Businessmirror august 06, 2016

“All the people were shouting, all the children, all the women.”—Arun Krishna, an Indian national who was onboard an Emirates airliner that crashlanded in Dubai. AP

media partner of the year

“I would die but not live in exile or live under the regime’s hands again.”— Mohammed Khandakani, a 28-year-old attorney in Aleppo, which is besieged

by Syrian troops aided by Russian air power. AP

“A little bit of emotion came over me. I probably shed a little bit of tears, just of joy.”—Swimmer Michael Phelps, on being chosen to carry the US flag in Friday night’s opening ceremony at the Olympics. AP

BusinessMirror

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2015 environmental Media Award leadership award 2008

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A broader look at today’s business n

Saturday, August 6, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 301

P25.00 nationwide | 4 sections 20 pages | 7 days a week

RCBC COMMITS TO PAY LARGEST-EVER PENALTY IMPOSED ON A BANK IN PHL

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he Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) penalized on Friday Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) with P1 billion in fines for banking-rule violations in relation to its involvement in the $81-million Bangladesh Bank cyber heist in March.

young introvert makes waveS in direct selling The Millennials BusinessMirror

Saturday, August 6, 2016

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Young introvert makes waves in direct selling

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By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

BOOKWORM and movie buff through and through, Ryan Tan considers his story as one of unlikely success in the direct-selling industry.

“I preferred the company of books and the entertainment of film over interaction with other people,” Tan said in a recent oneon-one interview with the BusinessMirror.

It was a 180-degree turn when Tan graduated with a nursing degree from the University of Santo Tomas and became a local distributor of Usana Health Sciences Inc. He even founded his own team.

“I reluctantly joined Usana because I am not a natural sales person, but I believe in the philosophy

that all skills in life can be developed,” Tan said. “We just have to get out of our comfort zones.”

Tan, 28, originally sought to migrate to work in the United States. But a global economic crisis dampened his prospects of landing a job abroad. Securing a visa then would have taken him close to seven years. He got accepted in a nursing migration program in Australia, but the application process was halted midway, as the country also eventually got affected by the crisis.

Tan said he was introduced to Usana by a complete stranger who was already a distributor of another Asian market. The distributor sent Tan information about the Utah-based multilevel marketing company: its profile, product line (various nutritional products and nutraceuticals) and compensation plan. Convinced and impressed with the offer, Tan signed up as a distributor.

Completely oblivious at first, Tan struggled on his first year as a distributor.

“On average I only made P5,000 to P10,000 a month, which was very far from my idea of what a rewarding income should be.”

Tan said he credited his persistence to continue after hearing of the success of other Usana distributors. He said they claim to make 6 figures a month. Tan said one who claimed to be a former room attendant in Makati have made $1,000 a month.

“Then my mind-set could have been either, ‘I quit; I’m simply not cut out for this!’ or ‘What do I still

need to learn? In what other aspects of the business do I need to improve in?’” Tan said. “With every temptation to quit I always chose the second that’s why I am where I am right now in the business.”

Tan said he now holds the distinction of “Diamond Director,” which he said entails him to earn a commission of $4,000 for four consecutive weeks.

“People I encounter who are not fully familiar with Usana know that we offer the best nutritional products worldwide and that big money can be made in the business, but they feel they cannot do it,” Tan said. “But I know they can, because I still remember my personality when I was starting was not really cut out for Usana.”

Tan said he aims to help other distributors to enjoy the same success he now enjoys.

“Most people in the country struggle with their health and finances,” he said. “We’re here to tell them they don’t necessarily have to endure either of those and a solution exists.”

Continued on A2

ryan tan

[Paying the fine] will not affect the operations of RCBC, and capital ratios will continue to be strong.”—RCBC

To cut costs, US high-school students headed to college plan to live at home What lies beneath the West

Phl/south China sea ruling

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ITTSBURGH—With college costs shooting through the roof and many parents unprepared for the burden of paying for it, highschool students across the country are being forced to make choices about where they will attend college and how to cut costs once they get there.

One of the most significant findings in a new report by the Washington, D.C.-based College Savings Foundation is that for the first time this year a majority of high-school students—53 percent—plan to eliminate the dormitory expense altogether and live at home.

“We are encouraged that highschool students are planning ahead and thinking deliberately about their futures. They may be living at home during college, but that may help them achieve more financial independence later,” said Mary Morris, chairman of the College Savings Foundation and CEO of Virginia 529 in Richmond, Virginia.

The 2016 survey of high-school sophomores, juniors and seniors found that college costs are looming large in their minds, which has prompted many of them to seek more affordable educational choices.

More than half (54 percent) are choosing public college, up from 50 percent last year; and 20 percent are opting for community college.

Nearly half (49 percent) now think of vocational and career schools in the same way that they think about public or private college, up from 42 percent last year and 21 percent in 2014.

Trade-off

ACCORDING to the College Board, a New York-based nonprofit that de-

MILLENNIALS UNIVERSE

tara Wengert, 21 of tamarac, Florida, works on a class project at the s.e.

Wimberly library on october 15, 2014, in boca raton, Florida. Wengert is a senior at Florida atlantic university, where she is majoring in hospitality Management.

Mark randall/South Florida Sun Sentinel/MCt

velops and administers standardized tests, the average cost of room and board at a four-year public college for in-state students for the school year 2015-2016 was $10,138, while tuition and fees costs are slightly lower at $9,410. Room and board costs for out-of-state students at four-year public colleges also cost an average $10,138; however, tuition and fees costs are more than double—$23,893.

“Students and parents, in general, are becoming more price sensitive and also more concerned about the return on their college investment,” said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Cappex.com, a Chicago-based web site

symantec blog warns of tinder dating spam

s

YmANtEC Corp. alerted the community in tinder saying a spam activity is being used to scam users. “In recent weeks, we have noticed spam activity on tinder claiming to promote safety in online dating in messages to users,” symantec’s satnam Narang wrote. “this is used as a lure to funnel affiliate money into the scammers’ pockets.”

According to Narang, senior security response manager of symantec, this is the latest spam trend to hit the mobile-dating application.

“While tinder has changed its service recently with the introduction of a premium offering, the app remains a popular destination for spammers.”

Narang said these new spam bots initiate conversations with a flirty or playful opening message, such as “Wanna eat cookie dough together some time?” After a series of messages, the spam bot will ask whether tinder has verified the user.

After asking if the user is verified, the spam bot tries to disarm the user by saying “it’s a free service tinder put up, to verify the person you wanna

by the ruling but it is not just because it has lost its legal claim over a territory.

Perhaps, what really matters is the fact its march towards becoming tHE regional power here in Asia has encountered a stumbling block. It may have all the power and wealth, but refusing to honor the ruling, after totally boycotting the proceedings, if I may add, is not as simple as it seems.

Doing so will give rise to the risk of it being branded as an outlaw; it may cause the other southeast Asian nations to abandon their neutrality and strengthen sympathy for the Philippines and worst of all, it will provide a valid pretext for more direct involvement of the united states. China is more than ready to defy the ruling of an international tribunal, but it certainly is not when it comes to engaging in a dangerous power-play with the world’s most powerful nation, risking plunging itself into war.

For China to do so will result in a Pyrrhic victory—it may hold on to south China sea by force, but it will certainly lose diplomatic, military and economic links that are vital for its continued rise as a power. No man is an island, as they say, and the same is also true for nations, great or small. so considering the aforementioned contexts, the ruling is indeed a diplomatic milestone for the Philippines. China may defy it but it does not change the fact that as this controversy continues, at least we have the force of law on our side.

History reveals that, ultimately, it is the one that prevails. Civilizations vanish, empires crumble and powers disintegrate, but what is just always wins out in the end.

Being on the right side of an issue, much more history, always brings a difficult road, but it also brings out the same outcome— the triumph of age-old principles that mirror the basic decency of humanity and the eventual instinct of our ever-changing institutions to uphold that. On a less lofty note, it can be said that when you have the rule of law with you, public opinion will sway in your favor and with that, the chips will fall—but in your hands. the ruling gives us diplomatic high ground, political cover and moral ascendancy to continue pursuing what is rightfully ours. simply put, we are on the right side of history and the scales of justice are tipped in our favor on this one. so it is imperative that we must unite as a nation over this issue, educate our people about its transcendental importance so that when all has been said and done, it will always be remembered that a small country has defeated a great power not by the force of its arms but through the consistency of its unity and its undying adherence to the simple, powerful idea that at all times, no one is above the law and its ultimate role as the fulcrum of human affairs must always be respected.

By F. Victor G. Manangan @iamfvictorgmanangan

I

meet isn’t a serial killer lol,” according to Narang. “While online dating has gone mainstream, safety concerns still remain when using these applications,” he said. “the spammers use this legitimate concern to convince users to verify themselves and trick them into thinking verification will lead to a date.”

Narang said scammers continue to operate spam bots on services like tinder with the same goal in mind—to drive users to web sites that offer affiliate programs. For each successful referral, whether overt (links to adultdating web sites) or covert (under the guise of a safe dating-verification site), the scammers earn a commission, he explained. “Remember, there is no such thing as a tinder safe dating or verification web site.” Narang recommends users “be aware that spam bots will continue to come up with creative ways to try to get you to sign up for other web sites or services.”

“Do your part by reporting these accounts to tinder and always make sure you read the fine print on any site or service before you sign-up.”

Oliver Samson

that connects students with colleges and financial aid. “In a way, it’s better for the child to live at home, while going to school than be forced to live at home after they graduate.

“The benefit of living in a dorm is you learn as much from your peers as you do sitting in classrooms listening to lectures,” he said.

“The concern is that students who don’t live on campus may be missing out on part of the educational experience,” Kantrowitz said. “There’s also the social aspect. But it’s much easier to justify the dorm expense when there’s educational value and not just social and entertainment value.”

Financial Adviser Adam Yofan,

president of Alpern Wealth Management in Pittsburgh, said he understands why students want to cut costs any way they can. Yet, there is a tradeoff when it comes to eliminating the dormitory expense.

“You sacrifice the social aspect of the college experience, which may actually include networking opportunities that could help you secure a job in the future,” Yofan said. “One of my longest tenured clients is someone I met my first week of college in the dormitory at Miami University in Ohio.

“You can’t just try to save costs,” he said. “There might be long-term benefits—social and professional—by living in the dorm.” TNS

Millennials credited for lenders’ growth

m

ILLENNIALs has emerged as the biggest growth driver in the purchase of electronics devices as far as a consumer-financing company is concerned.

In a news briefing on July 13, Home Credit Philippines Inc. (HCPI) said gadgets, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, made 80 percent of the items purchased through installments by millennials who are under 30 years of age. “[Among] our 280,000 customers around 50 percent of people are in the year range between 18 and 30 years,” Dmitry Borisenko, head of HCPI public relations, said.

HCPI CEO Annica Witschard said they are aware that millennials form a very impatient group and, hence, prompted the company to develop a fast approval system for their credit purchase.

“We process our loans in a faster way. It will average less than 15 minutes,” Witschard said.

“It suits well the temper of the millennials.”

According to swedish-born Witschard, their service hinges on the promise of providing “easy, simple fast solutions to our valued consumers,” in partnership with electronic brands and retail partners.

With more than 100 million people, Witschard said the Philippines is a very good

market for selling consumer financing. moreover, she said the country’s-young population belonging to the under-30 level is a big consumer segment, as they have a high-earning capacity.

“Our growth, in terms of number of areas reached and number of customers served, has been encouraging, considering we have only been in the market for less than three years,” Witschard said. “But this is only the beginning. the Philippine market has a huge potential and that is why we are rapidly increasing our presence outside the metro.” she added the company is “determined to see even more remarkable results.”

However, Witschard said the lender is looking beyond merely helping Filipinos avail of gadgets and appliances. “A huge majority of Filipinos still have little to no access to financial tools and services, which can have a profound impact on how they live and enjoy their lives,” she said. “We want to change that.”

According to Witschard, even first-time borrowers are eligible to apply for financing. she added that a loan approval opens the door for a consumer to get a credit history and, ultimately, “being included in the financial system.” Rizal Raoul Reyes

must admit that I did not religiously follow the different episodes of the Philippine-China territorial dispute. that is, to an extent, an aberration, because, as a law and political science graduate, it should have greatly interested me, with all the legal principles and international politics involved.

But I do know the following circumstances surrounding the issue: I know that the Philippines has filed a case at an arbitration body at the Hague, claiming the territory on the basis of accepted principles of international law, particularly those mandated by the united Nations Convention on the Law of the sea (unclos).

China, meanwhile, has anchored its contention on historic right. the disputed waters, they say, has been part of the ancient Chinese empire.

I also know that this dispute has significant diplomatic and geopolitical implications not just between the two countries and southeast Asia, but for the entire Pacific basin. It is apparent that the united states has a special interest in the outcome, as it has always been wary of China’s increasing influence in the region.

And like the rest of the nation, I found out last week that the body, basically, had found our country’s contentions more tenable, a case of law trumping tradition. And like many Filipinos, I was overjoyed by the decision. to me, and I assume to a great many people in the country, the territorial dispute has long since become not just as a struggle for territory, but a fight for what is right, a question of whether it is the rule of law or the rule of intimidation that shall prevail as the primary settler of international disputes. I am aware that by every measure of wealth, influence and power, China trumps our country.

As such, I know that our only hope to prevail is if the international tribunal that we have chosen to trust will rule in our favor. And that, it did, seemingly putting the final resolution to a most contentious case.

After all, both China and the Philippines signed the convention that created the deciding tribunal. this carries the presumption that both parties, particularly China, will honor its ruling. But I also understand that such a ruling, for a hegemon as China, can be reduced to mere scrap of paper—legally enforceable, but politically and diplomatically worthless. And that seems to be the case, as the body rendered its claim invalid, in addition to its assertion that it violated the sovereignty of the Philippines by fishing and building settlements on the waters.

In theory, every nation, mighty or weak, must subject itself to the rule of law. But in reality, no one dares chastising a great power, much more rule that it is absolutely wrong. China, as expected, was angered

The millennials Fernando Victor G. Manangan, 28, holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Isabela State University-Cauayan, where he concurrently served as the youngest student-body president in the history of the college. The views he expressed here donot necessarily reflect that of the BusinessMirror’s. Mr. Managan’s photo was taken from his Facebook page.

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let the games begin A8 | S

Sports

AturdAy, AuguSt 6, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao Asst. Editor: Joel Orellana

BusinessMirror

Rio Games an acid test foR olympics’ appeal in a GRim woRld

LET THE

GAMES

BEGIN

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By John Leicester The Associated Press

IO DE JANEIRO—Even if only for two weeks, can “faster, higher, stronger” overpower deadlier, scarier and bloodier? Can the Olympic Games still offer the world momentary levity, distract from terror, shootings, poverty and other worries in globally grim times? If not, what use is the multibillion-dollar celebration of youthful endeavor and mostly niche sports?

Through no fault of their own, the athletes who will march in massed, joyful ranks behind their nations’ flags in Friday night’s opening ceremony for the first Olympic Games in South America shoulder expectations beyond their own ambitions for gold, silver, bronze and personal bests.

No Olympics in recent memory has opened under so many dark clouds, both within recession-battered Brazil and beyond.

Headliners Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps are back for more medals.

But no feat of theirs, or the other 10,500 Olympians, between the first medal awards on Saturday and the August 21 closing ceremony will paste over recent horrors of 84 people murdered with a truck in Nice or the shooting massacre of 49 people in a Florida nightclub. Sports are, and always will be, trivial compared to such atrocities that have come depressingly thick and fast of late.

“The Olympics may help me take my mind off things,” said Parisian lawyer Remy Durand, reflecting over lunch on Thursday on the Champs-Elysees. “But it’s not going to change my overall mood lastingly, after the attacks in recent weeks and months in France.”

Yet, Olympic organizers can’t be faulted for trying, with their “Together we can change the world” slogan and OlympicPeace hashtag. Cold War boycotts aside, the games remain a symbol of global togetherness, even if an increasingly commercialized one. By putting religion and politics aside, the Olympics still can remind the world’s people of their shared humanity, not their divisions.

Picture Berlin in 1936, when white German long jumper Luz Long bonded with black American Jesse Owens when Adolf Hitler wanted to peddle racial supremacy. Or Sydney in 2000, when athletes from North and South Korea walked together behind one flag in the opening ceremony, momentarily putting aside more than

half a century of enmity. Or Barcelona in 1992, when white South African Elana Meyer ran over to plant a kiss on Ethiopia’s Derartu Tulu. Meyer had won silver to Tulu’s gold in the 10,000 meters to become her country’s first postapartheid individual medalist.

On Friday, at the opening gala of these Olympics at Rio’s Maracana Stadium, 10 refugee athletes will march as one team behind the white Olympic flag—a reminder to the world that they aren’t solely defined by their lack of a place to call home. While not as grand as opening ceremonies past, Rio still expects to wow.

“The Athens ceremony was classic, and Beijing was grand, was musical. London was quite smart. We’re going to be cool,” Creative Director Fernando Meirelles said.

Still, the games have their naysayers. Doping scandals— from sprinter Ben Johnson losing his 1988 Olympic gold medal over steroids to Russia’s recent state-organized subversion of antidoping efforts—have stained all Olympians and heightened cynicism of their feats and worth.

On behalf of all of this summer’s competitors, a Brazilian athlete will pledge at the opening ceremony that they will compete “without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship.” The same promise has been made at all games since 2000, but may ring false among fans, especially with Russia’s flag fluttering among the others; the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected calls for a blanket ban on all Russian athletes. The IOC, as it has in the past, will store some 4,500 drug-test samples to be taken during these games, so they can be thawed out and retested in years to come.

Then there’s the expense of the games. Big spending and the waste of unused venues in ex-host cities have forced Olympic organizers onto the defensive and left them with a shrinking pool of taxpayers willing to foot the bills. The $10 billion to $12 billion spent on Rio’s games should have gone to better causes in a city rife with poverty, critics say.

After Rio, the Olympics rumble to Tokyo in 2020, leaving Rio de Janeiro’s 6.5 million people—the racially mixed, socially divided “Cariocas”—with the same concerns the world was largely oblivious to before the Olympic echo chamber turned the Zika virus and favelas into household words.

Few outside Brazil cared about untreated sewage and teeming viruses in Rio’s picture-postcard Guanabara Bay before its polluted

liGHts on

the christ the Redeemer statue is illuminated in green and yellow, the colors of the Brazilian flag, to celebrate the summer olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AP

waters were chosen for Olympic swimming and sailing. Rio’s alarming murder rate and turf wars between drug lords and the police weren’t so high on the globe’s agenda before athletes and hundreds of thousands of Olympic visitors discovered that the prospect of being in harm’s way has long been the darker flipside of Brazilian Samba, carnival and caipirinha cocktails.

Despite the problems, Olympic ideals aren’t dead. Pope Francis told pilgrims on Wednesday at his weekly audience at the Vatican that in a world “thirsty for peace, tolerance and reconciliation,” he hopes the games can inspire everyone to pursue a prize that is “not a medal but something more precious—achieving a civilization in which solidarity reigns, founded on the recognition that we are all members of one human family.”

The US Women’s Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma called the Olympics “a two-week haven where people can get away from it all.”

“Every time you get here, get settled in, nothing seems to matter to any country other than the competition— as it should be,” said Auriemma, now at his third games. “These two weeks, the joy and spirit of competition seems to win out.”

And even on the streets of Rio, some Brazilians are beginning

to embrace the moment and all that it means.

“Finally, people are beginning to feel the Olympic spirit,” said Ilene Pessoa, a college administrator who lives in Rio’s Copacabana neighborhood. “The eyes of the world are on us.”

BRAZIL HELD TO 0-0 DRAW BY SOUTH AFRICA B

RASILIA, Brazil—Brazil started its quest for an Olympic gold medal in men’s soccer with a disappointing 0-0 draw against South Africa, a result that prompted loud jeers by some of the home fans.

Despite an attack led by Barcelona striker Neymar and talented youngsters Gabriel Jesus and Gabigol, Brazil was not able to find the net at the packed Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia.

Gabriel Jesus, newly signed by Manchester City, had the game’s best chance in the 69th minute, but missed an open net with a close-range shot that struck the post.

“I have the obligation to score that goal,” he said. “I’m not used to missing those chances. I’m disappointed. I won’t be able to sleep tonight because of that one.”

Neymar and Gabigol threatened a few times but also couldn’t score.

“We had the best chances but the ball didn’t go in,” Brazil Coach Rogerio Micale said. “And we also have to give credit to South Africa, which has a very determined team and made it difficult for us to impose our game.”

South Africa played a man down from the 59th after defender Mothobi Mvala earned a second yellow card for a hard foul on Brazil right back Zeca.

In the other Group A match in Brasilia, Iraq and Denmark also played to a scoreless draw, leaving all four teams tied.

Brazil plays Iraq on Sunday, also in Brasilia, while South Africa faces Denmark.

In Rio de Janeiro, Portugal defeated two-time Olympic

champion Argentina, 2-0, with goals by Paciencia in the 66th and Pite in the 84th in front of 45,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium, the vast majority cheering for Portugal. Earlier, Honduras defeated Algeria, 3-2, in the other Group D game in Rio. In the jungle city of Manaus, Colombia and Sweden drew, 2-2, in Group B. The Colombians got on the board with Teo Gutierrez in the 17th but allowed the Swedes to move ahead with goals

by Mikael Ishak in the 43rd and Astrit Ajdarevic in the 62nd.

Colombia’s equalizer came from a 75th-minute penalty kick converted by Dorlan Pabon.

Nigeria found strenght to defeat Japan, 5-4, in the heat of Manaus only about six hours after arriving in the city. The team had its trip to Brazil delayed by a mix-up at an airport. Midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo scored four goals for the 1996 Olympic champions. The thrilling match at the Arena Amazonia was tied, 2-2, by the 13th minute, but Nigeria eventually pulled away before Japan scored twice late.

In Group C, defending champion Mexico drew 2-2 with Germany despite twice having the lead in the northeastern city of Salvador.

Oribe Peralta scored Mexico’s first goal, and Germany’s 78th-minute equalizer came from 2014 World Cup champion Matthias Ginter.

In the other group game, South Korea routed Fiji, 8-0. In its eighth straight Olympics, South Korea scored seven of its goals after the 60th minute. Three goals came in a two-minute span.

The Olympic gold is the only major trophy Brazil hasn’t won in soccer. The country’s team has won the silver medal three times, including four years ago in London, when Neymar was in a squad

that lost the final to Mexico.

Brazil controlled possession but wasn’t able to create many significant chances until late in the second half.

South Africa, playing at the Olympics for the first time since 2000, also came close several times.

The Olympics is Brazil’s first tournament since the senior team was embarrassed at the Copa America after failing to advance past the group stage of the continental competition. Neymar skipped that tournament to be able to play at the Rio Games.

Brazil also finished second at the Olympic tournament in 1984 in Los Angeles and in 1988 in Seoul, the second time with a team that included Romario and Bebeto. The five-time World Cup champions won the bronze in 1996 in Atlanta BRazil’s neymar with striker Ronaldo, reacts after missing and in 2008 in Beijing a chance to score during with playmaker their Group a match against Ronaldinho. AP south africa. AP

NONIE REYES

BSP fines RCBC ₧1B over cyber-heist case

INSIDE

news@businessmirror.com.ph

PROBE POWER FIRMS OVER SUSPICIOUS OUTAGES–GROUP

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

P

ower generators are now in hot water following the outages in the Luzon grid, which prompted a consumer group to suspect cartel-like collusion to jack up electricity prices.

Power interruptions occurred on Friday in most areas being served by the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), after the Luzon grid was placed yet again on red-alert status.

The Department of Energy (DOE) said these power interruptions need to be investigated, as they could be in violation of existing laws.

“In view of the recurring yellow- and red-alert status announced by the system operator, NGCP [National Grid Corp. of the Philippines] in the past few days, the DOE is now closely looking at the possible violations by these power utilities given the current energy situation,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said.

“These debilitating power interruptions are in total violation of the Epira [Electric Power Industry Reform Act],” the energy chief said.

NGCP placed Luzon on a yellow-alert status from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The alert status was later raised to red from 2 to 4 p.m. The grid operator then downgraded the alert status to yellow from 5 to 9 p.m.

See “Power firms,” A2

in this file photo, members of the Russian olympic delegation line up to board a bus after arriving at the Rio de Janeiro international airport. the international olympic committee approved the entry of 271 Russian athletes for the Games. AP

IOC approves entry of 271 Russian athletes for Rio

R

IO DE JANEIRO—The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the entry of 271 Russian athletes for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Thursday, meaning 70 percent of the country’s original team will compete after a doping scandal that has dominated the buildup to the games.

Also on Thursday, the IOC rule barring Russian athletes with prior doping sanctions from competing in the games was rejected as “unenforceable” by a sports arbitration panel, a decision which could open the door to further appeals and more Russians being entered.

The IOC announced the go-ahead for 271 Russian athletes about 24 hours before the opening ceremony of the games. Overall, more than 100 Russians have been excluded, including 67 in track and field.

The IOC recently rejected calls from antidoping organizations to ban Russia’s entire team following a report by a World Anti-Doping Agency investigator that detailed evidence of state-directed doping and cover-ups.

Instead, the IOC asked international federations to examine individual Russian athletes to determine if they should be eligible for the games. The IOC set up a panel of three executive board members to review the entries and make the final call, taking into account the advice of an independent sports arbitrator.

After the review, the IOC declared in Thursday’s statement: “271 athletes will form the team entered by the Russian National Olympic Committee from the original entry list of 389 athletes.”

Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov told reporters earlier that 271 of his

country’s athletes had been cleared.

“We have good news for the fans of the Russian Olympic team,” he said. “The majority of the sports have been admitted in full.”

“As of today,” Zhukov added, “I think there is no other team that is so clean and so carefully controlled than the Russian one.”

Several international federations announced separately on Thursday that they had received the final approval for Russian entries in their events, including boxing, judo, equestrian, volleyball and golf.

Russia’s track-and-field team remains barred following an earlier decision by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Only one athlete, US-based long jumper Darya Klishina, was cleared by the IAAF because she had been regularly tested outside Russia.

Meanwhile, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed the IOC rule that bars from the games any Russian athletes with prior doping sanctions, saying it amounts to sanctioning someone twice for one offense.

CAS said the rule “does not respect the athletes’ right of natural justice.”

IOC Spokesman Mark Adams told The Associated Press: “We respect CAS and will, of course, follow their decision.”

The rule was part of the stricter eligibility criteria set up by the IOC in the wake of McLaren’s report, which accused the Russian sports ministry of orchestrating a doping program that involved athletes in more than two dozen summer and winter Olympic sports.

CAS said the rule goes against the IOC’s stated aim “to provide the athletes with an opportunity to rebut the presumption of guilt and to recognize the right to natural justice.”

The CAS ruling came in the cases of Russian rowers Anastasia Karabelshivo and Ivan Podshivalov, who both received two-year doping bans in 2008, and swimmer Yulia Efimova, a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Games who served a two-year ban from 2013 to 2015. AP

SPORTS

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BSP sees steady inflation uptick for rest of 2016 T The countries that will be the first to feel a chill when China sneezes I WOMEN OF THE FLAG A diorama depicting the making of the first Filipino flag is shown at

the Balikatan sa Kaunlaran (BSK) National Foundation Productivity Center showroom in Barangay Addition Hills, San Juan City. BSK is known for its handmade dolls wearing intricately sewn traditional garments and featuring Filipino traditions, heritage and values. NONIE REYES

MAKE OUR PLANS SUCCEED Dear Lord, do not take Your mercy from Us. Your mercy surpasses all we can imagine. In hope and trust, we pray. In Your mercy, hear our prayer. Help us to seek and pursue peace and compassion. Revive the fainthearted and the sorrowful. Make us more hopeful and filled with grace.

Lead refugees to a place of welcome and safety. May You give us the desire of our hearts and make our plans succeed, especially in the field of making peace, unity and rogress to our fellowmen. Amen!

Give Us This Day, Committee on Divine Woship, Shared by Louie M. Lacson, HFL

f (or when) China sneezes—ranging from a sharp devaluation of its currency or protectionist measures to defend local industries—Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea and Malaysia would be first to feel the chill, according to analysis from Natixis SA. By contrast, Indonesia, India and the Philippines are rather more immune, based on trade, tourism and investment links that were collated by the French Bank’s Hong Kong-based economists

PESO exchange rates n US 47.0140

Alicia Garcia Herrero and Trinh Nguyen.

For those with the largest exposure to China, trade ties are the biggest link.

Tourism is another important factor linking the fortunes of Asia’s smaller economies to their regional giant. In 2015 the number of Chinese outbound tourists climbed 14.5 percent to 35.4 million, according to the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute.

They spent $235 billion in 2015, Natixis said, and most Chinese tourists prefer

to holiday in Asia, with 60 percent of the trips to the region.

Still, those countries gaining most from Chinese tourists also experience a “heightened sensitivity,” because that demand can rub both ways, Natixis said, citing the 20-percent drop in Chinese tourists to Vietnam last year, after the two nations were embroiled in a spat over disputed territories in the South China Sea. See “Countries,” A2

he uptick in the growth of consumer prices in July, albeit a bit short of the government’s target range, has sealed the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’s (BSP) assumption that inflation will remain on an upward trajectory for the rest of the year after several months of falling inflation.

Whether average inflation will fall within the government’s target range for 2016, however, is something that the central bank is not yet confident of.

In his statement following the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) announcement that inflation

hit 1.9 percent in July, central bank governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. expressed his confidence that the July rate is indicative of steadily rising inflation in the second half of the year.

“Inflation for July at 1.9 percent is within our forecast range of 1.5 percent to 2.4 percent for the month.

This supports our view t hat mont h ly inf l at ion will creep to within target range,” Tetangco said.

He, however, added that full-year average inflation will hit “ just at or slightly below the lower bound for 2016.”

n japan 0.4645 n UK 61.6448 n HK 6.0616 n CHINA 7.0776 n singapore 35.0432 n australia 35.8576 n EU 52.3360 n SAUDI arabia 12.5371

See “BSP,” A2

Source: BSP (5 August 2016 )

BMReports BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, August 6, 2016

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BSP fines RCBC ₧1B over cyber-heist case Continued from A1

The penalty, the largest ever imposed on any lending institution in the country, highlights the gravity of the infraction that until now no local lender has ever been made to face or own up.

“This affirms the BSP’s strong commitment to ensure the stability of the country’s financial system through strong and effective regulation of BSFIs,” the central bank said of so-called BSP-supervised financial institutions in general.

Immediately, the penalized lender released a statement saying it will comply with the Monetary Board (MB) Resolution 1392 “by paying P1 billion to BSP for noncompliance with banking laws and regulations, in connection with the $81 million Bangladesh Bank cyber heist.”

“While the payment involves a large amount, RCBC believes that this is part of increasing regulatory oversight and restrictions and we will comply with the MB Resolution,” RCBC President and CEO Gil

Power firms. . .

Continued from A1

A yellow alert is being issued by the NGCP when contingency reserve is less than the capacity of the largest synchronized unit of the grid. In Luzon this is equivalent to 647 megawatts (MW), or one unit of the Sual power plant.

A red alert, meanwhile, means that there is severe power deficiency. Meralco announced before noon on Friday a two- to three-hour power interruption brought about by zero power reserve.

The areas where power outages occurred are some portions of Cavite, Batangas province, Quezon province, Laguna, Quezon City, Las Piñas, Manila, Valenzuela, Rizal, Makati, Marikina and Pasay City.

“Manual Load Dropping, with two to three hours of rotating brownouts, was implemented starting 10:41 a.m.,” Meralco Spokesman Joe Zaldariaga said, adding that for Meralco alone, it recorded a “350-MW to 400MW deficiency.” Meralco utility economics head Lawrence Fernandez said it secured commitments from 192 participants of the Interruptible Load Program, equivalent to a deloading capacity of 370.55 MW. NGCP, for its part, said it will continue to monitor the situation and immediately issue a notice if the yellow-alert

Buenaventura said.

“With this payment, RCBC affirms its continued viability and determination to fulfill its firm commitment against money laundering, terrorism and other transnational crimes to ensure the stability of the banking system,” Buenaventura quickly added.

T he lender also released a statement where it committed to pay the penalty “in two equal tranches over a one-year period,” where the initial payment of P500 million will be released as soon

status will persists over the weekend.

Cusi said Friday’s power situation was“due to four plants going down and six plants under scheduled maintenance.”

Meralco, meanwhile, said the zero power reserve was brought about by the “tripping of Calaca [300 MW] at 2:18 p.m. today.” Also, “based on NGCP’s advice, Malaya 1 was unable to synchronize due to fuel oil heater tube leak.”

Moreover, the utility firm said “the derated plants, such as the Malaya 2 [280 MW] and the Calaca 1 [156 MW],” contributed to the power deficiency experienced in Luzon. “The QPPL [Quezon Power Philippines Limited Co.] also experienced a reduction of load,” Zaldariaga added. Cusi was expected to meet Meralco and NGCP officials on Friday afternoon “to plan our course of action.”

The DOE chief reiterated that his office already requested the ERC to investigate these persistent power outages and to take appropriate actions, pursuant to their mandate to regulate industry players.

“I have also instructed the DOE Power Bureau to conduct technical audits/plant inspections prioritizing those that have forced outages,” Cusi added .

Consumer group Citizen Watch called on the ERC to investigate what it described as “suspicious” trend of simultaneous outages.

“Last week nine power plants in Luzon simultaneously shut down for emergency maintenance and several others operated on limited capacity, triggering

as the MB resolution was signed.

The other P500 million will be paid one year hence.

RCBC officials said provisions have earlier been made to make it easy for the lender to meet both the letter and spirit of the penalty.

“RCBC’s focus is to move forward and continue its ongoing program to put in place more robust processes, systems, and checks and balances,” the bank said.

The BSP, in turn, said it recognizes RCBC’s efforts in instituting changes to strengthen its antimon-

a sharp increase in the prices of electricity and rolling outages across the region,” said Wilford Wong, Citizen Watch secretary-general.

The group noted that the closures immediately impacted the spot market, where prices surged following the thinning of supply.

“We are alarmed over this latest round of power-plant inefficiencies,” Wong said, citing similarly suspicious outages and shutdowns in November 2013 that drastically affected supply and consequently drove up rates, to the disadvantage of consumers who will bear the brunt of the increase. “We reiterate our call for a strict audit of the operational fitness of all existing power plants, which can serve as an accurate base of what is really the actual and dependable capacity in the grid,” he said.

“The information we need is not theoretical or on paper but the actual figures, which can be described as stable and reliable.” Wong warned that a scenario similar to the regular blackouts in the 1990s could be in the offing if these efficiencies are not addressed. “Our power prices can hit record highs again. On the long term we should ensure adequate and reliable new capacity to ensure economic growth and national development,” he said.

The group said the ERC must see if there is evidence of cartel-like behavior among the power-plant operations.

If there is, the government must step in immediately to stop and prosecute the offenders, it said.

BSP. . .

ey laundering and counterterrorist financing risk-management system and governance culture.

“We appreciate the efforts of the BSP to keep the banking sector prepared and strong. We will continue to cooperate with BSP in this endeavor,” Buenaventura said in response.

For the first half of this year, RCBC posted net profits totaling P2.6 billion. Its total capital base as of end-June this year stood at P59.9 billion.

RCBC gave assurance paying the fine “will not affect the operations

Continued from A1

July’s inflation rate is an acceleration from both the previous month’s rate and July 2015’s rate. In particular, the July inflation is faster than the 1.6 percent posted in the previous month and the 1.2 percent in the same month last year. It has also brought the seven-month inflation average to 1.3 percent.

This means that for inflation to hit the target for the year, it must consistently hit at least about 3.2 percent for the rest of 2016. Tetangco also said the risks to the inflation outlook remain broadly the same as in the early parts of the year.

He said weaker global-growth outlook is counterbalanced by the steady domestic aggregate demand.

“But we continue to be mindful of external developments, particularly geopolitical risks, that

Countries. . .

Continued from A1

Another bond comes from China’s projects, like the “Belt and Road” initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. As China pumps money into the region, partly to export excess capacity, it’s also increasing its soft power.

of RCBC and capital ratios will continue to be strong.”

Earlier, the banking industry was at the center of a cross-border crime, in which hackers found their way into the vaults of the Bangladeshi central bank, where they stole $81 million the proceeds of which found their way into the local financial system, courtesy of RCBC. RCBC said the special audit on its books conducted by the BSP has been completed and no other relevant information was found.

Bianca Cuaresma

could trigger volatility in commodity prices and portfolio rebalancing. Closer to home we will monitor developments and changes in weather patterns that could affect domestic supply chains,” he said.

Despite developments in the inflation front, Tetangco has earlier signaled a no-change monetary-policy stance in their upcoming meeting on August 11.

After the developments in the central banks of Japan and the United States, Tetangco made pronouncements on the “appropriateness”of current monetary-policy settings, citing no need for further adjustments or recalibration.

In its latest meeting, the BSP Monetary Board decided to maintain the interest rate on the BSP’s overnight reverse repurchase facility at 3 percent. The corresponding interest rates on the overnight lending and deposit facilities were also kept steady. The reserve requirement ratios were, likewise, left unchanged. Bianca Cuaresma While providing a boost to growth, a more powerful China is also posing a dilemma for its neighbors who have to tussle between the need to assert their sovereignty without discouraging Chinese investors and spenders. That’s a tough balancing act that’s only going to get trickier, as Chinese President Xi Jinping pursues his “China Dream” of increased economic and political clout.

Economy BusinessMirror

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon • Saturday, August 6, 2016 A3

Lopez suspends Surigao nickel-mining firm

briefs

PHL’s 2015 oil-import bill down 37.1%–D.O.E. Declining world oil prices pulled down the Philippines’s oil-import bill in 2015 to $7.82 billion, from $12.43 billion in 2014, even as the country imported more petroleum products.

“Overall, the country’s fiscal year [FY] 2015 net oil-import bill amounting to $7,823.2 million was down by 37.1 percent, from FY 2014’s $12,430.3 million, due to cheaper price per barrel of crude and petroleum products [about 45.0 percent] vis-à-vis last year,” a report from the Department of Energy (DOE) stated.

The 2015 data was released on Thursday by the agency. Net oil import is the difference between the country’s net imports and exports.

Total oil-import cost was made up of 53.5-percent finished products and 46.5-percent crude oil. The total crude oil imported in 2015 reached 78,060 million barrels (MB), up by 20.7percent, from 2014’s 65,015 MB. As such, total import of crude oil amounted to $4.04 billion last year from 2014’s $6.22 billion, down by 35 percent.

On the other hand, the country’s petroleum exports earnings for the period fell by 29 percent, from $1.23 billion in 2015 to $878.7 million in 2014. Lenie Lectura

Beep card fare payment for Froehlich’s P2P buses Point-to-point (P2P) bus service operator Froehlich Tours Inc. is now accepting beep cards as payment, beep card concessionaire AF Payments Inc. (AFPI) said in an advisory.

According to AFPI, Froehlich Tours began accepting beep cards as payment on August 1 in select routes, namely, TriNoma to Glorietta 5 and vice-versa, and SM North Edsa to SM Megamall and voice-versa.

The standard fare for the TriNomaGlorietta 5 route is at P55, while the one-way discounted fare is at P40. For the SM North-Megamall route, the standard fare is at P40 and the oneway discounted fare is at P30.

AFPI president and CEO Peter Maher said this is the first time that the Beep card was implemented for the P2P bus. He expressed hope that more commuters opt to ride Froehlich Tours buses, especially now that they’ve adopted the Beep card.

P2P buses allow shorter travel time, since they leave on schedule and travel from the terminal to the drop-off point without stops. It is meant to get more private cars off the road. Before the P2P bus, Beep cards were implemented in all seven BGC Bus routes in June to replace the TapBGC stored-value cards. The Beep card is accepted in the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2, and select bus lines. It can be purchased for P20 and is reloadable and valid for four years. PNA

bill seeks to make doctorate degree holders CESO eligible Holders of doctorate degrees may find it easier to enter the civil service, thanks to a bill filed by Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson. Lacson said his Senate Bill 261 seeks to declare the conferment of a doctorate degree equivalent to entrylevel Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) eligibility in the civil service.

“This is to grant [holders of doctorate degrees], many of whom are academicians, the equal opportunity with CESO holders in terms of growth and career advancement in the civil service,” he said. Under Republic Act 1080, he noted, examinations by various government boards, including the Bar exams, are deemed civil-service examinations, and those who pass them may be appointed into the civil service without need to pass the civil-service examinations, though executive positions in the civil service, appointments and promotions require CESO eligibility.

“This bill aims to grant the same, if not a more fitting privilege to holders of doctorate degrees in recognition of their educational competence and fitness for appointment or promotion to executive positions in the civil service by reason of their having completed postgraduate studies which is equivalent to, if not more than, passing the Bar or board examinations,” Lacson said. Butch Fernandez

E

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

@jonlmayuga

nvironment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez has suspended Claver Mineral Development Corp. (CMDC) in Surigao del Norte, after failing to meet environmental standards.

CMDC is operating under a Mineral Ore Transport Permit (MOTP), specifically to remove and transport raw nickel ore from its concession area in Claver, Surigao del Norte.

Lopez issued the suspension order during the Mindanao Environment Summit held at the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) after promising to defend Mindanawans against destructive foreign and business interests.

According to Lopez, the audit team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), CMDC failed to secure treecutting permit for its ore-removal operations. It also failed to provide siltation control facilities and drainage systems as recommended by the government.

Since assuming the top DENR post, Lopez had ordered to suspension of operations of at least four nickel-mining operations in Zambales and Palawan. She had also stopped hauling activities of a nickelmining company on Manicani Island, Guiauan, Eastern Samar.

CMDC’s hauling operations allegedly resulted to massive discoloration of run-offs and deposition

Hopefully, we will complete everything by the end of the month.

—Jasareno of lateritic sediments in its area of operation.

To date, the company has completed at least three shipments of nickel ore totaling around 150,000 metric tons (MT), while another 114,000 MT tons of nickel ore remained.

CMDC was the second mining company operating through MOTP that was suspended by Lopez. Early this month, Lopez had ordered to stop the hauling activities of Hinatuan Mining Corp., a subsidiary of Nickel Asia Corp. on Manicani Island, in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

The ongoing mining audit in Mindanao includes new criteria— environmental and social—of mining operations on top of the usual technical or physical aspect as the

Cable guy in action

A field worker, employed by a local telecommunications company, performs a routine maintenance check on a maze of cables and wires strung on a concrete post in San Juan City. President Duterte, in his recent State of the Nation Address, bared plans to open free Wi-Fi service to the public within the duration of his six-year term. Roy Domingo

DENR chief vowed to tighten the screw on mining.

Environment Undersecretary Leo Jasareno, who led the team conducting the mining audit covering all 40 operating metallic mines, the DENR audit will be completed by

the end of the month. He said the audit for the 65 nonmetallic mines would begin in September.

“Hopefully, we will complete everything by the end of the month.

We are covering in our audit 40 mining firms: 23 are from Mindanao,

Six-year freeze on higher govt fees for passports and licenses sought

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

S

enate Minority Leader Ralph G. Recto is pushing for a sixyear freeze on fees for passports, driver’s licenses, permits and other government documents.

The proposal is contained in a bill Recto filed asking Congress to pass a law preventing national and local government units (LGUs) from raising fees and charges on public services within six years to “spare Filipinos from spending more on inefficient service.”

Recto asserted the need for the Duterte administration to impose the six-year moratorium on all increases in government fees and charges, saying this will “provide relief for our countrymen who can barely afford to avail themselves of these services.”

The senator explained the moratorium would also enable the government to “pursue systems and procedures improvement for better delivery of government services.”

Recto pointed out the national government and LGUs have been collecting more than P53 billion annually from fees derived in the regulation of certain activities, such as the issuance of various licenses and permits, regulation of the different professions and

the issuance of passports and drivers’ license, among others.

He added the national government alone, as reported by the Bureau of the Treasury, collected P36.406 billion in 2015 from fees and charges for services rendered.

Moreover, the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), in its 2014 Annual Report released in October 2015, also reported that local governments, through the BLGF’s Revenue Generation Program, collected P17.36 billion in fees and charges for 2014, exceeding their targets and posting a collection efficiency of 104.20 percent.

“The efficiency of our government employees in the collection of these fees and charges is truly admirable. It is our sincerest hope that they also show the same level of zealous efficiency in the delivery of these services,” the senator said.

In a news statement, Recto clarified he is simply seeking “a moratorium on any hike in fees for documents and permits issued by the government, and not a rollback.”

He added: “This is without prejudice to refunds government agencies should grant the public, like in the case of car-registration stickers, which have not been delivered.”

According to Recto, “while public

coffers are kept brimming partly due to collection from government fees and charges, the government has been frequently under fire for various complaints with regard to the inefficient delivery of public services.”

The senator, likewise, lamented the “numerous reports on the delays in the processing of clearances and in the release of documents and licenses.”

“In the light of these criticisms regarding inadequate government services, coupled with the escalating increases in the cost of living, increasing the current rates for these fees and charges is not justifiable,” Recto said.

He also cited findings by the World Bank in its 2016 Report on “Ease of Doing Business,” which pegged the Philippines at 103rd place out of 185 economies, noted it takes an average of 29 days to obtain the necessary permits to start a business in the country.

“President Duterte, who is the former mayor of Davao City, has always been proud of the fact that in Davao City it takes only three days to obtain permits from city hall,” the senator said. “If other local government units can perform a service in only three days, there should be no reason why other local government units and other national agencies cannot do the same,” Recto added.

IPOPHL renews bid to improve Manila’s GII ranking

T

he Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is aiming to improve the country’s rankings in the World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo)’s Global Innovation Index (GII) with the creation of a council tasked to identify target challenges in the index.

“We have formed the advisory council for intellectual property [ACIP], [and] this is the first time in almost 18 years that we’ve establish this. We selected the membership [handpicked] from [the] public and private sectors, to leapfrog the country into innovation and our ranking in the Global Innovation Index,” said

lawyer Josephine Santiago, director general of IPOPHL. The Philippines has already improved by 17 notches in the 2015 GII, from 100th spot in 2014 to 83rd last year. Santiago said the increase in competitiveness could be credited in part to the knowledge creation and technology pillars, which improved from the 68th spot in 2014 to 53rd last year.

The increase in IP filings in 2015, in particular, boosted the country’s ranking.

According to IPOPHL data, there has been a gradual increase in patent applications over the last five years from both residents and nonresidents alike. In 2011

there were 3,160 patent applications filed at the office; in 2012—2,982 patent filings; 2013—3,089 patent applications; 2014—3,290 applications.

However, filings of Filipino nationals or entities have been comprising less than 10 percent of the annual total since 2011.

It was only in 2014 that local patent applications reached 10 percent of the total sum. This improved 11 percent in 2015.

A core function of the newly formed council will still be on improving patent filings as the Philippines ranks No. 6 among 10 Asean states, Santiago added.

Catherine N. Pillas

and then we will move on to the 65 nonmetallic firms for our auditing

by September,” he said.

The audit, Jasareno said, will be the basis of a decision whether the mining companies would be allowed to operate.

A4 Saturday, August 6, 2016 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

editorial

Who voted for this?

T

he results of the 1984 United States presidential election had Ronald Reagan winning his second term in office with 58.8 percent of the popular vote. An apocryphal story circulated that an uptown Manhattan wealthy New York City socialite supposedly said, “How could he win twice? I don’t know anyone that voted for this.”

However, in the 1972 election, when Richard Nixon beat his rival with 61 percent of the vote and the fourth-highest winning margin in US history, there actually was shock in certain circles. Iconic high society New York film critic Pauline Kael had this to say: “I live in a rather special world. I only know one person who voted for Nixon. Where they are I don’t know. They’re outside my understanding.”

While virtually all people would be quick to strongly defend the fact that they are open-minded, in truth, virtually all people are exactly the opposite.

We form our opinions and views, and then do all we can to shield our mind from anything that disagrees. We actively seek out like-minded people who will reinforce what we already think about a topic. And we twist the “facts” to fit our narrative of how we believe the world is or should be.

No matter what your political or social viewpoint, social media, like Facebook, is flooded with pages and groups for like-minded people, including one that says Facebook is a government plot for mind control.

People eagerly gravitate to press and media outlets that share their worldview.

While we say that we want an unbiased press and media, nothing could be farther from the truth. People want to hear biased viewpoints, as long as those views agree with what they already think. There used to be a time when we sought out differing views in order to help shape our personal opinions. Now we make our opinion and seek out supporting information even if it is not the truth.

A local columnist writes that President Duterte’s popularity is falling because a survey says a slight plurality think that the Constitution should remain as it is. The two ideas are completely unrelated but written together, fits a narrative.

British author, novelist and social commentator J. B. Priestley wrote: “The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” But this was not about the Internet, social media or smartphones. Priestly wrote this in his book Thoughts in the Wilderness in 1957.

We know that a better informed public makes better decisions in both their personal lives and for the public good. Being better informed means at least hearing differing views. Yet, the press and media often push an agenda rather than information. As individuals, not only do we often limit our own exposure to opposing ideas but gladly try to do the same to others.

Priestly is correct. Communication is the sharing of different ideas. It is not simply promoting a particular viewpoint. That is called propaganda.

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OUTSIDE THE BOX

W

e all know that poliitical leaders are “lying liars,” at least, some of the time. We have come to expect and even encourage it because none of us want to hear bad news all the time. Yet, there are times that the people absolutely need the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That is almost impossible to get from elected officials and their appointees.

Even when it is obvious what the truth is—like when a supertyphoon is coming our way—the government always seems to find a way to make reality not so real. This is especially true about economic conditions, because it is a complicated subject with many factors involved. And the more complex the issue, the easier it is to twist things around to make the government look better.

At the recent Democrat nomination convention, US President Barack Obama said, “By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we started.” Of course, he failed to mention any of those “measures.” Yet, the Obama administration of eight years will be the first in US history to never have had at least one year of 3-percent economic growth. For

the US economy, anything less than 3 percent is only survival.

Argentina’s former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said in an interview a few days ago it was time that she got a Nobel Prize for how she handled South America’s second-largest economy even as she is under investigation for corruption.

Fernandez cited the “fact” that Argentina’s economy grew by an annual rate of 3.4 percent under her watch.

But the whole truth is that she watched over a credit default and sanctions from the International Monetary Fund for manipulating the economic data. The true economic growth was revised down to an average of 2 percent. She says inflation averaged 10 percent; data firm PriceStats for the MIT Sloan School of Management says it was 25 percent per year. As Fernandez left office, inflation was 50 percent, as the Argentinian peso devalued from 4 to 15 to the US dollar under her administration.

But it’s only politics, right? The

US is letting Putin win in Syria

Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Efleda P. Campos

Online Editor Social Media Editor

Chairman of the Board & Ombudsman President VP-Finance VP-Corporate Affairs VP Advertising Sales Advertising Sales Manager Group Circulation Manager

What’s the economic truth?

Leonid Bershidsky

BLOOMBERG VIEW

T

hree days past the deadline set by United States Secretary of State John F. Kerry for President Bashar al-Assad to being a political transition in Syria, fighting is raging in Aleppo, the last urban stronghold of the rebels opposed to the regime. The US, however, is not coming to their rescue, because the wrong kind of rebels are involved in the battle. In terms of helping to end the war, the US inaction may be worse than the scenario touted by Donald Trump—an alliance with Russia to defeat Islamic State— but it’s more politically acceptable.

The group, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, attempted to rebrand itself as Fatah al-Sham at the end of July, ostensibly distancing itself from its mother organization, al-Qaeda. It now appears to be the driving force behind a rebel attempt to break the Syrian army’s siege. The desperate attack—supplies have been running out in eastern Aleppo —appears to have fizzled: With Russian air support, the regime forces and their Iranian and Lebanese allies are pushing back and holding the siege, which cuts the rebels off from Turkey.

In any case, since its failed coup, Turkey appears to be more aligned with Russia than with the rebels.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stepped up his anti-American rhetoric, accusing the US of complicity in the coup attempt.

For its part, the US hasn’t bought the al-Nusra rebranding and still considers it a terrorist group. That

means it cannot defend it. In May Kerry demanded that a political transition from Assad’s regime start

by August 1.

“Either something happens in these next few months, or they are asking for a very different track,” Kerry said. Yet, the “track” appears to be exactly the same as before: Kerry has only suggested that Russia “restrain both itself and the Assad regime from conducting offensive operations, just as it is our responsibility to get the opposition to refrain from engaging in those operations”—advice that both sides are ignoring. In the absence of support, the so-called moderate opposition is coming to rely increasingly on the jihadists for help.

That’s a nasty situation for the US, as Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Foundation pointed out: The United States doesn’t have major allies on the ground, except

the Kurds, with real military potential. And yet, we are still hoping to simultaneously defeat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, defeat the Nusra Front and replace Assad. That approach just doesn’t make sense.

The US, however, doesn’t have a reverse gear: Kerry can’t tell Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Obama administration no longer wants to get rid of Assad. Putin is in a similar predicament in eastern Ukraine: Although propping up the secessionist “people’s republics” there is a costly, futile exercise, he cannot abandon them without appearing to cave in to Western demands.

In Syria Putin is holding a much stronger hand. Unlike the US, he’s backing a capable force that—with Russian and Iranian support—could take on the insurgents. The opposition has probably missed its best chance to negotiate a political transition now: Since the US is standing back, and so is Turkey, Assad, Putin, Hezbollah and Iranian forces are going to pummel them.

Putin has maintained from the start that the Syrian conflict is binary—a war between the legitimate government and an assortment of terrorist groups. Now he’s about to bend reality to this inaccurate description: If the Assad forces take Aleppo, the war will be essentially binary—between the Assad coalition and Islamic State. For Putin, this is preferable to a negotiated solution: The defeat of the opposition groups in Aleppo would make the US reluctance to leave Assad in power irrelevant. There would be no alternative.

At the same time, there’s not much incentive for the US to embark on a

word “politics” comes originally from the ancient Greek word for “citizen.”

Now it is a substitute for the word “power” and it is not the power of the citizens.

We are not immune to “political economics” here in the Philippines even if it is not as bad as in other countries. While economic growth has been good, it is not the result of government policy in the past six years, as I have shown before. However, the reality is that the Philippine economy is ready for a strong move higher if the administration is telling the truth about its plans to fix mining, reduce taxes, create pragmatic business regulations and increase infrastructure spending significantly. An 8-percent growth within the next two years is more than just possible.

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

“different track.” No one would gain from increased American support for the hard-pressed opposition—neither the US itself, nor even its European allies, in constant danger of new waves of refugees: An intensification of fighting would force more people to flee. In addition, US backing for the anti-Assad Kurdish militias is further straining America’s relations with Turkey.

The US appears to be allowing Assad, Putin and Iranian generals to implement their plan. If they succeed in taking Aleppo, they will face Islamic State without US support. They probably would be able to defeat the terror group if they’re not forced to fight on several fronts.

It would take far less time if the US gave up on alternatives to Assad and joined the coalition. Since that’s politically impossible barring a Donald Trump victory in the presidential election, the war will go on and claim more lives—but it’s difficult to see Islamic State withstanding a concentrated Russian-Iranian assault in the long term.

If the US allows this scenario to unfold, its credibility as an international arbiter will inevitably suffer.

Eventually, it may have to watch from the sidelines, as Assad and Erdogan gang up on the Kurdish militias that have received open American backing. It may be forced to look on passively as a victorious Assad unleashes reprisals. It will definitely face a gloating, empowered Putin.

Yet, inaction may well be the less costly option—at least no public reversals would be necessary, and someone else would shoulder the burden of fighting.

Opinion BusinessMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph

Saturday, August 6, 2016 A5

Philippines is losing billions Celebrating the Jubilee Year with the ‘Home of Mercy’ In light of the celebration of because of Pasig River the Extraordinary Jubilee Year Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual Jemain Tinio Diaz de Rivera

Forward Moving

I

N the late 1990s Regina Paz L. Lopez was a speaker at the second Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative where she spoke on corporate social responsibility, and how ABS-CBN Foundation was helping make a difference in communities. She later not only headed the foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan projects, but was on top of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission. Recently appointed by President Duterte as secretary of environment, it would be exciting to see what her plans are for the Pasig River.

Pasig River is not a cost center but can be a source of profit for the country, or specifically Metro Manila, just as the Chicago River provides income to the city of Chicago and its citizens.

The Chicago River is a body of water that flows backward, a pioneering, massive public works effort that saved the Chicago region from waterborne diseases caused by sewage contamination of its drinking water supply—Lake Michigan. Years ago the contaminated sewers caused typhoid, cholera and dysentery epidemics, killing an estimated 12 percent of Chicago’s 750,000 residents and raised a public outcry to find a permanent solution to the water-supply and sewage-disposal crisis.

The Chicago River rehabilitation initiative began in the 1800s. Once a corridor of commercial activity, the river has been transformed into a recreational area with sightseeing boats and kayaks.

Along the banks are pedestrian-friendly promenades lined with cafés and eateries, servicing thousands daily. There are 45 movable bridges that span the river, many of them well-known and quite picturesque. Many of Chicago’s greatest buildings border the Chicago river, making the river ideal for architectural boat tours.

The Pasig River connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for 25 kilometers, or 15.5 miles, it bisects Manila and its surrounding urban areas into northern and southern halves. It is technically a tidal estuary, as the flow direction depends upon the water-level difference between Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay. The river used to be an important transport route and source of water for Spanish Manila. Due to negligence and industrial development, the river is polluted and considered dead by some ecologists. The PRRC was established to oversee rehabilitation efforts for the river with the support of privatesector organizations.

The growth of Manila along the banks of the Pasig River has made it a focal point for development and historical events. The foremost landmark on the banks of the river is the walled district of Intramuros, located near the mouth of the river on its southern banks. It was built by the Spanish colonial government

in the 16th century. Further upstream is the Hospicio de San Jose, an orphanage on Pasig’s sole island, the Isla de Convalescencia. On the northern bank stands Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the president of the Philippines. Also on Pasig River’s northern bank and within the Manila district of Santa Mesa is the main campus of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

In Makati City, along the southern bank of Pasig, is the Circuit Makati and the Rockwell Commercial Center, a high-end office and commercial area containing the Power Plant Mall. At the confluence of the Pasig and Marikina Rivers is the Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure, which regulates the flow of water from the Napindan Channel.

The Kapit-Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP) project has not only rehabilitated the river, but also spurred changes well beyond its banks. Of the 47 tributaries of the Pasig River, 17 have already been rehabilitated. Transforming the remaining 30 by 2019 would be doable with the support of the Duterte administration.

Transforming the Pasig River, from a dead river into one that is safe and beneficial for all, will take a few more years, but it is only possible under the leadership of the national government and the strong support of the local governments that surround the river.

The PRRC is an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Its task is to rehabilitate the heavily polluted Pasig River into a body of water suitable for transport, recreation and tourism. It is a mammoth job because it is so multifaceted, which entails resettlement, solid-waste management and working together with stakeholders. There is a concerted effort in working with the concerned local government units, government agencies, private sector, non-governmental organizations and the general public all attempting to address the problem by mitigating river pollution at the source.

There must be sustainable development for Pasig River and the 19 bridges that cross it. It is important to conserve the river and protect the environment as an essential part of the cities it passes through, creating a profit center.

SERVANT LEADER

V

eritas 846 “Home of Mercy” started to bring the spirituality of the Jubilee Year of Mercy to the home of every faithful.

Two weeks after its launch, Mr. Robert Aventajado, former adviser of then-President Joseph E. Estrada on economic affairs and chair of the Presidential Committee on Flagship Projects, with his wife Mrs. Vet Aventajado, welcomed God’s mercy and compassion in their home through the Home of Mercy on June 26.

That same day, “Veritas Ala-Una ang Pamilya” anchors Engr. Antonio M. Kosca Jr., who is also the Pro-Life Philippines Foundation Inc. board member and MFI Foundation Inc. executive vice president and COO, together with his family, also installed the Home of Mercy in their residence.

In light of the celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

and in preparation for the fifth centenary of Christianity in the country in 2021, Radio Veritas aims that the message of mercy may reach everyone through the Home of Mercy.

The station is also hopeful that this religious ornament may serve as a reminder that, as we receive God’s compassion, we may also be compassionate toward others and be-

of Mercy and in preparation for the fifth centenary of Christianity in the country in 2021, Radio Veritas aims that the message of mercy may reach everyone through the Home of Mercy.

come a living sign of Father’s love in the world.

As His Holiness Pope Francis said in his Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Amores Laetitia, “The home must continue to be the place where we learn to appreciate the meaning and beauty of the faith, to pray and to serve our neighbor.”

The “Home of Mercy” may be installed in the main door of the homes to welcome the unwavering mercy of God. It was launched in a Eucharistic Celebration presided

by Most Rev. Honesto Ongtioco, DD, Bishop of Cubao on July 13 at

BLOOMBERG VIEW

W

hen the Olympic torch is lit on Friday in Rio de Janeiro, there will be 416 Chinese athletes in attendance, the largest contingent the country has ever sent abroad. It’s a hopeful symbol amid an unprecedented whirlwind of doping and corruption charges. And it seems like a pretty apt metaphor.

For three decades, China has embraced the Olympics as a proxy for national greatness. Winning more medals—and China wins a lot of them—seemed to equate with its rising status in the world. It even seemed to boost racial self-confidence: In 2004 hurdler Liu Xiang told the press that his unexpected gold medal proved that “athletes with yellow skin can run as fast as those with black and white skins.”

Yet, as China’s political and

financial investment in the Olympics has grown, the Games themselves have only become more tarnished: Revelations of widespread cheating by Russia at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi are just the latest to undermine the integrity of competition that the Chinese government so esteems.

China has had its share of doping problems, of course. In the early 1990s its women’s distance-running team set a series of astonishing world records, despite having

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Trump’s meaningless vow on the Supreme Court Ramesh Ponnuru

BLOOMBERG

C

onservative journalist Hugh Hewitt calls it Donald Trump’s “trump card” against the conservatives who oppose him: The Supreme Court is on the line. Trump sees it the same way.

“If you really like Donald Trump, that’s great, but if you don’t, you have to vote for me anyway,” the candidate said at a recent rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “You know why? Supreme Court judges, Supreme Court judges.”

The court is, as they say, the strongest argument for Trump—but it’s still a weak argument.

It’s true that the winner of the presidential election will nominate a successor to Antonin Scalia, the late conservative justice. It’s also true that Hillary Clinton would nominate someone who is sure to appall conservatives. Every Democratic nominee, since the Johnson administration, has been a lockstep liberal.

A Clinton appointee to the Supreme Court would almost certainly vote to make it impossible to use democratic means to enact school choice, to end racial preferences in college admissions, or to protect unborn children.

At the same time, that appointee would allow regulations that impinge on rights actually mentioned in the Constitution, such as free political speech and the right to bear arms.

The Constitution Americans actually ratified would recede even further into the rear-view mirror.

The fact that the Supreme Court is such an important issue in the election—one that Trump can use to appeal to people who, but for that issue, would recognize his unfitness for the presidency—is itself a sign of how much distance we have put between ourselves and the Constitution. The court was never meant to be the arbiter of so many policy issues. It is the third branch of government, the one Alexander Hamilton assured us we had little reason to fear since it can neither start wars nor spend money.

Trump has offered a list of judges whom he might nominate to the court if he is elected. Conservatives have praised that list, saying the judges on it would move the court back toward a more appropriate role.

But conservatives can have no confidence that Trump would both nominate and win confirmation for someone on the list.

Trump’s word is meaningless. He stiffs creditors and contractors. He

lies about matters small and large: about having told Republicans to hold their convention in Ohio, about letters he supposedly received from the National Football League and about having opposed the Iraq war from the start. Trump isn’t even trustworthy on his signature issue of immigration: He flip-flopped twice in one day during the campaign about whether high-skilled immigrants should be kept out as a threat to American jobs or welcomed as a boon to our economy.

Why would he keep his word on the courts? He doesn’t care about the Constitution or the proper role of judges. When he talks about the Constitution, it’s glibly and dismissively. When it’s suggested that the Constitution might pose an obstacle to his plans, he says it “doesn’t give us the right to commit suicide.” He knows almost nothing about the law: He can’t tell the difference between a judicial opinion and a bill.

The few times he has taken an interest in constitutional issues, he has been on the other side from most conservatives. He thinks the government should have broad power to take people’s property and give it to developers; they don’t. He has used courts as a weapon to silence critics, and thinks it should be easier to use them that way. Most conservatives find that record and that idea appalling. If President Trump asks his aides to find him a judge who agrees with him on these issues, they will start by scrapping his list.

To get a conservative on the Supreme Court would require a President Trump to wage an ideological war with Senate Democrats, even

though he says he would prefer to be a dealmaker, and even though that war would turn on issues for which he has never in his life shown the slightest concern. Instead of making good on his promise, he could cut a deal with the Democrats. His nominee could then win confirmation with the support of most Democrats, moderate Republicans and some conservative Republicans who will want to be on the same side as Trump. Then he could turn to issues that excite him, like the precise design of the “big beautiful door” he is going to put in his wall with Mexico.

Trump defenders could still retort that Clinton’s nominees would be worse. And, perhaps, they would be. If conservatives support Trump on that basis, though, it means that all Republicans will ever have to do for them is nominate judges who are slightly better than the hypothetical worst. That’s a declaration of surrender in the fight for conservative constitutionalism.

And there’s one more thing. The argument that conservatives have to support Trump because of the courts is not just a weak argument. It’s an argument from weakness. It’s an argument that conservatives should overlook every flaw Trump has, every objection they have to him, because —well, listen to how Trump put it in Cedar Rapids. “Have no choice, sorry, sorry, sorry. You have no choice.”

These are not the words of a man who respects conservatives who care about the courts as a vital part of his coalition. They’re the words of a man who is barely trying to hide his contempt for them. Conservatives who trust him on the courts are earning that contempt.

ly snowless and has no tradition of winter sports. Chinese corporate sponsorship has, likewise, become an increasingly important way to fund the Games. And the value of Chinese broadcast rights is growing rapidly, as the country’s huge population starts to tune in.

All of which means that China isn’t powerless to stop the erosion of the Olympic brand. It could start at

home, by finally making a public push to stamp out cheating. For one thing, it could require that all athletes in its state system be covered by “biological passports” that track long-term physiological changes in the blood.

Such technology should be adopted universally, but China—perhaps, more than any other country—has the ability to lead the way.

That would align with President Xi Jinping’s push to improve public morality via his anticorruption crackdown, and would be a statement of confidence in an athletic program that easily ranks among the world’s best, even without drugs. It would also be a powerful gesture if China wants to push the International Olympic Committee to make further reforms to clean up the games.

That may sound unlikely. But few countries have China’s attachment to sport as a symbol of national greatness. If nothing else, standing up against cheating would be a way to enhance its status in the world— regardless of how many athletes it sends to the medal platform.

Can China save the Olympics?

Adam Minter

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no history of success in the sport.

Their coach credited traditional elixirs made from worms and turtles, but the truth was likely more banal: Two of the runners have since claimed that they were forced to dope.

More recently, China’s recordsetting swimming performances at the 2012 London Olympics caused suspicion among competitors, coaches and commentators.

This spring, a whistle-blower revealed that authorities had covered up positive tests by Chinese swimmers and were allowing a coach banned for doping to work with athletes in Tianjin. In April the World Anti-Doping Authority suspended China’s drug-testing lab.

For China, these aren’t just embarrassments; they’re political problems. Allegations of doping at the 2008 Beijing Games threaten to stain an event that the government has extolled as a key moment in China’s international emergence. Cheating among Olympians is especially thorny when

A Chinese weight lifter

the government is trying to clean up corruption everywhere else— from its civil service to its muchmaligned soccer leagues.

And that’s actually a reason for hope. In recent years, China has gained a lot of influence over the Olympics. Last summer, Beijing won the rights to the 2022 Winter Games based largely on its ability to pay for them—even though the city is most-

A6 Saturday, August 6, 2016 • Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo

The Nation BusinessMirror

news@businessmirror.com.ph

SC allows Ocampo, 2 others to participate in Oslo peace talks

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By Joel R. San Juan

@jrsanjuan1573

HE Supreme Court (SC) on Friday confirmed the provisional liberty it granted to former Party-list Rep. Saturnino Ocampo of Bayan Muna and two others in 2014, in order for them to participate in the peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) scheduled this month in Oslo, Norway.

The Court reached the decision during its regular en banc session on Tuesday, where they tackled the motion for intervention filed by the government through the Solicitor General seeking provisional liberty for several key leaders of the communist movement for them to be able to participate in the peace negotiations.

Aside from Ocampo, the Court also confirmed the provisional authority it gave to Randall Echanis and Vicente Ladlad, both NDF consultants in the peace negotiations with the government, but imposed several conditions.

The Court stressed the provisional liberty is for the purpose of the three’s participation in the peace negotiations in Oslo, Norway, which is valid for only up to six months, or as soon as the peace negotiations are terminated.

“Once their participation ceases or the peace negotiations are terminated, their respective bonds shall be deemed automatically canceled,” the SC noted.

The SC added that the provisional liberty of the three key NDF leaders will continue to be secured by the cash bond in the amount of P100,000 already posted with the Office of the Clerk of the Supeme Court.

They were also tasked to provide Branch 32 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in and all parties involved in the case they are facing

with complete contact information, both in the Philippines and in Norway.

The SC ordered that for the duration of the peace negotiations, the three should report to the Philippine Embassy in Norway whenever required.

“Considering the risks of escape from the criminal jurisdiction of Philippine courts that would be occasioned by the envisioned travel of petitioners Echanis and Ladlad to Oslo, Norway, conditions must be additionally imposed to ensure minimization of such risks,” the SC explained.

However, the SC denied the government’s plea to also grant provisional liberty to Rafael Baylosis, another NDF consultant, and other prominent Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)NDF personalities, identified as Tirso Alcantara, Alex Birondo, Winona Birondo, Maria Concepcion Bocala, Reynante Gamara, Allan Jazmines, Maria Loida Magpatoc, Adelberto Silva, Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Tiamzon.

In the case of Baylosis, the SC even forfeited the P100,000 cash bond that he posted on February 1, 2012, in connection with the charge murder on 15 counts, which was filed against him, Ocampo, Echanis and Ladlad.

The Court said Baylosis’s cash bond can only be reinstated by Branch 32 of the RTC in Manila

“upon a justifiable cause.”

It noted that Baylosis has failed to appear before the court to face the charges against him.

“Baylosis, who has failed to appear in his arraignment, as reported by the RTC, the legal interest of the government panel in the matter may be properly brought and threshed out before the RTC,” the SC said.

“Any request for his provisional liberty shall only be placed under consideration after this threshold condition has been satisfied,” the Court added.

In its motion for intervention, the Solicitor General insisted that Baylosis’s attendance and participation as consultant to the NDF panel is crucial to the success of the peace negotiations.

With regard to the other personalities, the Office of the Solicitor General also told the Court that President Duterte had already ordered the temporary release of the said individuals pursuant to the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees dated February 24, 1995, between the government and NDF panels, and for them to be given safe conduct to travel to Oslo, Norway.

The Solicitor General sought the Court’s suspension of its own rules in order to grant them temporary and conditional liberty.

But, the Court pointed out that it has no jurisdiction to rule on the plea considering their pending criminal cases before various trial courts in different parts of the country.

“As regards the grant of temporary and conditional liberty to the other personalities named in the urgent manifestation and motion of the Solicitor General, the same does not merely involve the suspension of the application of the technical rules of procedure. On the contrary, it concerns the substantive issue of jurisdiction that belongs not to this Court but in the RTCs hearing the various cases which are now in different stages,” the Court said.

“To grant temporary and conditional liberty to these personalities may have the inadvertent but irremediable effect of preempting the

trial courts’ own determinations in the exercise of their original jurisdiction to try the cases before them,” it added.

The SC said request for provisional liberty of the said individuals should be filed before the trial courts where they are facing criminal charges.

The SC also directed the concerned trial courts to immediately act on such motion, “in view of the grave importance of peace to the Filipino people.”

“The relevance of the attendance and participation of the other personalities adverted to in the urgent manifestation and motion to the peace process are matters that must be brought before these courts,” the SC said.

It can be recalled that in February 2014, the SC gave the RTC in Manila the go-signal to hear and resolve with dispatch the charge for 15 counts of murder that were filed against Ocampo, Echanis, Baylosis and Ladlad.

The Court, in a vote of 15-0, did not give weight to the argument of the accused that the case should be dismissed on the basis of the so-called political-offense doctrine.

However, the Court allowed Ocampo to remain in provisional liberty under the previous cash bond he posted until the termination of the proceedings before the RTC in Manila.

It also allowed Echanis, Baylosis and Ladlad to remain on temporary liberty under the same bail granted by the Court, until the termination of the criminal case or until their role in the peace negotiation with the government is terminated.

The charges arose from the discovery of a mass grave site allegedly belonging to the CPP-New People’s Army in Sitio Sapang Daco, Barangay Jaulisan, Inopacan, Leyte, on August 26, 2006.

Former leaders of the NPA and relatives of the victims of mass execution had testified that the killings were ordered by CPP founder Jose Maria C. Sison and Ocampo, who was then a member of the CPP central committee.

Senators split on House election-losers bill

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

S

ENATE President Aquilino L. Pimentel III on Friday shot down a House bill banning senators from returning to their Senate seats if they run for another position in the middle of their terms and lose in the elections.

“It has no chance to pass,” Pimentel said, referring to the House bill filed by Lakas Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay. “Also looks unconstitutional to me,” he added.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III, citing plans of the Duterte administration to shift to a federal form of government, also sees a slim chance that members of

POE

cayetano

the Chamber will vote in favor of the Lagman bill.

“We can discuss that if we don’t go federalism,” Sotto said. “Otherwise, it is useless to debate on it.”

B ut S enate President Pro

trillanes Tempore Franklin M. Drilon admitted he was in favor of the proposal to enact such a law, even as he has yet to ascertain the sentiments of his colleagues on the issue.

“There is no reading on how

the Senate will vote,” Drilon told the BusinessMirror, when asked about the possibility his fellow senators would support its enactment into law.

Drilon, however, affirmed, “I will vote for the Lagman bill.”

Other asenators who ran and lost in the May 9 elections, including Sens. Grace Poe, Alan Cayetano and Antonio F. Trillanes IV, did not respond when asked to comment on the issue. They have regained their seats in the Senate and Cayetano, who ran for vice president under the ticket of President Duterte, even expressed desire to become Senate president, but he was not chosen by his peers.

Reciprocate govt’s peace efforts, Army commander tells Reds

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

T

HE Army commander encouraged on Friday the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s ArmyNational Democractic Front (CPPNPA-NDF) to reciprocate the government’s determined efforts to bring peace in the country.

Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año, Army commander, issued the call in response to the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) to free communist leaders Randall Echanis and Vicente Ladlad from detention, so that they could participate in the peace talks scheduled on August 20.

The two are consultants for the Left in the peace negotiations, which would resume under the Duterte admininistration after it has been stalled for years.

Año said the Army respects the ruling of the Court, but the communist underground movement should also reciprocate the peace efforts with sincerity.

“We respect the SC decision. I hope the CPP-NPA-NDF would be sincere and serious in the peace negotiation, so we can finally have a permanent peaceful reso-

lution of this conflict,” Año said.

He said the government has done more than enough to achieve lasting peace.

“The government is bending far in order to ensure that the peace talk will progress,” he added.

In his first State of the Nation Address on July 25, President Duterte declared a unilateral cease-fire with the CPP-NPA. However, the President lifted it five days later, after the rebels did not reciprocate and, instead, ambushed a group of militiamen in Davao.

Mr. Duterte has also appointed personalities identified with the Left to his Cabinet.

Echanis and Ladlad have been detained for various criminal charges they committed as leaders of the NPA. The SC allowed Echanis and Ladlad to post P100,000 bail each for their temporary release. Their liberty starts this month and will last up to six months, or after the conclusion of peace negotiations, whichever comes earlier.

The court also ordered the two to report to the Philippine Embassy in Oslo, Norway, whenever it is required.

Duterte set to make first appointment to judiciary

T

HE Judicial and Bar Council has come up with a short list of nominees for the lone vacancy in the Sandiganbayan owing to the retirement of Associate Justice Teresita V. Diaz-Baldos.

The short list will be submitted to President Duterte, who has 90 days to fill up the vacancy.

It is likely to be Mr. Duterte’s first major appointment to the judiciary.

The four nominees selected from 36 candidates include Judge Mary Ann E. Corpuz-Mañalac of Branch 141 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Makati; and Judge Bernelito R. Fernandez of Branch 97 of the RTC in Quezon City with six votes each; Judge Philip A. Aguinaldo of Branch 207 of the RTC in Muntinlupa City with five votes, and Judge Benjamin T. Pozon of Branch 139 of the RTC in Makati with four votes.

Aguinaldo and Pozon were among the nominees short listed for the newly created seat of the 16th associate justice of the antigraft court, but former President Benigno S. Aquino III snubbed them and instead selected a short listed nominee for the 21st justice of the Court of Appeals to fill

duterte the position.

They have filed a petition before the SC challenging the constitutionality of Aquino’s act.

Baldos was appointed by former President Gloria MacapagalArroyo to the antigraft court on October 17, 2003. She served in the Sandiganbayan for almost 13 years, until her mandatory retirement on July 22.

Before her retirement, Baldos chaired the Sandiganbayan Second Division, which is known for handling cases in connection with Presidential Commission on Good Government’s drive to recover the alleged ill-gotten wealth of late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos and his cronies. Joel San Juan

Appellate court junks plea for release of Digong’s, others’ cash bond

T

HE Court of Appeals (CA) has denied the bid by thenMayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and five other Davao City officials to withdraw the P300,000 cash bond they posted in 2010 to stop the Ombudsman from suspending them for six months, owing to simple misconduct.

In a three-page resolution written by Associate Justice Ramon Bato Jr., the CA’s Special Former Special Eleventh Division said Duterte, then the Davao City mayor, and his corespondents would have to wait until the Supreme Court (SC) has ruled with finality on the case.

Duterte, together with his corespondents—City Engineer Jose Gestuveo Jr., City Administrator Wendell Avisado, Drainage Maintenance Unit Chief Yusop Jimlani, and legal officers Elmer B. Raño and Melchor V. Quitain—sought the withdrawal of the bond after the CA reversed with finality the Ombudsman’s decision dated April 21, 2010, and its order issued on May 6, 2010, suspending them for six months owing to simple misconduct for the summary demolition of a canal-cover project funded by the national government in Davao City.

The appellate court, instead, exonerated them from administrative liability in connection with the summary demolition of a canal-cover project funded by the national government in Davao.

Earlier, to stay the execution of the Ombudsman’s suspension order, the CA granted the petitioners motion for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO), but ordered them to post a cash bond in the amount of P100,000.

On August 4, 2010, the CA indefinitely stopped the enforcement of the Ombudsman’s suspension order through the is-

suance of a writ of preliminary injunction, but directed the petitioners to post a cash bond in the sum of P200,000.

The appellate court noted that its January 28, 2011, decision ordering the dismissal of the complaint against the petitioners was elevated to the SC by the Ombudsman.

In noted that the SC’s Third Div ision issued a resolution dated July 21, 2014, giving due course to the petition and required the parties to submit their respective memoranda within 30 days from notice.

The Court, in a resolution

dated November 24, 2014, noted the separate memoranda filed by the parties.

“There is no showing whether the Supreme Court has rendered a decision…. Accordingly, the resolution of the motion to release cash bond is held in abeyance until GR 198201 [The Office of the Ombudsman vs Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, et al] and 198334 (Prospero Nograles vs Mayor Rodrigro Duterte, et al.) are decided with finality by the Supreme Court,” the CA ruled.

Concur r ing w ith the r u ling were A ssociate Justices Samuel Gaerlan and Victoria

Isabel Paredes.

T he c a s e s t e m me d f rom Nograles’s complaint that there was no legal basis for the summary demolition of the canalcover project owing to the lack of building permit.

Duterte’s camp, for its part, said the P2-million-worth Nograles Park was demolished because it has worsened the flooding in the area.

In ordering the suspension of the petitioners, the Ombudsman held that they failed to exercise prudence to ensure that the proper procedure in the demolition was complied with.

Sports BusinessMirror

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PAEZ, BAYRON KEEP 1-2 STANDING A

Paez

MERICAN Nicolas Paez and local ace Jay Bayron stumbled with a pair of 74s in varying fashions but kept their 1-2 posts, as erstwhile contender Blake Snyder tumbled down with a 77 in a punishing day in the third round of the Aboitiz Invitational at Wack Wack’s East course on Friday.

Scores soared as the field struggled in the wind and tough pin placements, although Paez and Bayron, despite their over-par cards, remained four and three strokes ahead, respectively, of their pursuers heading to the last 18 holes of what loomed to be a two-man shootout for the top $17,500 purse in this $100,000 championship sponsored by Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. Paez, who parred his last three holes late Thursday to shoot a 68 and grab a one-stroke lead over Bayron and Snyder halfway through the 72-hole championship, recovered from a 38 start and a four-over card after 12 holes with birdies on Nos. 13 and 15, and saved that 74 and a 211.

The 24-year-old American was way off his

timing off the tee, either hitting to the left or right at the tight frontside.

“I was struggling a little bit after eight holes. I just told myself to move on and minimize my mistakes. But I finished fairly strong and that’s what mattered,” Paez said.

Bayron, who took charge in the first round with a 67 but dropped to joint second with a 71, regained the lead with a 36 after nine holes but hit back-to-back wild drives to start the backside and made bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11. He fought back with a birdie on No. 13 but dropped another stroke on No. 15 to match Paez’s 74 and remained a stroke adrift at 212.

But it was his spectacular par save on No. 2, where he hit a wayward drive that landed on the ladies tee, which spiked his round.

“If there was a highlight of the day, that was it,” said Bayron, grinning.

But the inaugural champion in Cebu in 2011 liked his chances for a second Abotiiz win, although he stressed the need for solid driving and iron play to foil Paez and the rest of the pursuers.

“I believe I have a perfect chance to win.

But I need to play solid off the tee and get my iron game clicking,” Bayron said.

Tony Lascuña continued to make a charge after a disastrous opening 76, following up his second round 70 with a three-under 69, as the former three-time Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner moved into joint third with Swede Malcolm Kokocinski, Snyder and an equally charging Gavin Green of Malaysia at 215.

“I think I can still make a charge. I feel good of my chances despite being 4-down,” said Lascuña, who birdied three of the last six holes to put himself in contention in the 18th leg of the Asian Development Tour and 11th of the Professional Golf Tour, backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Pacsports, TaylorMade, Sharp and Champion.

Kokocinski, who strung up a pair of 72s, gunned down three birdies at the front to move within two off the pace but bogeyed Nos. 11 and 12 and settled for a 71, while Snyder sputtered at the finish, fumbling with four straight bogeys from No. 14 to limp with a 77.

Saturday, August 6, 2016 A7

Letran’s Jerrick Balanza (right) eludes the defense of Aldrin Serafico of Lyceum.

NONOY LACZA

Tigresses eye lead versus Blazers

U

NIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) shoots for the solo lead in Group B lead, while Ateneo de Manila tries to bounce back from a tough loss in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference on Saturday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

The Golden Tigresses, eyeing a 2-0 start, take on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion College of Saint Benilde (CSB) at 6 p.m., while the Lady Eagles collide with San Sebastian College (SSC) at 4 p.m.

In Spikers’ Turf, University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) rivals Ateneo and De La Salle eye 2-0 start in their respective groups as they face separate foes.

The defending Collegiate Conference titlist Blue Eagles gun for second win in Group B as they tangle with Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) at 1 p.m., while the Green Spikers also seek their second win versus University of Perpetual Help at 10 a.m.

Fresh from a convincing 27-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-18 victory over San Beda, the Tigresses will

continue to parade their young squad bannered by sisters Ej and Eya Laure, who combined for 35 points in their previous game, as well as Cherry Rondina who will return from an ankle injury.

UST Head Coach Kungfu Reyes said his team is still a work in progress.

“Marami pang mali ngayon. May problema pa sa rotation and reception,” Reyes said. “Lahat naman nag-a-adjust pa. Kaya kami nandito para ma-expose ‘yung players para mahanda kami. Mas maganda na ngayon na magkamali.”

The Lady Blazers, on the other hand, try to bounce back from a loss to Far Eastern University on Monday. CSB Coach Macky Cariño expects a better performance from his holdovers Jeanette Panaga, Ranya Musa, and Chloe Santillan as well as guest players and alumni Janine Navarro and Djanel Cheng.

Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles, now in their post Alyssa Valdez-era, hope to get back on a winning track after losing to Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP), 24-26, 25-14, 21-25, 25-18, 1215, also on Monday. Lance Agcaoili

Petron, F2 Logistics clash for finals berth

D

EFENDING champion Petron battles a dangerous F2 Logistics squad in their do-or-die semifinals showdown in the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament on Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Tri-Activ Spikers and Cargo Movers take the floor at 4:30 p.m. in their no-tomorrow collision—at stake is the finals seat and the right to meet Foton in the best-of-three title series of the interclub tourney bankrolled by KLab Cyscorpions, Mueller, Mikasa and Asics, with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

Foton grabbed the first finals seat after knocking out the depleted RC Cola-Army in their own semis duel, 21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-21, on Thursday at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center.

Unlike in their last year’s perfect run of the All-Filipino Conference, Petron Head Coach George Pascua admitted this conference has been a roller coaster one because of a tougher competition.

“This is far from our last season’s run because all teams now are well-balanced. We saw it from the first round to the second round,” Pascua said.

“In a match like this, it will just depend on the desire, character, execution of game plan, and the mind-set of the players.”

Pascua is eyeing Petron’s fourth straight finals appearance as he banks on mainstays Ces Molina and libero Jen Reyes, who will be campaigning for the PSL-select team in International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Women’s Club World Championship in Manila from October 18 to 23.

Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and Bang Pineda as well as Far Eastern University stars Bernadeth Pons and Remy Palma are also expected to help Petron in their crucial match against F2 Logistics.

“Our defense will carry us through,” Pascua said. “Our attacks may falter, but we have to make sure that our blocking and floor defense will be sharper in the semis.” Lance Agcaoili

Young triathletes compete in IronKids

T

OP young triathletes usher in an actionpacked weekend of swim-bike-run competitions here as they race for glory in the Alaska IronKids Triathlon II on Saturday at ShangriLa’s Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City.

Multititled Borlain sisters Samantha, Tara and Franchezka, Singapore International Triathlon Sprint Category medalists Wacky Baniqued and Jane Macalalad banner some 400 youngsters kicking off hostilities ahead of Sunday’s Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship presented by Ford tomorrow.

The Alaska IronKids’ culminating race features competitions in the 6-8, 9-10, 11-12, and 13-14 age brackets pitting the best performers from the three previous Alaska IronKids held in Manila and Subic.

Samantha and Tara are gunning for their third titles this year. Tara won the 11-12 class while Samantha reigned in the 13-14 in the Triathlon I race in Subic. After Tara moved up in class, they took turns finishing 1-2 in the Aquathlon I in Manila and Aquathlon II in Subic.

All category winners in three previous Alaska Ironkids events in Manila and Subic were given free entry to the Cebu Ironkids with free flights and accommodation, including their parents, all courtesy of Alaska.

Baniqued similarly shoots for crown No. 3 to add to his triumph in the boys’ 13-14 Triathlon I and Aquathlon II in Subic.

Produced and organized by Sunrise Events, Inc. and sponsored by Alaska Milk Corp., the Alaska IronKids is the junior version of the Ironman, which

also features swimming, biking and running events.

The IronKids warmed up yesterday morning by taking part the Alaska Run Out, a 1.1-kilometer run from Shangri-La to Mactan Elementary School.

Together with some of the pros and Filipino elite, Alaska Milk Corp. vice president for marketing Blen Fernando, and Ironman Asia Managing Director Geoff Meyer, the IronKids took part in Alaska’s Gatas for Breakfast campaign and helped students realize the importance of drinking milk.

The province of Cebu, this historic resort city, Mandaue, Talisay and Cebu City, roll out the red carpet for the biggest triathlon event on Philippine soil.

Filipino athletes play around during the flag ceremony inside the Athletes Village.

LET’S GET IT ON

T

HE opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics, one that’s festive but far less expensive than it was originally planned to be, will also mark the start of the Philippines campaign to end a medal drought that has lasted 20 long years.

There are 13 Filipino athletes among the more than 10,000 eyeing medals in 28 Olympic sports.

They are the best there in the country of over a hundred million.

The Filipino athletes, led by three-time Olympians Marestella Torres of track and field and Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting, have gone through the eye of the needle just to get here.

“The crop of 13 athletes we have, they are well prepared and there’s nothing more we can ask of these people. They are here because they are the best in the Philippines,” said Filipino chef-de-mission Jose Romasanta on the eve of the opening ceremony.

The historic Maracana Stadium, which built to host the 1950 World Cup, will be the venue of the opening ceremony on Friday night. There will be songs and dances from over 5,000 volunteers.

It will be a typical Brazilian party.

The Games will commence amid threats on security, political instability and the dreaded Zika virus, which has forced some of the biggest names in golf and a few other sports to withdraw their participation.

A Filipino golfer, Angelo Que, was one of those who pulled out.

Romasanta, however, said the rest of the Filipinos, who qualified for this year’s Olympics, are here to carry on, and join the thousands and of athletes and officials from 206 countries and the Refugee Olympic Team in the world’s biggest sporting event.

“Everything else is the least of the concern for our athletes. Their concern is being able to further improve and enhance their competitiveness until game time,” he said.

“They are not really concerned about or distracted by other things except focus on what

they need to do. That’s what they are eagerly anticipating,” the vice president of the Philippine Olympic Committee said.

Aside from Torres and Diaz, others carrying the fight for the Philippines are boxers Rogen Ladon and Charly Suarez, swimmers Jasmine Alkhaldi and Jessie Khing Lacuna, track and field’s Eric Cray and Mary Joy Tabal; another weightlifter Nestor Colonia, and taekwondo jin Kirstie Elaine Alora, judoka Kodo Nakano, golfer Miguel Tabuena and table tennis’ Ian Lariba.

Cray and Nakano are arriving in Rio just hours before the opening ceremony that is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and expected to last late in the evening. Tabuena is flying in on Saturday.

Then three of them, Lariba, Lacuna and Suarez, will kick off the Philippine campaign the following day, when they see action and hope to stay alive.

“It’s when and where the real business begins. And that’s what our athletes are eagerly anticipated. They are all going to do what they do best,” Romasanta said.

“It’s something which they have to prove to themselves, and they will compete as hard as they can,” he added.

Lariba, a 21-year-old native of Cagayan de Oro, is the first table tennis player from the Philippines to see action in the Olympics. For her first match, she goes up against Congo’s Han Xing, at around noon here, which is close to midnight in Manila.

Lacuna will swim in the men’s 400-meter freestyle, hoping to look good against swimmers way faster than him. Then Suarez, a legitimate medal hope, takes on Great Britain’s Joseph Cordina in the early bouts of the lightweight division.

Romasanta said there’s no point pressuring the athletes to win the medal.

“Let’s just take things as they come. Whoever the opponent will be, will be faced with equal competitiveness by our athletes,” he said.

Lariba, ranked No. 297 in the world, is facing someone who’s ranked No. 125. But the

S

AN Beda College survived a disastrous 32-turnover game with an 87-77 escape against San Sebastian College to stay unbeaten in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 92 on Friday at The Arena in San Juan City.

The five-peat titlist endured a tough night with five players turning the ball over four times. Luckily, the Stags also had a nightmarish game with 30 turnovers.

“I’m happy because we won, but I’m mad because we had 32 turnovers. We’re just lucky that we got away with a win,” San Beda Head Coach Jamike Jarin said.

Leading by 45-38 at halftime, the Red Lions went to Donald Tankoua and team skipper Dan Sara as they combined for 15 points to turn the slim seven-point advantage to a commanding 68-53 lead at the end of the third frame.

In the final period, Arnaud Noah scored five points in the decisive 11-5 blitz in the early minutes, but the Stags staged its last ditch effort to climb back from the hole for 10-4 turnaround via Ian Valdez’s triple to cut the deficit to 73-83 with two minutes to play.

But it was the closest San Sebastian could get in the fourth quarter, as San Beda showed its composure down the stretch to stay on top of the standings with an unblemished 8-0 inloss record.

They will battle Jose Rizal University (JRU) on Tuesday, aiming to sweep the first round of eliminations.

“We have to stay healthy. We have to work harder. We will face JRU, which has a winning tradition. We will prepare for them,” Jarin added.

Tankoua led the Red Lions with 20 points and five rebounds, while Davon Potts added 13 markers and four boards.

San Sebastian fell to 1-8. Last season, the Stags recorded three wins in each round to finish the season at seventh spot with its 6-12 record.

Regille Ilagan had 20 points and six assists for the Stags, who made 12 three-pointers but were seven-of-19 from the free-throw line.

Earlier, Lyceum scored an upset over defending champion Letran, 75-72, to stay on the hunt for a Final Four spot with its fourth win against five losses.

The Pirates gave the defending champions a reality check as they closed their first round campaign on a high note as they stopped Rey Nambatac’s second-half explosion Reymar Caduyac and import Mike Nzeusseu each had 17 points for Lyceum, holding their ground when Nambatac unleashed 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. Letran joined Mapua in the standings with identical 5-3 slates. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

Different paths for Pinoy boxers in Rio

F

ILIPINO boxers Rogen Ladon and Charly Suarez crossed different paths on Thursday following the official draw in the boxing competitions of the Rio Olympics.

The 22-year-old Ladon, ranked No. 5 in the light-flyweight division, drew a bye along with the other seeds, led by the top favorite from Cuba, reigning world champion Joahnys Argilagos.

Boxing competitions will start on August 6 at the Riocentro Convention Center here.

Ladon, silver medalist in the Asian Championships and bronze medalist in the World Championships in 2015, will have three more days to prepare for his Olympic debut.

On August 8 Ladon, of Bago City in Negros Occidental, will face either Yurberjen Herney Martinez of Colombia or Patrick Lourenco of the host country.

“Naka-bye tayo sa first round. So, Brazil or Colombia ang unang laban ni Ladon,” Philippine boxing team Head Coach Nolito Velasco said.

There are only 22 entries in the 49-kilogram class, and with the bye, it means that Ladon must only win two bouts to get to the semis and assure himself of

a bronze. If that happens, he will break the 20-year medal drought for the Philippines in the Olympics, and give himself a chance at reaching the finals.

Another boxer, light-flyweight Mansueto “Onyok”Velasco won the last Olympic medal for the Philippines a silver during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

“Maganda na din ang draw ni Ladon,” Velasco said. “At kung makakalaban man natin ’yung Cuba, sa semis na. May medal na by that time.”

Suarez, the senior member of the Philippine team, is not ranked in the 60-kg division, and will have to face reigning European champion Joseph Cordina on August 6.

The 27-year-old Suarez would need three wins to get to the semis and assure himself of a medal in his first Olympics.

Cordina, who is three years younger, will test Suarez at 6 p.m. on Saturday or barely 24 hours after the opening ceremony.

Because the opening may finish late at night, Suarez has decided to skip the opening ceremony so he could save his energy for the fight the day after.

Change in opponent not an issue for Lariba

I

Participants in the Alaska IronKids take part in the Alaska Run Out, a 1.1-km run from ShangriLa to Mactan Elementary School in Cebu City on Friday.

first-time Olympian from the Philippines is not looking at the numbers.

“I talked to Ian and she’s not worried about any opponent she will face. Inevitably, she will have to face anyone of them,” the chef-de-mission said.

Security is tight in and around Rio, which is facing political unrest following the impeachment of its President. The magnitude of the event also makes this Olympics a clear target for terrorist attacks.

The past two days were marred by bomb scares at the Olympic Aquatic Center and the Athletes Village. This has forced Brazil to tighten the security, as if 85,000 police and military personal that’s been deployed to protect the Games are not enough.

“People are aware. Anything left unattended is something we should worry about,” Romasanta said of the twin bomb scares the past two days.

Red Lions down Stags to remain unbeaten in NCAA

AN Lariba of the Philippines said she was not bothered by a sudden change in opponent, adding that she’s ready to take on anybody in the singles event of women’s table tennis in this Rio Olympics.

Lariba, the first table tennis player from the Philippines to compete in the Summer Games, had set her sights on Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico because that was the name that was given her the day after she arrived here in July 23.

Instead of Diaz, the 21-year-old Lariba will face Han Xing of Congo, ranked No. 125 in the world. Here in Rio, the two table tennis players have practiced against each other, not knowing that they’d end up as foes when action begins on August 6.

Lariba, ranked No. 297 in the world, said there must have been a reshuffle in the draw, but added that the change will not affect her focus.

“Either it was reshuffled or it was a system error in the previous draw. But it’s fine with me because it’s beyond my control anyway,” the softspoken Filipina said.

The student of De La Salle University, who hails from Cagayan de Oro, learned of the change just three days before the opening ceremony, and went on with her training.

“My new opponent is from Congo and is actually naturalized. She’s Chinese. She’s my sparring partner here because like me, she’s the only entry for table tennis for her country. Small world,” Lariba said over breakfast on Thursday.

“It’s okay having her as training partner but in the actual match everything will change,” added Lariba, who must have familiarized herself with Xing after a few days of them hitting balls and exchanging kills in practice.

Lariba is aware of the difference in their ranking but must have felt better than her having to face somebody ranked No. 80.

“It doesn’t really matter because anywhere you go, you need to slug it out with whoever your opponent is. I will just to my best,” Lariba said.

Her South Korean coach, Mi Sook-kwon, also didn’t mind the change in opponent for the left-handed Lariba, named as the 2015 Athlete of the Year in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

A8 | S

Sports

aturday, August 6, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao Asst. Editor: Joel Orellana

BusinessMirror

Rio Games an acid test for Olympics’ appeal in a grim world

LET THE

GAMES

BEGIN

R

By John Leicester The Associated Press

IO DE JANEIRO—Even if only for two weeks, can “faster, higher, stronger” overpower deadlier, scarier and bloodier? Can the Olympic Games still offer the world momentary levity, distract from terror, shootings, poverty and other worries in globally grim times? If not, what use is the multibillion-dollar celebration of youthful endeavor and mostly niche sports?

Through no fault of their own, the athletes who will march in massed, joyful ranks behind their nations’ flags in Friday night’s opening ceremony for the first Olympic Games in South America shoulder expectations beyond their own ambitions for gold, silver, bronze and personal bests.

No Olympics in recent memory has opened under so many dark clouds, both within recession-battered Brazil and beyond.

Headliners Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps are back for more medals.

But no feat of theirs, or the other 10,500 Olympians, between the first medal awards on Saturday and the August 21 closing ceremony will paste over recent horrors of 84 people murdered with a truck in Nice or the shooting massacre of 49 people in a Florida nightclub. Sports are, and always will be, trivial compared to such atrocities that have come depressingly thick and fast of late.

“The Olympics may help me take my mind off things,” said Parisian lawyer Remy Durand, reflecting over lunch on Thursday on the Champs-Elysees. “But it’s not going to change my overall mood lastingly, after the attacks in recent weeks and months in France.”

Yet, Olympic organizers can’t be faulted for trying, with their “Together we can change the world” slogan and OlympicPeace hashtag. Cold War boycotts aside, the games remain a symbol of global togetherness, even if an increasingly commercialized one. By putting religion and politics aside, the Olympics still can remind the world’s people of their shared humanity, not their divisions.

Picture Berlin in 1936, when white German long jumper Luz Long bonded with black American Jesse Owens when Adolf Hitler wanted to peddle racial supremacy. Or Sydney in 2000, when athletes from North and South Korea walked together behind one flag in the opening ceremony, momentarily putting aside more than

half a century of enmity. Or Barcelona in 1992, when white South African Elana Meyer ran over to plant a kiss on Ethiopia’s Derartu Tulu. Meyer had won silver to Tulu’s gold in the 10,000 meters to become her country’s first postapartheid individual medalist.

On Friday, at the opening gala of these Olympics at Rio’s Maracana Stadium, 10 refugee athletes will march as one team behind the white Olympic flag—a reminder to the world that they aren’t solely defined by their lack of a place to call home. While not as grand as opening ceremonies past, Rio still expects to wow.

“The Athens ceremony was classic, and Beijing was grand, was musical. London was quite smart. We’re going to be cool,” Creative Director Fernando Meirelles said.

Still, the games have their naysayers. Doping scandals— from sprinter Ben Johnson losing his 1988 Olympic gold medal over steroids to Russia’s recent state-organized subversion of antidoping efforts—have stained all Olympians and heightened cynicism of their feats and worth.

On behalf of all of this summer’s competitors, a Brazilian athlete will pledge at the opening ceremony that they will compete “without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship.” The same promise has been made at all games since 2000, but may ring false among fans, especially with Russia’s flag fluttering among the others; the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected calls for a blanket ban on all Russian athletes. The IOC, as it has in the past, will store some 4,500 drug-test samples to be taken during these games, so they can be thawed out and retested in years to come.

Then there’s the expense of the games. Big spending and the waste of unused venues in ex-host cities have forced Olympic organizers onto the defensive and left them with a shrinking pool of taxpayers willing to foot the bills. The $10 billion to $12 billion spent on Rio’s games should have gone to better causes in a city rife with poverty, critics say.

After Rio, the Olympics rumble to Tokyo in 2020, leaving Rio de Janeiro’s 6.5 million people—the racially mixed, socially divided “Cariocas”—with the same concerns the world was largely oblivious to before the Olympic echo chamber turned the Zika virus and favelas into household words.

Few outside Brazil cared about untreated sewage and teeming viruses in Rio’s picture-postcard Guanabara Bay before its polluted

LIGHTS ON

The Christ the Redeemer statue is illuminated in green and yellow, the colors of the Brazilian flag, to celebrate the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AP

waters were chosen for Olympic swimming and sailing. Rio’s alarming murder rate and turf wars between drug lords and the police weren’t so high on the globe’s agenda before athletes and hundreds of thousands of Olympic visitors discovered that the prospect of being in harm’s way has long been the darker flipside of Brazilian Samba, carnival and caipirinha cocktails.

Despite the problems, Olympic ideals aren’t dead. Pope Francis told pilgrims on Wednesday at his weekly audience at the Vatican that in a world “thirsty for peace, tolerance and reconciliation,” he hopes the games can inspire everyone to pursue a prize that is “not a medal but something more precious—achieving a civilization in which solidarity reigns, founded on the recognition that we are all members of one human family.”

The US Women’s Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma called the Olympics “a two-week haven where people can get away from it all.”

“Every time you get here, get settled in, nothing seems to matter to any country other than the competition— as it should be,” said Auriemma, now at his third games. “These two weeks, the joy and spirit of competition seems to win out.”

And even on the streets of Rio, some Brazilians are beginning

to embrace the moment and all that it means.

“Finally, people are beginning to feel the Olympic spirit,” said Ilene Pessoa, a college administrator who lives in Rio’s Copacabana neighborhood. “The eyes of the world are on us.”

BRAZIL HELD TO 0-0 DRAW BY SOUTH AFRICA B

RASILIA, Brazil—Brazil started its quest for an Olympic gold medal in men’s soccer with a disappointing 0-0 draw against South Africa, a result that prompted loud jeers by some of the home fans.

Despite an attack led by Barcelona striker Neymar and talented youngsters Gabriel Jesus and Gabigol, Brazil was not able to find the net at the packed Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia.

Gabriel Jesus, newly signed by Manchester City, had the game’s best chance in the 69th minute, but missed an open net with a close-range shot that struck the post.

“I have the obligation to score that goal,” he said. “I’m not used to missing those chances. I’m disappointed. I won’t be able to sleep tonight because of that one.”

Neymar and Gabigol threatened a few times but also couldn’t score.

“We had the best chances but the ball didn’t go in,” Brazil Coach Rogerio Micale said. “And we also have to give credit to South Africa, which has a very determined team and made it difficult for us to impose our game.”

South Africa played a man down from the 59th after defender Mothobi Mvala earned a second yellow card for a hard foul on Brazil right back Zeca.

In the other Group A match in Brasilia, Iraq and Denmark also played to a scoreless draw, leaving all four teams tied.

Brazil plays Iraq on Sunday, also in Brasilia, while South Africa faces Denmark.

In Rio de Janeiro, Portugal defeated two-time Olympic

champion Argentina, 2-0, with goals by Paciencia in the 66th and Pite in the 84th in front of 45,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium, the vast majority cheering for Portugal. Earlier, Honduras defeated Algeria, 3-2, in the other Group D game in Rio. In the jungle city of Manaus, Colombia and Sweden drew, 2-2, in Group B. The Colombians got on the board with Teo Gutierrez in the 17th but allowed the Swedes to move ahead with goals

by Mikael Ishak in the 43rd and Astrit Ajdarevic in the 62nd.

Colombia’s equalizer came from a 75th-minute penalty kick converted by Dorlan Pabon.

Nigeria found strenght to defeat Japan, 5-4, in the heat of Manaus only about six hours after arriving in the city. The team had its trip to Brazil delayed by a mix-up at an airport. Midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo scored four goals for the 1996 Olympic champions. The thrilling match at the Arena Amazonia was tied, 2-2, by the 13th minute, but Nigeria eventually pulled away before Japan scored twice late.

In Group C, defending champion Mexico drew 2-2 with Germany despite twice having the lead in the northeastern city of Salvador.

Oribe Peralta scored Mexico’s first goal, and Germany’s 78th-minute equalizer came from 2014 World Cup champion Matthias Ginter.

In the other group game, South Korea routed Fiji, 8-0. In its eighth straight Olympics, South Korea scored seven of its goals after the 60th minute. Three goals came in a two-minute span.

The Olympic gold is the only major trophy Brazil hasn’t won in soccer. The country’s team has won the silver medal three times, including four years ago in London, when Neymar was in a squad

that lost the final to Mexico.

Brazil controlled possession but wasn’t able to create many significant chances until late in the second half.

South Africa, playing at the Olympics for the first time since 2000, also came close several times.

The Olympics is Brazil’s first tournament since the senior team was embarrassed at the Copa America after failing to advance past the group stage of the continental competition. Neymar skipped that tournament to be able to play at the Rio Games.

Brazil also finished second at the Olympic tournament in 1984 in Los Angeles and in 1988 in Seoul, the second time with a team that included Romario and Bebeto. The five-time World Cup champions won the bronze in 1996 in Atlanta Brazil’s Neymar with striker Ronaldo, reacts after missing and in 2008 in Beijing a chance to score during with playmaker their Group A match against Ronaldinho. AP South Africa. AP

In this file photo, members of the Russian Olympic delegation line up to board a bus after arriving at the Rio de Janeiro International Airport. The International Olympic Committee approved the entry of 271 Russian athletes for the Games. AP

IOC approves entry of 271 Russian athletes for Rio

R

IO DE JANEIRO—The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the entry of 271 Russian athletes for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Thursday, meaning 70 percent of the country’s original team will compete after a doping scandal that has dominated the buildup to the games.

Also on Thursday, the IOC rule barring Russian athletes with prior doping sanctions from competing in the games was rejected as “unenforceable” by a sports arbitration panel, a decision which could open the door to further appeals and more Russians being entered.

The IOC announced the go-ahead for 271 Russian athletes about 24 hours before the opening ceremony of the games. Overall, more than 100 Russians have been excluded, including 67 in track and field.

The IOC recently rejected calls from antidoping organizations to ban Russia’s entire team following a report by a World Anti-Doping Agency investigator that detailed evidence of state-directed doping and cover-ups.

Instead, the IOC asked international federations to examine individual Russian athletes to determine if they should be eligible for the games. The IOC set up a panel of three executive board members to review the entries and make the final call, taking into account the advice of an independent sports arbitrator.

After the review, the IOC declared in Thursday’s statement: “271 athletes will form the team entered by the Russian National Olympic Committee from the original entry list of 389 athletes.”

Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov told reporters earlier that 271 of his

country’s athletes had been cleared.

“We have good news for the fans of the Russian Olympic team,” he said. “The majority of the sports have been admitted in full.”

“As of today,” Zhukov added, “I think there is no other team that is so clean and so carefully controlled than the Russian one.”

Several international federations announced separately on Thursday that they had received the final approval for Russian entries in their events, including boxing, judo, equestrian, volleyball and golf.

Russia’s track-and-field team remains barred following an earlier decision by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Only one athlete, US-based long jumper Darya Klishina, was cleared by the IAAF because she had been regularly tested outside Russia.

Meanwhile, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed the IOC rule that bars from the games any Russian athletes with prior doping sanctions, saying it amounts to sanctioning someone twice for one offense.

CAS said the rule “does not respect the athletes’ right of natural justice.”

IOC Spokesman Mark Adams told The Associated Press: “We respect CAS and will, of course, follow their decision.”

The rule was part of the stricter eligibility criteria set up by the IOC in the wake of McLaren’s report, which accused the Russian sports ministry of orchestrating a doping program that involved athletes in more than two dozen summer and winter Olympic sports.

CAS said the rule goes against the IOC’s stated aim “to provide the athletes with an opportunity to rebut the presumption of guilt and to recognize the right to natural justice.”

The CAS ruling came in the cases of Russian rowers Anastasia Karabelshivo and Ivan Podshivalov, who both received two-year doping bans in 2008, and swimmer Yulia Efimova, a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Games who served a two-year ban from 2013 to 2015. AP