would not commit the mistakes of his predecessors, whom he said had showered the North with money and extracted nothing in return. “The United States has been played beautifully, like a fiddle, because you had a different kind of a leader,” Trump said after meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany at the White House. “We’re not going to be played, OK? We’re going to hopefully make a deal; if we don’t, that’s fine.” Trump reiterated that he was prepared to cancel the meeting, or walk out in the middle of it, if his diplomatic efforts were not making any headway. But some of his aides say privately they worry that the president, with an eye on the history books and a flair for the theatrical, is determined to emerge with a victory, even if it falls short of his stated goals. Certainly, he seemed beguiled by the imagery of the Moon-Kim meeting. “KOREAN WAR TO END!” he tweeted before 7 a.m. last Friday, a few hours after the leaders shook hands in the Demilitarized Zone. Last Saturday Trump said he had a

“very good talk” with Moon. “Things are going well,” he tweeted. “Time and location of meeting with North Korea is being set.” He also said he had briefed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, who has watched the rush of diplomacy with some concern. The price of failure would be high for Trump. The US could face a split with its ally, South Korea, which is deeply invested in ending its estrangement from the North. Tensions could flare with China, North Korea’s main trading partner, which only grudgingly signed on to the sanctions and would be likely to balk at keeping them in place if Kim is talking about peace. Trump is also moving on other fronts that could undercut his negotiations with Kim. He appears more likely than ever to rip up the Iran nuclear deal as he faces his next deadline of May 12 to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran. Walking away from one nucleardisarmament deal while trying to strike another would be a trick, even for a self-proclaimed dealmaker like Trump. There is little question, senior officials and analysts said, that the US-led sanctions, combined with Trump’s bellicose vows to rain “fire and fury” on North Korea if it threatened the American homeland,

helped bring Kim to the table. But Trump is only one of three actors in this drama, and perhaps not the most crucial one. Moon, a progressive former human-rights lawyer, ran for office on a platform of conciliation with the North and has moved aggressively to deliver on that promise. He, not Trump, has set the pace and terms of the negotiation with the North, though US officials say that Seoul is closely coordinating with Washington. Kim, for his part, made a bold bet on diplomacy. His motives for seeking a rapprochement are open to debate. Skeptical analysts said

the advancements in North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile program—as much as sanctions or threatened military strikes—made the timing right for an overture. Others say he is replaying the cycle of provocation and conciliation pioneered by his father and grandfather. W hatever his motives, the 34-year-old dictator has proved to be a remarkably adroit player on the world stage. “If anyone gets credit, it’s Kim Jong Un,” said Daniel R. Russel, a former assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs who is now at the Asia Society. “It’s his show.” New York Times News Service

BEAT TH A8 Monday, April 30, 2018

Stay ‘cool’ this summer

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By Leony R. Garcia

UMMER is never complete without a visit to the beach or embarking on an outdoor activity. And with the country teeming with beaches and tourist destinations, it would be impossible for anyone to resist that much-needed “Vitamin Sea”, the tanning effect of the sun, the fresh air of the outdoors and the healing effect of the sand. But before going out under the heat of the sun, be sure you are protected by wearing the right summer wear accessories and sunblock. For some people who hate the

outdoor, you can stay cool at the comfort of your home. Bring comfort into your home with the right cooling units during the hottest months of the year this sum-

mer. Whether you're planning to replace an old unit or to install a new air conditioner in your bedroom or family room, inverter air conditioners provide energy-efficient solutions without compromising interior comfort.

Save energy and maintain your cool with inverter technology

AN inverter air-conditioning unit can reduce your energy bill. When it is switched on, the compressor operates at a high speed in order to cool or heat the room quickly. As the room temperature approaches the set temperature, the compressor slows down, maintaining a constant temperature and saving energy. Any sudden fluctuation in the room temperature, will be sensed and instantly adjusted to bring the room temperature back to the set temperature. Here are practical ways to keep your cool this summer. Put up sunblock. Try a desert trick. When the air outside is dry and cooler than the air inside, hang a damp sheet in an open window. Block the sun. Closing curtains and blinds (ideally with sun-deflecting white on the window side) can reduce the amount of heat that passes into your home by as much as 45 percent. Don’t blow hot air. Give your A/C some TLC. Clean or replace the filter in room and central air condi-

tioners about once a month during the summer. If you have central air-conditioning, have the ducts checked for leaks, which can reduce a system's efficiency by as much as

15 percent. Seal any cracks between a window unit and the frame with peelable caulking or a sealant strip. These steps help ensure good airflow and keep the coils cleaner, which

means more efficient and more effective cooling. You may also opt for a make-

“Stay ‘cool’” on A9

HE HEAT A BusinessMirror Special Feature

www.businessmirror.com.ph A9

FUJIDENZO INNOVATES WITH HD

PREMIUM INVERTER AIR CONDITIONERS

Globe kicks off an exciting summer with Globe Sunkissed

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N time for the summer season, Fujidenzo, the trusted brand for home and commercial appliances, recently held a special event to present its complete line of HD premium inverter air conditioners. The Heavy Duty or HD Premium Inverter Air Conditioner is built with an energy efficient compressor and gold fin condensers and evaporators that are highly resistant to corrosion to ensure that the product will last for years. With more and more inverter air conditioners being introduced to the market, the HD Premium Inverter Air Conditioner stands out by using a specially designed inverter module that can help its customers save up to 60% energy savings in their electricity bill. “At Fujidenzo, we only use the highest quality materials to ensure the durability of our products. The Fujidenzo HD Premium Inverter air conditioner combines both heavy duty quality materials and an energy efficient inverter compressor because our goal is to give the highest level of satisfaction to our customers,” said Adrian Jasper Sioco, Marketing Director of Fujidenzo. These air conditioners also boast of environment friendly

features with their use of R32 and R410A refrigerants which operate quietly for a good night’s sleep. It also provides health benefits that will give you extra comfort while keeping your family healthy. The built-in 3-in-1 Clean Air filter produces Vitamin C, silver ions, and cold catalyst ions also help purify the air. All Fujidenzo HD Premium Inverter air conditioners also come with a remote control and digital temperature display, so users can easily set their desired room temperature for better comfort. Fujidenzo developed this line of HD Premium Inverter Air Conditioner to cater to both home and commercial customers. The product line includes window type, floor standing, split type and light commercial models like ceiling mounted and cassette type to ensure that any air conditioning needs of the Filipino consumer will be met. The HD Premium Inverter Air Conditioners are backed with a one year warranty on parts and service and five years on the compressor for split type

Stay ‘cool’...

shift air conditioner. If it's hot but not humid, place a shallow bowl of ice in front of a fan and enjoy the breeze. As the ice melts, then evaporates, it will cool you down. Spritz yourself, too. Keep a spray bottle in the refrigerator, and when the going gets hot, give yourself a good spritz for thermal control. Fan strategically. If the day's heat is trapped inside your home, try a little ventilation at night. Run a fan and an air con-

AKE the most out of the summer season with the best immersive entertainment experiences all over the country! Come together and celebrate different passions and interests with Globe Sunkissed. This weekend, Globe brought Globe Sunkissed at the Plus63Summer in Movenpick, Cebu, on April 28 and at the LaborUnion in La Union San Juan Beach Front on April 28 and 29. Customers who drop by the #GlobeSunkissed booth played fun games and won exciting prizes. Those who complete the booth activities won Sunkissed exclusive prizes! Plus, registering to select GoSURF promos entitleqd them to get instant freebies. Customers also joined #TheLastStrawChallenge, which aims to raise awareness on the negative impact of single-use plastics to the environment. The goal of the campaign is to lessen the use of plastic straws in our daily life and to encourage others to do the same. and window type and three years on compressor for light commercial air conditioners. Supported by over 200 service centers nationwide, Fujidenzo customers are always assured of fast and reliable aftersales service. “Quality has always been our number 1 priority in developing Fujidenzo appliances. The HD Premium Inverter Air Conditioners boast of innovative features that are beneficial to all our customers and this same technology is also available in our washers, refrigerators, chest freezers

and showcase chillers. With continuous innovation and market research, Fujidenzo is committed to its promise to always give Quality Above All,” adds Sioco. Available in all leading appliance stores nationwide, Fujidenzo Home and Commercial Appliances is exclusively distributed by Excellence Appliance Technologies. To view the complete range of products, customers can visit Exatech’s website at www.exatech. com.ph and its main showrooms located in Quezon City, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod and Iloilo City.

Shuck your shoes. As the sweat on your feet evaporates, it cools the skin and the blood in your feet. Blood vessels then whisk that blood to other parts of the body, so you're getting a greater sensation of coolness. Swig often. To replace the moisture that you lose as you perspire, be sure to drink. As you lose water to dehydration, your body temperature rises, so replacing fluids is essential to keeping cool. Avoid beverages that contain alcohol, caf-

feine, or lots of sugar, which are dehydrating. Also opt for hydrating foods. Try a smoothie for lunch, and add more fruits and vegetables to all your meals. Watermelon has the greatest water content of any food out there. Eat light and go for fruits and vegetables, which are watery and help keep you hydrated (and cooler). Shut the lights. Or change the bulbs: Long-lasting compact fluorescent bulbs produce about 70 percent less heat than standard incandescents.

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ditioner simultaneously. You can use the air conditioner at lower power and still feel cool if the fan is blowing over you. That's because the air conditioner removes humidity from the air while the fan helps evaporate sweat and moves heat away from your body. Dress right. Wear one of the widely available synthetic fabrics designed to wick away sweat and that sticky feeling. If you prefer cotton, make it thin, light colored, and, most of all, loose.

WELCOMING SUMMER BREEZE WITH MARKES

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UMMER is here, and there’s no better way than to greet it with a Markes Inverter Airconditioner. Loaded with intelligent, health and energy-saving features that will not only cut down your electricity cost, but also gives you health benefits. First up is the Dehumidification function which reduces the level of humidity in the air, helps eliminates musty odor and prevents growth of mildew. After the dehumidification process the anti-fungus function kicks in, which prevents fungus and bacteria from proliferating in the air keeping the room fresh and healthy. Self-Cleaning function. The condensed water will blow away dust from the evaporator fins, the heating process then activates to dry up the internals, finally the fan blows away the remaining wet air out. This whole

process keeps the indoor unit dry and bacteria free. Self-Diagnosis function. The system monitors the whole operation of the unit when an error or malfunction occur the system will automatically switch off the AC after that the system will show the error or protection code on the display for easy troubleshooting. 4D Airflow. Air blade and louver can swing not only vertically but also horizontally which helps improve air distribution with a distance of up to fifteen meters. Trapeziform Inner Groove Copper Piping, it helps the refrigerant to flow much faster which increases heat exchange by 20 percent to 30 percent and enhances cooling efficiency by 10 percent to 20 percent. Hydrophilic Aluminum Fin, flow of condensed water acceler-

ates between the fins which in turn increases cooling efficiency. Also it has an anti-corrosive coating (Golden Fin) that can withstand rain, salty air and other corrosive elements. Sleep Mode, with this function activated the air conditioner will automatically increase or decrease cooling in the first two hour and switch off after five hours. The Sleep Mode helps maintain the most comfortable temperature and intelligently saves energy. With the newly designed PCB, the 0.5W standby mode enables the Markes Inverter AC to cut energy consumption from 4-5W to 0.5W, compared to conventional AC. And finally, the Inverter Compressor with Tombarthite mineral composition which increases toughness and greatly reduces friction to

achieve low power consumption up to 50 percent. Other notable features are its Timer, Anti-Rust Cabinet, Super Quiet Design, Dual Side Water Outlet and Washable Filter which all in all are a great addition to the Markes Inverter Airconditioner features. Albeit filled with very interesting features and capabilities, Markes appliances are and will always ensure that its products are very affordable for every Filipino. Markes is exclusively distributed by Continental Sales Inc. For inquiries and more information, CSI may be reached through its sales hotlines at (02) 362-5886/87 at Metro Manila, (032) 420-3209 at Cebu, (033) 336-3155 at Iloilo, 0922-8138803 at Luzon, 0925-898-5767 at CDO. Markes Appliances are available in all major appliance stores nationwide.

Once customers complete the different activities in the booth, they will receive a reusable straw. Help fight against plastic by participating in #TheLastStrawChallenge and going straw-free this summer! Globe Sunkissed is the official entertainment handle for select Globe festivals and parties around the country. Its objective is to celebrate the various passion points of our customers and to highlight the various ways Globe can improve Filipinos’ digital lifestyle. Simply put, Globe aims to elevate local celebrations to give people the best possible festival experiences that will leave only good memories and fun stories to share. Globe Sunkissed was launched to the public on April 6 and 7 at the Globe LIVE Amphitheater in Bonifacio Global City. Make your passion come alive this summer with #GlobeSunkissed. Stay tuned to find out where Sunkissed is heading next by visiting the official Facebook event page or following Globe on Facebook and Twitter.

The World BusinessMirror

A4 A10 Monday, April 30, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Singapore PM: Asean growing closer to new powers China, India

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INGAPORE—Southeast Asian countries will work more closely with new powers China and India to counter the pressure of protectionism and ensure continued growth, Singapore’s prime minister said last Saturday.

Addressing the summit of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said regional economic growth was under threat because the political mood in many countries had turned against free trade. He said recent trade tensions between the United States and China in particular are worrying. The US and China are entangled

in their most consequential trade dispute since World War II. Both countries have proposed tariffs of $50 billion on each other’s products. President Donald J. Trump is looking to impose tariffs of up to $100 billion more on Chinese goods. “The global strategic balance is shifting, and so is the regional balance,” Lee said. “New powers, including China and India, are growing in

New powers, including China and India, are growing in strength and influence. This has opened up new opportunities for Asean member-states as we expand our cooperation with them.”—Lee

UN team in Bangladesh pledges to work to end Rohingya crisis

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UTUPALONG, Bangladesh—A United Nations Security Council team visiting Bangladesh promised last Sunday to work hard to resolve a crisis involving hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled to the country to escape military-led violence in Myanmar. The diplomats, who visited the sprawling camps and border points where about 700,000 Rohingya have taken shelter, said their visit was an opportunity to see the situation firsthand. Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said he and his fellow team members would not look away from the crisis after their visit, though he warned that there were no simple solutions. “It’s very necessary to come and see everything at place here in Bangladesh and Myanmar. But there is no magic solution, there is no magic stick to solve all these issues,” he said at a news conference at the Kutupalong refugee camp in the coastal town of Cox’s Bazar. The team members will conclude their three-day visit to Bangladesh on Monday, when they leave for Myanmar. The recent spasm of violence in Myanmar began when Rohingya insurgents staged a series of attacks on August 25 on about 30 security outposts and other targets. In a subsequent crackdown described by UN and United States officials as “ethnic cleansing,” Myanmar security forces have been accused of rape, killing, torture and the burning of Rohingya homes. Thousands are believed to have been killed. The diplomats, comprising representatives from the five permanent Security Council members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US—and 10 nonpermanent member-states, talked to some 120 refugees, including some rape victims. Peru’s ambassador to the UN, Gustavo Adolfo Meza Cuadra Velasqez, said he and his fellow team members were ready to “work hard” and were “very concerned” about the crisis. The refugees are seeking United Nations protection to return home. The UN refugee agency and Bangladesh recently finalized a memorandum of understanding that said the repatriation process must be “safe, voluntary and dignified ... in line with international standards.” Karen Pierce, the UK’s ambassador to the United Nations, said the Security Council would continue to work on enabling the refugees to return to Myanmar. Rohingya are denied citizenship in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they’ve faced persecution for decades. They’re derided as “Bengalis,” and many in Myanmar believe they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh. Muslims in an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation, most live in poverty in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, next to Bangladesh. Thousands of refugees gathered at the Kutupalong camp to welcome the visiting delegation. They carried placards, some of which read “We want justice.” “We are not Bengali, we are Rohingya. They have killed my family members, they tortured us, they will kill us again,” said one of the refugees, 29-year-old Mohammed Tayab, standing in front of a tent where he was waiting to meet the UN team. Tayab, who was using crutches, said he was shot by Myanmar troops in his right leg. He said he lost a brother, an uncle and a nephew after Myanmar soldiers shot them dead. “I am here to talk to them, we want justice from them,” he said of the diplomats. “I will tell them my stories. They should listen to us.” AP

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks during a news conference to mark the end of the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit on April 28 in Singapore. AP/Yong Teck Lim

strength and influence. This has opened up new opportunities for Asean member-states as we expand our cooperation with them.” He said the group faces challenges closer to home, as well, such as the Islamic State group, cybersecurity

and strengthening a regional economic community. In a statement last Saturday, Asean leaders affirmed the need for peace in the South China Sea, where the bloc is currently negotiating a set of rules with China to avoid con-

flicts arising from a bitter territorial dispute pitting some members against Beijing’s vast claims to the strategic waterway. They also encouraged Myanmar and Bangladesh to press on with their “shared commitment to carry out the

voluntary return” of about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state, Lee said. Myanmar’s military has been accused of instigating the persecution of the ethnic minority, which has been denied citizenship in the predominantly Buddhist country. Lee said the leaders agreed that the refugees’ return must be carried out “in a safe, secure and dignified way, without undue delay.” The leaders also welcomed a historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in as a first step toward reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. “It’s a positive step—it’s better than firing missiles and testing bombs—but how does it go? That’s something which we will wait and see and which we can only hope for the best,” Lee said. To fight protectionism, Lee said the Asean would like to conclude negotiations this year on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed free-trade agreement between Asean members and Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. In addition to Singapore, the Asean members are Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines. AP

Central Americans will seek asylum at southern US border

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IJUANA, Mexico—United States immigration lawyers are telling Central Americans in a caravan of asylum-seekers that traveled through Mexico to the border with San Diego that they face possible separation from their children and detention for many months. They say they want to prepare them for the worst possible outcome. “We are the bearers of horrible news,” Los Angeles lawyer Nora Phillips said during a break from legal workshops for the migrants at three Tijuana locations where about 20 lawyers gave free information and advice. “That’s what good attorneys are for.” The Central Americans, many traveling as families, last Sunday will test the Trump administration’s tough rhetoric criticizing the caravan when the migrants begin seeking asylum by turning themselves in to border inspectors at San Diego’s San Ysidro border crossing, the nation’s busiest. President Donald J. Trump and members of his Cabinet have been tracking the caravan, calling it a threat to the US since it started March 25 in the Mexican city of Tapachula, near the Guatemala border. They have promised a stern, swift response. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the caravan “a deliberate attempt to undermine our laws and overwhelm our system,” pledging to send more immigration judges to the border to resolve cases if needed. Home l a nd Sec u r it y Sec ret a r y Kirstjen Nielsen said asylum claims would be resolved “efficiently and expeditiously” but said the asylum-seekers should seek it in the first safe country they reach, including Mexico. Any asylum seekers making false claims to US authorities could be prosecuted as could anyone who assists or coaches immigrants on making false claims, Nielsen said. Administration officials and their allies claim asylum fraud is growing and that many who seek it are coached on how to do so.

Children have their breakfast at the “Vina de Tijuana AC” migrant shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, on April 28. AP/Hans-Maximo Musielik

Kenia Elizabeth Avila, 35, appeared shaken after the volunteer attorneys told her last Friday that temperatures may be cold in temporary holding cells and that she could be separated from her three children, ages 10, 9 and 4. But she in said an interview that returning to her native El Salvador would be worse. She fled for reasons she declined to discuss. “If they’re going to separate us for a few days, that’s better than getting myself killed in my country,” she said. The San Ysidro crossing, which admits about 75,000 people a day into the country, may be unable to take asylumseekers if it faces too many at once, forcing people to wait in Mexico until it has more room, according to Pete Flores, US Customs and Border Protection’s San Diego field office director. Flores said earlier this month that the port can hold about 300 people temporarily. The Border Patrol said “several groups” of people in the caravan have entered the country illegally since last Friday by climbing a dilapidated metal

fence. It didn’t say how many people. Since Congress failed to agree on a broad immigration package in February, administration officials have made it a legislative priority to end what they call “legal loopholes” and “catch and release” policies that allow asylum-seekers to be released from custody while their claims wind through the courts in cases that can last for years. The lawyers who went to Tijuana denied coaching any of the roughly 400 people in the caravan who recently arrived in Tijuana, camping out in shelters near some of the city’s seedier bars and bordellos. Some migrants received one-on-one counseling to assess the merits of their cases and groups of the migrants with their children playing nearby were told how asylum works in the US. Asylum-seekers are typically held up to three days at the border and turned over to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If they pass an asylum officer’s initial screening, they may be detained or released with ankle monitors.

Nearly 80 percent of asylum-seekers passed the initial screening from October through December, the latest numbers available, but few are likely to eventually win asylum. Mexicans fared worst among the 10 countries that sent the largest numbers of US asylum seekers from 2012 to 2017, with a denial rate of 88 percent, according to asylum-outcome records tracked by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Action Clearinghouse. El Salvadorans were close behind with a 79-percent denial rate, followed by Hondurans at 78 percent and Guatemalans at 75 percent. Evelyn Wiese, a San Francisco immigration attorney, said she tried to make migrants more comfortable sharing memories of the dangers they faced in their homelands. “It’s really scary to tell these experiences to a stranger,” Wiese said after counseling a visibly shaken Guatemalan woman at an art gallery in a building that used to house a drug-smuggling tunnel into San Diego. “The next time she tells her story will be easier.” Nefi Hernandez, who planned to seek asylum with his wife and infant daughter, was born on the journey through Mexico, worried he could be kept in custody away from his daughter. But his spirits lifted when he learned he might be released with an ankle bracelet. Hernandez, 24, said a gang in his hometown of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, threatened to kill him and his family if he did not sell drugs. Jose Cazares, 31, said he faced death threats in the northern Honduran city of Yoro because a gang member suspected of killing the mother of his children learned one of Cazares’s sons reported the crime to police. “One can always make up for lost time with a child, but if they kill him, you can’t,” he said outside his dome-shaped tent in a migrant shelter near the imposing US border barriers separating San Diego from Tijuana. AP

Russian FM: US trying to ‘divide Syria into parts’

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OSCOW—Russia’sforeignminister said last Saturday the United States is trying to divide Syria. During a meeting with his counterparts from Iran and Turkey, Sergey Lavrov said the recent US-led missile strikes on Syria “seriously aggravated the situation.” He added that statements about supporting the territorial integrity of Syria “are only words that, apparently, cover plans for reformatting the Middle East and plans for dividing Syria into parts.”

Lavrov met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Russia, Iran and Turkey are the guarantor states in the so-called Astana process aimed at ending the violence in Syria. The three agreed to intensify efforts to provide humanitarian aid in Syria. “We will ensure that this aid is provided in the most effective way. We will be cooperating with the government, the opposition and of course with our

counterparts at the United Nations, the International Red Cross, the Syrian Red Crescent and other international organizations,” Lavrov said. International aid groups have repeatedly accused the Syrian government, which is closely allied with Russia and Iran, of preventing the delivery of aid to besieged, rebel-held areas. Lavrov also reiterated Russia’s contention that the alleged chemical weapons attack on the town of Douma earlier

this month was an “artificial pretext” for the missile strikes by the US, Britain and France. The ministers issued a joint statement condemning chemical attacks and said any reports of their use should be “investigated promptly and professionally” by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). An OPCW team was repeatedly delayed in attempts to reach Douma to probe the reported attack. AP

CSR A BusinessMirror Special Feature

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Monday, April 30, 2018 A11

Building a socially responsible business

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By Leony R. Garcia

NDERTAKING socially responsible initiatives is truly a win-win situation. Not only will your company appeal to socially conscious consumers and employees, but you'll also make a real difference in the world. Many companies today align their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities with their mission and vision: to create a cohesive CSR strategy. This includes the policies, practices and initiatives a company commits to in order to govern themselves with honesty and transparency, and have a positive impact on social and environmental well-being. In CSR, transparency and honesty about what you're doing are paramount to earning the public's trust. That’s why it is important for company owners to engage their employees [and consumers] in giv-

ing back to let them feel like they have a voice. To illustrate how critical CSR has become, a 2017 study by Cone Communications found that more than 60 percent of Americans hope businesses will drive social and environmental change in the absence of government regulation. The majority of consumers surveyed (87 percent) said they would purchase a product because a company supported an issue they care about. More importantly, a whopping 76 percent will refuse to buy from a company if they learn it supports an issue contrary to their own beliefs.

Indeed, today's consumers are looking for more than just highquality products and services when they make a purchase. They're prioritizing CSR, and holding corporations accountable for effecting social change with their business beliefs, practices and profits. In fact, many believes that the next generation of employees would be seeking out employers that are focused on the triple bottom line: people, planet and revenue.

Practicing CSR

RECOGNIZING how important social responsibility is to their customers, many companies now focus on and practice a few broad categories of CSR: Environmental efforts: One primary focus of corporate social responsibility is the environment. Businesses regardless of size have a large carbon footprint. Any steps they can take to reduce those footprints are considered good for both the company and society. Philanthropy: Businesses can also practice social responsibility by donating money, products or services to social causes. Larger companies tend to have a lot of resources that can benefit charities and local community programs. Ethical labor practices: By treat-

NEGROS NATIVE AND LANDBANK SCHOLARS FIND HOPE IN AGRICULTURE

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HERE was a time when I wasn’t able to eat for four straight days because I really had no money left.” – Kenneth Catinoy, 23, recalls of his undergraduate journey at the Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) as a BS Agriculture Student. A native of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, Kenneth has been exposed to the challenges of farm life at an early age because of his father who is both a farmer and a fisher. This encouraged him to take up agriculture and contribute to the development of the field. “I feel like Agriculture, as an area of expertise, is being neglected by incoming college freshmen. This made me more passionate in pursuing this course because I believe that it should be the primary economic driver of our country,” he said. The fourth among six siblings, Kenneth became the first in his family to finish college when he graduated last month with magna cum laude honors to boot. But this sweet ending did not come easy for him. Aside from the typical student’s struggle of maintaining good grades, he had to overcome major financial constraints. For his first two years in college, his parents would send him P1000 per month for allowance which he struggled to survive on to cover his food, fare, and school expenses. On his junior year, Kenneth knew he had to look for a scholarship program if he wanted to continue his studies. Luckily, that was also the year when the LANDBANK Gawad Patnubay Scholarship Program (GPSP) came to their university. Hoping to ease the financial burden of his family, he tried his luck and applied for a grant through GPSP. After thorough screening and deliberation, Kenneth was awarded with a scholarship and became part of the pioneer batch of GPSP scholars in NORSU. “I still consider myself blessed and fortunate to be one of the recipients of the GPSP. With this grant, I was able to pursue my dreams as an agriculturist and create an opportunity to serve others, be it my family or my community,” he shared.

LANDBANK Gawad Patnubay Scholarship Program

KENNETH is only one of over a hundred scholars that LANDBANK GPSP supports across the country. GPSP is a scholarship program that supports underprivileged but deserving students who want to specialize in the fields of agriculture and fisheries. The program specifically targets children of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries taking up agriculture-related courses who are able to demonstrate the drive to finish their studies and pursue careers in the field of agriculture. Additionally, GPSP has an education-toemployment (E2E) component that aims to help scholars secure agriculture-related jobs at the end of the program through a 10-week internship program in LANDBANK and its partner-institutions such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institution (PhilRice), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), and HARBEST Agribusiness Corporation (HARBEST) to name a few. “LANDBANK believes in investing on our youth to hone future professionals and trailblazers in the field of agriculture and fisheries. In turn, we hope that they will be instrumental in boosting the growth and productivity of our agriculture sector,” LANDBANK President and CEO Alex V. Buenaventura said. The scholarship covers full subsidy of tuition fee, including monthly stipend, book allowance, thesis funding, licensure examination review and examination subsidy, financial award for honor students from P30,000 to P50,000 cash incentive.

A new generation of hope

KENNETH, who is now preparing for the Agriculturist Licensure Exam in June, hopes that the Bank will continue to fund the education of less

fortunate but deserving college students in order to breed a new generation of farmers and fishers. “I am so thankful to all Landbankers for their selflessness to make the GPSP possible. My educational success would not have come to fruition if not for their generous hearts,” Catinoy said. The program has a unique funding scheme wherein LANDBANK’s 8,000-strong employees voluntarily donate a minimum of one hour’s worth of their salary, which then forms 50% of the total program funding. Since its inception in 2013, the LANDBANK GPSP has supported over 100 scholars, with 80% of its graduates now successfully employed in LANDBANK and its subsidiaries, in partnerinstitutions such as IRRI, PhilRice, PCC, HARBEST, and other agriculture-related firms, through the E2E internship component of the program. A new set of scholars stand to benefit from the program with the ongoing screening for this year’s GPSP applicants. LANDBANK currently accepts scholars from 17 State Universities and Colleges across the country. These include Benguet State University, Mariano Marcos State University, Isabela State University, Central Luzon State University, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Marinduque State College, and Central Bicol State University of Agriculture in Luzon. For the Visayas region, University of the Philippines Visayas (Miag-ao Campus), Bohol Island State University, Visayas State University, and NORSU are LANDBANK’s partners in this program. In Mindanao, the Jose Rizal Memorial State University, Central Mindanao University, University of Southeastern Philippines, University of Southern Mindanao, Surigao del Sur State University, and Mindanao State University complete the list of LANDBANK’s partner SUCs. Interested applicants may inquire with the Student Affairs Offices of their respective schools for the requirements and the screening schedule. For more information, log on to www.landbank.com.

ing employees fairly and ethically, companies can also demonstrate their corporate social responsibility. This is especially true of businesses that operate in international locations with labor laws that differ from those in the United States. Volunteering: Attending volunteer events says a lot about a company's sincerity. By doing good deeds without expecting anything in return, companies are able to express their concern for specific issues and support for certain organizations. Other leading CSR practices are seen in the following categories: Social Empowerment, Investment in People, Health Promotion, Green Leadership, Corporate Governance, SME CSR and Responsible Business Leadership. In recent years, companies have become more powerful because of CSR, and is using that power to improve the world can bring people of all backgrounds, ages and interests together. Given their power and sheer size, corporations can solve big social problems and have a huge impact.

Establishing a CSR program

THE establishment of a CSR strategy (sometimes referred to as a sustainability strategy) is a crucial compo-

nent of a company’s competitiveness and something that should be led by the firm itself. This means having policies and procedures in place which integrate social, environmental, ethical, human rights or consumer concerns into business operations and core strategy—all in close collaboration with stakeholders. For companies, the overall aim is to achieve a positive impact on society as a whole while maximizing the creation of shared value for the owners of the business, its employees, shareholders and stakeholders. Not so long ago, the European Commission defined CSR as “the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society”, a succinct and distinct summation for sure. A 2015 study by the Kenexa High Performance Institute in London (a division of Kenexa, a global provider of business solutions for human resources) found that organizations that had a genuine commitment to CSR substantially outperformed those that did not, with an average return on assets 19 times higher. Additionally, the study showed that CSR-orientated companies had a higher level of employee engagement and provided a markedly better standard of customer service.

For Klara Kozlov, head of corporate clients at the Charities Aid Foundation, every company’s situation is unique, with many different models in existence which can help organisations to achieve their CSR aims. In turn, this preponderance of choice has led to many companies recognizing that they are defined by what they do, not just what they give. “Companies are not solely providing a financial contribution but are increasingly unlocking their intellectual assets and the power of their people to achieve a positive impact,” claimed Kozlov. Sustainability is clearly important. More businesses are adopting a strategic approach to their CSR policies because they are increasingly seeing the benefit across their business and for their stakeholders. “Many businesses have made significant strategic advances in sustainability,” affirmed Kozlov. “CSR allows businesses to demonstrate their values, engage their employees and communicate with the public about how they operate and the choices they make, to ensure a sustainable future. CSR helps pave the way for partnerships between businesses and civil society that are based on common goals and shared actions to deliver impact-driven outcomes.”

Green Monday BusinessMirror

A12 Monday, April 30, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

PHL environment under siege I

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

rights violations are part and parcel of the government’s actions to impose its economic policies and programs, which relates to resource extractions like mining, energy and industrial plantation, Bautista said. The primary suspects in the killings of environmental defenders are state military and paramilitary forces, he lamented. According to Bautista, more than 60 percent of the killings of environmental defenders occurred in Mindanao, which until now remains under a state of martial-law months after the Marawi seige.

n his Earth Day message on April 22, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu called for an end to impunity in crimes against the environment.

Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Rodolfo C. Garcia, delivering Cimatu’s message during the national celebration of Earth Day at the Harbour Square, Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Manila, underscored the need for Filipinos to take action and not to tolerate environmental abuse, filling the gap in the enforcement of laws on environmental protection. Environmental abuse, Cimatu explained, persists because there are people who allow, if not encourage, “irresponsibility to proceed with impunity.” He cited the Boracay Island as a classic example. The island paradise in Malay, Aklan, was closed for six months since April 26 to allow the rehabilitation and recovery of its degraded environment.

Exceeding targets

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is at the forefront of the campaign for environmental protection and conservation. Cimatu boasts of the agency’s accomplishments under his watch last year. This includes surpassing targets in some of the department’s priority programs under President Duterte’s sixyear action plan called “Program for Environment and Natural Resources Restoration, Rehabilitation and Development,” or PRRD. Toppi ng t he DENR’s 2017 major accomplishments was in solid-waste management. It assisted 333 loca l gover nment u n it s ( L GUs) — comp o s e d of 143 percent of its target of 233 LGUs—on the proper closure and rehabilitation of open and controlled dumps within waterquality management areas and the Manila Bay region. The DENR chief also reported a 135-percent output in the management and protection of protected areas and in ecotourism development. It noted that the various Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) in the country had approved a total of 997 resolutions, or 261 more than the target of 736. T he gover nment’s f lagship Nat ion a l Gre e n i n g P ro g r a m (NGP) also exceeded its 2017 target of 200,000 hectares by 5 percent. A total of 200,544 hectares were planted with over 177 mil lion seed lings, ex panding to 1,862,773 hectares the total NGP-covered areas as of December 31, 2017, since the program started in 2011. “The NGP as of end-2017 had also generated 4,438,995 jobs benef iting 628,656 indiv iduals from local communities and people’s organizations,” he said.

Unimpressed

Several environmental groups, however, were neither at all impressed by the DENR chief ’s accomplishments nor convinced by its actions on Boracay. The Philippines remains one of the most highly vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change. Despite mounting calls for the protection and conser vation of its natural wealth, its terrestrial, coastal and marine environment remain under

threat by various destructive human activities. The anti-mining group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), sought by the BusinessMirror for reaction, said that while the alliance recognizes the joint efforts of the DENR, Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Tourism to close Boracay for rehabilitation, the same diligence and commitment were lacking in addressing the mining issues in the country. In an inter view via e-mail on April 23, Jaybee Garganera, ATM national coordinator, said Cimatu has failed to implement the closure and suspension orders against 26 mining operations that have violated environmental laws or have failed to comply with their own obligations set in their respective mining contracts. “This comes in the backdrop of delayed internal audits of the DENR and the review of the Mining Industry Coordinating Council [MICC] to resolve both the technicalities and substance of these closure orders issued by then-Environment Secretary Regina [Paz] L. Lopez,” he said. “Cleaning Boracay and regulating the use of plastics are noble initiatives to protect Mother Earth. However, when national government fails to implement its own orders that intend to protect watersheds, protected areas and small islands from destructive mining, the worst kind of hypocrisy is at play,” Garganera added.

Destruction, inactions

The group cited cases in miningaffected areas, such as in Santa Cruz, Zambales, wherein the demands for compensation of lost livelihoods and rehabilitation of farms and fisheries areas damaged by nickel mining operations remain in limbo. In Brooke’s Point, Palawan, Ipilan Nickel Corp. has not been held accountable for illegally cutting of more than 14,000 trees in May 2017, it added. Hundreds of trees—including those century old—were felled by the mining companies. It took Ipilan Mayor Jean Feliciano to demolish illegal structures, such as fences and bunkhouses in the mine area, to stop the illegal activities of the company, In Aroroy, Masbate, at least 30 families have been forcibly evicted from their homes and farms by Filminera Mining Corp. Filminera is in a “suspiciously unique position” when after undergoing the Mine Audit in 2016, its status was “not passed nor failed,” despite the numerous findings against it. A special follow-up investigation for its operation was conducted, but the results were never released by the DENR, Garganera said. In Cantilan, Surigao del Sur, farmers, environmental groups a nd t he C at hol ic C hu rc h l amented that the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement of Marcventures Minerals Development Cor p. was allegedly extended for another nine years or until 2027. Marc venture’s mining contract was set to expire this year w ithout the benefit of consu l-

Anthropocene age

A weathered old fisherman pushes his boat ashore in northern Batangas. Millions of people rely on natural systems like seas, rivers, lakes and forests for food. Gregg Yan

tation w ith loca l communities who opposed mining. The indigenous peoples have also complained at the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples that their free, prior and informed consent was not secured by the company for the renewal of the mining contract, Garganera said. “President Duterte reiterated his disgust with large-scale m i n i n g o p e r at ion s w ho f a i l to rehabilitate or reforest the mined-out areas. Secretary Cimatu should heed the President’s warning to mining companies and follow the Chief Executive’s clear instructions,” he added.

Land reclamation, overfishing

The Pambansang Lakas ng K ilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas, for its part, said oceans, seas, la kes, r ivers and other bodies of water are “under the t hreat of env ironment a l de str uct ion due to destr uct ive cor porate projects that were given green light by past and present administrations.” “Aquatic and marine [resources] suffer extinction caused by the destruction of corals, mangroves and other fish-spawning areas,” Pamalakaya National Chairman Fernando Hicap said in a telephone interview on April 23. One of the most notorious coastal-based corporate activities, Hicap said, is land reclamation, a process of conversion and creating new land from the ocean or any offshore areas through landfill and dredging. Hicap added that massive reclamation projects in Manila Bay have already destroyed thousands of hectares of its mangroves. From decades ago until 1995, mangrove areas in Manila Bay used to cover 54,000 hectares but they have significantly shrunk to 2,000 hectares and at present only lessthan-a-500-hectare is left.

Institutionalized destruction

He said reclamation projects have been “ institutionalized ” with the crafting of National

R e c l a m at ion Pl a n ( N R P) on February 24, 2011, under thenPresident Benigno S. Aquino III, and approved by the Philippine Reclamation Authority as per Board Resolution 4161. “NRP back then had a total of 102 reclamation projects covering 38, 000 hectares of foreshore areas across the country were identified, with 26, 234 hectares, or about 70 percent located in Manila Bay,” he noted. The NRP has been continued and even expanded by the current Duterte administration. It now totalled 106 projects covering a total of 41,967.56 throughout the archipelago, with 42 projects covering 29,929.56 hectares in Manila Bay alone. The PRA is set to implement at least 80 projects within the term of Duterte, including the 148-hectare Manila Solar City and the 650-hectare Navotas Boulevard Business Park, Hicap said. Artisanal fishermen, according to Hicap, are the casualties of these so-called development projects. “Land reclamation, commercial-fishing intrusion, large-scale mining, among other projects of development aggressions, are to blame for the deteriorating condition of marine ecosystems and the current status of average daily fish catch, which now dramatically drops to 2 kilograms [kg] to 5 kg a day from 10 kg to 15 kg a day during the era of abundance,” he explained.

‘Marked with loss’

Vince Cinches, ocean campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines, said the current state of the environment in the Philippines is marked with a lot of loss: of marine, coastal and mountain resources, including endemic f lora and fauna found in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. In an interview via Messenger on April 24, Cinches shared the same assessment when various environmental and conservation groups issued the People’s Declaration of the Philippine Seas in

It is disheartening that the country is continually losing the very system that feeds, and provided income, shelter and important scientific resources crucial not just for Filipinos but the global community, as well.”—Cinches

Crisis as early as November 16, 2012, in Quezon City. He said the bigger loss that needed to be talked about are the lives of environmental defenders targeted by illegal fishers, mining operators and other actors emboldened by the weak implementation of basic laws in the Philippines. “It is disheartening that the country is continually losing the very system that feeds, and provided income, shelter and important scientific resources crucial not just for Filipinos but the global community, as well,” he said. Cinches pointed out that it is important to talk about the people dependent on the country’s natural resources, and the existing policies that enabled the destruction, and dislocation of communities on a national scale. This should happen in all communities at the forefront, where the power of the corporations are unregulated, and holds local government units by their neck, he said. “The proposal of Greenpeace called road map to recovery for our oceans in 2013, using the ocean lens in protecting our resources, is still very valid and needs to be implemented with urgency,” he said. Cinches added: “A s an archipelagic nation, we need to reverse the continued decline of our seas. Our country’s food security and economic development depend on improving the health of our oceans. If we are to continue enjoying the bounty of our marine resources, we need to rethink our approach to managing our seas. We urge the Philippine government to acknowledge that our seas are experiencing an unprecedented crisis—and that there is a need to create an appropriate road map to reverse the ongoing damage, as well as to end overfishing.”

Living dangerously

K alikasan - People ’ s Net work for the Environment said under the Duterte administration, environmentalists are living dangerously for fighting for environmental destruction. “The Duterte [administration] so far is the most dangerous regime for Filipino environmentalists,” said Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of Kalikasan-PNE, said in a telephone interview on April 23. He said large-scale mining projects and operations are the primary areas where killings of environmental defenders occurred Militarization and human-

The Philippines, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world but also one of the so-called biodiversity hot spots because of the rapid rate of biodiversity loss, is not uniquely experiencing massive resource depletion. “Welcome to the Anthropocene!” said env ironmenta list and Best Alternatives founder Gregg Yan in a statement sent via Messenger on April 23. “It is the age wherein humans has the rather dubious honor of dictating which species will survive the next centuries,” Yan said. Experts say the Antropocene, a new geological epoch, should be declared because of humanity’s impact on the earth. They said it is defined by the radioactive elements dispersed across the planet by nuclear bomb tests, plastic pollution, soot from power stations, concrete and other pollutants. T he cur rent epoch, the Holocene, is the 12,000 years of stable c limate since the last ice age dur ing which a l l human civ ilization developed. Yan said the world has changed too rapidly since the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago, with the human population exploding because of intensive farming and the use of fossil fuels like natural gas, coal and petroleum. “There are more people living on Earth now—about 7.6 billion— than at any point in the planet’s history. There are more doctors, lawyers, soldiers, businessmen, mimes, acrobats and what-haveyou than ever. From a resource management perspective, this means that every day, 7.6 billion people need to be fed, watered, washed, clothed, housed and entertained. How are we going to balance seemingly infinite growth and consumption with the planet’s finite resources? This is the challenge,” he explained.

Sustainable alternatives

Yan said one of the solutions is for people to start shifting to sustainable alternatives like renewable energy and low-carbon meals. “Power from the sun, wind and the water f low of rivers is free and practically inexhaustible—at least f rom a human st a ndp oi nt . I n st a l l i ng sol a r panels or micro-wind turbines in your house can lower your carbon emissions and kuryente [electric] bills. Planting fruit trees around your homes not only encourages the absorption of carbon dioxide, you’ll get free meals too. Eating fruits and vegetables is far better than eating high-carbon food like beef—and is healthier.” “One of my mentors taught me that we need to button-down for a future soon to be defined by climate change. By adopting best alternatives, we can ensure that the Anthropocene doesn’t look like a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie. We want to retain and improve the quality of life we enjoy now—to have bright days for ourselves and our children,” Yan said.

Biodiversity Monday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Monday, April 30, 2018 A13

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion • www.businessmirror.com.ph

Malay LGU backs planned Boracay critical habitat

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By Jonathan L. Mayuga

@jonlmayuga

he local government of Malay, Aklan, is fully supportive of the plan to establish the Boracay Island Critical Habitat (BICH), an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said. T h e D E N R ’s B i o d i v e r s i t y Management Bureau (BMB) is still “ ironing out the kinks” for t he d ra f t DENR ad m inist rative order that w ill declare the world-renow ned resort island as a critical habitat under Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife R esou rces Conser v at ion a nd Protection Act. The proposal covers a total of 750.96 hectares composed of 119.85 hectares of land and 631.107 hectares of marine areas in barangays Yapak and Balabag to protect several species of flying foxes or fruit bats, insect bats and marine turtles. Director Cr isanta Marlene Rodriguez of the DENR’s BMB said loca l officials of Malay, pa r t ic u l a rly members of t he Sang guniang Bayan, have vowed to pa ss a n ord ina nce t h at w i l l rei n force t he pro posed BICH. “We are still ironing out some kinks because we had to present it to the Sangguniang Bayan of Malay last week. They [Sanggunian members] were very supportive of it. And they wanted to pass not just a resolution, but an ordinance,” she said. Rodriguez said the presenta-

tion on Tuesday last week was part of the process to ensure support from various stakeholders. “After all, it’s the LGU [local government unit] that will enforce it on the ground,” she said. The DENR-BMB also held a stakeholders’ consultation and meeting early this month with several businessmen with properties or business operations within the proposed BICH. The representatives of hotels, resorts and groups based on the island have expressed their support to the plan. Rodriguez said members of the Sangguniang Bayan had a few questions but she said they eventually expressed their full support. “We have drafted the DAO [department administrative Order] and we are just ironing out some kinks. We will submit it immediately to the [Environment] Secretary [Roy A. Cimatu],” she said. The Sangguniang Bayan vowed to work on the proposed ordinance, she added. “The secretary is very supportive of the plan to establish the Boracay Island Critical Habitat and he may sign it. Whichever comes first [the DAO or the Sanggunian ordinance],” she said.

Boracay tourists enjoy the resort island’s white sand and water in June 2017. Lyn Resurreccion

According to Rodriguez, the declaration of a critical habitat is important in order to ensure the protection and conservation of endangered plant or animal species outside the declared protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act. She said it is important to ensure that a management plan crafted by various stakeholders together with the DENR and the LGUs will be enforced. In Borac ay for mer DENRBMB head T heresa Mund ita S. Lim, now t he e xecutive d irector of t he A sean Biod iversit y Centre, sa id t he proposa l to dec lare cer ta in areas on Bora-

cay as cr itica l habitat w i l l help protect and conser ve at least t hree species of f ly ing foxes— t he endemic and end angered golden-crow ned f ly ing fox, the island f ly ing fox and t he g iant f ly ing fox. The proposed critical habitat is the area where the highest concentration of forest over limestone can be found. T he f ly ing foxes, whose popu lation on t he island has been g reat ly reduced i n t he last 15 years, are cr itica l in t he ma intenance and natura l regenerat ion of forest s eco system on Boracay and in t he whole of Panay. Besides this, the protection

for t he c ave - dwel l i ng i nsect bats in one of the caves within the proposed cr itica l habitat will be ensured. There is also a wetland, Wetland No. 1, within the proposed BICH. A lso to be protected w it h t he dec laration of t he Boracay Cr itica l Habitat are unique beac hes l i ke t he P u k a She l l B e a c h , ne s t i n g m a r i ne t u r t les — suc h a s t he h awk sbi l l and green turtles—and several pu k a shel ls li ke spider shel l, lambis and dupel la sna i l. Other marine fauna found on what Lim described as relatively pristine waters of Puka Shell Beach are sea stars, sea urchins, butterf lyfishes, moon wrasses,

Some lessons learned from Boracay’s closure

The DMall, a shopping center on Boracay Island, turns into a ghost area as the stores’ tenants leave in time for the six-month closure of the resort. The photo was taken on April 22, four days before the closure. Jun N. Aguirre By Jun N. Aguirre Correspondent

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ORACAY ISLAND, Aklan— The six-month closure of the world-renowned resort island Boracay that started on April 26 is considered by many as a bitter pill that would have a long impact and could set a new direction in tourism industry in this region and in the country. Acs Aldaba, operations manager of the Boracay Island Water Corp. (BIWC), said the existing water-pollution problems that had led Malacañang to temporarily close Boracay have been the same as those it has been encountering in the past 10 years. The BIWC is the major supplier of water on the island, which has around six, 311 water and sewer connections. President Duterte described t he waters of f Borac ay a s a “cesspool ” which led him order its closure. “ The lesson from this closure is that we have to respond to the needs of Boracay,” Aldaba said. “We also see a need to increase environmental awareness for sustainability among all sectors.”

BIWC, which has been supplying water to Boracay for several years now, said it has underestimated the water supply needs of the island. It noted that the residents failed to differentiate drainage and waste water, thus the need for a massive information, education and awareness campaign. “We see the Boracay situation similar to the case of a rape victim wherein she/he has been abused yet nobody is admitting the crime,” Aldaba noted. Currently, the BIWC is working to complete a network of sewers and drainage until 2022. “We see Boracay as the first island in the country with centralized drainage and sewer system,” she said. The Philippines archipelago has over 7,000 islands. Malay Councilor Floribar Bautista, chairman of the municipal council committee on public works, said the local government has also learned its lesson. Boracay Island is under the geographical area of Malay, Aklan. “We realized that there were several documents which [showed] the local government [was as-

signed] to do certain tasks but they were not done properly. The local government will surely do the work continuously for the environmental sustainability of Boracay once it reopens,” Bautista said. Among the supposed tasks of the local government was to oversee the inspection of the drainage system of the island. Accord ing to t he nat iona l gover nment, Boracay may be reopened after six months in order to enable it to recover from stresses from human and development activities. Severa l hotels and restaurants on the island, although unprepared w ith the closure, have come up w ith different coping schemes. Richel Ann Guarino, manager of the Philippine Business Bank (PBB), said the Yao Group of Cos. has not displaced any worker during the six-month period. Besides the PBB, the Yao Group also owns a resort in the area. The PBB is open during the six-month duration. Earlier, San Mig uel Cor p., which manages the Caticlan Airport, has expressed commitment to keep all its employees during the period. At the same time, some hotels have decided to help their employees cope during the closure. B a s e d o n a s u r v e y, t h e Pa r ad i s e Ga rde n h a s a l lowe d it s e mplo ye e s to m a k e a loa n w it h t h e h o t e l . T h e W i l l y s Roc k h a s a l so g iven eac h of its e mplo ye e s a mo de st a mou nt a s s e pa r at ion pay. The G Executive Hotel is keeping its employees but they were asked to cook and sell food for the workers involved in the rehabilitation of the resort island.

Sen. Cynthia A. Villar joins Greenpeace Philippines and other environment activitist doing the high-five with their painted hands during the recent celebration of Earth Day 2018 with the theme “End Plastic Pollution.”

‘Plastic pollution choking our waters’

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s e n ato r has underscored the pressing need to end the prevalent problem of plastic pollution all over the country, as she highlighted the worsening threat of plastic waste leakage to the country’s wildlife and marine resources. Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, rallied for expanded national efforts to dramatically reduce, if not totally stop, plastic use as an initial solution to end plastic-waste pollution throughout the country, especially in urban areas, where plastic products are regularly used as packaging materials. “The use of plastic products over the years has taken its grim toll on our natural resources. Our marine waters are choking from plastic wastes that have been dumped into our waters. We are ranked third next to China and Indonesia in terms of estimated volume of mismanaged plastic wastes produced by the population that could potentially enter the seas and oceans,” Villar lamented. Vi l l a r a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t “ t h e campaign against plastic consumption

has been moving slowly because both manufacturers and users continue to be unmindful of the environmental, climate and health impacts of plastic use.” The senator made the remarks during the celebration of Earth Day 2018 and the 11th anniversary of the establishment of the 175-hectare Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park as the last coastal frontier of the Asean region. The twin celebrations were held at the wetland park. “The government needs to take bolder and more innovative measures to control the entry of plastic wastes into our waters, which are destroying our marine natural resources and the habitats of resident and migratory wild birds,” she said. The senator noted that research findings indicated that the Philippines is included among countries with the most number of plastic wastes being dumped into the seas. She expressed hope that the government and environmental groups would sustain their ongoing campaigns to stop plastic waste leakages. Villar and the Depar tment of Environment and Natural Resources-National Capital

zigzag w rasses, damselfishes and coral colonies. B esides t he BICH, t he for mer DENR-BMB head said in an ea rl ier inter v iew t hat a not her por t ion on t he i sl a nd i s a c a ndidate for the establishment of a c r it ic a l h abit at—Wet l a nd s No. 2 a nd No. 3 —to protec t endem ic spec ies of bi rd s a nd end a ngered m ig r ator y bi rd s t h at v i sit t he i sl a nd du r i ng m ig rat ion sea son. Boracay Island will be closed to local and foreign tourists for six months starting on April 26 to hasten rehabilitation effort on the island and allow its damaged forests, wetlands and coastal ecosystem to recuperate. Region (DENR-NCR) has partnered to celebrate this year’s Earth Day, which has “End Plastic Pollution” as its theme. It was aptly timed to generate government and public interest in further protecting the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, a nature reserve with mangroves, ponds and lagoons, mudflats, salt marshes and mixed beach forest. The wetland park was established through Presidential Decree 1412 as the first critical habitat in the country. It was also recognized as a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention in 2013. The wetland park consists of two islands—Freedom Island and Long Island, which have been the favorite resting and refueling stops for migratory birds using the East Asian-Australasian Migratory Flyway. It hosts 41 species of migratory birds, with some coming from as far as China, Japan and Siberia. It has 114 hectares of mudflats, which serve as feeding grounds for wild birds. The wetland park also has more than 36 hectares of mangrove forest, the thickest and most diverse among the remaining mangroves within Manila Bay. It also has salt marshes, which play an important role in determining the health of a coastal area. During the twin celebrations, Villar a n d t h e D EN R j o i n e d G r e e n p e a c e Philippines in photo exhibit, entitled “Plastic Pollution: Threats and Solutions,” which focused on the issue of plastic pollution and its impact on resident and migratory wild birds. Th e e x h i b i t a l s o s h o wc a s e d a n installation art that recreated the layers of trash within the beaches of the wetland park to emphasize the magnitude of the plastic pollution in Manila Bay. At the end of the event, a coastal cleanup at the coasts of the wetland park, where garbage accumulated, was also carried out with the participation o f re p re s e n t a t i ve s f ro m t h e l o c a l government units of Las Piñas City and Parañaque City, the Department of Public Works and Highways-National Capital Region and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

A14 Monday, April 30, 2018 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Geopolitics: How the real world works

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E live in a time where immediate news is followed by instant analysis, followed by more news, then analysis in a cycle of “wash, rinse, repeat” that seems to never end. There are two problems with this.

The first is that the speed at which the information hits us does not allow for any sort of in depth look at the topic. Last week—while only two local news outlets picked up on it—the Canadian Senate passed a motion criticizing China for its aggressive and expansive behavior in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. Local social media immediately and aggressively commented that Canada was challenging China more so than the Philippines. That may or may not be true. But there is a deeper reality. The motion itself means little because it has no legal effect on the Canadian government and is nonbinding. Further, that motion has been sitting in the Canadian Senate for two years and had not been acted upon. The motion itself was sponsored by Canadian Sen. Thanh Hai Ngo who, during the 1970s, held a relatively high office in the South Vietnamese government as political bureau chief at the Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, and representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. He was also an officer in the South Vietnam military. It is more than likely he still has contacts within the Vietnamese government. As an interesting coincidence—or not—the resolution was announced almost simultaneously with Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesman, saying that China has seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty by installing military jamming equipment on outposts at the Spratly Islands. Further, the leader of the opposition to the resolution is another senator —all of whom are appointed, not elected—Yuen Pau Woo, originally from Malaysia. Woo in the private sector was president of HQ Vancouver and of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Both are focused in bringing Asian investment to Western Canada primarily from—you guessed it—China. China, of course, has gone ballistic at the Senate resolution, which also comes at the same time that Canada is opening trade negotiation with China and needs whatever leverage it can find. Things are never what they appear to be. The second problem with “speed of the news” is that it keeps our memories short term. There are those that are commentating that the breakthrough in North/ South Korean relations is all because of the Winter Olympics that saw joint NoKor/SoKor participation. Except, North Korea had rejected the idea many times when first proposed before June 2017. The agreement to join was only made on January 9, 2018, exactly one month before the Olympics started. Also of interesting coincidence is that less than a week prior to that announcement, US President Donald J. Trump said about Kim Jong Un: “Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” That was also after Trump tightened—with China’s acceptance if not approval—economic sanction on North Korea and put the “rogue” nation back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism in November 2017. Geopolitics is like magic show. The magician raises his right arm high into the air and waves his hand so you will not notice the rabbit hidden in his left coat pocket. The average person believes it is all true. The press and media are often like the magician’s assistants, who may be pretty to look at but is really there to make the magic show better so more tickets are sold. Since 2005

Help the HAPLOS Community Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

RISING SUN

Conclusion

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he HAPLOS Community, as I wrote in my previous column, was set up to help those with hemophilia alongside their families. As an organization, HAPLOS undertakes community-building programs to enable and empower its members. Psychosocial events, interest groups, summer camps, art and music sessions, and other projects are examples of these activities. These are designed to help the persons with hemophilia become physically active, mentally sharp, emotionally healthy, spiritually strong, and socially involved. At the moment, HAPLOS has filed appeals with government agencies for the benefit of the community members. The Hemophilia Treatment Package has been with the PhilHealth Office of Actuary since March 2017 for their review and appropriate action. This particular package proposes an increase in the

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outpatient and in-patient benefits for those who have the condition. According to Ms. Maria Lourdes D. Formalejo, mother of a son with hemophilia and the current president of HAPLOS, most patients can’t afford the exorbitant cost of treatment, such as factor concentrates, cryoprecipitate, fresh frozen

plasma, cryosupernate and other necessary therapeutic products. She said, “The lifelong and severe complications of hemophilia are very much preventable with proper medical attention, but most of our patients continue to suffer as they are unable to afford the treatment.” Dr. Flerida Hernandez, the treasurer and head of the Medical Affairs Committee of HAPLOS, encourages PhilHealth “to hasten the approval of the proposed Hemophilia Treatment Package because the more we delay, the more people will suffer not only financially but consequently deformities and possibly death.” There is also an appeal pending with the Department of Health-National Institutes of Health to include hemophilia and other rare bleeding disorders like Von Willebrand Disease (and other rare clotting factor deficiencies) in Republic Act 10747 or the Rare Disease Act of 2016. Formalejo speaks on behalf of the HAPLOS Community to appeal to all leaders in the government and in the private and business sectors to help the HAPLOS Community. The

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he “Lifetime Cellphone Number Act” or Senate Bill (SB) 1636 “An Act Requiring Public Telecommunications Entities To Provide Nationwide Mobile Portability to Subscribers” was passed recently with a unanimous 20 affirmative votes. Sen. Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, is the principal author of SB 1636, which is a substitute bill to his SB 1237. Gatchalian cites 112 countries of the world that have adopted Mobile Number Portability (MNP). They include our neighbors Singapore (1995), Hong Kong (1999), Macau (2001), Australia (2002), South Korea (2004), Taiwan (2006), New Zealand (2007), Thailand (2010), India (2011) and Vietnam (2017). While there is no law requiring the implementation of MNP in the Philippines, it was reported in July 2005 that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) was supposed to have “come up with a proposed set of rules on number portability among fixed line and mobile-phone operators.” Three years later, in September 2008, thenNTC Director for Common Carriers Authorization Department and now Deputy Commissioner Edgardo V. Cabarrios said the NTC “shelved

plans for mobile number portability in the market.” Cabarrios claimed that it was “technically feasible, but not financially viable” as it was “too costly on the part of the subscribers based on the recommendation of the agency’s technical working group.” It was not, however, clear whether such technical working group had taken submission from number portability clearinghouses. Since then, there has been no further attempt at implementing number portability in the Philippines despite the eight-year interregnum, the multiplier effects of technology and innovation in the telecommunications industry which would have made number portability more viable at present, and the best practices we could learn from other countries which have implemented number portability regardless of the level of economic development” (Explanatory Notes, SB 1237). Under SB 1636, Mobile Number Portability or “MNP” refers to the ability of a postpaid subscriber who

It shall be the obligation of every PTE to provide nationwide MNP to all mobile subscribers, whether postpaid or prepaid. In no case, under penalty of law as provided hereunder, shall the benefits of MNP to a mobile subscriber who has decided to either switch from one PTE to another, or to change subscription from postpaid to prepaid or from prepaid to postpaid, be delayed, withheld or refused. has no existing financial obligation to the donor provider arising from a subscription contract under a postpaid plan, or a prepaid subscriber, to either retain an existing mobile number when moving from one public telecommunications entity to another, or to change subscription from postpaid to prepaid or from prepaid to postpaid, without impairment of the standards of quality, reliability or convenience prescribed by the NTC (Section 4 [c]). Donor Provider refers to the public telecommunications entity to whose network the mobile number belongs at the time the subscriber makes an application for porting (Section 4 [a]). Public Telecommunications Entity or PTE refers to any duly enfranchised and authorized public telecommunications entity that offers voice, short messaging system (SMS or text), mobile data, valueadded services (VAS) or any other telecommunications services to the public for a fee (Section 4 [h]). It shall be the obligation of every

group needs the attention, and then the support and positive action of all individuals and agencies concerned in the issue. HAPLOS exists for hemophilia! For questions, call Hemophilia Philippines (HAPLOS Community) Foundation, Inc. at 632-2398518, 09178-HAPLOS, 0933-8671419 or e-mail them at haplosfoundation@ yahoo.com You can also visit the website at www.hemophiliaphilippines.org nnn

The best way to celebrate Labor Day on May 1 is to take a break from work. As a holiday, this time is meant for Filipino workers to take time off from the daily grind and enjoy the day doing relaxing activities, or spend the time with loved ones. True, it is a day intended to honor the hard work and economic contributions of our workers, so it’s also an opportunity for all of us to enjoy Labor Day-related events in our communities. Go online and find out what’s happening and take part in those that are most interesting! Here’s wishing everyone a restful, relaxing and memorable Labor Day experience.

PTE to provide nationwide MNP to all mobile subscribers, whether postpaid or prepaid. In no case, under penalty of law as provided hereunder, shall the benefits of MNP to a mobile subscriber who has decided to either switch from one PTE to another, or to change subscription from postpaid to prepaid or from prepaid to postpaid, be delayed, withheld, refused or otherwise not delivered by more than 24 hours from the timed such mobile subscriber completes his or her porting application. Provided, that a subscriber shall be allowed to port the same number from one PTE to another only after the lapse of 60 days from the completion of the last porting process (Section 5). Every PTE shall, within six months from the promulgation of the implementing rules and regulations of this Act, set up a mechanism for the purpose of implementing MNP. It shall interconnect directly or indirectly with the infrastructure, facilities, systems or equipment of other PTEs and not install network features functions or capabilities that will impede that implementation of a nationwide MNP system. It shall also provide subscribers sufficient and relevant information on MNP including, but not limited to, its features, the porting application requirements, and the porting process (Section 6). The .recipient provider shall complete the porting process within a period of 24 hours from the time of receipt of the mobile number porting application from the subscriber. See “Kapunan,” A15

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Labor Day blues and hues 83 percent By Alberto Agra

James C. Pascual

PPP Lead

DEBIT CREDIT

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abor Days have often been met with personal celebrations and public demonstrations. For some, long holidays are best enjoyed by flocking the expanse of the countryside or traditionally frolicking in the summer activities of Laboracay until the island’s recent provisional closure. For others, however, the month of May is best kicked off with marching banners and placards to highlight the labor conditions of the work force, press for the advancement of labor rights and call for greater workers’ benefits and wider career opportunities. This is the period once again when the matter of security of tenure takes the national limelight. And this has never been more relevant than now as the Duterte administration transitions to its third year, a period marked by an anticipation of the fulfillment of its campaign promises relative to the ending of contractualization. At present, the position of the business and management organizations on behalf of the employers’ interests continues to collide with that of the progressive labor groups and worker confederations representing the employees’ interests. On one end, to maximize profits, companies can opt for cheap labor while striving to attain operational efficiencies. This can be of particular fondness in virtually all laborintensive sectors where manpower costs account for a significant portion of the operating costs of the business. Businesses can circumvent laws and regulations in their exercise of “management prerogative and business judgment.” Businesses can also cite the companies’ market competitiveness and their overall contribution to economic growth to nurture the practice of contractualization. In the course of furthering economic gains, companies can abuse this practice. On the other end, in subscribing to the contractual arrangements with businesses, employees pursue the companies’ objectives in anticipation for fair wages and working conditions in exchange. Yet, in the course of this pursuit, employees can tend to demand more than what are the going wage levels in the industry and the geographic area, the financial capabilities of the business, the skills requirements and the nature of their jobs. In addressing the conflicting objectives of the management and the employees, businesses have to be ultimately acquainted with their moral obligations beyond their mere compliance with the legal framework. Accordingly, businesses have to recognize and foster the special dignity of human work above the concern for cost-minimization initiatives and meeting annual targets and earnings guidance. In this light, businesses have to understand the

Kapunan. . .

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Within such 24-hour period, it must transmit the mobile-porting application to the donor provider for the purpose of clearing the mobile number for porting. Upon notification that the mobile number has been cleared for porting, it shall immediately activate the subscriber’s ported number under its network (Section 6). The donor provider shall, within the same 24-hour period, clear the mobile number for porting. It shall, however, continue to provide all subscribed telecommunications services to the subscriber until the mobile number has been completely ported to the recipient provider. The porting process shall be deemed complete upon the subsequent activation of the mobile number the network of the recipient provider (Section 8). Every PTE shall provide mobilenumber portability to subscribers

To fortify the primarily laid down foundations, employees have to continue to safeguard and fight for their rights, notwithstanding the guarantees set by the Constitution that the State shall afford full protection to labor and entitlement of employees to security of tenure, humane conditions of work and a decent living. subjective dimension of labor: the act of a dynamic employee, a human person. It is in this subjective side that gives dignity to human labor and precludes employees to be viewed objectively as commodities or simple tools for the production of goods or delivery of services. As Filipinos commemorate the achievements of labor movements that brought workers there they are today, their early struggles for promotion of well-being are still loud calls resounding. To fortify the primarily laid down foundations, employees have to continue to safeguard and fight for their rights, notwithstanding the guarantees set by the Constitution that the State shall afford full protection to labor and entitlement of employees to security of tenure, humane conditions of work and a decent living. In this same regard, businesses have to be continuously reminded of a potent Kantian universal principle: “To fully respect a person, one must actively treat his or her humanity as an end, and not merely as a means to an end.” In doing so, the onus is on businesses to provide and organize work arrangement that is fully respectful of the human dignity. Productive and stable work eventually impacts the integral formation and development of employees that can lead to their well-being, human flourishing and promotion of dignity. James C. Pascual is an associate director of Saint Luke’s Medical Center. He serves as the external vice president of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business Student Council. This column accepts contributions from accountants, especially articles that are of interest to the accountancy profession, in particular, and to the business community, in general. These can be e-mailed to boa.secretariat.@gmail.com.

completely free of charge (Section 9). For every failure to comply with, or for every instance of violation of any provision of this act, the PTE shall pay a fine of not less than P100,000 up to P300,000 for the first offense, and a fine of not less than P400,000 up to P600,000 for the second offense. In case of a subsequent offense, the penalty shall be a fine of not less than P700,000 up to P1,000,000 and revocation of the PTE’s franchise to operate (Section 11). Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed there are more than 102 million different phone numbers subscribed to the country’s existing duopoly (CNN Phils 4/20/2018). With the entry of a third telco player, it is hoped that the bill would give phone subscribers and consumers the freedom to choose the provider that would give the best value for their money without having to lose or change their mobile numbers. Let us hope that lobby money will not be spent to prevent this from happening.

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ccording to the 2018 PPP Report, “Higher scores signify that an economy’s regulatory framework is in greater compliance with internationally recognized good practices in an area. Lower scores indicate that there is considerable room for improvement because of less adherence to international good practices measured” under said report. The 83 percent is an average of four scores, i.e., Preparation of PPPs, 85 percent; Procurement of PPPs, 76 percent; PPP Contract Management, 88 percent; and Unsolicited proposals (UPs) for PPPs, 83 percent. The Philippines bested all the countries in Southeast Asia. Singapore was the closest with 66

percent (but with no UPs), followed by Indonesia at 63 percent. The others are Vietnam with 60 percent; Timor Leste, 48 percent; Thailand 43 percent (no UPs); Malaysia, 41 percent; Cambodia, 31 percent; Laos, 29 percent (no UPs); and Myanmar, 21 percent. There was no rating for Brunei Darussalam.

No bridge too far Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

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eadership guru John Maxwell said that needs start the process of finding purpose. Leaders must discover their purpose and advocacy, whether it be accidental or intentional. Maxwell used the example of Nehemiah. In the Bible, Nehemiah gave up his stable life as the king’s cupbearer to build a wall for his city precisely because he was moved by the needs of his community. The sight of his home in ruins moved him to rebuild his city and to call others to action.

The biblical story of Nehemiah is similar to the story of Sonny Busa. Like Nehemiah, he calls people to bridge divisions between countries and people. As retired United States Army infantry officer and a former diplomat for Kuwait, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, South Korea and Honduras, one of Sonny’s greatest accomplishments was his active participation in the return of the San Pedro Bell from the United States to the Philippines. When Father Raymund Chan, of the Diocese of San Fernando, La Union, wrote to the West Point Superintendent about the possibility of having the bell returned, Sonny provided the seemingly invisible bridge between the US and the Philippines. After all,

he is a Filipino-American graduate of United States Military Academy Class of 1976 at West Point and, more important, is a friend of the USMA Superintendent—Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr. As a former US Consul General to the Philippines, Sonny connected the officials from the United States (West Point, US Army, Department of State) with the stakeholders from the Philippines (University of Santo Thomas, Catholic Church, the Department of Foreign Affairs). The bell, which was brought to the United States as a military souvenir more than a hundred years ago, now sits at the Church of Saint Peter and Paul in Bauang, La Union. Sonny’s next objective is to participate in

Monday, April 30, 2018 A15

n Preparation of PPPs. Under this, the Philippines was assessed to have a central budgetary authority’s approval, prioritization consistent with public investment priorities, multilevel assessments and draft PPP contracts included in Requests for Proposals. Noticeably absent is the inclusion of assessments in the RFPs. This is our only “No” under this category. The 2018 PPP Report, however, noted that tender documents are not available online. n Procurement of PPPs. This is our lowest mark. While we have public procurement notice, set qualifications for evaluation committee members, detailed tender documents and financial models, and while we publish awards, allow foreign companies to participate, require financial models to be submitted and specify the prequalification criteria, among others, there are still gaps. Our PPP procurement allows for discretionary direct negotiations, does not contain standstill periods and our PPP contracts are not published.

n PPP Contract Management. This is our highest grade. The 2018 Report recognized the presence of the country’s systems to manage the implementation of PPP contracts, to track completion of construction works and to evaluate PPP contract implementation. We provide for dispute-resolution mechanisms, lenders’ step-in rights and grounds for contract termination. We also permit changes in the structure of the stakeholder and regulate the modification or renegotiation of the PPP contract once signed. Actually, we have no “No” under this standard. n UPs for PPPs. Our grade here is equivalent to our average. Under this, all are “Yeses.” Yes to regulation of UPs, assessments thereof and evaluation of consistency of UPs, and having a procedure, a competitive procedure and minimum periods. This columnist’s views and take on these will be discussed next week. Stay tuned.

the return of the controversial Balangiga Bells from the US to his home province of Samar. Recently, Sonny accepted a oneyear teaching opportunity, pro bono, at the Philippine Military Academy. He taught International Relations in the USMA at West Point. He will likely renew his teaching contract in PMA if only to serve as a teaching channel between cadets and graduates of both service academies. However, if Sonny were to continue to inspire future leaders in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, he will be alone, as his wife and children are all based in the United States. Sonny will also suffer a massive pay cut; PMA, after all, can only pay its instructors so much. These kinds of hardships always accompany service to a greater purpose. In his book Great Days with the Great Lives, Charles Swindoll narrated how Job’s faith and purpose was tested by many trials, and how Job’s faith never wavered, faithful that God was present during times of trials and hardships. One of Maxwell’s principles is “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” This holds particularly true in the Philippines. As provided by the Preamble of the 1987 Constitution, we are “imploring the aid of Almighty God” to establish “a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace,” among other aspirations. In the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,

declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. My foreigner-friends have told me that while the Philippines is blessed with so many resources, it also seems that the country is cursed with bad leaders. I believe that Filipinos can accomplish all the aforecited aspirations and secure the blessings of “independence and democracy under the rule of law,” only with good leaders, especially those burdened with a purpose just as Sonny. In the Bible, Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Best-selling author and pastor Rick Warren said that, despite this promise, all things do not turn out alright for everybody. For Rick, and presumably for Sonny, the verse simply means that good only comes to those who trust Him with their plans. And Filipinos have trusted Him, as we have implored His aid as found in the fundamental law of our land. Sonny, perhaps, realized that his purpose in life is to be a bridge between his country of citizenship, the US, and his country of birth. We need to find and develop leaders who are grounded in faith. In Sonny’s words, “how do you put a price on the satisfaction of influencing future leaders of the Philippines?” No bridge is too far for Sonny.

How to understand what’s happening in North Korea By Nicholas Kristof New York Times News Service

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orth Korea doesn’t have enough food, it lacks Facebook and Beyoncé and its diplomats have to ration their use of computers in the Foreign Ministry because of electricity shortages. But North Korea excels at choreography and theater, and its officials are well educated, very savvy and agile with a pirouette. So we have peace breaking out on the Korean Peninsula—and President Donald J. Trump gets some credit for that. As with any circus performance, it’s amazing to behold but not quite as billed. As Kim Jong Un stepped into South Korea last Friday—the first North Korean leader to do so—let’s acknowledge that he has played a weak hand exceptionally well. Kim is now aiming to squirm out of sanctions, build up his economy and retain his nuclear arsenal, all while remaining a global focus of attention. It’s a remarkable performance. “North Korea expert” is an oxymoron, but from someone who has been covering the country since the 1980s, here’s my take on why we should be deeply skeptical—and yet relieved, even a bit hopeful. Trump’s tightening of sanctions and his belligerent rhetoric genuinely did change the equation. All this was meant to intimidate Kim, but it mostly alarmed President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and galvanized him to undertake

successful Olympic diplomacy that laid the groundwork for the North-South summit meeting. Kim then parlayed that progress into meetings with both Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both of which reflected longtime North Korean goals. And last Friday Kim and Moon adopted a declaration promising “no more war,” “a new era of peace” and “complete denuclearization.” Inspiring, but count me skeptical. North and South Korean leaders have signed grand peace documents before, in 2000 and 2007, and neither lasted. In 2012 North Korea agreed not to test missiles and then weeks later fired one off but called it a “satellite” launch. When North Korea talks about “complete denuclearization,” it typically means that the United States ends its alliance with South Korea, and then North Korea will no longer need nuclear weapons to defend itself. But the United States won’t give up the South. And North Korea has been pursuing nuclear weapons since the 1950s, and I don’t know any expert who thinks that it will genuinely hand over its arsenal. On my last visit to North Korea, last September, a Foreign Ministry official told me that Libya had given up its nuclear program—only to have its regime toppled. Likewise, he noted, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq lacked a nuclear deterrent—so Saddam was ousted by America. North Korea would not make the same mistake, he insisted. It’s even

less likely that North Korea will give up its nukes now that it sees Trump poised to tear up the Iran nuclear deal. Kim’s game plan seems to be to sign pledges for denuclearization, leaving details to be worked out in follow-up talks, knowing that the pledges won’t be fully implemented and that there will never be intrusive inspections. This may be disingenuous on the part of North Korea, but that’s not terrible: It provides a facesaving way for both North Korea and the US to back away from the precipice of war. Trump and Kim both badly want a meeting, so expect North Korea to release its three American detainees in the coming weeks and to make soothing statements. Trump and Kim will present themselves as historic peacemakers as they sign some kind of declaration calling for peace and denuclearization, with some kind of timetable; Trump’s aides will then say that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than Barack Obama did. I hope Trump will also raise human- rights issues. A commission of inquiry suggested that North Korea has committed crimes against humanity “on a massive scale” in its labor camps, and we should push for access to these camps by humanitarian organizations. “Over 100,000 people, a figure that includes countless innocent family members of so-called enemies of the state, are effectively consigned to die in North Korea’s political prisons,” Navi Pillay, a former United Nations high commissioner for human rights, told me. “The forced abortions, infanticide, persecution of

Christians, torture and summary executions that regularly occur in those various facilities are well documented. Trump can demand that the Red Cross and the international community be given access to North Korea’s prisons and labor-camp systems.” In the meantime, I’m guessing that the North will halt all nuclear and missile testing (hopefully, including short-range missiles), and will stop production of plutonium at its reactors in Yongbyon (North Korea may also claim to stop enriching uranium, but that’s more difficult to verify). In exchange, China and South Korea will quietly ease sanctions—and Kim will get what he has always wanted, the legitimacy of being treated as a world leader, as an equal and as the ruler of a de facto nuclear state. Both Kim and Trump benefit politically from that scenario and, for that matter, so does the world: Hard-liners will fume that we’re being played and that the North is not verifiably giving up nuclear weapons—true—but it’s all preferable to war. How does this end? The West’s plan is to drag things along until the North collapses. This may happen. The problem is that it was also the US plan in 1994 in a previous nuclear deal. And I confess that I chose to be The New York Times’s bureau chief in Tokyo in the late- 1990s partly so that I could cover what I thought might be the collapse soon of the North Korean regime. I learned then not to make predictions about the timing of the demise of the Kim dynasty.

2nd Front Page BusinessMirror

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Congress to help preserve, promote PHL tourism sites

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By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

More than a hundred bills and resolutions are pending in different committees in the House of Representatives seeking to promote the best tourist destinations in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The lower chamber has also endorsed several tourism bills to the Senate for approval. House Committee on Tourism Chairman Lucy Torres-Gomez of the Fourth District ofLeyte, however, said the government must first protect these destinations from environmental issues through the passage of several measures, including House Bill (HB) 7229, or the proposed “Philippine Sustainable Tourism Act.” Gomez, who wrote the bill, said her committee has endorsed HB 7229 for plenary approval to address the Filipino people’s clamor for action, especially on issues of environmental degradation, public health and intractable tourism business growth, which happened in Boracay. President Duterte earlier described Boracay, a resort island in the province of Aklan in Western Visayas, as a “cesspool.” Then the President ordered the closure of Boracay, which attracts about 2 million tourists every year, for six months starting on April 26 to allow the island’s rehabilitation. Gomez said sustainable tourism is no longer a choice but the new global norm. “The Philippine Sustainable Tourism Act will offer a paradigm shift from our old ways of doing business in the tourism industry,” Gomez said. “We must band together to protect the industry that has helped lift our country’s GDP growth.” T he United Nations World Tourism Organization (W TO) defines sustainable tourism as: “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.” Under the bill, the responsibility of achieving and maintaining “sustainable tourism” shall be given to qualified representatives of all relevant stakeholders of the

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losses. It’s okay because the money comes from taxpayers,” Duterte said in Filipino. “Buy high, sell low” is a policy of the government to ensure food security and stabilize the supply and price of rice, which are the mandates of the NFA. The food agency usually buys unmilled rice from farmers at a support price of P17 per kilogram (kg). It also imports the staple usually from neighboring Southeast Asian to beef up its buffer stock. Part of the agency’s rice stockpile is sold to the public at P27 per kg to P32 per kg. Areas stuck by natu-

The local and foreign tourists that visited Boracay in 2017

arising from risks or threats to the tourism industry, such as violence, terrorism, and environmental degradation and climate change. The measure refers the TRCP as a program that identifies risks to the country’s tourism industry; prescribes compliance measures; establishes an appropriate

Protection

The House Committee on Tourism has also approved a substitute bill seeking to create an intergovernmental task force for the protection and assistance of tourists in the country. The bill substituted HB 2963 filed by Rep. Gloria MacapagalArroyo of the Second District of Pampanga, seeking to establish an intergovernmental task force for international visitor assistance, and

FILE PHOTO

espite Boracay’s temporary closure to tourists, the Philippines has alternative fine beaches and destinations to offer, and Congress is paving the way for the promotion and preservation of these tourist spots.

2 million

calamities, extreme weather and other perceived threats.

tourism industry. The measure said an assembly of such stakeholder representation shall be immediately convened, and will be called the “Philippine Sustainable Tourism Council.” Among the tasks of the Philippine Sustainable Tourism Council are to establish a unified definition of sustainable tourism; establish goals to achieve and maintain sustainable tourism; and integrate all existing laws pertaining to the tourism industry in various areas that influence the sustainability of the industry. Likewise, the Philippine Sustainable Tourism Council is mandated to create the necessary policies and regulations to achieve national sustainable tourism goals; institute a system for accountability to systematically enforce the Act; and generate procedure for mainstreaming sustainable tourism laws and their enforcement at all levels. Moreover, Gomez said another measure that her committee endorsed for plenary approval is HB 6093, which seeks to create the Tourism Resiliency Certification Program (TRCP). The bill aims to prevent, mitigate and control possible damages

metric system to determine certain acceptable levels of compliance; and mandates the compliance of prescribed measures by all registered tourism enterprises (RTEs). The bill said the creation of the program shall be undertaken by a technical working group, to be participated by representatives of all pertinent stakeholders, and to be spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT). The creation of the Philippine Tourism Risk Assessment Framework shall be conducted by a qualified international consulting agency, under the supervision of the DOT. Moreover, the measure declares the paramount importance of protecting the tourism industry, one of the major drivers of socioeconomic development in the Philippines, by supporting its fundamental performance indicators. These indicators include the number of foreign and local visitors, earnings from foreign expenditure, product development and capital expenditure, among others. The bill provides that the TRCP shall create a Philippine Tourism Risk Assessment Framework, which shall identify actual and potential risks to the tourism industry, such as terrorism, violence, natural

HB 1828 by Rep. Alfred Vargas of the Fifth District of Quezon City, seeking to prevent the harassment of tourists in the country. Arroyo said the country’s tourism industry has been a consistent source of foreign-exchange earnings and employment opportunities. It also promotes international goodwill and showcases the rich and colorful sociocultural life of Filipinos. “Creating such task force will make the Philippines a premier travel and tourism destination,” Arroyo said. Vargas said preventing the harassment of tourists will ensure their pleasant stay in the country, hence securing the development of the country’s tourism industry and its contribution to economic development. Within 90 days after the approval of the proposed “Tourist Protection and Assistance Act,” the secretary of the DOT shall establish an intergovernmental task force, to be known as the Tourist Protection and Assistance Task Force. Through the concerned national government agencies and local government units (LGUs), the Tourist Protection and Assistance Task Force shall have the following

ral disasters also get rice from the food agency. But its buy high, sell low policy has caused the NFA to incur debts amounting to P158.9 billion in 2016. In recent months, the NFA has been hounded by supply problems because traders offered a higher price for locallyproduced rice. The food agency also failed to immediately secure an approval from the NFA Council (NFAC) for its request to import the staple. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol urged the NFAC and the National Economic and Development Authority to increase the support price of palay. But this was rejected by the Neda, as a higher buying price would be “inflationary.”

Lifting rice import caps

sure to convert its QR into tariff after the waiver on the special treatment on rice expired last June 30. The expiration of the waiver meant that Manila can no longer impose the nontariff measure. To avoid possible trade disputes, President Duterte issued an executive order which retained the country’s rice concessions as “a sign of goodwill” to the country’s trade partners while RA 8178 is being amended. However, economists and government officials have noted that retaining the concessions is not a guarantee that trading partners will not file a complaint against the Philippines before the WTO for not converting the QR into tariffs.

The Philippines has committed to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to enact by June a measure that would scrap the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice, which has effectively limited the entry of cheap imports. Lawmakers have committed to focus on a bill that seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) 8178, which retained the QR on rice. If enacted, the rice import quotas would be converted into tariffs. The President’s economic managers are looking forward to its removal as it is expected to make rice cheaper. This is because poor Filipino households spend about 20 percent of their budget for rice. The Philippines is under pres-

See “Congress,” A2

Bernadette D. Nicolas

www.businessmirror.com.ph

UPSKILLING TO CUSHION IMPACT OF AUTOMATION ON FILIPINO WORKERS IN BPOs–EXPERTS 1.2 million By Cai U. Ordinario @cuo_bm

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he country’s business-process outsourcing (BPO) sector should not fear the havoc that would be wreaked by automation on millions of Filipinos working in call centers, according to local and international experts. In the forum on “Technology for Inclusion” at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) last Friday, Accenture Philippines Senior Managing Director Ambe Tierro said their own research revealed only 16 percent of BPO jobs are at risk due to automation. Tierro said since this is a projection, nothing is set in stone with regard to both job losses and job creation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). She said as jobs are lost, some are created and the only way to avoid obsolescence is to continue “upskilling and reskilling.” “You never know what will happen in terms of creating new industries and new markets because of these technologies. But I would like to offer, if we are merely focusing on job gains, job losses, we are missing a crucial point because as earlier covered, the most important impact of artificial intelligence is the nature of the jobs and the reconfiguration of those jobs,” Tierro said. “The soft skills are the hard skills. Communication, discernment with all the fake news you need to have critical thinking able to adapt and to be agile but from a qualification standpoint, there are new job categories being created,” she added. Tierro said that while the local BPO sector has implemented a “massive implementation”of robotics process automation (RPA), not all jobs are lost since the industry still need employees who can “create those algorithms and models, train the models, and eventually interpret the results.” RPAs, Tierro said, have been “a great help” in improving the quality of customer experience their company offers their clients. These have been instrumental in creating a 100 percent recall of transactions. She said that to this end, their company has created a virtual platform where all their employees can improve their skills either by upskilling or reskilling. This platform has already been opened to all their employees. “Many companies are adopting conversational AI [artificial intelligence] technology and the application of that are virtual agents and for me, personally, it takes the robot out of the human because now they don’t have to answer the repetitive questions because the virtual agents handle those and the human agents now get the more interesting problems,” Tierro said. “We need to reimagine the world. So it’s no longer jobs but because job descriptions will become

PCSO. . .

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With the addition of the six approved AACs, total STL operations would reach 87 this year. But she further disclosed that the agency is looking to put up 10 more AACs around the country to fully cover all areas nationwide. “The PCSO still has 10 areas not covered by the AACs. Actually, it’s standard operating procedure that in case there is no AAC for an area, it’s automatic that we call for interested parties to apply as an authorized agent,” Gabuyo added. The revenue target of the PCSO this year is nearly 18 percent higher than its goal of P46.62 billion in

The number of Filipinos employed in the businessprocess outsourcing sector

obsolete, but you need to imagine it as an outcome and what skills you need and assign to those skills to both humans and robots and so this interplay between human and machines is an important trend,”she also said. In an Asian Development Blog, ADB Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department Economist Sameer Khatiwada said “doomsday” predictions about the impact of the 4IR on BPO jobs are “unrealistic.” Khatiwada said some estimates claim that anywhere between 50 percent to as much as 90 percent of all BPO jobs are at risk of automation. He said the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IT-BPAP) estimates that the share of low-skill BPO workers will decline to 27 percent in 2022, from 47 percent in 2016. Khatiwada said these positions—such as customer support clerks and data entry assistants— entail process-driven tasks that can be handled by automated processes with relative ease. However, Khatiwada said despite this, the IT-BPAP expects the total number of workers directly employed in the industry to increase to 1.8 million by 2022, from 1.2 million in 2016. “Doomsday predictions of mass joblessness are not realistic. Even pessimistic projections of employment growth in the sector show steady increases in job creation,” Khatiwada said. “Across the industry, there will be more jobs in five years in medium-skill occupations, such as financial data analysis and for high-skill workers like computer programmers,” he added. However, Khatiwada said the Philippines cannot be complacent. Maintaining its leadership position in BPO and meeting the demands of the 4IR are major education challenges for the country. Khatiwada said more training and education are needed to ensure the work force is equipped to carry out the middle- and high-skill jobs that will emerge from automation. “To prepare for the likely growth in middle- and high-skill jobs, industry leaders point to a need for a concerted effort to upskill and reskill BPO workers,” he said. The ADB estimates that the country’s BPO sector, a major economic player in the past 20 years, commands 13 percent of the global BPO market. The BPO sector accounts for around 6 percent of country’s GDP and directly employs 1.2 million Filipinos.

2017. “With more revenues generated by the PCSO, more funds will be available to support its various projects, and in turn, more Filipinos especially those needing medical assistance will be served by the agency,” PCSO General Manager Alexander F. Balutan said. For the first quarter of 2018, the PCSO was able to rake in P15.98 billion in revenues, 27.84 percent higher than the P12.5 billion recorded in the same period for 2017. “Figures don’t lie, and our revenue for the first quarter, which is 28.24 percent higher compared to the same period last year, is proof that the PCSO is on the right track in meeting its revenue target by the end of this year,” Balutan said. See “PCSO,” A2