BusinessMirror December 30, 2019

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Monday, December 30, 2019 Vol. 15 No. 81

Ursula farm, infra toll hits ₧1B; deaths at 41 T

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM & Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

HE damage to the farm sector caused by Typhoon Ursula has climbed to almost P800 million following additional reported losses in Western and Eastern Visayas, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said. Combined with damage to infrastructure, Ursula’s toll reaches at least P1 billion, the main disaster agency said on Sunday.

The death toll from Ursula (international code name Phanfone), which struck on Christmas Day, has hit 41, with 28 people injured and another 12 missing, authorities said.

I n it s bu l let i n i ssued on

December 28, the DA-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center (DA-DRRM OpCen) said losses incurred by farmers has reached P782.97 million from P695.85 million.

“Updated report from Western and Eastern Visayas tcaused the increase in the total damages and losses” to the farm sector, the DADRRM OpCen said in its report published online.

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 16 pages |

P482M RELEASED FROM PALACE FUND TO COVER HOG RAISERS’ ASF LOSS

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

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Among the damaged buildings were 372 schools, 29 health facilities and 90 public structures, the NDRRMC said. At least 265,643 houses were likewise, damaged.

Ursula battered the Visayas and parts of Luzon on Christmas and Christmas Eve, affecting 399,242 families or 1,633,611 persons in

HE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has officially released P482.35 million for the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) indemnification program for hog raisers affected by the African swine fever (ASF).

Based on the latest list of special allotment release orders (Saro), the document allowing for the fund release was approved and issued on December 27, following President Duterte’s approval through a December 17 memorandum. In a text message to the BusinessMirror, Acting Budget Secretary Wendel E. Avisado said the money was sourced from the contingency fund of the Office of the President.

Sought for more details on the fund release, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said via SMS: “This money will be mostly for Bulacan and Pampanga, and other outlying provinces.”

At a Cabinet meeting in November, Duterte had approved Dar’s request to use P1 billion from the Office of the President’s contingency fund for the indemnification program. In October, the President had also approved a proposal to increase the indemnification to backyard raisers whose hogs were culled due to ASF—to P5,000 from P3,000 per pig.

While Dar said he doesn’t have the exact number on how many hog raisers will receive indemnification, DA said in its report as of December 15 that the number of pigs culled and which died due to ASF stood at 147,334.

See “Ursula,” A2

See “ASF,” A2

₧782.97M

Updated estimates of losses incurred by farmers, up from P695.85 million, per the latest bulletin issued by the DA-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center

Public structures

Congress seen to move on amending law to allow motorbike taxis on road

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

& Butch Fernandez

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@butchfBM

HEN sessions resume on January 20, lawmakers from both chambers are expected to fast-track deliberations on pending bills to amend the decades-old transportation code in order to allow the operation of motorcycle taxis, which will become illegal when the second trial period ends in March, unless a law is passed.

Samar Rep. Edgar Sarmiento, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, said on Sunday his committee will try to fast-track deliberations of at least 15 pending House bills related to the operation of motorcycle taxis. The operations of these taxis, done through ride-hailing apps, were provisionally allowed for six months amid mounting clamor for alternative means of commuting amid the traffic and an inadequate mass transport system.

Senate leaders, meanwhile, are moving to front-load a review to assess recent actions taken by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) with regard to the new regime for ride-hailing apps after the sixmonth trial period, given the huge

PESO exchange rates n

public interest seen to be hurt by the sudden cap regulators imposed of 10,000 motorbike riders for each operator.

Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, in a text message to the Businessmirror, replied, “Yes” when asked over the weekend if the Senate should move to fast-track legislation amending the National Transportation and Traffic Code in order to allow motorcycles as for-hire vehicles, given the LTFRB statement last Thursday that after the second three-month trial for ride-hailing apps like Angkas, motorbike taxis will cease to exist, being illegal.

Sen.Richard Gordon said Sunday he was still mulling options to hold hearings to assess the need for remedial legislation to protect commuters taking motorbike taxis. “I am still thinking about it,” Gordon told the Businessmirror.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, however, said he is leaving it up to the Committee on Public Services to weigh in options for crafting remedial legislation, adding that the panel chief, Sen. Grace Poe, had been actively leading deliberations on the issues before the six-month trial started.

Poe’s Public Services Committee was one of many parties that tackled the issues before the six-month See “Motorbike taxis,” A2

@BNicolasBM

DA sees 2.5% Q4 growth amid Dec storms

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serve as all-weather access for vehicles and pedestrians going to and from the premier tourist destination.

Currently, boat services connect Boracay and Panay. The bridge, however, will not cater to vehicular through traffic, but will provide loading/unloading areas to facilitate the movement of commuters, solid waste, goods and supplies.

ESPITE storms that hit the farm sector this month, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is optimistic that agricultural output in the fourth quarter would expand by at least 2.5 percent, sustaining its nearly 3-percent growth in the previous quarter.

In a statement recently, the DA remained firm on its projection that the farm sector would grow from 2.5 percent to 3 percent in the October-to-December period.

The country’s agricultural output in the fourth quarter of 2018 rose 1.8 percent.

“We are hopeful that favorable conditions were sustained in the fourth quarter, allowing us to attain a full-year growth target of at least 2 percent,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.

The farm sector grew by only 0.64 percent in the first quarter and then contracted by 1.23 percent in the second quarter due to El Niño, the DA said. Dar is cognizant that he faced “major challenges,” which could have been detrimental to the farm sector’s growth, right after he assumed office in August.

Among these issues are the plunge in palay and copra prices, high retail price of rice, spread of African swine fever (ASF) and the

See “SMC,” A2

See “Q4 growth,” A2

IMMORTAL IMAGE A worker cleans the statue of National Hero Jose Rizal on Sunday at the premier park in Manila named after him, as the nation marks on Monday (December 30) his 123rd death anniversary. He was executed on orders of the Spanish colonial government at Bagumbayan Field, the approximate site of the park. ROY DOMINGO

SMC must address Boracay bridge issues–Villar

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

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IVERSIFIED conglomerate San Miguel Corp. has to address all of the concerns of locals—including environmental issues—before its unsolicited proposal to develop a bridge to Boracay advances.

Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said the proposal is “still pending”

as concerns from locals continue to pile up, now including environmental ones.

“There are environmental concerns as to how the vehicles will travel to Boracay,” he said.

Through San Miguel Holdings Corp.

(SMHC), the company proposed to build a 1.2-kilometer limited-access bridge between Boracay Island and Panay. When completed, the facility will

US 50.7440 n japan 0.4629 n UK 65.9926 n HK 6.5162 n CHINA 7.2512 n singapore 37.4909 n australia 35.2569 n EU 56.3512 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5238

Source: BSP (27 December 2019 )

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Monday, December 30, 2019

PSALM pins hopes on COA to cut Malaya plant bid price

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By Lenie Lectura

₧4.48B

@llectura

HE Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) is waiting for a “positive response” from the Commission on Audit (COA) on its request to lower the P4.48billion minimum bid price (MBD) of the 650-megawatt (MW) Malaya Thermal Power Plant.

The minimum bid price set for the 650-megawatt (MW) Malaya Thermal Power Plant, a level that, given the outcome of past two attempts to sell, seems unpalatable to the market, PSALM officials say

“We plan to commence another round of bidding for Malaya early next year once we get a positive response from COA regarding our letter,” said PSALM President Irene Besido-Garcia in a text message.

To make the power asset attractive to investors, PSALM earlier recommended to COA to deduct

the operating cost of the Malaya power plant from the MBD. Garcia said the cost to operate the plant, which is already way past its commercial life, is P400 to P500 million. The amount includes fuel, real-property taxes, among others.

That amount is seen as behind the tepid response to earlier biddings.

Motorbike taxis. . .

Q4 growth. . .

Continued from A1

trial was set and yet a technical working group of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), described by critics having acted secretly, solely decided on the post-trial regime of capping the number of riders, regardless of public need and demand.

Sarmiento: Public interest foremost

“Hopefully, we would be allowed to subtract that amount from the MBP. We can never really tell how much amount the market is willing to pay so we need to keep on trying,” the PSALM official said.

PSALM declared a failure of the second round of public bidding because there was only one bid. Pursuant to the bidding rules, PSALM then proceeded to go through the process of negotiated sale with the lone bidder, DM Wenceslao.

However, DM Wenceslao’s bid offer was below the MBP. Thus, PSALM was constrained to also

Sarmiento on Sunday also expressed opposition to the LTFRB decision to limit the number of motorcycle taxis operating in Metro Manila, and other highly urbanized areas in the second trial period, which began on December 23, or three days before the six-month experiment ended last December 26.

In an interview, Sarmiento said this decision will “economically dislocate” thousands of riders.

Sarmiento said the government should just maintain the status quo while allowing other players to come in.

He also said the LTFRB should have allowed new players right from the start of the six-month trial for bike-for-hire to avoid a monopoly in the motorcycle ride-hailing services.

Earlier, the Department of Transportation and LTFRB announced the extension of the pilot implementation of motorcycle ride-hailing services in the country after December 26. It also announced the inclusion of two new players—JoyRide and

declare a failure of the negotiated sale.

Garcia said they had asked COA to consider the possibility of discounting the cost for operating that plant, “so that I can bring down the price and it’s going to be more attractive to other bidders. If I cannot bring down the price, it is useless to do another bidding.”

PSALM, she said, had strictly followed the COA guidelines in coming up with the P4.48-billion MBP. “Unfortunately, that is quite high for the perspective of the private sector who will be bidding. It is important for us to go into the process of bidding because that will tell you if the market is really willing to pay that amount. While we didn’t like the outcome because of the failed bidding, it told you that the market is not willing to pay for P4.48 billion for that power plant,” she added.

The Malaya plant is located in Pililla, Rizal. It has two units but only Unit 2 is working. Unit 1 bogged down since last year.

Continued from A1

Move It, but its move to put a 30,000 riders’ cap on the three providers in total drew criticism, since it meant Angkas, the sole participant in the first trial, must reduce its rider force by 17,000.

According to Sarmiento, the LTFRB should consider public welfare first before making any decision.

The lawmaker added that cutting the number of motorcycle taxis under Angkas will economically dislocate thousands of Angkas riders and would certainly deny commuters a well-tested alternative transport especially at a time when Metro Manila’s traffic is getting worse everyday.

“My concern is very simple. If we stop it, the people will be affected. The people will suffer. [Imagine] they have been on the bus for four hours in the morning [going to work], and another four hours from work to home due to our congested roads,” he said in a radio interview.

“While the government is fixing the efficiency of the mass transportation [system], we must first support this industry, a sector where they are helping people reach their destination,” he added.

Sarmiento said before allowing the other players to operate, they should go through the same process of accreditation just like what Angkas did before it was allowed to conditionally operate to ensure that their riders are properly trained.

Fast-track

“There are 15 house bills that are pending right now. Under Republic Act 4136 only four-wheeled vehicles are allowed. This twowheeled vehicle was not allowed [that’s why an] executive order [was issued] six months ago to allow some testing on the motorcycle taxi,” Sarmiento explained.

The 15 bills aim to amend Section 3 and 7 of RA 4136 to include motorcycle-for-hire in the definition of terms and in the classification of vehicles that would be required for registration with the LTFRB. He, however, said that there must be an eventual phaseout of these two-wheeled public transportation if and when the government has already put in place a safe, predictable and efficient mass transport system.

series of typhoons.

“Our prompt implementation of decisive measures to arrest the falling prices of palay, as well as the imposition of strict biosecurity and quarantine measures to manage, control and contain ASF were the key factors in upturning the crops and hog subsectors, respectively,” Dar said.

The DA said early warning announcements helped farmers cut their losses from typhoons. For one, the DA pointed out, the sector was able to save P12 billion worth of crops in Luzon and VIsayas due to early preparations made by the department and local government units prior to Typhoon Tisoy’s landfall.

This included P11.6 billion worth of palay harvested from 157,000 hectares and P109 million worth of corn crops planted on 2,000 hectares, the DA added.

“The Department of Agriculture was able to meet head-on and temper the effects of both man-made and natural calamities through the strong cooperation with LGUs, agrifishery industry leaders, the academe, farmers’ and fishers’ groups, and with the full support of President Duterte, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, and colleagues in the Cabinet, particularly the economic development cluster,” the DA chief said.

“We remained firm and focused on our vision of a food-secure Philippines with prosperous farmers and fishers, advocating our battle cry: ‘Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita’ [Bountiful harvest, high incomes],” he added. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

SMC. . .

Continued from A1

Villar said this development puts Boracay bridge down the non-priority list, especially since the department is gunning to help address traffic congestion in different parts of the Philippines through new roads.

“There’s no definite time [as to when it will be prioritized], but we continue to bet on the project,” he said.

The diversified conglomerate, Villar said, has to convince the locals that the bridge is a necessary addition to further develop the island. “It will really depend on the locals [whether] this proposal will be acceptable to them. But we are still open to it,” he said.

Aside from tourism groups and local boating players, the local government of Aklan has opposed this proposal.

The Boracay bridge aims to “free up Boracay Island from pressures due to overcrowding and overuse of existing facilities, which ultimately produces adverse environmental impact,” proponents had said.

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PRC helping PGH handle ‘lambanog’ poisoning patients F OLLOWING the surge of patients of lambanog-related poisoning, Sen. Richard J. Gordon has instructed the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Health Services to provide full support to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) administration in treating patients who ingested the distilled palm liquor.

PGH Medical Director Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi earlier sought the assistance of PRC and asked for additional cots, as the country’s premier state hospital has run out of beds to accommodate the dozens of patients struck down by lambanogrelated poisoning. The patients had to be brought to PGH from faraway areas because PGH is one of the few state-run hospitals with toxicology specialists.

PRC staff and volunteers have put up so far 20 cot beds—with pillows, pillowcases and linens —and Intravenous Stands (IV) to augment the hospital’s capacity to accommodate more lambanogrelated cases. The cot beds were placed near the PGH Temporary Emergency Room.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III assured the public that the Department of Health is on top of the situation.

“We are investigating the alleged lambanog poisoning. Meanwhile, I urge everyone to avoid drinking alcoholic drinks this holiday season.

ASF. . .

Continued from A1

So far, a total of 612 barangays across eight provinces—Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Tarlac, Rizal, Cavite, Pangasinan and Metro Manila—were affected by ASF. Days after the President approved the DA request to source the P1-billion fund from OP’s contingency fund, the DBM last November 11 released a Saro amounting to P221.67 million to DA to cover the funding requirements for cash assistance to swine raisers affected by ASF.

Infra projects. . .

The two officials also discussed ways of improving people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, particularly in the fields of sports, music and entertainment.

Huang, the DOF said, also reiterated China’s commitment to further improve its bilateral

Ursula. . .

Continued from A1

2,044 barangays in Regions 4B, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and in Caraga.

The families, especially those still housed in evacuation centers, are still being assisted by the government, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development reporting it has already given more than P15 million worth of relief.

T he ty phoon’s heav y rains and strong winds triggered widespread flooding and landslides and, knocked down power lines, with the NDRRMC reporting at least three road sections and two bridges still impassable. Of the 151 cities and municipalities that Ursula left without power due to damaged electric posts and transmission lines, 38 cities and municipalities have so far been reconnected to power.

The NDRRMC said maintenance personnel from various electric cooperatives and even from the local and national government were working nonstop to restore power to affected areas.

Farm losses

The DA-DRRM OpCen, meanwhile,

Let us stay sober as we celebrate the festivities with our families and loved ones,” Duque said.

Possible homicide—Gordon

Gordon, meanwhile, demanded accountability, saying the incident may be considered a homicide because some people have already died.

“We have a Product Liability Act where the owner will be accountable for the harm caused by his product,” said Gordon adding that those liable should be put to jail.

Lambanog is a popular native alcoholic drink. According to the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines, ingestion of the product with an elevated amount of methanol causes serious adverse effects, such as blindness, permanent neurologic dysfunction, and even death. The human body can only tolerate 0.5 percent of methanol.

Methanol is the simplest type of alcohol. It is also known as wood alcohol and methyl alcohol, mostly used to create fuel and solvent which is unfit for human consumption.

PRC said it is ready to provide further assistance like additional medical tents if the need arises.

PRC has been providing the same support to different hospitals during dengue, measles and polio outbreaks in the country.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

A Saro worth P5 million was also approved and released by DBM to DA’ Central Luzon office in October, for the indemnification program in that hard-hit region.

Another Saro worth P18.83 million was also released to cover the indemnification of “livestock farmers affected by animal disease in the province of Rizal.”

To effectively eradicate ASF in the country, DA said earlier that it will request Malacañang to issue an executive order that would compel local government units to observe the national government’s ASF zoning plan.

Continued from A12

relations with the Philippines, which has been growing deeper since President Duterte assumed presidency in 2016.

Huang, who replaced Ambassador Zhao Jianhua as China’s ambassador to the Philippines, presented his credentials to Duterte last December 4. said volume of production losses on rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock and fisheries have now reached 6,655 metric tons, affecting hectares and 56,179 farmers and fisherfolk.

Based on the DA-DRRM OpCen’s report, the fisheries sector suffered the brunt of Ursula’s damage.

About43,813 fisherfolks lost P587.41 million worth of produce and fishing gear.

“The respective DA Regional Field Offices are currently crafting the rehabilitation and recovery plans for the areas affected by the typhoon,” it said.

“In addition to the P60-million fund under the Survival Recovery [SURE] Program of ACPC, the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.

[PCIC] has enough funds to pay for the indemnity of all insured farmers and fisherfolk affected by [Typhoon] Ursula,” it added.

The DA-DRRM OpCen said the 8,532 bags of rice seeds, 4,622 bags of corn seeds and 2,343 kilograms of vegetable seeds from Regions 6, 7 and 8 are avialable for distribution to affected farmers.

Ursula exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday and will no longer affect the country, it added.

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The Nation BusinessMirror

BFAR raises ‘red tide’ alert in five provinces

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HE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) raised the “red tide” alarm in several areas in Bataan, Palawan, Western and Eastern Samar, and Surigao del Sur. The Shellfish Bulletin 26 issued by the BFAR on December 27 indicated that shellfishes collected from these areas tested positive for paralytic shellfish poisoning at levels beyond the regulatory limit. Hence, the agency advised the public to refrain from buying, selling and consuming all types of shellfish and alamang gathered from the affected areas.

The BFAR said the areas affected by red tide include the coastal waters of Bataan, particularly Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Hermosa, Orani, Abucay and Samal. Red tide also affects the following: Puerto Princesa Bay, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan; coastal waters of Dauis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol; IrongIrong, San Pedro and Silanga Bays in Western Samar; Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar; Cancabato Bay, Tacloban City, in Leyte; and Lianga Bay in Surigao del Sur. Meanwhile, the BFAR has declared as free from toxic red tides the coastal areas of Cavite, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Navotas and Bulacan in Manila Bay. Also cleared by BFAR are the following: the coastal waters of Bolinao, Anda, Alaminos, Sual, Wawa and Bani in Pangasinan; coastal

waters of Pampanga; Masinloc Bay in Zambales; coastal waters of Milagros, Mandaon and Placer in Masbate; Juag Lagoon, Matnog and Sorsogon Bay in Sorsogon; Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa City and the coastal waters of Inner Malampaya Sound, Taytay, Palawan.

Also cleared of red tide are the following: coastal waters of Gigantes Islands, Carles in Iloilo; coastal waters of Pilar, Panay, President Roxas and Roxas City in Capiz; Sapian Bay, Ivisan and Sapian in Capiz; Mambuquiao and Camanci, Batan, in Aklan; Altavas, Batan and New Washington in Batan Bay, Aklan; and the coastal waters of EB Magalona, Talisay City, Silay, Bacolod City, Hinigaran and Victorias City in Negros Occidental.

Other areas also declared red tidefree include: the bays of Tambobo, Siaton and Bais, Negros Oriental; coastal waters of Daram Island and the bays of Maqueda and Villareal in Western Samar; coastal waters of Leyte, the bays of Calubian, Carigara and San Pedro in Leyte; the coastal waters of Biliran province; Dumanquilas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur; Tantanang Bay in Zamboanga Sibugay; Murcielagos Bay in Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental; Taguines Lagoon, Benoni, Mahinog in Camiguin Island; Balite and Pujada Bays, Mati in Davao Oriental; coastal waters of Santa Maria in Davao Occidental; and Hinatuan and Bislig Bays in Surigao del Sur. Jonathan L. Mayuga

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Monday, December 30, 2019 A3

DOJ Chief: De Lima’s indictment ‘in consonance with Constitution’

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By Joel R. San Juan

@jrsanjuan1573

USTICE Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra has reminded United States senators that the indictment and imprisonment of Sen. Leila M. de Lima over drug charges are in consonance with the country’s Constitution and criminal procedures that were mostly based on American jurisprudence.

Guevarra made the reiteration as he dismissed US Sen. Patrick Leahy’s ( Ver mont) statement that the Philippine government should release de Lima instead of “irrationally threatening to deny visas to American citizens,” in response to the US government’s ban on President Duterte and other government officials who were believed to be behind de Lima’s “unlawful detention.”

“I wish Sen. Leahy and his four other colleagues in the US Senate know that much of our constitutional law and rules on criminal procedure had their origin in US law. I also wish they know that Sen. de Lima’s indictment was upheld

by the Philippine Supreme Court, and that she has been freely exercising all the rights of an accused in a fair and public trial,” Guevarra told reporters.

He emphasized that de Lima can only be released upon acquittal by the court, and not through pressure from foreign groups or politicians “who do not represent the ‘People of the Philippines.’”

Guevarra also lambasted the US senator for relying on the so-called reports by various human-rights organizations, US State Department and the United Nations indicating that de Lima is a victim of unlawful detention and prosecution.

The DOJ chief invited Leahy’s

legal staff to check on the records and evidence on de Lima’s case and observe court proceedings, instead of relying on “secondhand evidence and, at worst, multiple hearsay.”

“We will allow the legal staff of these senators to come, and authorize them to go over the records and transcripts of the cases, and observe the hearings, subject to reasonable regulations, so that they may enlighten their bosses.”

Guevarra also denied that there is a deliberate delay in the trial proceedings of de Lima’s case, saying that “it is proceeding at a normal pace, given all the circumstances obtaining.”

De Lima has been charged for alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) during her stint at justice secretary.

The drug cases filed against her are pending in three courts at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court.

Last December 23, US President Donald J. Trump signed the 2020 budget law that includes the provision on de Lima’s case.

In response, Duterte has ordered the Bureau of Immigration to deny entry to Leahy and US Sen. Dick Durbin (Illinois), who authored the ban on Philippine government officials behind de Lima’s detention.

The Philippine government also threatened to require US nationals coming to the country to apply for Philippine visas.

Panelo: Photos of surrendering NPA rebels merged into ‘collage’

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ALACAÑANG on Sunday said the photos recently released by the Philippine Army showing supposed surrender of some New People’s Army members were not manipulated, but were “authentic” but “collaged” pictures.

Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo said Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana told him that the photos were two separate genuine pictures that were merged together.

“I talked to Secretary Delfin Lorenzana today, and his explanation was that the two pictures were just merged, like a collage. Those two pictures are both authentic,” Panelo said in Filipino during a radio interview on Sunday.

He added that Lorenzana has already ordered an investigation over the controversial photo that was released to the public recently.

Nonetheless, Panelo said there is nothing wrong with the photo released by the army, despite them being two photos merged into one.

“It was not manipulated. It was just collaged. The two pictures were merged in one picture. So that’s not manipulation. It would be different if the two photos are not real and were merged just to show that a lot of rebels surrendered,” he explained.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

BusinessMirror

A4 Monday, December 30, 2019 Republic of the Philippines

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LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. KONGXI WU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 53 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. LIQUN XIE/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

8

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. PING FAN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 54 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHIWEI ZHENG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

9

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YIJIN XIAO/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 55 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHUIFANG LI/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 10 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. GUANGYU CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 56 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. YU LIN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 11 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. LIN YAN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 57 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHAOWEI HUANG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 12 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. QI GAO/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 58 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. XIN CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 13 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. KANGPENG YOU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 59 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHEN GE/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 14 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JUNJIE LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 15 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. SHOULI CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

MS. XIAOLING ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 60 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 16 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CONG ZHOU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 61 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. YUNYUN ZHOU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 17 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. FEIYU XIONG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 62 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. SIYANG HUANG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 18 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HAIBO BO/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 63 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHAO LI/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 19 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ANNING LI/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 64 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHIBIN LIN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 20 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HONGSUO HE/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 65 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIAOMING CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 21 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. LONG CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 66 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. PENGHUANG CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 22 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. TUN-CHIEN LIN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 67 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JIWU HU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 23 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. QUANSHENG DU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 68 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YILEI LI/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 24 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XINKAI LIN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 69 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIANFENG NING/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 25 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HONGPENG WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 70 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. LAU YEONG KANG/ Malaysian

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 26 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHICONG YANG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 71 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHENGHUI LI/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 27 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. XIN LU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 72 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JIANWEI HE/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 28 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHONGFU LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 73 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JIANBING WEN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 29 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. LIZHU FANG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 74 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JINDA GUO/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 30 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZUHUI XIN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 75 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. QINGWEI MAI/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 31 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. TAN LEAN YONG/ Malaysian

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 76 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JIEDI ZHU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 32 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. MEIHAO CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 77 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. QI CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 33 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHENGLIN YAN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

SOUTH LUZON THERMAL ENERGY 78 CORPORATION Brgy. Puting Bato, Calaca, Batangas

MR. VENKATA SIVA REDDY JADDU / Indian

Deputy Plant Manager for Operations and Maintenance

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 34 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. FENGSHOU HE/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

TAU BODY WORKS PHILIPPINES 79 CORPORATION Batino, Calamba City, Laguna

Mr. YOSHITO HAYASHI / Japanese

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 35 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YI WEI/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

CONSTRUCTION INC. 80 YUXING Brgy. San Juan, Taytay, Rizal

MR. KUNFENG QIAO / Chinese

Technical Field Advisor

CONSTRUCTION INC. 81 YUXING Brgy. San Juan, Taytay, Rizal

Mr. XIAOCONG LIN / Chinese

Technical Field Advisor

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 36 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XINBANG DU/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

PHILIPPINES INC. 82 FURUSHIMA Phase II CEZ, Rosario, Cavite

MR. KAZUO ICHIBAYASHI / Japanese

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 37 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. SIYU ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at the DOLE Regional Office within 30 days from the date of publication.

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 38 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. MAOZHOU HUANG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

Please inform the DOLE Regional Office if you have an information of any criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 39 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHENGLONG HONG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 40 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WEN TAN/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

LANCE EXPERT TECHNOLOGY 41 SOLUTIONS, INC. Brgy. San Francisco, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHENFENG WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

Director, Treasurer and Country Manager

General Manager

HENRY JOHN S. JALBUENA Regional Director

To avail of free job referral, placement, and employment guidance services, visit the nearest Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) or log on at http://www.philjobnet.gov.ph AEP20191007303

The World

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Monday, December 30, 2019 A5

Mass evacuations urged as major blazes threaten southeast Australia T

ENS of thousands of holidaymakers and residents are being urged to evacuate a popular tourist spot in southeast Australia as a heatwave sweeping through the region threatens to escalate wildfires.

In a televised appeal on Sunday, Victoria state’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp called on some 30,000 people vacationing around Lakes Entrance in the East Gippsland

region to leave immediately.

The area, about four hours drive east of the state capital Melbourne, is already threatened by three major blazes, while soaring temperatures, wind and lightning could see more fires break out on Monday and close the main highway in and out of the region.

“We want you to get out now,” Crisp said. “It is important that you now think very very seriously about leaving.”

Temperatures are forecast to soar into next week, reaching 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in Lakes Entrance—a coastal town with pristine beaches and a large system of inland waterways.

In neighboring New South Wales state, firefighters are trying to contain 85 blazes before weather conditions deteriorate.

The blazes, which are also affecting other states, have killed at least nine people since they

began unusually early in September amid a prolonged drought gripping parts of the nation. They have triggered an emotive debate about the impact of global warming in the world ’s driest-inhabited continent, and turned the spotlight on Prime Minister Scott Mor r i son’s con ser v at ive government, which champions the coal industry and has dismissed calls to take more steps to curb emissions. Bloomberg News

HK economy to shrink in 4th quarter, finance head says

H

ONG KONG’S economy is set to contract in the fourth quarter as the city reels from six months of violent social unrest, the financial chief said on Sunday.

“Based on the situation of these few months, it is inevitable that negative growth will continue,” Financial Secretary Paul Chan said in a blog post.

“This means the government will be less flexible in using financial resources under an economic recession.”

The increasingly violent prodemocracy protests that started in June have undermined Hong Kong’s economy, discouraging tourists from visiting and slashing retail sales. The number of mainland Chinese visitors, who comprise the biggest group of tourists in the city, has plunged by almost half, while retail revenue has dropped by about a

quarter during the demonstrations.

Chan said his budget speech to be delivered in February will focus on supporting business, safeguarding employment, reviving the economy and relieving social distress as the city also faces international turbulence, such as protectionism and geopolitics. The “core competitiveness” of Hong Kong’s financial market, including the banking and securities system, the dollar peg and free flow of capital remain robust and orderly, Chan said.

Visitor arrivals

VISITOR arrivals from China fell a record 46 percent in October to slightly more than 2.5 million, less than half of the record set in January. The most recent data for retail sales in Hong Kong, once a mecca for shoppers, showed a

24.3 percent plunge, the biggest ever.

In a separate statement, Hong Kong’s Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said the city’s institutional strengths, such as the rule of law, clean government and a level playing field for businesses have remained strong and intact. The government will broaden its channels of communications with the public, listening and responding more to people’s views and concerns in the coming year, he said.

The city is establishing an independent review committee comprising experts and community leaders to look into causes and full circumstances of the social unrest, looking into deep-seated issues, including unaffordable housing and the wealth gap, Cheung said.

The government has launched four

rounds of relief measures since August, which will not solve the economic problems but could help businesses and Hong Kong people “stay afloat while we strive to heal our divided community and battered economy,” Cheung added.

“The year 2019 has been a year of unremitting shocks and turbulence to our community and our economy,“ Cheung said. “The past six months have been tough for us, but we will soldier on.”

The government forecasts an annual economic contraction of 1.3 percent for 2019. The unemployment rate rose to 3.2 percent in November, the highest level since July 2017. During the protests, more than 2,600 people have been injured, including more than 500 police officers, Cheung said. Bloomberg News

Truck bomb in Somali capital kills at least 79 at rush hour

M

OGADISHU, Somalia—A truck bomb exploded at a busy security checkpoint in Somalia’s capital Saturday morning, killing at least 79 people, including many students, authorities said. It was the worst attack in Mogadishu since the devastating 2017 bombing that killed hundreds.

The explosion ripped through rush hour as Somalia returned to work after its weekend. At least 125 people were wounded, Aamin Ambulance Service Director Abdiqadir Abdulrahman said, and hundreds of Mogadishu residents donated blood in response to desperate appeals.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed condemned the attack as a “heinous act of terror” and blamed the local al-Shabab extremist group, which is linked to al-Qaida and whose reach has extended to deadly attacks on luxury malls and schools in neighboring Kenya.

Bodies lay on the ground amid the blackened skeletons of vehicles. At a hospital, families and friends picked through dozens of the dead, gingerly lifting sheets to peer at faces.

Most of those killed were university students returning to class and police officers, said Somalia’s police chief Gen. Abdi Hassan Hijar. He said the vehicle detonated after police at the checkpoint blocked it from proceeding into the city.

Somalis mourned the deaths of so many young people in a country trying to rebuild itself after decades of conflict. Two Turkish brothers were among the dead, Somalia’s foreign minister said, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack. AP

Education BusinessMirror

A6 Monday, December 30, 2019

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Taiwan offers scholarships for Filipino students

T

he Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) in the Philippines will once again provide various scholarship programs for qualified Filipino students, who wish to pursue degree studies in Taiwan (bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees) or for those who would like to learn Mandarin Chinese in the Republic of China (Taiwan).

In view of the huge demand and positive response from Filipino students in past years, Taiwan‘s Ministry of Education (MOE) has decided to offer more slots of the scholarships for Filipinos to pursue their studies in Taiwan.

The MOE also presents the opportunity for Filipinos to learn Mand ar in Chinese, not on ly through highly qualified teachers in more than 50 language institutions, but also the chance to experience the rich and vibrant Taiwanese culture, and broaden their international perspectives in their daily lives there.

From February 1, 2020, the Teco in the Philippines will accept applications for the following scholarship programs:

n MOE scholarship: Grants a four-year scholarship for undergraduate studies; a two-year scholarship for master’s degree, and a grant of up to four years for doctoral degree.

The MOE will shoulder up to 40,000 NTD each semester for the corresponding tuition and miscel-

laneous expenses. The remaining costs will be shouldered by the scholarship recipient.

An additional 15,000 NTD will be given to recipients undertaking university undergraduate studies, 20, 000 NTD for those pursuing their master’s and PhD as monthly stipend.

The application is from February 1, 2020, to April 30, 2020. (web site: http://edu.law.moe. gov.tw/EngLawConten.aspx?Type= E&id=250)

n Huayu (Mandarin) Enrichment Scholarship: Allows appli-

cants to choose to pursue either intensive Mandarin courses (two months or three months), or up to 12 months Mandarin courses, subject to Teco’s approval.

The grant provides a monthly stipend of 25,000 NTD to cover all the expenses (tuition, miscellaneous, etc.)

The application is from February 1 to March 31, 2020. (web site: http://edu.law.moe. gov.tw/EngLawContent.aspx?Type= E&id=70)

n International Cooperation and Development Fund: The grant

covers the full tuition, living expenses, economy class airfare tickets and textbook costs.

Scholars pursuing a master’s degrees will receive a monthly stipend of 15, 000 NTD and 17, 000 NTD for those pursuing doctoral degrees.

The application is from January 1, 2020 to March 15, 2020. (web site: http://www.icdf.org.tw/ ct.asp?xItem=12505&CtNode=3031 6&mp=2) Each applicant can only apply for one scholarship program among these offerings. The applicants must process first their university admission to their preferred university in Taiwan.

They also have to comply with and submit necessary scholarship requirements to Teco office in the Philippines for review and recommendation based on the indicated deadlines of each program.

Those currently enrolled in another program in Taiwan are ineligible to apply. Scholarship guidelines and additional requirements prescribed by Teco can be found at its web site at https://www.roctaiwan.org/ph_en/cat/38.html Interested parties may also refer to the “Study in Taiwan” web site for more information on the universities and programs available in Taiwan, as well as some featured universities by the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education through the following links: https://www. studyintaiwan.org/discover/education https://www.studyintaiwan. org/upload/file/2017-2018FeaturedUniversities_FICHET.pdf Since the introduction of the scholarship programs to the Philippines, Taiwan has partnered with Philippine institutions and universities to attract more young

and capable talents to study in Taiwan.

More and more Filipinos have become interested in pursuing their studies there. Besides being the Philippines’s closest neighbor, Taiwan is also known to be one of the safest countries to reside in the world.

Taiwanese share the same personal qualities as their Filipino neighbors and Taiwan provides a very affordable living environment for those staying there.

Taiwan also possesses some of the world-renowned professors and high-standard university facilities.

Not only is Taiwan considered to be a melting pot of different cultures, it also possesses a highquality living standard suitable to all its international students.

In order to enhance the cooperation with its neighboring countr ies, President Ing-wen Tsai is pushing forward the “New Southbound Policy” to emphasize greater people to people exchanges in different sectors, especially in the fields of education, tourism and culture, among others.

Peiyung Hsu, Representative of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Philippines, is hoping that more and more Filipinos seize this opportunity to study and experience Taiwan.

He said the two countries and its people can complement each other, emphasizing that Taiwan is truly the best location for Filipinos to pursue higher education due to the advantages that it presents.

For more information, please check the “Study in Taiwan” section found in the web site of Teco in the Philippines at https://www.roctaiwan.org/ph_en/cat/38.html, or contact Teco’s Education Division at philippines@mail.moe.gov.tw.

Present during the MOU signing ceremony held at TMP Tech’s campus in Santa Rosa City, Laguna, are TMP First Vice President Atty. Rommel Gutierrez (from left); TMPF and TMP Tech Treasurer Blesilda Rodriguez; TMPF and TMP Tech President Dr. David Go; CPSC Director General Ramhari Lamichhane; CPSC Executive Assistant Bryan Lazaro, TMPF Assistant Vice President and Operations Manager Ronald Gaspar; and TMP Tech Academic Director Ramon George Atento.

Toyota PHL enhances TVET collaboration

T

oyota Motor Philippines Corp.’s (TMP) humanitarian arm, Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation (TMPF), and premier automotive training school, Toyota Motor Philippines School of Technology, jointly signed a memorandum of understanding with Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) to engage in collaborative activities toward enhancing technical-vocational education and training (TVET).

This tripartite cooperation will initiate mutually beneficial activities focusing on skills development

training and/or human resource management.

This will include: cross-training or exchange of faculty and staff; conduct of joint seminars, workshops and/or conferences; promotion and expansion of services; sharing of facilities and resources; and other innovations related to TVET. CPSC, which has been TMPF’s decade-long institutional partner in its TVET program, is an inter-governmental organization assisting 26 member countries in developing their TVET systems.

Zamboanga school gets new building from SM Prime through SM Foundation

New Myanmar envoy to PHL lauds Searca for scholarships

M

yanmar Ambassador to the Philippines U Lwin Oo expressed appreciation for the scholarships the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture has provided to Myanmar nationals during his recent visit to Searca.

He was received by Searca Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio and Searca Deputy Director for Administration Joselito G. Florendo.

Lwin has been very recently appointed to the Philippines, having presented his credentials to President Duterte last December 4.

Gregorio briefed him about Searca and its programs that include projects and activities covering Myanmar, such as the ongoing “Agricultural transformation and market integration in Asean countries: Responding to food security and inclusiveness concerns.”

In particular, Myanmar has been actively engaged in Searca’s Graduate Education and Institutional Development Program. Exactly 100 Myanmar nationals have been awarded

Z Bayan Academy Board of Trustees Susan Afan, managing director of ABS-CBN Foundation; Don Timothy Buhain, CEO, REX Book Store Inc.; Atty. Dominador Buhain, chairman of REX Book Store Inc.; Greg Racelis, principal of Alabat AINHS; Neonita Mercado, head teacher II of AINHS; Mayor Fernando Luna Mesa of Alabat Island, Quezon; Evangeline Lumio Mesa of Alabat, Quezon; Greta Entoma, head teacher III from AINHS; and Liza Peralta, Bureau of Curriculum Development of Department of Education

Searca scholarships for master’s and PhD studies, 83 of whom have completed their programs.

Also present during the briefing were

Florendo; Min Si Thu Zaw, third secretary, Embassy of Myanmar in the Philippines; and the ambassador’s wife.

Before meeting with the Searca of-

ficials, Lwin met with Myanmar students currently enrolled at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, most of whom are Searca scholars.

amboanga City—The Zamboanga Central School-Sped Center (ZCS-SC) is the recipient of a two-story, four-classroom school building donated by SM Prime, through SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI).

The school building is complete with armchairs (some are designed for left-handed students), teachers’ tables and chairs, wall fans, wall clocks, washrooms and panoramic concave whiteboards in each classroom.

SM Investments Corp. also provided the school with computers that the students may use to further enhance their digital skills.

Two classrooms have been made into a Home Economics Room and a Laboratory Room.

Besides the school building turnover, SMFI held a two-day medical mission that benefited the more than 620 “wasted and severely wasted” (malnourished) ZCS-SC learners, including their parents and siblings.

Necessary medical test and procedures

were conducted to determine the cause of the schoolchildren’s malnutrition.

Multivitamins and other medication were distributed to address the medical team’s findings. To sustain the progress of the children, SM FI will monitor the beneficiaries’ improvement for six to nine months.

Also, to promote the love for reading— which will eventually improve the reading and comprehension of the school children of ZCS—SMFI and SM City Mindpro representatives conducted a storytelling activity.

Present at the event were Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco; SM Supermalls Regional Manager for Mindanao Jonathan Nick Santos; SM City Mindoro Mall Manager Lucino J. Agraviador and Marketing Manager Masayuki F. Sakai; SM-EDD Engr. Aldin Ladjamatli; SMFI Executive Director for Education Linda Atayde; and other representatives from SM and partners.

SNAP adopts two elementary schools in Benguet

T

wo elementary schools in Benguet can look forward to improved facilities in 2020 as renewable-energy company, SN Aboitiz Power-Benguet (SNAP-Benguet), recently adopted them as beneficiaries of the Adopt-A-School Program (ASP).

The school improvement project is covered by a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between SNAP-Benguet with the regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd) on December 5, at the Ambuklao Hydro Electric Power Plant (HEPP).

President and CEO Joseph S. Yu represented SN Aboitiz Power, while Benilda M. Daytaca, OIC-schools division superintendent, represented DepEd at the MOA signing.

Although by no means new to undertakings that support and advance community

education, this is SNAP-Benguet’s first ASP engagement.

Through the MOA, SNAP-Benguet will fund Nawal Elementary School’s roof rehabilitation project and Binga Elementary School’s tilefloor installation for nine classrooms.

Nawal Elementary School is in barangay Nawal in the municipality of Bokod, while Binga Elementary School is in barangay Tinongdan in Itogon. Each project has a budget of P500,000.

Site management led by SNAP-Benguet Plant Manager AVP Hollis Fernandez served as the signing event’s witness. It was graced

by SNAP-Benguet, DepEd and school officials.

Daytaca thanked SNAP and emphasized that the program will be of great help to the department and the beneficiaries.

Ardesheir A. Benso, Nawal Elementary

School’s head teacher, and Dante D. Ramillo, Binga Elementary School’s principal, were thankful that their schools were chosen to be part of the project.

Both SNAP-Benguet and DepEd expressed a desire to continue working together to benefit more students with better quality education.

Voicing his eagerness to extend further assistance, Yu encouraged DepEd to share their strategic plans, for review and potential groundwork for future collaborations.

After the event, the DepEd officials took a tour of the plant’s facilities. They conveyed their appreciation of the plant’s high-standard maintenance and operations.

This undertaking is part of SNAP’s continuous exploration of more ways to support a better society, starting from its host communities.

SN Aboitiz Power, represented by President and CEO Joseph S. Yu (front row, second from left), and DepEd-Benguet’s OICSchools Division Superintendent Benilda M. Daytaca (front row, second from right), during the Adopt-A-School MOA signing.

Companies BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

December 27, 2019

Net Foreign Stocks Bid Ask Open High Low Close Volume Value Trade (Peso) Buy (Sell) FINANCIALs

BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK PHILTRUST SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE BDO LEASING COL FINANCIAL FIRST ABACUS FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MEDCO HLDG NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE

157.9 87.9 25 8.48 12.04 66.25 34.5 57.35 118 195 57.6 0.85 1.85 18 0.54 3.82 1.15 0.365 0.82 174 1820

158 87.95 25.05 8.49 12.06 66.3 35 57.5 130 196 57.7 1.06 1.88 18.42 0.69 3.83 1.22 0.375 0.83 175 1825

157.4 88 25.05 8.49 12 67 34.5 57.5 118.5 192 58.2 1.11 2.02 18 0.6 3.9 1.16 0.375 0.79 173 1825

158 88 25.15 8.49 12.18 67 35.8 57.5 130 197 58.25 1.11 2.02 18.42 0.72 3.95 1.22 0.375 0.83 175 1825

155.3 86.7 24.9 6.23 11.9 66.2 34.45 57.5 118.5 190 57.7 1.11 1.84 18 0.6 3.81 1.16 0.375 0.78 173 1825

158 87.9 25.05 8.49 12.06 66.3 34.5 57.5 130 195 57.7 1.11 1.87 18.42 0.72 3.83 1.16 0.375 0.83 175 1825

2245820 2222540 366300 4300 64000 1972480 235900 470 1250 186470 3280 4000 176000 111400 500000 235000 9000 80000 74000 1170 60

354223145 195154222 9175310 33547 766302 130811156 8201970 27025 159350 36417772 190029 4440 330160 2005578 336630 899670 10500 30000 59850 204630 109500

INDUSTRIAL

AC ENERGY ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO MANILA WATER PETRON PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL SPC POWER VIVANT AGRINURTURE AXELUM CENTURY FOOD DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA JOLLIBEE MACAY HLDG MAXS GROUP PEPSI COLA SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VICTORIAS CONCRETE A CONCRETE B CEMEX HLDG EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP HOLCIM MEGAWIDE PHINMA TKC METALS VULCAN INDL CHEMPHIL CROWN ASIA LMG CHEMICALS PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR IONICS PANASONIC SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG

HOLDING & FRIMS

ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG KEPPEL HLDG B LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA REPUBLIC GLASS SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP SOC RESOURCES TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

-103363751 55023362 63268 -55845414 -4663920 -10958980 -109137 16160 1033200 -6200 -54750

2.23 1.21 33.55 0.231 23.9 68.95 313.6 10.34 3.86 3.95 11.48 32.8 8.19 14.02 13 2.61 15.18 4.85 9.48 7.2 84.95 0.5 1.2 37.5 215.4 6.1 11.72 1.92 9.9 2.17 5.29 1.79 0.117 145 1.19 2.44 65 66.6 2.01 14.3 9.8 13.52 16.36 9.85 0.99 0.85 165 2.15 4.61 4.94 27.05 1.86 7.72 1.29 4.62 0.85 4.05

2.25 1.28 34.2 0.243 24.15 69 317 10.36 3.88 4.1 11.94 32.85 8.2 15.12 13.2 2.66 15.28 5.05 9.5 7.21 85 0.52 1.21 38 216 6.19 12.4 1.93 10.12 2.2 5.3 1.93 0.119 148.9 1.2 2.57 67 71.9 2.04 14.86 9.85 13.6 16.38 10.06 1.02 0.86 170 2.17 4.86 5.06 30 1.87 7.89 1.3 5.42 0.86 4.07

2.28 1.23 33.85 0.239 23.85 68.2 305 10.04 3.89 4.1 11.5 32.9 8.48 15.12 13.38 2.76 15.12 5.05 9.44 7.22 85 0.5 1.25 38.25 216.2 6.2 11.94 1.92 9.9 2.19 5.3 1.8 0.115 147.8 1.17 2.6 64.45 71.95 2.08 14.5 9.78 13.7 16.38 10 1.02 0.87 170 2.16 4.6 5.06 27 1.87 7.91 1.26 4.54 0.87 4

2.28 1.23 34.8 0.245 24.6 70 317 11.38 3.92 4.1 11.94 33.4 8.48 15.12 13.5 2.78 15.28 5.05 9.5 7.22 85.3 0.52 1.26 39 217 6.2 12.4 1.93 10.08 2.2 5.3 1.8 0.117 149.9 1.2 2.6 67 71.95 2.08 14.9 9.8 13.7 16.44 10.08 1.02 0.87 170 2.17 4.86 5.06 30 1.89 7.91 1.3 5.43 0.87 4.78

2.23 1.21 33.55 0.23 23.3 68.2 304 9.48 3.84 4.1 11.4 32.6 8 15.12 13 2.61 15.08 4.85 9.43 7.2 84.9 0.49 1.2 37 214.6 5.9 11.7 1.92 9.9 2.15 5.25 1.8 0.115 145 1.14 2.6 64.45 71.9 2.01 14.3 9.46 13.5 16.32 10 0.99 0.85 161.8 2.14 4.6 5.06 27 1.8 7.6 1.26 4.54 0.85 4

2.23 1.21 34.2 0.245 24.15 68.95 317 10.36 3.86 4.1 11.94 32.8 8.19 15.12 13.5 2.61 15.18 4.85 9.5 7.21 85 0.51 1.21 38 216 6.19 12.4 1.92 9.9 2.17 5.3 1.8 0.117 145 1.2 2.6 65 71.9 2.01 14.86 9.8 13.6 16.38 10.06 1.02 0.86 170 2.15 4.86 5.06 30 1.87 7.89 1.3 5.43 0.85 4.07

3099000 71000 798800 5100000 3151100 40920 190120 79907100 1481000 1000 330500 1043400 113000 3000 423000 4775000 308400 6000 1887000 488600 239460 219000 18722000 149000 302990 68700 182800 12747000 1790000 1273000 10900 5000 220000 631700 8016000 1000 2220 2390 1949000 19200 334900 1281500 2842500 3004300 89000 1352000 230 435000 11000 1000 54800 9898000 66700 77000 10200 28000 2856000

6962930 86190 27261925 1232980 75567255 2804704 59419560 831706562 5744380 4100 3897144 34250320 922447 45360 5660486 12660970 4681796 29500 17892788 3521861 20356623.5 110190 22856990 5615820 65345474 413176 2228768 24481550 17744749 2744190 57577 9000 25500 93104458 9511550 2600 144370 171848.5 3,984,150( 279946 3278663 17422828 46598230 30083148 89490 1165030 38854 941150 50860 5060 1522830 18124090 516122 99300 46442 23900 12395740

6830330 -26239490 -1497943.5 29707428 -48073396 -1966200 -37014 -16584265 -22680 -2988386 21310 2231708 4903047 -621953 8825461.5 -138010 1441000 -28251350 24800 -1202052 -2544190 -4541195 -39202 -46045675 135930 1,707,370.0001) -87882 -1123673 -16846038 -35479036 -30050000 81950 -5400 10874880 134341 -64200 199610

0.85 10.18 785.5 51.45 11.64 2.99 6.33 0.68 0.92 0.94 6.83 6.61 13 3.83 847 5.2 80.55 6 5.2 0.485 3.71 11.92 3.47 4.55 1.14 2.81 1.22 190.5 1042 163.1 0.75 206.6 0.202 0.191

0.86 10.46 790 51.5 11.66 3 6.59 0.69 0.93 0.96 6.84 6.63 13.38 3.99 856.5 5.24 80.8 6.65 5.79 0.5 3.8 11.98 3.48 4.7 1.2 2.96 1.24 195 1043 164 0.79 214 0.217 0.2

0.87 10.24 800 52 11.54 3.02 6.42 0.67 0.91 0.96 6.67 6.87 13.38 4.2 845 5.25 79.2 5.89 5.86 0.485 3.72 11.9 3.58 4.6 1.2 2.9 1.22 214 1068 161 0.77 206 0.218 0.19

0.88 10.48 808 52.5 11.76 3.02 6.42 0.69 0.93 0.96 6.9 6.93 13.4 4.2 881 5.25 81 6.65 5.86 0.5 3.73 12 3.59 4.78 1.2 2.95 1.22 214 1080 165 0.79 214 0.22 0.202

0.85 10.2 785.5 51.5 11.54 2.99 6.42 0.66 0.9 0.96 6.67 6.61 13 3.78 845 5.2 79.2 5.89 5.79 0.485 3.71 11.68 3.46 4.6 1.13 2.9 1.22 190 1039 157.5 0.74 206 0.202 0.19

0.86 10.46 785.5 51.5 11.66 2.99 6.42 0.69 0.93 0.96 6.84 6.61 13 3.99 847 5.2 80.8 6.65 5.79 0.5 3.71 11.98 3.48 4.75 1.2 2.95 1.22 195 1043 164 0.79 214 0.202 0.2

15101000 11200 448810 1103790 17493800 1783000 6200 69000 692000 203000 272700 19598000 222000 12000 197790 62100 1719870 382000 200200 2000 163000 1645800 60319000 14000 61000 255000 135000 1130 428450 101610 39000 165480 1180000 6830000

13098160 114442 356100685 57127455 204259208 5343320 39804 45930 635670 194880 1855111 132357921 2898420 48710 170793930 325055 138894595 2428676 1173165 985 605060 19700732 212074230 66230 69910 752000 164700 216310 449582840 16629465 29220 35377140 258610 1365850

524000 -57401710 -7484613 -1406634 -733100 7704 222403 -24445337 -66366620 -210000 7331079.5 377557 1172586 -3730 -8811258 -127525430 12200 -120820290 -4839307 -2380 -220000 -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.8 0.81 0.8 0.81 0.78 0.81 630000 499830 45.5 46 46.3 46.55 45.5 45.5 10432800 479698750 -214708815 AYALA LAND ARANETA PROP 1.32 1.44 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.47 6000 8820 1.98 1.99 2 2 1.98 1.99 119000 236880 -11910 BELLE CORP 0.7 0.71 0.71 0.72 0.7 0.71 142000 99960 A BROWN CITYLAND DEVT 0.81 0.85 0.85 0.85 0.85 0.85 6000 5100 0.182 0.188 0.18 0.189 0.18 0.188 1110000 203630 CROWN EQUITIES CEBU HLDG 6.63 6.8 6.9 6.95 6.5 6.8 6000 41165 4.69 4.83 4.76 4.83 4.67 4.83 1478000 7105280 -502320 CEB LANDMASTERS 0.53 0.55 0.54 0.55 0.53 0.55 13021000 7014670 -221900 CENTURY PROP CYBER BAY 0.385 0.395 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38 10000 3800 18.88 18.9 18.9 19.4 18.88 18.9 1052900 20003218 -3172578 DOUBLEDRAGON DM WENCESLAO 9.67 9.9 9.98 9.98 9.65 9.9 97200 960630 -668305 0.41 0.43 0.415 0.43 0.415 0.43 150000 62800 EMPIRE EAST FILINVEST LAND 1.5 1.51 1.52 1.52 1.5 1.5 2737000 4129670 322890 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.15 1.18 1.16 1.2 1.15 1.2 356000 410720 14.72 14.74 14.76 14.78 14.72 14.74 359000 5296126 -229970 8990 HLDG PHIL INFRADEV 1.23 1.25 1.25 1.27 1.22 1.25 1267000 1570560 4.01 4.08 4.14 4.18 4.01 4.01 27824000 114129640 8003770.0001 MEGAWORLD 0.19 0.191 0.192 0.194 0.189 0.191 10230000 1947040 57060 MRC ALLIED PRIMEX CORP 2.05 2.12 2.1 2.1 2.03 2.09 1900000 3901790 -240.0001 27.55 27.8 27.2 28.15 27.2 27.55 2038200 56837455 2270850 ROBINSONS LAND PHIL REALTY 0.3 0.305 0.31 0.31 0.3 0.3 510000 153550 2.04 2.11 2.11 2.12 2.03 2.04 63000 130490 ROCKWELL SHANG PROP 3.19 3.2 3.2 3.21 3.1 3.2 24000 76430 STA LUCIA LAND 2.39 2.47 2.36 2.48 2.36 2.48 500000 1206980 41.95 42.1 41.5 42.1 41.4 42.1 14600500 613844805 228459150 SM PRIME HLDG VISTAMALLS 5.47 5.66 5.55 5.66 5.46 5.66 1832600 10045330 1.23 1.24 1.18 1.24 1.18 1.23 8235000 10066700 SUNTRUST HOME PTFC REDEV CORP 40.05 49.95 49.95 49.95 49.95 49.95 100 4995 VISTA LAND 7.37 7.73 7.38 7.73 7.32 7.73 8337900 63078293 -37595813

SERVICES ABS CBN 15.76 15.8 15.8 15.82 15.3 15.8 60600 953926 5.31 5.33 5.31 5.37 5.31 5.33 545500 2907261 GMA NETWORK MANILA BULLETIN 0.355 0.38 0.385 0.385 0.385 0.385 20000 7700 2000 2020 1998 2030 1998 2020 35090 70702720 20243890 GLOBE TELECOM PLDT 988 996 999.5 1003 988 988 124630 124310925 -37777760 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.042 0.043 0.042 0.043 0.042 0.043 1700000 72500 4.82 4.88 4.88 4.9 4.51 4.88 866000 4222840 DFNN INC ISLAND INFO 0.1 0.103 0.1 0.104 0.1 0.104 130000 13040 3.44 3.45 3.4 3.46 3.31 3.44 10071000 34466430 -201440 ISM COMM 2.01 2.17 1.9 2.19 1.9 2 34000 68210 JACKSTONES NOW CORP 2.48 2.49 2.43 2.6 2.4 2.49 3058000 7594830 -560580 0.27 0.275 0.27 0.28 0.27 0.27 1130000 310300 TRANSPACIFIC BR PHILWEB 2.59 2.61 2.56 2.61 2.54 2.61 2093000 5400730 -28150 10.02 10.5 9.89 10.5 9.51 10.5 128300 1295194 2GO GROUP ASIAN TERMINALS 18 18.5 18 18.5 18 18.5 250700 4520100 4242600 CHELSEA 5.47 5.5 5.4 5.5 5.3 5.5 1053100 5716814 40565 89.45 89.5 89.85 89.85 89.45 89.5 141270 12648324 -8162953 CEBU AIR INTL CONTAINER 128.6 129.2 129 131.3 127.1 128.6 1669580 215210196 -62802719 0.85 0.86 0.85 0.85 0.85 0.85 75000 63750 LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA 16.4 16.5 17 17 16.5 16.5 331600 5,493,932( 2,430,543.9997) PAL HLDG 7.5 7.85 7.85 7.85 7.1 7.85 4800 34505 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.05 1.07 700000 747590 107670 HARBOR STAR ACESITE HOTEL 1.4 1.54 1.42 1.42 1.4 1.4 88000 123660 0.6 0.61 0.57 0.61 0.57 0.6 121000 72600 WATERFRONT STI HLDG 0.6 0.62 0.61 0.62 0.6 0.6 4238000 2546310 -2151600 BERJAYA 5.14 5.2 4.95 5.2 4.76 5.2 4445000 22583050 -238200 11.3 11.32 11 11.34 11 11.3 1918200 21661494 -3377236 BLOOMBERRY PACIFIC ONLINE 2.25 2.5 2.57 2.57 2.45 2.5 26000 64820 -54750 2.39 2.4 2.39 2.4 2.38 2.4 832000 1988040 LEISURE AND RES MANILA JOCKEY 3.33 3.35 3.35 3.35 3.35 3.35 5000 16750 PH RESORTS GRP 4.4 5 5 5.2 5 5.2 50000 253706 0.56 0.57 0.57 0.59 0.56 0.57 14396000 8095570 -613569.9997 PREMIUM LEISURE PHIL RACING 8.84 8.85 8.88 8.88 8.85 8.85 200 1773 11.6 11.64 11.56 11.64 11.52 11.64 2868200 33309926 -4254076 ALLHOME METRO RETAIL 2.09 2.12 2.12 2.12 2.09 2.11 433000 911040 -172200 PUREGOLD 39.7 39.75 40.3 40.3 39.75 39.75 1336600 53323565 568135.0004 77 80 77.95 80 76 80 839780 65672083 -15872737 ROBINSONS RTL PHIL SEVEN CORP 140 142 136.2 142 136.2 142 1530 216004 71364 2.73 2.78 2.77 2.78 2.71 2.78 2051000 5655760 -869480 SSI GROUP WILCON DEPOT 17.84 18 17.8 18 17.78 18 182900 3279610 428332 APC GROUP 0.385 0.39 0.38 0.39 0.37 0.39 1480000 562050 7.77 7.79 7.79 7.79 7.76 7.79 169700 1321701 EASYCALL GOLDEN BRIA 436 436.4 425 436.4 425 436 310 134068 7 7.94 6.5 7 6.45 7 68900 455900 130580 IPM HLDG PRMIERE HORIZON 0.335 0.34 0.34 0.35 0.32 0.34 28370000 9628700 -8250 SBS PHIL CORP 9.2 9.26 8.69 9.26 8.64 9.26 236000 2121789

MINING & OIL ATOK 10.5 10.92 10.96 10.96 10.5 10.96 500 5388 0.98 0.99 0.96 1 0.96 0.99 4248000 4203230 APEX MINING ABRA MINING 0.0015 0.0016 0.0015 0.0015 0.0015 0.0015 3000000 4500 2.41 2.5 2.49 2.5 2.49 2.5 55000 137460 ATLAS MINING BENGUET A 1.05 1.13 1.13 1.13 1.13 1.13 1000 1130 CENTURY PEAK 2.87 2.88 2.81 2.89 2.81 2.88 2314000 6598990 111000 6.92 6.93 7.3 7.3 6.93 6.93 600 4195 DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL 1.78 1.79 1.79 1.81 1.76 1.79 1225000 2184450 257060 0.197 0.202 0.203 0.203 0.197 0.202 80000 15940 GEOGRACE LEPANTO A 0.091 0.092 0.092 0.097 0.091 0.091 680000 62070 MARCVENTURES 0.98 1 0.89 0.98 0.89 0.98 485000 465020 0.98 1.01 1.01 1.02 1.01 1.02 2000 2030 NIHAO NICKEL ASIA 3.33 3.39 3.38 3.39 3.24 3.39 7033000 23532070 -3809430 0.45 0.49 0.47 0.47 0.47 0.47 30000 14100 OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA 0.75 0.76 0.75 0.75 0.74 0.75 264000 197850 -18000 PX MINING 2.81 2.83 2.76 2.83 2.76 2.83 370000 1041790 22 22.05 22 22.6 21.6 22 2253400 49725465 -3360585 SEMIRARA MINING ACE ENEXOR 7.32 7.38 7.46 7.56 7.3 7.32 447300 3308503 53465 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 8500000 93500 1100 ORNTL PETROL B PHILODRILL 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 15000000 165000 PXP ENERGY 8.58 8.64 8.62 8.64 8.52 8.64 549900 4735194 68300.9999

PREFFERED

AC PREF B1 499 505 499 499 499 499 50 24950 101.3 103.3 101.3 101.3 98.25 101.3 510 51632.5 -50650 ALCO PREF B AC PREF B2R 505 509.5 505 505 505 505 3000 1515000 100.1 101 100.6 100.6 100.5 100.5 5240 526784 DD PREF SMC FB PREF 2 997 998.5 998.5 998.5 997 997 80 79775 FGEN PREF G 108 111.9 111.9 111.9 111.9 111.9 10 1119 498 507 500 500 500 500 200 100000 GLO PREF P MWIDE PREF 100.2 101 100.5 100.5 100.3 100.3 4770 478447 1022 1030 1031 1035 1022 1022 4290 4419400 PNX PREF 4 PCOR PREF 3A 1031 1051 1031 1031 1031 1031 3000 3093000 PCOR PREF 3B 1050 1055 1051 1055 1050 1055 800 843025 76 77.5 77.5 77.7 77.5 77.5 10840 842208 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D 75 75.5 75 75 75 75 13400 1005000 75.8 76.9 75.75 76 75.75 75.8 1513530 114724905 SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2I 75.2 76.5 76.95 76.95 75.2 75.2 9440 710105.5 PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR GMA HLDG PDR

15.4 5.07

15.7 5.3

15.4 5.3

15.4 5.3

15.02 5.3

15.4 5.3

21100 28200

324812 149460

WARRANTS LR WARRANT

1.2

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

ITALPINAS 3.7 KEPWEALTH 9.7 0.77 XURPAS

1.29

1.3

1.3

1.2

1.29

38000

46720

-

3.79 9.72 0.78

4 10.08 0.76

4.01 10.08 0.78

3.64 9.51 0.76

3.79 9.7 0.77

671000 346500 1611000

2625440 3346331 1241220

1953730 28344 -

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF

116.7

306498 -

117.4

117.3

117.9

116.5

117.4

45500

5314164

-318951

Monday, December 30, 2019

A7

Italpinas secures ₧440-M DBP loan to bankroll Cagayan de Oro project

By VG Cabuag

S

@villygc

TATE-OWNED Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has approved up to P440 million in loans to boutique property developer Italpinas Development Corp.

Italpinas said the new funding will support its new project located in Cagayan de Oro. The company said DBP is supporting Citta Bella at Primavera City, the name of its second phase development of the Primavera City complex.

It is scheduled to start construction by the first quarter 2020.

DBP also supported Citta Verde at Primavera City, the company’s first phase development of the complex.

Italpinas started construction of this project in September 2018, and will be ready for occupancy by June 2020.

“DBP is one of the major valued partner-banks of IDC [Italpinas]. This good relationship was

further strengthened by its current [DBP] President and CEO Emmanuel G. Herbosa when he reassured his support to Primavera City, which is IDC’s trademark sustainable green housing project for the middle-market segment in Cagayan de Oro City,” the company said.

The loan documents were signed on December 12 at the DBP Head Office in Makati.

Upon completion, Primavera City is designed to be an iconic landmark edifice in Cagayan de Oro City, comprising a cluster of six mixed-use mid-rise condominium buildings and one high-rise condo.

“To date, we are pleased to inform our valued buyers and partners that Citta Verde, which is the first phase of Primavera City, will be ready for occupancy within second quarter

[of] 2020. We will also commence construction soon of Citta Bella, the second phase development of the Primavera City complex,” Romolo Nati, the company’s chairman and CEO, said. In terms of sales performance of these first two phases of Primavera City, Jose D. Leviste III, the company’s president, said it has sold 96 percent of the residential units inventory of Citta Verde ( Primavera City Phase One) with revenues worth P775 million.

For Citta Bella (Primavera City Phase Two), around 60 percent of the residential units were already presold with sales value of P273 million.

“We are indeed very pleased with the market acceptance of our projects, and will continue to offer quality yet affordable housing products to our target market.” Nati said.

Despite uncertainties, Smart forging ahead with 5G plans

D

ESPITE the lack of handsets in the market, and the uncertainty of its use cases in the Philippines, wireless services provider Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) has started deploying mobile 5G technology in its towers in Metro Manila.

Smart President Alfredo S. Panlilio said his group will focus its mobile 5G initiative first in the Philippine capital, and its neighboring cities, to essentially test the market and maximize its assets in the area. Manuel V. Pangilinan, who chairs the company, admitted that his group is still uncertain of the prospects of mobile 5G in the country, but it

hopes to replicate the success of some East Asian telcos in the 5G sphere.

“We really don’t know, yet. But, [from] what we’ve seen in Japan and South Korea, it’s growing phenomenally. We see 5G taking off, maybe not as quickly as us because of the handsets issue, buildup issue. It’s still not clear to us what the use cases are,” he said.

However, Smart decided to move forward with its 5G initiative to future-proof its network.

“It’s build as you go,” Pangilinan said.

Smart is expected to launch the 5G service in the first half of 2020.

5G is seen as the next mobile technology that

STOCK-MARKET OUTLOOK Last week

Share prices gained during the last trading week for the year but trading was minimal as many investors were already in holiday mode.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose 42.14 points to close the week and the year at 7,815.26 points.

It was a short three-day trading week and the PSEi gains were only made on Monday, while it was down during the last two trading days of the year.

For the year, the main index managed to post gains of 349.24 points or 4 percent from last year’s close. It reached a high of 8,365.29 points and a low of 7,475.16.

“Trading volumes remain subdued as most investors might have chosen to take the remaining days off and spend it with their families. Despite ending lower, we saw the index close at its high for the day which tells us that it wants to go higher,” Christopher Mangun, research head at AAA Securities Inc., said.

Foreign investors were still net sellers at P1.89 billion. They ended the year at a net sell of P14.5 billion.

Average daily trading for the week was at P4.99 billion, lower than the year-to-date average of P6.25 billion.

The subindices ended mixed but most ended on the green.

The broader All Shares index gained 50.84 points to close at 4,649.67 points, the Financials index rose 20.49 to 1,864.65, the Industrial index was up 267.48 to 9,635.07, the Holding Firms index fell 7.58 to 7,592.07, the Property index increased 14.98 to 4,154.52, the Services index was down 2.24 to 1,531.10, and the Mining and Oil index soared 505.24 to 8,091.98.

For the week, gainers edged losers 142 to 72, and 28 shares were unchanged.

Top gainers were Manila Water Co., Bright Kindle Resources and Investments Inc., First Abacus Financial Holdings Corp., First Abacus Financial Holdings Corp., ISM Communications Corp., Philippine Racing Club Inc. and Berjaya Philippines Inc. Top losers, on the other hand, were Bogo-Medellin Mining Co. Inc., DFNN Inc., BDO Leasing and Finance Inc., Oriental Petroleum and Minerals Corp. B, Macay Holdings Inc. and Ferronoux Holdings Inc.

This week

Trading for the first week of the year is expected to be subdued as most investors are expected to be still in a holiday mood.

There will only be two trading days for next week as December 30 to January 1 are public holidays.

“It will be a quiet trading with only two days of trading and inflation will be released a week after,” Luis Limlingan, managing director at brokerage firm Regina Capital Development Corp., said.

Inflation figures for the full year will be released on January 7 and Limlingan said investors will take their cue from those numbers.

Stock picks

Broker Regina Capital gave a buy recommendation on the stock of DMCI Holdings Inc., but only when its support price of between P6.42 and P6.68 per share hold.

“The stock staged a slight breakout past P6.42 and is nearing its 50-day moving average of P7.24. Its general uptrend, which began when it bottomed at P4.95 earlier this month, resulted in the reversal of the indicators’ signals,” it said.

DMCI shares were sold down during the last few weeks after the water concession issue broke out. The company partly owns West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. Its shares ended the year at P6.61 apiece.

Meanwhile, the broker gave the same recommendation on the stock of East Zone concessionaire Manila Water Co., with its support price of P7.50 per share.

“MWC continues to climb after finding a bottom at 5.01. Though the stock still has a relatively long way to go before returning to around P18, its level before its breakdown, MWC’s indicators are gradually losing its strong bearish pressure,” the broker said.

Manila Water shares closed Friday at P10.36 apiece. VG Cabuag

will revolutionize not only the way people communicate with each other, but also how devices talk to one another to create a smart environment.

It can enable a suite of industry applications, such as massive connectivity for thousands of devices, ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, distributed cloud computing, unified security and network slicing, among others.

Ultra-low latency is important for 5G use cases, such as video analytics plus industrial robotics control for manufacturing, remote crane/ tractor operations in challenging/hazardous environments like mines and ports, as well as for real-time gaming with tactile sensors.

mutual funds

Early use cases seen are connected to the Internet of Things (IoT), which is a school of thought that calls for the connectedness of devices via one medium—the mobile phone.

For mobile 5G, it is important, though, that the towers are continuously built. Unfortunately, the Philippines is one of the poorest countries in Asia in terms of telco infrastructure.

Hence, Pangilinan said his group is open to different means of increasing its tower capacities to offer 5G. “There might be some common towers. We’re open to buying, renting, colocating. We will start with what we have,” he said. Lorenz S. Marasigan

December 27, 2019

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 253.04 0.62% 3.07% -0.43% 0.33% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 1.3784 -2.68% 2.04% -3.36% -4.33% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.6956 -4.94% 0.05% -3.17% -5.31% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.9029 1.2% n.a. n.a.

0.21% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.8531 4.21% n.a. n.a.

3.95% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 5.3449 1.92% 4.23% -0.59% 1.36% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,6 0.8567 3.07% 0.06% n.a.

2.39% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 103.41 -12.8% n.a. n.a. -10.98% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 51.4767 4.79% 5.79% n.a.

4.58% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 534.98 4.26% 4.32% -0.01% 3.93% Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,8 1.0263 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 1.2919 3.22% 4.69% 0.7% 3.02% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 38.0502 4.1% 5.64% 0.66% 3.87% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,1 1.0218 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

6.43% Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 5.2426 5.93% 1.95% 5.72% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

875.11 5.85% 6.34% 1.9% 5.63% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.8548 -0.33% 3.07% n.a.

-0.6% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 4.2296 4.48% 5.45% 0.99% 4.21% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 1.0044 5.46% 6.07% n.a.

5.25% United Fund, Inc. -a 3.671 5.07% 7.37% 2.65% 4.86% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 117.3442 6.18% 7.07% 2.88% 5.96% ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0235 11.7% 7.4% 1% 10.16% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.3711 25.73% 9.76% n.a.

24.06% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.5669 -5.04% -1.39% -3.95% -5.11% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 2.1866 -0.58% 0.28% -1.26% -1.02% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.6364 4.11% 3.95% -0.99% 3.67% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,5 0.2303 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Grepalife Balanced Fund Corporation -a 1.3294 2.04% n.a. n.a.

1.92% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.7982 7.65% 3.5% 0.5% 7.62% 17.0014 7.06% 3.39% 0.42% 6.88% Philam Fund, Inc. -a Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 2.1349 3.24% 2.98% 1.14% 3.18% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.8745 6.36% 4.44% 0.82% 6.11% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d,2 1.0181 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d,2 0.9987 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d,2 0.9957 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.9787 6.28% 3.95% -0.12% 6.18% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03817 8.38% 3.09% 2.01% 8.13% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -a $1.0326 -0.14% 5.71% 1.19% 13.01% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $3.8945 18.15% 7.76% 4.06% 17.71% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,7 $1.1248 12.38% 4.61% n.a.

11.92% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 357.83 4.21% 2.83% 2.33% 4.18% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.9014 2.32% 0.02% -0.5% 2.27% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.1141 4.88% 5.21% 5.21% 4.64% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.2237 4.35% 2.46% 1.96% 4.44% 2.39% 1.58% 6.97% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.3589 6.81% Grepalife Fixed Income Fund Corp. -a P 1.6065 2.8% 0.99% -0.13% 2.69% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.3722 11.54% 2.85% 1.77% 11.54% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.7767 7.75% 2.99% 1.42% 7.38% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 0.9639 8.01% 1.52% n.a.

8.16% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.075 11.35% 4.9% 2.67% 11.18% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.7011 10.63% 4.45% 2.21% 10.47% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $468.02 4.43% 2.72% 2.77% 4.38% Є219.71 3.34% 1.65% 1.31% 3.31% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2063 7.24% 3.24% 2.58% 7.16% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0258 3.61% 1.46% 1.29% 4.03% Grepalife Dollar Bond Fund Corp. -a $1.7091 1.09% -0.03% 0.13% 1.12% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -a $1.093 17.84% 1.54% -0.8% 5.47% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.402 10.63% 3.7% 2.97% 10.65% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0603476 5.89% 2.31% 1.99% 5.87% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1717 10.41% 3.06% 2.58% 10.43% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 125.77 4.11% 2.86% 2.18% 4.05% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a,3 1.0299 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a 1.2563 6.35% 3.04% 1.71% 6.29% Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.2641 3.74% 2.88% 2.34% 3.68% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0371 2.11% n.a. n.a.

2.09% Feeder Fund Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,4 $0.99 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Launch date is January 3, 2019. 2 - Launch date is January 28, 2019. 3 - Launch date is February 1, 2019. 4 - Launch date is November 15, 2019.

5 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 6 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.).

7 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019. 8 - Launch date is December 09, 2019.

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www. pifa. com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/NAVPU."

Green Monday BusinessMirror

A8 Monday, December 30, 2019

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Finding opportunity in environmental crisis

F

rom climate change to omnipresent plastic waste, 2019 delivered a lot of discouraging environmental news. Several special reports this year from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change documented how global warming is altering the planet’s lands, forests, oceans and frozen regions.

Another UN report warned that the Earth is losing species at an alarming rate, with around 1 million animal and plant species facing extinction.

Key causes include changes in land use, such as clearing forests for agriculture; unsustainable fishing rates; climate c hange; pol lut ion; and t he spread of invasive species.

Governments may seem unable or unwilling to confront these challenges, but scholars are proposing innovative solutions. Here are three articles that we published this year that put forth responses to urgent environmental challenges.

Cooling the planet and saving species

Climate-change and biodiversity loss are interconnected problems that together can seem

overwhelming. But in a study published in April, 18 scientists proposed a “Global Deal for Nature” that can help avert both catastrophic climate change and mass extinction.

The plan identifies about a thousand “eco-regions” on land and sea that each contain unique ensembles of species and ecosystems, and also help curb climate change by storing carbon.

“Our plan would require a budget of some $100 billion per year.

This may sound like a lot, but for comparison, Silicon Valley companies earned nearly $60 billion in 2017 just from selling apps,” Arizona State University conservation scientist Greg Asner, a coauthor of the report, wrote for The Conversation. “Today, however, our global society is spending less than a tenth of that amount to save Earth’s biodiversity.”

Smoke and steam rise from a coal processing plant that produces carbon black, an ingredient in steel manufacturing, in Hejin in central China’s Shanxi Province in this November 28 photo.

Scientists say greenhouse-gas emissions must start dropping sharply as soon as possible to prevent global temperatures rising more than 1.5°Celsius (2.7°Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. So far, the world is on course for a 3- to 4-°Celsius rise, with potentially dramatic consequences for many countries. AP/Sam McNeil

“Forests, grasslands, peatlands, mangroves and a few other types of ecosystems pull the most carbon from the air per acre of land,” Asner notes. “Protecting and expanding their range is far more scalable and far less expensive than engineering the climate to slow the pace of warming. And there is no time to lose.”

Stemming the tide of plastic trash

Global markets for scrap material, including recyclables, have been in turmoil since early 2018, when China—which was importing a large share of the world ’s scrap—shut that window almost

completely.

This year other Asian countries followed suit, saying they would no longer accept materials they were ill-equipped to handle.

T hese shocks have left US scrap dealers searching for markets. Many are sending plastics—the hardest materials to recycle—to landfills.

A larmed by these developments and the growing scale of plastic waste, many communities and businesses are intensifying the search for new solutions.

“Recycling authorities have launched public education campaigns, and investment in recycling infrastructure is on the

r ise,” repor ts K ate O’ Nei l l, professor of global environmental politics at the University of California, Berkeley.

“There is palpable energy at trade meetings around improving options for plastics recycling. Chinese companies are investing in US pulp and paper recycling plants, and may extend into plastics.”

This process won’t be quick, since it also requires action at the global level to connect national policies. And reducing production and use of plastic remains key.

“But as one Asian country after another shuts the door on scrap exports, it is becoming increasingly clear that business as usual will not solve the plastic pollution challenge,” O’Neill writes.

A new New Deal for US farmers

Severe weather, corporate consolidation in agriculture and a trade war with China put heavy pressure on US farmers in 2019.

Farm bankruptcies are at historic highs, and many experts wonder where the next generation of farmers will come from.

Social scientists Maywa Montenegro of the University of California, Davis, Annie Shattuck of Indiana University and Joshua Sbicca of Colorado State University see this convergence as an economic, environmental and social crisis for farming communities.

In response, t hey propose a “ just t ra nsit ion” to a system t h at c ut s c a r bon em i s sions f rom ag r ic u lt u re, ma kes

fa r mers less v u l nerable to t he ef fects of c l imate c ha nge a nd de l ivers econom ic ju st ice to r u ra l commu nit ies.

“Two elements are essential: Agriculture based in principles of ecology, and economic policies that end overproduction of cheap food and reestablish fair prices for farmers,” they assert.

To picture what such a transition would look like, they point to New Deal agriculture policies adopted in the 1930s that directed public investments to rural communities, set price floors for crops and paid farmers to adopt conservation policies.

T his system was largely scrapped after World War II in favor of rules that promoted largescale commodity production and maximized output.

Tod ay, t he aut hors a rg ue, f a r me r s a re l o c k e d i nt o a n economic model that is “unsustainable for farmers, eaters and the planet.”

But in political and agricultural circles, new proposals are emerging for reducing corporate power in agriculture and restoring parity for farmers—payment that reflects production costs.

Redirecting an industry this large is a long, slow process, but Montenegro, Shattuck and Sbicca assert that “if policy-makers can envision a contemporary version of ideas in the original New Deal, a climate-friendly and socially just American agriculture is within reach.” The Conversation (CC)

Smart boosts reforestation efforts

P

Pictures of the year 2019: Threatened Planet Floodwaters surround corn under a collapsed grain bin in this aerial

photograph over Thurman, Iowa, US, on March 23. The climate became a global political row as the planet suffered from fire, flooding and drought to violent winds. High tides and fierce winds produced the worst flooding in Venice in more than half a century as other parts of the world were afflicted by the perennial search for clean water. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

Mobile techs help reduce carbon emissions, address climate change

T

he mobile industry is one of many key sectors playing a crucial role in addressing the challenge of climate change. While Globe and other telecom operators outside the country already committed to reducing their own carbon emissions, they also contribute significantly to the reduction of carbon emissions by other industries through connectivity and behavior change.

A new GSMA report produced in collaboration with The Carbon Trust, an independent sustainability specialist, assessed the enablement impact of mobile communication technology at a global scale.

It showed that the use of mobile technology enabled a global reduction in greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions of around 2,135 million tons carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2018.

The emissions savings were almost 10 times greater than the global carbon footprint of the mobile industry itself.

The Carbon Trust examined 14 markets around the world to form a representative sample of the “enablement effect” of the mobile sector’s ability to reduce emissions.

The results indicate an even split between Machine-to-Machine (M2M)/Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and those through behavior changes from the personal use of smartphones.

The majority of avoided emissions from M2M technologies are primarily in buildings, transport, manufacturing and energy—sectors that make up a large portion of global GHG emissions.

On the other hand, personal smartphone usage encourages behaviors like reducing travel for commuting and for leisure, increasing use of public transport by using apps providing real-time updates, sharing accommodations for short stays and holidays, and reducing travel by use of mobile shopping and mobile banking apps.

Yoly Crisanto, Globe chief sustainability officer, said, “The impact of mobile technologies in response to climate change, encourages innovation and hastens the digital transformation of industries and nations.”

“As we venture further into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Globe redoubles its efforts to deepen the adoption of existing and emerging mobile technologies, such as data connectivity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and IoT for good,” she added.

Globe recently became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, showing its strong commitment to implement universal sustainability principles.

As part of Singtel Group, Globe joined more than 50 mobile operators from all over the world in a major GSMA-led initiative to develop a mobile industry climate action road map that will create a decarbonization pathway for the mobile sector

by February next year. The end-goal is to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 to reduce the risks and harmful effects of climate change.

Meanwhile, Tom Delay, CEO of the Carbon Trust said: “Climate change requires a collective

effort across governments, businesses and civil society if we are going to succeed in limiting global temperature increases to within 1.5 degrees. This analysis shows the positive role that mobile technology is playing in the evolution of other sectors and is a great example of what is possible.”

The report provided a high-level analysis of six categories of enabling mechanisms, with the following results: smart living, working and health (39 percent of total avoided emissions in 2018), smart transport and cities (30 percent), smart manufacturing (11 percent), smart buildings (10 percent), smart energy (7 percent) and smart agriculture (3 percent).

The GSMA is working with participating operators and partnering with the international community, climate experts and third-party organizations to advance industry progress, establish best practices, and support disclosure and target setting. The work forms part of the industry’s journey to support the delivery of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG #13 on Climate Action.

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators and nearly 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organizations in adjacent industry sectors.

LDT wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. announced that it would step up reforestation efforts in various locations in the Philippines, particularly the Marikina watershed, in celebration of U2’s first ever concert in the country. Smart was the official sponsor of the band’s The Joshua Tree Tour 2019.

The world-renowned Irish group played their first-ever performance in Manila on December 11 at the Philippine Arena as they brought the highly acclaimed The Joshua Tree Tour to the Philippines. The commitment to strengthen its treeplanting activities is part of Smart’s sponsorship of the concert.

Smart will donate to reforestation efforts at the Marikina watershed and other protected areas. This collaboration also aims to implement programs that will improve the livelihood of those living within those areas.

The initiative is part of the Gabay Kalikasan sustainability program of Smart and its parent company PLDT. “Our support for the U2 concert has given us a welcome opportunity to refresh our longr u n n i ng e f for t s to promote

Irish band U2 performs at Philippine Arena for The Joshua Tree Tour 2019.

reforestation in various parts of the country, particularly in the Marikina watershed,” said Chaye Cabal-Revilla, PLDT chief sustainability officer.

Twenty-ninetten marks the 10th year since Typhoon Ondoy hit the Philippines and caused severe flooding, loss of lives and damage to property in Metro Manila.

Much of the flood waters that inundated the national capital region came from the Marikina watershed which had suffered

significant deforestation through the past several decades.

In the aftermath of Ondoy, Smart has assisted communitybased tree-planting programs in the Marikina watershed under the umbrella of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation.

PLDT and Smart have also been active in reforestation and mangrove planting in other areas of the country, such as the provinces of Quezon, Cebu, Bohol and Camarines Sur.

Dutch SC orders 25% cut in CO2 starting 2020

T

he highest court in the Netherlands ordered the government to cut greenhouse-gas emissions next year by at least 25 percent from benchmark 1990 levels, a landmark ruling that gives legal backing to the idea that climate change is a risk to human health.

The ruling last week noted that global warming “could jeopardize food supply and cause the rise in sea level, among other things” and required immediate action.

David Boyd, United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, called it “the most important climate-change court decision in the world so far, confirming that human rights are jeopardized by the climate emergency.”

The case was brought by a Dutch environmental group Urgenda, which argued that the government needed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by a quarter of the 1990 levels to protect the Netherlands from the effects of climate change.

Two lower courts agreed, siding with Urgenda, setting up the showdown before the Supreme Court.

While Prime Minister Mark Rutte had fought the case, arguing the issue was for politicians, not courts, he told reporters in the Hague that “our goal is to achieve” the reductions by the deadline.

His government will continue to work on additional measures, he said, while declining to name specific plans.

“The Supreme Court based its

judgment on the UN Climate Convention and on the Dutch State’s legal duties to protect the life and well-being of citizens in the Netherlands,” the court said in a statement after the ruling.

The courts were right to order the government to make the cuts “on account of the risk of dangerous climate change that could also have a serious impact on the rights to life and well-being of residents of the Netherlands.”

It isn’t clear what could happen should the government fail to meet the new target and the Dutch Environmental Assessment Agency PBL concluded in January that the government risked missing the courtordered target for 2020.

Bloomberg News

Biodiversity Monday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Monday, December 30, 2019

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

A9

2019: Environment’s devastating year

By Farhana Haque Rahman Inter Press Service

R

OME—By any measure this has been a devastating year: fires across the Amazon, the Arctic and beyond; floods and drought in Africa; rising temperatures, carbon emissions and sea levels; accelerating loss of species, and mass forced migrations of people.

As seen through the eyes of Inter Press Service (IPS) reporters and contributors around the world, 2019 will be remembered as the year the climate crisis shook us all, and hopefully also for the fight back manifested in the spread of mass protests and civic movements against governments and industries failing to respond.

Calls to combat the climate emergency were ringing in the ears of delegations from nearly 200 countries at the annual United Nations climate summit that opened in Madrid, on December 2.

Yet, despite warnings that the planet is reaching critical tipping points, fears remained that the two weeks of negotiations would end in that familiar sense of disappointment and an opportunity missed.

“Do we really want to be remembered as the generation that buried its head in the sand, that fiddled while the planet burned?” declared UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

But the heads of government of the world’s biggest emitters were notably absent, including Donald J. Trump of the United States, China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who refused to host the meeting, also stayed away rather than face a hostile reception. Protests against the fires sweeping Brazil’s Amazon rain forest and the government’s encouragement of deforestation are spreading around the world, especially in Europe.

Youth is the new face of activism as in-

spired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, and others.

In one of many scientific surveys ringing alarm bells in 2019, a landmark report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services warned that more than 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades.

The climate crisis and species extinction are twin challenges with far-reaching consequences. IPS this year covered how drought in some areas of Africa is leading to reruns of famine and migration.

Expanding Sahara desert

The expanding Sahara desert is breaking up families and spreading conflict. The Sahel, on the southern edge of the Sahara, is the region where temperatures are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth.

Projects, such as the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s Land Degradation Neutrality project aimed at preventing and/ or reversing land degradation are some of the interventions to stop the growing desert.

Relief workers warned in November that more than 50 million people across southern, eastern and central Africa were facing hunger crises because of extreme weather conditions made worse by poverty and conflict.

While much of the Horn of Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe are being ravaged by drought, small island states, especially in the Pacific, are sinking beneath rising sea levels or becoming more vulnerable to hurricanes and typhoons.

Irregular migration

Irregular migration is on the rise, and has driven thousands to their deaths on hazardous journeys.

The thousands drowned crossing the Medi-

terranean has led to projects like Migrants as Messengers in Guinea launched by the International Organization for Migration which recruits returnees to raise awareness of the dangers.

People smugglers make money out of migrants with scant regard for their safety while other vulnerable people, especially women and girls, fall into the hands of exploitative human traffickers.

As a major source of migrants heading toward the US, Central America is an impoverished region rife with gang violence and human trafficking—the third-largest crime industry in the world.

Human trafficking has deep roots in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador for decades and, as IPS has reported this year, it increasingly requires a concerted law enforcement effort by the region’s governments to dismantle trafficking networks and help women forced into sexual exploitation.

Modern slavery

Over 40 million people are estimated to be enslaved around the world. Presenting her report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN expert Urmila Bhoola pointed out that servitude will likely increase as the world faces rapid changes in the workplace, environmental degradation, migration and demographic shifts.

Eradicating modern slavery by 2030, one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), would require the freeing of 10,000 people a day, Bhoola reported, citing the nongovernment organization Walk Free.

Refugees

The UN refugee agency United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says more than 70 million people are currently displaced by conflict, the most since the Second World War. Among them are nearly 26 million who have

fled their countries (over half under the age of 18). But the response of many countries has been to erect barriers and walls.

And the plight of some 1 million Muslim Rohingya refugees, driven out of Myanmar into Bangladesh, shows little sign of resolution.

Paralysis at the UN Security Council, where veto-wielding China can protect its interests in Myanmar, has triggered interventions by both the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice which are expected to sit in judgment over the atrocities.

Climate migrants

Bangladesh is already struggling with the impact of severe cyclones in November and, as recently reported by IPS, long-term projects are helping its own climate migrants achieve food security.

Because of government interventions in agriculture, Bangladesh has already achieved sufficiency in food. According to the Food Sustainability Index 2018 of the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition many farmers have substantially reduced fertilizer use and increased yields.

The SDGs made a solemn promise to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty by 2030, and that cannot be achieved unless the world’s smallholder farmers can adapt to climate change.

Food waste

But since 2016 global numbers of hungry people have been on the rise again. In September a welcome $650 million of funding reached CGIAR, a partnership of funders and international agricultural research centers and formerly known as the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research.

At the other extreme, April is Reducing Food Waste Month in the US, as efforts mount

to reduce food loss and waste, and deal with growing obesity.

For the US and 66 other countries BCFN has produced a food sustainability index profile that dives into all the relevant sectors, ranging from management of water resources, the impact on land of animal feed and biofuels, agricultural subsidies and diversification of agricultural system, to nutritional challenges, physical activity, diet, and healthy life expectancy indicators.

The Global Commission on Adaptation Report, launched in October, says the number of people who may lack sufficient water, at least one month per year, will soar from 3.6 billion today to more than 5 billion by 2050. Climate change has a disproportionate impact on women and girls who bear the brunt of looking for water.

Nutritional situation

Nutrition is the best investment in developing Africa, experts say, with evident correlation between countries with high levels of children under five years of age who are stunted or wasted and the existence of political instability and/or frequent exposure to natural calamities.

The nutritional situation is worrying in Africa, Busi Maziya-Dixon, a senior food and nutrition scientist at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, told IPS with research showing all forms of malnutrition, including stunting, wasting and obesity, are growing.

“We need to educate our governments to link nutrition to economic development and prioritize nutrition.”

Overall investment in Africa continued to gather pace in 2019, however. Amid IMF warnings of a “synchronized slowdown” in global economic growth, 19 sub-Saharan countries are among nearly 40 emerging markets and developing economies forecast to maintain

GDP growth rates above 5 percent this year.

Particularly, encouraging for Africa is that its present growth leaders are richer in innovation than natural resources.

Initiatives on leprosy

Small steps can bring big results by simply getting together. In September Manila hosted the first-ever global forum for people with Hansen’s disease, commonly known as leprosy.

Participants from 23 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean shared common challenges at the forum organised by The Nippon Foundation (TNF) and Sasakawa Health Foundation (SHF).

Last week in Bangladesh, the country’s National Leprosy Program, in collaboration with the TNF and SHF, brought together hundreds of health workers, medical professionals and district officers to discuss the issue under the theme “Zero Leprosy Initiatives.”

Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, who opened the Congress, said, if special attention is given to its northern region and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, it is quite possible to declare Bangladesh a leprosy free country before 2030.

SDGs in trouble

All in all, however, the SDGs are in trouble, with the UN Secretary-General warning in July that a “much deeper, faster and more ambitious response is needed to unleash the social and economic transformation needed to achieve our 2030 goals.” A 478-page study by independent experts drove the message home.

Last, as 2019 draws to a close, let’s pay tribute to all those reporters around the world who have bravely covered these issues, spreading knowledge and defending press freedoms despite obvious dangers and more insidious campaigns of vilification.

A10 Monday, December 30, 2019 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

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editorial

US interference and meddling

D

ov Levin, an assistant professor of International Relations at the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong, had an interesting research project concerning the causes and effects of partisan electoral interventions in certain countries by the great powers—particularly Russia and the United States.

Levin has calculated the vast scale of election interventions by both super powers. According to his research, there were 117 partisan electoral interventions between 1946 and 2000. The majority of these—almost 70 percent—were cases of US interference. For example, between 1990 and 2000, Levin said there were 21 such interventions that took place, of which 18 were done by the US. Levin said “60 different independent countries have been the targets of such interventions. The targets came from a large variety of sizes and populations, ranging from small states, such as Iceland and Grenada, to major powers, such as West Germany, India and Brazil.”

The cases vary greatly, with some simply involving steps to publicly support a candidate and undermine the opponent. However, almost two-thirds of interventions were done in secret, with voters having no idea that foreign powers were actively trying to influence the results. Levin said: “Such interventions can frequently have significant effects on election results in the intervened country, increasing the vote share of the assisted side by 3 percent on average—enough to determine the identity of the winner in many cases.”

According to Levin’s research, the countries where secret tactics have been deployed by the US include: The Philippines, Guatemala, Brazil, El Salvador, Haiti, Panama, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Greece, Italy, Malta, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Sri Lanka, South Vietnam and Japan.

For Russia, the list of covert interventions includes: France, Denmark, Italy, Greece, West Germany, Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Congo, Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica and the US. Levin’s research points out that, historically, election meddling has actually been far more common than other methods of political intervention, like military invasions and coups. One of the earliest examples of covert US interventions came with Italy’s 1948 election, when the CIA helped the Christian Democrats beat the Communist Party.

A former secret agent admitted 50 years later: “We had bags of money that we delivered to selected politicians, to defray their political expenses, their campaign expenses, for posters, for pamphlets.” A Washington Post report said the CIA’s operation also included “forging documents to besmirch communist leaders via fabricated sex scandals,” and “spreading hysteria about a Russian takeover and the undermining of the Catholic Church.”

Over the years, many of America’s interventions have involved contributing funds into their preferred candidate’s campaign. For instance, throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the US secretly financed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Japan, despite denials from party leaders. Former intelligence officials have said America’s aim was to undermine the Left and make Japan one of Asia’s most strongly anti-communist countries.

On December 29, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez confirmed that the US indeed imposed a ban on Philippine officials involved in the detention of opposition Sen. Leila de Lima. Even before this confirmation, however, President Duterte has said the Philippine government will be forced to require American nationals entering the country to secure visas should Filipino officials be denied entry to the US, as sought by US Sens. Richard Durbin and Patrick Leahy, who are now banned from entering Philippine territory.

“Rather than responding by irrationally threatening to deny visas to American citizens, the Duterte government should either release Senator de Lima immediately or provide her the fair, public trial she is entitled to,” said Leahy in a press release. In response, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra extended an invitation to Leahy’s legal staff to “come over and pore over the evidence so far presented in court, instead of relying on so-called reports which are at best secondhand evidence and at worst multiple hearsay.” Malacañang also said the Philippines, as an independent and sovereign state, “will not sit idly if they continue to interfere with our processes as a sovereign state.”

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As the year turns Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

RISING SUN

T

oday we celebrate Rizal Day and remember the heroism of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. In the midst of preparations for the New Year celebrations, let us find time to include Rizal in our day by reading from his works, watching a movie about his life, bringing our children to the museum in Fort Santiago, or sharing his life stories with the young people in our home, etc. We continue to celebrate his life and remember his sacrifices because the issues that he fought for are still very much relevant in our time. As a matter of fact, we are still fighting for many of the ideals for which he, along with our other beloved heroes, fought and died. nnn

AS the year closes, allow me to outline the economic highlights that our Socioeconomic Planning Secretary

Ernesto Pernia detailed in his speech some days ago at the Neda office.

Some of the economic challenges that the country had to face this year

include the following: El Niño in the summer, which led to a water shortage; the delay in the passage of our 2019 budget; and the US-China trade war; among other things.

Despite all this, Pernia said the country still posted a 6.2-percent growth in the third quarter as one of the best-performing economies in Asia. The increase in public spending helped a lot, along with the increase in consumption spending. Inflation went down and prices became more stable. Food prices dropped and the global oil prices declined, resulting in rollbacks in the cost of petroleum products.

Statistics also show that there are fewer poor Filipinos now, compared to the previous years. Figures are at 5.9 million Filipinos lifted from poverty from 2015 to 2018.

There are three priority bills that are being pushed for amendments to support the growth of foreign investments in the country. These

bills are the Public Service Act, the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, and the Foreign Investment Act. Neda recently approved seven new infrastructure projects amounting to P187.34 billion. These are to be established outside Metro Manila to bring development to the regions.

For next year, Pernia is bringing our attention to looming risks, including another possible water shortage, the effects of weak global growth and world trade, the volatility of oil prices, among other things.

But for end 2019, our gross domestic product growth is seen hitting between 6 percent and 6.5 percent.

And for 2020 until 2022, despite all the foreseeable risks and challenges, he said that it is projected to be from 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent.

Congratulations to all of us on our personal wins, and my best wishes to all for the coming year. May we all have a more prosperous 2020!

US mass killings hit new high in 2019, most were shootings

T

By Lisa Marie Pane | The Associated Press

he first one occurred 19 days into the new year when a man used an ax to kill four family members including his infant daughter. Five months later, 12 people were killed in a workplace shooting in Virginia. Twenty-two more died at a Walmart in El Paso, in August.

A database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University shows that there were more mass killings in 2019 than any year dating back to at least the 1970s, punctuated by a chilling succession of deadly rampages during the summer.

In all, there were 41 mass killings, defined as when four or more people are killed excluding the perpetrator. Of those, 33 were mass shootings. More than 210 people were killed.

Most of the mass killings barely became national news, failing to resonate among the general public because they didn’t spill into public places like massacres in El Paso and Odessa, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Jersey City, New Jersey.

The majority of the killings involved people who knew each other—family disputes, drug or gang violence, or people with beefs that directed their anger at coworkers or relatives.

In many cases, what set off the perpetrator remains a mystery.

That’s the case with the very first mass killing of 2019, when a 42-yearold man took an ax and stabbed to death his mother, stepfather, girlfriend and nine-month-old daughter in Clackamas County, Oregon. Two others, a roommate and an eight-yearold girl managed to escape; the rampage ended when responding police fatally shot the killer.

The perpetrator had occasional run-ins with police over the years, but what drove him to attack his family remains unknown. He had just

gotten a job training mechanics at an auto dealership, and despite occasional arguments with his relatives, most said there was nothing out of the ordinary that raised significant red flags.

The incident in Oregon was one of 18 mass killings where family members were slain, and 1 of 6 that didn’t involve a gun. Among other trends in 2019: n The 41 mass killings were the most in a single year since the AP/ USA Today and Northeastern database began tracking such events back to 2006, but other research going back to the 1970s shows no other year with as many mass slayings. The second-most killings in a year prior to 2019 was 38 in 2006. n The 211 people killed in this year’s cases is still eclipsed by the 224 victims in 2017, when the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history took place in Las Vegas. n California, with some of the most strict gun laws in the country, had the most, with eight such mass slayings. But nearly half of US states experienced a mass slaying, from big cities like New York, to tiny towns like Elkmont, Alabama, with a population of just under 475 people. n Firearms were the weapon in all but eight of the mass killings. Other weapons included knives, axes, and at least twice when the perpetrator set a mobile home on fire, killing those inside. n Nine mass shootings occurred in a public place. Other mass killings

occurred in homes, in the workplace, or at a bar.

James Densley, a criminologist and professor at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota, said the AP/USA Today/Northeastern database confirms and mirrors what his own research into exclusively mass shootings has shown.

“What makes this even more exceptional is that mass killings are going up at a time when general homicides, overall homicides, are going down,” Densley said. “As a percentage of homicides, these mass killings are also accounting for more deaths.”

He believes it’s partially a by-product of an “angry and frustrated time” that we are living in. Densley also said crime tends to go in waves with the 1970s and 1980s seeing a number of serial killers, the 1990s marked by school shootings and child abductions, and the early 2000s dominated by concerns over terrorism.

“This seems to be the age of mass shootings,” Densley said.

He and James Alan Fox, a criminologist and professor at Northeastern University, also expressed worries about the “contagion effect,” the focus on mass killings fueling other mass killings.

“These are still rare events. Clearly the risk is low but the fear is high,” Fox said. “What fuels contagion is fear.”

The mass shootings this year include the three in August, in Texas, and Dayton that stirred fresh urgency, especially among Democratic presidential candidates, to restrict access to firearms. While the large death tolls attracted much of the attention, the killings inflicted a mental and physical toll on dozens of others. The database does not have a complete count of victims who were wounded, but among the three mass shootings in August alone, more than 65 people were injured.

Daniel Munoz, 28, of Odessa, was

caught in the cross fire of the shooting that took place between a 10-mile (16-kilometer) stretch in West Texas.

He was on his way to meet a friend at a bar when he saw a gunman and the barrel of a firearm. Instinctively, he got down just as his car was sprayed with bullets.

Munoz, who moved to Texas about a year ago to work in the oil industry, said he had actually been on edge since the Walmart shooting, which took place just 28 days earlier and about 300 miles (480 km) away, worried that a shooting could happen anywhere at any time. He remembers calling his mother after the El Paso shooting to encourage her to have a firearm at home or with her in case she needed to defend herself. He would say the same to friends, telling them before they went to a Walmart to bring a firearm in case they needed to protect themselves, or others during an attack.

“You can’t just always assume you’re safe. In that moment, as soon as the El Paso shooting happened, I was on edge,” Munoz said.

Adding to his anxiety is that, as a convicted felon, he’s prohibited from possessing a firearm.

A few weeks later, as he sat behind the wheel of his car, he spotted the driver of an approaching car wielding a firearm.

“My worst nightmare became a reality,” he said. “I’m the middle of a gunfight and I have no way to defend myself.”

In the months since, the self-described social butterfly steers clear of crowds and can only tolerate so much socializing. He still drives the same car, still riddled with bullet holes on the side panels, a bullet hole in the headrest of the passenger seat and the words “evidence” scrawled on the doors. His shoulder remains pocked with bullet fragments.

Opinion BusinessMirror

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Looking back at this decade’s road trip

Strategic plan 2020 and beyond Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

Thomas M. Orbos

STREET TALK

T

he new decade is about to begin, and we look back with gratitude that we have reached this far and move forward with hope in this journey we call life.

Literally speaking though, if we talk about real journeys in our cities during this decade, then the roads we have taken would have been traffic congested. Two Jica studies this period—one in 2012 and the other just last year—indicated congestion, almost doubling the financial losses caused by traffic. Travel speed went down to almost 40 percent in certain areas and on certain times, particularly along Edsa. And traffic became worse, not just in Metro Manila, that it became a major issue during the 2016 presidential elections. With the looks of it, this will still remain as a point of differentiation among the presidentiables in 2022.

But not all were bad news this decade. There were government programs that worked and made our lives on the road easier and more bearable. My list for government non-rail policies/programs that made an impact on our physical journeys from 2010 to 2019 are as follows: 1. Point-to-Point Buses—For the tens of thousands who currently take these buses daily, imagine life without P2Ps. Given the chaotic character of how our buses normally operate, P2Ps have now become the public transport of choice for a lot of our commuters, especially those who need to do the daily commute to and from Metro Manila.

2. Transportation network companies—Are, of course, a global phenomenon that we in this transport-challenged society has fully embraced and which we can’t seem to get enough of. But ridesharing services do make sense, providing ready mobility to commuters and a challenge to the taxi industry in maintaining their committed quality of service.

3. MMDA’s Metro base—It was in 2014 when MMDA’s Metro base was built. Though MMDA had a command center prior to this, the new Metro base included a new and more responsive traffic signaling system, and a digital CCTV network that was scalable, as well as capable of providing data analytics. These definitely helped a lot in managing the traffic in the capital region.

4. Pasig River Ferry System— Though there were past attempts to

implement a ferry system utilizing the Pasig River, the longest continuing service has been in this decade.

Going on its seventh year, the system has now expanded with several new ferry stations and a larger fleet. The new decade (if plans push through) will see this ferry system extend to Laguna de Bay and the Manila Bay, as well as integrate the service with landbased last mile transport service.

5. New toll roads—For a time, we were left to be content with our expressways up to Pampanga to the north and up to Batangas to the South. This decade saw the expansion of toll road service all the way to Pangasinan’s northernmost town and up to the Batangas province border down south. Notable, as well, is the completion of the Skyway connector and North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link Segment 10. The next decade will see the addition of several new tollways to the present 13 and, if plans do happen, connect Metro Manila to the Ilocos provinces up north and boldly up to Mindanao via bridges down south.

Honorable mentions on my list are: the Public Utility Modernization Program, which the opposition would call as the jeepney phaseout; the planned provincial terminals to include the present Parañaque Terminal Exchange, the still to be completed FTI South Terminal and the unsolicited Philippine Arena up north; the planned several bridges crisscrossing Pasig River; the BRT systems, in particular, the one in Cebu and Metro Manila; and the implementation of the Motor Vehicle Inspection System. Honorable mention as these are indeed mega projects that would greatly help the transport demand of this country, but came short of their projected completion before this decade ended.

Yes, there were shining moments in our road journey from 2010 to 2019. There will be more to come, definitely in the next decade we are about to embrace.

Thomas Tim Orbos was former DOTr undersecretary for roads and general manager of the MMDA. He is currently undertaking further studies at the McCourt School of Public Policy of Georgetown University. He can be reached via e-mail at thomas_orbos@sloan.mit.edu

B

efore, and almost always, my New Year’s resolution would include how to trim off the extra weight I gained during the holiday season. Personal targets would be set in terms of what healthy foods to eat (I tried pescatarian diet for 30 days last year), and how many times to go to the gym (I enrolled in a fitness center a few years back, only to go there once for the entire year!).

Recently, I realized that a better resolution must include how I can share my faith to others.

All over the country, believers have manifested their faith in different ways this Christmas. I see a few friends sharing their blessings to some underprivileged neighbors; others put up intricate colorful ornaments in their houses, complete with the a replica of the Nativity scene (Belen). Giving gifts to family and friends seems to be a norm. The holiday season is the best time for family reunions. It is also the best time to set New Year’s resolutions, or what other people call as their individual strategic plans.

Most, if not all, companies have prepared their respective strategic plans for year 2020. For private corporations, those plans would basically include how to increase revenues and cut down costs to maximize profitability. For schools, plans would include how to increase

student enrollment. For online businesses, plans would involve how to increase the number of “hits, likes, comments or shares.” For government agencies, they would likely entail how to streamline services and cut down corruption. Good strategic plans are products of a series of meetings among relevant people whose aim is to have a better year than the last one. Better plans are those faithfully followed and diligently implemented by all concerned. But the best strategic plans are those anchored not on self, but on others and on our faith.

Others might say that a commercial enterprise, organized for profit, can never become God-centered. After all, by law and by regulation, the primary purpose of companies is to generate profit for its shareholders.

Still, there are business leaders like

BLOOMBERG VIEW

I

nequality in the United States has risen a lot during the past few decades. This has sparked outrage among segments of the public, raised concern among economists and other social scientists, and revitalized America’s socialist movement.

Much of the debate has been driven by the work of three French economists—Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman.

The trio has put out a huge amount of impressive work, digging into historical archives and patching together a diverse array of modern data sources to graphically depict how income and wealth have become more concentrated. They have also helped design some of the bolder Democratic tax plans.

But what if the three French economists have overstated their case?

A number of other economists are beginning to question whether inequality has risen quite as much as Piketty, Saez and Zucman claim.

Even the prettiest graph is only as good as the assumptions that underlie it and calculating inequality numbers requires a great many assumptions.

For wealth distribution, the big problem is that good data is hard to come by. Because Americans aren’t required to report their total wealth for tax purposes, this must be estimated.

One way to estimate it is to look at

Francis Glenn Yu of Seaoil, an independent petroleum company in the Philippines, who have found ways to be God-centered and profit-oriented at the same time. In an interview a few years ago, Glenn said, “I could see opportunities and profit from my talent, but life wasn’t just about profit.

I was challenged to think about how to live a meaningful life.” He further explains: “I work because it is a way of honoring God.” Hence, Seaoil as a company has initiated programs to help its employees obtain a higher degree or specialized training. The company has a strong sense of corporate social responsibility as Seaoil Foundation Inc. tries to propagate “good governance, transparent business transactions and strict integrity standard in the Philippines” in response to the country’s corruption issues. I can sense that Seaoil’s culture of stewardship is deeply embedded in its strategic plans—past, present and future.

While faith in God is shown through acts of kindness, generosity and love, I was told that one of the best ways to display our faith is by simply sharing it, by words or by gestures. We should seize every opportunity to talk about God, the Bible and our faith. Yu is one of the few business leaders who have openly declared that he is living his life in service to God. Ernie Lopez of ABSCBN Publications is another. In a eulogy for his sister Gina Lopez, who died last year, Ernie said, “If all of us make an effort, if all of us make a commitment to love God, love our

Women dominated the decade

By Tyler Cowen Bloomberg Opinion

P

eople react so emotionally to politics, I have decided to assess the decade just past by, considering something less partisan but no less illuminating: culture.

Start with the music I have been listening to over the last few weeks.

Every December, I buy the albums that appear on the various “best of” lists. This year, my pile of compact discs is mostly music recorded by women—Billie Eilish, Angel Olsen, Sharon van Etten, Lana del Rey, Taylor Swift, Jenny Lewis, FKA twigs and others. This was much less the case 10 years ago.

That brings me to what I see as the No. 1. trend of the decade: the increasing influence of women.

Consider the 10 best-selling books of the decade. All have female protagonists, and the top 7 are authored by women. (Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels take the top 3 spots, with three others having the word “Girl” in the title.)

On television, last week, my wife and I watched a few episodes of HBO’s

The Watchmen—the talk of many of our friends—and, so far, the main protagonist is a black woman. The last movie I saw was The Rise of Skywalker, and the hero and savior is a woman.

I should point out that I, very much, like these albums, books and movies. I should also point out that I encountered all this culture without seeking out female protagonists or creators.

The Rise of Skywalker, which is still likely to be one of the year’s big movies, reflects some other cultural trends, as well. Disney is still with us, stronger than ever, and the film is installment No. 9 in the Star Wars saga, which has a new TV spinoff, The Mandalorian. The continuing prominence of these shows reflects a certain exhaustion of creativity in Hollywood.

Too many of the top movies these days are tent-pole franchises, pulled from comic books, or graphic novels or TV shows. In contrast, The Godfather series stopped at three installments, and I can’t imagine Alfred Hitchcock would ever have done a ninth take on Rear Window. But today, the sequel and the franchise

Inequality is up a lot. The question is: How much?

Noah Smith

Monday, December 30, 2019 A11

reports, such as the Survey of Consumer Finances, then try to guess how representative those surveys are.

Another way is to look at the capital income of top earners (which does have to be reported for tax purposes) and to try to estimate the value of the underlying assets that generate that income. Both of these methods involve a lot of guesswork. For example, a 2016 paper by Saez and Zucman found that the top 1 percent of the wealth distribution held 28.1 percent of the national wealth in 1990, and that this increased to a whopping 41.8 percent by 2012. But some economists from the Federal Reserve (Fed) found less concentration and a more moderate rate of increase.

Meanwhile, a team of economists from Brookings found slightly higher wealth concentration than the Fed estimated, but still much lower than the French economists found. And economists Matthew Smith, Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick, using a variant of the Saez-Zucman approach, found numbers broadly similar to the Fed’s.

In other words, most economists think that the top 1 percent hold

about 30 percent of the wealth in the country, but the French trio believes that it’s more than 40 percent.

Everyone agrees that wealth is very concentrated at the top, and that this concentration has risen, but the two numbers are different enough that they tell different stories about what happened during the past few decades. The difference might change some people’s minds about whether a drastic and immediate overhaul of the US economic system is necessary, or whether inequality can be corrected without revolutionary change.

Income inequality is also hard to measure for different reasons. Income is reported on taxes, though economists have to guess how much evasion is going on. A lot of income is earned on paper by corporations, and there’s the question of how much of that actually belongs to the owners of those corporations.

This becomes more important when calculating the income share of the very highest earners, who get most of their income from asset holdings (at least on paper). Another problem is how income is changed by taxes and

neighbor, take care of the environment, [what Gina said] was really true: Our country doesn’t have to be a poor country.” What we do as Filipinos, as fathers or mothers, as sons or daughters, as employers or employees, should boldly display our faith in God. In our society today, it seems not “cool, chill or chic” to openly talk about our faith. But the Bible in Deuteronomy 6:7-9 tells us, “Talk about them [our faith] when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Tie them as symbols on your hands, and bind them on your foreheads.

Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” I see a few houses with prominent posters of the revolutionary statement found in Joshua 24:15, which ends with, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” We can talk about our faith to others at anytime and anywhere. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:6, “in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight.” Incidentally, logic tells us that the fastest way to accomplish any plan, goal, target or objective is a straight path.

Whether in business or in our personal lives, let’s remain mindful of the peace and joy that we get from being with Christ at the center of everything we do. Let’s make it a part of our strategic plan 2020 and every year thereafter.

For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

reign, reflecting how hard it is to grab public attention at a time when there never has been so much choice.

Earlier this month, I went to a basketball game, the New York Knicks against the Atlanta Hawks in Madison Square Garden. It was fun, but by the end of the first half the Knicks (one of the weakest teams in the league) had scored 77 points, which might have been enough to win 20 years ago. For better or worse, there were plenty of three-point shots, yet few dramatic backdowns or isolation plays.

Like many other parts of American life, professional sports went on a data binge in the 2010s. In the NBA, the numbers showed that teams would have a better chance of winning if they took more three-point shots. In baseball, hitters now swing for home runs much more, sacrifice bunts are rare and managers put in a new relief pitcher whenever the data call for it. This last development slows down the game so much that many people, myself included, have stopped watching.

The teens have been called “the decade when numbers broke sports.”

I tend to see the rise of analytics in a more positive light, as (among other things) they make it more fun to follow sports on the Internet. Nonetheless, the numbers can be manipulated and gamed, as they often are in politics and social media.

What about social media, a cultural bellwether if there ever was one?

I recently came across this tweet, from October. It has more likes, 1.1 million, than any I’ve seen all year.

Which brings me to the secondmost important trend of the last decade—namely, how much time we spend staring at screens, most of all on our mobile devices. They simply convey more interesting narratives than most of the other spaces in our lives.

Of course, there were other hugely consequential trends. The persistence of low interest rates, for example, which made a lot of political choices far easier. And there is the unheralded improvement in public health around the world.

But the two biggest cultural influences of the last 10 years are clear: women and screens. For me, that adds up to a pretty thrilling decade.

transfers. Should a dollar of government health-care spending count as a dollar of income for the recipients?

Different answers to questions like these can produce very different pictures of income concentration. Piketty and Saez estimated that the top 0.1 percent earned 12 percent of national income in 2012; the Fed and the Brookings team both came up with a number closer to 8 percent, only slightly more than in the late 1980s. Meanwhile, a 2018 paper by Piketty, Saez and Zucman finds that even after accounting for taxes and transfers, the top 1 percent went from taking about 10 percent of national income in the late 1980s to more than 15 percent by the mid2010s. But a paper by Gerald Auten and David Splinter finds numbers closer to 7 percent and 9 percent, respectively. A Congressional Budget Office analysis gets numbers somewhere between the two, though a little closer to the French trio’s.

How should we react to these differing numbers? In this age of data, policy is going to be influenced by whose numbers you believe. But even

most economists will find it difficult to dive into the various sets of assumptions and determine which are more plausible. And most observers aren’t equipped to do that much.

Ideology also makes it harder to evaluate the competing claims. If you believe the story that leading American economists are bought and paid for by plutocrats, then you’ll be inclined to trust the French trio; if you think that most economists are generally trying their best to get at the truth, or that the French team is as biased as others, then you’ll probably assume that the truth is somewhere between the two extremes.

The most prudent course is probably to believe in the overall shape of the trends. Almost everyone agrees that wealth and income have become more concentrated at the top in recent decades. Therefore, whatever policy changes are made, they should be in the progressive direction. But simple prudence dictates that the US should start with moderate correctives, rather than wholesale change based on the most extreme and alarming set of numbers.

A12 Monday, December 30, 2019

New China envoy moving to fast-track infra projects B

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

EIJING’S new envoy to Manila has vowed to thresh out issues surrounding the implementation of China-funded big-ticket infrastructure and development projects in the Philippines to fast-track their completion, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

In a statement over the weekend, the DOF said newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian has agreed “to institutionalize the conduct of regular meetings” between the Philippines and China to iron out issues involv-

ing China-backed projects in the country.

The DOF added that it was Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III who proposed to Huang the holding of regular dialogues between high-level officials of

10

Number of major projects in the Philippines that “are being completed” in cooperation with China, according to Beijing’s new ambassador

Manila and China.

“It would be very helpful if we have regular meetings regarding these projects. Our suggestion has always been to meet once every three or four months,” Dominguez said.

Citing Huang, the DOF said the Chinese envoy vowed to “work very

hard” to ensure that projects under the “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure modernization program that are being implemented in cooperation with China would be launched “as soon as possible.”

“We will try to make this [regular meetings] happen as soon as possible. My suggestion is we need to institutionalize that kind of mechanism. Every three months to take place, every quarter,” Huang said.

Huang said he was informed by his staff at the Chinese Embassy that there are at least 10 projects in the Philippines that “are being completed” in cooperation with China.

“We hope all these projects will bring real tangible benefits to our peoples,” he said.

See “Infra projects,” A2

Pay fees before Jan. 20, Mkti residents, biz told

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

M

Correspondent

AK ATI Mayor Abigail Binay has reminded the residents and business owners to pay their taxes, and renew their business permits and licenses before the January 20 deadline.

Binay also said authorized frontline offices to extend operations

after office hours and on weekends starting January 2.

“I have authorized the concerned frontline offices to render overtime services in order to serve our taxpayers and investors. Aside from being spared from long queues as the deadline draws near, they would also avoid penalties, and even enjoy discounts and other perks given to early birds,” Binay said.

TAIL-END OF A COLD FRONT AFFECTING EXTREME NORTHERN LUZON as of 4:00 am - December 29, 2019

From January 2 to 20, the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) and other concerned offices will be open to serve beyond office hours on weekdays and on weekends at the Ground Floor lobby of Makati City Hall Building II, the mayor said.

On January 2 and 3, the offices will be open until 7:30 p.m. The rest of the schedule will be as follows: January 4 and 5, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.;

January 6 to 10, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m; January 11 and 12, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; January 13 to 17, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; January 18 and 19, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and January 20, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

RPT satellite centers

Meanwhile, the RPT Division has announced that satellite payment centers for real-property taxes are scheduled to accept payments in 31 barangays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., as follows: January 3 and 6 (Bel-Air, Urdaneta); January 7 and 8 (San Lorenzo, Magallanes); January 9 and 10 (Dasmariñas, Forbes Park); January 13 (Bangkal, Pio del Pilar, San Isidro, Palanan, San Antonio); January 14 (La Paz, Santa Cruz, Singkamas, Tejeros, Kasilawan); January 15 (Carmona, Olympia, Valenzuela, Poblacion, Guadalupe Viejo); January 16 (Guadalupe Nuevo, Pinagkaisahan, Pitogo, Cembo, South Cembo); and January 17 (West Rembo, East Rembo, Comembo, Pembo, Rizal).

The RPT Office at the Second Floor, Makati City Hall Main Building will also extend work hours, but will accept payments only until 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and until 4 p.m. on weekends, to allow time for closing and balancing the day’s collections.

On January 2 and 3, the office will be open until 9:30 p.m. The rest of the schedule will be as follows: January 4 and 5, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; January 6 to 10, 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. ; January 11 and 12, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; January 13 to 17, 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; January 18 and 19, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and January 20, 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Under the Makati Revenue Code, discounts are given to nondelinquent taxpayers, as follows: 10 percent for full-year RPT payments made until January 20, and 5-percent discount for prompt quarterly payments (Quarter 1 until January 20; Quarter 2 until April 20; Quarter 3 until July 20; and Quarter 4 until October 20).

Annual RPT payments made after March will incur an 8-percent penalty on the first quarter, and 2 percent on every succeeding month. For late quarterly RPT payments (made after the last day of the quarter, i.e., March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31), an 8-percent penalty will be imposed for that quarter, and 2 percent on every succeeding month.

Penalties for late business tax payments include a 25-percent surcharge and a 2-percent penalty per month of delay until the amount due is fully settled. For miscellaneous fees and taxes, the deadline for professional tax payments is on January 31, while the deadline for payments on community tax, both corporate and individual, is on February 28.

LOCSIN HAILS D.F.A. STAFF IN WAR ZONES AS LIBYA TEAM BRACES FOR WORST

By Recto Mercene

I

@rectomercene

N an apparent salve for the pain of not having spent the Christmas holidays with his family, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Sunday praised Charge d’ Affaires Elmer G. Cato for his steadfastness in being with thousands of migrant Filipino workers in war-ravaged Libya these past many months.

“Great job. You must be worn out. The Commission on Appointments is waiting for your papers to confirm you as Ambassador EP,” Locsin said in his official Twitter account.

This was an apparent reply to Cato’s Christmas greeting when he tweeted: “From here in Tripoli, the men and women of @PhinLibya send their warmest holiday greetings to our kababayan in Libya. Isang Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa Inyong Lahat!”

Earlier this year, Locsin told Cato to stay in the embassy despite the bombing going all around, for as long as there were overseas Filipino workers (OFW) there.

That was the time that Cato and his staff put up a huge Philippine flag on the embassy’s rooftop so that bombers would recognize that it should be spared from the war.

Locsin then tweeted Cato that when he comes home, he would be appointed full-time ambassador.

Earlier in December 2019, Cato, a former journalist, had tweeted that he, along with his staff, had abandoned their plans to go home to spend Christmas with their respective families after fresh fighting broke out in Tripoli.

“All three of us were set to go until the announcement of the final offensive to capture Tripoli was made. I knew I had to stay. I am the commander on the ground. I have to be here to lead our people out. It’s what I signed up for,” Cato said in his official Twitter account.

When the rest of the Filipino staff in the Libyan Embassy found out that Cato was not going home, they, too, expressed their willingness to stay, although their families are waiting for their homecoming “across the planet,” Cato said, and not simply in the Philippines. “Ten days before I was

“The forces that have been laying siege to Tripoli since April were ordered to launch their final assault to capture the Libyan capital. Almost immediately, the embassy’s contingency plan came into effect, and that meant I have to be here to oversee it.”—Cato

to fly to New York for a long overdue break with the family, the forces that have been laying siege to Tripoli since April were ordered to launch their final assault to capture the Libyan capital. Almost immediately, the embassy’s contingency plan came into effect, and that meant I have to be here to oversee it.”

“The last time I was with my family was Christmas last year in New York. I was supposed to be there in May for my son’s college graduation, but I was not able to make it there because fighting once again broke out in Tripoli. I would come to miss other important family events during the past eight months that the war has been raging. And so, this Christmas break was something I was really looking forward to,” Cato added.

He said he had already received his travel authority signed by Locsin in the first week of December. A few days earlier, Finance Officer Pol Paguirigan and Property Officer Arcel Donato also sought permission to travel home. Both have follow-up medical consultations in Manila.

So far, the Philippine Embassy in Libya has repatriated 150 OFWs out of the estimated 5,000 migrant workers there, mostly nurses and caregivers who refused to budge, opting to stay with their Libyan patients.

“As our kababayan back home celebrate Christmas with their families, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to these brave, and selfless, men and women of the foreign service who are spending the holidays away from their loved ones because they are serving in the frontlines of Tripoli and Tunis as well as those in Baghdad, Damascus and in other hardship and high-thread posts abroad,” Cato tweeted.

“Am truly honored to be serving with you. Mabuhay kayong lahat!”

DOLE issues special pay rules for 3 holidays this week

T

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued special pay rules for the three-day holiday starting on Monday so employees on duty during the period can get additional pay.

December 30, 2019, (R izal Day) and December 31, 2019, (last day of 2019), as well as January 1, 2020,(New Year), were all declared as holidays by President Duterte.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said employees who will report for work on December 30 and January 1, both declared as regular holidays, will be paid twice their usual pay for the first eight hours of their work.

They will also get an additional 30 percent of their hourly rate on the said day if they work overtime, and another 30 percent of their basic regular holiday daily rate if the

day falls on their rest day.

Bello said those who will opt to spend the two holidays on vacation must still be paid their daily pay for both days.

For December 31, which is a special nonworking holiday, Bello said a “no work, no pay” rule will take effect unless the employer of a worker has “favorable company practice or collective bargaining agreement granting payment on a special day.”

Those who will work on a special holiday will get an additional 30 percent of their basic wage for the first eight hours of duty, and also another 30 percent of their hourly rate on said day if they will work overtime.

If the day coincides with their day off, the concerned employees shall be paid an additional 50 percent of their basic wage for the special holiday. Samuel P. Medenilla

ATHLETE OF THE DECADE S

B1

| Monday, December 30, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

For Mikaela Shiffrin, going up the hill again midway through a World Cup event to support her teammate is a natural thing to do. AP

By Howard Fendrich The Associated Press

erena Williams dominated the decade, on the court and in conversation.

There were, to begin with, the dozen Grand Slam single titles—no other woman had more than three over the past 10 seasons—and the three-and-a-half years in a row at No. 1 in the World Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.

And then there was the celebrity status that transcended tennis, making everything she did and said newsworthy, whether it was the triumphs and trophies and fashion statements, or the disputes with tournament officials, the magazine covers or the Super Bowl ad with a message about women’s power, the birth of her daughter or the health scare that followed.

Still winning matches and reaching Grand Slam finals into her late 30s, still mattering as much as ever, Williams was selected by The Associated Press as the Female Athlete of the Decade, on Saturday, after a vote by AP member sports editors and AP beat writers.

The AP Male Athlete of the Decade will be announced Sunday.

“When the history books are written, it could be that the great Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time.... I like to call it the ‘Serena Superpowers’—that champion’s mind-set. Irrespective of the adversity and the odds that are facing her, she always believes in herself,” said Stacey Allaster, CEO of the WTA from 2009 to 2015 and now chief executive for professional tennis at the US Tennis Association, which runs the US Open.

“Whether it was health issues; coming back; having a child; almost dying from that—she has endured it all and she is still in championship form,” Allaster said. “Her records speak for themselves.”

Gymnast Simone Biles, the 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year, finished second to Williams in voting for the decade honor, followed by swimmer Katie Ledecky. Two ski racers were next, with Lindsey Vonn finishing fourth and Mikaela Shiffrin fifth.

Three of Williams’s five AP Female Athlete of the Year awards came during the last decade, in 2013, 2015 and 2018. She also won in 2002 and 2009.

“She’s been my idol growing up,” Biles said.

“She’s remained humble. She’s stayed true to herself and her character, and I think that’s really neat about an athlete,” Biles said.

“Once you start winning, some get cocky, but she’s stayed true to herself, win or lose.”

It’s the defeats that seem to drive Williams, helping propel her to heights rarely reached by any athlete in any sport.

“Whenever I lose, I get more determined, and it gives me something more to work toward,”Williams said in a 2013 interview with the AP. “I don’t get complacent, and I realize I need to work harder and I need to do better and I want to do better—or I wouldn’t be playing the game.”

With a best-in-the-game serve, powerful ground strokes and relentless court coverage, she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, more than anyone else in her sport’s professional era, which began in 1968.

More than half came from 2010 to 2019: four at Wimbledon, three apiece at the US Open and Australian Open, two at the French Open.

That includes a run of four in a row from the US Open in 2014 through Wimbledon in 2015, her second self-styled “Serena Slam.”

Williams also was the runner-up another seven times at major tournaments over the past decade, including four of the seven she’s entered since returning to the tour after having a baby in 2017.

In all, she made the final at 19 of the 33 majors she entered during the decade, a nearly 58-percent rate.

The decade began inauspiciously in 2010, when Williams cut her feet on broken glass at a restaurant and was hospitalized with blood clots in her lungs.

Among her many accomplishments, though: n reaching at least one Slam final every year, a streak that dates to 2007; n winning gold medals in singles and doubles (with her sister, Venus) at the 2012 Olympics; n becoming the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles trophy in the professional era; n becoming the oldest No. 1 in WTA history and equaling Steffi Graf’s record for most consecutive weeks atop the rankings; n leading the tour with 37 singles titles, 11 more than anyone else in the decade.

The day she won Wimbledon in 2016, Williams discussed the way she constantly measures herself.

“I definitely feel like when I lose, I don’t feel as good about myself,” she said.

“But then I have to, like, remind myself that: ‘You are Serena Williams!’ You know?

It’s the defeats that seem to Like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Williams continued with a laugh. “And it’s those moments drive Serena Williams, helping propel that I have to just, like, come off and be like, ‘Serena, do you know what you’ve done? her to heights rarely reached by any Who you are? What you continue to do, not only in tennis [but also] off the court? athlete in any sport. AP Like, you’re awesome.’”

CINDERELLA RUN ENDS L

Sports BusinessMirror

ONDON—Fallon Sherrock’s run at the darts PDC World Championship ended in the third round on Friday with a 4-2 defeat to 22nd-seeded Chris Dobey.

The 25-year-old Sherrock became

the first woman to win a game in the tournament when beating Ted Evetts before following it up by stunning No. 11 Mensur Suljovic.

But Dobey proved too strong, fighting back from 2-1 down in sets to

L

IENZ, Austria—Even when she has just nailed a first run, Mikaela Shiffrin is not only thinking about getting the victory.

Helping a teammate was on the American three-time overall champion’s mind after taking the lead in the first part of a women’s World Cup giant slalom on Saturday.

When she was done with TV interviews and posing for selfies with fans, Shiffrin took the gondola lift back up the hill to meet 22-year-old Nina O’Brien, the only other starter from the US ski team.

“She gave me a pretty good course report,” said O’Brien, a late starter with bib 35. “She talked me through everything she was feeling. How she thought it was. So that was super helpful.”

A few minutes later, O’Brien, a San Francisco native chasing her first top-20 result on the World Cup, finished her run 3.52 seconds off Shiffrin’s time and failed to qualify for the final leg.

“I couldn’t totally execute it today, but I did really appreciate,” O’Brien said about the visit from Shiffrin, who also dominated the second run and ended up easily winning the race.

“She is definitely an inspiration,” O’Brien said. “She sets the bar pretty high but it’s really good to chase that, to see what she’s doing and try to emulate her.”

For Shiffrin, going up the hill again midway through a World Cup event to support her teammate was a natural thing to do.

“It’s something I want to do. I want to see my teammates have success, as well,” she said. “I know how heartbreaking it is to do your very best and to be right on the edge of the top 30. It’s really difficult to get over that mental barrier in a race.”

The GS and slalom events in the Austrian Dolomites this weekend are special for Shiffrin, who earned her first career World Cup podium here in 2011 at age 16.

Entering the top-level of international ski racing was frightening for her.

“When I was coming in the World Cup, I didn’t feel a huge connection with my teammates because they were older than me by 10 years or so,” Shiffrin said.

“I didn’t feel like someone was really looking out for me. That was a huge reason why it was always so important for me to have my mom around because she was set up a clash with Glen Durrant in the fourth round.

Sherrock was cheered throughout by the crowd at a raucous Alexandra Palace, with supporters singing “There’s only one Fallon Sherrock.”

Dobey made his scoring count, averaging 101.09 to Sherrock’s 90.45, while he also hit eight maximum 180s compared to Dobey’s 11.

Sherrock is a former runner-up at the

women’s world championship.

Organizers decided for the first time last year to allocate two of the 96 places in the world championship field to women.

Previously, women could attempt to qualify for the event, but now spots are guaranteed. AP Fallon Sherrock loses in London.

Ski star Shiffrin takes extra step to help teammate really the only one who was able to look out for me in any sense,” she added.

“When you’re 16 years old, it’s scary, it’s intimidating.

So when I look at some of the younger girls now, I can see a lot of myself and the feelings that I had. I want to help because I know how it feels, I know how scary it is and how intimidating it can be,” the American said.

Shiffrin’s position in the US ski team has evolved over the years. With the successes and the records piling up, she has naturally grown into a leading role. Even more so since the retirement of Lindsey Vonn, the long-term flag bearer of women’s ski racing who left the sport after the world championships in February.

Shiffrin’s Head Coach Mike Day said she has become “a great example” for her teammates.

“Now she is spending more time, trying to be a mentor, and trying to spend the time and help the other racers make the step and make the leap into World Cup,” Day said.

“This is another responsibility that’s adding on to what she’s already doing,” Day added. “I think it’s something that she is enjoying, and she is a leader in the team.”

Even if her help to O’Brien didn’t quite work out Saturday, Shiffrin will keep supporting her and other teammates.

“I have seen Nina skiing faster than I do in training. I have seen her skiing amazing, top 10, top 5 skiing. To do that in the World Cup is really tough,” Shiffrin said. “So if I have anything that I can say that might help her, then I want to do that.” AP

B2

Monday, December 30, 2019

Style

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Eliza Dushku, 39; Tyrese Gibson, 41; Laila Ali, 42; Meredith Vieira, 66.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Fix up your place, change your environment, set new goals and aim to be your very best. Turn this into a year of transformation and a time to eliminate problems and strive for perfection, happiness and living life your way. This year will be filled with opportunities if you embrace the positive and put an end to negative influences and toxic relationships. Your lucky numbers are 8, 12, 20, 28, 36, 38, 42.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keep your plans a secret for the time being. Work diligently behind the scenes to put everything in place before the year comes to a close. A gift or surprise will lift your spirits and give you hope for prospects. ★★★

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Put your plans in motion. Speak from the heart, and pull the people into your project that you feel have something unique to contribute. Let bygones be bygones, and move forward without regret, anger or emotional baggage. ★★★★

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Whatever you do, keep moving forward. Now is not the time to second-guess your plans or to hold back because you are afraid. Put yourself out there, and continue to focus on what’s important to you. Make romance a priority. ★★

Favorite skin-care and makeup products for 2019: Part 1 T

HERE are beauty products (skin care and makeup) that I use more often than others and I post them on my Instagram so there is a record of it. At the end of the year, I write a column or two about these products.

So here are the makeup and skin-care products that I loved in 2019. They aren’t necessarily new products but mostly makeup that I started loving this year only: ■IT COSMETICS BYE BYE UNDER EYE FULL-COVERAGE ANTI-AGING WATERPROOF CONCEALER. I am not a regular user of concealers so if I use one almost everyday, you’ll know it’s a good one. My main beef with concealers is that they crease a few hours after application, even when I set it with a good powder.

Bye Bye Concealer does not just conceal the aftereffects of a late night and the genetic curse of dark under-eye circles, but it’s also like a highlighter. The texture is thick and pasty so you only need a dot but the magic happens when you apply it. I use a small brush then a damp sponge. You may or may not set it with powder. I love it because it has full coverage but the look is natural. ■MAKE UP FOR EVER HD LIGHT-CAPTURING SELFSETTING CONCEALER. This is another low-maintenance concealer that does not need to be set. The finish is second skin and it really just hides your blemishes

and skin imperfections without a trace. This concealer is my lazy-day makeup. I just apply and tap with my fingers. Sometimes I set it with powder.

Sometimes I don’t. ■SUNNIES FACE LIP DIP. I initially thought Lip Dip was a matte liquid lipstick. It’s actually a lip cream that’s perfect for a softly blurred look. Think of it as what a lip tint would be if it actually colored your lips. There are around nine shades but my favorites are Femmebot, Coco and So Good. I’ve been asked whether I prefer this over Fluffmates from the same brand. Yes, I do. For everyday wear, Lip Dip is a lowmaintenance option, plus I like that the shade of the lip cream is the color of the tube. This is very helpful for women like me who have lots of lipsticks and change what’s in their bags regularly. ■MAKE UP FOR EVER MATTE VELVET SKIN BLURRING POWDER FOUNDATION. I have never tried a powder like this. It blurs skin imperfections and offers light to medium coverage. I daresay that so far, it is the best powder foundation I have tried in my life. It is best applied with the sponge it comes with or a Kabuki brush. Of course, because this is from Make Up For Ever, the powder foundation comes in a wide array of shades. The powder is finely milled and waterproof.

I actually scraped off a bit from the compact and put the bits in a glass of water. The powder only started to dissolve after maybe eight hours. I usually use this alone over moisturizer and sunscreen. ■LAURA MERCIER TRANSLUCENT SETTING POWDER. You know how it is when influencers all collectively rave about a certain product and you rush off to buy it, only to discover that the particular item is just soso? Well, that is not the case with the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder. It really performs well as a setting powder when you are wearing a liquid base. ■MAC COSMETICS SHAPE+SHADE BROW TINT. This is an all-in-one product with a powder on one end (with a sponge tip) and a liquid on another (with a brush).

The liquid gives the most hair like strokes. When I use

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Partnerships are essential and best handled with care. Discuss your feelings, and you’ll be surprised by the support and suggestions people offer. Change can be frightening but also exhilarating. Have faith and leap forward. ★★★★★

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Sit tight until you are sure what your next move should be. Give yourself time to iron out any problems you might face. Take good care of your physical well-being, as well as meaningful relationships. ★★★

this, I apply the powder first, then line with the liquid and fill in the sparse areas. ■MILK MAKEUP LIP+CHEEK. I have this in the color Quickie and while a full-sized product is quite expensive, it’s a good investment if you’re the type who likes makeup that’s hassle-free to apply.

Lip+Cheek Stick provides buildable color with Milk Makeup’s Milk Melt Technology for instant and seamless absorption. I’ve never used it on my lips but for my cheeks, this performs above average. It is not easy for me to be impressed by a product calling itself a lip and cheek tint but this has my vote. ■SHISEIDO MINIMALIST WHIPPEDPOWDER BLUSH. I first tried this (in Setsuko) after I had a facial at the Shiseido boutique in TriNoma. I love how effortless it is to apply. According to the Shiseido web site, this blush “uses breakthrough AirFusion Technology to blend effortlessly across skin.� The finish is mousseto-powder and it lasts for around six to eight hours. To use, I pick up the product with my finger and dab into my cheeks. I normally apply several layers because I am not the type to use blush sparingly. ■SUNNIES FACE LIFEBROW GEL. I am always sweaty, even when it’s not hot outside. That is one of the reasons why I don’t like being outdoors. I cannot stand the thought of my brows being wiped out as I sweat.

Well, this is the perfect product for people like me.

Lifebrow Gel really holds up and stays on. In fact, my issue with it is that it is difficult to remove (it can only be removed by an oil). I also love the tiny brush which gives me better control. At P345, you couldn’t find a more perfect product. ■MAYBELLINE FIT ME MATTE+PORELESS POWDER. This, for me, is the perfect powder for retouching.

It offers value for money in terms of coverage and performance, and the shades are surprisingly friendly for warm skin tones. To be honest, I am not a big fan of the Fit Me liquid foundation but this pressed powder is one that I love so much. More to follow.... â–

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Step up to the podium and say what’s on your mind. It’s time to take charge and lay out your strategy for the upcoming year. Make personal plans that include travel, pursuits of knowledge and expanding your social life and interests. ★★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t let anyone ruin your plans or your day. Step out with someone who puts a smile on your face and offers sage advice. A pep talk should give you the push you need to bring about positive changes. ★★★★★

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Take better care of your physical and emotional wellbeing. Refuse to let anyone undermine you.

Concentrate on what matters most and how best to go about getting things done to your specifications. Be creative, use your imagination and eliminate problems. ★★

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Primping and pampering will put you in the mood to party. Making plans with someone special will help you figure out what you want to focus on and how best to go about turning your dream into a reality.

Romance is featured. ★★★★

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Last-minute adjustments will put your mind at ease as you move toward next year. A change of heart will prompt you to revise the way you do things moving forward. An unusual decision may confuse others, but it will improve your life. ★★★

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Spend more time doing things that make you happy and less time fretting over what others do. Don’t get dragged into an emotional dispute, or you will be considered a meddler. Do your own thing. ★★★

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Envision what you want in order to make it happen. Your intuition will help you size up situations and people you encounter. A change will turn out to be beneficial if you speak up and make what you want crystal clear. ★★★ BIRTHDAY BABY: You are ambitious, steadfast and optimistic.

You are broad-minded and aggressive.

‘central position’ BY JOHN GUZZETTA The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Tapenade ingredient 6 Start of a Web address 10 “Read my ___!�

14 Rot 15 Honolulu’s island 16 Loafing around 17 Egocentric truck tankful? (note each starred answer’s middle letters) 19 Cain’s brother 20 Back talk 21 Frequently, poetically 22 Small river 24 Adams who played Lois Lane 26 Simple card game 27 Org. that checks boarding passes 28 Geocentric international concern?

34 Commotion 35 Sticky 36 1/500 of a ream 39 Lively dance 41 Opposing vote 42 Slice, as a turkey 43 Terminate a relationship 44 Sound in a bucket 46 Lead-in to “whiz� or “whillikers�

47 50 52 53 54 56 58 62 63 66

Heliocentric athletic outfit?

Dance style with a soft-shoe variety The One in The Matrix Green prefix Black Sea port city Noted seashell seller Actress Hayworth Exit ___ (election data source) Anthropocentric jet type?

Guthrie who sang “Alice’s Restaurant�

67 Unwelcome task 68 A high-top sneaker covers it 69 Fervor 70 Dozes (off) 71 Bedbugs and such DOWN 1 Chances 2 Star Wars general Organa 3 Chills, as champagne 4 Feudal tenant 5 Place for a contact 6 The Tao of Pooh author 7 Completely stretched 8 ___ End 9 Object detected with a radio

10 11 12 13 18 23 25 26 28 29 30 31 32 33 37 38 40 45 48 49 50 51 55

telescope Bad romantic partner Words said before taking off Defendants’ appeals DuVernay film about Martin Luther King Jr. True blue “How fashionable!�

Explosive power units “Son of a...�

Back of the neck Japanese noodle March snaps, perhaps?

Reaches a cost of Blue-green shades Puzzle solver’s cry Even once Be overrun (with) “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck� singer Moore Scoffing look “Because I said so,� e.g.

As an example Gem that’s eight on the Mohs scale Really love Schedule segment

56 57 59 60 61 64 65

Tater Gas brand with collectible toy trucks Signs, as a deal ___-A-Whirl Gets 100 percent on Game with Skip cards It sticks to a stick

Solution to Friday’s puzzle:

Show BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Monday, December 30, 2019

B3

‘Mindanao’ hauls major MMFF awards; old issues remain

D Aicelle Santos

Alden Richards

GMA kicks off 70th anniversary with grand New Year countdown It’s time to say farewell to the year that was as GMA ushers in the New Year with a night filled with entertainment and festivities via the The Kapuso Countdown to 2020: The GMA New Year Special at SM Mall of Asia, Seaside Boulevard, Pasay City, on December 31.

To kick off the yearlong celebration of the network’s 70th anniversary, it is treating the public to an exciting merry-making event hosted by no less than the brightest and biggest stars as they welcome 2020 with spectacular and world-class performances.

Leading the grand celebration is Asia’s Multimedia Star and The Gift lead actor Alden Richards, who will turn up the party with high-energy dance production numbers and serenade the crowd with heartfelt melodies. Set to deliver a hot and fiery opening songand-dance number is GMA powerhouse vocalist and Aliw Awardee for Best Major Concert Female Performer Julie Anne San Jose.

Bringing nonstop entertainment to the countdown special are talented stars Aicelle Santos, Mark Bautista, Katrina Halili, Kris Bernal, Rocco Nacino, Sanya Lopez, Sef Cadayona, Betong Sumaya, Kristoffer Martin, Jak Roberto, Migo Adecer, Klea Pineda, Kyline Alcantara, Arra San Agustin, P-pop Generation and Buganda.

GMA Music recording artists Golden Cañedo, Hannah Precillas, Garrett Bolden, Jong Madaliday and XOXO will treat everyone with show-stopping production numbers. StarStruck Season 7’s Shayne Sava, Kim de Leon, Allen Ansay, Lexi Gonzales, and The Clash Season 2’s Jeremiah Tiangco, Thea Astley, Antonette Tismo, Nef Medina and Jeniffer Maravilla bring the house down as they take their turn onstage.

GMA is also excited to share a sneak peek at big launches happening in the new year. The preshow to The Kapuso Countdown to 2020: The GMA New Year Special begins at 8 pm and the live telecast starts at 10:30 pm to 12:30 am, on GMA.

By Gerard Ramos Lifestyle & Entertainment Editor

ILIGIN Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa, the 1975 Augusto Buenaventura film which starred Joseph Estrada and Gloria Diaz, was the Best Picture winner in first-ever annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), then known as the Metropolitan Film Festival. The festival superseded the Manila Film Festival of then-Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas following the declaration of martial law in 1972 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos, and the creation of Metro Manila, or Metropolitan Manila, over which Marcos appointed his wife, Imelda, to rule as governor.

Filipinos may never see another film bear as florid a title, as was customary back then. What they are more likely to encounter is another MMFF bedeviled by controversies and issues as old as, well, the festival itself. There was the reported walkout of Lino Brocka in 1977, just two years after the festival’s inception, following the loss of Brocka’s Inay to Celso Ad Castillo’s controversial Burlesk Queen, which took home the lion’s share of the awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Actor.

Reportedly, the awards were recalled following the controversy that erupted.

Then, there was the Ninth Metro Manila Festival awards night in 1983, which saw such acting greats as Charito Solis, Philip Salvador and Vic Silayan go home empty-handed for the Marilou Diaz-Abaya classic Karnal, while Anthony Alonzo and Coney Reyes basked in awards glory for the potboiler Bago Kumalat ang Kamandag.

And who could ever forget 1988, when stuntmanactor Baldo Marro walked away as Best Actor for Patrolman at the awards ceremonies of 14th MMFF, besting Christopher de Leon for his work in Laurice Guillen’s Magkano ang Iyong Dangal. By the way, Patrolman also took the awards for Best Film and Best Supporting Actor (for Dick Israel).

So it should come as no surprise that this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival, in its 45th iteration, saw its awards night last Friday, December 27, punctuated by not-so-veiled protest—mercifully not from those who went home with nary an award in sight, but from the people in front of and behind the film which won the most number of awards, 11 in all, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Director.

That film is, of course, the war drama Mindanao, directed by Brillante Mendoza and starring Judy Ann Santos and Allen Dizon.

Judy Ann punctuated her acceptance speech with a sarcastic aside to her director, although the sarcasm was clearly meant elsewhere: “Direk, pwede naming pagsamahin ang tig-P100,000 naming premyo ni Allen Dizon para sa Best Actor at Best Actress para kumita na ’yung movie natin. Sana bukas madagdagan na ’yung mga sinehan natin.”

For his part, Mendoza said upon receiving his

Best Director prize: “Ang hiling lang po sana namin ay madagdagan iyong aming sinehan.”

It is a familiar complaint—and a valid one that has been made countless times throughout the history of the MMFF as the festival increasingly abandoned its much-vaunted raison d’etre: to be a showcase of the best of Filipino filmmaking, and to be a platform for so-called small experimental movies that would otherwise not have a foot in the box-office door in the face of unabashedly and unashamedly commercial fare whether local or foreign.

Judy Ann and company have my sympathies, of course, but their cause—one that is shared no doubt by other film creatives—would be better served if they laid the blame for this continuing sorry state of affairs squarely at the feet of very people responsible for this film festival who, after all, make up the rules.

The 45th Metro Manila Film Festival runs until January 7, 2020. Meanwhile, here is the list of this year’s winners: n Best Picture: Mindanao n Second Best Picture: Write About Love n Third Best Picture: Sunod n Best Director: Brillante Mendoza, Mindanao n Best Actress: Judy Ann Santos, Mindanao n Best Actor: Allen Dizon, Mindanao

n Special Jury Prize for Full Length Film: Crisanto Aquino, Write About Love n Best Supporting Actor: Joem Bascon, Write About Love n Best Supporting Actress: Yeng Constantino, Write About Love n Best Screenplay: Crisanto Aquino, Write About Love n Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting: Culion n Best Float: Mindanao n Gender Sensitivity Award: Mindanao n Best Child Performer: Yuna Tangog, Mindanao n Best Musical Score: Jerrold Tarog, Write About Love n Best Original Song: “Ikaw ang Akin,” Write About Love n Best Sound: Hiroyuki Ishizaka, Mindanao n Best Visual Effects: Team App, Mindanao n Best Production Design: Ericson Navarro, Sunod n Best Editing: Vanessa de Leon, Write About Love n Best Cinematography: Mycko David, Sunod n Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award: Mindanao n FPJ Memorial Award for Excellence: Mindanao n Female Star of the Night: Carmina Villarroel n Male Star of the Night: Aga Muhlach

PHOTO: SANY CHUA

Celebrities who made the loudest noise in 2019

AS the year comes to a close, we recall those who have left an indelible mark on the local entertainment universe, whether they made us smile, roll our eyes, laugh, cry, cheer or cringe.

Up to now, neither Coco Martin nor his reported girlfriend Julia Montes has categorically confirmed that they are the parents of the rumored baby Montes supposedly gave birth to sometime in April. News circulated during the peak of the summer season that Montes flew in from Germany to give birth to their love child at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.

At that same period, there were talks that Yassi Pressman, Martin’s leading lady in his long-running TV series, was apparently so devastated with the turn of events that she hied off to Palawan by herself.

After arriving on the island, she posted a photo with this caption on her Instagram: “Unsure where to next—but surely forward, surely smarter and surely stronger than before.” She even took time to address a follower who remarked, “But if you go forward, you’ll fall into the water,” to which she quickly replied: “...and wash my pain away.”

The untimely death of iconic actor Eddie Garcia shocked the entire nation in June. The actor fought for his dear life for 12 days after he tripped on a cable while working on the set of a GMA series. The

bad fall resulted in a neck and cervical fracture.

Sometime this December, the Department of Labor and Employment fined the network for only a little less than a million pesos for occupational safety and health violations surrounding the accident that led to Garcia’s death.

The Gerald Anderson and Bea Alonzo split also made a lot of headlines and the word “ghosting” suddenly became popular. Alonzo earned immediate sympathies and found allies, while Anderson was pushed deeper and deeper into the pits. The name of Julia Barretto, allegedly the third party, surfaced and her popularity suffered instantly. Barretto’s screen tandem with Joshua Garcia faced an untimely end, and even if they have wrapped up a movie (Mikhail Red’s Block Z), the producers are afraid to release the film, fearing either a backlash from their fans or a karmic restitution.

Despite his self imposed hiatus from show business, John Lloyd Cruz continued to make noise.

After fathering the baby boy of Ellen Adarna, Cruz was reportedly shown the exit door from their romantic liaison when Adarna felt he had become “too weird” for her.

Cruz has then made a few small steps leading to an acting comeback: a one-scene appearance in the ongoing festival movie Culion, and he is also reportedly included in the cast of a new Lav Diaz film.

Kris Aquino also made the headlines with her falling out with the Falcis brothers—her business partners, close confidants and friends. This was resolved after several months when all the issues were amicably worked out and settled.

We are glad that Aquino’s health condition has also dramatically improved, now that she has chosen to live a more peaceful life, enjoying life and traveling the world in the company of her two sons, Josh and Bimby.

The ever controversial Barretto sisters (Gretchen,

Clockwise: Kris Aquino, John Lloyd Cruz, Gretchen Barretto, Yassi Pressman, Julia Montes, Bea Alonzo, Gerald Anderson and Eddie Garcia.

Marjorie and Claudine) surely made the last quarter of 2019 more exciting with their ugly fights before, during and right after the demise of their father.

Their saga landed on national television and frontpage news, even dragging the names of President Duterte, Atong Ang and Ramon Ang in the widely followed grotesque family scandal that undoubtedly boasts of better subplots than your favorite weeknight drama series.

Actresses Max Eigenmann and Judy Ann Santos made the country proud by winning the best actress awards at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia, and the Cairo International Film Festival in Egypt, respectively. Eigenmann won for the Raymund Gutierrez film Verdict, and Santos was recognized for the Brillante Mendoza film Mindanao.

Cheers to 2019, and here’s looking forward to a glorious new decade.

Sports BusinessMirror

B4

| Monday, December 30, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Ryan Monsalve (left) and Lanz Uy flash the No. 1 sign.

MONSALVE-UY IN 8-SHOT ‘DOUBLES’ WIN R

yan Monsalve and Lanz Uy played in sync all throughout and turned what was expected to be a tight finish into a runaway triumph, combining for a superb four-under 64 and a whopping eight-stroke victory over Jed Dy and Mikha Fortuna in the National Doubles Amateur Golf Championship at Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club, on Sunday.

Bracing for a wild finish after moving past first round leader Sean Ramos and Gabby Macalaguim by one following the aggregate play Saturday, Monsalve and Uy stood out in the deciding alternate shot format, pulling away early with three birdies in the first four holes then bouncing back from a bogey on No. 5 with three more birdies against another bogey at the back for a 34-30 card.

Counting their opening 62 and a second round 141, Monsalve and Uy finished with a 267,

beating Dy and Fortuna, who carded a 69 for a 275, by eight and besting Bianca Pagdanganan and Dy’s seven-shot win in last year’s staging of the annual event organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

“He just played relaxed golf,” said Uy of his partner, who anchored their big second round charge with a 66 at the short but tight par-68 layout.

“Although the course is short, we were careful with our shots because it’s easy to get into trouble since the fairways are tight and the roughs are thick.

We actually played some holes short so we could set up good approach shots,” said Monsalve.

Ramos and Macalaguim, who took charge with a 61 in Friday’s opening four-ball, lost in the face of Monsalve and Uy’s hot start and bombed out with a front side 41. They failed to recover at the back and finished with a 75 to drop to joint

third at 279 with the Ivan Monsalve-Aldo Barro pair, which shot a 71.

Luigi Guerrero and Dan Cruz also scored a 71 to end up tied for fifth at 280 with the Josh JorgeSantino Laurel tandem, which groped for a 74, while Santino Diokno and Miguel Roque carded a 72 for seventh at 283 in the event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation and held as part of the PLDT National Amateur Golf Tour, and backed by Cignal and Metro Pacific Investments.

Paolo Barro and Laia Barro ended up eighth at 284 after a 70, Menard Ko and Roy Nodalo turned in a 76 for ninth at 289, while the pairs of Jonar Austria-Marco Olives and Sam MartirezDiana Araneta pooled identical 74s for joint 10th at 290 with Gab Manotoc and Carlo Quimson, who struggled with a 76.

Jona Magcalayo and Sunshine Zhang, on

the other hand, combined for a 77 as they battled from two shots down to claim the Group 2 diadem with a 299, nipping erstwhile leaders Larry Patnongon and Jaime Patnongon, who fumbled with a 79 for a 300, by one.

Sophia Blanco and Alexi Blanco placed third with a 305 after a 77.

Ricky Velasco and Ramon Capistrano also rallied to snare the Group 3 crown with a 303 after a 79, foiling Allan Rubrica and Dennis Nicomedes, who stumbled with an 81 for a 305, while Jimmy Suelo and Romeo Lopez fired a 69 to finish third at 307.

RUSSIA CONFIRMS

APPEAL ON BAN M

OSCOW—Russia confirmed Friday that it will appeal its four-year Olympic ban for manipulating doping data.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency, known as Rusada, sent a formal letter disagreeing with the sanctions imposed earlier this month by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

The case is now heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Next year’s Olympics in Tokyo will be the third consecutive edition of the games preceded by a legal battle over Russian doping issues.

Rusada said it “disputes the [Wada] notice in its entirety,” including the evidence of tampering with the data archive. The data was handed over in January and was meant to clear up past coverups, but has led to more legal tussles.

Rusada’s own CEO, Yuri Ganus, attached his own note of protest to Friday’s letter. Ganus is critical of Russian officials and had disagreed with the decision to appeal. He was overruled by his agency’s founders, which include some of Russia’s most influential sports leaders.

The Wada sanctions ban the use of the Russian team name, flag or anthem at a range of major sports competitions over the next four years, including next year’s Olympics and the 2022 soccer World Cup. Ganus said he believes any appeal has little chance of success and could even lead to harsher sanctions, including a ban of all Russian athletes, who under the current ban are allowed to compete as neutrals.

“There is a possibility of entering the case new players which may demand from the court not to soften the sanctions but to toughen them,” Ganus said. “The sanctions regime that is in place against the Russian sport is not full, it is not a 100 percent. There were greater sanctions, up to a ban of all athletes.”

Russians will be allowed to compete in Tokyo as unaffiliated athletes if they pass a vetting process that examines their history of drug testing, and possible involvement in cover-ups at the lab.

That has prompted anger from some Western athletes and organizations like the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which wanted a blanket

ban on Russian athletes.

The appeal was widely expected with Russian President Vladimir Putin having branded the ban “unfair.”

Rusada’s supervisory board voted Decebemr 19, to file an arbitration case with CAS in Switzerland after Wada ruled Russia had manipulated doping laboratory data to cover up past offenses. Putin has said it was not fair to threaten Russia with more dopingrelated punishment, and that any sanctions should be on an individual basis. “I think it is not just unfair but not corresponding to common sense and law,” Putin said.

After a panel of three CAS arbitrators is chosen, a verdict will be issued within three months.

Putin added that Wada’s recommended four-year ban on Russia

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency says it “disputes the [World Anti-Doping Agency] notice in its entirety.” AP

‘The Last Dance’ Rick Olivares bleachersbrew@gmail.com

Bleachers’ Brew Recently, there was this trailer for a 10-part documentary series titled, The Last Dance. It is about the sixth championship season of the Chicago Bulls in 1997 to 1998. That documentary is supposed to premiere sometime in 2020.

I have noticed in the last couple of years all

hosting major sports competitions would have little effect, pointing to the 2022 men’s volleyball world championships as an event Russia intends to keep.

Wada demands events are moved unless it’s “legally or practically impossible” to do so, which could create a loophole for event organizers who don’t want to break financial commitments.

That ban already doesn’t apply to next year’s European Championship soccer games in Saint Petersburg, or the 2021 Champions League final, both of which are exempt because they’re continental, not world, championships.

Russia handed over the lab’s doping data archive in January, in return for having earlier sanctions lifted in 2018. Wada investigators found evidence that Russia was intensively editing the data in the weeks before the handover to remove signs of failed drug tests.

Ganus has said he believes the editing took place, and he said a hearing reveal further evidence of data manipulation.

“What are the risks? First of all, it is a public hearing, which will reveal to the whole world the supporting information of the official position of sports authorities on changes in the computer database,” Ganus said.

Wada said it found fake messages spliced into chat logs in an apparent attempt to smear former lab director Grigory Rodchenkov, who’s become a key witness for Wada since leaving Russia. Rodchenkov went public with allegations of a vast state-sponsored doping scheme after the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, Russia, where Russia was the top medal-winning country. AP

this renewed love for Michael Jordan while this Greatest Player of All Time debate with LeBron James on the opposite side rages on. And true enough, we will see a lot of new interviews with key figures during that era.

I have previously written about that GOAT

debate and do not see the need to discuss that again because my arguments have not changed.

I will say this though...in about 10 years or so.... LeBron will get a lot of praise. He will not overtake Michael Jordan as the GOAT. There is this video on YouTube that specifically zeroes in on Michael’s two-year stint with the Washington Wizards and while that club never made the playoffs, Michael’s stats were even better than many of today’s stars. And how old was Michael during that time? How long was his layoff from competitive basketball? The results are astounding.

As for LeBron...even as a fan of the King, I think that not only does he need to win more titles to even be in that same sentence as Michael. However, I am sure that in a decade

or so, LeBron will be celebrated.

Back to The Last Dance. I have DVDs and books about the Bulls from their pre-title days to that fateful season. I have all the books and magazines, too. Yet, I do know that for that entire NBA season, a camera crew followed the Chicago Bulls everywhere and recorded a lot of footage with a lot that many will not be able to see. I am even sure that lot of that footage will end up in the cutting room for this 10-part series. That doesn’t change the fact that I am excited for this. It revisits a totally different era when hand checking was allowed and the least of your worries.

Speaking of cutting table. How come in that trailer, Toni Kukoc was nowhere to be seen? Ditto with players like Luc Longley?

LUKA DONCIC didn’t even play the fourth quarter. AP

Doncic pounds Warriors with ninth triple-double

S

AN FRANCISCO—Luka Doncic notched his ninth triple-double of the season and didn’t even play the fourth quarter.

Doncic had 31 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds in just 30 minutes, and the Dallas Mavericks routed the Golden State Warriors, 141-121, on Saturday night.

“I didn’t expect they were going to trap me in the half court,” Doncic said. “If they trap me, they have to play four-on-three basketball, which is easy. It’s not just one player on the court—we have five—and if they trap me, I’m glad. We’re going to hit those open shots.

That’s easy basketball for us.”

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 18 and Seth Curry added 17 off the bench for the Mavericks, who snapped the Warriors’ four-game winning streak.

D’Angelo Russell had 30 points and eight 3-pointers in the first half but injured his neck after falling and colliding with Dwight Powell during the third quarter.

“Thank God it wasn’t anything too serious,” Russell said. “Just a little shoulder contusion.

The contact kind of knocked the wind out of me, but I’m good now.”

Russell returned for the start of the

fourth but the Warriors were down by 19 at that point. He finished with 35 points and six assists.

“I want to talk about Russell,” Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle said, “because I have never seen a guy score 12 points in two minutes to start the game. Right off the bat, he was on pace for 288 points. The shots he was throwing in were amazing. We kept trying to figure out ways to take him out of rhythm. In the first half, it was virtually impossible. Second half, we got a little more traction.”

The Mavericks pulled away when Russell was out, outscoring the Warriors 45-24 in the third quarter. Hardaway made a deep 3 with 6:55 left in the third to give the Mavericks an eight-point lead that would only grow as the game went on.

Draymond Green had 10 points and eight assists for Golden State, but he and the Warriors struggled to defend the Mavericks.

Dallas shot 52.2 percent from the floor and made a franchise-record 24 3s.

“I wish we could have made more stops defensively,” Green said, “but they’re a good offensive team. I think in the third quarter we kind of ran out of gas.” AP

I remember Bulls forward Jud Buechler saying in one of those interviews from that season that 25 years from that title run, everyone will know where each one is. And maybe so.

That was a special team. Coaches included. And they had some colorful coaches during their ride from Phil Jackson himself, to Johnny Bach, to Tex Winter. And hopefully, they do show where each and everyone one of those Bulls is now.

Lest someone say that I am living in yesterday, let me just say that I do enjoy today’s NBA or even international basketball. While in the last two seasons, I gravitated back to my childhood team of the Philadelphia 76ers, I still follow the Chicago Bulls. They do have an interesting lineup, as well.

Furthermore, there have been a lot of

interesting story lines that sprung up in the wake of The Last Dance; The Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron in Cleveland, The Decision, The Miami Heat, The rise of the Golden State Warriors, The San Antonio Spurs’ success, and there’s more.

But in terms of drama factor and controversy, it is the Kobe Bryant Lakers and LeBron James that will make for interesting documentaries 20 years from now. But that’s for later.... The Last Dance is on deck. And that’s some of the best sports news in this old year of 2019.

When my column returns in the new year, we will hand out our traditional Brewskies Awards.

Thanks for reading. Happy New Year, everyone!