Businessmirror december 29, 2017

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Friday, December 29, 2017 Vol. 13 No. 79

Hog-sector output falls as Filipinos eat less pork

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

urchase of pork products this holiday season may not be able to drive the local hog sector’s production to reach its year-end volume target, as demand seemed to be lower than usual, resulting in a lower year-on-year total output growth.

2.16 MMT The estimated total hog production this year, down 3.18 percent from 2016

Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc. (ProPork) President Edwin G. Chen said total hog output this year could settle 10 percent below their target volume of 2.4 million metric tons (MMT), or only about 2.16 MMT. Continued on A2

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DEVELOPERS CONFIDENT PROPERtY BUBBLE STILL NOT ON THE HORIZON

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

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here’s one word that the property sector dreads—bubble.

Fortunately for Philippine developers, the sector has at least two reasons not to worry about seeing a property bubble in the near future—the rapidly rising onlinegaming industry and the ever-reliable business-process outsourcing (BPO) segment.

In simple terms, a property bubble that occurs periodically in local or global real-estate markets typically follows the rapid rise in market prices until the rates reach a very unsustainable level that would result in a decline.

Megaworld Corp., the country’s largest office landlord, is still expecting stronger demand for office space next year despite concerns

₧300,000 The average price per square meter of high-end condominium units in the business districts of Makati and Taguig

over the impact of artificial intelligence on the local outsourcing industry, especially with the easing of regulatory uncertainties that loomed over the sector.

Megaworld Senior Vice President for Business Development and Leasing Jericho Go said he expects growth in leasing demand to come from both Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) and the BPO sector.

See “Developers,” A2

Puerto Princesa not about to relax amid tourist influx Five key challenges

By Roger Pe

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@rogerbpe

ore direct flights from neighboring Asian countries. More cruise ships docking at its port. More investors to build bigger hotels. More touristcentric activity development around the Underground River complex. In essence, that is what the paradise city of Puerto Princesa is gearing up for in 2018 to attract more tourists and perk up its flourishing economy.

As early as September 2017, Puerto Princesa has been looking forward and preparing for bigger tasks ahead—welcoming the surge of tourists for the coming year. For December alone, it played host to a number of Chinese travel operators assisted by a consul general, hoping to cash in on the boom.

The move is to take advantage of the influx of Chinese travelers that is wildly spreading across Asia, and to help increase further the Philippines’s current 79-percent growth rate, the fastest-growing Asian market for Chinese visitors.

Si m i l a rly, t he c it y tou r ism council, headed by Aileen MaggayAmurao, has been holding back-

the Palawan peacock-pheasant, the province’s endemic bird and symbol.

to-back preparatory meetings for the maiden call of Star Legend, the 16th cruise ship to dock in Puerto Princesa come January 13.

Likewise, it is also laying the groundwork for a tourism milestone, the launching of direct flights between Xiamen and Puerto Princesa for the celebration of Chinese New

PESO exchange rates n US 50.0030

Year on February 16. The auspicious start augurs well for the city’s ambitious plan of surpassing its tourist-arrival target for the coming year. Two cruise ships, L’Austral and Silver Shadow, came back to Puerto Princesa in October, bolstering its “Cruise Ship Capital of the Philippines” title.

The Star Legend is one of the world’s most luxurious cruise ships, making you feel like you’re on your own private yacht almost as soon as you step onboard. Each spacious sitting area of the newly refurbished luxury liner also gives one an expansive view of the ocean, making it a real treat.

Movie buffs will also recognize the ship for its big on-screen role in the movie Speed 2: Cruise Control. It has a cruising speed of 15 knots and carries a total of 153 international staff, including Filipinos.

Meanwhile, the China International Travel Service (CITS), China’s state-owned leisure and tourism group based in Beijing sent its appreciation to the city government for paving the way for direct chartered flights from Xiamen to Puerto Princesa on February 10, 14 and 18 via Philippine Airlines, as announced on November 27. The city is also working for additional direct flights from other airlines, notably those from Taiwan, Korea, Brunei Darussalam and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries.

See “Puerto Princesa,” A2

await Xi next year

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hina’s President Xi Jinping had a better-than-expected 2017, quietly strengthening his hand both at home and abroad, while US President Donald J. Trump’s tweets captured headlines around the globe. Next year will put those gains to the test. Here are five key challenges he faces in 2018:

Keep the middle class happy

China’s economy proved resilient in 2017, with growth on pace for its first full-year acceleration since 2010. Yet, economists forecast a slowdown next year, and rising United States interest rates are set to complicate China’s deleveraging push.

Xi’s biggest challenge next year is “sustaining popularity in the face of potential economic problems,” said Susan Shirk, chairman of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California, San Diego.

“I’m waiting to see what might trigger middle-class opposition.”

Other issues that risk stirring discontent among the middle class include polluted air, education quality and online censorship. Since Xi became one of China’s most powerful leaders ever in October, a series of social problems—from migrant evictions to poor villagers shivering without heat in the winter—showed how quickly things can go wrong.

Keep the peace

China embarked on a much more proactive foreign policy in 2017, seeking to mediate disputes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh, and even Israel and Palestine. Driven mainly by its expanding economic interests around the globe, China’s relative inexperience in conflict resolution gives it a chance to try some fresh approaches.

See “Five key,” A2

n japan 0.4414 n UK 67.0240 n HK 6.4016 n CHINA 7.6259 n singapore 37.3435 n australia 38.8673 n EU 59.4786 n SAUDI arabia 13.3334

Source: BSP (28 December 2017 )

BMReports BusinessMirror

A2 Friday, December 29, 2017

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Hog-sector output falls as Filipinos eat less pork Continued from A1

This would mean that hog output this year may fall by 3.18 percent, from last year’s record-high production of 2.231 MMT. “Based on the current demand, we find that the year-end estimate of 2.4 MMT might not be achievable. We might end the year 10 percent below the target,” Chen told the BusinessMirror. “You do not see the bull run like in the last Christmas season.”

In an earlier interview with the BusinessMirror, Chen said local hog production for 2017 could expand by 9 percent to 2.4 MMT on the back of higher pork prices.

“More farmers are coming back into production because of better prices,” he said.

“Usually, if you have better prices, it will really encourage people to invest.”

Chen also said the higher volume of pork imports this year competed with the market supplied by the local production.

Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) obtained by the BusinessMirror showed that meat imports from January to September reached 510,777.572 metric tons (MT), 7.72 percent higher than the 474,163.290 MT recorded last year.

Data from the BAI also showed that the bulk of meat imports during the ninemonth period were pork, which accounted for 44.05 percent of the total volume. Pork

Five key. . .

Continued from A1

Still, Xi’s biggest foreign policy headache is on his doorstep: North Korea. Kim Jong Un’s regime is getting ever closer to gaining the ability to strike the US with a nuclear weapon— and Trump has threatened war to stop him.

While China has responded to Trump’s pressure by tightening sanctions to unprecedented levels, it remains to be seen if Xi can stave off military action.

Keep exploiting Asia’s worries about Trump

Trump’s focus on reducing trade deficits in Asia with friends and foes alike provided an opportunity for China to improve strained ties throughout the region. In 2017 China saw better relations with Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines—all nations that it had sparred with recently.

Developers. . .

Continued from A1

While demand from the BPO sector eased, growth in the Pogo sector has been faster in the last six months, and Go noted that Pogo may have accounted for about 50 percent of demand in the last semester.

The operation of Pogo normally requires three categories of office space. The first category includes those that have livestreaming capabilities with women-dealers for online games. The two remaining categories are subsectors of the BPO that provide back-office support.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) said it collected over P1 billion in licensing and processing fees when it issued 35 offshore gaming licenses as part of the initial rollout of the licenses.

From each licensee, Pagcor charged application and processing fees of $50,000 for e-casino and $40,000 for sports betting, and another $200,000 and $150,000, respectively, upon approval of the license.

Go explained that Pogo does not require

imports reached 225,004.56 MT, 9.92 percent higher than last year’s record.

On the other hand, the ProPork official said he expects 2018 as a “very good” year for the hog sector, “but not as good as 2017.”

Chen explained that the local sector is facing challenges next year, including the increasing prices of raw materials and the possible impact of the recently passed taxreform law on their overall cost of production. “We have concerns with rising rawmaterial cost, such as wheat and soya bean meals,” he said.

“We also have concerns with the effects of the tax-reform program on the projected rising fuel cost due to the excise tax on diesel,” he added.

However, Chen noted that, despite the possible setbacks, the hog sector would still grow next year, as some players are expected to pour in investments to upgrade their facilities.

“We foresee that there will be a continued expansion in the industry and more and more [players are] going for modern houses and technology,” he said.

Chen earlier said that they expect the hog sector to sustain a 5-percent to 10-percent annual growth in the following years, driven by higher purchasing power. “Our economy is growing at 6.5 percent and, if that continues, then the requirement for protein will also

increase year-on-year,” he said. Latest report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that hog output from January to September reached 1.615 MMT, slightly higher than the 1.599 MMT recorded volume of production during the same period last year.

“The 0.91-percent increase in hog production was attributed to higher demand from meat processors in Ilocos region and Central Visayas,” the PSA said.

“Higher birth rates in commercial farms in Calabarzon and increases in the number of heads slaughtered in the slaughterhouses in CAR, Cagayan Valley, Northern Mindanao and Davao region also enhanced hog production,” the PSA added.

The PSA report showed that the hog output during the nine-month period was valued P171.151 billion at current prices, which was 13.52 percent higher than the recorded value of P150.756 billion last year.

Earlier this year, Chen disclosed that local hog producers, particularly those belonging to ProPork, are keen on expanding the country’s sow inventory by 100,000 heads annually to cut the farmgate and retail price of pork. He added this is also a move that seeks to step up local production to meet the increasing protein requirement of Filipino consumers, particularly the youth. Chen explained that hog raisers are eyeing to increase

Still, China risks overplaying its hand. Any economic coercion to achieve its geopolitical aims threatens to scuttle the recent goodwill. Reports say it’s again blocking group tours to South Korea due to a dispute over a US missile shield. In 2018, China will be tempted to flex its economic muscle with Southeast Asia in a bid to water down a code of conduct in the South China Sea.

Keep a cool head

China’s strategy of “ strategic composure” in dealing with Trump’s tweets appeared to pay off. Dire predictions of a trade war failed to materialize, while Xi and Trump shared warm words in meetings in Florida, Hamburg and Beijing. This month China had a measured response when Trump called China a “revisionist” power that is challenging US influence around the globe.

Next year might be dicier, with the North Korean threat growing and the United States’s trade deficit with China set to widen. One potential flashpoint is a US investigation into China’s

tax incentives from the government and only needs office space to operate, while the BPO sector has been hesitant in expanding due to uncertainty over the approval of incentives for new office buildings.

But the Pogo’s increase was a result of China’s crackdown of gambling at its home soil. Go noted that the government has finally started releasing the papers of some office-building projects that have been registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

“I think about nine projects have received their papers out of the reported 53 projects that were pending,” Go said. He explained that some BPO companies have held back orders for office space for their expansion because the incentives may not yet be in place when they plan to start operating.

He added that another concern of BPO firms was the plan of Congress to reduce incentives enjoyed by the sector under the five-tranche tax-reform package of the Duterte administration.

“I think there is a general agreement now to support the BPO sector and the incentives will not be touched,” Go said With these uncertainties getting cleared

the current sow inventory of 1.6 million heads to 2 million heads by 2020.

“We have to add sows to meet the pork requirement of the country. With the increase, the farm-gate price of pork would decline, making pork meat affordable to consumers,” he said.

Preliminary data from the PSA showed that the country’s total hog population as of October 1 stood at 13.013 million heads, 1.77 percent higher than the 12.787 million heads recorded inventory during the same period last year. The bulk of the swine inventory, or about 63.58 percent, was held by backyard farmers.

Swine population in backyard farms was pegged at 8.274 million heads, slightly higher than the 8.239 million heads than the recorded inventory a year ago.

The remaining inventory was held by commercial farms, which stood at 4.739 million heads. The figure is 4.20 percent higher than the recorded 4.548 million hog population in commercial farms last October 1, 2016.

Meanwhile, the country’s sow inventory as of July 1 stood at 1.7 million heads 1.32 percent higher than the 2016 level of 1.67 million heads.

An earlier report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that the country’s pork output next year could reach 1.635 MMT, 3.15 percent

alleged intellectual-property violations that could be used to justify punitive actions, including higher tariffs.

Keep looking like a reformer

Next year marks the 40th anniversary of economic reforms that put China on a path to becoming a global economic juggernaut.

Xi already rolled out several big-bang measures at the start of his second term in late-October, including relaxed limits on foreign ownership of banks and securities firms.

Through much of his first five years in office, a debate raged over whether Xi was a market reformer or an economic nationalist. Now with unrivaled power, Xi is poised to show the world just how far he’ll go in opening up the world’s secondlargest economy. “We may see reforms to make the state-led economy more efficient, but not necessarily more liberal,” said Trey McArver, cofounder of research firm Trivium China.

up, Go noted the BPO sector is poised for more growth, adding that despite the emergence of the Pogo sector, the office-leasing industry is still very much skewed toward BPOs, he said.

“Exponential growth from the offshore online-gaming industry fueled robust office demand and more than made up for a slack from the information technology-businessprocess manufacturing [IT-BPM] industry,” noted David Leechiu, CEO of Leechiu Property Consultants. He said online gaming expanded by 306 percent from only 56,700 square meters (sq m) in 2016 to 230,102 sq m as of the end of November.

IT-BPM takeup, on the other hand, was 28 percent less at 347,660 sq m as of November from 485,100 sq m in 2016.

Online-gaming firms took up spaces mostly in the Bay City, the business districts rising along Manila Bay. Bay City accounted for 67 percent of all online gaming takeup as of last month.

Meanwhile, vacancy rate across Metro Manila was registered at a manageable 6.62 percent. Leechiu anticipates a “resurgence of the IT-BPM industry” resulting from reaffirmed relations with the US and the

Bloomberg News bicameral version of the comprehensive tax-reform law, which is friendly to the ITBPM industry.

The recent upgrade of the Philippines’s credit rating is, likewise, a positive development. He further cited that a number of the world’s largest companies are in the final stages of setting up shared services in the Philippines. “This serves as reassurance for the rest of the world that all is well in the Philippines,” Leechiu said.

Meanwhile, sustained demand and a limited supply of high-end condominiums in Makati and Bonifacio Global City have pushed prices to an all-time high, peaking at an average of a little over P300,000 per square meter according to its studies.

Even mass-housing builder 8990 Holdings Inc. believes it is shielded from the property bubble.

The company said it will focus on its strength on horizontal development aimed at the working class, rather than increasing its recurring income, such as renting out spaces for shopping mall or office.

Mariano Martinez, the company chairman, said it takes time for the company to increase its recurring income, as some of its developments have a shopping-mall component. Also, the increase will not be as significant compared with other developers.

“We may not able to see it in 2018, but certainly in 2019 or in 2020 we’ll see more recurring income. But in terms of total participation it will be mostly takeouts from our housing residential units rather than our commercial forays,” Martinez said.

Many investors are looking at a property developer’s recurring income, as increasing such revenue stream can shield it from the cyclicality of the property sector. As a general rule, there will be five years of increase in sales as a result of developments and then five years of downturn.

Luis Yu, the company chairman emeritus, explained that the company looks at its recurring income in a different way.

“To clarify the idea of recurring income, the company would buy land, build a mall rent it out, that’s recurring income. In our case, what we do is we build a house, sell it to the buyer at a good price, that’s our income, but we give it to them at CTS [contract to sell] 25 years to pay,” Yu said.

“The amortization for us is recurring income. So the mall, the business malls, these are just complementary to the business. But for us the primary recurring income is the CTS to the buyers and, that’s a 25 years to pay,” he said.

He explained the low-cost housing units are protected from the property cycle.

“We understand that people are protecting themselves from the cycle, but since we’re low cost at the low end of the market, if you look at the history, that has never been affected by the property bubble,” he said.

higher than the projected output of 1.585 MMT for this year.

In its report, titled “Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and Trade,” the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) attributed the increase in output to the improvement in the purchasing power of Filipinos.

“Robust consumer demand for pork will also boost output in Russia, the Philippines and Mexico,” the USDA-FAS said in its report published in October.

Local pork demand next year is forecasted to grow by 4.63 percent to 1.919 MMT, from the estimated 1.834 MMT this year, according to the USDA. The USDA-FAS said imports would fill the gap in local pork supply next year.

In 2018, pork imports may expand by 14 percent to 285,000 MT, from the projected 250,000 MT this year, according to USDA data.

“Global exports are forecast nearly 3 percent higher in 2018 driven by strong demand from Mexico, the Philippines and South America [Argentina, Chile and Colombia], where competitive prices support gains in per-capita consumption,” the report read. Data from the USDA showed that global pork exports next year could reach 8.484 MMT, 2.58 percent higher than the 8.271 MMT that would be traded this year.

Puerto Princesa. . .

Although for a limited time only, further direct flights from China to Puerto Princesa will continue if everything goes well, especially during the summer season (July to August), the CITS declared. PAL, Cebu-Pacific, China Southern and Xiamen airlines currently flies direct to Manila regularly.

PAL has restored growth in the China market that was cut in 2014 and has added Xiamen to its destinations. Since then, the growth is now nearly twice the size of its three largest competitors, who all operate approximately 3,000 weekly seats to China. While other state-owned Chinese airlines have not grown significantly in the last two years, it was noted that the market share could rapidly change in the future, given Xiamen Airlines’ current good performance.

Cruise-ship capital Because it is closer to most Asian cities and relatively free from earthquakes, Puerto Princesa earned the “Cruise ship capital of the Philippines.” The financial and capital city of Palawan has welcomed almost a million or more foreign tourists from world-renowned luxury ships over a three-year period.

Some them are as follows: Superstar Aquarius, Costa Victoria, Caledonian Sky, Azamara Quest, Albatross, Seabourn Sojourn, Legend of the Seas, Pacific Venus, Europa, Bremen, L’Austral, Le Soleal, Hamburg, Artania, Queen Elizabeth and Silver Shadow.

In August 22, 2015, November 6, and 24 of same year, the world-renowned Royal Caribbean chip Legend of the Seas docked in the city port and brought a total of 16,800 passengers and 6,600 crew.

Can Puerto Princesa reach 2 million tourists in 2018? “I think we can but we are not yet ready,” Amurao said. According to Amurao, facilities are still not in place and there is a dire need for more hotels, restaurants and to provide more tourist-centric activities. “We also need to attract more investors,” she stressed.

Amurao added that the city will continue to vigorously push to promote World Heritage Site and One of New Seven Wonders of Nature Underground River, and that includes long-term plans to develop other tourism sites to attract more domestic and foreign tourists to the city.

City Tourism Office data showed that the United States had the highest number of tourists that visited the city, with 45,482 arrivals last year, followed by Taiwanese and Korean nationals. Occupying fourth was China, and fifth was the United Kingdom. The Palawan Provincial Tourism Office, however, recorded a total of 1,162,439 foreign and domestic tourists, representing a 15-percent increase from the previous year. China has since dislodged the US from No. 2 position in total Philippine tourist arrival charts with Korea still at the top.

Continued from A1

In terms of volume and share of visitor arrivals by airport, Puerto Princesa ranked fifth, together with Davao, from statistics provided by the Department of Tourism for the January to August 2017 period.

Master plan for new tourist attractions

As these developed, the city government’s planning office is laying out a blueprint to create additional attractions around the Puerto Princesa Underground River complex to accommodate more tourists flying to the city, subject to public consultations and approval of the City Development Council.

The policy of limiting the number of visitors to the Underground River has become a deterrent in luring more tourists to the famous site. Currently, the Underground River management allows only 1,000 visitors a day. The demand doubles during peak season, and local tourism industry observers say that if it wants its tourism to grow, the city government must address the site’s carrying capacity issue.

The limit to the number of visitors is due to United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization guidelines to ensure proper conservation of the World Heritage Site.

Puerto Princesa posted a 21-percent growth rate in 2012 when the Underground River was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. The implementation of capacity limit caused its growth rate to decrease. Tourists who visited Puerto Princesa, however, rose from 426,593 in 2010 to 856,764 last year.

While the Underground River is the most stunning jewel in Puerto Princesa’s tourism crown, there are other equally sparkling gems to see in the city that prides itself as “where nature begins and never ends” rebranding.

There is the largely undiscovered Napsan Beach and numerous places the jaded tourists haven’t totally explored: Magnificent Acacia Tunnel, Jungle Trail, Sabang Falls, Isla Filomena Diving and Snorkeling site, Hundred, Daylight Hole and Wonderground Caves, Palawan Battalion War Memorial Museum, “Butanding” and Firefly Watching attractions of Honda Bay, Iwahig and Irawan Rivers, Cockatoo Bird Watching and nature-tripping at Aventura Resort and Microtel Wyndham Resort Hotel in Canigaran Beach.

Plus, of course, there are the good-old Butterfly Garden, Palawan Cherry Blossom trees, Crocodile Farm, Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Plaza Kuartel, Iwahig Penal Colony Farms, City Wet Market, Vietville Restaurant, islands in Honda Bay and the charming “nature city”as a whole.

There are also new hotels that have sprouted in the city, testament to its bullishness among investors, notably the Best Western Ivywall, Hue Hotels, Canvas Boutique and Ai World Park Resort hotels, among others.

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PPP Center redirects focus to LGUs

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

W

@lorenzmarasigan

ith the Duterte administration’s pivot to the “Build, Build, Build” formula for infrastructure development, the Public-Private Partnership Center has started redirecting its focus toward PPP projects at the local government level.

“In line with the current direction of the government to disperse infrastructure development across different regions, the PPP Center is intensifying its efforts in encouraging more viable PPP projects at the local level by expanding its local government unit initiatives,” said Ferdinand A. Pecson, who sits as executive director at the PPP Center.

On September 18 the agency, together with the Asian Development Bank, launched its expanded local government unit (LGU) PPP Strategy, which is split into three categories: short term (immediate), medium term (one to two years) and long term (two to five years). “For the short term, the PPP Center shall provide focused advisory assistance to LGUs that will implement PPP, including joint-venture projects, covering identified priority sectors, such as water supply and/or septage management and sanitation, solid-waste management, vertical infrastructures—public markets, government complex, among others—and transport terminals,” Pecson said.

Capacity-building support for LGUs, he added, will also be further enhanced via customized trainings and stronger collaboration with local public or private capacity-building institutions.

“For the medium term, successful LGU PPP projects shall be replicated by developing templates of project studies and PPP contracts and cascading these to applicable LGUs through internship programs and local capacity building institutions,” he added.

And for the longer term, the agency aims to expand its support to include project-development services, such as crafting of feasibility studies and the creation of a facility similar to the existing Project Development and Monitoring Facility to support local PPPs. “This year the PPP Center has been providing assistance to 17 LGUs and water districts, including the municipality of Baggao and the water district of Cagayan de Oro,” Pecson said.

Just recently, the government signed the design and build contract for Clark International Airport’s expansion with Megawide Construction Corp. and its Indian partner GMR Infrastructures Ltd. This is the first PPP deal that the Duterte administration has awarded, and will pursue, despite its apparent shift in bias toward projects funded through official development assistance or the national budget.

Pecson clarified that the administration never really lost its taste on deals pursued under private-sector funding, but only shifted its priority to publicly funded projects.

But with the right mind-set and interest, he said, more PPP deals can be awarded next year, just as how the Bases Conversion and Development Authority did with Clark.

“In the case of Clark, it moved very, very fast. It reached the procurement stage as fast as possible. The implementing agency is very, very aggressive and it really has the intent to pursue the project,” Pecson explained.

There are five PPP deals that may see the light of day in 2018, according to Pecson: two priority projects and three unsolicited proposals. He listed the national projects under the pipeline as the operations and maintenance of the Clark International Airport, the San Ramon New Port.

Under the initial terms, the winning bidder for the Clark airport deal will have rights to the operations and upkeep of the air hub’s existing and future terminal buildings.

The deal for the San Ramon port, on the other hand, involves the construction and operations and maintenance of a seaport that will help decongest existing Zamboanga port, and further uplift trade within the Southeast Asian region.

Pecson listed the three unsolicited proposals as: the East-West Railway, the Manila Bay Flood Control and the New Manila Airport. They are currently in the Investment Coordination Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority.

East West Rail Transit Corp. submitted early this year its proposal for the financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of the East-West Rail, a mostly elevated 9.4-kilometer railway line from Diliman, Quezon City to Lerma, Manila.

It is envisioned to have 11 stations and provide interconnecting facilities with neighboring rail systems.

San Miguel Corp., on the other hand, is the entity that submitted the unsolicited proposal for the P339-billion Manila Bay Flood Control deal, which involves the construction of a coastal sea barrier through the northern part of Manila Bay covering the coastal areas of Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan.

It also has an expressway component that aims to connect Bataan with Metro Manila, providing direct access to the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga.

The food-to-infrastructure conglomerate is also the proponent for the New Manila Airport deal. It involves the construction of a $10-billion, 1,600-hectare international gateway somewhere in the south of Metro Manila.

The airport, which would have doubled the capacity of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), would have included the construction of a low-cost carrier terminal, a train system and a dedicated tollway.

Today, there are about 15 deals under the PPP thrust being developed by various implementing agencies, together with the center.

The program “flourished” during the time of former President Benigno S. Aquino III. Its impact to the local and national economy can be clearly seen in the four completed and operational projects, with a total project cost of P31.77 billion, as follows: the Muntinlupa-Cavite

Expressway Project, the PPP for School Infrastructure Project Phase I, the Automatic Fare Collection System Project and the Naia Expressway Phase 2 Project.

Aside from the completed projects, the 11 other ongoing awarded projects, which include the Metro

Manila Skyway Stage 3, Mactan-Cebu International Airport New Passenger Terminal Project, PPP for School Infrastructure Phase 2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 7 are expected to provide significant contributions to the economy.

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‘TRAIN no deterrent to higher car sales’

T

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

he Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act is set to hike prices of automobiles when it is implemented next month. But this does not automatically translate to lower sales, as the industry still has a number of growth engines that it can rev up to drive growth further.

Maria Ella C. Oplas, economics professor at the De La Salle University, said the TRAIN’s upward adjustment of excise tax on auto-

mobile will not significantly affect the industry’s sales. In a text message to the BusinessMirror, she argued other social determinants

will overpower the tax factor in making a person purchase a vehicle.

“There are so many schemes, not just tax, that create demand for cars, like the very low down payment and almost zero-percent interest rate for cars. [You also have] longer payment terms,” Oplas said.

One of the heavily contested provisions of the TRAIN was the auto excise tax. The taxation was easily feared to cause a sales downturn in the automobile industry.

Under the approved TR AIN, excise tax is placed at 4 percent for vehicles up to P600,000; 10 percent for over P600,000 to P1 million; 20 percent for over P1 million to P4 million; and 50 percent for hybrid vehicles. On the other hand, no excise tax will be imposed on electric-powered cars.

Oplas took note of the traffic situation and the mass-transport

system in Metro Manila, which, she said, are so stressing enough “it still pays to own a car.”

“It is so easy to own a car now with the schemes [introduced by automobile companies].

“So, even if the tax got higher, the buyer will not be able to feel its effect because it is not just the price he looked at, but also the scheme by which he will pay the vehicle based on his purchasing capacity. Most especially for us Filipinos, given our inefficient public transportation, it still pays to own a car,” Oplas said.

She emphasized that price and tax are just two of the many determinants in the demand for cars.

Among others are the absence of a reliable mass-transport system, availability of an affordable payment scheme and preference, the economics professor added.

In this December 20 photo, people take selfie with a giant Christmas tree at a shopping mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Residents in the traditionally tax-free haven of Dubai are preparing for higher prices when the government imposes a 5-percent value-added tax on most goods like food, gasoline and water and electricity bills starting January 1. Governments in oil-exporting Arab Gulf states are looking for new ways to boost revenue amid continued lower oil prices. AP

Tax-free no more: Saudi Arabia, UAE to roll out VAT next year

S Miss U craves for chocolates, and they are locally made M

iss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is as famous for being an allaround beauty queen as she is for being a workaholic celebrity. She wrestles with a full calendar on most days even after her reign from the most prestigious beauty pageant.

“I usually go to work in the morning. And I work all day—doing photo shoots and shooting for the movie. That’s what’s keeping me busy,” Wurtzbach said in an interview. “I am lucky because I get to go home by dinner time or just after dinner. So, I haven’t been up really late so far. But then that’s also good because it gives me some time to spend with my family here at home.”

The Filipino-German beauty said she spends time with her niece Lara after a tiring day.

“I come home and then I gather my thoughts again. I spend time with my niece Lara. Cuddling moments muna kami. We will eat together.

If she is still awake, we play together. If I have a day off, I go swimming. I can’t really swim but I love the feeling of being in the water. I like to stretch like it’s a nice form of exercise. I also love cardio training, boxing,” she added.

Wurtzbach has started shooting her comeback movie, entitled The Revengers, with ace comedian Vice Ganda and Kapamilya heartthrob Daniel Padilla in the action-comedy film.

It’s also her first time to join the Metro Manila Film Festival.

“It’s very good. We would get along a lot, pretty well. We joke around while waiting for our take. We have a good working relationship,” she said. “Right now I’m doing a dream role, a hero. I like it because it’s challenging. I trained for this. It’s difficult but I can do it.”

With her schedule, Wurtzbach said she is thankful she was able to attend the finals of the 2017 Miss Universe beauty pageant in Las Vegas on November 26.

“I’m glad I was able to attend the 2017 Miss Universe finals in Las Vegas. Though I have to do the promo for the movie, they still allowed me for few days to attend the beauty pageant,” she said.

Wurtzbach shared that with her busy schedule, she still enjoys simple activities, such as reading and watching TV. “I bring reading materials with me to work. And I also bring Netflix with so that I can watch my favorite TV series while on my way to work or while I am waiting for my turn.”

Of the television series, Wurtzbach said: “I really love Narcos. I just finished Season 3. I’m

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach eats Goya Chocolates.

sad because there is still no Season 4. So I’m moving on to a new series. I got suggestions from other people and they say maybe I should start with Game of Thrones because I have actually not seen Game of Thrones and Vikings is also another suggestion.

So I’ll choose. I’ll watch the pilot episodes of both shows and I’ll see which one I like.”

Social media and video games have also become part of Wurtzbach’s life.

“Right now here at home we have Just Dance. I like it because it’s fun and it’s like exercise. I have on my phone ‘Mobile Legends’ and word games usually. I am a very good support for Mobile Legends.

I have a favorite character. People usually do not choose to be the support character but I like doing that because I am a key player in the game. I think I’m pretty good at that.”

Asked about who she plays with, the beauty queen said: “I play with strangers. My account actually has my face on it with the crown pa and it’s funny. And then my handle is Queen P. They don’t ask. They probably think I’m just a fan. I also spend for the characters also like I buy the new costumes. I am a little maarte with that. I also have online friends, but they don’t know who I am. Walang usap-usap.

We just play.”

Wurtzbach, indeed, is one of the most-followed Filipino celebrities these days, with 5 million followers on Instagram.

“For me it’s not 5M, it’s only five. I don’t try to think that there are 5 million people watching. You will get conscious of what you’re posting. You’ll get mixed reactions. When I post something it’s to share, and most of the time it’s really just for me.”

“I try to update it every day. If I’m really having a long day and tired, I just don’t go online just for the sake of updating. I don’t really force myself to smile in front of the camera and just to share something with other people. If I’m not feeling well or if I’m not in the mood, I’m not gonna post. So everything I post is like real, totoo. If I’m happy in my post I’m really happy. I’m not into show-face. So I do try to post everyday if I’m not tired,” she said.

With many things going on in her life now, Wurtzbach also boosts her energy with—chocolates. By now, people already know that the country’s third Miss Universe from the Philippines has a sweet tooth in real life.

“I have a sweet tooth but most of the time I eat in the house. It’s one of my guilty pleasures and a reward like if I did a good job or if I need a boost of

energy—chocolate, chocolate, chocolate,” Wurtzbach said.

But did you know that Wurtzbach was eating sweets even during the finals of 2015 Miss Universe while waiting for the question-and-answer portion of the pageant?

“During Miss Universe also, that’s what I did.

When I’m feeling low, I eat sweets and then I’m up.

During the Miss Universe backstage, I was eating sweets because I won’t be able to answer the questions if I were hungry. There’s glow after you eat something. And you’re happy. The other girls don’t want to eat. I told them they will not look at your body anymore, they will listen to your answers.”

Wurtzbach revealed that she loves Goya products even if she has already tasted a lot of international brands.

“Goya chocolates are really good. I don’t understand why there’s doubt even if I have tasted many international brands of chocolates. Goya knows the taste of Filipinos when it comes to chocolates,” she said.

“It brings me back to my childhood days, it brings me back to my Binibini days. During Binibining Pilipinas, my favorite Goya product is Cookies and Cream. It’s really my favorite. At dawn I would even go to a nearby convenience store to buy Goya’s Cookies and Cream. Then I would go back to my room and eat the chocolates there.”

Wurtzbach’s love affair with Goya products started when she tasted the regular Goya Milk Chocolate.

“When I first tasted it, I got the Goya Milk Chocolate the one with the nuts and Cookies and Cream.

Before, I’ve always thought the dark chocolate is always bitter. I avoided dark chocolates. When I tasted Goya’s dark chocolate, it’s not bitter. And dark chocolate is really good for you. It’s the only chocolate approved by my gym trainer.”

Popular entertainment blogger Perez Hilton also loves Goya chocolates, Wurtzbach said. “I got a message from Perez Hilton and he told me that he wants to try Goya products. So we sent him Goya chocolates and he loved it. He invited me to hang out with him if I will visit LA in the future. My sister also brings with her Goya products to London where she is based.” It’s not the marketing strategy or the name of the brand that would make her appreciate the product, according to Wurtzbach. “I’ve had a lot of choices. I don’t think it’s about the price tag.

Not for me. What’s important is what will make you happy.”

audi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have long lured foreign workers with the promise of a tax-free lifestyle, plan to impose a 5-percent tax next year on most goods and services to boost revenue after oil prices collapsed three years ago.

The value-added tax (VAT) will apply to a range of items like food, clothes, electronics and gasoline, as well as phone, water and electricity bills and hotel reservations.

Elda Ngombe, a 23-year-old college graduate who’s looking for a job in Dubai, said there’s one specific purchase she’s planning before next year’s price hike: “Makeup, because I can’t live without makeup.”

“I am scared because everything is actually expensive already in Dubai.

The fact that it’s actually adding 5 percent is crazy,” she said.

There will be some exemptions for big-ticket costs like rent, real-estate sales, certain medications, airline tickets and school tuition.

Higher education, however, will be taxed in the UAE. Extra costs parents pay to schools for uniforms, books, school bus fees and lunch will also be taxed, as will real-estate brokerage costs for renters and buyers.

Other Gulf countries are expected to implement their own VAT scheme in the coming years.

Stores, gyms and other retailers are trying to make the most of the remaining tax-free days in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, encouraging buyers to stock up before the VAT is rolled out on January 1, 2018.

Even with a 5-percent jump in prices, the tax rate is still significantly less than the average VAT rate of 20 percent in some European countries.

“If you compare with Europe, I don’t think it’s as expensive. Only in rent and food,” said Vera Clement, a mother and assistant manager of restaurants from France who has lived in Dubai for three years.

“We are going to be more careful when we buy something,” she added.

The National newspaper, based in Abu Dhabi, says the cost of living in the UAE is expected to rise about 2.5 percent next year because of the VAT. Salaries, meanwhile, remain the same.

As the government adjusts to lower oil prices, the UAE is expected to raise around 12 billion dirhams ($3.3 billion) from the tax.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia recently unveiled the biggest budget in its history, with plans to spend 978 billion riyals ($261 billion) this coming fiscal year as the government forecasts a boost in revenue from the introduction of VAT and plans to reduce subsidies. Still, Saudi Arabia is facing a budget deficit until at least 2023.

The International Monetary Fund has recommended oil-exporting countries in the Gulf introduce taxes as one way to raise non-oil revenue.

The IMF also recommends Gulf countries introduce or expand taxes on business profits.

IMF Mideast Director Jihad Azour said VAT is part of a long-term tax reform to help Gulf states reduce their dependence on oil revenues.

“It is something that will allow the government to diversify revenues,” he told The Associated Press on the

5%

The rate of the value-added tax that the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia plan to impose in 2018 sidelines of an event in Dubai, adding that any immediate slowdown in spending by consumers next year will be compensated for with government investments.

In line with IMF recommendations, Saudi Arabia and the UAE this summer imposed a 100-percent tax on tobacco products and energy drinks, and a 50-percent tax on soft drinks.

VAT, however, is by far the most wide-ranging tax to be rolled out in the two countries.

A company in Dubai called Katerpillar has held training classes for businesses trying to prepare for VAT’s compliance and accounting rules. Katerpillar says more than 500 people have signed up for their classes over the past three months.

A six-hour course costs 1200 dirhams ($325).

Though the Gulf has long been associated with being a tax-free haven, foreign companies— except in Bahrain— pay corporate income taxes.

In Oman locally owned companies also pay taxes. Customs duties are in place, though medicine, food and raw material for industry were exempt in the past.

While not labeled a tax, there have also been extra fees associated with government services, including electricity bills for foreigners in the UAE, for example.

Foreigners make up about a third of the Saudi population and far outnumber locals in the UAE. For now, anxious residents have been reassured that there are no immediate plans to impose a payroll tax, which could prompt an exodus of highly skilled expatriate workers.

Saudi Arabia first introduced personal income, capital gains and corporate taxes in the 1950s, but within six months the law was revised to exclude nationals, according to the Oxford Business Group. In the mid-1970s, during an oil boom and construction drive in Saudi Arabia, the country suspended income taxes on foreigners altogether to attract more expatriates to live and work in the country.

Even so, many residents in the Gulf say the cost of living is already high. Rent can easily eat up a third of income in places like Dubai. Additionally, millions of foreigners across the Gulf send a significant portion of their salaries to relatives back home, leaving them with maybe a third or less of their salary to live off of each month.

“Five percent is, when you put it on top of everything, it will be a lot,” said Anna Carig, a pregnant school nurse from the Philippines. “Salaries are not coming up and so it will definitely affect everything.” AP

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Editor: Lyn Ressureccion

The World BusinessMirror

S. Korean president calls sex slave deal with Japan flawed S EOUL, South Korea—South K orea n P resident Moon Jae-in said on Thursday the country’s 2015 agreement with Japan to settle a decades-long impasse over Korean women forced into wartime sexual slavery was seriously flawed.

Moon’s statement in which he vows unspecified follow-up measures to meet the victims’ demands potentially throws the future of the deal in doubt, two years after both countries declared it as “final and irreversible.”

The statement came a day after a state-appointed panel concluded that Seoul’s previous conservative government failed to properly communicate with the victims before reaching the deal.

The panel also said parts of the deal were not made public, including Japanese demands that the South Korean government avoid using the term “sexual slavery” and provide a specific plan to remove a bronze statue representing sex slaves in front of its Seoul embassy. South Korea in response said it would formally refer to the victims as “victims of Japanese military comfort stations” but didn’t make any clear promise about the statue, according to the panel.

“It has been confirmed that the 2015 comfort women negotiation between South Korea had serious flaws, both in process and content,”

Moon said in a statement read out by his spokesman.

“Despite the burden of the past agreement being a formal promise between governments that was ratified by the leaders of both countries, I, as president and with the Korean people, once again firmly state that this agreement does not resolve the issue over comfort women.”

While his comments seemed to suggest that Seoul may seek a renegotiation of the deal, which would surely anger Tokyo, Moon also said that the issues over history shouldn’t affect the efforts to build “future oriented” relations between the countries.

Some experts see it as unlikely that Moon’s government will spark a full-blown diplomatic row with Japan by scrapping the deal when the allies face pressing needs to form a strong united front against North Korea’s growing nuclear threat.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday said that Japan stands by the agreement, which he said was reached through a legitimate negotiation and that any possible attempt toward a revision would make the relations between the countries “unmanageable” and “unacceptable.”

Asked whether Moon’s attack on the deal means that a renegotiation may be inevitable, Seoul’s

Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk didn’t provide a straightforward answer, saying only that his government will pursue “sincere and practical” measures as soon as possible to restore the honor and dignity of the victims.

Under the deal, Japan agreed to provide ¥1 billion ($8.8 million) in cash payments to the dwindling number of surviving victims, while South Korea said it will try to resolve Japanese grievance over the statue in front of the embassy.

The deal came under heavy criticism in South Korea where many thought the government settled for far too less. Japan has been angry that South Korea hasn’t taken specific steps to remove the statue and similar monuments in other places in the country, insisting there has been a clear understanding to do so.

The deal had been negotiated under Moon’s conservative predecessor Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from office and arrested in March over a corruption scandal.

Moon vowed to redo the deal during his presidential campaign, but has so far avoided specific talk about any renegotiation since taking office in May. The Foreign Ministry said government officials will hold extensive discussions with victims and experts before deciding whether to pursue changes to the deal. AP

Friday, December 29, 2017

A5

China: US should curb demand for opioids, not blame China

B

EIJING—The United St at e s s hou ld lo ok w ithin to cut dow n demand for opioids, which are fueling its deadly drug crisis, rather than stressing unsubstantiated claims that China is the major source of these chemicals, a top Chinese drug enforcement official said on Thursday.

China and the US have worked to build a close working relationship to fight global f lows of illicit synthetic drugs, but their collaboration remains fraught.

Yu Haibin of the China National Narcotics Control Commission told reporters there was little evidence showing China was the source of much of the chemicals used in the production of the powerful opioid fentanyl.

President Donald J. Trump in November blamed a “f lood of cheap and deadly” fentanyl made in China for the deadliest drug epidemic in US history.

“China doesn’t deny that shipments to the US happen, but there isn’t the proof to show how much—whether it’s 20 percent

or 80 percent,” Yu said, adding that US authorities have only sent him information about six shipments from China in the past year.

He urged the US to share more data and police intelligence with Chinese authorities and said rampant overprescription of pain medication and lax cultural attitudes toward drugs had fueled massive demand for opioids in the US. Insuf f icient dr ug education and t he trend in some states of lega lizing mar ijuana have hu r t d r ug- enforcement ef for ts, he sa id.

“As many states decriminalize marijuana, the public’s attitudes and trends of thinking toward drugs will also have a bad effect” on the fight against hard drugs, Yu added.

Chinese of f icia ls have been eager to tout t heir col laboration w it h A mer ican counterparts on dr ug enforcement as a br ight spot in the occasiona l ly roc k y relationship.

Officials in Beijing said on Thursday they busted a fentanyl

factory in November and seized 4.7 kilograms of the substance thanks to a tip-off from US Immigration and Customs about a major online purveyor named “Diana” that turned out to be a front for a 19-person drug ring scattered across China.

China wanted to work more closely w ith US law enforcement, as well as authorities in Mexico, a transshipment point, Yu said.

China has backed a successful US proposal this year to add several fentanyl precursors to a United Nations list of controlled substances. China has listed the t wo chemica ls, NPP and 4 4 ANPP, under domestic drug laws, officials said.

More than 66,000 people in America died of drug overdoses in the year ending May 2017, a jump of 17.4 percent from the year before, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC reports most cases of fentanyl overdose are linked to illicitly produced batches of the substance. AP

A6 Friday, December 29, 2017 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

‘Outrageous predictions’ for 2018

D

ESCRIBING itself as a “facilitator in financial markets”, privately held Danish investment bank Saxo Bank is somewhat unique as it has a banking license but confines its services to online trading. Saxo has gained a reputation of being aggressive in broadening the financial products available on its trading platform—used by 100 global financial institutions to handle their own clients—but also for treating the major investment banks as dinosaurs.

After 25 years in business, Saxo agreed in October to sell 51 percent of the company to Chinese automaker Geely, subject to regulatory approval.

At the end of each year, Saxo publishes what it calls its “Outrageous Predictions” for the coming year. They describe it as: “The events and market moves we deem outliers with huge potential for upsetting the complacent consensus. It is simply our attempt to get you to think out of the box.” This release is eagerly awaited by investors and traders and is a topic of intense debate at Christmas parties.

For 2016, predictions included that in the US, “Democrats retain presidency, retake Congress in 2016 landslide” and “Opec turmoil triggers brief return to $100/barrel oil.” Both proved to miss the mark completely, but having alternative scenarios to think about keeps investors and businesses from being lazy about planning for the future.

Predictions for 2017 included that “China shocks the globe for an 8-percent rise in GDP [gross domestic product] and a jump in the Shanghai Composite Index to 5,000.” Again, neither of those forecasts came true but, had either happened, the global financial picture would have been dramatically changed. However, Saxo did call for a move in Bitcoin to $2,000. Do we count that as a hit or a miss?

So what might 2018 hold for us?

A fairly safe prophecy is that “China rolls out the Petro-Renminbi” as attempts are being made globally to settle transaction for oil in currencies other than the US dollar. While the Petro-Renminbi is virtually insignificant in the big picture, this is not something that will lose stream in the years to come.

Coming back to Bitcoin, Saxo’s outrageous experts see the crypto peaking in 2018 above $60,000. But do not get too excited.

“However, the Bitcoin phenomenon finds the rug torn out from under it as Russia and China move deftly to sideline and even prohibit non-sanctioned cryptocurrencies domestically. After its spectacular peak in 2018, Bitcoin crashes and limps into 2019 close to its fundamental ‘production cost’ of $1,000.”

The most disturbing guess for the future is that “The US Federal Reserve loses independence as the US Treasury takes charge.” This also assumes that the US economy is not going to boom in 2018 as it has—sort of—in 2017.

While the Fed is far from nonpolitical, to put its policy-making under the Executive branch of the government would be like letting the fox guard the poultry ranch.

We sat down and thought long and hard about outrageous predictions for the Philippines in 2018. We could forecast that the economy and stock market would continue the upside momentum; but that did not seem outrageous enough. It is also unlikely that anything significant will change in Philippine foreign relations, particularly with China and the United States in regard to the West Philippine Sea. Probably the most outrageous thing about the Philippines is our politics.

So the outrageous prediction for 2018 would be that more Filipinos develop a sense of community and the common good and, as a change, start working together for a brighter future for all. Happy New Year.

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Moribund James Jimenez

spox

I

T is still a common misconception that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is moribund in between elections.

It could be said, I suppose, that this notion stems from the fact that many people stop thinking about elections after Election Day. But then again, just because they do doesn’t mean we do, as well. In fact, the years—two years, to be precise—between elections are just as busy a time for the Comelec as election year itself.

Take the present, immediate post-election year, for instance. In 2017, with an eye out for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSK) elections in 2018 and the National and Local Elections in 2019, the Comelec went through, among other things, two successful voter-registration cycles, completed preparations for the conduct of the BSK Elections, made great strides in promoting inclusivity in elections, and brought voter education to thousands of pre- and first-time voters. That’s a lot of activity for a supposedly inactive institution.

Voter registration

THE first voter-registration period for 2017 resulted in the enlistment of 1,435,587 new voters and 233,411 new members of the Katipunan ng Kabataan, the electorate for Sangguniang Kabataan elections. The success of this first registration period was largely attributable to the effective policy of encouraging the setting up of satellite registration centers

throughout the country, as well as the high degree of interest in the upcoming Barangay and SK elections.

The second round of voter registration was initiated on November 6, as a consequence of the postponement of the BSK elections. From the start until the end of the period on November 30, Comelec offices in all cities and municipalities processed a total of 843,588 voter-registration applications—new voter applications, applications for reactivation, applications for change of name and correction of entries, applications for inclusion and exclusion, and applications for reinstatement in the lists of voters. As of today, these applications are pending with various Election Registration Boards, for hearing and final action, i.e., approval or disapproval. However, it is certain that a significant number of new voters will be joining the rolls at the end of this process.

BSK preparations

Despite pushing back the start date

for the printing of more than 70 million official ballots, the task was successfully completed on October 2, ahead of the scheduled October 23 BSK elections.

The timely accomplishment of this task was aided by the Comelec’s decision, dated September 5, to suspend the conduct of elections in Mindanao after the Supreme Court affirmed the declaration of martial law in that part of the country.

But as it turned out, on October 4, the BSK elections were postponed anyway, with the President signing the postponement bill authored by Congress. The Comelec’s completed preparations were immediately rolled back, in anticipation of the new, May 2018 schedule for the BSK elections.

Chairmen

ALSO in 2017, Chairman J. Andres D. Bautista resigned from office. Senior Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, upon unanimous vote of the commission en banc, immediately assumed the position of Acting Chairman. This prompt action by the en banc successfully assured continuity of the Comelec’s operations.

On November 22 President Duterte nominated Commissioner Sheriff Abas to the vacancy. Pending consent by the Commission on Appointments, however, Acting Chairman Lim continues in the performance of the duties of the office.

Women in politics

THE year 2017 was a banner year for the Comelec’s Gender and Development Focal Point System (GADFPS), which tirelessly promoted gender equality, in and out of the

The serpent coils around the New Year Tito Genova Valiente

annotations

O

UT there in the darkness—that is only darkness because we cannot see it or be there—is a universe. It is bigger than our soul can see.

Out there in that vast space we can call a space but the dimension is beyond the measure or what we ever can count are serpents. They are big, and their magnitude allows them to survive the bigness of the universe. One of those serpents hold in its mouth the coming year, the existence of the months and the days and the hours and the minutes and the seconds. The serpent is so huge it can bear the being of us all for the coming year.

The serpent is one way of understanding the New Year, or why years turn old and one becomes new at a certain point of that index we call “calendar.”

For now, we look at this piece of paper on the wall, its ideologies of flowers, beloved animals, lovely men and women, as well as heroes, framing Time.

Each month we flip the paper to signify

a change. It is December now and, when this column gets to be read, it is the 30th.

That day is dreaded and dreamt of —a day before the last day of the year.

There is ceremony in the last day; there is poignancy, as well.

The drama and the terror of the last are but our anticipation of the first day of the year. But uncertainty is the right attitude for this period. The universe listens and the universe understands.

If you have a calendar that is extravagantly laid out—the months appearing all at once, then you have your fate laid out. The histories are there immediately for you to look at.

If you are Catholic, the days on the calendar are guided by all sorts of saints.

If you are a believer, then your sufferings are abated: There is succor each day;

there is light for your wayward spirit. If you are a nonbeliever, then you have a daily routine to wonder what are these names that gild each first or second of the month. You can be convinced that a religion is a government unit with its list of officials who are there but may not necessarily function at all as sentinels or protectors. The Serpent, that avatar of eternity, has long been gone from our calendar. There are, however, still Serpents in what are already deemed to be esoteric materials, like almanac and cult pamphlets. The Serpent can be located in documents that revitalization movements propagate. There the Serpent has a name—Bakunawa.

The Bakunawa is depicted as a fat, snake-like creature. He has a crown. It is said that human activities, to be auspicious, must follow the coil of the Serpent. Where its head is oriented to, one can discern good fortune. The drawing of the Serpent, it must be said, shows more the limits of the mind who worship the eternal than the power of that with no boundaries.

We are all naïve when it comes to fate or destiny. Marvel at how cartoonists depict the Old Year—2017—as an Old Man and the New Year—2018—as an Infant. The difference between the two is obvious but the similarity we ignore: both are barely able to move.

Comelec. Gender sensitivity trainings—including lectures on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE)—were conducted, with the goal of both enhancing the election management body’s continuing efforts to provide a safe and thoroughly professional working environment, and ensuring that our front-line efforts to serve the people would be marked by utmost respect for everyone.

GAD-FPS, likewise, promoted inclusivity and gender-equality in the political arena by convening a successful Women’s Summit on Political Participation in March. This has since been followed by several more such gatherings, culminating in last week’s Joint Asean-UN Workshop and Roundtable Discussion on Electoral Observation and Women’s Participation in Politics, held in Cebu.

On the voter-education front— and closest, of course, to my heart— the Comelec’s Education and Information Department successfully launched its Know Elections Better platform in January 2017. Since then, there have been close to 50 Know Elections Better Seminar sessions, covering 22 schools and two organizations, and reaching 12,089 voters and pre-voters in senior high school.

2019

ALL of that and more, just in the year following an election; in 2018, the Comelec will be even busier, what with the 2018 BSK elections and the major preparations for the midterm polls all crowded into the same narrow time frame.

Moribund? Hardly.

On the last day of the year, the day reflected on the presumptuous calendar, many of us will rush to buy fruits—12 different fruits, according to some experts. But as our community abounds with experts some will be merciful and insist of merely 12 fruits so long as they are of the round variety. The other experts who are of sartorial persuasion may have persuaded already some of us to wear anything that has dots or circles on it. Glow in the pathos and bathos of commerce. There is no logic behind luck divined through unthinking fruits and unthinkable polka-dots. We do not see the irrationality of all that.

I find more logic in the Serpent, who is bigger than our mind can bring us to own. The year is there inside the Serpent and the year must be spewed out whether the universe likes it or nor.

What happens to the old years? They are there in the heart of the many Serpents more monstrous than our dark and lovely dreams can bring us to fear and feel. Those Serpents who carry the old years are preternatural compasses guiding the universe to follow the path to more spaces outside the space no one can even think o For now we can only think of fruits and fate and portents along polka-dots.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com.

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

Friday, December 29, 2017

MANOTOC, LAGMAN G WREST 2ND RD LEAD

AB MANOTOC birdied the last hole to save a two-over 70 while Lester Lagman carded a 71 as they combined for 141 in aggregate play to storm into the lead in the second day of the National Doubles Amateur Golf Championship at Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club in Quezon City on Thursday.

Manotoc hit just two birdies against four bogeys in a windy day for a 36-34 round at the par-68 layout while Lagman blew a two-under card after four holes with three bogeys in the next five then dropped two more strokes late in the round for a 36-35 card.

Counting their 62 in the opening four-ball format Wednesday, Manotoc and Lagman took charge at 203, one ahead of Paolo Wong and Don Petil, who assembled a 143 for a 204 while erstwhile frontrunner Ryan Monsalve and Lanz Uy groped for form in individual format with a 146 and slipped to third at 205.

The rest stood too far behind to contend for the crown heading to the deciding two-ball, foursome (alternate shot) format of the three-day season-

Lester Lagman studies the line of his putt on No. 6 as teammate Gab Manotoc looks on.

KATROPA TAKE FLOOR VS. ACES T

NT and Alaska hopes to end the year with a bang as they clash in the last game day of 2017 in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup on Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Both suffering from season-opening setbacks last week, the KaTropa and Aces go head-to-head at 7 p.m.

Rain or Shine, meanwhile, targets a 2-0 start against Blackwater at 4:15 p.m.

The KaTropa fell to a close 79-82 loss to the Elasto Painters, while Aces had the same fate against the Magnolia Hotshots, 95-108, 10 days ago.

It was the kind of season for TNT as it missed a chance for the crown in two conferences in the league’s 42nd year.

Spurs capture Caballes Cup

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LOBALPORT Spurs beat Rain or Shine Tiger Scribes, 80-62, to rule the Fourth Pakitang Basketball League Willie Caballes Cup recently at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Winners of the inaugural season, the Spurs (7-0) regained the throne from the dethroned champions in a dominating fashion to become the first undefeated titlist and two-time winner of the league that featured sports scribes and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Basketball Association and Philippine Sportswriters Association.

Anchored by Aldo Aviñante, Paolo Poblador and Jerome Lagunzad, Globalport drowned Rain or Shine with a flurry of transition baskets right from the get go to pull away with an early 17-7 lead.

Globalport didn’t relinquish the driver’s seat the rest of the way, even posting a 24 pointspread early in the final canto.

Aviñante poured 17 of his 29 points in the opening quarter alone to go along with four rebounds which earned him this year’s Finals Most Valuable Player plum.

Rookie Poblador chipped in 21 points and six assists while the seasoned Lagunzad racked up six points, eight boards, two steals and three blocks.

Scoring champion Cedelf Tupas tallied 16 points but rebounding leader Diego Dela Paz was limited to nine points and nine rebounds as Rain or Shine failed to retain the title.

Christian Jacinto stuffed the stat sheet anew with 10 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Best Center Pioneers clipped Dymons, 51-47 to salvage third place.

Steals leader and Rookie Arnold Cagang was also instrumental for the Pioneers with 23 points, four assist and three steals.

The league’s top shot blocker Jacinto was named season MVP after averaging 19.3 points, 15.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.8 blockks.

Christian Cortez had 15 points and 11 rebounds while Jonas Terrado added 11 points and 9 boards for the winless Dymons.

Best Center’s Jacinto was joined by his teammate Cagang, Tupas, Dela Paz and Lagunzad in the Mythical First Team.

PGBL also feted Poblador and Aviñante and Bryan Ulanday of Spurs, Reuben Terrado of Best Center and Karlo Sacamos of TigerScribes as the Season 4’s Mythical Second Team.

Cagang was hailed as the Rookie of the Year while Spurs’ Air Urquiola, Best Center’s Terrado, TigerScribes’ Alder Almo and Randolph Leongson of Dymons received Sportsmanship Awards.

In their game against Rain or Shine, Jayson Castro was one board shy of a triple double with his marks of 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. He single-handedly carried the fight for his team, who shot on a measly overall shooting of 30 percent.

“I think if you look at the whole game, Jayson was making the right decisions, taking the shots that he needed to take,” TNT Head Coach Nash Racela said.

“It just so happened that his teammates weren’t able to convert.

We’ll find ways to have better execution next time,” Racela added.

Alaska, on the other hand, couldn’t stop the fierce return of Paul Lee as it wasted an early 10-point lead and lost its footing in endgame.

Calvin Abueva had 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Vic Manuel

added the a 20-8 tally for the Aces.

In the same All-Filipino tournament last season, Alaska had a good eliminations campaign, but wounded up on a runner-up finish behind San Miguel in a five-game finale.

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SAN MIGUEL Beer’s Arwind Santos spots the basket, as Meralco’s Nino Canaleta defends during their game on Wednesday night. The Beermen won, 103-97.

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City, booked an easy 6-4,7-5 win over Manila’s Athan Arejola in the boys’ 18-under final, while local bet Loucas Fernandez retired Rainier Angelo Selmar in the boys’ 16-under championship of the leg backed by Dunlop.

“We believe that with the number of legs that we conducted this year with emphasis in Mindanao and Visayas, new faces have emerged for the future of tennis in the country,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO of sponsoring Cebuana Lhuillier Group of Companies.

The tournament attracted 139 entries.

Quezon City’s Adeline Abadia won the girls’ 12-under title at the expense of Valenzuela City’s

Casey Bagadiong, 6-0, 6-0, but lost to Pasig City’s Kryshana Brazal in the 14-under final.

Aulrich Reyes of Nasugbu (Batangas) defeated Selmar, 6-4, 6-4, to capture the 14-under crown, while anther bet from Valenzuela, Carson Bagadiong, downed Eosef dela Torre 4-1,4-0 to win the 10-under unisex title. The final leg will take place in Camp Aguinaldo.

PSC allots P600M for athletes’ overseas training

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HE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will not hesitate to fund the training and foreign exposure of athletes who are gold medal potentials for the 29th Southeast Asian Games the country is hosting in 2019.

“We like the NSAs [national sports associations] to work efficiently. The NSAs don’t have any reason to say that the PSC didn’t support them,” PSC

Chairman William Ramirez said.

The sports agency has allotted more than P.6 billion for the overseas training and exposure (competitions0 of athletes. The PSC will also ask NSAs to submit their plans for the year.

The Philippines wound up a disappointing sixth place in the 29th SEA Games last August in Malaysia with a measly haul of 23 gold, 33 silver

and 64 bronze medals.

On top of the budget for training, the PSC has also earmarked P2 billion for the rehabilitation of existing facilities.

Besides the decades-old Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, the provinces of Pampanga, Zambales and Bulacan are also eyed as satellite venues for the SEA Games. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

HE Sanman Promotions is staging its inaugural presentation for 2018 on January 21 with the “Brawl at the Mall: The 10th Edition” at the newly-renovated Gaisano Mall Atrium in General Santos City.

According to Jim Claude Manangquil, Chief Executive Officer of the Sanman Promotions, the main event will feature the unbeaten Jayson Mama (8 wins and 0 loss with 4 knockouts) of General Santos City against Michael Camelion (10W-6L-1D, 8 KOs) of Malaybalay, Bukidnon, for the vacant World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific Youth flyweight title.

“I think Jayson Mama will be the next big thing for the flyweight division in the Philippines,” said Manangquil, a recipient of 2017 Boxing Promoter of the Year award.

Mama is an amateur standout, who won

Tanauan A fashions out a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Santa Maria (Bulacan) to capture the 2017 Cebuana Lhuillier Amateur Softball Association of the Philippinbes U-18 Women’s Championship recently in Marikina City.

The weeklong tournament attracted a record field of 27 teams from all over the country.

Photo shows the champion team, led by Head Coach Ramil Mercado and Most Valuable Player Royavelle Palma, a rookie pitcher with the Blu Girls.

ARELLANO GALS FACE LADY CARDS

‘Brawl at Mall’ set in January in GenSan City

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TANAUAN A CHAMP

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EFENDING champion Arellano University tries to extend its reign as it tackles Mapua while last year’s losing finalist San Sebastian College parades a decimated line up without its leader Grethcel Soltones as it faces Emilio Aguinaldo College at the start of the women’s division of the 93rd National Collegiate Athletic Association volleyball tournament on January 4 at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Lady Chiefs will be parading almost the same cast that won last year’s championship headed by Regine Anne Arocha, Necole Ebuen, Andrea Marzan and Jovielyn Grace Prado as they battle the Lady Cardinals at 1:30 p.m.

Considered as the underdogs after finishing second after the elimination round, Arellano University defied the odds and beat San Sebastian, which swept its way straight to the

ending tournament organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines and sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation.

Rupert Zaragosa bucked tough pin placements and gunned down five birdies against two bogeys as he fired the tournamentbest three-under 65 but teammate Adrian Romero limped with an 81 as they pooled a 146 for a 210, seven strokes off the pace.

Dan Cruz and Luigi Guerrero both shot 74s, their 148 giving them a two-day haul of 214 while Carlo Quimson and Aniceto Mandanas turned in a 73 and 77, respectively, for a 150 and a 216.

Gabby Malaguim and Ivan Monsalve carded a 74 and 75, respectively, for a 149 and 219 while Clare Legaspi sizzled with a two-under 66 but drew an 82 from teammate Felicia Medalla as they scored a 148 for a 214 in the premier group of the event serving as part of the PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour.

Pierre Ticzon (80) and Allan Crisostomo (83), meanwhile, hiked their lead to three in Group II with a 163 for a 233 as Santino Diokno (77) and Miguel Roque (83) combined for a 160 and a 235.

Jimmy Suelo (77) and Allen Embuscado (81) shot a 158 and all but wrapped up the Group III diadem with a 230, seven strokes ahead of Edwin Abesamis and Hermie Salivio, who both made 72s for a 164 and 237. Joey Anciano (82) and Boom Coscolluela (83) assembled a 165 and lay two shots farther back at 239.

Triathlon body forms para-tri group

Pangasinense rules QC tourney ANGASINAN’S Anna de Myer topped the girls’ 16-under and 18-under divisions to emerge as the biggest winner in the recent penultimate leg of the nation-wide Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis Championship Series leg in Quezon City.

De Myer shocked veteran Patricia Lim of Valenzuela City, 7-6, 1-7, 6-4, in the 16-under final and scored a 6-3, 0-6, 10-4 victory over Aubrey Mikah Rosales of Quezon City in the 18-under championship of the tournament hosted by the PhilAm Tennis Club and Veterans Tennis Club Another visitor, Laurenz Quitara of Bacoor

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finals, in three games in the championship round to clinch the crown.

In contrast, San Sebastian lost Soltones, the league’s three-time Most Valuable Player, and several key players and will be using the minimum nine-player rosgter that includes Premier Volleyball League veterans Alyssa Eroa, Vira May Guillema, Joyce Sta. Rita and Dangie Encarnacion.

HE Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) formed of the Philippine ParaTriathlon Committee (PPTC) with veteran management consultant and sportswriter Lito Cinco as chairman.

The committee is also composed of Sarita Zafra, Anton Tangan, head coach Anthony Lozada and Fabie David as core group members. Triathlon Association of the Philippines secretary general Tom Carrasco is the adviser.

The PPTC has finalized its plans and programs aimed at developing paratriathlon in the country with the objective of forming a national training team by the first quarter of 2018.

The group will select from the training team the country’s representatives to next year’s Asian Paratriathlon Championship in Albay in August, 2019 ParaGames to be held parallel with the 30th Southeast Asian Games the Philippines is hosting and the 2020 Paralympics.

TRAP is one of the few national sports associations (NSA’s) already working towards a goal of developing programs for the differently-abled athletes, specifically for paratriathlon.

“PWD-athletes need understanding , they are not begging, they need opportunity and not pity, and we are committed towards attaining our set goal of giving those interested the opportunity to become members of the Philippine paratriathlon team in the future and bring honor to themselves and to the country, “ said Carrasco, also the vice president of the Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) with Mike Barredo as president. gold medals in national competitions. His last gold medal harvest was in the Manny Pacquiao Mindanao Cup. The 20-year-old Mama said he is now training hard at the Sanman Gym. “I want to look impressive. My dream is to fight WBO flyweight champion Sho Kimura in the future,” Mama said.

Mama won two of his three victories this year by knockouts. He first stopped Bimbo “Sniper” Nacionales (14W-15L-1D, 3 KOs) by a 2nd round technical knockout last September 9 at the Polomolok Gym in Polomolok, South Cotabato.

Mama then pummeled to submission veteran Rodel “Hard Worker” Tejares in the 6th round on November 5 at the Robinsons Mall Atrium in Gensan.

Worse, Julie Ann Tiangco, who is expected to take up a bigger role following the departure of the veterans, hurt her knee recently.

“For different reasons, half of my players from last year are gone. Now I just have to make the most out of the remaining players and hope for the best,” San Sebastian coach Roger Gorayeb said.

The San Sebastian-EAC duel is set at 12 noon.

Sports BusinessMirror

A8 Friday, December 29, 2017

WARRIORS BURY JAZZ

‘Comanche’ hoists trophy

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OBART, Australia—Super maxi LDV Comanche was awarded line honors in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Thursday after its protest against Wild Oats XI was upheld over an incident early in the race.

Wild Oats XI was found to have breached race rules over a tacking move at the start on Tuesday in Sydney Harbour.

The eight-time winner was penalized one hour after lengthy deliberations by a five-person international jury in Hobart.

Wild Oats XI had crossed the finish line in record-breaking time but was only 26 minutes and 34 seconds ahead of LDV Comanche.

Mark Richards, the skipper aboard Wild Oats XI, said he and the yacht’s crew accepted the jury’s findings and penalty.

“Not very often do you smash a Sydney to Hobart record and then get it taken away from you, but it’s happened to us today,” he said. “We’re very disappointed but we have to cop it on the chin.”

LDV Comanche skipper and owner Jim Cooney described the decision as “fair.”

“It’s always a bit of a shame it may happen in these circumstances,” he said. “The jury decided very clearly that there was an infringement in the harbor that penalized us. When things come down to the wire so closely like that I think it’s only fair and reasonable that the jury acted the way they did.” AP

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ATHLETE OF THE YEAR H

OUSTON—Jose Altuve led the Houston Astros to their first World Series title with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in November and picked up the franchise’s first Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy in more than two decades a couple of weeks later.

And as his huge 2017 is coming to a close, the diminutive second baseman already is looking for more.

“Winning the World Series, winning the MVP, you feel like you have everything,” Altuve told The Associated Press. “But my perspective is to try and get better every year and if we win one World Series, why not win another one? Just keep playing for the team and keep playing for my city.”

Altuve, who was one of only a handful of players who endured the Astros’ painful rebuilding process en route to this year’s championship, which gave hope to a city ravaged by Hurricane Harvey, was chosen as The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

Results of voting by US editors and news directors was announced on Wednesday. The 5-foot-6 dynamo got 715 points, beating out New England quarterback Tom Brady, who had 646, and third-place finisher Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, with 626.

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

ASTROS star Jose Altuve is named the best of 2017. AP

On Tuesday Katie Ledecky was named AP Female Athlete of the Year.

Altuve is a five-time All-Star who led the majors with a career-high .346 batting average and his 204 hits topped the American League. He is the first player in Major League Baseball history to lead his league in hits in four straight seasons. He tied a career-best with 24 homers and had 81 runs batted in. He was second in the American League by scoring 112 runs, his on-base percentage of .410 ranked third, he was third with 32 steals and his .547 slugging percentage ranked sixth. His work made him the second Astro to win an MVP award, joining Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, who picked up the National League’s honors in 1994.

Altuve carried his stellar regular season into the postseason, where he paced the Astros in their ALDS win over the Boston Red Sox by hitting .533 with an outrageous 1.133 slugging percentage.

Altuve spent his early years with the Astros toiling in relative obscurity as Houston lost 100-plus games in each of his first three major league seasons from 2011-2013. There was no denying his superstar status this season as the Astros won 101 games, and he became one of the best stories early in the postseason when he hit three homers in their Game One win over Boston. AP

AKLAND, California—Kevin Durant scored 21 points, Draymond Green flirted with his second straight tripledouble and the Golden State Warriors used another big third quarter to zoom past the Utah Jazz, 126-101, on Wednesday night.

The game was the first between the teams since the Warriors’ four-game playoff sweep in the Western Conference semifinals last spring, winning each game by double digits.

The Warriors, whose plus-198 scoring margin in the third quarter leads the National Basketball Association (NBA), used their favorite period to break open a game they led 48-47 at halftime.

A 9-0 run punctuated by Durant’s two dunks pushed the lead to 77-63, and the Warriors outscored the Jazz, 22-6, over the final five minutes of the period for a 90-69 lead.

Their 42-22 margin in the quarter marked the fifth time this season the Warriors have outscored an opponent by at least 20 points in the third period.

Green finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in just three quarters, two nights after tying the franchise record with his 20th career triple-double.

Patrick McCaw added 18 points for the Warriors, who won for the 13th time in 14 games.

Rodney Hood scored 26 for Utah.

CURRY’S NOT AROUND AND YET…

STEPHEN is sitting, the Warriors aren’t really scoring, and yet Golden State is still winning.

What happens when Curry and the offense come back?

The defending champions went into the season as favorites to repeat, though Boston and Houston looked like title threats while running off lengthy winning streaks and LeBron James has played some of the best basketball in his career.

Yet, the Warriors have shaken off the injury to their twotime Most Valuable Player and a few others to climb right back in their usual spot atop the NBA standings at 28-7. So as the calendar prepares to change, has anything changed since the preseason?

“I still would say, listen, I’ll be absolutely shocked if somebody beats Golden State, but you know, injuries pop

up,” ABC/ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said, using Curry’s absence as an example.

“If an injury happens at the wrong time things change, and I think Houston has put themselves in great position, I think San Antonio has withstood the injury to [Kawhi] Leonard better than anyone could have expected, and Cleveland after a terrible start has played terrific basketball.”

Curry has missed nine games with a sprained right ankle and the Warriors said on Tuesday he would be reevaluated on Friday. The offense isn’t fully clicking without him, as the Warriors have been held below 100 points three times in the last four games—but they’ve lost only once in his absence.

They have done it by turning themselves into stoppers, leading the league in defensive rating by allowing 100.8 points per 100 possessions and limiting the Cavaliers to 32-percent shooting in their NBA Finals rematch on Christmas.

“Well, it helps when you have guys like KD [Kevin Durant] and Draymond (Green) back there to clean up any missed assignments,” All-Star Klay Thompson said. “They’re so good at contesting every shot in the paint, blocking shots.

They play with such great toughness.”

If teams can’t beat the Warriors when they’re short-handed, it’s hard to imagine anyone doing it when they’re at full strength. But Van Gundy won’t rule out the Rockets, who were wiping out all their opponents until Chris Paul was hurt again after 14 straight victories.

“I think they are an absolute legitimate contender,” Van Gundy said. “I think the Western Conference Finals will have the two best teams in it and I think whoever comes out of that will win the championship.” AP

WHAT happens when Stephen Curry and the Wariors offense come back? AP

NBA RESULTS Boston 102, Charlotte 91 Dallas 98, Indiana 94 Atlanta 113, Washington 99 Chicago 92, New York 87 Minnesota 128, Denver 125, OT New Orleans 128, Brooklyn 113 Oklahoma City 124, Toronto 107 Sacramento 109, Cleveland 95 Golden State 126, Utah 101 Memphis 109, LA Lakers 99