BusinessMirror February 13, 2020

‘SLIM CHANCE OF U.S.-PHL FTA TALKS STARTING THIS YEAR’

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales @alyasjah

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HE prospect of negotiating a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the United States is becoming dimmer by the day after the Philippine government withdrew from the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), business leaders said on Wednesday.

All of a sudden, the prospect of forging a trade deal with the US this year became impossible following the government’s decision to pull out of theVFA.

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Thursday, February 13, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 126

‘Virus may cost 95k jobs in tourism sector’ T

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario & Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

HE new coronavirus (COVID-19) could cause the tourism sector to lose as much as P22.7 billion a month and shed 95,000 jobs, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) told lawmakers in a hearing on Wednesday.

During the joint hearing of the House Committees on Tourism and Economic Affairs, Neda Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon said the reduction in tourist arrivals due to travel bans would

result in the loss of 30,000 to 95,000 jobs.

Despite the problems created

by COVID-19, however, Socioeconomic Planning Secretar y Ernesto M. Pernia told report-

ers the country’s economy still has a “fighting chance” to expand by around 6 percent in the first quarter.

“With respect to international estimates, they also forecast that

the Philippines, which is not that dependent on tourism and also not that dependent on external trade, will be in some ways insulated,” Edillon said at the House hearing. “[However], applying the multiplier effect of tourism, we expect that per month, together with domestic airline receipts which will also be affected, we think [the losses are] in the order of P22.7 billion per month,” she added.

Edillon said the tourism sector contributes 12.7 percent to total GDP, including allied services.

The Neda said its estimates take into consideration the travel ban imposed by the Philippines on countries like China to prevent the virus from spreading.

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Fintech firms told: Payment solutions not enough

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PESO exchange rates n

See “FTA,” A2

P25.00 nationwide | 6 sections 60 pages |

One year after rice tariffication: Farmers hurting, angry at new law Rene E. Ofreneo

laborem exercens

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epublic Act 11203, better known as the rice tariffication law or RTL, is now one-year-old.

The purpose of the RTL is fully reflected in its title: “An Act liberalizing the importation, exportation, and trading of rice, lifting for the purpose the quantitative import restriction on rice, and for other purposes.” Farmer leaders simply call the law as the rice trade liberalization law, for the law allows any private rice importer-distributor to import any volume of rice. The only requirement: a sanitary permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry.

The enactment of the RTL was bitterly opposed by all farmer organizations and some officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA). Their main criticism: the rice tariffication law gives up the power of the government to protect the rice industry, especially the small rice farmers numbering 2.5 million.

POGOs, BIR disagree over alien workers’ tax

@BNicolasBM

See “Fintech,” A2

part really depends on their Congress,” he replied, when sought if the Philippine government is still expecting FTA talks to at least begin this year.

Upon the instructions of President Duterte, the Philippines has terminated the decades old VFA with the US in a move seen to impact on the country’s security activities, including the freedom of navigation patrols that the American military conducts in the West Philippine Sea.

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By Bernadette D. Nicolas

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) challenged financial technology start-ups working in the Philippines to go beyond providing payment solutions by focusing on the needs of those in the supply chains to boost micro, small and medium enterprises in the country.

Pia Bernadette Roman-Tayag, BSP managing director of Center for Learning and Inclusion Advocacy, said on Wednesday that majority of those in the financial technology space are occupied by those providing payment solutions and some in digital lending.

“I really want to see fintechs that can solve the connection of supply chains, providing the financial services that those supply chains need, so ability to save different types of credit ‘yung talagang fit for the needs of those in the supply chain to really unlock the potential naman of our MSMEs, so that’s a wish,” RomanTayag told reporters in an interview on the sidelines of the ING-Unicef Fintech for Impact media launch.

Roman-Tayag said she also wants “transformative” solutions that are not only making current things easier but also solving real issues to make access to f i n a nc i a l ser v ices translate to economic growth.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told the BusinessMirror he can only cross his fingers the US treats trade relations different from political and security affairs.

However, he argued there remains “some light” for a trade pact between Manila and Washington depending on how the US Congress will look at the injuries in the ties of the two parties.

“I can only hope that it [VFA termination] will not in any way impact. The economic cooperation can be treated differently,”Lopez said in a text message. “[It is] still possible, [but] that

By Samuel P. Medenilla

V A nurse at the Ospital ng Parañaque checks on her protective suit and basic equipment as she prepares to receive persons seeking examination for symptoms of COVID-19. The hospital is using a tent loaned by the Department of Health to Parañaque as a makeshift receiving area. NONIE REYES

Drive vs online fakes boost PHL’s rank in IP index

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HE Philippines has obtained a higher score in the 2020 intellectual property (IP) index of the United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC), an improvement the government owed to its crackdown on online counterfeiting and piracy.

The index, released by the USCC’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) last week, gave the Philip-

pines a score of 39.94 percent on positive performances in nearly 20 of 50 indicators. The country, therefore, fared 4 percent better than last year’s rating of 36 percent on good showing in 16.2 of 45 indicators.

The IP index attributed the country’s improvement to the 0.25-point uptick in the indicator for availability of frameworks that promote private action against on-

line sale of counterfeit goods.

Further, the Philippines got 1 point—a strong performance—in new indicators for plant variety protection and term of protection. It also scored 1 point for being a member on the Convention on Cybercrime, as well as 0.5 point for sustaining IP-intensive industries and making national economic impact analysis.

See “IP index,” A2

@sam_medenilla

ARYING interpretations of tax policies that should be applied to foreign nationals (FN) employed in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) will cut the projected P24 billion in taxes that the government can collect from them.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) made the statement during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources on Tuesday.

BIR Deputy Commissioner Sixto C. Dy Jr. said several POGO service providers are insisting that FN employees should be taxed under the graduated taxation scheme of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law instead of paying the 25-percent gross income tax.

“If we allow them to pay under section 24 [of TRAIN law], our estimated collection will be around P7 billion to P8 billion [a year] only. But if we collect 25 percent gross, that is the P2 billion a month,” said Dy. He said the BIR maintains that the FN employees of POGO firms are nonresident aliens not engaged in any business or profession in the

Philippines, so they are not entitled to the graduated taxation scheme stipulated in TRAIN. Dy said the BIR hopes this will be addressed by pending legislation in Congress stating specifically that FN employees of POGO-related firms should be charged the 25percent gross income tax.

As of December 2019, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) showed 123,056 FNs were issued the Alien Employment Permit in POGO-related industries in the Philippines. The AEP allows FNs to work in the country for more than six months.

Dy said 90 percent of the said FNs are already paying taxes through their tax identification numbers (TIN).

Labor officials said each of the FNs are paid basic salaries ranging from P20,000 to P40,000 per month as indicated in their employment contracts.

However, Dy said the BIR received reports that the said FNs, who are mostly Chinese nationals, are paid as high P75,000.

DOLE said Dy’s statement is plausible if the amount will include the “allowances” received by FNs on top of their basic pay.

US 50.7000 n japan 0.4619 n UK 65.6819 n HK 6.5289 n CHINA 7.2782 n singapore 36.5775 n australia 34.0349 n EU 55.3543 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5182

Source: BSP (12 February 2020)

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BusinessMirror

A2 Thursday, February 13, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Pifita’s tax on debt instruments worries PDEx

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By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. (PDEx) expressed concern that the imposition of a transaction tax in the secondary debt market under the proposed Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (Pifita) will counter capital market development as this will deter individual investors.

While PDEx President and CEO Antonino A. Nakpil said they support Pifita, he sought reconsidera-

tion of their position on a provision imposing a temporary 0.1 percent transaction tax on listed

and traded debt instruments at the PDEx, which will also be removed by 2026.

“The presence of this transaction tax would act as a behavioraltering, decision-making altering process and this will counter the capital market,” Nakpil said during the Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing on the Pifita.

Nakpil said this becomes a “deterrent” for individual investors since part of capital market development is really persuading shortterm oriented depositors to move into longer-term commitments like bonds.

Pifita or the Package 4 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP), aims to redesign financial sector taxation into a simpler, fairer, more efficient, regionally more competitive and revenue neutral.

The DOF cited a need to reform the passive income and financial intermediary system to rational-

ize mutiple tax rates and bases, reduce the tax burden of low-income people, broaden the narrow tax base due to many exemptions and special rates, among others.

In response, Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said they were open to revisit the “recurring” concern, along with the positions of affected stakeholders.

“I think this is a recurring comment of the industry so we are open to revisit it,” Chua said.

Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Pia S. Cayetano said she understands the concern of the industry, and is willing to work this out with them.

“Of course, [very willing]. At this point, everything is open. I understand their concern. They want a level playing field. We don’t want to create a situation where we are discouraging investments in certain sectors. So we take note of that. There is no conclusion yet. We just want to study

SSS releases ₧178M to jobless members

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TATE-RUN Social Security System (SSS) released P178 million in benefits under its unemployment benefit or involuntary separation insurance program, one of the key features of the Social Security Act of 2018, which took effect on March 5, 2019.

The unemployment benefit program, the newest among the benefits being offered by SSS, allows qualified members who were involuntarily separated from work to claim for a cash allowance equivalent to two times his average monthly salary credit.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio said the government-owned and -controlled corporation received a total of 15,151 unemployment benefit applications last year, of which 14,895 were approved that translated to millions of benefit releases.

“We are hoping that with the newest benefit, we will help more SSS members during times of unexpected job loss. The program was patterned after the unemployment benefit program in European countries,” Ignacio said in a statement on

Wednesday.

“Our primary objective is to assist them while they are looking for another job after they were involuntarily separated from their work. They may also use the benefit for their retooling and capacity building to find a better job or work that will suit their skills,” she added.

Since its implementation in August 2019, the bulk of the applications were received in October with 4,596 approved applications which corresponded to P54.61 million released to qualified members.

To qualify for the unemployment benefit, members must not be more than 60 years old at the time of involuntary separation, except for underground and surface mineworkers, and racehorse jockeys whose age should not be more than 50 and 55 years old, respectively.

“The unemployment benefit can be claimed only once every three years starting from the date of involuntary separation from work. If two or more compensable contingencies occurred within the same period, SSS will only pay the highest benefit from the recorded contingencies. They are

IP index. . .

Fintech. . .

According to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the USCCGIPC index added three more economies into its scope. “This means a more accurate look into an economy’s standing will require the use of percentile ranking. On this basis, the Philippines moved 70 percent closer to the top, from 74 percent in the previous year,” the IPOPHL explained in a statement.

IPOPHL Officer in Charge Teodoro C. Pascua welcomed the results of the index, saying it took into account the government’s programs for improving IP rights protection in the Philippines.

“We welcome the findings of USCC-GIPC’s report. We are most glad for its careful and positive observation on the progress of the country’s intellectual-property rights environment, especially on enforcement, which is entrenched in IPOPHL’s endeavor to protect creativity and environment,” Pascua said.

The USCC-GIPC index considered the IPOPHL’s focus group discussion with e-commerce players in August of last year, where the office and the private sector explored ways to more effectively respond to violation notices, and thwart online access to counterfeit goods.

It also took into account the antiinfringement efforts that some of the country’s biggest online retailers, specifically Zalora and Lazada, voluntarily put in place last year.

As well, the index approved of the country’s move to reform its copyright environment that will provide innovators with effective ways of fighting online infringement. It pointed to two pending legislations in Congress: House Bill 9148, or the new IP Act; and Senate Bill 497, or the Philippine Online Infringing Act.

“Financial inclusion is not the objective; just getting that—included—is not the objective, it’s really that we are able to access financial services for our good, for us to achieve our financial objectives toward improving the quality of our lives for small businesses to be able to use financing for it to grow and generate jobs, but for the agriculture sector to be able to access financing to increase productivity so it’s really a means to an end,” she said.

ING Philippines Country Manager Hans B. Sicat also agreed with Roman-Tayag that there is a prevalence of fintechs providing payment solutions.

“We hope to find out that a number of fintech ideas could go beyond developing this payment solution type of thing,” Sicat

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Elijah Felice E. Rosales

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given one year from the time of their separation to file for their benefit claim,” Ignacio added.

Member-applicant must have paid at least 36 monthly contributions, of which 12 months should have been paid within the 18-month period prior to the month of involuntary separation.

According to Ignacio, the reason for separation from employment should be any of the following: installation of labor-saving devices; redundancy; retrenchment; closure or cessation of operation; and disease or illness of the employee whose continued employment is prohibited by law or is prejudicial to his or her co-employee’s health.

However, separation from employment due to an employee’s serious misconduct, willful disobedience to lawful orders, gross and habitual neglect of duties, fraud or willful breach of trust, commission of a crime or offense and analogous cases like abandonment, gross inefficiency, and disloyalty/conflict of interest will not qualify the employee from receiving the unemployment benefit.

told reporters.

The “Fintech for Impact” program aims to look for start-up companies building innovative tools that will serve the financially excluded and hardest-to-reach communities in the country. ING and Unicef’s Office of Innovation are particularly interested in companies that use fintech in new, groundbreaking ways that are scalable and globally applicable.

“Our ‘Fintech for Impact’ program with Unicef is very much aligned with our social responsibility as an institution. After this boot camp event, the next phase of the program will be identifying up to six applicants who will all move forward to the yearlong mentorship sessions,” said Sicat.

“The mentorship will involve a variety of industry experts, including those from ING, who will help assist our selected fintech participants in both the technical and business aspects of their plans. The success of this program is integral as we

KAPA chief. . .

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The SEC also found KAPA to have employed a Ponzi scheme, an investment program that offers impossibly high returns and pays investors using the money contributed by later investors.

The SEC initially issued an advisory against KAPA in March 2017. It would later issue a cease-and-desist Order on February 14, 2019, and an Order of revocation of KAPA’s certificate of Incorporation on April 3, 2019.

The SEC, through the Anti-Money Laundering Council, likewise obtained a freeze order from the Court of Appeals on June 4, 2019, to preserve assets linked to KAPA. “It is about time that the people behind KAPA answer the criminal charges filed against them,” SEC Chairman Emilio B. Aquino said. “May this serve as a reiteration of the commission’s resolve to stamp out investment scams, and shield the investing public from fraud and other abuses in the corporate sector.” VG Cabuag

FTA. . .

Applicants are also required to submit a certification issued by the Department of Labor and Employment establishing the nature and date of involuntary separation, as well as the Notice of Termination from the employer or the Affidavit of Termination of Employment.

Aside from the government-issued documents, applicants should present an original and photocopy of one primary ID card or document, or in the absence of which, any two ID cards or documents, both with signature and at least one with photo at any SSS local branch or foreign office.

The benefit will be credited to the savings account under the member’s UMID card enrolled as ATM or Union Bank of Philippines (UBP) Quick Card.

If the member has no UMID card enrolled as ATM or UBP Quick Card, the member will be instructed by the branch to open or avail themselves of the UBP Quick Card to have the benefit automatically credited to their savings account and may be accessed through UBP Kiosks in selected SSS branches nationwide.

Bernadette D. Nicolas

continually build a more financially inclusive Philippines.”

The partnership will be investing $400,000 in support of up to six fintech start-ups who will be chosen for the program. Aside from funding, the chosen start-ups will benefit from a yearlong technical and business mentorship with experts to develop, and monitor, the social impact of the investments.

The search for fintech start-up participants is ongoing until February 23, 2020.

Some of the areas that fintech solutions can address include: financial services (e.g., increasing access); credit (increasing access for young entrepreneurs or parents to loans for education and skills development); transparency (e.g., using blockchain or smart contracts to improve on existing financial mechanisms); and financial education (e.g., using new technologies that employ games and virtual or augmented reality to reach more marginalized groups).

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The President was apparently furious about the passage of a law in the US prohibiting the entry of lawmakers and political figures involved in the jailing of Sen. Leila M. de Lima. Duterte’s longtime ally, Sen. Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa, was among those that got their US visa canceled for such reason.

American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Executive Director Ebb Hinchliffe, who was earlier optimistic about the prospect of a Philippines-US FTA, also said it is now impossible for a trade deal between the two camps, albeit for different reasons.

“The prospects of having FTA talks in 2020 were very slim. It is an election year in the US and not a good time for public discussion of trade talks,” Hinchliffe told the BusinessMirror.

He said the group has yet to discuss how the VFA termination will affect trade ties between the Philippines and the US. The FTA is seen by trade experts as a platform to boost the country’s exports to the US. The government is even relying on it to improve shipments of garments, as the US slaps high tariff rates on clothing products.

it properly. But, so far, I am very happy to hear that most are supportive and there are just a few issues that need to be resolved,” Cayetano said in an ambush interview following the hearing.

Cayetano is also still optimistic that Pifita will be passed this year and sees easy passage of the measure.

Aside from Pifita, she said she hopes to sponsor the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (Citira) “anytime soon.” “ I hope to sponsor C it i ra [Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act]... lowering of corporate income tax and rationalizing the incentives anytime soon. This one [Pifita], hopefully, maybe we need [two more] TWG [meetings] just to thresh out more clearly the issues with various sectors,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“The only difference here is

VFA. . .

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The DOJ secretary pointed out that while it is the right of the Senate to raise the matter before the Supreme Court, he believes that filing a case would be futile since the question on whether the President should consult the Senate is a political question which the SC has no jurisdiction on.

“Although a treaty is considered part of the law of the land, it does not belong to the class of ordinary statutes that pass through the entire legislative process, i.e., its abrogation is not similar to the repeal of an ordinary statute,” Guevarra said.

“Whether the President should at least consult the Senate is manifestly a political question that the Supreme Court will certainly refuse to resolve,” he added Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier said senators do not intend to challenge Duterte’s order to terminate the treaty, but only to determine if the chamber’s concurrence is needed in abrogating the treaty.

The termination of the treaty will take effect in 180 days.

Esper’s lament In reply to a question of journalists traveling with him, Esper, meanwhile, said: “And as we try and, you know, bolster our presence and compete with them [China] in this era of great power competition, I think it’s a move in the wrong direction. For again, for the longstanding relationship we’ve had with the Philippines for their strategic location, the ties between our peoples, our countries.”

Esper was enroute to Europe to attend a meeting with Nato officials and a security conference in Germany.

Esper’s statement was provided to Manila-based reporters by the US government.

On Monday, US Department of State Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper said the termination of the VFA, which operates under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (Mdt), will mostly affect the militaryto-military activities involving the US and the Philippines.

It would also affect the freedom of navigation, and overflight, that the US military regularly conducts in the South China Sea to challenge Beijing’s activities and keep the international waterway open to international use.

“All the freedom of navigation operations, all the exercises, all the joint training, having US military personnel in port, on the ground, on the flight line does require that we have a mechanism that allows that, and that’s why the VFA is so important,” Cooper said.

Esper said they would have to study the ramifications of the termination notice within the next months, adding the move was unfortunate.

‘One day at a time’ “We just got the notification late last

that, although most are supportive, so many sectors will get hit, too. So we just have to [make] clear with everyone that we can try our best to address their concerns. I am very optimistic. And even my colleagues seem to be very optimistic. This year, definitely,” she added.

Pifita is seen to bring down the proposed tax rate on interest income from 20 percent to 15 percent while increasing the tax rate on dividend income from 10 percent to 15 percent. It also aims to harmonize the tax treatment between equity and debt as well as the rates for life health insurance and nonlife insurance.

Citira, also known as Package 2 of the CTRO, was approved by the House last year.

Apart from rationalizing incentives, the Citira bill aims to reduce CIT to 20 percent—from the current 30 percent, the highest rate in the region.

night. We have to digest it. We have to work through the policy angles, the military angles. I’m going to hear from my commanders. But you know, in my view, it’s unfortunate that they would make this move,” he said.

“We’ve got to read it. We’ve got to digest it, 180 days. We’ve got to work through it, and we’ll just take a deep breath and take it one day at a time,” he added.

The US defense secretary implied that he was surprised by the move, given that he visited the Philippines last November, when he and his counterpart, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, affirmed the defense and security alliance between the Philippines and the US. “I was just there…[I] had very good meetings with Philippine defense officials, to include my counterpart who is [an] interlocutor on these matters. And I do think it would be a move in the wrong direction,” he said.

‘Hollow agreement’ In Manila, Guevarra, meanwhile, also confirmed that once the VFA between the two countries is terminated it “will make the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement [Edca] practically useless and the Mutual Defense Treaty a hollow agreement.” “ The basic MDT need not be scrapped. It is the umbrella agreement.

Maybe in the future new arrangements may be entered into that will give teeth and muscle to this treaty, or it may be scrapped altogether. Foreign policy is dynamic; it evolves with the times,” he explained.

The Edca is a supplemental agreement to the VFA while the MDT was signed between the Philippines and US in 1951, where both parties agreed that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on either the Philippines or the US would be dangerous, and that they would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.

Guevarra said the Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces (PCVF) submitted its report to President Duterte last week.

Although the PCVF members gave different opinions on the termination of the treaty and risk assessments, Guevarra said he was certain that the President has all the information needed in order to come up with a decision on the VFA’s fate.

“The PCVF members had differing views but ended up leaving it to the President’s sound judgment.

The DOJ subsequently submitted its memo for the President, presenting the pros and cons, and making its own recommendation. Whether we supported the President’s position or recommended another option is now water under the bridge,” he said.

The PCVF also did not make any recommendation on how the VFA can be enhanced, but suggested that similar VFAs may be considered with other countries to continue the enhancement of the skills of the country’s military personnel.

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Thursday, February 13, 2020

Flight training programs prep Pin T

By Recto Mercene

O define trust, one must turn to flying. Because, how do people have confidence that someone they don’t know from Adam would be able to bring a hundred-ton vehicle of steel up on the clouds, defy the law of gravity and land in one piece on another city?

Regulatory changes

“GLOBALLY, the demand for pilots will grow to about 500,000 over the next 20 years, fueled by growing travel markets in India and most of Asia,” Captain Lorenzo S. Gonzalez of Cebu Air Inc. told the BusinessMirror.

Citing reports, Gonzalez said Boeing expects Asia Pacific would need 240,000 pilots in the next 20 years; North America, 127,000 new pilots; European carriers, 18,000; Latin American airlines 43,000 pilots; and the Middle East, 60,000.

Gonzalez, who is chief of the pilot training and standards of Cebu Pacific, said it would cost between P2.8 million and P3.4 million “to obtain a commercial pilot’s license.”

“Then there are additional costs for flying time and aircraft type-rating, so it could go up to as high as P5 million to P6.4 million, “with no guarantee of employment from any airline yet.”

Gonzalez said some people might think it’s easy to be a pilot, especially since most aircraft are now run by computers.

“Being a pilot is a very rewarding career, but it’s not for the weak,” he added.

Gonzalez said flying a huge jetliner with hundreds of passengers aboard is a big responsibility.

“Pilots have to stay grounded and focused. They cannot put at risk the lives of passengers, the crew and even others on the ground when they fly.”

Education required

ACCORDING to All Asia Aviation Academy-Philippines, the minimum time required to become a pilot, in ascending order, are the following: four months of Instrument Rating (for a private pilot); two months of flight instructor rating; two months for multi-engine rating; and 14 months to secure a First Officer (FO) Airline Pilot License.

In her column, “Perfect Storm,” Garcia quoted veteran pi-

lot Bob Seidel as saying that pilots must abide by the 1,500-hour rule, which went into effect in the United States in 2013.

The rule, according to Garcia and Sidel, required FOs (co-pilots) flying for commercial airlines to have at least 1,500 hours of accrued flight time, instead of the 250 hours previously required to qualify for an Air Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. The rule also requires that ATP pilots earn an additional 1,000 flight hours before they qualify to serve as captains.

The Philippines follows the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization—the bible of aviation—and the International Air Transport Association.

College, school

ACCORDING to Gonzalez, prospective pilots must go to college and earn a bachelor’s degree, but they are free to major in whatever subject they wish.

“Often, they choose degree programs that relate to their desired career, like aviation, aeronautical science or aerospace engineering.

Then they enroll in a flying school or get accepted by one of the air carriers through rigorous oral and academic test,” Gonzalez said. “Once this is hurdled, they go through 14 months of ground school.”

Ground-schooling means academic studies, sitting in a classroom every day with other prospective “student pilots,” Ernesto Ramo, a private pilot and air traffic controller (ATC), told the BusinessMirror.

Ramo said the students are taught the following subjects: air navigation, rules of the air, Civil Air Rules, meteorology, Air Traffic Control, power plant (the type of engine your plane is equipped with); and, airframe (the specific parts of an aircraft), “for a total of seven subjects.”

He explained that once a student pilot has finished ground school, it is time to apply for a license from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

To obtain a “student pilot” license, the CAAP will conduct an examination tackling each of the seven subjects studied at the ground school. Once prospective applicants hurdle the test, the CAAP will issue the successful aviator a blue ID-sized license to show he is now officially capable of flying a small airplane.

Taking off

APART from ground school, the prospective aviator has to undergo actual flying, usually of a singleengine 100-horsepower model, accompanied by an instructor.

Armed with a little knowledge of the basics, the flight instructor takes him for an hour’s spin of familiarization in the air, according to Ramo.

“The flight instructor does a ‘360’ wherein he goes around the plane, which is a must at the start of every flight, to visually inspect the airplane for any damage and/or unusual appearance,” he explained.

“Once satisfied, the instructor gets into the airplane, and sits on the left, the pilot’s seat.”

Ramo said the instructor demonstrates how to inspect the instruments on the cockpit. He

starts the plane and asks instructions from air traffic control (ATC).

The initial call to the ATC, in return, will give the pilot the following: wind direction and velocity; the atmospheric pressure to match those on the instrument panel; the temperature; the runway in use; and the weather in the vicinity.

Once these are logged or memorized, the instructor aligns the plane with the runway and when the take-off clearance is granted, powers the plane to gain momentum, Ramo said.

Ramo said the pilot must glance at the instrument panel to watch out for the Velocity-1 (V1) speed and when the desired speed is reached, “usually 60 mph,” the pilot pulls the yoke gently toward his chest.

V1 is defined as the lowest speed at which the aircraft com-

plies with the handling criteria associated with a climb after a takeoff. For a commercial jet, the V1 speed varies according to airplane type, performance, environmental conditions and weight, which could be between 150 mph and 180 mph.

Overdrive

“SO the nose of the plane rises above the horizon, the wings gather more lift and the airplane’s body is suddenly freed from the grip of gravity,” Ramo said, mimicking the actions as if he was in a pilot seat.

“You are airborne!” he added, shooting his hands upward palms down.

“If a student can afford to fly one hour each day for 20 days, then he or she would have finished the minimum numbers of hours to be able to fly solo,” Ramo said.

KEVINBRINE | DREAMSTIME.COM

For some, that could be a “game of chance in the sky.” For others, it’s the synchronicity of man, machine and weather. At the center of that trust is the being who five decades ago was considered the “rock star” of the world: the commercial airplane pilot.

Many young dreamers would see themselves with a cap jauntily balanced on a head, epaulets on a crisp white short-sleeved shirt and, strapped behind a captain’s seat, ready “to soar off into the wild blue yonder.”

But how much would it really cost to become one?

Higher standards are now required by private, business aviation and commercial airlines. They are all competing for a dwindling pool of highly qualified pilots. Private or corporate carriers rely on the most experienced pilots who can also offer select passengers the personal attention they expect.

However, many of these pilots are now moving to airlines offering higher salaries that private jet operators can’t match.

Aside from this are economic and demographic issues that impact on the supply of pilots, according to Forbes magazine senior contributor Marisa Garcia.

aderLook

sMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace | Thursday, February 13, 2020

A5

noys for rising demand for pilots has a sufficient number of active pilots flying close to one million passengers each month to 15 international destinations and 12 domestic destinations, documents provided by Natividad said.

He said there are over 2,000 walk-in applicants garnered from word of mouth and very minimal online posting.

Natividad explained that applicants are prioritized based on their scholastic qualifications, flying time and experience, and good moral character. After thoroughly reviewing qualifications, pre-screened applicants go through a written exam, a panel interview, and simulation tests as part of the evaluation process for employment.

“Successful applicants go through an intensive and standardized AirAsia flight training program used by all AirAsia,” he said. “They also undergo simulator sessions, line training supervised by a flight instructor. They must successfully fly a number of sectors before becoming a FO. One must also undergo a required number of flying hours to be a Captain.”

Reaching competencies

AIRASIA recently launched a cadet pilot program where it partnered with Omni Aviation Corp. The company said the program provided successful cadets with up to two years of technical and leadership training, with the aim of reaching the competencies required by the CAAP.

AirAsia said its cadet pilot program aims to produce at least 10 cadet pilots for the first batch.

Successful graduates of the program will be given an opportunity to work with AirAsia, according to Natividad. He added that 1,000 successful applicants will qualify based on the eligibility test results and 300 applicants will proceed to the final stages of the selection process. These include further assessment tests to measure applicants’ cognitive and psychomotor skills, he said.

Those who pass the tests in the selection process will be invited for a final interview, which will determine the first batch of aspiring cadet pilots to be enrolled.

“AirAsia in the Philippines is a fast-expanding airline that targets to acquire more aircraft a year, thus having a demand for pilots,” Natividad said.

ATOSAN | DREAMSTIME.COM

Coping with demand

On that momentous day, the instructor will ask the pilot to land, he gets off the airplane at the taxiway and tells the pilot to “go ahead and fly, go around the traffic pattern and return the plane in one piece.”

If the student pilot is able to accomplish this, he taxies to the hangar with his instructor and, once off the plane, the neophyte gets dunked with a pail of water from other pilots; witnessed by fellow students waiting at the hangar. This is a pilot’s initiation to show that he now belongs to “a breed that can fly alone, without supervision.”

Making it

CEBU Pacific said their pilots come from local flying schools, pilot placement agencies, “as well

as from our affiliate, the Philippine Academy for Aviation Training.”

“On top of these sources, Cebu Pacific also has a Cadet Pilot Program, a ‘study now, pay later, zero-interest loan’ [for] training to become full-fledged commercial pilots with guaranteed employment with the airline.”

Gonzalez said all expenses are shouldered by Cebu Air and successful cadet-pilots will reimburse the cost of the program through salary deduction over a maximum of 10 years.

He added that the program entails 52 weeks of integrated flight training, theory and education at Flight Training Adelaide (FTA) in Adelaide, Australia—“one of the best aviation schools in the region.”

To obtain a pilot’s license, the would-be aviator undergoes addi-

tional four weeks of training before he or she is awarded a pilot’s license by the CAAP, Gonzalez added.

He said that prospective candidates must have a college degree and successful applicants must undergo 200 hours of flying to get a commercial pilot and instrument rating, which includes aircraft flying time. Then a total of six months of flying is needed “to check and assess if an aspiring pilot has all the competencies needed to become a full-fledged FO.”

Energizing program

CAPTAIN Chris Natividad, Philippines AirAsia Inc. head of corporate safety department, said the low-cost carrier is “proud to have some of the best pilots in the country.”

Currently, AirAsia Philippines

ACCORDING to Capt. Roland A. Narciso, assistant vice president of the PAL Aviation Training Center, “Philippine Airlines pioneered commercial airlines in the country in the ’50s.”

Narciso, who is also the school’s director of training, told the BusinessMirror their aviation school’s tuition is P3.5 million “for Ab Initio training.”

He said training time would range from 18 months to 24 months, depending on the type of aircraft, such as A320, B777, A300 or A350.

“It would take between three months and six months before a pilot is released to fly,” Narciso added.

The veteran PAL pilot cited an Airbus publication that said “in the next 20 years, demand for commercial pilots would reach up to 540,000 worldwide, of which 219,000 airplanes would be from the Asia-Pacific region.”

“Flying schools are slowly coping with the demand by adjusting and enhancing their curriculum with safety as a primary consideration,” Narciso said.

He explained that PAL’s main source of pilots is the PAL Aviation School, of which more than half or 51 percent are absorbed into the company. The next would be the Armed Forces of the Philippines at 32 percent and from General Aviation (17 percent), according to Narciso.

He said that PAL has also “accepted pilots from different schools in the past.”

It really depends, he added, “on PAL’s requirement.... Although, yes, we have our own school, the PAL Aviation School, located in Clark, Pampanga.”

According to Narciso, candidates must be a college graduate and in good physical condition. Applicants must meet and hurdle several requirements like medical and psychological examinations and interviews, among others.

Extra training

ACCORDING to Narciso, PAL pilots each have their recurrent training every six months in the flight simulator.

“Their proficiency to fly the aircraft in normal and ‘non-normal’ procedure is evaluated in the session.”

He added that crew coordination, problem solving, situational awareness and aircraft systems knowledge, “are just a few technical and behavioral aspects that are assessed in their simulator recurrent training.”

“Pilots are required to work as a team in resolving abnormal scenarios that are given to them in this session,” Narciso said. “This gives them an opportunity to gain more knowledge and understanding of their aircraft.”

Willie Borja, former chief of the Civil Aviation Training Center (CATC) of the CAAP, said it used to be that 150 hours flying time is needed to be a licensed “commercial pilot,” and 300 hours to acquire the Air Transport Rating (ATR).

“Although each individual air carrier has their own policy, taking into consideration their familiarity with the routes being flown,” Borja said. He added that to become a student pilot, the student has to log 20 flying hours, a private pilot 40 hours and about 500 flying hours more to become a commercial pilot.

Technically, the CAAP defines a commercial pilot as one who flies an airplane with paying passengers, like a six-seater private plane.

“But to qualify as a pilot for a large commercial plane, one has to qualify as an ATR pilot,” Borja said.

Net gains

WCC Aviation Co., which runs a flying school in the Philippines, pointed out in its website that the heavy expense that comes with training to become a pilot is limited to the actual flight training.

“Flight training in aviation schools in the Philippines typically cost between P3 million and P5 million. However, when one starts looking at the cost from an investment point of view, the tuition for flying school is as sound as it gets considering how fast one recovers the school expenses once you become a commercial airline pilot.”

WCC said that, on average, a FO in a major Philippine air carrier receives a monthly salary of about P180,000.

“The pay gets a significant boost once you become a captain, who typically gets a monthly salary of around P280,000,” the company said.

“That means that at a FO’s pay of P180,000 a month, you can easily amortize the P5-million tuition investment for flight training in less than two-and-a-half years.”

In the US, pilot salaries vary according to the type of aircraft that they’re flying and how long they’ve been at an airline. The median annual salary for the pilot of a large jet is an impressive $121,408 or around P6,138,145.66 in current exchange rates. For a small jet, the median annual salary is $104,219.

Indeed, the Wright brothers’ sacrifices haven’t come to naught: man has learned to fly. However, one must really pay to learn to fly, and how.

A6 Thursday, February 13, 2020 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

What price PHL sovereignty?

Y

ou may be the most powerful country on Earth, but you don’t meddle in the internal affairs of the Philippines under my watch. This sums up President Duterte’s message to the US when he decided to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Manila received the notice of termination. Annulment of the 1999 agreement would take effect 180 days after Washington receives the notice.

Weighed in terms of our national interest, the Philippines stands to lose many things by abrogating the VFA. But we understand how the Chief Executive must have felt when US senators demeaned our justice system by demanding the release of Sen. Leila de Lima, an accused properly charged in Court.

This paper earlier said certain US lawmakers have sounded as if they have the right to judge our judges by their own supposed standards of fairness and due process; as if the Philippine judicial system is an adjunct of the United States’s; or as if our lawyers and lawmakers are under their tutelage. (See, “Trust the courts,” in the BusinessMirror, January 3, 2020).

The President threatened to terminate the VFA last month after getting reports that Washington has canceled the US visa of Sen. Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, the enforcer of the administration’s anti-drug campaign as PNP chief in 2016. Duterte gave the US a month to restore de la Rosa’s visa, but Washington virtually ignored his demand. To be fair-executive officials have stressed it’s not solely de la Rosa’s case that is behind the VFA cancellation. It was only the last in a series of ugly incidents marring the long-standing relations.

The option to terminate the VFA is an exercise of sovereignty for the Philippines. Locsin, however, warned that doing so would render other Philippines-US defense agreements and modalities of cooperation inoperative, despite remaining legally valid, because the VFA ensures operability of other defense and security pacts.

Here’s what the Philippines stands to lose by abrogating the VFA: The US plans to spend over $200 million in 2020-2021 providing aircraft, training, equipment, and construction for the AFP, and more than $45 million in Foreign Military Financing. Without the VFA, the US Departments of State and Defense will be hard put to get funds from the US Congress for FMF and other defense assistance programs to the Philippines.

The termination of the VFA puts in limbo some 319 joint activities between the militaries and law enforcement agencies of both countries for fiscal year 2020, which the Philippine military and law enforcement agencies need to enhance their capabilities in countering threats to national security.

US Forces, through the VFA, have been assisting the Philippines to combat nontraditional security threats, such as trafficking in persons, cyber attacks, terrorism, and illegal narcotics through trainings, joint exercises and exchange visits. The US has also provided support for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, as well as search and rescue operations. All of these will be compromised.

US assistance on counterterrorism, especially on intelligence and capabilitybuilding, helped Philippine forces retake Marawi in 2017. Recently, support from the US Department of Defense has enabled continued AFP operations to degrade Isis-East Asia-aligned militants in Mindanao. Curtailment of the Department of Defense support resulting from a terminated VFA would diminish the AFP’s capabilities to deter terrorism and respond to terrorist emergencies.

The regular presence of US Forces including those conducting Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea serve as a deterrent to aggressive actions in the contested territories. The Mutual Defense Treaty is a deterrent to any attack from any power. The termination of the VFA will undoubtedly dilute the US commitment to the MDT. President Duterte’s decision to terminate the VFA may compromise the existing goodwill and friendly relations between the Philippines and the US. However, as Malacañang explained, abrogating the pact is “a studied response to acts the President deems to be not only an intrusion but an assault to the sovereignty of this country.”

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The Philippines: ‘No cojones?’

John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

A

T a working lunch a few days ago with one of our local business leaders, this gentleman said something that was both a little shocking and revealing. In the interest of his privacy, I will not mention his name but you would recognize him and his companies. Like many of his generation, while pursuing his own businesses, he also gave his time and effort for government service.

He has been successful at what he does but, at the same time, is “conservative” and calculating with the decisions that he makes. At the age—like some of us—when legacy is becoming much more important than rewards, he still has great ambition for his business interests.

In a casual conversation with Bill Gates, he recalled that Gates said it was never his intention to become wealthy as he was only interested in technology but that he became “the richest” because of the stock market.

That is my kind of guy. US President Donald J. Trump also once said to him that “For a man to retire is to

expire” which is certainly more Filipino/Asian than American.

Later in our conversation, he said something that was entirely surprising and thought provoking. I am slightly paraphrasing. “Philippine business does not have the balls to take risks. Unlike other Asians, we do not go all in and take big chances and make bold moves.” He is absolutely accurate.

But thinking about it, it is more than simply risk-taking. It is all about enjoying our comfort zone.

And that is one of the primary reasons that economic progress is depressingly slow.

Lessons from the Iowa App-ocalypse

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When you look at the situation, you can see examples everywhere you turn. Our urban transportation system is not much changed in the past 50 years. The jeepney as a main vehicle and method for commuting?

Seriously?

We have a judicial system that would be effective if the population was 20 million and gadgets like computers had never been invented.

Yet, we never hear of anyone in the legal profession calling for bold and substantial changes that would prevent both criminal and civil cases taking decades to resolve instead of months.

We have laws and regulations on the books that have been obsolete since the 20th century. Still we need more time, more hearings, and much more study—and maybe another election or two—before changes come. The Real Estate Investment Trust was passed by Congress in 2009. Maybe by this time next year, a REIT will finally be available for investors.

Australia passed its REIT law in 1971. The Malaysian stock exchange currently trades 18 REITs. REITs were introduced in Brazil in 1993. Thailand listed its first REIT in 2013. Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea even Bulgaria

U

nlike the Philippines, where only a handful of people get to actually decide who runs for office, political candidates in the United States are chosen via a popular vote. This is what happened last week when members of the Democratic Party gathered in caucuses and cast ballots to determine which among the Democratic contenders would get the most number of votes and, therefore—after all the other States have similarly voted—go on to become the Democratic candidate for President. Obviously, this was a significant and truly memorable political event. Sadly, it will probably be remembered more as an app-ocalyptic disaster.

The Iowa Democratic Party rolled out a mobile app designed to tally caucus votes. It was a hybrid system where caucus workers would manually count the caucus ballots and enter tallies into the smartphone running the app, which would then automatically consolidate the reports.

It was supposed to make things go smoother and faster. Instead, nearly everything that could go wrong, did.

Many caucus workers reported being unable to either download the app or log in, while those who successfully got it to work, found that using the app wasn’t as easy as

expected. For the most part, app users were slowed down by both their lack of familiarity with the app and the level of reporting detail in a system which, for the first time in caucus history, required alignment counts.

With transmission errors and report inconsistencies mounting, many opted to give up on the app and to just call the results in, jamming the phone lines for hours. In the end, the Democratic Party had to rely on their paper trails.

The postmortems are still ongoing, but what we know so far about how things unfolded, leading up to

that spectacular failure, constitute a series of teachable moments which we—for obvious reasons—would do well to learn from.

1. There was a rush to production. The app was built in less than two months. This means the development was rushed, which, under the best of circumstances, would inevitably result in coding errors. With the unreasonably tight schedule, there would also clearly be insufficient time for rigorous testing, practically ensuring that bad code would not be spotted, much less corrected. Deploying such a hastily built election app—intended for use in a Presidential election—without so much as a dry run is egregious.

2. There was no oversight. First of all, the app developers were clearly believers in “security by obscurity” since the whole development process was shrouded in secrecy. Worse, when the US Department of Homeland Security offered to help test the app for security flaws, the Iowa Democrats declined. In addition, the app was released through a beta testing platform, which allowed it to sidestep app store review processes performed by Apple and Google.

3. End-users weren’t ready to use the system. Although training was available before the caucus, not everyone took advantage of it, and it doesn’t appear to have been

and Mexico has this important investment vehicle.

We see this phenomenon in business, economics, politics, foreign policy and about every topic for public discussion. It is usually “You’re moving too fast” rather than any complaints about moving too slow. The limits on foreign company ownership need revisions. Almost everyone agrees with that although the specifics are difficult. But the discussion has not progressed in 20 years.

The economy needs more healthy business competition. But we are stuck between the absurd “Government should own everything” and the equally ridiculous “Let these industries self-regulate.”

It takes “cojones” to step outside the comfort zone and move forward.

Doing that can be frightening, difficult, and require hard thinking and harder work. But complaining about the status quo is not enough. Perhaps, the problem is that some people would like things not to change and prefer the “good old days.”

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

required by the Democratic Party. I’m only speculating, but I can imagine how many might have thought that it would be a simple thing for them to learn how to use the app on the fly. Worse, people running the show might have assumed that all the potential users would have roughly the same level of technological proficiency.

4. There was no change management. Still speculating, but it seems that the transition to the new reporting system—a change, instituted in 2016, that saw the process become significantly more detailed and complicated than people were used to—may have been inadequately managed. At the very least, the rule makers were not shy about building complex rules. Ideally, the more complicated the rules are, the more effort should be expended in making sure that everybody who needs to get it, gets it.

5. The paper trail saves the day. Were it not for the paper trail, the results of the caucus would probably still be unknown or be in more doubt than it is now. Fortunately, the caucus workers used worksheets and other paper records in conjunction with the app. So, when reporting via app was no longer working, they turned to the robust paper trail and, despite the resulting delays, things finally got going.

Opinion BusinessMirror

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PHL’s feeble response to COVID-19

Knowing oneself Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco Jr.

Alálaong Bagá

Val A. Villanueva

Businesswise

W

hile the whole world tries to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the Duterte administration has allowed some 2,000 Chinese mainlanders to freely frolic in Boracay’s pristine blue waters and on its endless stretch of powdery white sand.

This is only one example of how our government is managing (or mishandling) the virus outbreak. Despite the supposed travel ban imposed on Chinese visitors coming from different parts of the world, reports are rife that Chinese nationals are roaming around the country’s tourist spots and malls.

The country’s response could be comical, if it were not for the fact that it is very irresponsible, foolish and dangerous.

Two days ago, President Duterte, who appeared piqued from being disturbed from his deep slumber, had threatened to “slap the s**t out of the f**king, idiot” microbe. His threat echoed his displeasure with the ashfall from Taal Volcano’s eruption which he said he would “pee at and eat.” Such a letdown to hear from the highest official of the land who seems oblivious to the fact that viruses and natural disasters do not adhere to the time that people keep. Nothing substantial has also come out of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III who could only blame his department’s employees for a sloppy job.

Meanwhile, Duterte’s men are busy trying to switch off the people’s growing disenchantment with the way their boss is managing the contagion by changing the day’s headline with those of the ABSCBN’s franchise renewal and the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement.

How serious is the coronavirus really? World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva on Tuesday announced that, instead of 2019-nCoV, COVID-19 will be the official name, from hereon, of the deadly virus from China, saying the disease represented a “very grave threat” for the world.

True enough, the number of deaths in China from the coronavirus scourge has risen to 1,110 nationwide on Wednesday, with hard-hit Hubei province tallying 94 new deaths. The number has already surpassed the deaths caused by SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

Hubei’s health commission confirmed 1,638 new cases in its capital city of Wuhan where the virus broke out in December. There have been more than 44,200 confirmed cases all over China, based on early figures from the government.

Ghebreyesus disclosed that 99 percent of cases are in China, where it remains “very much an emergency.” China’s medical staff also bore the brunt of COVID-19, with at least 500 infected hospital staff in Wuhan.

World health experts are blaming the secrecy by which China has been handling the crisis. Doctors and nurses have been warned not to disclose anything about the virus. In other words, even though the Chinese government knew they were facing a national emergency, they have decided to ride the twin political horses of concealment and message control. In trying to downplay the epidemic’s seriousness, the Communist Party predictably punished those who tried to speak out honestly and factually about the unfolding disaster.

Just this week, 34-year-old Dr. Li Wenliang, a Chinese ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, died of complications from COVID-19. As early as December 30, 2019, in the early days of the outbreak and before China would admit the virus was a serious threat, Li had warned his colleagues about it.

Li had been detained by the police for “rumormongering,” and all of his posts were censored.

Before acknowledg ing the outbreak, party officials had engaged in multiple delusory moves. They attributed many of the COVID-19 deaths to simple pneumonia and other causes, and had the bodies cremated before an autopsy could be performed. By limiting the number of coronavirus test kits distributed daily to hospitals, the government was able to reduce the diagnoses of “proven cases.” The number of deaths was underreported, even as crematoria furnaces were kept going day and night.

The coronavirus epidemic could spread to about two-thirds of the world’s population if it cannot be contained, according to Prof. Gabriel Leung, the chairman of public health medicine at Hong Kong University. Leung made the prediction after the WHO chief revealed that recent cases of coronavirus patients who had never visited China could be the “tip of the iceberg,” and the intervening issue was to figure out the size and shape of that iceberg. Most experts thought that every sick individual would go on to spread the virus to about 2.5 other people, resulting in an “attack rate” of 60 percent to 80 percent. “60 percent of the world’s population is an awfully big number,” Leung told The Guardian in London. Even with a low fatality rate of 1 percent (it’s currently at around 3 percent), Leung thinks that it is probable that “once milder cases are taken into account, the death toll would be massive.”

Leung pondered: “Is 60 percent to 80 percent of the world’s population going to get infected? Maybe not. Maybe this will come in waves. Maybe the virus is going to attenuate its lethality because it certainly doesn’t help it if it kills everybody in its path, because it will get killed, as well.”

The stench of death is too unbearable to be unnoticed. For instance, Hubei authorities have offered “free cremation for the corpses of coronavirus victims.”

Data from Taiwan’s Windy.com on Sunday (February 9) showed high levels of sulfur dioxide in Wuhan, causing some to speculate that it is a sign of mass cremations of victims of the deadly disease.

WHO sticks to its position that the virus can only be transmitted through breathing in air close to an infected patient who sneezes or coughs, or when people who touch an object tainted with the virus and then touch their mouth, nose or eyes. Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau Deputy Head Zeng Qun, however, warns that the virus “is airborne through aerosol transmission, which means it can float a long distance through the air and cause infection later when it is breathed in.”

Qun said that aerosol transmission refers to “the mixing of the virus with droplets in the air to form aerosols, which causes infection after inhalation.” Such finding, aside from the latest study which reveals that the incubation period could be 24 days instead of 14, is telling. This means that the virus, in the absence of a vaccine, is indeed deadlier than most of us think.

With all these dire findings, I am outraged that the Philippine government has not taken any proactive measures to contain COVID-19. I feel like we are being forced to board a rickety ship to travel on rough seas, while authorities pray, and hope, that the boat holds and the weather improves.

For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com

J

esus continues to give instructions to His disciples on the mysteries of the kingdom of God. In the so-called Sermon on the Mount, we are led to search our minds and hearts, and come to self-knowledge around some crucial issues that illustrate a righteousness transcending mere ritualism or externalism (Matthew 5:17-37).

Yourself in relation to others

Jesus calls for a higher righteousness that goes beyond the externals, as the law experts and religious models (scribes and Pharisees) then were known for, parading themselves before the public for acclamation. One becomes oblivious of the real needs of people, when ego-centered one is obsessed with the letter of the law which is easier to measure up to than the law’s more demanding spirit and its innate connection with justice, love and compassion. Jesus cites the law “You shall not murder.” This act of violence against another has an inside-to-outside dynamics. There is first ordinarily

anger and contempt inside the murderer; overflowing into abusive, threatening speech; and ending in vicious murder.

Attending only to this final act is insufficient and unrealistic. Jesus brings attention to the origin and growth of evil thought, and to stop murderous deeds points out that one must extirpate seeds of violence in the heart.

The same process works regarding the commandment “You shall not commit adultery.” Adultery begins in the heart, with lust of the eyes and fantasies of the imagination. The famous adultery case of King David (2 Samuel 11) started when he saw from the palace roof a

Thursday, February 13, 2020 A7

woman bathing; that evil imagining led to unjust force, coercive rape, deceit, and eventual murder of the woman’s husband and elaborate cover-up. Evil is not only at the final, external act; to see it fully and to handle it correctly, one must start where it begins.

You before God

Jesus uses strong, symbolic language to impact his listeners. The proper attitude of the righteous is to do whatever it takes, a radical decision needed to truly stand against evil and obey God’s commandments. First, external rituals even in the sacred liturgy do not substitute for the necessary and more difficult act of seeking reconciliation with the persons we have wronged. “Leave your gift before the altar and go....” You can only tell God you are really sorry, if you also do to and for others what you should do in truth and in repentance, as the case may be, by way of reparation or restitution.

Second, “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” A part is a part; handle the portion that causes trouble to the entirety. For instance, lustful, aggressive, exploitative attitudes toward women or men must be tracked down to their roots and causes; our sexual drives cannot dominate our whole life and bring it to ruin. A

person’s sexual needs must be integrated into our life values and goals. Third, swearing to guarantee the truthfulness of one’s words or actions is bloated speech that betrays one’s insincerity and bluster. Swearing by God’s name is presumptuous, as if we can co-opt God to do our bidding.

Alálaong bagá, to belong to God’s reign in the company of Jesus, we need to take the path of self-discernment, because only in the truth of who we really are and how we operate or behave, on the basis of our self-knowledge, can we earnestly walk in the light of Christ. Silence is the mother of integrity: only in the silence of our heart in self-examination can we observe its fluttering and the machinations of our thoughts. Being fixated with externalities, and satisfied with outside things, can throw us entirely off-balance and living in pretensions. Only when we are in touch with our true feelings and inner thoughts, and can bring them forward, can we be integral, delighting in wholeheartedness, harmony and integrity, and for us Christians, walking in the light of Jesus Christ.

Join me in meditating on the word of God every Sunday, from 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio streaming on www.dwiz882.com.

One year after rice tariffication: Farmers hurting, angry at new law Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

LABOREM EXERCENS Continued from A1

F

irst, RTL sets a low tariff of 35 percent on imported rice sans any production subsidy. This means Filipino rice farmers can only compete with the Thai and Vietnamese rice farmers if the former also enjoy the subsidy and other assistance given to the latter, including better enabling production environment, such as reliable irrigation. The assistance that the RTL promised to the Filipino rice farmers is paltry and haphazardly formulated: a program of mechanization and seed assistance, which was not even ready or in place when the law was passed.

Another criticism: RTL downsized the National Food Authority, and limited its role to “buffer stocking” for emergency situations and disaster relief. RTL removes the various regulatory powers of the NFA, from import licensing to warehouse inspection. This means big private importers can now import any volume of cheap rice and dump this in the domestic market without worrying on the situation of the Filipino rice farmers, millers and town traders.

Shortly after the passage of the law, horror stories on the catastrophic collapse of palay prices around the country mushroomed. Palay farm-gate prices went down to as low as P8 to P10 per kilo, well below the estimated production cost of P12 per kilo. An increasing number of palay producers are now contemplating the idea of giving up rice farming and selling their lands.

Surprisingly, the collapse of palay prices and the extraordinary hardships being experienced by the Filipino palay producers was first raised to the mass media by the domestic rice millers and viajeros. They too were affected by the “gaming” operations by the big private importers-distributors, which found the rice importation/distribution business suddenly wide open to the private sector. No need to knock at the doors of the NFA or any government agency.

Per monitoring by the US Department of Agriculture, as much as 3 million tons of rice were imported by these corporations within months after the RTL passage. This huge volume of imports made the Philippines the world’s biggest rice importer in 2019. This volume of imports is thrice the normal annual

of imports made by the then NFA to fill in the production gaps in the country.

These imports were immediately packaged by the big private importers for distribution in the malls and commercial outlets, many of which they also own. Thus, a large part of the locally produced palay became “homeless,” that is, no market to sell to. Hence, palay prices plunged down to as low as P7 to P8 per kilo in far-flung areas.

The plight of the domestic palay producers prodded the new Agriculture Secretary William Dar to seek the assistance of LGUs in rice-producing provinces in buoying up palay prices.

Eventually, President Duterte, himself, got involved. He helped mobilize additional government funds to help the NFA procure more locally produced palay.

He even issued a statement on his plan to ban any rice importation during rice harvest seasons at home.

Ironically, the above market intervention measures clearly contradict the intent of the law: to have a fully deregulated rice market. Hence, some neoliberal economists criticize the Executive department for subverting the RTL. Their reasoning: let the rice and palay market situation stabilize for a year or two. The basic idea: let the fittest or more efficient survive and grow. Those who cannot survive, let them shift to the planting of new crops, preferably higher value-adding crops.

The problem is that the experience of farmers in other crops under the regime of “agricultural deregulation” pushed by the IMF-World Bank for the Philippines in the last four decades (1980s to the present) show that most of the losing

farmers do not shift to new crops. They simply opt out of farming and sell their lands to the local elite, land speculators and realtors.

This precisely is the scenario that is beginning to take place in the rice sector under “rice tariffication.” Consecutive rice farming losses for a year or two shall shrink the country’s palay production sector, a sector that has been shrinking gradually through the years because of rising cost of farm inputs, limited government assistance, urban encroachment and unchecked land conversions.

With RTL, the rate of rice land shrinking has become faster. In the rice fields near the urban or peri-urban areas, puro sementado na ang mga palayan kasi nabenta na sa mga realtors.

Today, the above government efforts to buy more locally produced palay have somehow boosted palay prices to rise to P14 to P15 per kilo in some provinces.

This, however, is still low compared to the P19 to P21 per kilo in the pre-RTL period. And if the labor of the rice farmer is given value based on the equivalent minimum wage in a given rice-producing region, rice farming easily becomes a losing proposition. And in areas of the country untouched by the above palay price boosting exercises, palay prices remain stuck at P10 to P12 per kilo.

Overall, rice farmers are angry and furious at the RTL. Farmer organizations in the country are still agitating for a repeal or reform of the RTL. Specifically, they want the government’s role in rice procurement, and trade, be restored and strengthened. They also want an alternative “rice road map” crafted based on joint and transparent government-farmer dialogue-consultation and planning.

The road map should include the formulation of “equalizing incentives” to Filipino rice farmers, such as the adoption of support programs extended by other countries to their rice farmers.

For example, the governments of China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam all intervene heavily in rice production and international/domestic rice trade, to shield their palay farmers from market volatility and production losses. Thailand, alone, spends roughly $2 billion a year as subsidy, in the form of price support, to their palay producers.

In contrast, the RTL provides for a paltry P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund; half of which is allocated for the mechanization of rice farming and one-fourth for the development/propagation of high-yielding seeds. These twin RCEF programs are work in progress because the development, and promotion, of appropriate technology takes time

and requires huge bureaucracy to administer. They also require skills or human resources development, as well as testing on their adaptability to different soil and land situations. Note that rice farms in the country have varying sizes, topography, ownership, access to irrigation, etc. It is difficult to develop a one-size-fits-all solution to rice mechanization.

Hence, some agricultural experts are suggesting that the RCEF should be reorganized and should refocus on agricultural credit and insurance, both of which are badly needed in agriculture.

Also note the inadequacy of the RCEF fund given the fact that the palay production sector is worth at least several hundred billion pesos. Former Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol estimated the 2019 palay losses of the farmers to be around P120 billion; however, farmer leaders put the total palay losses to reach as high as P200 billion. How can P10billion RCEF fund, allocated mostly for mechanization and seed development, cure these huge losses?

Incidentally, DA, under Dar, failed to utilize some trade flexibility measures allowed by the rules of the World Trade Organization. Specifically, DA failed to use its authority to recommend to the Tariff Commission the adoption of provisional safeguard measures to stem the flood of rice imports. Under the WTO rules, a member-state may impose safeguard measures when imports “are found to cause or threaten serious injury to a competing domestic industry.”

But what happened? After a nontransparent system of “investigation,” the DA found no reason to initiate a process of instituting safeguard measures for rice based on a finding that “serious injury” was being inflicted on the Filipino palay farmers by the surge of rice imports amounting to 3 million tons. The WTO defines “serious injury” as “a significant overall impairment in the position of a domestic industry,” which can be established based on an investigation of the “increase in imports, the market share taken by the increased imports, as well as changes in the levels of sales, production, productivity, capacity, utilization, profits and losses, and employment of the domestic industry.” The DA found no “serious injury” to warrant the imposition of safeguard measures.

Clearly, the country needs better agricultural and economic officials with 20/20 vision. The country needs officials who have the backbone to assert the survival and growth of local industries, especially industries involving millions of small producers.

Smart-contested tax assessment case remains pending with the RTC MAIL

WE wish to correct the mistaken impression conveyed by the headline of the story published by BusinessMirror on Tuesday, entitled “Makati’s bid to collect P3.246B from Smart gets Court approval.”

As the text of the story itself relates, no such court approval was given the Makati City government. What the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) did uphold was the motion of the Makati City government for the production

of va r ious doc uments f rom Smart. There was no court ruling on the core issue itself: whether the Makati City government’s assessment of the local franchise tax of Smart Communications Inc. is correct.

As background, this dispute started on March 1, 2018, when Smart received an assessment for local franchise taxes from the Makati City government in the amount of P3.2 billion, inclusive of penalties,

covering the taxable periods 2012 to 2015. That assessment was computed based on the total nationwide revenues of Smart.

To contest this erroneous assessment, Smart filed a case with the Regional Trial Court of Makati. In the course of the hearings on this tax case, Makati City filed a motion for production of various documents from Smart. The RTC granted Makati City’s motion. Smart appealed this

ruling to the CTA and asked for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) and preliminary injunction.

In its recent ruling, CTA denied the prayer for TRO and preliminary injunction, and upheld the RTC’s ruling granting Makati City’s motion for production of various documents from Smart.

It is important to note that the CTA has not decided on the LFT

liability of Smart to the City of Makati. It only pertains to the ruling of the RTC granting Makati City’s motion for production of records and various documents in connection with the main LFT case. That case, which involves the contested tax assessment, remains pending with the RTC.

Ramon R. Isberto Head, Public Affairs Smart Communications

A8 Thursday, February 13, 2020

‘ASF protocol change to boost pork supply’

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday said it is considering changes in its protocol for controlling the spread of African swine fever (ASF) to ease the pressure on local pork supply and reduce the losses incurred by hog raisers.

In a speech on Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said the agency will review its existing “1-7-10” protocol implemented by the government, particularly the 1-kilometer depopulation, or culling radius.

Dar disclosed that the DA is

now looking at limiting the depopulation area to a 500-meter radius of the infected farm. He said this will ensure pork supply, as healthy pigs outside of the proposed 500-meter radius may be slaughtered and sold.

The DA chief explained that with

the bigger radius, only 13 percent of the 210,000 pigs culled by the government were sick or infected by ASF, while some 190,000 are healthy.

“In a meeting with hog commercial leaders, they [asked] me if we can review the 1-7-10 protocol, particularly the 1-km [depopulation] radius. So, let’s study [changes in the] protocol,” Dar said in his speech during the first day of the International Farmers Summit in Pasay City.

“Only 13 percent of the depopulated pigs are sick, the number of healty pigs is higher. If they can still be slaughtered then it would have higher economic value,” he added.

Dar said he will instruct the DA’s ASF Crisis Management Team to review the protocol. He did not give a specific time line for its review.

The agriculture chief also ap-

13% Percentage of the 210,000 pigs culled by the government that were sick or infected by ASF

pealed to private veterinarians to zero in on the proposal as they are experts on the matter.

“This [proposal] is being presented to the veterinarians. Are there other countries that have implemented [the proposed protocol]?” asked Dar. Philippine Veterinary Drug Association (PVDA) President Eugene Mende said his group will look into Dar’s proposal. Mende said he sees the proposal as a “feasible” mecha-

nism to control the ASF outbreak while minimizing hog raisers’ losses and ensuring stable supply.

“The only important thing is that the pigs do not go outside of the infected zones. So, we will sit down, and study that proposal,” Mende told reporters in an interview.

Industr y sta keholders and experts said a huge cut in the country’s pork supply may cause spikes in prices.

Dire projections

In a presentation during the plenary summit, Mende said the spread of the fatal hog disease, if left unchecked, could wipe out more than half of the country’s pig herd or almost 8 million heads. This projection was made by the PVDA in partnership with the local hog industry stakeholders.

This, Mende said, will cause

farm-gate prices to go up by 20 percent to more than 30 percent.

The farm-gate prices of hogs may rise to P115 to P120 per kilogram.

“That is what will happen if we will do nothing to control ASF, and just let it spread across the country,” he said.

As a way of easing the pressure on pork supply, Dar said the government is promoting the production of rabbit meat as an alternative protein source, particularly for Filipinos who do not want to eat pork due to the ASF scare.

Dar said the production of rabbit meat involves a shorter cycle compared to that of livestock or poultry, and it is cheaper than chicken.

“We are supportive of the rabbit industry. We are serious [about this]. Poultry is the No. 1 option, but rabbit meat is part of our basket of options,” he said.

VFA notice stuns US defense chief Esper ‘Virus may cost 95k

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

& Rene Acosta

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@reneacostaBM

HE Philippines’s decision in moving to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States was a move in the “wrong direction” due its regional security implications,

borne principally by China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, the US’s top defense official said.

“I do think it would be a move in the wrong direction...as we both bilaterally, with the Philippines, and collectively, with a number of other partners and allies in the region, are trying to say to the Chinese you must obey

NORTHEAST MONSOON AFFECTING THE COUNTRY as of 4:00 pm - February 12, 2020

the international rules of order.

You must obey, you know, abide by international norms,” said US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a day after the US Embassy in Manila received the formal notice of termination from the Philippine government.

Also on Wednesday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra insisted that the termination of the VFA is

a prerogative of President Duterte.

He was reacting to a reported plan of some senators to question before the Supreme Court Duterte’s termination of the VFA without concurrence of the Senate, which under the Constitution must ratify all treaties. Palace officials had said termination does not require Senate concurrence.

See “VFA,” A2

Bislig court orders arrest of KAPA chief, promoters

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HERegionalTrialCourtofBislig CityhasorderedthearrestofKapa-Community Ministry International’s (KAPA) founder, key officers andpromotersfor the investment fraud charges initiated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The Bislig City Regional Trial Court Branch 29, on February 11, issued warrants of arrest against KAPA founder and President Joel A. Apolinario, trustee Margie A. Danao and corporate secretary Reyna L. Apolinario, along with promoters Marisol S. Diaz, Adelfa Fernandico, Moises Mopia and Reniones D. Catubigan. The arrest orders were issued after prosecutors at the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed criminal charges against K APA for violations of the Securities Regulation Code.

In separate informations, the DOJ accused KAPA of selling or offering for sale, or distribution of securities in the Philippines without a registration statement filed with and approved by the SEC. The DOJ charged KAPA officials, among others, of promoting investment scams. Similar cases were filed in Antipolo and Quezon City courts.

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court earlier issued a warrant of arrest against Fernandico and Mopia on December 2, 2019.

T he c r i m i n a l proceed i ngs stemmed from the complaint filed by the SEC on June 18, 2019, against KAPA for the unauthorized sale or offering for sale, or distribution of securities to the general public.

In a resolution issued on September 25, 2019, the DOJ found probable cause to bring charges against KAPA, affirming the findings of the SEC. The SEC found KAPA to have enticed the public to invest at least P10,000 in exchange for a 30 percent monthly return for life, without having to do anything other than invest and wait for the payout.

See “KAPA chief,” A2

jobs in tourism sector’ Continued from A1

Edillon added that the estimates include the assumption that about 10 percent of tourists from other countries will also not push through with their travel plans to the country.

For the month of February alone, or during the start of the travel ban, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said foregone revenue from COVID-19 could reach P16.8 billion. “[In total] we expect foregone revenue of P42.9 billion forgone from February to April [based on] forecast arrivals of 678,102 tourists from China, 22,584 from Hong Kong, and 2,194 Macau, 92,370 from Taiwan during the said three months,” said Romulo Puyat.

She said flight cancellations from China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan due to COVID-19 have reached 465 per week, or an estimated 101,452 seats.

Affected businesses During the same hearing, Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (Acap) Executive Director Alberto Lim said for the next two months the foregone revenue of the airline industry is expected to reach P3 billion affecting more than 5,000 flights.

Acap members include Cebu Pacific, CebGo, Philippine Airlines, PAL Express and AirAsia.

Besides China, Hong Kong and Macau, Tourism Congress of the Philippines President Jose Clemente III said arrivals from South Korea are declining due mainly to flight cancellations.

Aside from airlines, Clemente said hotels are already losing money. He noted that hotels in Cebu alone have recorded some P100 million in losses since the start of the travel ban.

“This will affect the local employment because there are 5.7 million workers in the tourism industry,” he said.

Romulo Puyat said the cruise tourism industry will also be affected.

For 2020, she said there were 101 expected cruise calls from January to November with 203,000 expected cruise passengers.

“As of February 7, there were 11 canceled cruise calls to various Philippine port with estimated passenger loss of 14,211,” she added.

Remedies Clemente urged the national government to lift the travel ban on Taiwan.

He also said the ban should have been imposed on Singapore.

“We are urging the government to reconsider this [ban on Taiwan].

There are more significant infections in Singapore than in Taiwan. For the sake of the [tourism] industry, we should lift the ban on Taiwan,” he said.

M i n o r i t y Le a d e r B i e nve n i d o

Abante Jr. urged the national government to implement the travel bans “consistently.”

“One issue I raised during the hearing was the inconsistency in the travel bans now imposed on various countries, particularly why a travel ban now covers Taiwan but excludes Singapore, even if the latter has more cases,” said Abante.

As for workers who could lose their jobs, Edillon said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) may train them so they can upgrade their skills while they wait for the COVID-19 to pass.

Training and retraining these workers will cost around P278 million to P855 million, according to Edillon. However, she said the government does not yet have the supplemental budget to cover this.

If the government will not have the resources to foot the bill through internal budgets, Edillon said the government can tap a Quick Response Fund (QRF) for this or government line agencies could front-load their spending for 2020.

She said the government may also secure the help of the private sector so they will pay a portion of the salaries of their employees in training.

‘Fighting chance’ Despite the problems created by COVID-19, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia told reporters that the country’s economy still has a “fighting chance” to expand by around 6 percent in the first quarter.

“Maybe domestic tourism will pick up, so we’ll kind of compensate for international tourism. People are now beginning to be less worried,” Pernia said.

Pernia said infrastructure will also play a key role in boosting economic growth, thanks to the recent approval, and signing of the 2020 national budget.

He said government spending will increase, as “many projects” have already taken off. Pernia said the government has already approved 72 of the 100 flagship projects.

This means, Pernia said, there are only about 25 remaining projects that need approval. Other projects, he said, do not require Neda Board approval.

The Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (Amro) projects that a 1 percentage point decline in China’s economic activity would affect Hong Kong and Singapore “disproportionately.”

Amro said, however, that the hit to Thailand’s economic growth would be almost as large as China’s. The negative effects on Malaysia, Japan, Korea and the Philippines will also be of a similar magnitude, while Indonesia appears to be the least exposed.

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In the ad material of Notice of filing of application for Alien Employment Permits published on September 20, 2019, the position of Mr. Wu, Wei under OUTWIT, INC. should have been read as Mandarin Product Manager and not as published.

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 DOLE NCR Regional Office located at 967 Maligaya St., Malate, Manila, within 30 days after its publication.

Please inform DOLE NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, February 13, 2020

B1

SM Prime’s ₧100-B shelf registration gets SEC nod

By VG Cabuag

T

@villygc

HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved SM Prime Holdings Inc.’s P100billion shelf registration, of which the property developer will initially sell some P20 billion.

The SEC approved the company’s registration statement and also the permit to sell the P20billion bonds during its en banc meeting on February 11. SM Prime

can issue the remaining amount within three years.

SM Prime intends to initially issue P15 billion worth of Series K and Series L bonds as its pri-

mary offer, and an oversubscription option for a maximum of P5 billion, at 100 percent of the face value.

The bonds will be issued in m i n i mu m de nom i n at ion s of P20,000 and in mu ltiples of P10,000 thereafter. The debt will be listed and traded in denominations of P10,000 on the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. The Series K paper will mature in five years while the Series L bonds will be due seven years from the issue date.

SM Prime may redeem in whole the Series K Bonds at 101 percent on the sixth and seventh interest payment dates or at 100.5 percent

on the eighth and ninth interest payment dates.

Meanwhile, it may redeem the Series L Bonds at 101 percent on the 10th and 11th interest payment dates or at 100.5 percent on the 12th and 13th interest payments.

The proceeds will primarily finance capital expenditures for new malls and expansion projects.

BDO Capital and Investment Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., BPI Capital Corp., East West Banking Corp., First Metro Investment Corp., RCBC Capital Corp. and SB Capital Investment Corp. have been chosen as joint lead underwriters for the offer.

PEMC-Iemop deal null and void from the start, lawmaker insists

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

P

UWERSA ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles on Wednesday urged the Department of Energ y (DoE) to declare null and void the contract between the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) and the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines Inc. (Iemop) because the deal was not approved by President Duterte.

In a statement, Nograles said the contract is “void ab initio” or invalid from the very beginning.

He said PEMC must seek the endorsement of the Governance Commission for GovernmentOwned or -Controlled Corporations (GCG) and thereafter seek final approval from the President.

PEMC used to be the operator of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) before Iemop took over. PEMC remains the governing arm of WESM. According to Nograles, PEMC’s claimed transition from being a GOCC to a fully privatized com-

pany was “not proper and not legally-binding” because this was not approved by the President.

Nograles said PEMC has neit her t he recommend at ion of t he Gover na nce Comm ission of GOCCs nor the approval of the President, thus making the PEMC-Iemop contract void from the very beginning.

“The continued collection of market fees from consumers is illegal because the contract is illegal. I sincerely believe that the President was blindsided that something this massive happened. If the President knew that this is going to happen, he would have affixed his signature to privatize PEMC. PEMC was never privatized. The President does not know that this happened,” Nograles said.

PEMC used to collect about one centavo for every kilowatthour (kWh) from the consumers’ monthly electric bill. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) authorized this in 2014. But IemopP, now the operator of WESM, has yet to secure a similar approval from the ERC.

“So, who approved this deal?

Congress will get to the bottom this. In the last two committee hearings, I think Congress has enough evidence and information to declare the contract void ab initio,” Nograles said, adding that the identity of “the persons behind this illegal contract is something we have yet to establish and I intend to pursue this to the end.”

Nograles noted that the deal, which allowed a 7,000 peso-company like Iemop P to take over and use PEMC ’s P781-million computer equipment for free and automatically deduct at least .84 centavos pe kWh from electricity consumers, is anomalous and could be the basis of filing multiple cases against its officials.

“A typical household that consumes about 200kWh pays Iemop around P2 per month. Multiply that by the millions of households and Iemop collects over a billion pesos a year. This is very alarming because Iemop does not even have any ERC approval to do so,” Nograles said.

“We see a variety of Republic Acts violated in this corrupt

deal. For the next Committee on Energy hearing, we will invite the Energy Regulatory Commission, the Philippine Competition Commission, and again the Governance Commission for GOCCs as the regulatory agencies that have been bypassed by PEMC. There is clear corruption in this power scam,” Nograles added.

Nograles said that since all transactions involving IEMOP as an independent market operator are questionable, the DOE should declare the contract null and void.

The DOE, PEMC and Iemop, for their parts, earlier said that the latter was created by virtue of the enactment of DOE Department Circular 2018-01-0002 dated January 17, 2020 and consequently the IMO Transition Plan, which are based on Section 30 of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira), which were jointly approved by the DOE and the Electric Power Participants.

Also, the DOE said a competitive bidding was required only for foreign participants as an option under the Epira if the IMO was created in 2007.

It’s that time of year, and LRMC deploys its love trains once again

A

LCANTAR A-LED Alsons Consolidated Resources Inc. (ACR) expects to raise P694 million worth of commercial papers, providing additional financial aid to fund the company’s renewableenergy (RE) projects.

It said Wednesday that it re-issued P694 million from the first P1.5billion tranche of the company’s commercial paper issuance with the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corporation.

“This will provide interim funding to help the company’s expansion into the RE sphere,” it said.

The company recently commenced construction of its first RE project in Sarangani Province.

Its 14.5MW run- of- river hydroelectric power plant at the Siguil River basin in Maasim, Sarangani Province is expected to begin operations in 2022. The P4.5-billion Siguil Hydro power project will cater to the rapidly developing Sarangani/ South Cotabato/General Santos City region.

Alsons Power plans to develop seven more run-of-river hydropower facilities in different parts of Mindanao and Negros Occidental.

The next two hydropower facilities in the group’s pipeline are the 38 MW Sindangan Hydro plant in Zamboanga del Norte and the 42 MW Bago Hydro plant in Negros Occidental.

Once completed and operational,

LRMC President and CEO Juan F. Alfonso arranges magic words inside a train as Light Rail Manila Corporation celebrates Valentine’s month with the LRT 1 love train, now on its fourth year. ROY DOMINGO

these eight hydro power plants will constitute the bulk of the company’s power facilities.

The company’s commercial papers issuance earlier received PRS A plus with a Stable Outlook issuer credit rating from the Philippine Rating Services Corporation, which cited the company’s “above average capacity to meet its financial commitments relative to other Philippine corporates,” “the positive growth prospects for Mindanao which will bring about an increasing demand for power,” and ACR’s “ability to establish joint ventures with strong partners for particular projects.”

The “Stable Outlook” given to the ACR is assigned when a rating is likely to be maintained or to remain unchanged in the next 12 months.

“We are happy once again to tap the short-term capital market for our working capital need,” said ACR chief financial officer Robert Yenko. “These are exciting times ahead for ACR as we begin to focus on building up our RE portfolio and this facility with greatly help us in these efforts.”

ACR currently has a portfolio of four power facilities in Mindanao with an aggregate capacity of 468 megawatts (MW) serving over eight million people in 14 cities and 11 provinces, including key urban centers such as Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Iligan and Zamboanga City. Lenie Lectura

First, there was GrabFood; now comes cloud kitchen GrabKitchen

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L

IGHT R ail Manila Cor p.

(LRMC) started operating on Wednesday its annual “love train,” a set of coaches designed with different motifs and printed quotes in celebration of Valentine’s Day. For this year, the company decided to decorate the train with liveries that explain the “stages of love,” such as dating, marriage proposal and wedding.

The love train also showcases interactive wall activities to encourage passengers to take photos and share them online for surprise giveaways.

“We hope that through this special Valentine’s month display, LRMC can make our passengers’ days extra brighter and happier this season,” LRMC President Juan F. Alfonso said. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Alsons expects to raise P694M from commercial papers for RE funds

UPER app Grab launched on Wednesday its first cloud k itc hen conce pt , c a l led GrabKitchen, in Metro Manila, partnering with six merchants initially to capitalize on the growing demand for food delivery in the Philippines.

GrabKitchen, first introduced in Indonesia, brings together different restaurants in one central location. It is equipped with the basic needs of restaurant operators. This affords merchants the ability to expand without the high overhead costs such as infrastructure buildup.

Edward Joseph de la Vega, who heads GrabFood Philippines, said Grab “leveraged data from historical orders to address cuisine gaps,” thus bridging “consumer demand and availability of food selections.”

He added, “As a natural extension of GrabFood, GrabKitchen brings us closer to our goal of simplifying the daily tasks of Filipinos, while offering greater convenience and more rewarding

experiences.”

GrabKitchen is located at Glorietta 2. It features the following restaurants: Omakase, Mister Kabab, 24 Chicken, Recovery Food, Frank and Dean, and CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice. Out of the six, the first five have no footprint in Makati City.

Aside from delivery, where users can mix and match orders from partner merchants, GrabKitchen also offers on-demand delivery, and in-store dining through a “unique digital experience via a self-order kiosk.”

De la Vega said, “GrabFood is making it more convenient and affordable for consumers to share meals with the ones they love with the launch of GrabKitchen and our new GrabFood bundles.”

Gr a bK itc he n h a s o ve r 50 branches in Southeast Asia inc lud ing Indonesia, T hai land, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines. In the Philippines, GrabFood is looking at expanding to at least four more locations by 2020. Lorenz S. Marasigan

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, February 13, 2020

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

February 12, 2020

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

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG MEDCO HLDG NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE VANTAGE

50.5 150.9 86.2 25 11.14 58.3 31.8 51.7 20.7 173.1 58 18 3.61 0.41 0.75 171.5 1846 1.1

53.1 151 86.3 25.05 11.3 58.35 31.9 53.4 21 173.2 58.5 18.36 3.75 0.425 0.79 175.9 1850 1.14

53 152 85.55 25.1 11.16 58.5 32.45 51.6 20.95 173.1 59 18.1 3.6 0.41 0.74 176.9 1865 1.1

53.2 152.3 86.65 25.15 11.38 59.5 32.45 51.7 21 174.9 59 18.48 3.65 0.51 0.81 176.9 1865 1.1

50.5 150.7 85.5 25 11.14 58.3 31.8 51.6 20.7 173 58.5 18 3.6 0.41 0.74 176 1847 1.1

50.5 151 86.2 25.05 11.14 58.3 31.8 51.7 20.7 173.1 58.5 18.36 3.65 0.41 0.79 176 1850 1.1

4020 732300 1486180 353100 118200 2005820 98800 180 1200 278570 6590 197800 30000 5790000 110000 20 450 24000

213460 110690929 128080432.5 8851900 1318026 118087441.5 3159925 9290 24995 48232040 385560 3571196 109200 2576150 87200 3529 833600 26400

-1010 -32812538 17909317.5 450900 -577782 -4581405.5 -545200 -2100 -20643314 -3558380 -25500 26400

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 2.07 2.08 2.12 2.12 2.05 2.08 897000 1854200 ALSONS CONS 1.18 1.24 1.18 1.24 1.16 1.24 26000 30760 11800 ABOITIZ POWER 32.2 32.25 32.3 32.4 32.05 32.2 690400 22,227,860( 18,194,074.9997) BASIC ENERGY 0.219 0.226 0.222 0.226 0.218 0.226 1210000 270020 FIRST GEN 20.05 20.1 20.85 20.85 20.05 20.1 824300 16651815 -888595 FIRST PHIL HLDG 66.8 66.85 67.4 67.4 66.8 66.8 775660 51913491.5 -1030056 MERALCO 263.8 268.4 276.8 277.4 263.8 263.8 271460 72805102 -39964996 12.54 12.56 12.82 12.84 12.5 12.56 8184800 103098262 4215180 MANILA WATER 3.48 3.49 3.59 3.6 3.49 3.49 1070000 3752870 -912430 PETRON 3.45 3.78 3.71 3.94 3 3.78 455000 1511440 PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM 11.46 11.8 11.52 11.76 11.46 11.76 79000 923820 PILIPINAS SHELL 30.1 30.15 30.3 30.45 30 30.15 282800 8519935 -7723425 9.16 9.2 9.28 9.5 9.2 9.2 248600 2335077 -798000 SPC POWER 7.22 7.38 7.86 7.9 7.22 7.22 3014600 22963989 7140791 AGRINURTURE AXELUM 2.81 2.87 2.86 2.93 2.8 2.81 1925000 5513360 907410 CENTURY FOOD 15.04 15.1 15.02 15.04 15.02 15.04 1614100 24243826 -3004 DEL MONTE 4.54 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.6 4.6 49000 238900 DNL INDUS 8.66 8.67 9.1 9.1 8.65 8.67 1236100 10787975 -938984 EMPERADOR 7.25 7.3 7.26 7.26 7.25 7.25 7325700 53112234 42350130 SMC FOODANDBEV 75.45 75.85 76.5 76.9 75.4 75.85 36440 2,758,638.5( 1,567,054.5001) ALLIANCE SELECT 0.61 0.63 0.6 0.61 0.59 0.61 1288000 778270 1.83 1.84 1.99 2.02 1.78 1.84 74314000 140336230 1412780 FRUITAS HLDG 35.7 36.5 36.5 36.5 36.5 36.5 800 29200 3650 GINEBRA 191.2 192 192 194 191 192 507220 97534196 -32726166 JOLLIBEE 6.52 7.17 7.17 7.17 7.17 7.17 100 717 MACAY HLDG MAXS GROUP 10.1 10.2 10.22 10.44 10.16 10.2 494200 5077046 -1830014 0.168 0.18 0.172 0.172 0.168 0.168 1500000 255020 253320 MG HLDG 1.84 1.85 1.84 1.85 1.77 1.84 1077000 1985930 -33140 PEPSI COLA SHAKEYS PIZZA 9.5 9.59 9.45 9.5 9.45 9.5 36200 343836 194750 ROXAS AND CO 1.48 1.57 1.57 1.66 1.48 1.48 719000 1100700 SWIFT FOODS 0.116 0.118 0.117 0.122 0.117 0.118 1010000 120680 -33130 UNIV ROBINA 150.9 151 152 152.3 149 151 1205900 181666052 -84653765 VITARICH 1.11 1.13 1.12 1.13 1.11 1.13 1175000 1316910 -4440 VICTORIAS 2.4 2.53 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 7000 16800 -0 CONCRETE A 59 63.6 59 59 59 59 220 12980 59.55 69.95 61 61 61 61 10 610 CONCRETE B CEMEX HLDG 1.4 1.41 1.4 1.43 1.39 1.41 1684000 2360970 -467380 12.1 12.46 12.1 12.5 12.02 12.1 12000 146096 -7226 EAGLE CEMENT 9 9.08 9.08 9.08 8.83 9 25300 228379 144875 EEI CORP 10.2 10.38 10.6 10.6 10.08 10.38 305500 3127204 79980.0001 HOLCIM 14.5 14.54 14.5 14.68 14.4 14.5 5821100 83875880 -83411244 MEGAWIDE 9.66 9.77 10 10 9.61 9.77 15000 145567 PHINMA TKC METALS 0.95 0.99 1.06 1.06 0.95 0.95 250000 246510 -1020 VULCAN INDL 0.98 0.99 1.04 1.04 0.99 0.99 1441000 1450060 -84150 CROWN ASIA 2.13 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.14 2.14 50000 107300 EUROMED 2.91 2.95 3.16 3.2 2.84 2.95 4199000 12608050 140950 LMG CHEMICALS 4.15 4.28 4.15 4.15 4.15 4.15 11000 45650 MABUHAY VINYL 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.19 3.2 7000 22370 -9600 PRYCE CORP 4.72 4.81 4.71 5.26 4.71 4.72 8253000 38932460 -229000 30.15 31.9 30.15 30.2 29.8 30.15 52700 1586960 -83980 CONCEPCION 1.68 1.69 1.55 1.68 1.55 1.68 10046000 16,286,120( 4,839,759.9999) GREENERGY 6.52 6.6 6.5 6.65 6.5 6.6 50200 328573 -121790 INTEGRATED MICR 1.25 1.27 1.27 1.29 1.21 1.27 168000 207310 36900 IONICS 1.24 1.25 1.28 1.31 1.23 1.24 1603000 2020730 SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG 9.9 9.92 10.6 11.08 9.85 9.92 7487200 79455307 -165214.9997

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 0.86 0.87 0.87 0.88 0.86 0.87 3998000 3478330 ASIABEST GROUP 10 10.18 10.18 10.18 10 10 1100 11018 AYALA CORP 753 753.5 755.5 755.5 749.5 753 297890 224340225 ABOITIZ EQUITY 50.85 51.2 52.05 52.05 50.85 50.85 353520 18066019.5 ALLIANCE GLOBAL 10.44 10.46 10.46 10.48 10.4 10.44 1968900 20551598 AYALA LAND LOG 2.56 2.58 2.61 2.62 2.56 2.56 589000 1529470 ANSCOR 6.1 6.18 6.05 6.1 6.05 6.1 51100 311425 0.69 0.71 0.68 0.72 0.68 0.69 156000 108830 ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A 0.89 0.9 0.9 0.92 0.89 0.89 747000 665860 ATN HLDG B 0.91 0.93 0.92 0.92 0.9 0.9 250000 227000 6.22 6.34 6.5 6.5 6.25 6.34 112600 709441 COSCO CAPITAL 6 6.01 6.05 6.06 5.95 6 10924600 65540260 DMCI HLDG 12.02 12.78 12 12.78 12 12.78 8800 111840 FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC 0.221 0.23 0.22 0.22 0.22 0.22 250000 55000 GT CAPITAL 724 725 727.5 733 721.5 724 266610 193969030 HOUSE OF INV 4.87 5 4.95 4.95 4.91 4.91 57000 280070 JG SUMMIT 71 71.6 71.9 71.9 71 71 558450 39736517.5 JOLLIVILLE HLDG 6.05 6.38 6.6 6.83 6.04 6.05 378100 2534048 KEPPEL HLDG A 5.42 6.25 5.21 5.21 5.21 5.21 200 1042 LODESTAR 0.485 0.49 0.49 0.495 0.49 0.49 36000 17645 LOPEZ HLDG 3.77 3.84 3.77 3.88 3.77 3.77 441000 1662900 10.54 10.6 10.6 10.64 10.54 10.54 3346100 35316430 LT GROUP 0.55 0.58 0.56 0.58 0.56 0.58 4000 2260 MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV 3.04 3.05 3.2 3.2 3.03 3.05 35329000 108870210 4.38 4.79 4.32 4.38 4.32 4.38 14000 60720 PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA 1.13 1.15 1.16 1.16 1.13 1.13 47000 53820 REPUBLIC GLASS 2.74 2.8 2.74 2.8 2.74 2.8 41000 114740 SOLID GROUP 1.1 1.19 1.12 1.12 1.12 1.12 10000 11200 SYNERGY GRID 179 184.5 184.5 184.5 179 184.5 180 32330 SM INVESTMENTS 1002 1005 1000 1005 996 1002 126935 127109452.5 SAN MIGUEL CORP 132.5 133 136.1 136.1 131.8 133 183700 24366422 SOC RESOURCES 0.78 0.8 0.78 0.83 0.78 0.78 63000 49190 TOP FRONTIER 167.7 170 170 170 167.8 170 1760 297441 ZEUS HLDG 0.188 0.19 0.193 0.193 0.19 0.19 4360000 831090

-25884000 -1356321 305310 104000 311425 -121500 -192336 -13614058 41928210 -280070 -27320503.5 -42714 -1285570 23728042 12013240 -38113600 -11662549 -37202 85950

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.78 0.8 0.78 0.8 0.78 0.78 898000 701390 AYALA LAND 43.55 43.6 44 44.15 43.6 43.6 11904800 521373050 ARANETA PROP 1.62 1.72 1.62 1.62 1.62 1.62 9000 14580 BELLE CORP 1.56 1.57 1.55 1.6 1.55 1.57 361000 570260 A BROWN 0.63 0.67 0.65 0.67 0.62 0.67 1073000 695210 CITYLAND DEVT 0.79 0.82 0.83 0.83 0.82 0.82 20000 16540 CROWN EQUITIES 0.175 0.182 0.177 0.177 0.175 0.175 3040000 533440 6.2 6.58 6.65 6.65 6.58 6.58 800 5277 CEBU HLDG CEB LANDMASTERS 4.48 4.5 4.48 4.5 4.48 4.48 139000 624780 CENTURY PROP 0.48 0.485 0.48 0.49 0.48 0.485 2320000 1121450 CYBER BAY 0.36 0.38 0.365 0.365 0.365 0.365 250000 91250 DOUBLEDRAGON 18.88 19.08 18.78 19.2 18.74 19.08 1067800 20302478 9 9.2 8.8 9.24 8.8 9 7000 62716 DM WENCESLAO 1.44 1.45 1.47 1.47 1.44 1.45 6314000 9137580 FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE 1.04 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.04 1.04 598000 622560 8990 HLDG 14.7 14.74 14.7 14.74 14.7 14.7 891000 13106602 PHIL INFRADEV 1 1.01 1.02 1.03 1 1 1245000 1251000 CITY AND LAND 0.73 0.76 0.74 0.76 0.73 0.76 43000 31700 MEGAWORLD 3.92 3.93 3.98 3.99 3.89 3.92 31470000 123334920 MRC ALLIED 0.201 0.202 0.218 0.23 0.201 0.201 21970000 4830800 PHIL ESTATES 0.45 0.455 0.395 0.45 0.395 0.45 23730000 9796150 2.03 2.08 2.05 2.08 2.04 2.08 440000 899590 PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND 24.65 25 24.75 25 24.6 24.65 527300 13003690 0.305 0.31 0.305 0.305 0.305 0.305 610000 186050 PHIL REALTY ROCKWELL 2.07 2.08 2.1 2.12 2.08 2.08 142000 295440 STA LUCIA LAND 2.5 2.54 2.55 2.55 2.5 2.54 144000 363010 SM PRIME HLDG 42 42.3 42.45 42.55 42.05 42.3 26874500 1138961885 5.04 5.2 5.2 5.24 5.03 5.24 116100 590718 VISTAMALLS SUNTRUST HOME 1.7 1.72 1.83 1.92 1.7 1.7 7573000 13332320 VISTA LAND 6.4 6.45 6.49 6.49 6.4 6.4 498200 3209189

80006445 -3140 87500 -2636184 -2700 -8389160 -997468 -7232910 136300 -4748470 593332770 -1833468

SERVICES ABS CBN 16.88 16.98 16.72 17.58 16.72 16.92 431100 7359794 GMA NETWORK 5.4 5.41 5.4 5.4 5.35 5.4 306400 1653916 MANILA BULLETIN 0.48 0.485 0.53 0.6 0.48 0.48 23535000 12507090 MLA BRDCASTING 10.6 13.5 11.1 11.1 10.6 10.6 3100 34120 GLOBE TELECOM 1993 2000 1999 2000 1965 2000 42775 85173485 PLDT 1013 1023 1015 1027 1007 1013 96165 97808030 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.048 0.049 0.048 0.049 0.047 0.049 6100000 289200 0.105 0.106 0.107 0.107 0.104 0.105 1050000 110780 ISLAND INFO ISM COMM 1.98 1.99 2.31 2.37 1.94 1.98 173819000 366792920 2.13 2.17 2.2 2.24 2.13 2.13 1456000 3143890 NOW CORP 0.243 0.244 0.244 0.249 0.244 0.244 780000 191870 TRANSPACIFIC BR PHILWEB 3.35 3.36 3.43 3.49 3.34 3.36 1348000 4567780 2GO GROUP 8.9 9 9 9 8.9 8.9 7500 67220 4.52 4.57 4.53 4.66 4.51 4.51 710000 3222110 CHELSEA CEBU AIR 80.05 80.2 82.8 82.8 79.3 80.2 194500 15507558.5 INTL CONTAINER 121.6 124 125.4 126.7 121.6 121.6 670420 82744241 LBC EXPRESS 12.14 12.68 12.14 12.68 12.14 12.68 400 4964 LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.9 0.93 0.88 0.94 0.88 0.94 11000 9790 MACROASIA 9.95 10 10.32 10.66 9.94 9.95 3718800 37548914 METROALLIANCE A 0.98 1.05 0.98 1.06 0.98 1.06 32000 32600 PAL HLDG 7.35 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 1600 11840 1.15 1.16 1.18 1.18 1.14 1.16 322000 372390 HARBOR STAR ACESITE HOTEL 1.35 1.4 1.31 1.4 1.31 1.4 14000 18880 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.046 0.047 0.046 0.05 0.046 0.047 15800000 760100 GRAND PLAZA 9.7 12.98 9.58 13.36 9.58 13.36 400 4644 WATERFRONT 0.58 0.59 0.56 0.58 0.56 0.58 492000 281490 890 900 890 890 890 890 240 213600 FAR EASTERN U IPEOPLE 7.96 9.4 9.09 9.41 9.09 9.4 89300 838831 STI HLDG 0.57 0.58 0.58 0.58 0.57 0.57 1117000 640410 BERJAYA 3.32 3.33 2.7 3.47 2.7 3.32 6698000 21507770 BLOOMBERRY 8.8 8.81 9 9.1 8.75 8.8 6232000 55256354 PACIFIC ONLINE 2 2.05 2.09 2.09 2 2 68000 137840 LEISURE AND RES 2.1 2.16 2.1 2.21 2.1 2.16 367000 796440 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.5 0.51 0.53 0.59 0.5 0.51 474553000 240331940 PHIL RACING 8.01 8.96 8.96 8.96 8.96 8.96 200 1792 9.69 9.7 9.98 9.98 9.7 9.7 223300 2175125 ALLHOME 1.83 1.85 1.88 1.88 1.82 1.85 1477000 2732660 METRO RETAIL 38.25 38.5 38.8 38.8 38.3 38.5 77100 2966400 PUREGOLD 73.6 73.65 74.5 74.7 73.65 73.65 300430 22201206.5 ROBINSONS RTL 139 145 140 140 138 139 160 22200 PHIL SEVEN CORP 2.26 2.27 2.21 2.27 2.17 2.27 1073000 2398740 SSI GROUP 18.86 18.88 18.88 18.88 18.72 18.86 399300 7531888 WILCON DEPOT APC GROUP 0.4 0.405 0.39 0.405 0.39 0.4 460000 181250 EASYCALL 7.21 7.45 7.79 7.79 7.22 7.45 18100 134290 GOLDEN BRIA 415 432 420 420 420 420 30 12600 PAXYS 2.77 2.97 2.93 2.97 2.93 2.97 3000 8830 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.315 0.32 0.325 0.33 0.315 0.315 3830000 1235200 SBS PHIL CORP 8.68 8.8 8.69 8.69 8.69 8.69 13000 112970

14279150 -31495080 -660090 -27940 -26100 44660 -11050406.5 -37277282 9378890 -14249.9999 25950 -14175141 2040 691580 -253829 -1326210 -511324.9997 -7016478 1400 565140 5163304 97500 -

MINING & OIL ATOK 9.51 10.5 10.9 10.9 10.9 10.9 100 1090 APEX MINING 0.97 0.99 0.99 1.01 0.97 0.99 633000 624140 ABRA MINING 0.0014 0.0015 0.0014 0.0015 0.0014 0.0015 95000000 133300 -1500 ATLAS MINING 2.26 2.4 2.25 2.25 2.25 2.25 15000 33750 BENGUET A 1.05 1.2 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.05 7000 7350 COAL ASIA HLDG 0.27 0.275 0.27 0.27 0.27 0.27 120000 32400 2.98 2.99 2.97 2.99 2.97 2.98 397000 1182500 518520 CENTURY PEAK 6.5 6.65 6.5 6.69 6.5 6.51 7900 51633 DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL 1.3 1.31 1.31 1.32 1.3 1.3 819000 1072030 -46210 0.198 0.205 0.208 0.208 0.198 0.198 430000 85600 GEOGRACE LEPANTO A 0.092 0.096 0.095 0.096 0.091 0.096 370000 34760 LEPANTO B 0.089 0.094 0.094 0.094 0.09 0.09 1740000 162920 MANILA MINING A 0.0077 0.0079 0.0077 0.0077 0.0077 0.0077 1000000 7700 MARCVENTURES 0.72 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.78 50000 39000 NIHAO 0.99 1 0.99 1 0.99 1 11000 10900 NICKEL ASIA 2.63 2.64 2.68 2.68 2.61 2.64 2504000 6632170 710010 OMICO CORP 0.48 0.5 0.465 0.5 0.465 0.5 110000 51500 ORNTL PENINSULA 0.64 0.67 0.69 0.69 0.63 0.67 45000 29410 PX MINING 2.85 2.88 2.89 2.89 2.83 2.85 61000 174220 SEMIRARA MINING 20 20.05 20.3 20.3 19.96 20 213500 4271462 -936208 0.0049 0.0051 0.0052 0.0052 0.005 0.005 17000000 85500 UNITED PARAGON ACE ENEXOR 7.23 7.25 7.39 7.58 7.23 7.23 53400 388087 -62589 0.0099 0.01 0.0099 0.0099 0.0097 0.0099 12000000 117800 ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 6400000 70400 6600 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.011 26900000 284100 PHILODRILL PXP ENERGY 8.45 8.46 8.43 9.1 8.41 8.45 507800 4391014 -238629

PREFFERED HOUSE PREF A 98 99 99 99 99 99 54800 5425200 AC PREF B1 500 505 500 500 500 500 2000 1000000 CPG PREF A 101 102 101 102 101 102 2670 269870 DD PREF 100.4 100.9 101 101 101 101 110 11110 GLO PREF P 480.8 509 500 500 500 500 600 300000 GTCAP PREF B 972 988 988 988 988 988 250 247000 100 100.2 100 100.2 100 100 2710 271058 MWIDE PREF PNX PREF 3A 101.5 102.3 102.3 102.3 102.3 102.3 1500 153450 PNX PREF 4 1050 1052 1052 1052 1052 1052 450 473400 PCOR PREF 3A 1050 1051 1050 1050 1050 1050 8850 9292500 SMC PREF 2C 77.1 77.5 77.1 77.1 77 77 23000 1772000 SMC PREF 2D 75.05 75.8 75.25 75.6 75 75.6 16400 1232550 SMC PREF 2E 75.05 75.15 75.05 75.1 75.05 75.1 26900 2019373.5 SMC PREF 2F 76.7 76.95 76.7 76.7 76.7 76.7 1000 76700 SMC PREF 2G 75.1 75.5 75.5 75.5 75 75 99450 7463150 SMC PREF 2H 75.1 75.6 75.6 75.6 75.6 75.6 1000 75600 75600 SMC PREF 2I 75.3 75.9 75.25 75.9 75.25 75.9 197020 14953805

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 14.84 14.9 14.88 14.9 14.86 14.9 173300 2581338 -1882548 GMA HLDG PDR 5.2 5.36 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.2 100 520

WARRANTS LR WARRANT 1.08 1.13 1.14 1.14 1.14 1.14 1000 1140

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ITALPINAS 3.2 3.22 3.36 3.36 3.2 3.2 598000 1970950 KEPWEALTH 9.63 9.75 10.5 10.64 9.63 9.63 826000 8337048 -27300 XURPAS 0.78 0.8 0.79 0.8 0.78 0.79 804000 635210

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

FIRST METRO ETF 110.8 111.5 111.4 111.6 110.8 110.8 6030 669470 40104

www.businessmirror.com.ph

LapuLapu Leisure rolls out SAP solution for casino unit

By Roderick L. Abad

E

Contributor

@rodrik_28

NTERPRISE software provider SAP announced the implementation of its cloud-based business network and source-to-settle solution called SAP Ariba Snap for LapuLapu Leisure Inc., a member of the PH Resorts Group Holdings Inc. under the Udenna Group.

This system helps digitally transform the developer’s purchasing process as it gears up to open the Emerald Bay Resort and Casino on time and within the budget.

“Efficiency and excellence in procurement are critical to business growth no matter the size or location of the organization,” said Jason Wolf, senior vice president and general manager of SAP Ariba Asia-Pacific Japan.

“With SAP Ariba Snap, fast-

growing enterprises like LapuLapu Leisure can move to a digital procurement process and start realizing the benefits quickly to help power further investment and innovation,” he added.

Deployed in less than 12 weeks, LapuLapu Leisure has replaced tedious manual processes with more efficient digital ones that help increase the accuracy and speed of approvals, payments and delivery.

“SAP Ariba Snap has met the

PHL’s first high-speed rolling mill to open in Pampanga

Danieli Vice President Federico Rocchetti (from left), Danieli Sales Area Manager for Danieli Long Products Omar Narduzzi, Italian Ambassador to Manila Giorgio Guglielmino, Danieli Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Menocci; Real Steel Corporation Chief Executive Officer Irwin Chua, Real Steel’s Chief Operations Officer Felice Chua, Mayor Abundio Punsalan Jr. of San Simon, Pampanga, and Real Steel’s Chief Finance Officer William Chen.

P

AMPANGA-BASED Real Steel Corporation (RSC) recently signed a contract with Italian steel equipment manufacturer and designer Danieli Group to build what would be the Philippines’ first highspeed rolling mill.

The partnership will involve building a plant that produces high-quality steel rebars using fully automated and environmentally sound technology. Danieli Vice President Federico Rocchetti said the steel plant will follow the global trend of the market toward green steel, using the induction heating system to eliminate pollution caused by using natural gas or oil in heating steel.

“Many of the solutions we implement are included in this new high-speed rolling mill, especially features in technology that improve environmental impact and safety,” added Danieli Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Menocci.

Real Steel Chief Finance Officer William Chen said the new facility is expected to be operational in 2022.

He added that this would also become one of the fastest rolling mills in Asia. “RSC will continue to strive for excellence in technological advancement and modernization to improve quality of our products using clean and energy efficient equip-

ment,” said Chen.

San Simon Mayor Abundio Punsalan Jr. expressed his approval for the partnership, saying this supports the goal set by the Clean Air Act. “This investment also means higher income for the local government, employment security, and safety for our local workers,” the mayor affirmed.

Undersecretary Ruth Castelo of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Consumer Protection Group said the partnership between RSC and Danieli would be good for consumers. “RSC’s partnership with Danieli manifests the company’s commitment in improving the quality of their products to be on a par with international standards with green technology. This will ultimately redound to the benefit of the consumers for their increased protection,” Castelo said.

Danieli is a global designer, manufacturer, and installer of metal production plants and equipment.

It has presence in Italy, Germany, Sweden, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Spain, UK, US, Brazil, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, India and Japan.

The contract signing between the two companies was witnessed by the Italian Ambassador to the Philippines Giorgio Guglielmino.

requirements for the procurement system we have in mind,” said Mean Bernal, procurement manager at Udenna Corp. “It will help us ease the process by automating the system so we can concentrate on doing what we do best—building worldclass resorts.”

According to LapuLapu Leisure Information Technology Director Elvie Bantug, their partnership with the global cloud business software firm for the Emerald Bay digitalization project has also enabled them not to redo the integration development processes when they rolled out the system to other departments.

Because the solution is pre-loaded with content from SAP Ariba’s supplier marketplace, LapuLapu Leisure is now connected to the 4.6 million companies on the digital network worldwide.

“SAP Ariba Snap provides us with access to the same powerful solutions that Fortune 500 companies use for simpler, smarter sourcing. We look forward to realizing the savings, efficiencies and innovation we’ve seen so many others achieve with SAP Ariba,” she said.

mutual funds

LapuLapu Leisure is the first adopter of SAP Ariba Snap in the Philippines. In partnership with Deloitte, it implemented such solution to support the “pre-operational” phase of the Emerald Bay project.

Designed to be one of the biggest business and leisure destinations in the Philippines, it will house 838 hotel rooms, 146 gaming tables, 1,186 electronic gaming machines, 35 high-fashion boutiques, 18 specialty restaurants, a 3,000-capacity ballroom, and more.

Construction of the five-star hotel and casino is now ongoing. It is scheduled to open this year in Mactan Island.

Seeing the initial success of the solution, SAP Ariba said the system will be used for future projects of the PH Resorts Group, per Bernal.

“With the recent go-live, we believe that our procurement processes, which were done manually previously, will be easier and more intuitive. The success of this implementation project will benefit us with an easy-to-use interface and attractive catalogs that will entice our suppliers to adapt to the system seamlessly,” she stressed.

February 12, 2020

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 241.17 -10.46% -1.53% -2.62% -4.26% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 1.2561 -20.7% -3.6% -4.82% -9.11% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.3857 -19.13% -5.68% -5.4% -7.95% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.8402 -12.07% n.a. n.a.

-6.34% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.8157 -7.35% n.a. n.a.

-3.96% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 5.088 -9.38% -0.29% -2.62% -4.51% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,6 0.8095 -9.41% -4.17% n.a.

-5.17% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 95.22 -22.06% n.a. n.a.

-7.85% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 48.7191 -7.98% 0.47% n.a.

-5% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 508.68 -7.74% -0.36% -2.23% -4.52% Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,8 0.9915 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-3.75% Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 1.231 -7.49% 0.3% -1.22% -4.34% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 36.175 -7.66% 1.24% -1.06% -4.54% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.9757 -7.18% n.a. n.a.

-4.16% Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 4.965 -7.18% 1.16% -0.47% -4.95% 829.03 -7.22% 1.1% -0.62% -4.94% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.7876 -13.84% -2.5% -4.38% -7.49% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.9636 -8.86% 0.33% -1.38% -5.83% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.9514 -7.5% 0.95% n.a.

-4.94% United Fund, Inc. -a 3.5008 -6.45% 2.37% 0.37% -4.17% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 111.2462 - 6.9% 1.8% 0.32% -4.88% ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0024 1.56% 3.7% 0.1% -2.53% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.4173 17.54% 9.81% n.a.

2.8% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.5349 -11.64% -3.79% -4.75% -1.79% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 2.1005 -9.59% -2.77% -2.52% -3.7% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.5652 -4.06% 0.81% -2.51% -2.52% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,5 0.2184 n.a. n.a. n.a.

-4.42% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.9326 0.64% 1.77% 0.04% -1.55% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.7005 1.22% 0.62% -0.98% -2.34% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 16.5564 0.08% 0.56% -1.06% -2.38% -0.19% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 2.0813 -3.81% 0.34% -2.09% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.7271 -3.08% 0.9% -0.77% -3.54% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d,2 0.9924 -0.77% n.a. n.a.

-2.29% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d,2 0.9585 -4.01% n.a. n.a.

-3.8% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d,2 0.9533 -4.5% n.a. n.a.

-4.02% Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.9323 -4.09% 0.09% -2.02% -4.36% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03889 9.06% 3.16% 2.13% 1.73% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -a $1.0237 5.5% 3.75% 0.6% -1.37% 7.61% 4.34% 2.16% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $3.9953 13.29% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,7 $1.1464 9.22% 4.55% n.a.

1.56% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 358.7 3.88% 2.69% 2.22% 0.25% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.9074 1.86% 0.49% -0.66% 0.28% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.1337 4.85% 5.15% 5.16% 0.56% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.2377 4.34% 2.06% 1.79% 0.57% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.3634 6.12% 2.18% 1.28% 0.18% 1.46% 0.4% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.3903 12.24% 2.11% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.7847 5.66% 2.8% 1.17% -0.09% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 0.9704 6.58% 1.14% 0.1% 0.63% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.089 9.2% 4.03% 2.3% 0.43% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

1.7001 8.09% 3.4% 1.71% -0.06% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $471.07 4.51% 2.68% 2.74% 0.61% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є220.66 3.01% 1.79% 1.3% 0.42% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2133 6.06% 3.11% 2.39% 0.51% 0.78% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.026 4% 1.45% 1.53% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -a $1.108 5.73% 1.37% -0.05% 1.17% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.4437 10.18% 3.56% 2.96% 1.66% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0607621 6% 2.36% 1.92% 0.74% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.2495 11.13% 3.31% 2.93% 2.34% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 126.32 3.9% 2.93% 2.22% 0.43% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a,3 1.0301 2.87% n.a. n.a.

0.37% Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a 1.2558 5.9% 3.05% 1.67% -0.07% Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.2692 3.66% 2.94% 2.43% 0.36% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0395 2.04% n.a. n.a.

0.22% 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.

0% 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."

Editor: Angel R. Calso

The World BusinessMirror

Thursday, February 13, 2020

B3

China’s new virus cases fall again, deaths exceed 1,100

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EIJING—China on Wednesday reported another drop in the number of new cases of a viral infection and 97 more deaths, pushing the total dead past 1,100 even as the country remains largely closed down to prevent the spread of the disease.

The National Health Commission on Wednesday said 2,015 new cases had been reported over the last 24 hours, declining for a second day. The total number of cases in mainland China is 44,653, although many experts say a large number of others infected have gone uncounted.

The 97 additional deaths from the virus raised the mainland toll to 1,113.

Despite the official end to the extended Lunar New Year holiday, China remained mostly closed for business as many remained at home, with some 60 million people under virtual quarantine.

The World Health Organization has named the disease caused by the virus as COVID-19, avoiding any animal or geographic designation to avoid stigmatization and to

show the disease comes from a new coronavirus discovered in 2019.

The illness was first reported in December and connected to a food market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak has largely been concentrated.

China’s official media reported on Tuesday that the top health officials in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, have been relieved of their duties. No reasons were given, although the province’s initial response was deemed slow and ineffective. Speculation that higher-level officials could be sacked has simmered, but doing so could spark political infighting and be a tacit admission of responsibility.

The virus outbreak has become the latest political challenge for the party and its leader, Xi Jinping,

who despite accruing more political power than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, has struggled to handle crises on multiple fronts.

These include a sharply slowing domestic economy, the trade war with the US and push-back on China’s increasingly aggressive foreign policies.

Zhong Nanshan, a leading Chinese epidemiologist, said that while the virus outbreak in China may peak this month, the situation at the center of the crisis remains more challenging.

“We still need more time of hard work in Wuhan,” he said, describing the isolation of infected patients there a priority.

“We have to stop more people from being infected,” he said. “The problem of human to human transmission has not yet been resolved.”

Without enough facilities to handle the number of cases, Wuhan has been building prefabricated hospitals and converting a gym and other large spaces to house patients and try to isolate them from others.

The restart of business poses a risk of further spreading the virus, but China has little recourse, said Cong Liang, secretary general of the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s main economic planning body.

In this Tuesday, February 11, 2020, photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, a drone carries a QR code placard near an expressway toll station in Shenzhen in southern China’s Guangdong province. As a measure to help prevent and control novel coronavirus, an online register system for vehicles coming back to Shenzhen has been put into use since February 8. To increase the efficiency, local police officers used drones to carry a QR code at the expressway exits for drivers to get registered with less contact with other people. Lai Li/Xinhua via AP

“Without the reopening of businesses, in the short term, it will affect the supply of medical material and... in the long run, it will affect the supply of all kinds of production and life materials and will make the control and prevention efforts on the front line unsustainable. The target of defeating the epidemic will not be reached,” Cong said at a news conference.

In Hong Kong, authorities evacuated part of an apartment block after cases among its residents raised suspicion the virus may be spreading through the building’s plumbing. Three residents in one apartment were confirmed to have the virus days after a resident who lives 10 floors above them.

During the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, an illness caused by a related virus, a number of infections in Hong Kong were linked to one building’s sewage pipes.

Hong Kong has confirmed 49 cases in the current outbreak.

Postal operators in the United States, China, Singapore and elsewhere said the suspension of flights to slow the virus spread was having a major impact on the global flow of letters and parcels.

The United States Postal Service informed its counterparts around the world on Tuesday that it was “experiencing significant difficulties” in dispatching letters, parcels and express mail to China, including Hong Kong and Macau, because airlines have suspended flights to those destinations.

It said the USPS can no longer accept items destined for China “until sufficient transport capacity becomes available.”

The Universal Postal Union, a UN agency for postal cooperation between its 192 member countries, said the flight suspensions would impact mail delivery “for the foreseeable future.”

The Chinese mail service, China Post, said it was disinfecting postal offices, processing centers and vehicles to ensure the virus doesn’t spread via the mail and to protect postal staff.

The virus does “not survive for long on objects. It is therefore safe to receive postal items from China,” China Post said. AP

Virus casts chill over aviation outlook despite Asian growth

S

INGAPORE—Airlines and aircraft makers are taking a body blow from the virus outbreak in China, as Boeing reported zero orders for new jets in January and forecasting the cargo business will likely contract in 2020.

“We, like our customers, are trying to figure out the depth and breadth of this virus and the impact on the airlines,” Boeing’s vice president for commercial marketing, Randy Tinseth, said on Wednesday at the Singapore Air Show.

“Without doubt, we will see an impact,” he said.

Tinseth said that the cargo business will likely be flat this year and that growth in aircraft sales is likely to fall below its forecast of 2.5 percent to 2.7 percent in 2020.

“If we’re not seeing goods travel, not seeing planes fly, it’s going to be tough to see any growth in the cargo market this year,” Tinseth said. “We see 14 months of contraction in the freight market.”

The outbreak of the COVID-19 has prompted many airlines to halt flights to and from China and devastated travel within the country as many cities halted public transport, seeking to slow its spread.

In Southeast Asia, airlines will need 4,500 new aircraft over the next 20 years, worth $710 billion, Boeing forecasts. Commercial aviation services, an area Boeing is pursuing as it weathers hard times in airport orders and deliv-

eries, are likely to be worth $785 billion in 2019-2038.

Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia are among the 10 biggest markets for aircraft, helping to make the region one of the world’s biggest and fastest growing Worldwide, Boeing is forecasting the world will need 44,040 new commercial aircraft worth $6.8 trillion in the next 20 years, with after sales services valued at

more than $9 trillion.

“The fundamentals of our business tend to be strong. Our customers tend to understand these are long lived assets that demand tend to be durable,” Tinseth said.

A key challenge for airlines and the industry as a whole is availability of pilots and technicians. The Asia-Pacific region will need 182,000 such personnel to fly and maintain growing airline

A static model of a Mitsubishi Aircraft Spacejet sits on display at the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, in Singapore. AP Photo/Danial Hakim

fleets, Tinseth said.

While the longer-term outlook for the industry is still vibrant, Boeing has a lot of work to do to restore confidence after crashes of its 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019 led regulators to ground the aircraft, he acknowledged.

“The only way you build trust is one step at a time, one action at a time, and that’s what we’re going to try to do as a company,” he said. AP

A reporter walks near the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, near Tokyo on Tuesday, February 11, 2020. Japan’s Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said the government was considering testing everyone remaining on board and crew on the Diamond Princess, which would require them to remain aboard until results were available. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Japan confirms 39 new virus cases, 174 total on cruise ship

T

OK YO — Japa n’s he a lt h ministry said on Wednesday that 39 new cases of a virus have been confirmed on a cruise ship quarantined at a Japanese port.

The update brings the total found on the Diamond Princess to 174 cases.

The ministry also said the virus was confirmed in an official who participated in the initial quarantine checks the night the ship returned to Yokohama Port near Tokyo on February 3. The quarantine official is being treated in the hospital.

The new cases bring Japan’s total to 203 people infected by the new virus, COVID-19.

The night of the ship’s arrival, Japanese health officials began medical checks on all of the ship’s 3,700 passengers and crew after one previous passenger tested positive for the virus.

The US-operated Diamond Princess had completed a 14-day tour during which it stopped at Hong Kong and several other Asian ports before returning to Japan. An 80-year-old man who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive for the virus, prompting Hong Kong to notify the ship and Japanese authorities, who then ordered the quarantine and testing.

Concerns over the virus have rerouted and canceled other cruises.

The Westerdam cruise ship carrying 2,257 passengers and crew is now in the Gulf of Thailand with nowhere to dock after being refused entry in Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Thailand. There are no confirmed cases of the virus on board, but it stopped in Hong Kong less than two weeks ago, which is within the incubation period of the virus.

COVID-19 is a coronavirus that emerged in China in December. AP

Xi vows China will beat virus while economists slash forecasts

P

resident Xi Jinping led a chorus of voices in Beijing expressing optimism about the Chinese economy this year, but market economists aren’t so confident with numerous banks cutting their forecasts.

“We have the ability and confidence not only to defeat the epidemic, but also to accomplish the set goals and tasks for economic and social development.

I believe China will be more prosperous after overcoming this epidemic,” he told Indonesian leader Joko Widodo in a phone call on Tuesday, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

That message was repeated across Chinese media, with a senior government-affiliated economist saying that the effect of the outbreak was temporary and wouldn’t stop China from reaching the target of doubling gross domestic product and per capita income compared to 2010.

“It will not have a long-term impact on the supply of production and productivity, nor will it even affect the whole year or weaken the potential growth capacity of China’s economy,” Cai Fang, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, wrote in Wednesday’s People’s Daily. China can reach its targets as long as economic growth this year is about 5.7 percent, he wrote.

In contrast, economists at numerous investment banks have cut their forecasts for growth this quarter and for 2020 over the past few weeks. S&P Global Ratings said growth this year could be as low as 5 percent, and with many people still unable to return to work due to restrictions on movement and firms, it’s unclear when the situation will improve.

“The unknown features of 2019-nCoV, such as uncertainties about the incubation period, false negative results in testing and undetected channels for contagion, suggest the turning point will be still days, if not weeks, away,” Citigroup Inc. economists including Yu Xiangrong wrote in a report to clients this week. Citigroup has lowered its growth forecast twice in the past two weeks.

Xi said authorities were at an important juncture in fighting the virus,

which has killed over 1,000 people since emerging in December in Hubei province and fueled fears of a broader slowdown for the world’s secondbiggest economy. He urged officials to work together to contain the virus at a rare meeting of top leaders earlier this month, saying the outcome would directly impact China’s social stability.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell also told lawmakers that the US central bank was closely watching the fallout from the outbreak and singled it out among the risks threatening the American and world economies.

“In particular, we are closely monitoring the emergence of the coronavirus, which could lead to disruptions in China that spill over to the rest of the global economy,” Powell said.

At least some parts of government in China are beginning to show that they’ve got the message from the top about the importance of the economy. Officials in the province of Zhejiang said on Tuesday that their focus has shifted from all-out efforts to prevent and control the outbreak toward containing the epidemic while ensuring the economy’s operation.

Stringent and thorough

Xi’s comments to Widodo, also known as Jokowi, echoed those made when he appeared on Monday in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, wearing a mask and having his temperature taken. It was Xi’s first time interacting with the public since widespread anger over the death of a doctor who had tried to raise the alarm early on about the virus, before succumbing to it last Friday.

Even as countries around the world suspend air travel to the mainland, stop cruise ships from docking and quarantine people arriving from China, Xi said in the phone call that his nation would strengthen cooperation on prevention and control measures with others, including Indonesia.

“We hope that countries in the region will work hard to maintain bilateral exchanges and cooperation while making reasonable prevention and control efforts,” he said. Bloomberg News

B4

Thursday, February 13, 2020

The World BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Libya’s national oil corporation says blockade losses exceed $1.3 billion

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AIRO—Economic fallout continues from the shutdown of Libya’s vital oil fields, with losses surpassing $1.3 billion, the national oil corporation announced on Tuesday.

The latest contest over oil assets in Libya started last month, when powerful tribes loyal to eastern-based forces laying siege to the capital, Tripoli, seized large export terminals and choked off major pipelines. The brazen move came just days before Germany hosted a high-profile international summit aimed at ending end Libya’s long-running conflict.

Allies of Khalifa Haftar’s eastern forces, which control the vast oil reserves of southern and eastern Libya, are looking to gain political leverage and cripple the embattled U.N.-backed government in Tripoli by slashing a main source of its revenue.

The Tripoli government controls only a shrinking corner of the country’s west. But it enjoys

a different advantage: its control over Libya’s Central Bank, which holds the country’s oil revenue.

The opaque finances of the bank has drawn sharp criticism.

Haftar’s forces accuse the bank of diverting oil assets to pay Syrian mercenaries to defend the capital. The oil corporation has also called repeatedly for increased transparency.

In a statement this week, the cash-strapped bank reported it had not received any oil revenues for the month of January. With that income gone, it said it would postpone the payment of all government salaries.

The Tripoli government’s finance ministry rolled out a series of vague reforms on Tuesday toward “regulating” its manage-

ment systems to “ensure fiscal prudence.” The announcement reflected mounting pressure on the government to hold its public financial institutions accountable.

The tug-of-war over Libya’s oil revenues has been going on for years. Even so, recent losses are dramatic. The national corporation said current production, which has collapsed to roughly 183,000 barrels a day from about 1.2 million, is at the lowest point since the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

The cor poration reiterated its warning that the blockade is quickly depleting fuel that supplies Libyan power stations. The tribal groups closed yet another pipeline over the weekend, exacerbating a looming fuel crisis, the statement added.

Haftar’s forces have been waging an offensive on Tripoli since April. An aspiring strongman with an anti-Islamist bent, the commander has drawn the support of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia. On the other side, Turkey, Italy and Qatar back the Tripoli

administration.

The international sponsors have pledged to uphold a widely flouted U.N. arms embargo and push a cease-fire. Regardless, weapons keep pouring into the war-ravaged countr y in what U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has bluntly called “a scandal.”

Powerful Western countries, like the United States, have come under criticism for failing to take a strong stance.

In a meeting with the Tripoli government’s interior minister late Monday, US envoy to Libya Richard Norland “reaffirmed US support for ongoing efforts by Libyan authorities to dismantle and disarm militias,” which he said pose a “serious threat” to national unity.

T he st atement ’s appa rent reference to disbanding armed groups defending Tripoli strongly e vokes H a f t a r ’s pre v iou s demands. Despite ostensible American recognition for the UN-backed government, President Donald J. Trump called to commend Hifter last spring after he launched his assault on the capital. AP

Oil climbs back above $50 amid signs Asia virus spread is easing

O

il rallied back above $50 a barrel as tentative signs that Asia’s coronavirus may be easing spurred speculation that the worst of crude’s sell-off could have passed.

US futures climbed 1.4% in a second daily gain, having lost about 20 percent during the preceding month amid fears the disease would slash fuel consumption in China. The latest data from the country showed a drop in suspected infections on the mainland and the number of cases in the virus’s epicenter, Hubei province, at the lowest level this month.

“Risk sentiment is dominating the market and probably helping oil prices today,” said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS Group AG in Zurich. “It seems the market thinks the worst is over, though time will tell.”

West Texas Intermediate crude for March delivery rose 72 cents to $50.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as of 9:57 a.m. London time.

It advanced 0.8 percent on Tuesday after closing at a 13-month low the day before. Brent for April settlement climbed 1.9 percent to $55.06 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London.

Prices have also drawn some support from signals that Opec and its partners may intervene to shore up the market.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak is meeting with the nation’s oil companies after technical experts from Opec+ proposed last week that the coalition cut production further.

Russia is “studying” the recommendation that the 23-nation alliance reduce supplies by an additional 600,000 barrels a day, on top of cutbacks already in progress. Saudi Arabia has been leading the push for more production curbs, while Russia, whose budget is more resilient to lower oil prices, is proceeding with caution.

Brent contango

There are also some indications that physical crude markets have strengthened, or at least that their recent weakening has paused.

The discount on front-month Brent contracts versus the second month has narrowed to 10 cents a barrel from 33 cents at the end of last week, suggesting diminished fears of an immediate glut. Still, discounts persist for Brent contracts for most of the rest of this year, a pattern known as contango that typically reflects entrenched oversupply.

In the US, industry data underscored that there’s still plenty of oil around. Bloomberg News

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testifies before the House Committee on Financial Services, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, February 11, 2020, in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Powell: Economy looks resilient despite risk of China coronavirus

W

ASHINGTON—Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Tuesday that the US economy appears durable, with steady growth and unemployment near a halfcentury low, but faces risks from the broadening viral outbreak that began in China.

Powell also said that the Fed is content with where interest rates are, suggesting that no further rate cuts would be contemplated unless economic conditions were to change significantly.

Since last fall, the Fed has kept its benchmark short-term rate in a low range of 1.5 percent to 1.75 percent, well below levels typical during previous economic expansions.

The chairman made his remarks on Tuesday to the House Financial Services Committee on the first of two days of semiannual testimony to Congress.

The Fed is monitoring developments stemming from the coronavirus, Powell said, which he cautioned “could lead to disruptions in China that spill over to the rest of the global economy.”

In response to questions, Powell said it was too early to assess the scope of the threat the virus poses to the US economy.

But he observed that the economy “is in a very good place,” with strong job creation and steady if modest growth.

“We will be watching that carefully,” he said about the virus’ impact. “And the question we will be asking is will there be persistent effects that could lead to a material reassessment of the outlook” in the United States.

The daily death toll in China topped 100 for the first time, raising the number of deaths there from the virus above 1,000. China remained mostly closed to business, with around 60 million people under virtual quarantine in the country.

The lockdown has raised concerns about how much damage the loss of production in China, the world’s secondlargest economy, will inflict on global supply chains. China accounts for more than 80 percent of smartphone and notebook production globally and more than half of global TV and server production, according to recent estimates.

In the midst of his testimony on Tuesday, Powell drew an attack from a familiar corner: President Donald J. Trump, the man who nominated him to the Fed’s chairmanship but who has repeatedly attacked him since for not cutting rates more aggressively.

“Fed rate is too high,” Trump tweeted.

“Dollar tough on exports.”

The president complained in his tweet that the Dow Jones Industrial Average had slipped during Powell’s testimony, though the Dow later recovered. It was unclear that Powell’s testimony had directly affected stock prices either way.

Asked during the hearing about the tweet, Powell gave his standard reply that he and other Fed officials are concerned only with their mandate to serve the economy and do not consider outside criticism—from the president or anyone else—in their policy-making.

“My colleagues and I are completely focused on using our tools to support ... our goals, and that is all we are focused on,” he said.

Powell was also asked about negative interest rates, a policy that Trump appeared to endorse in his tweet as a way to further boost the economy.

“That’s not a tool we’re looking at,” he said, noting that some research has suggested that negative rates could hurt banks’ profitability.

Powell, who has made frequent visits with both House and Senate lawmak-

ers to understand their concerns, faced sharp questioning from Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., about a recent photo that showed him attending a party at the Washington home of Jeff Bezos, head of Amazon. Porter noted that Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway, were at the Bezos party at a time when Trump has exerted pressure on the Fed, an independent government agency, to lower interest rates.

Powell replied that he didn’t talk with any of those people and was mainly escorting his son and his son’s new wife to the party, where he introduced them to former Trump Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Porter also pressed Powell if he knew how costly child care had become.

“It costs a lot,” the chairman said. But he said he didn’t know specifically because all his children are grown.

Several lawmakers asked the chairman about how the Fed is addressing the issue of climate change. Rep. Sean Casten, an Illinois Democrat, said that changing weather patterns and rising sea levels could threaten banks that have provided mortgages to homes in coastal areas. Powell said banks should take that into account and later acknowledged that climate change could eventually influence Fed policy.

“As severe weather becomes more common—and that’s connected to climate change—you will see those things...entering our supervisory practices as well as our economic forecasting,” he said.

On interest rates, Powell said the Fed “believes that the current stance of monetary policy will support continued economic growth, a strong labor market” and annual inflation returning to the committee’s 2-percent target level.

As long as incoming economic data “remains broadly consistent with this outlook, the current stance of monetary policy will likely remain appropriate,” he said.

The chairman expressed satisfaction with many economic barometers, noting that the expansion is well into its 11th year—the longest period of uninterrupted US growth on record. Last year, the economy was being buffeted by a global slowdown and rising uncertainty sparked by Trump’s trade war with China and other nations.

Powell said that while the “global headwinds had intensified last summer,” the economy proved resilient. He noted that job openings remain plentiful and that employers appear increasingly willing to hire workers with fewer skills and train them.

Those developments, he said, mean that the benefits of a robust job market are becoming more widely shared, with employment gains broad-based across racial and ethnic groups and levels of education.

Powell suggested that the government should capitalize on low borrowing rates to put the federal budget on a sounder footing. The Trump administration proposed a new budget on Monday that projects that the deficit will top $1 trillion this year before starting to decline. The Congressional Budget Office sees the deficit remaining above $1 trillion over the next decade.

Putting the budget on a sustainable path while the economy is strong, the chairman said, would help ensure that policymakers would have the room to use the budget to help stabilize the economy during a recession. AP

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PHL to remain top rice importer in ’20 despite waning appetite for staple

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

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ICE imports may decline by 14 percent to 2.5 million metric tons (MMT) this year due to the waning appetite of traders but the Philippines would remain the world’s top buyer of the staple, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In its monthly world grain report, the USDA revised downward its import volume projection for the Philippines in 2020 from 2.9 MMT to 2.7 MMT due to “slowing pace of purchases” by traders.

Despite the cut in projection, USDA data showed that the Philippines would remain the world’s top rice importer for the second consecutive year after overtaking China last year. China’s rice import this year is forecasted to reach 2.3 MMT, according to USDA. The Philippines started and ended the previous decade as the world’s top rice importer, with the country formally overtaking China as the top buyer of the staple last year, USDA data showed.

In its report in January, the USDA revealed that that the Philippines has “soared to become the top global importer” of rice as its total purchases last year surpassed China’s 2.4 MMT.

China has been the world’s top rice importer since 2013.

However, in its February report, which was published on Tuesday, USDA revised downward its estimate for Philippines’s total rice imports last year to 2.9 MMT from 3.2 MMT. Despite the revision, the Philippines was still ahead of China’s total imports last year.

USDA maintained its forecast for the Philippines milled rice output this year at 12 MMT, slightly higher than last year’s estimated 11.732 MMT. The country’s total rice consumption this year is projected to reach 14.4 MMT, from last year’s 14.1 MMT, according to the USDA report.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier said the country’s total rice imports last year reached about 3 MMT following the enactment of the rice trade liberalization (RTL) law, which eased the requirements for importing rice.

The surge in imports last year resulted in the decline of the country’s rice self-sufficiency rate, or adequacy level, to its lowest in 10 years to 85 percent, according to the DA. Despite this, President Duterte personally appealed to farmers to give the RTL a chance, citing its longterm economic benefits. The law took effect on March 5, 2019.

Rights, labor welfare issues may cost PHL’s trade perk with EU

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales @alyasjah

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HE European Union is dismayed with the Philippines’s failure to comply with its commitments on human rights and labor welfare, risking the country’s trade privilege with the economic bloc benefiting nearly €2 billion worth of exports.

In a report by the European Commission published this week, the EU reported the Philippines continues to benefit heavily from the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus. The GSP Plus is a trade privilege allowing the country to export over 6,000 products to Europe at zero duty.

In 2018, the Philippines is the eighth top beneficiary of the GSP Plus, with €1.91 billion worth of shipments benefitting from the trade incentive.

T h is represented over a quarter of the country’s exports to the EU amounting to €7.49 billion during the year.

Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar are the leading beneficiaries of Europe’s preferential treatment for developing countries.

However, the EU scored the Philippines for its record on human rights, particularly for renewed moves in Congress to reimpose capital punishment, as well as President Duterte’s veto of a bill that would have secured workers security of tenure.

“Calls to reintroduce the death penalty are worrisome. Most concerning is a renewed call for a vote on a bill on the death penalty in the Philippines,” the report read.

“Such a bill would go against the commitments the Philippines made under the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR [United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights],” the European Com-

mission report added.

Further, the EU scored the Duterte administration yet again for its program on peace and order, the bloody war on drugs, which the economic bloc argued lacked an effective, impartial and transparent investigations on cases related to it. It also said there is an increasing violence against members of civil society, human rights groups, indigenous peoples, journalists and legal practitioners here.

“With regard to the Philippines, there is serious concern about the death toll associated with the campaign against illegal drugs and the lack of effective, impartial and transparent investigations on all cases of death,” the report stated.

“Civ i l societ y space is shr ink ing due to measures taken in the context of the war on terrorism. This has led to increased violence against members of civil society, human rights defenders, indigenous peoples, journalists and lawyers,” it added.

Last, the EU flagged the President’s decision to veto the security of tenure (SOT) bill, which it said would have “put an end to the abuse of contractualization” in the country.

Duterte last year vetoed the SOT measure submitted to his desk by lawmakers. He reasoned as much as wants to protect the rights of workers, there should also be equal protection for the interest of employers bringing capital to the country.

Labor groups scored him for that, as he promised during the 2016 campaign trail he will put an end to the practice of contractual employment across the archipelago.

The Philippines, as a beneficiary of the GSP Plus, should implement 27 international core conventions covering labor welfare, human rights, good governance and environmental protection.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, February 13, 2020 B5

Separating the chaff from the grain: Senator pushes POGO ‘cleansing’

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

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PPOSITION Sen. Risa Hontiveros pressed Duterte administration authorities on Wednesday to promptly mount a crackdown against “flyby-night Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators [POGOs]” linked to assorted illegal operations. “ T h at ’s e nou g h. It i s to o much.… We need an immediate

crackdown on fly-by-night POGOs,” said Hontiveros.

The senator cited the case of Lai Yu Cian, also known as Ivy, a 23-year-old Taiwanese national “trafficked into the country” to work in a POGO company.

“Ivy, who was forced to work for Chinese nationals in Makati, was recruited to work in advertising but was scared when she found out it was a POGO operation,” Hontiveros said, adding the Taiwanese

national’s passport was confiscated and complained that “her Chinese employers mentally and physically abused her.”

The senator quoted the victim complaining that her employers “touched my body in front of other men, and they laughed at me.”

Hontiveros added that since her rescue early this month, the victim had “received numerous threats to her safety.”

“Ivy’s story is one of the many

stories of workers, especially women, who are illegally made to work in the Philippines by POGO companies,” she said. Hontiveros warned that “we cannot add more crimes being committed in the country. We need to stop these illegal POGO companies immediately,” the senator stressed.

“Maraming krimen ang nakatali sa POGO—illegal recruitment, illegal detention at sexual harassment.

Kailangang matigil na ang mga ito,” she added.

DOF presses passage of CTRP Package 3 amid low ’19 real-property tax collection

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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OCAL government units (LGUs) only managed to achieve a “ low” efficiency rate of 68 percent on realproperty tax collection as of the end of third quarter last year, with only P57.03 billion collected against the P83.76billion target set by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.

Such inefficiency in tax collection, the Department of Finance said underscored the need for the passage of Real Property Valuation Reform bill or Package 3 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP).

“The BLGF, together with DOF-Strategy, Economics and Results Group (SERG), conducted various stakeholders’ orientations and briefings with LGU leagues, professional associations and non-government associations to solicit their support for Package 3,” the BLGF, an attached agency of

DOF, said in its latest report to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III. The Real Property Valuation Reform seeks to promote the development of a just, equitable and efficient real property valuation system which is seen to broaden the tax base used for property related taxes of national and local government without adopting new tax measures.

It aims to establish a single valuation base to eliminate wide disparities and achieve consistency in real property valuation.

Package 3, as outlined in House Bill No. 4664, was approved on third and final reading in the House of Representatives last November and was already transmitted to the Senate.

Revenues collected by LGUs reached P204.09 billion as they improved their fiscal performance and tax collection efficiency as of the third quarter of 2019. This is up by 12 percent from the P182.27 billion collected in the same period in 2018, according to BLGF.

A month after phreatic explosion, Phivolcs still not inclined to lower Taal Volcano alert level just yet

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

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@jonlmayuga

XACTLY a month after its explosion January 12, 2020, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Wednesday the Taal Volcano remains restive and going near the volcano island and within the 7-kilometer radius from its main crater remains unsafe.

As such, volcano experts are not yet inclined to further downgrade the Taal’s alert status.

Winchell Sevilla, super vising science research specialist and head of Phivolcs-Volcano Monitoring Division said volcano experts at Phivolcs are cautious in downgrading its alert status because of the probability of a phreatic eruption that may endanger the lives of people within the 7-kilometer radius from the main crater.

The activity in the main crater in the past 24 hours has been characterized by weak emission of steam-laden plumes rising 50 meters to 100 meters high before drifting southwest, Phivolcs Volcano Bulletin issued at 8 a.m. on Wednesday read.

“Sulfur dioxide [SO2] emission was measured at an average of 67 tons/day on February 11, 2020. The Taal Volcano Network recorded 101 volcanic earthquakes, including four low frequency events. These earthquakes signify magmatic activity beneath the Taal edifice that could lead to eruptive activity at the main crater,” the bulletin added.

“We are just being extra careful. There’s still a possibility that the volcano may still erupt,” he told the BusinessMirror.

“As of today, earthquakes are still being recorded, and we still have SO gas emission like yesterday, it is 67 tons/day,” Sevilla said.

Taal Volcano is currently under a two weeks observation period since January 26, 2020, after Phivolcs announced downgraded the volcano’s alert status from Alert Level 4, or imminent hazardous explosive eruption to Alert Level 3.

Broken down, local tax revenues amounting to P152.15 billion accounted for 28 percent of the revenue source of LGUs for the period. This represented a 12 percent increase from the P135.56 billion in taxes collected by LGUs in the same period in 2018.

Meanwhile, non-tax revenues of LGUs was posted at P51.94 billion, an 11 percent increase from its collection of P46.7 billion during the same period. Non-tax earnings accounted for 9 percent of LGUs’ revenue source.

“Loca l revenues a lready reached 84 percent of the 2019 third-quar ter target of P238.01 bil lion, which is 6 percentage points higher than the same per iod in 2018,” the BLGF said in its repor t.

Contributing mostly to the increase in local revenues are collections from local business taxes reaching P95.11 billion or 99 percent of the BLGF target of P96.26 billion in the third quarter.

“As of the third quarter

of 2019, local revenues surpassed the 2018 collections for the same period by 12 percent, which is mostly contributed by business tax collections,” said the BLGF in its report.

External sources like the Internal Revenue Allotment share of LGUs, excluding barangays, amounted to P348.79 billion, which comprised 63 percent of the revenue source during the period.

For 2020, the BLGF’s target is for local governments to collect about P307.08 billion in local revenues, of which, P54.19 billion will come from the provincial governments, P213.71 billion from cities and P39.21 billion from municipalities.

The BLGF exercises administrative and technical supervision over the treasury and assessment operations of LGUs, and is tasked under the law to assist in the formulation and implementation of policies on LGU revenue administration and fund management.

Lawmakers call for passage of ‘gig economy’ measures

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

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S the country’s so-called gig economy industry continues to rise, lawmakers are pushing for measures to protect freelance workers by establishing a basic regulatory framework to enable them to anticipate challenges ahead.

During the hearing of the House Committee on Labor and Employment on Wednesday, 1-Pacman Rep. Enrico Pineda, the panel chairman, said there are four pending bills providing protection and incentives for freelance workers.

House Committee on Ways and Means chairman Joey Sarte Salceda, one of the authors of the four bills, said the gig economy will grow larger as a sector, saying now is the time to establish a basic regulatory framework for the sector.

Moreover, in his aide memoire addressed to the leadership of the lower chamber, Salceda said most freelance workers are not given due respect due to the transient nature of their employment.

“They are also more exposed to fraudulent transactions, exploitation of skills, and unpaid gigs,” he said.

“It is also hard for freelance workers to pursue clients and/or companies in cases of non-payment because of failure to prove employee-employer relationships if they are working without contracts,” he added.

Salceda said the Philippines placed 6th in the world as the fastest-growing market for the gig industry, with a 35 percent growth in freelance earnings according to a 2019 report

by Payoneer on “Global Gig Economy Index.”

Salceda also singled out confusing tax filing processes for freelance workers as a major problem for those in the gig economy industry.

“These issues include: submitting incomplete and incorrect data, miscalculating the tax due, not declaring every income earned and dissing the deadline,” he added.

According to Salceda, the government, the work force, and the labor sector must be creative and assertive in their role in ensuring that freelance workers are always protected.

“Filipinos are the top internet users in the world, spending an average of 10 hours online a day according to WeAreSocial and Hootsuite. We are the best-placed country to take advantage of the gig economy,” he added.

“The proposed framework under my House Bill 1527 is both proactive in preserving the inviolable dignity of labor, while also being basic enough to allow for future developments in this evolving sector,” the lawmaker said.

Salceda’s bill provides a remedy in the event that an employer refuses to pay a freelancer for services rendered. The aggrieved party can file a complaint to the appropriate agency for protection. It will also provide penalties for any violation of their rights.

Under the bill, once a freelance worker has commenced work under the contract, no hiring party may require as a condition of payment that a freelance worker accept less than the specified contract price.

The measure also takes into account ease of doing business for freelancers, making it easier for freelancers to register with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and in other government agencies.

B6 Thursday, February 13, 2020

Say hello to ‘SAM’ at SM Aura Premier!

SCG to revamp core businesses, eyes shift to solutions/service enterprise

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CG is set to revamp three core businesses and equip human resource development to effectively shift from being a manufacturer to a solution and service provider, with an eye of maintaining sustainable business growth in 2020.

SCG unveiled its business strategies to overcome disruptions spawned by looming uncontrollable external factors in 2020, with the accelerated transformation of internal factors right. after announcing its Operating Results for 2019.

Roongrote Rangsiyopash, President

and CEO of SCG, said: "Fluctuations driven by uncontrollable external factors has made a significant impact on businesses globally over the past year. As a result, in 2020, SCG is necessitated to develop comprehensive business strategies aiming at conquering disruptions promptly and maintaining sustainable business growth.

With a business transformation plan, the three core businesses will shift from being a manufacturer to a solution & service provider that truly and holistically respond to the diversified and everchanging customer demand as well as

creating high value for the business.

People Transformation is also a crucial force to drive change. SCG will strive to empower our people with essential skills, enabling them to insightfully access and understand markets across the region coupled with leveraging digital technologies to respond swiftly to the competitive environment and meet those needs timely.”

Cement-Building Materials Business aims to comprehensively enhance the industry and living sector with products and services incorporating digital technologies.

A wide array of solutions includes Construction Solution that provides better performance, faster process and improved cost-saving construction solutions for technician and contractors such as BIM (Building Information Modelling) which helps enhance planning and construction quality through 3D model system, minimizing construction waste; and Living Solution that provide energysaving, increased comfort, and safety for all ages.

For investment, SCG will continue delivering solutions, products, and services of 3 core businesses to satisfy customers throughout ASEAN, especially in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

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OUR friendly interactive mall attendant is coming to SM Aura Premier!

Ready to give delightful malling experiences to shoppers, SM Supermalls’ ‘SAM the robot’, the country’s first-ever smart mall attendant, officially invades SM Aura Premier starting February 7!

“SM has always been a home of fun and awesome experiences for shoppers and families alike. As we introduce SAM at SM Aura Premier and soon in other SM malls nationwide, we will continue to give our shoppers more extraordinary reasons to bond and spend time with loved ones in our malls,”

said SM Supermalls president Steven Tan. ‘SAM the robot’ is designed to help with directions and provide mall information about the latest deals, promos, and events in a fun way. Equipped with an advanced face recognition technology, it can also give personalized greetings to customers once they enter the mall.

Customers can also chat with SAM through the SM Supermalls Facebook page where it serves as a 24/7 online concierge that can provide information like branch locations, mall schedules, and promos, to name a few.

With its pilot run at SM Megamall in 2019 and now at SM Aura Premier, ‘SAM the robot’ is set to roll out to other SM malls across the country this year including SM City North EDSA, SM Lanang Premier, SM City Clark, and SM Seaside City Cebu.

SAM was created in partnership with the Cal-Comp Technology (Philippines), which is a leading provider of electronic and original design manufacturing services. For more information, visit www.smsupermalls.com or its Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages: @ smsupermalls.

Pin Wei where both the new and familiar taste experiences will keep you coming back for more

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OST guests will easily agree that the quality of Chinese cuisine offered at Seda Vertis North’s Pin Wei meets global standards. The bonus is that they pay in Philippine pesos and well within local market rates.

Since it opened in late 2019, the restaurant offering authentic Cantonese dishes in modern presentations has gathered a long list of regular diners seeking good value. They come to savor special set menus highlighting dishes like Tiger Prawns in Golden Pumpkin Sauce and Hand-pulled Noodles with Fish Tofu in superior stock.

Pin Wei is also popular for its business lunch highlighted by delicately crafted dim sum or noodles and two mains like spareribs with black beans and homemade spinach tofu with minced pork. Price starts at P488 net.

Or for the Sunday buffet at P 1,088 net per person inclusive of a range of dim sum and appetizers, noodles, main courses spanning beef, pork and seafood and a lineup of desserts.

Pin Wei’s versatility is attributable to

Chef Hann Furn Chen who brings with him a wealth of experience. The former chef of Manila Mandarin’s Tin Hau has been cooking since he was a tween in his father’s Chinese restaurant in Malaysia. Stints in Singapore, Dubai and Indonesia have given him exposure to a wide range of cooking styles. Despite having resided in the Philippines many years in total, he has retained a strong affinity to his Chinese roots and avoided a sweet palate – a clear sign of indigenization.

Chef Chen has whipped up memorable set menus to bring in joy and prosperity for the year. An item the chef is particularly excited about is Braised Fish and Mushrooms Soup, Auntie Song style. According to Chinese lore, Auntie Song owned a humble restaurant which gained fame when an emperor who was just passing by tasted and extolled the virtues

Pin Wei is also popular for its P488 net business lunch highlighted by delicately Since it opened in late 2019, the restaurant offering authentic Cantonese dishes in modern presentations crafted dim sum or noodles and two mains like spareribs with black beans and has gathered a long list of regular diners seeking good value. homemade spinach tofu with minced pork.

of this soup made from fish, chicken, beef and pork bones simmered for four hours.

He is also eager to introduce Braised Eight Treasure Fish Maw and Seafood Soup and Top Shell with Vegetables in Oyster Sauce among his other new dishes in the set menus.

Suffice it to say that Chef Chen is always excited to tease the palate of his diners and this early is already thinking about menus to offer on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. Pin Wei’s excellent cuisine is further enhanced by a wide selection of fine teas. Pin

Wei’s house tea is Tie Guan Yin Oolong tea with a flowery fragrance and natural sweetness.

Also available to diners are premium selections such as Green Tea in the Long Jing or the Bi Luo Chun varieties. The restaurant also offers a white tea named Spring Silver Needle made from buds and immature tea leaves picked before the buds have fully opened. This variety is sought after by tea connoisseurs and is hard to come by in Manila.

But whatever the season, frequent guests of Seda Vertis North’s Pin Wei, auspicious

Chinese translation for “good taste,” come back for the dim sum which often come with interesting variations.

For instance, Deep-fried You Tiao Stuffed Shrimp Mousse with Sesame Seed and Mayonnaise is predicted to be a hit.

One returns to Pin Wei for familiar favorites but takes real delight from new offerings created by the house chef. After all, the combination of the comforting familiar and the unexpectedly delightful is a sure way to keep guests clamoring for more.

Wok-fried US Beef Diced with Capsicum and Black Pepper Sauce in a Taro Ring is a perfect example of how Pin Wei restaurant offers authentic dishes in modern presentations.

Seda Vertis North’s Pin Wei restaurant offers special seasonal set menus that highlight creations like Tiger Prawns in golden pumpkin sauce as well as familiar favorites.

Pin Wei’s Combination Platters like this starter from the Auspicious set menu allows guests to sample the restaurant’s range of specialties.

Included above are Steamed Scallop Dumpling, Deep-fried “You Tiao” Stuffed Shrimp Mousse with Sesame Seeds and Mayonnaise, Marinated Jelly Fish, Sichuan Style and Roasted Duck, Cantonese Style

Braised Fish and Mushrooms Soup, Auntie Song Style available for this season is made from pork, beef and other bones simmered for four hours.

Available all year round, Pin Wei’s tender Beijing Duck with pillowy Chinese Pancake and Traditional Condiments is a crowd pleaser.

One returns to Pin Wei for familiar favorites but takes real delight from new offerings Fried Fragrant Rice with Dried Shrimps, Black Mushrooms and Chinese Sausage whipped up by the house chef. in Lotus Leaf is a Pin Wei favorite.

Sports

Woods unsure on repeating as Presidents Cup captain

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OS ANGELES—Ernie Els has made it clear he will not be returning as International captain for the Presidents Cup next year.

Tiger Woods was a little more vague.

Woods, captain of the United States team that won at Royal Melbourne for the eighth straight time, says he spoke with Els while boarding the charter to leave Australia in December. Els gave his International team identity and purpose, and it nearly pulled off a victory until a Sunday rally by Woods and the Americans.

“He has set a standard that going forward, they now have a plan,”Woods said Tuesday. “It was tough to see him not want to be part it in that way.”

Els will be the first International captain to not repeat since David Graham after the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994.

For the Americans, Woods was the third captain in as many cups, following Jay Haas in 2015, and Steve Stricker in 2017. Complicating matters is that the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup now work together with a similar group of captains and assistants to build continuity. Still on the horizon for Woods is a Ryder Cup captaincy.

“I’m struggling with the same issues,” he said of a decision to repeat, “because as an American, we have two Cups we’re involved in, not just every other year. So the responsibilities on an American are a little bit more.”

The tour is likely to decide on the next two captains in the spring.

REALITY CHECK

Keith Mitchell can think of only two times when he felt he couldn’t beat another player, and

they happened two weeks apart at consecutive tournaments he played.

The first was at Bethpage Black when he played a practice round with Brooks Koepka on the eve of the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Championship.

“I felt like I was playing pretty good,” Mitchell said. “I finished top 10 in Charlotte, made the cut in Dallas. And then I was playing with Brooks, and I was like ‘I can’t beat this guy.’ I have never stepped on the tee on Thursday, and felt like I was playing for second until I played that Wednesday with Brooks.”

Koepka and Mitchell were separated by less than a yard in driving distance the previous season. Not that day.

“His swing that week, he looked like he was swinging 50 percent. It was dead straight going further than mine,” Mitchell said. “It was a laser beam down the fairway. He would hit it down the middle, hit it at the flag. He wasn’t worried about course management. He did not even pull out a yardage book. Why would he ever look left or right?”

Koepka opened with rounds of 63-65. If it’s any consolation, Koepka later said it was the best two rounds he ever played.

Two weeks later, Mitchell was paired with Woods in the final round at Memorial, and Mitchell again felt overwhelmed.

“When he was seven under through 12, he should have been 12 under through 12. I thought he was going to come back and win, and shoot 60,” Mitchell said.

BusinessMirror

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| Thursday, February 13, 2020 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Mitchell shot 76 that day at the Memorial. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

“I was playing decent,” he said. “I was thinking two weeks later that I was being harder on myself comparing myself to them. Someone told me, ‘Tiger is the best player to ever hold a club in his hand. Brooks is the No. 1 player in the world.’ It’s fine to compare yourself, but don’t let that be a negative.”

NEW NO. 1

Rory McIlroy is back at No. 1 in the world for the first time since September 2015. This is his 96th week at No. 1, ane he needs one more week to match Nick Faldo as the most weeks by a European player.

That’s no small task. McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm could all end the week at No. 1 in the world, without having to win the Genesis Invitational.

For McIlroy, it’s his eighth time reaching the top of the ranking, and the third straight time he got there without having played the previous week.

Meanwhile, Koepka losing the No. 1 ranking means that not since Woods in 2009 will a player have kept the No. 1 for an entire calendar year.

Keith Mitchell can think of only two times when he felt he couldn’t beat another player. AP

POWELL HONORED

Renee Powell has been selected to receive the Charlie Bartlett Award by the Golf Writers Association of

America for unselfish contributions to better society.

It’s the latest honor for the 73-year-old Powell, who also is in the PGA of America Hall of Fame, and was honored in 2003 by the PGA as its “First Lady of Golf.”

She learned the game at Cleaview Golf Club in Ohio, the course her father, William, built after returning from World War II, and struggled to find a place where blacks could play.

Powell became the second black to play on the LPGA Tour and contributed even more to the game after she stopped competing. She launched Clearview HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), which offered a recreational golf program free for female veterans. She has made 25 trips to Africa to host clinics.

She was among the first women to become members of the R&A, and she received an honorary doctorate at Saint Andrews. The university even named a residence hall in her honor.

“My life has been one that I never dreamed of,” Powell said. “I look back on my life, when I was eight years old, and discovered racism in school, from teachers and kids in my little community.... Now I have a building named after me in Saint Andrews. It’s all because of golf.” AP

WOODS’S PURSUIT FOR NO. 83

IF NOT SUNDAY, THEN SOON

By Doug Ferguson

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The Associated Press

OS ANGELES—There is no better place for Tiger Woods to set the Professional Golfers’ Associaton (PGA) Tour record for most career victories than

at Riviera.

Because this is where he played his first PGA Tour event as a 16-year-old amateur?

No. Because he is now tournament host of the Genesis Invitational, giving it the kind of elevated status—smaller field, bigger purse—enjoyed only by Jack Nicklaus at the Memorial, and the late Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill?

Not necessarily.

Because it’s the course Woods has played the most times—10 as a professional—without ever having won and he’s due?

Not at all.

What makes Riviera ideal is because it’s the next one on his schedule. And the sooner Woods can win No. 83 to break the record he shares with Sam Snead, the sooner everyone can stop speculating about the inevitable.

The question came up Tuesday—how could it not?—about how special it would be for Woods to set the record at Riviera.

He interjected by saying with a smile, “Yes, that’s been mentioned.”

It was mentioned three weeks ago at Torrey Pines, when he started the new year, and that made just as much sense. Torrey Pines was the first PGA Tour event he attended with his father, the course where he won eight times, including that 2008 US Open that he played with a double stress fracture, and shredded knee ligaments.

Then again, Woods has left such an enormous trail in golf that winning anywhere would have some historical perspective.

It could be Bay Hill, where he has won

eight times. Maybe the Masters, where he could set the record and tie Jack Nicklaus with a sixth green jacket. The US Open is at Winged Foot, the first major he played after his father died, and the first cut he ever missed in a major.

It’s a long list.

Woods hasn’t decided where he is playing, or even how much this year—even the Mexico Championship next week remains up in the air—but odds are he will have won every tournament on his schedule except Los Angeles.

Oddly enough, what made the career record feel so inevitable was a tournament he had never played.

Winning the Tour Championship (for the third time) at the end of the 2018 season was the first step in his comeback from four back surgeries. Winning the Masters (for the fifth time) made the comeback complete, for it was his first major after a drought of nearly 11 years.

But it was when he returned from a fifth knee surgery—this one the maintenance variety—and played the Zozo Championship in Japan where he showed such a comfort level with his swing, and with his game that more victories seemed certain to follow.

So how about now?

“I’ve played in a number of events over the years, and for me not to win an event that has meant so much to me in my hometown.... I’ve done well in San Diego, I’ve done well at Sherwood, just haven’t done well here,” Woods said. “So hopefully, I can put it together this week, and we’ll have a great conversation on Sunday.”

Riviera is the closest PGA Tour stop to his hometown of Cypress in Orange County, about 40 miles away, although with traffic, it takes about as much time as the 90 miles from Cypress to Torrey Pines.

Woods has done well all over his home state—eight victories at Torrey Pines, three at La Costa, two at Pebble Beach, one at

Harding Park (not including the Presidents Cup in 2009, where he went 5-0).

Riviera hasn’t been so friendly to him.

Woods withdrew after narrowly making the cut in 2006 because he was ill, and he stayed away for

the next 12 years, only returning when a new title sponsor came on board and took on his TGR Ventures as the group running the tournament.

Not all memories are bad. He was runner-up in 1999 to Ernie Els—a bogey on the 13th cost him dearly, and a bogey on the final hole ended it for Woods.

He also shared a story about one of the occasions he was at the tournament without clubs.

Woods was behind the ropes watching on the 11th tee when he heard Tom Watson was coming up the eighth hole, which was right behind him. He got there just in time for Watson to miss left while aiming for the back left pin position.

“I’m basically one of the only ones over there and Bruce [Edwards] was on the bag, and I’m standing looking at the golf ball,” Woods said. “He comes over and says, ‘Move out of the way kid,’ and pushes me out of the way. So I’m out on tour telling him this story and he says, ‘Well, you were in the way.’”

“So for me to have experiences like that here at Riv, and to have now this be my event...hopefully on Sunday, we’ll be having this discussion a little bit more.”

If not Sunday, then soon.

Tiger Woods has left such an enormous trail in golf that winning anywhere would have some historical perspective.

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Business

C2 Thursday, February 13, 2020

Knicks as NBA’s highest valued team

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EW YORK—Forbes is listing the average value of National Basketball Association (NBA) franchises over $2 billion for the first time, a figure that has grown nearly 600 percent in the last decade.

The average NBA franchise is now valued at just over $2.1 billion, with Forbes saying the New York Knicks—worth $4.6 billion by the magazine’s calculations—ranking atop the league list.

The Los Angeles Lakers were listed with a worth

of $4.4 billion by Forbes, with the Golden State Warriors at $4.3 billion.

The rest of the top 10: Chicago ($3.2 billion), Boston ($3.1 billion), the Los Angeles Clippers ($2.6 billion), Brooklyn ($2.5 billion), Houston ($2.475 billion), Dallas ($2.4 billion) and Toronto ($2.1 billion).

Forbes also calculated the revenue of the 30 NBA teams at a combined $8.8 billion last season, a new record, and forecast it would exceed $9 billion this season. AP

Spurs stop 5-game slide with victory over Thunder

O Numerous global companies have reported supply line and staffing problems because of the viral outbreak in China, and Under Armour is no exception. AP

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST N

EW YORK—Under Armour’s shares plummeted Tuesday after the company said it anticipates a big financial hit from the viral outbreak in China.

It also said it may need to book hundreds of millions of dollars in charges as it restructures its business.

The athletic gear maker expects the outbreak in China to drag its first-quarter sales down by $50 million to $60 million. It’s also looking at pretax charges this year of between $325 million to $425 million related to restructuring.

Included in those charges would be $225 million to $250 million related to Under Armour possibly foregoing the opening of a flagship store in New York. The store had been slated for the former Fifth Avenue location of toy seller FAO Schwarz, another retailer that fell on hard times.

Shares in Under Armour Inc. closed Tuesday down $3.03, or 16.7 percent, at $15.12.

After years of unbridled success, the Baltimore company is now facing significant headwinds.

It must contend with intensifying competition from Nike and Lululemon, both of which have created trendier athletic clothes that cater to younger shoppers. Under Armour executives also acknowledged on a conference Tuesday call that the heavy discounting it has used to generate sales may have eroded the willingness of customers to pay full price for its brand.

CEO Patrik Frisk said the company is facing weak demand in North America for goods that are not being put on sale at the same time that its substantial cost structure has prevented it from spending aggressively to market its brand.

Under Armour swung to a loss of $15.3 million in the final quarter of 2019, or 3 cents per share. Its adjusted profit was 10 cents per share, meeting the expectations of analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research. But its revenue of $1.44 billion was just

short of Wall Street projections.

The company said Tuesday that as important as a New York flagship store might be, its focus must remain with smaller, more profitable stores and online sales.

“The Fifth Avenue location is a premier retail location, but we’re considering whether it may be better suited for someone else at this time,” Chief Financial Officer Dave Bergman said.

Numerous global companies have reported supply line and staffing problems because of the viral outbreak in China, and Under Armour was no exception. The company anticipates shipping delays and challenges in getting fabric, packaging and other raw materials.

“We think it’s reasonable to expect industrywide delays in terms of delivery around the world including potentially missed shipment and service windows and the need for increased air freight and additional measures at ports that

could create unforeseen congestion,” Frisk told industry analysts Tuesday.

Under Armour Inc. expects fiscal full-year revenue to be down at a low single-digit percent compared to a year ago. Earnings are forecast between 10 cents and 13 cents per share.

Under Armour had been an unparalleled success story in its early years and gone head-tohead with Nike, which had dominated the sports gear market for years.

After its founding by then 24-year-old Kevin Plank in 1996, Under Armour reported explosive numbers, including 26 straight quarters with sales growth of 20 percent or more.

In the final quarter of 2016, however, the company caught investors off guard when it fell short of most sales projections and cut its expectations for growth the following year.

Under Armour also experienced executive upheaval, having three CFOs between 2016 and 2017.

Plank stepped down as CEO last year to become the company’s executive chairman and brand chief. Frisk became only the company’s second CEO since Plank founded the company almost a quarter of a century ago.

While Under Armour has landed major deals with Major League Baseball and star athletes like the NBA’s Stephen Curry, it’s come under pressure from threats like the growing popularity of athleisure wear, clothing that can be worn from work straight to the yoga studio. AP

US, CUBAN WRESTLERS COMPETE DESPITE FRAYED RELATIONS

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CUBA’S R. Felix Hernandez (left) and the US’s Robert Smith compete in the semifinals of the 130-kg category in the Granma Cup and Cerro Pelado International tournament in Havana, Cuba, on Tuesday. AP

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ANBERRA, Australia—Australian Olympic BMX cycling hopeful Kai Sakakibara is in a medically-induced coma in Canberra Hospital after sustaining serious head injuries in weekend racing accident.

The 23-year-old rider underwent surgery on Sunday morning to relieve pressure on his brain following the Saturday crash. Described as being in a critical but stable condition, Sakakibara is expected to remain in a coma for the next two weeks.

Sakakibara, ranked among the world’s top 10 riders in recent years, was aiming to make his Olympic debut in Japan, where he spent part of his childhood after being born on the Gold Coast in Australia.

“We understand the road ahead will be a long and difficult one, we are staying positive and taking things day by day,” a statement from Sakakibara’s family said Wednesday. “There isn’t much we can do at this point, but Kai needs your support and your positive energy sent his way.”

Sakakibara fell on the second corner during his opening-round heat at a World Cup event in Bathurst, 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest

AVANA—Two dozen athletes from the US flew to Cuba despite rising tensions between the countries to participate in the island’s most important Greco-Roman and freestyle annual wrestling competition.

The athletes came from states including New York, Minnesota and Wyoming and included several Olympians.

“We’re down here to compete in one of the greatest sports in the world,” said Robby Smith, a 2016 Olympian from Danville, California.

He said he was too focused on the sport to think about political issues. “When it comes down to it— sports—it gets rid of all that. It’s a peaceful thing. It’s not political.”

The visit comes several months after the US government imposed major restrictions on educational and recreational travel to Cuba as President Donald J. Trump continues to roll back Obama-era efforts to restore normal relations.

Luis Alberto Orta, a Cuban wrestler in the

of Sydney, and was treated on site by paramedics and a doctor before he was airlifted to hospital.

He began racing as a four-year-old, moving to Tokyo in 2000 and collecting multiple national titles before returning to Australia in 2008.

Sakakibara’s parents Martin and Yuki said their son’s BMX career was “on hold for now” as they focused on his long-term rehabilitation. AP

Much ado about shirt sponsors Rick Olivares bleachersbrew@gmail.com

Bleachers’ Brew

Kai Sakakibara’s bid for Tokyo 2020 is “on hold.”

Embiid also scored 26 points, and Tobias Harris added 17 points and 12 boards.

“In the fourth quarter, I started attacking more,” Richardson said. “I was reading the defense. Coach put the ball in my hands and gave me the freedom to read it and attack. It’s great. I itch for moments like that. In close games, we all want to be part of that positive effort and I had a part of it.”

Sixers Coach Brett Brown credited Richardson’s ability to run the pick-and-roll and spell Simmons at point guard for helping the team pull away from Los Angeles.

“Him being a leader and coming to life has a lot to do with some of those other things,” Brown said.

Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 30 points, and reserve Landry Shamet scored 19 against his former team.

“I thought we lost the game because we didn’t play with any continuity offensively,” Coach Doc Rivers said.

Richardson nailed his third 3-pointer of the quarter to give Philadelphia a 102-94 lead with 4:44 left. Then he scored on a driving left-handed layup and made the free throw to complete the three-point play, extending the lead to 11. His free throw made it 110-100 with 1:15 remaining after the Clippers cut the deficit to single digits.

“We didn’t make shots (in the fourth quarter),” Leonard said. “(Richardson) got to the paint, made some big 3s for them. He made shots.”

Leonard faced the Sixers for the first time since his quadruple-doink, buzzer-beater knocked Philadelphia of the playoffs last May. Leonard’s shot gave Toronto a 92-90 victory in Game Seven and the Raptors went on to win the NBA championship.

The Sixers opened the second half with a 16-5 run, taking a 70-59 lead.

Simmons, Embiid and Glenn Robinson III combined for 14 of the 16.

“It’s arguably the best game those two have paired up with since I’ve been here,” Brown said of Simmons and Embiid.

Simmons took 22 shots, just two short of tying his career best set as a rookie in 2017. Brown moved him around, giving him opportunities away from the ball. AP

130-pound (60-kilogram) category, brushed aside those issues.

“It’s essential that athletes from all countries be able to fraternize with us,” he said.

A total of 14 countries are participating in the Granma Cup and Cerro Pelado competition in Havana, among them Canada, Honduras, Argentina and Hungary. The Granma Cup hosts Greco-Roman wrestlers and takes place Monday and Tuesday. The Cerro Pelado is for freestyle wrestlers and is scheduled for February 15 and 16.

Manuel Rodríguez, a member of Cuba’s National Wrestling Commission, said it is the event’s 53rd edition.

“Trump can have those policies, but we are always going to receive all those athletes who want to come and compete with us,” he said.

The American athletes are visiting at the same time as Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York. Dolan was invited

by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and has said he seeks to build bridges between the people of both countries. AP

Olympic BMX hopeful critically injured

LIVERPOOL Football Club (LFC) recently signed a multiyear agreement with Nike as its official kit sponsor beginning the 2020-21 season.

To be honest...am not really thrilled. In my opinion, previous kit sponsors Umbro, Reebok, Adidas and Warrior/New Balance have been there for the English club for the longest time.

Especially during the years when they weren’t really good.

KLAHOMA CITY—LaMarcus Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs headed into the All-Star break with a win.

It was a welcome change after a tough stretch.

Aldridge had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and the Spurs stopped a five-game slide by topping the Oklahoma City Thunder, 114-106, on Tuesday night.

“Great effort on their part,” San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich said. “I’m happy for them. It’s been tough so far this first half, and they’ve been in a lot of games and we just haven’t finished them. But tonight we did, so they deserve a lot of credit.”

Dejounte Murray also scored 25 points for San Antonio, which had dropped eight of 10 overall.

Patty Mills had 20 points, and fellow reserve Derrick White finished with 17.

Led by Aldridge and Murray, the Spurs made 25 of 27 foul shots. Aldridge went 7 for 8, and Murray was a perfect 6 for 6.

“Proud of my teammates, proud of myself,” Murray said. “We fought hard, we showed poise and showed we could finish the game against a good team.”

Oklahoma City dropped its second straight after a stretch of nine wins in 10 games. Chris Paul scored 31 points for the Thunder, and Shai GilgeousAlexander had 17.

“I thought offensively it was a hard night for us,” Thunder Coach Billy Donovan said. “We just never really got going.”

Oklahoma City tied it at 79 on Hamidou Diallo’s dunk early in the fourth. But San Antonio responded with a 9-0 run.

Aldridge sparked the decisive stretch with a tiebreaking jumper, and Bryn Forbes’ 3-pointer made it 88-79 with 8:34 left.

Murray made each of his six free throws in the final 41 seconds to help the Spurs hold on.

San Antonio played without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan, who was sidelined by back spasms.

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, meanwhile, kept the Philadelphia 76ers close until Josh Richardson took over.

Richardson scored 17 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Sixers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 110-103, also on Tuesday night.

Simmons had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for Philadelphia, which has the National Basketball Association’s best home record at 25-2.

I thought that the designs made by Warrior/New Balance were not only innovative but very respectful of the club’s history. I loved the little touches they did to pay homage to Liverpool and its history.

And now that Liverpool is atop the game...

Nike in my opinion is swooping in. So much like what happened with the Azkals in 2010. Longtime kit supplier for the Philippine national

THE Spurs’ Rudy Gay (22) and LaMarcus Aldridge (12) fight for the rebound against the Thunder’s Steven Adams (12) and Abdel Nader (11). AP

men’s football team, Mizuno, got pushed aside after the Azkals’ successful 2010 Suzuki Cup showing.

Yes, I understand that the money helps and that pays for the bills. And Nike is hardly at fault here whether I agree with their view of the world or not. It was Liverpool’s management which decided on this.

Yet, the deal is there now.

On the other hand, I would like to commend its longtime shirt sponsor, Standard Chartered, that is celebrating its 10th year of association with the team. And I am happy to say that they have been with this club when they were down and now when they are up.

Furthermore, Standard Chartered is signed up right all the way to the 2022-23 season that will make it longest-running sponsor for the club; making it the second longest-running team sponsor after Danish beer brand, Carlsberg.

Locally, I recall how several years ago, the

elevator of Standard Chartered’s office building in Makati was adorned with near life-size Liverpool FC player stickers. Not bad.

And, most recently, the local bank of this international financial giant celebrated January 17 as “Red for a Day” where all its employees wore red-colored shirts or Liverpool kits to show their solidarity. Amazing!

As a football fan, the logo in front of the shirt is as synonymous as the club it sponsors. It is a big deal not only for the corporation, but also the fan. When Xbox sponsored the Seattle Sounders of the American Major League Soccer, it was just so cool that I had to get one.

But back to the new sponsor of LFC. Yes, I will still get it because I have gotten every single kit of Liverpool since 2006. I’m still saluting Standard Chartered, but most especially, I am supporting the football club I have followed since 1979 when I was in sixth grade.

orts

sMirror

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inety-seven (97) teams have signed up for the 34th Philippine Airlines (PAL) Seniors Interclub golf team championships set February 26 to 29 in Bacolod City.

The field includes 45 clubs based in the United States, Canada, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. Defending champion Luisita is gunning for its first back-to-back title since completing a six-peat in 2005.

Save for Edmund Yee, Luisita is fielding the

Thursday, February 13, 2020

97 TEAMS SEE ACTION IN PAL SRS INTERCLUB

same team that posted a three-point win over Canlubang at last year’s PAL Interclub in Cebu City.

Taking Yee’s place is returning member Jingy Tuason who played for the team two years ago.

The other Luisita players are Eddie Bagtas, Benjamin Sumulong, Chino Raymundo, Chito Laureta, Rafael Garcia, Rodel Mangulabnan and Demetrio Saclot.

Canlubang, on the other hand, is made up of Tommy Manotoc, Abe Rosal, Zaldy Villa, Rolly Viray, Damasus Wong, Abe Avena and Mari

Hechanova. Pem Rosal is not in the lineup and will be most likely replaced by Rene Unson.

Play for the 2020 PAL Interclub will be at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club (formerly Marapara) and at the Bacolod Golf Club (Binitin).

The Molave scoring system will be used in the four-day event. Par is worth 3 points while a birdie and bogey are worth 4 and 2, respectively. An even par round is worth 54 points.

The field is divided into five brackets: Championship, Founders, Aviator, Sportswriter

and Friendship.

Each team is allowed to field four players for each round, but only the top three scores are counted. Each player can only play a maximum of two rounds.

The Seniors tournament precedes the 73rd Men’s Regular event slated March 4 to 7 with Cebu Country Club defending its title.

National flag carrier Philippine Airlines is the host of this prestigious international sporting event. The platinum sponsors are Asian Air Safari, Vanguard Radio Network, Fox Networks Group,

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HE locals are coming into the Philippine Ladies Open in full force with all bracing for three days of battle against a slew of foreigners who opted to stay put for the 58th staging of the event which gets going on Tuesday at the posh Manila Golf Club in Forbes Park in Makati City.

The organizing Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines said a number of campaigners from the US, Taiwan, Singapore and other neighboring countries have backed out due to the COVID-19 outbreak, leaving 68 players to dispute the crown in the country’s premier championship.

Still, bets from Japan, Guam, Australia, Indonesia and three players from the US, led by Kristin Oberiano, who totes an index of 0.1, and one from Singapore signed up for the tournament,

all aiming to break the expected domination of the Filipinas in the event sponsored by San Miguel Corp., Diamond Motors, Sunsports and Eva Air. 30th Southeast Asian Games team gold medalist Abby Arevalo and fellow scratch player Nicole Abelar banner the locals’ campaign with the likes of Eagle Ace Superal, Sophia Blanco, Junia Gabasa, Arnie Taguines and young Rianne Malixi also tipped to contend for the crown in the tournament backed by Globe, Cherrylume, Courbé and the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

Also in the fold are Sam Dizon, Rhea Langamin, Mafy Singson, Martina Miñoza and Grace Quintanilla along with Japanese Airi Mitsuhashi and Aussies Angela Enqi and Gabrielle Beohm.

Other foreign bets seeing action are Charlotte Huynh, Prescilla Keogh, Dierdre Horan, Gillian Tidey

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with Coaches Tim Cone of Ginebra San Miguel, Norman Black of Meralco, Yeng Guiao of NLEX and then Alaska’s Alex Compton with Coach Ryan Gregorio and Quinito Henson completing the body.

The Office of the Commissioner plans to rotate all head coaches from the league’s 12 teams to be part of the Competition Committee in the future.

The PBA Technical Committee will make their rounds to all teams to explain and discuss the rule changes that include modifications concerning substitutions, time resetting and fines and penalties.

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and Susan Lomax from Australia, Cynthia Birch and Suzette Kirchner from the US, Indonesian Rita Horan, Teresita Blair from Guam, Japanese Katsuko Blalock and Wynnie Sim from Singapore.

After Thailand posted an imposing 1-2 finish in the annual event, supported by Copok (Seascape Village), Inquirer Golf, New World Hotel, Pocari, Manila Golf Ladies, Regent Travel, Hyundai, Pascual Lab, Net25, Lake Shore CCY, FHLCI and Tagaytay Ladies, behind Pimnipa Panthong and Kanyalak Preedasutthjit in the 2015 edition at Wack Wack, the Filipina aces ruled the next four editions.

Princess Superal reigned in 2016 at Tagaytay Midlands, SEA Games double gold medalist Bianca Pagdanganan scored a record romp in 2017, also at Wack Wack, before Yuka Saso swept the last two at Orchard and Manila Golf Club.

The PBA, meanwhile, will hold a media day for the second straight year as its ushers the league’s coming 45th season.

The event is set February 27 at the grand ballroom of Okada Manila.

All 12 teams are expected to participate in the event that showcases the players, coaches and rookies.

Marcial, who spearheaded the project last year, along with the league Board of Governors led by chairman Ricky Vargas, are expected to grace the 1 to 5 p.m. occasion.

THE Philippines’s Maria Bianca Ysabel Carlos in action against Indonesia’s Ruselli Hartawan.

ROY DOMINGO

Commissioner Willie Marcial meets the competition committee members on the propose changes in the league’s rule book. They are Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro (from left), Technical Head Bong Pascual, Phoenix Assistant Coach Carmelo Alas, Rain or Shine Coach Caloy Garcia, San Miguel Beer Coach Leo Austria, PBA Technical Consultant Joey Guanio, Blackwater Coach Nash Racela , Phoenix Assistant Coach Kris Reyes and D-League Tournament Director Mauro Bengua.

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EIGNING champion Arellano University and University of Perpetual Help try to improve their Final Four standings when they take on different foes on Wednesday in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 women’s volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The Lady Chiefs, sitting at No. 2 with a 6-1 won-

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lost record, face the upset-hungry Emilio Aginaldo Lady Generals (1-7) at 12 noon, while the No. 3 Lady Altas (6-2) lock horns with the eliminated sixth-placer Letran Lady Knights (3-4) at 2 p.m.

The Lady Chiefs will finally see action since their 25-14, 26-28, 25-19, 25-16 triumph over the Lady Knights last February 4.

Their championship form will be tested against

Singson’s Shoes Tessa Jazmines tessa4347@gmail.com

PART OF THE GAME AS far as I am concerned, Carlo Reyes Singson, the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) associate vice president and first managing director of NBA PH, is the NBA logo.

Since the early 2000s when the NBA first began doing fan events in the Philippines, Carlo was the name and face of the global league in the country, a one-man planning-scouting-marketing-goodwill machine who blazed the trail to bring the NBA closer to the hearts of Pinoy fans of all ages.

I first met him in 2004 when the NBA brought the Laker Girls to Manila for an interactive show at the SM Megamall Parking Lot in Pasig, a year after the NBA had teased the fancy of local basketball fans with a similar tour by the Golden State Warriors Dancers.

After that, the size and extent of the NBA

presence in the country grew both in size and definition, surprising basketball fans with different NBA talents, activities and means of engagement each year. Carlo, who was then NBA Asia’s Hong Kong-based country manager for the Philippines, was the face of the NBA for the millions of Filipino NBA fans.

From the mall-based NBA Madness events that took place from 2003 to 2011, to the birth of the Jr. NBA Philippines program in 2007, to the influx of NBA legends in a two-year basketball extravaganza called NBA Asia Challenge, to the introduction of the NBA’s health and wellness initiative, NBA Fit, and the exciting three-on-three basketball tournament, NBA 3X, to the climactic and historic NBA Global Games, the first ever official off-season game to be held in the Philippines in 2013 between the Houston

Indonesian juggernaut wields badminton might over Filipinas

the Lady Generals, who had an impressive showing against the Lady Altas.

The playoff scenario. Could adopt a step-ladder format if front-running College of St. Benilde beats Mapua University on Friday and Arellano University on Monday.

In the men’s tournament, the No. 2 Generals (7-1) face the No. 3 Chiefs (5-2), who are seeking to cement a playoff spot, at 10 a.m.

Defending champion Perpetual Help battle Arellano University at 2 p.m.

HE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) observed the National Women’s Month Celebration with the “Women and Girls in Sports” recently in Sariaya, Quezon.

The event helped promote equity among women to help them achieve their goals, improve self-confidence and become independent and competitive individuals like men.

Some 600 participants composed of youth, housewives and even senior citizens joined the four-day sportsfest featuring Laro ng Lahi or Indigenous Games such as tug of war, sack race, kadang kadang sa kahoy and egg catching.

Basketball and volleyball games and zumba sessions were also held during the celebration.

Rockets and the Indiana Pacers, to the ultimate establishment of an NBA office in the Philippines in 2015 to more and more NBA initiatives each year, Carlo Singson was at the center of each event, driving the stakes higher and reaching out to more and more basketball fans all over the country.

Carlo was the perfect NBA person to relate to—warm and direct, perennially smiling, always accommodating, with a sharp mind always open to ideas and possibilities, a “why not?” attitude, and the drive and stamina to see things through. He forged partnerships with brands and institutions tirelessly, ensuring the growth of the league and specific programs like the Jr. NBA whose All-Stars alumni now dominate the collegiate leagues and have also begun to populate the pro leagues.

He brought a parade of NBA talents that saw for themselves just how much passion Filipinos have for the game of basketball. He introduced NBA products to the country like the NBA Store and NBA Café that grew the fever even more.

From 2003 to 2019, the NBA dazzled basketball crazy fans with this long list of talents: The Warriors Dancers (2003), The Laker Girls (2004), Dwight Howard, Luke Walton, the Houston Rockets Power Dancers (2005), Andre

Ingoudala, Channing Fry, the San Antonio Silver Dancers and team mascot Harry the Hawk (2006), Jerry Stackhouse, The Mavs Dancers and Mavs Man (2007), Malik Rose, The Sacramento Kings Dance Team and Rufus Lynx (2008), Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Dominique Wilkins, Tim Hardaway, Robert Horry and Valde Divac (2009).

There were BJ Armstrong, Chris Webber, Gary Payton, Glen Rice, Mitch Richmond and Coach Erik Spoelstra (2010), AC Green, Horace Grant, the New York Knicks Dancers, Clyde Drexler, the Orlando Magic and the Portland Trailblazers Dance Teams (2011), Luc Longley, Brook Lopez, The Charlotte Lady Cats Dancers and Stuff the Magic Dragon (2012), Mugsy Bogues, James Harden, Eric Gordon, Ron Harper, the Indiana Pacemates, Grizz, the Memphis Grizzlies mascot, Matt Bonner, the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers teams and dancers, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Jalen Rose, Drexler and Horry again (2013), Gordon Hayward, Tina Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, Wesley Johnson, the Toronto Dance Pak, Slamson the Lion, Avery Johnson, Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews and Rocky the Mountain Lion, Darryl Dawkins and Rip Hamilton (2014).

Add Nerlens Noel, Ruth Riley, Kenneth Faried, Danny Green, the Golden State Warriors Dance Team, Franklin the Phildelphia 76ers

Triathlon season unwraps in Subic

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“I’m hoping that what we are doing with women in sports (WIS) will be done all over the country to give a chance for more women to feel the joy of playing. Ang sports ay para sa lahat.”

PSC oversight commissioner for Women in Sports Celia Kiram said.

Kiram thanked the local government of Sariaya for helping them pull off a successful event.

Sariaya Mayor Marcelo Gayeta and his team were very cooperative, providing the local transportation for all the participants and made sure that a standby medical team and ambulance for emergencies were available.

The PSC also donated sports equipment to Sariaya to help them develop their sports and wellness program.

HE Apollo Petroleum Jelly TRI 2020 kicks off Bike King’s season on February 23 with more than 500 triathletes seeing action at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

The event will feature races in the Standard Distance (1.5-km swim, 40-km bike and 10-km run) and Sprint Distance (750-meter swim, 20km bike and 5-km run).

The event will be staged at Acea Subic Bay to Argonaut Highway, followed by a challenging climb up Ocean Adventure and a four-loop run toward All Hands Beach.

A scenic view of Subic Bay as well as a festive atmosphere await triathletes and spectators at the Acea Subic Bay area where the finish line and transition area are located.

At stake in the event presented by Apollo Petroleum Jelly and supported by Cleene, Mediplast, Legarde L-Carnitine, Vermosa Sports Hub, Alviera, Clark Global City, Smart, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Acea Subic Bay, Court Meridian Hotel and Suites, Pocari Sweat and Sip Purified Water, Garmin, Saucony and Air Relax Massage Guns are medals for all finishers and trophies and gift packs for the winners in each category.

mascot, Khris Middleton, Alec Burks, Brian Shaw, Horace Grant, Jordan Clarkson and Trey Burke (2015), Norris Cole, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Gary Payton, Michael Carter-Williams, Dee Brown, Brandon Knight and Kevin Martin (2016), Elfrid Payton, Sue Wicks, Dikembe Mutombo, Steven Adams, Reggie Theus, the Lakwer Girls, Glenn Rice, Brook Lopez and Caron Butler (2017), Willie Cauley- Stein, Sheryl Swoopes, Bruce Bowen, Tim Hardaway, Brian Scalabrine, the Detroit Pistons Dunk Crew and Alonzo Mourning (2018) and

Collin Sexton, Ticha Penicheiro, Muggsy Bogues and Montae Morris (2019).

Carlo Singson welcomed them all to his country with the charm and pizzazz of basketball royalty. On Friday, Carlo steps down from his post in the NBA after 22 years of distinguished service. It’s the end of an era for the NBA in the Philippines and the beginning of a new one.

Whoever succeeds him will feel like he/she’s stepping into Shaquille ONeal’s or Bob Lanier’s Size 20 shoes. He left such big shoes to fill.

PSC holds women in sports event in Sariaya

Arellano U faces EAC, Perpetual vs Letran

Pru Life UK has postponed the PRURide PH 2020 originally scheduled from March 11 to 15 at Mimosa Drive in Clark, Pampanga.

This is to ensure the health and safety of our PRURide participants and athletes, and the public—which is a top priority for the organizers—amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The new schedule will be announced later.

EALITY bites and host Philippines fell in pain to powerhouse Indonesia with another 0-5 setback in women’s group action of the Badminton Asia Manila Team Championships on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The Filipinas were on the ropes for the second straight day with the Indonesians conceding only one game in five matches against.

Ranked outside of the top 300, Nicole Mae Albo sparked inspiration early in the day when she shocked world No. 24 Gregoria Tunjung in the second game of their singles match, only to ultimately succumbed, 19-21, 21-11, 9-21.

That stain on the Indonesian armor, however, filed to inspire the other local bets, who suffered the same fate they got at the hands of Thailand on opening day.

Women’s Team Coach Ian Mendez sees the positives despite the underwhelming results.

“As a coach, I’m happy with the way they are performing.

As we all know, we are against the best players here,” Mendez said. “This is a good opportunity for the Filipinos to test their skills. We could see that the players are fighting.”

Greysia Polli and Apriyani Rahayu were simply too much for Alyssa Leonardo and Thea Marie Pomar with the locals bowing down, 21-18, 21-12.

Bianca Ysabel Carlos committed three straight crucial errors and yielded to world No. 37 Ruselli Hartawan, 10-21, 18-21.

Joella de Vera and Chanelle Lunod lasted only 23 minutes against Siti Fadia Ramadhanti and Ribka Sugariarto, 7-21, 8-21, while Putri Kusuma Wardana had little trouble beating Sarah Joy Barredo, 21-19, 21-14.

Ramon Rafael Bonilla

PBA to implement changes in rules, holds media day HE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has proposed rule changes for the 45th Season primarily to make the games more exciting as well as to be more aligned with FIBA rules.

A new set of head coaches make up this year’s Competition Committee namely Leo Austria of San Miguel Beer, Caloy Garcia of Rain or Shine, Nash Racela of Blackwater and Louie Alas of Phoenix.

Mel Alas and Christopher Reyes represented Alas.

The first Competition Committee under Commissioner Willie Marcial was formed in 2018

Cycling event postponed

and Radio Mindanao Network, Inc. Major sponsors include The Boeing Company, University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network, Avolon Aerospace Singapore Pte Ltd, Rolls Royce, Manila Broadcasting Company, Primax Broadcasting, Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte Ltd. and CIGNAL TV Inc. Other supporters are Uniglobe Travelware Co. Inc. (The Travel Club), Officine Corporation, GE Aviation, SEDA Hotels, BDO Unibank, Smart Communications Inc., People Asia Magazine, A+E Networks Asia (History) and Allianz PNB Life.

Local aces gear up for fierce battle in PHL Ladies Open

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Carlo Singson in NBA 3X3 2017 with Steven Adams, Reggie Theus and the Laker Girls

Sports BusinessMirror

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| Thursday, February 13, 2020 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

LIVESTRONG: MORE THAN A WRISTBAND

Livestrong President and CEO Greg Lee speaks at an event where the new Livestrong logo is unveiled in Austin, Texas. Its founder, Lance Armstrong, however, is nowhere to be seen. AP

NCAA head presses Senate for ‘guardrails’ on athlete pay

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A PANEL of witnesses; Big 12 Conference Commissioner Bob Bowlsby (from left), National Collegiate Athletic Association President Mark Emmert, University of Kansas Chancellor Dr. Douglas Girod, National College Players Association Executive Director Ramogi Huma and NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Chairman Kendall Spencer, listen during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday. AP

ASHINGTON—National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Mark Emmert urged Congress put restrictions on college athletes’ ability to earn money from endorsements, telling a Senate committee Tuesday [that] federal action is needed to “maintain uniform standards in college sports” amid player-friendly laws approved in California and under consideration in other states.

The NCAA last fall said it would allow players to “benefit” from the use of their name, image and likeness, and is working on new rules it plans to reveal in April. Under the NCAA’s time line, athletes would be able to take advantage of endorsement opportunities beginning next January.

Meanwhile, more than 25 states are considering legislation that would force the NCAA to allow players to earn money off their personal brand in a bid to address inequities in the multibillion-dollar college sports industry.

California passed a law last year that gives broad endorsement rights to players, and it will take effect in 2023. Other states could grant those rights as soon as this year.

The NCAA’s concern, echoed by Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who also testified

Fifa creates fund to help players not paid by clubs

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URICH—Fifa is setting aside $16 million to help players who have not been paid by their clubs.

The funding covers the period up to 2022, and Fifa also wants to set up a monitoring committee with global players’ union FIFPro, which assesses the needs of players.

The fund will offer a “safety net” rather than playing players in full, Fifa said in a statement on Tuesday.

Fifa President Gianni Infantino said the governing body wanted to show its “commitment to helping players in a difficult situation.”

Fifa has budgeted $3 million for the second half of this year and $4 million in both 2021 and

2022. There is also $5 million available to deal with cases of salaries going unpaid from July 2015 to June 2020.

“More than 50 clubs in 20 countries have shut in the last five years, plunging hundreds of footballers into uncertainty and hardship,” FIFPro President Philippe Piat said. “This fund will provide valuable support to those players and families most in need. Many of these clubs have shut to avoid paying outstanding wages, immediately reforming as so-called new clubs.”

Schalke, meanwhile, has been fined €50,000 ($54,600) after some of its fans subjected Hertha Berlin player Jordan Torunarigha to racist abuse during a German Cup game.

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The German soccer federation (DFB) said Tuesday that Schalke can set aside €16,000 ($17,500) of the fine for “concrete measures in the fight against racism and discrimination, which the DFB would have to verify by September 30, 2020.” The federation said Torunarigha was racially abused by fans in the south stand of Schalke’s stadium in the 85th minute of the sides’ game on February 4 and that “monkey noises were made.”

Torunarigha, the son of former Nigerian player Ojokojo Torunarigha, was sent off in extra time when he picked up a second yellow card after appearing increasingly upset as the game went on. The 22-year-old German defender was

consoled by Schalke’s Amine Harit.

Hertha teammate Niklas Stark said he heard “monkey noises and racist insults,” and called on German soccer to support Torunarigha.

“It was hard to miss, after the game and before extra time, how he looked and that he had been distressed by it,” Stark told Hertha’s web site.

Schalke won, 3-2, to reach the quarterfinals.

Hertha Coach Jürgen Klinsmann, who resigned over other matters on Tuesday, said after the game that he thought the abuse played a role in Torunarigha’s red card and that the referee should have taken his emotional state into account when considering a second booking. AP

By Jim Vertuno

The Associated Press

USTIN, Texas—The cancer charity whose yellow wristbands became a global brand under founder Lance Armstrong is seeking to reinvent itself, years after donations and revenues crashed along with the disgraced cyclist’s career.

Armstrong was nowhere to be seen earlier this month during Livestrong’s “relaunch” ceremony in Austin. The charity announced plans to end its one-on-one cancer support services, where a patient could call for help dealing with insurance, counseling and medical trials. Instead, it will pivot to spending $5 million to $6 million annually to support entrepreneurs developing products to improve treatment and patient care.

Livestrong will maintain its partnership with the Livestrong Cancer Institutes at the University of Texas Dell Medical School, which focuses on cancer research, patient care and treatment.

“We’re more than a wristband,” Livestrong President and CEO Greg Lee told a crowd of about 200 gathered for the event. A few minutes earlier, Gloria Gaynor’s 1970s hit single “I Will Survive” pumped out of the speakers.

Livestrong’s trademark yellow wristbands were once worn by celebrities and politicians the world over. Donations and commercial ties to athletic apparel company Nike brought in tens of millions annually.

But those days are gone. The wristbands are rarely seen anymore, and Nike ended its Livestrong clothing line years agd.

The legacy and reputation of Armstrong, a cancer survivor who won the Tour de France seven times, crumbled abruptly following revelations he used performance-enhancing drugs. Livestrong has chugged along as a much smaller, leaner organization.

The relaunch came with an artistic redesign. Gone is the yellow-and-black Livestrong logo that mimicked the wristband, which is still available for purchase online.

The logo has been replaced by a blue background with three rings—orange, blue and yellow.

“We’re nimble,” Lee said. “We’re not like an ocean liner. We’re more like a jet ski that can turn on a dime.”

Lee insists the move is about better serving cancer patients, not just reversing declining financial trends.

Livestrong was a pioneer in providing oneon-one help to guide people through difficult and, sometimes, traumatic cancer diagnosis and treatment. The model has been successfully copied by many. The company, therefore, needs to find new, unique ways to help patients, Lee said.

A money drain also needs attention.

Armstrong founded Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997 after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. His remarkable recovery and success on the world’s biggest stage for cyclists fueled a boom that transformed the once small charity into a global force.

At its peak, Livestrong took in $41 million in donations in 2009 when Armstrong came out of retirement to finish third in the Tour de France. The downturn came when Armstrong’s career, and reputation, were undone first by a 2012 investigation in performanceenhancing drug use and his 2013 confession in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The charity desperately tried to distance itself from the scandal.

Armstrong Tuesday, is that endorsement deals for athletes would have a negative effect on recruiting, with schools and boosters in states with athletefriendly laws using money to entice players to sign with certain schools.

“If implemented, these laws would give some schools an unfair recruiting advantage and open the door to sponsorship arrangements being used as a recruiting inducement. This would create a huge imbalance among schools, and could lead to corruption in the recruiting process,” Emmert said. “We may need Congress’ support in helping maintain uniform standards in college sports.”

Emmert’s comments were similar to what the NCAA, the Big 12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference have been communicating to Congress through well-paid lobbyists. The Associated Press has found that the NCAA and the two conferences spent $750,000 last year lobbying on Capitol Hill, in part to amplify their concern that “guardrails” are needed on endorsement pay for athletes to avoid destroying college sports as we know it.

Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade and Consumer Protection, said

was pushed out of his role as chairman of the board of directors—he remains listed as a board emeritus member but is, otherwise, not involved—and the foundation’s name was formally changed to Livestrong.

According to 2018 financial records, the most recent available, donations and revenue had dipped under $2.5 million. Assets listed at $100 million a decade ago have been whittled to $46 million. That includes a $37-million endowment, which has about $15 million tied to specific spending restrictions.

The 2018 report doesn’t reflect the $17-million sale in 2019 of Livestrong’s former headquarters in downtown Austin.

With that money in the bank, analysts at charity watchdog groups Charity Navigator and Charity Watch still give Livestrong good marks for being financially healthy overall, and transparent in how it spends. And donations, at least, have leveled off from their initial plummet.

But Livestrong still spent three times what it takes in on it national partnership with the YMCA, the local one with the University of Texas, and operating expenses. Lee’s salary is about $350,000 a year.

“They are going to have to increase revenue or decrease spending. It will be a question of how they maintain that revenue,” said Kevin Doyle, analyst with Charity Navigator.

Lee said Livestrong will shift from it’s main fund-raising model from one that depends on contributions at large to one that more aggressively seeks corporate and venture capital partnerships to support its grants and gifts.

Grants could support a wide range of tools for helping cancer patients, such as transportation services, or smartphone applications that help patients organize treatment records or connect with multiple physicians, Lee said Livestrong still has a formidable brand that will likely attract interest from grant applicants and investors, said Daniel Borochoff, founder of Charity Watch.

“They are still a high-profile group,” Borochoff said. “People will be motivated to have the Livestrong name backing them.”

A decade ago, Armstrong’s towering presence alone could draw money as he dominated the world’s most famous bike race or flew around the world to meet with celebrities and political leaders at global cancer forums. Back in 2007, it was Armstrong’s latehour lobbying that pushed Texas lawmakers to pass a $3-billion cancer research fund.

But his divorce from Livestrong was bitter.

Armstrong’s name and image were completely scrubbed from the relaunch celebration.

There were no photographs of Armstrong used in a video compilation of cancer patients and celebratory moments. His presence was missing from a display charting the foundation’s first two decades, which included a large bowl filled with yellow Livestrong bracelets.

One speaker mentioned the foundation had been through good times and bad. Only the event host’s passing reference to a “famous founder” seemed to acknowledge his impact in starting it all.

A Livestrong spokesman said the charity offered to brief Armstrong ahead of the unveiling party, but he declined. Armstrong declined comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

“We have done everything we can to talk to tell people that [Livestrong] is not about one person,” Lee said. “We have a changing focus, a new mission and a new visual identity.”

he was not inclined to act until after the NCAA reveals its new rules.

“I wish Congress was in a position to be able to provide the NCAA and the athletes the opportunity to find a solution.... The ability for Congress to do that is, that’s a challenge,” Moran said in an interview after the hearing. “The next step is to see what the NCAA is capable of presenting to us in April.”

NCAA critics believe there is plenty of evidence that recruiting is already corrupt—pointing in part to the federal criminal case involving shoe companies paying basketball players to attend schools they sponsor—and that letting players earn endorsement money won’t create the major problems the NCAA predicts.

Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National College Players Association, which advocates for athletes’ rights, said under current NCAA rules, 99.3 percent of top 100 football recruits choose teams from the Power Five conferences.

“The power conferences have advantages, and they consistently pull the best recruits,” Huma said. “They will continue to get the recruits. The reality is, you’re not going to change the recruiting by limiting the players’ opportunities.” AP FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the governing body wanted to show its “commitment to helping players in a difficult situation.”

God’s word in my life

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EAR God, what is my attitude toward the word of God? What role does God’s word play in my life? How actively do I participate in the reading of God’s word in the liturgy? What values or countervalues can I find in the biblical passages I read daily? Can I find these values, and countervalues, in our society and culture? Oh Lord, make my attitude toward Your word be appropriate in my daily encounter with people around and Your creation. Amen.

GIVE US THIS DAY SHARED BY LUISA LACSON, HFL Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

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Life BusinessMirror

Japanese Tunnel

❷ BENITO Soliven View Deck and Flower Park

❸ SAN Pablo de Cabigan Church Ruins

❹ THE enjoyable and exciting Sky Cycle

❺ THE Church of Saint Matthias in Tumauini

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CONDÉ Nast Traveller Middle East announced its 2020 Green Gold List, which included Pangulasian Island Resort, the ecoluxury island of El Nido Resorts.

This year, Condé Nast Traveller Middle East featured the best of the best sustainable and eco-conscious hotels around the world. The Green Gold List came with a much greener tone, choosing to highlight the hotels that are not only excellent in service and appearance, but also have the best green practices and standards.

Pangulasian is described on Condé Nast Traveller Middle East as “a private island with an abundance of green initiatives, from water and energy conservation to coastal cleanups, wildlife protection and EcoReefs to help replenish coral. The Philippines’s El Nido Pangulasian Island gives the local look an ever more eco-touch.”

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❶ ILAGAN

Thursday, February 13, 2020

PANGULASIAN ISLAND WINS CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER MIDDLE EAST’S GOLD LIST AWARD FOR 2020

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VALENTINE’S DAY: FOR A LOVELY NIGHT OUT D2

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Discover Bella Isabela O

BY BENJAMIN LAYUG

NE of the highlights of our media coverage of the 2020 Bambanti Festival was our Discover Isabela Tour, which took us to some of the province’s heritage churches (the province has five), as well as an upcoming tourism leisure site. Our tour first brought us to the town of Benito Soliven, just a 33-kilometer or onehour drive away via the Pan-Philippine Highway.

Our destination here was the Benito Soliven View Deck and Flower Park, a recreation area ideal for a mini-stroll or pictorial session, whose focal point is a partial wheel-shaped Flower Park. Its awesome rustic view of mountains, rice fields and the Pinakawan River can be enjoyed from a concrete view deck, a wickerwork ring chair, and wooden platform, with wooden benches and a heart-shaped wickerwork backdrop, great backdrops for your Instagram feed; or from the Sky Cycle (Zip Bike), a “rush” which takes biking to another level.

A further 90-km (two-hour) drive brought us to the town of Tumauini and its Church of Saint Matthias, the best-preserved church complex in Isabela.

Known for its brick, ecclesiastical ultra-Baroque style architecture, it is considered to be the best and most artistic brick structure in the country. A National Historical Landmark (February 24, 1989) and listed by the National Museum as a National Cultural Treasure, the church has also been considered for the Unesco World Heritage Tentative List under the collective group of Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension).

Its faҫade, with its circular pediment that is uniquely relative to all other churches built during the Spanish era, has serpentine reliefs and many finely molded details: flowers, foliage, wheels, ovules, hearts, sunbursts, squares and circles, oblongs and rectangles, curlicues; three long garlands, vegetal forms, clam shells.

The adjoining unique, four-story cylindrical bell tower, built in 1805, is the only known Spanish colonial era cylindrical tower in the country.

After lunch at the town’s municipal hall, a further 36-km (50-minute) drive finally brought us to San Pablo and its San Pablo de Cabigan Church Ruins.

This church, the oldest in the province, was built using adobe instead of red bricks, setting it apart from most of the Spanish colonial era churches of the Cagayan Valley.

Damaged by Japanese bombing in World War II, the strong December 27, 1949, intensity 7 earthquake further damaged it and, three years later, a fire destroyed the church’s roof. Within the ruins, a smaller church, a third of the original structure, was built in the 1950s. The rest is a garden. Gorgeous clay insets of rosettes and sun emblems decorate the elegant walls. Its six-story square bell tower is the tallest in the Cagayan Valley.

A lull in the festival proceedings, we also made a visit to the Ilagan Japanese Tunnel, just a short 6.5-km (15-minute) drive away from the provincial capitol. This man-made war tunnel, part of the Japanese military headquarters during the 1942 to 1945 Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, was also a weapons storage facility for bombs,

explosives, guns and ammunition. Captured Filipino guerrillas were also imprisoned and tortured here. A long flight of concrete steps, cut into the hillside, leads to a watchtower. At the top and bottom of the stairway are concrete Japanese gates (torii), and outside the tunnel is a garden with a Shinto shrine, bridge, wind chime (furin) and a koi pond.

After our visit to the Ilagan Japanese Tunnel, we made a stopover, for supplies, at a pretty Bonifacio Park in Ilagan City. Here, it brought me face to face with the pride of Isabela and Ilagan’s winning bid for Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest armchair, locally known as butaka, a chair with a long arm rest which is not used for the arms but for the legs. Christened as the “Butaka ni Goliath,” it measures 11.4 feet high, 20.8 ft. long, 9.7 ft. wide and weighs 2,368 kilograms. It was made from a total of 1,184.48 board ft. of seasoned, first-class narra with a seat made with 1,740 ft. of interwoven 1-inch diameter rattan. Last year, the the Guinness Book of World Records also awarded the Bambanti Festival for the largest gathering of people dressed and dancing as scarecrows.

About 23.4 kms. out of Cauayan City, on our way back to Manila, we also made a short stopover in Alicia to visit the beautiful and solid Our Lady of Atocha Church, the smallest (in terms of floor area) and the youngest (at 171 years) Spanish era church in the Cagayan Valley. This brick church, an example of what is called as the “Cagayan style” of Spanish churches, was officially declared by the Department of Tourism as a national religious tourist destination in the Philippines. ■

PHILIPPINE-JAPAN HISTORICAL MUSEUM RENOVATION COMPLETED ON January 23, Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Haneda Koji and Consul General Miwa Yoshiaki attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the renovation, and enhancement, of the Philippine-Japan Historical Museum.

The effort was supported through the Grant assistance for Cultural Grassroots Projects of the Japanese government.

The museum in Calinan, Davao City, opened in 1994 through the efforts of Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai Inc. Its exhibits allow visitors to learn about the historical relationship between Japan and Davao, which started during the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the city in the 1900s. In order to commemorate its 25th anniversary, the renovation and enhancement efforts were initiated. The grant supported the renovation of the exhibit space and materials, as well as the installation of digital devices to further enrich the learning experience for visitors.

Haneda made a congratulatory address at the ceremony, and the event was livened up by various activities. There were the unveiling of a new signboard, the ribbon cutting, and the sake barrelbreaking called kagami biraki in Japanese. Children from the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai International School also rendered a song-and-dance number.

Amid uncertainty, French wine industry puts itself on show

BY THOMAS ADAMSON The Associated Press PARIS—France’s big wine industry, shaken by United States President Donald J. Trump’s painful tariff hikes and the threat of climate change, is hoping to reenergize global interest in its products with a big trade fair in Paris.

Two-thousand winemakers—including giant Moet Hennessy—are wooing some 30,000 French and international visitors at the Vinexpo fair with a renewed focus on ecology and sustainability, as well as tech innovation, like robots.

They hope that shining a light on the industry’s advances, especially in environmental practices, will attract other countries to French wine and make up for the slump in exports to the US, where Trump imposed 25 percent in tariffs on a range of European products.

“Faced with the difficulties we’re encountering with Trump’s taxes, Brexit and the slowdown in China, we must find new markets in third countries by focusing on French excellence,” said Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume.

France is, with Italy, the biggest producer of wine in the world, and has a number of prestigious

brands that have helped define the industry—from Champagne makers to producers in the Burgundy and Bordeaux regions. But it is facing a number of challenges, from tariffs to changing consumer habits and global warming. French sales to the US halved after the tariffs came into effect in October.

The fair is an impressive show, with Moet Hennessy hosting industry movers and shakers to talk about ecology initiatives.

It also unveiled new details on plans to create a €20-million sustainability research center in Champagne, and its commitment to stop all forms of herbicides by the end of this year.

Moet Hennessy CEO Philippe Schaus struck an upbeat tone despite the US tariffs, which were imposed as part of a broader trade spat between the US and EU over the aerospace industry.

“We hate to be the collateral damage of other topics which do not concern the wine and spirits industry.

We believe that tariffs are completely unproductive... it’s damaging to business—both for us and for distributors in the states,” Schaus told AP. Among the innovations was a futuristic electric tractor that its makers say reduces the carbon footprint by 23 tons a year when compared with a regular tractor.

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Thursday, February 13, 2020

Entertaining BusinessMirror

Valentine’s Day: For a lovely night out

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Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Mena Suvari, 41; Kelly Hu, 52; Peter Gabriel, 70; Stockard Channing, 76.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Don’t mince words. If you have something to say, spit it out. Be direct to avoid giving the wrong impression. How you handle others and the way you relate and share information will make a difference in whether you achieve your goals. Don’t let your emotions take over or interfere in doing what’s right or best for yourself. Your lucky numbers are 4, 10, 16, 24, 31, 35, 46.

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OR that red-letter day on the calendar, we have pulled together this quick guide for lovers and other strangers....

CONRAD MANILA CONRAD Manila (www.facebook.com/ConradManilaPh) invites guests to fall deeper into love with exquisite dining offers. Brasserie on 3 serenades couples with a delicately crafted dinner buffet paired with a live acoustic performance and special gifts on February 14 and 15. “Hearts on Fire” is priced at P2,800 per person, with a special Champagne Henriot Upgrade at an additional P1,000 that includes a glass of champagne and priority seating at the Veranda, among others.

Heartfelt feelings take flight on February 14 at China Blue by Jereme Leung, as Executive Chinese Chef Eng Yew Khor masterfully curates a Valentine set menu fit for royalty.

Over at C Lounge, celebrate precious moments in luxury with a bottle of Angas Moscato, well-curated three-course degustation and dreamy melodies performed by guest artists complemented by views of Manila Bay. “Romance by the C” on February 14 is priced at P4,800 for two persons.

F1 HOTEL MANILA LOVELY couples get to make memories at the heart of Bonifacio Global City with Savor the Love Valentine’s Day dinner buffet at F All Day Dining of F1 Hotel Manila (www.f1hotelmanila.com). On the menu is a wide selection of delicacies that would delight not only hearts but also palates. For only P2,388, indulge in culinary delights and romantic dreams with live music from Jet Barrun as the aural backdrop.

DIAMOND HOTEL YOUR Valentine will want for nothing at Corniche of Diamond Hotel Philippines (www.diamondhotel.com), with a special lunch or dinner buffet from February 13 to 16. From soups and appetizers, to varied, international mains, all the way to dessert, there are no boundaries to their heart and palate’s content.

With a complimentary glass of champagne on the 14th and live instrumental music to spark the mood on the 14th and 15th, it’s the ideal setting for giving in to your heart’s delight.

Step into a picturesque Japanese paradise tucked away in the Metro and surprise your date with new, unexpected flavors at Yurakuen. Share a spread of authentic Japanese specialties beneath the crystal cherry blossom tree with the eight-course lunch and dinner menu from February 13 to 15.

Take things to the 27th level with your significant other at Bar 27. The view alone is enough to take their breath away. Add a four-course dinner set menu, a signature cocktail or two, plus a live band to keep the vibe electric, and you’re bound to have a night to remember on February 14.

Ladies enjoying dinner on February 14 will receive a sweet heart-shaped macaron giveaway and a longstemmed rose.

DISCOVERY PRIMEA WITH its sweeping views of the city skyline and luxurious facilities, Discovery Primea (www. discoveryprimea.com) sets the stage for an unforgettable romantic celebration with refined dining choices curated by Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco or blissful spa treatments especially designed as a sweet interlude for two.

Allow Discovery Primea to take you and your significant other on a culinary journey starting with a beautifully prepared Valentine dinner menu

www.businessmirror.com.ph

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Consider what you are doing and what you want to be doing, and look for a way to make the adjustment.

Discuss your plans with whoever will be affected by the decision you make, and prepare to move forward.

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Discipline and hard work will pay off. Set your sights on what you want to achieve and take action. Make personal and professional improvements your targets. Talking to individuals who can help you make your dreams come true will pay off. HHH

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Emotions will surface when dealing with matters that can affect the way you earn your living. A change you make should be geared toward adding to your qualifications. Keeping up with the times will determine your fate. HHH

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): Share your thoughts and intentions. Your descriptive way of explaining your plans will make it difficult for others to resist wanting to come along for the ride.

A partnership will take on a deeper meaning, and romance will improve your personal life. HHH

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Opportunity knocks. Get out and do things that will bring you in contact with interesting people. The information you pick up will help you bring about the changes you want to make. Professional options look promising. Negotiate on your own behalf. HHHH

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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Mingle more or spend quality time with someone you love or respect. What you gain through interactions with forward-thinking people will lead to positive changes that will alleviate stress and give you something to look forward to. HH

at Flame Restaurant. On February 13 to 15 at P3,500 per person, feast on choice dishes, such as Pan-Seared Foie Gras, Pacific Grouper “Carpaccio,” or modern Filipino-inspired fare, such as “Parang Ravioli” or Josper Grilled Rib Eye Tagalog, to name a few. End the experience on a sweet note with a dessert of Chocnut Marquise.

You may also opt to sample the Mediterranean flavors of Tapenade, where the hotel’s culinary experts have prepared a four-course Valentine dinner available only on February 13 to 15. At P2,000 per person, enjoy Salad Nicoise, Spice Roasted Tomato soup, a main course of either Pan-Seared Black Bass or Braised Beef Marsala, and an exquisite dessert of Poached Pears “Belle Hélèn.” Fancy a romantic nightcap after a satisfying dinner? Head over to Edge at the 16th floor: enjoy two of our signature gin-based cocktails and a complimentary rose for the price of one at P375.

How about treating yourself and your significant other to a romantic spa treatment at Terazi Spa? Available the whole month of February, choose between two Valentine’s Day packages of a 60-minute Signature Couples Massage at P6,500 or a 90-minute Signature Couples Massage at P8,500, both inclusive of a bottle of chilled Bottega Prosecco and fresh strawberries which will be waiting for you right after your massage, along with a special Valentine surprise.

SHANGRI-LA AT THE FORT AT High Street Cafe of Shangri-La at The Fort (www. shangrilafortholidays.com), celebrate love and indulge in a romantic dinner feast with signatures from

the restaurant’s nine culinary neighborhoods and free-flowing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages at P3,600. Good things come in pairs. While away the afternoon with a Valentine-themed tea set at High Street Lounge priced at P1,650 for two persons from now until February 16, from 2 to 6 pm.

An intimate dinner for two awaits at Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar. Savor a five-course menu dinner with highlights, such as Rockefeller oysters, seared scallops and Southwest Australian black onyx tenderloin priced at P5,500 and a glass of champagne to pair. Swoon-worthy goodies are available to purchase and bring home to surprise loved ones. The stars of the show are a cosmetic-inspired dessert line, along with decadent cakes, treats and flowers at the goodie counter located in the lobby across High Street Cafe, open from 7 am to 10 pm daily from now to February 15.

RICHMONDE HOTEL ORTIGAS TAKE time to savor the moments between now and forever as you celebrate hearts day at Richmonde Hotel Ortigas (www.richmondehotelortigas.com.ph) with an exquisite dinner right in the heart of the Metro.

Have an intimate “Cena Romantica” with your beloved on February 14 at the Richmonde Café as it serves an Italian-inspired feast complete with an appetizer buffet, a salad bar, soup, entrée choices of either rib eye steak or salmon fillet, and a luscious array of cakes, pastries and fresh fruits at the dessert station as finale. This Valentine Dinner from 7 to 10 pm is priced at P1,498 per person, inclusive of a glass of wine. n

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Think twice before you get into a spat with someone close to you. Anger and arguments will not solve problems. Honesty and peaceful solutions will.

Show compassion and respect for others’ opinions, and expect the same in return. HHHHH

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Share your ideas with someone you love, and good plans will transpire. A unique change can be made that will improve how or where you live. A short trip or research will jump-start your next adventure. HH

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Be a participant, but protect against insult or injury.

You have what it takes to win on your own.

Don’t trust others to take care of your business or to protect you from loss. HHH CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Look beyond what’s happening in the present and plan for the future with optimism. Change is required in order to find the freedom you need to take on something new and exciting. HHHHH

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Keep an open mind when dealing with friends, relatives and emotional matters. Try to be objective and to offer suggestions that are doable. A change of pace will help you look, do and be your best in professional situations. HHHHH

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Trust will play a role in how others respond to you.

Be honest about the way you feel instead of being evasive for fear of getting hurt or hurting someone else. Truth matters and must be upheld. HH BIRTHDAY BABY: You are insightful, original and kind.

You are a dreamer and an achiever.

‘say a few words’ BY BENJAMIN KRAMER The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Longest river in Europe 6 Short race 10 They may use your location 14 Decorate 15 Alexa’s smart speaker 16 Boyfriend 17 On the up-and-up 18 Captain with a whalebone prosthesis 19 Word after “garage” or “grunge” 20 Golf tournament displays (read the first two syllables aloud!)

23 Plague 26 ___ XING 27 Fill an empty nest?

28 February 13th observance for “ladies celebrating ladies” (first two syllables) 31 Wanted-poster palindrome 32 Chess or Candy Land 33 Cosmologist Carl 36 Docs for puppies 38 Battle of the ___ 41 Despise 42 Assignment with an argument

4 Word before “a time” 4 46 Unknown, on a sched.

47 Good place to watch Jazz players (first syllable) 51 Not up to ___ 53 Road runner?

54 Regains consciousness 55 Reveal a lot (about), or a hint to this puzzle’s punny theme 58 Biblical fratricide victim 59 Close to closed 60 Boot camp boss, briefly 64 Queue 65 Stare open-mouthed 66 Statement made by folding your hand?

67 Rock cover 68 Finales 69 “Later, gator!”

DOWN 1 Nickname that leaves out “erie” 2 Metrical homage 3 Celery stick, when topped with “ants” 4 Lexus lattice 5 Starting the pot

6 Idle period 7 Dull pain 8 Packers great Sterling 9 Paper tiger?

10 “Dancing Queen” group 11 Heavenly entrance 12 Black-and-white animal in the WWF’s logo 13 Full of lather 21 Stand in for 22 Blackjack calculation 23 Mescal source 24 Knockoffs 25 Modern TV components 29 Center of activity 30 Back rub reaction 34 Chance to swing 35 “Groovy!”

37 ___ Tome and Principe 39 Food connoisseurs 40 City of sin 43 “That tastes awful!”

45 Harry Potter, to Lord Voldemort 48 Wreak havoc on 49 Helen or Hector

0 Kind of seed on a bread roll 5 51 Service song 52 HS class covering cellular respiration 56 Brewery choices 57 The Shield cop grp.

61 Eggs on a sushi roll 62 Fawkes celebrated on November 5 63 GPS guess Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Parentlife BusinessMirror

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Thursday, February 13, 2020

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FROM left: Meagan reading to Marcus the first book I read to her, Look Who’s Talking! On The Farm by Danny Tepper; Meagan at two, at one of our visits to National Book Store, where she got lost but never cried because the place was not alien to her; recommended LeapFrog toys available at major toy stores.

Metro Retail holds monthlong Valentine celebration IT’S that time of the year again when balloons, chocolates and bouquets of flowers fill the streets and malls. With everyone from all walks of life looking forward to their romantic date or get-together, Metro Retail (www.metroretail.com.ph) holds a monthlong celebration this Valentine season.

Fall in love with the novelty Valentine apparel and gift items exclusive to I Love Metro happening until February 29 nationwide. Metro Retail’s collection will surely provide Valentine-ready outfits, surprises and more at an affordable price. From cardigans, shirts, dresses and stuffed toys, too, Metro Retail has a lot of offers for everyone.

Be it a signature preppy look, a laid-back casual ensemble, or any other fashion idea, Metro Department Store is the partner in bringing this year’s Valentine dream to life.

There’s more to look forward to at Metro Retail as it is giving away free chocolates this month. With a minimum P2,000 single receipt purchase at Metro Supermarket, inclusive of P200 worth of participating products from brands, such as Toblerone, Cadbury, Ferrero Rocher, Snickers, Hershey’s, Cloud 9, Goya, Kit Kat, Glade, Sanicare and Joy, a free chocolate treat awaits shoppers.

Save the date and make Metro Department Store and Supermarket a staple shopping destination for Valentine’s Day.

What is the purpose of ‘good reading’? (Part I) MOMMY NO LIMITS

MAYE YAO CO SAY

mommynolimits@gmail.com

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HEN I was in preschool, language and spelling were the subjects I found most difficult. Later on I dreaded reading comprehension. Writing school papers always left my head scratching over the result. At 10th grade in the United States, my teacher checked each step from the topic, outline, note cards and body. I did well in the earlier steps. In the end, I still got a line of B. I am a highly emotional person. I experienced my childhood puppy love at 14, lost important loved ones over the span of a few years, and continuously underwent a volatile situation at home. Poetry and prose were my solace. I learned to immerse my thoughts in writing. There was no intention to be good at it, but to just be able to breathe.

In 1993, I left Manila to start this new life in New York. I initially felt uneasy with the new subjects, teachers and, especially, classmates. The only place I felt at ease was the library, so I spent most of my free time there. During the midwinter break, I borrowed my first nonfiction book.

In a few months, I began to love life in the US and all the possibilities my teachers introduced me to. My teachers for both Global Studies and Biology recommended me to take AP classes and clock in community-service hours so that I would have a

REDDOORZ REACHES OUT TO RED CROSS, WORLD VISION TO AID TAAL VICTIMS THE Philippines’s leading hotel management and booking platform, RedDoorz partnered with two of the country’s leading humanitarian organizations— the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and World Vision—to provide assistance to the thousands of residents affected by the recent Taal Volcano eruption.

RedDoorz supported the PRC by donating thousands of blankets, bottled water, and hygiene kits containing soap, shampoo and dental packs to those affected by the recent volcanic eruption. The PRC was among the first responders onground to help the thousands of affected residents in Batangas province.

The platform also extended their help to World Vision, a global humanitarian organization which aims to improve the lives of families and communities by providing monetary assistance for its ongoing relief operations.

The organization started a monetary donation drive to provide evacuees with hygiene kits, dust masks and drinking water, and to build child-

friendly spaces to help children cope with the distress of the calamity.

“Our properties in Tagaytay have been affected and the communities we serve there have been badly affected, as well. We partnered with Red Cross and World Vision in their relief operations so we can extend help not just to our Tagaytay communities but also to let the residents and evacuees feel a semblance of comfort in the evacuation centers. In times like these when so many people have lost homes, belongings and livelihood, and they have to deal with hunger and exposure to the elements, we need to come together as one community to help those in need,” said RedDoorz Country Marketing Head Raenald de Jesus.

Residents of cities and municipalities near the main crater of Taal Volcano were forced to leave their homes due to the volcanic activities, and the threat of more explosions. More than 50,000 residents of towns from Batangas and Cavite have been staying in evacuation centers since January 12.

better shot at a good university. Incidentally, the closest community service I could reach with my bike was the city library. I served there twice a week as an encoder. That gave me a lot of time to go through books and, finally, found my interest in nonfiction.

In 1999, I had the opportunity to work as an intern in Washington, D.C., under Sen. Richard Lugar. It was amazing to have access to the library in Capitol Hill.

It was also in this unique experience that allowed me a lot of solitary walks. I vividly remember passing by a Barnes & Noble on the way home, and saw the book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff behind the display window. I stopped, went in and read the whole book, and I remember feeling, “Wow, that was easy and refreshing!”

I realized then how empowering books can be.

I realized how knowledge from real-life experts and situations were just words away. Whenever I encountered any issues at home or at work, or was confronted with existential questions, I turned to reading. And so, this quest for answers turned into a ritual. Whenever I visit the US, I make it a point to schedule a Barnes & Noble day. Whenever I’m in any airport, I spend a lot of time in Relay or Hudson News.

I share these bits of information because I always wish I had found “reading” earlier in my life. So when I became a parent, love for reading was one of my goals for our kids. I realized the reason I was not drawn to it early on was because I never found my personal reason to like reading.

When my daughter was born, I researched a lot on developmental topics, including language development. One of the most interesting tips I read was that when you read to your baby, let him or her stay near your neck or your armpit because our body scent is strongest in these areas. From my understanding, this is supposed to establish a good emotional connection with reading. I did this every morning before going to work, and every night upon coming home. Back then, I did not know if it would

truly let my child love reading more. I would like to think it had something to do with my daughter being an avid reader today.

Second, I found language development toys that matched my kids’ needs. I used LeapFrog toys the most because I liked the pronunciation, volume, and the playful teaching pattern. I had the Spin and Sing Alphabet Wheel when Meagan was three months old, the Word Whammer Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet, the LeapFrog doll for Marcus, among others. Meagan was so drawn to LeapFrog that during her second grade, when she got her first year-end gold medal, it was a Leapster that she asked to be her prize.

To date, this has been the only mobile handheld game I ever bought for my kids.

Although the models I used are no longer available, you can try the Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo, the AlphaPup Scout, Learning Friends 100 Words Book, Tad’s Get Ready for School Book and My Own Leaptop, as seen at the photo above.

I feel that developing the love for reading starts foundationally with our warmth and time as parents or guardians. Routine reading times and early visits to the bookstore are also great ways to start. Tools can also be introduced to encourage further interest.

In the next two weeks, I will share more information on how to encourage reading, as well as the latest enrichment classes available that I find very interesting. Below is a good event I recently discovered that might spark reading and writing interest for your kids.

The Unique English Classroom is holding its “Young Authors Workshop/Competition” for students ages nine to 16, this February 22 and 23, 8:30 am to 4 pm, at the Mind Museum, BGC, Taguig City. This event, facilitated by Catherine Khoo from Singapore, will start with a creative boot camp, and ends with a story-writing competition. To know more about this, you may contact Enrich Asia at 0917-6391901 or visit www.uecyoungauthors.com.ph. ■

REDDOORZ and Philippine Red Cross distributes relief goods to evacuees.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

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Show BusinessMirror

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BLIND SPOT BRUCE C.

NOT QUITE PERFECT

BONG JOON-HO’S darkly satirical Parasite, winner of not only Cannes’s Palme d’Or and several Golden Globes, but also the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.

Crazy ‘Poor’ Asians: Postscript to the Oscars REELING

TITO GENOVA VALIENTE

titovaliente@yahoo.com

“Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home?”

—MA�ULLUS IN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S JULIUS CAESA�

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T seems the long wait is over. The Oscars have been announced. Finally, South Korea’s Parasite has been declared the winner. The dialogue is not in English. The first in the history of Hollywood’s film derby, for the Oscar’s night is a competition, a contest, a cut-throat battle for marketing supremacy. Where the gilded film festivals like the ones held in Venice, Cannes and Berlin are considered to be a gladiatorial combat in aesthetics and cinematic daring, the Oscars is clearly a battlefield for the big deal, the huge production companies.

However tight the entry into the Oscars, there is a relief—for some—in the fact that foreign films are allowed into this glam event. A category, Best Foreign Language Film, provided the glimmer of hope for those filmmakers—and actors—who may never have gotten into the Hollywood film machine. Now, that category has been changed to “Best International Feature Film”.

Earlier, as the data from the US-based Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences will bear out, the recognition for films in foreign languages were in the form of a Special/Honorary award. Vittorio de Sica started the tradition with his Sciuscià (Shoe-shine) in 1947. The Italian master skipped a year—with Maurice Cloche of France bagging the award for his Monsieur Vincent—only to win again in 1949 with The Bicycle Thief, a film that is standard “reading” in any film course all over the world.

Now, we have South Korea winning for the first

WOWOWIN host Willie Revillame with StarStruck 7 alumni Allen Ansay and Jeremy Sabido

time not only the award for being a “foreigner film” but also getting the laurel as Best Picture. The victory makes the film technically on par now with the other films directed by the likes of Sam Mendes and Martin Scorsese. Well, it looks that way.

This makes us Asian family?

Naah. Not yet. It would take more than one film, a shift in capitalist paradigms, to reach what looks like an ideal state of all films being allowed hearing in the world market. Let it not be forgotten that the world and its market does not necessarily conjure an open area where all can sell their ideas. There are barriers, there are tariff walls, there are great barricades of tastes.

If ever, Bong Joon-ho, the director of Parasite, could best sum up one tangible accomplishment of his film: audiences have realized the gems behind movies with subtitles. Going viral, in fact, is the smart shorthand that the Korean filmmaker has come up with to describe the problem of accessibility with regard to foreign films—by breaching the “one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles”.

For the moment, let us celebrate this feeling of openness that seems to characterize the winning of an Asian film.

For a moment though, let us not forget that one actor named Natalie Portman paraded in a haute-couture gown with all the names of female filmmakers ignored in the Oscars.

This brings us to other issues: What is there to celebrate about the winning of Parasite? Does this category “Asian” film an all-embracing collective? Do we, Filipino filmmakers and cineastes, have a part in that? Will our tremendous films follow in the golden wake of the South Koreans?

For a long time, there have been critics lauding the “non-Asianness” of Filipino cinema, pointing to a strong Latin (oh, we love this!) temperament in the works of our filmmakers. And yet, on the one hand, if we are to subscribe to what the media have issued, Bong Joon-ho credits our very own Lino Brocka as his inspiration. No wonder, I get this sense of the film being poverty porn on a very elegant level.

I have, even with the victory, remained a nonfan of Parasite. It makes poverty and lack of access to wealth funny and distracting. Setting it in the bustling economy of South Korea makes the depiction

BENJAMIN ALVES volunteered in GMAKF’s Operation Bayanihan in Bauan, Batangas.

of squalor and greed in that location attractive, discrepant and unique. It is the kind of imagination about Asians that Westerners or rich non-Asians love to propagate. That behind the economic success of an Asian country is this festering bad ethos, a position assuring the White Man that, while Asians may have reached some kind of artistic apogee, they, the wealthier nations with the sense of entitlement assuring them that wealth propagation and acquisition are organic to their states, will remain superior.

This does not mean I am not applauding the triumphs of South Korea. I do. But that ascendancy is wholly and truly theirs. The whole capitalist enterprises of Seoul and Busan, the Hyundai and Samsung of their Hallyu or “Korean Wave” existence, and, please allow me, their Confucian-like ethics are all behind this strong finish.

All of the above are not in our republic. We have to disabuse ourselves of this mercenary feeling of a right to be at the banquet to be prepared by Parasite filmmakers.

Let us not embarrass ourselves any further.

Let us examine our artistic conscience (and marketing acumen) to ask the obvious question: What happened to us?

But let us not situate this inquisition in the context of being the “second” (I wish) Asian country to win the Best Picture in the Oscars.

Let us locate our anxieties, our investigation, our hope in the films we make. Let us look into the fresh, magnificent films that are produced in the peripheries. Let us be more respectful with how regional filmmakers present their aesthetics.

We have a tired center. Manila has proven to be a false center. The regions with their films are the next frontiers.

But there are many tasks ahead. There are the languages in the regional films, and I am not talking merely about the Bicolano language, the Hiligaynon, the Kinaray-a, the Chavacano. I am talking about how regional filmmakers photograph and edit their films.

I am talking about how actors from the periphery perform. And, from the words of this celebrated South Korean film director, let us be open to break through those “one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles” coming from the languages long marginalized. ■

VARIOUS GMA stars join Wowowin host Willie Revillame in his birthday outreach for the Taal Volcano evacuees.

GMA Kapuso Foundation spearheads GMA Network’s Taal relief efforts GMA’s socio-civic arm GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) continues with its Operation Bayanihan for those affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano. To date, GMAKF has given aid to 40,538 individuals in various areas of Batangas, Laguna and Cavite where relief goods, face masks, hygiene kits, sleeping mats, blankets and other useful goods were distributed.

The foundation had a two-day medical mission in Batangas last January 28 and 29 where specialists for ears, nose and throat (ENT), pulmonary ailments, skin and general medicine were present to extend their services—for free.

GMAKF also gave away medicines and vitamins to both

children and adults. GMAKF Advocate for Health Rocco Nacino and GMA artists Benjamin Alves and Yasser Marta, together with veteran actress Tessie Tomas, attended the events to give cheer and distribute relief goods.

Meanwhile, variety program Wowowin made GMAKF its beneficiary for host Willie Revillame’s birthday celebration dedicated to Taal evacuees in a live episode on January 27, dubbed “Malasakit, Pag-Asa, Pagmamahal.”

Instead of the show’s usual format which includes lots of dancing and lively participation from the audience, Willie filled the studio with material donations they collected

from sponsors, showbiz personalities and various GMA departments. Various GMA artists also showed their support and expressed their compassion by packing the relief goods.

All the donations, such as rice, gallons of water, pillows and blankets, soap, medicine, and grocery items were turned over to GMAKF for distribution. In addition, Willie also handed a P1 million check to Lipa City House Rep. Vilma Santos to extend help in Batangas.

GMAKF continues to accept monetary donations. More information on donations is available at www.gmanetwork. com/kapusofoundation/donate.

THE actress is almost perfect. She is beautiful, talented, rich and famous. Her love life is also doing well. Alas, there is that word: “almost.” It’s an open secret that she has halitosis, and the reason why people don’t talk about it openly. It’s not that the actress has hygiene issues. She is clean and neat. She goes to the doctor and dentist regularly. In fact, more than a couple of doctors and dentists have looked at her situation. For a while, the stench will disappear but it will resurface again. They say this is one of the reasons why the actress’s projects may be successful in general but she has yet to be a superstar like some of her colleagues. Because the actress is a good person, we wish that her problem would disappear.

NO LONGER A CROWD-DRAWER

THIS other actress, on the other hand, has always been a handful—and we use that term already kindly.

When she was at the peak of her career, the actress, who also hosts, was a monster. People in her network had no choice but to work with her because at the time, she was the one. This has changed now. The actress is still popular, but that popularity is no longer enough to make her a hot property. She’s now just one of those celebrities who are okay for projects with lots of stars in it but she will never be a leading lady again.

The actress is still a favorite of network officials, but it’s not what it used to be for her. Sometimes, she would be in a mall show and the crowd would not even amount to a hundred when she used to be mobbed wherever she went. Of course, those the actress was mean to in the past are now snickering behind her back.

NON-SHOWBIZ GIRLFRIEND

SO the actor, whose career has been very low key lately, has a new project and because he is very amiable, many are wishing it will be successful. They are also wishing that the actor’s pushy non-showbiz girlfriend would stop interfering in everything he does. Because of the non-showbiz girlfriend, the actor can no longer work with an actress he used to date.

His girlfriend also insists on being at every event, including press conferences and cast parties, where she is front and center in photographs. Many people are wondering why the actor is very besotted with the girl. It is because he likes them pushy—and he also prefers them rich. She is both.

WRONG PERCEPTION

ONE reason why the actor’s career remains stagnant is the people who handle it. Yes, he has successful projects but he also has those that are big flops. The actor’s management likes to think of him as the handsomest and most popular in the country and, yes, he looks good, but he is not the ultimate. There was a time when he could draw in the crowds but he is no longer very bankable. Yes, he does have new endorsements but they’re very petty compared to his former pitches. He used to be on TV a lot but because of mismanagement, he is no longer a top star when he could be. If only his handlers were more realistic. If only his longtime fans were less obnoxious. So many ifs, but very few hits.

CINEMALAYA OFFERS POSTPRODUCTION GRANT TO ITS ALUMNI FILMMAKERS

THE Cinemalaya Foundation is calling on alumni filmmakers to apply for the postproduction grants. The grants will fund specific aspects of their film projects in the postproduction stage. The Cinemalaya will give grants, amounting to P500,000 to three film projects in their advanced stage of development. In return, Cinemalaya will have the first option for the Philippine premiere of the completed film/s. The Cinemalaya Post Production Grant aims to further the creative impetus of Cinemalaya Film Festival and cultivate new works from its filmmakers.

Interested applicants must be a Cinemalaya alumni, either a director or screenwriter. Their film must be completed by May 29. Interested applicants must submit a duly accomplished Application Form (which can be downloaded from www.culturalcenter.gov.ph or www. cinemalaya.org), full script, synopsis (not more than 300 words) and logline of the film, list of the major cast and staff, biography and filmography of the proponent/s, director’s statement, postproduction timetable, detailed budget plan, a 30-minute rough edit of the film (to be submitted in a USB or secured online link), and two pieces recent photo of proponent (2x2).

The deadline for submission of applications is on or before 6 pm of March 20. All requirements must be submitted to the Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division, Fourth Floor, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. More information is available at the aforementioned web sites.

Envoys&Expats

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Thursday, February 13, 2020 E1

College instructor is at the top of his game

By Tony Maghirang

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Contributor

ARLY in his life, living in a small town in France near the border of Spain, David-Jean Ramos visualized becoming a teacher.

That vivid image in his mind’s eye was actually realized—a few thousand miles away—in another continent. Ramos happens to be a current consultant and special lecturer on game design and development at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).

The lecturer originally wanted to be a history teacher. At some point in his teenage years, his passion for learning turned into an inquiry on how things work. Then, he found himself contemplating on how computer games are made.

Ramos then earned degrees in economics and math, but they limited his access to computers that would enable him to seriously pursue his interest in gaming. That led him to enroll at the European Institute of Information Technology (Epitech, now the Paris School of Digital Innovation).

In the five years that followed, the Frenchman received a technical education that was altogether an eye-opener for a young man who grew up in a farming community far from the City of Lights.

For our exclusive interview, Ramos told Envoys&Expats, “I somehow figured my way to finish the course on my own. There were individual and group projects to complete each year, where I got help from mentors who were actually upper-class students roaming around the lab.”

“The first two years were particularly brutal. Actually, the first few months were called the ‘swimming pool….’ Sink or swim!” he continued.

“For example, in one month, I had to learn the C programming language by making projects every day that the machine script can correct.”

In his second year, Ramos’s university-level education took a turn for the better when Epitech engaged in a working cooperation with the game industry. He took an internship job for a small studio where he helped develop digital tools for the PlayStation 2 game “Hidden Invasion.”

By 2000, revenues were down for the gaming industry, as lots of development studios closed shop. Ramos then found himself moving from one small firm to another. During that period, he started to consider working for the big studios, in hopes of a more stable work conditions.

In his fifth year at the university, he obtained an on-the-job training at Ubisoft, which is among the top 3 game developers in the world today. He worked there for more than a year.

Some team members decided to move to Canada, and while Ramos could not imagine himself going abroad, he applied for a job at UbisoftMontreal. He got accepted and spent three years in Canada. There, he became lead-game programmer for the “Prince of Persia” series, which had been critically reviewed as “a wonderful, and nearly magical game.” The Frenchman also studied coaching, building on his previous experience as a teacher assistant at the Epitech.

Driven by beauty, motion

RAMOS remembered, “As lead game programmer, I was in charge of the team that made the actual ‘game logic,’ which enables a player to drive a car and maneuver around based on particular objectives. The logic of the actual game was my team’s responsibility back then.”

Musing further, he pondered, “Through the years, I have made a career as a physics programmer.

For example, I created tools for program engines of the game play—or the logic of the game. Since then, I have worked a lot on the art aspect, becoming pretty good at lighting, as well as cinematography, among others. Beauty and motion are the things that drive me in developing games.”

After a stint in Canada, he went back to France to work in his community. For about eight months, he was into tree planting and helping at his family’s farm. Then, a new round of self-discovery suddenly set in. He had a new set of ambitions, and was afraid of getting stuck in a nostalgic past if he stayed too long in his hometown.

Ramos then flew to China and ended up in Shanghai. He stayed there for a year doing game-design jobs for 80 hours a week.

About his experience there, he lamented: “The game industry is full of very passionate people, but it’s very easy to exploit them. To some extent, they will do all the work even if they don’t get fair pay.”

“It’s very easy to convince creative workers to just go along. It’s our passion. It’s an opportunity to express ourselves,” the gaming developer shared. “But we’re not immune to exploitation, and some employers can be brutal.”

Teaching beckons

LEAVING China, Ramos toured Southeast Asia while trying to figure out what to do for the rest of his life.

In the Philippines, he trained for two months to be a scuba- diving master.

He was mulling about his new preoccupation as a second career when he was tapped to be a resource person in a leadership training program in Manila. While drawing from his talent and experience as a coach, it heralded new prospects right up his alley in the gaming world.

The training program introduced the would-be instructor-lecturer to participants who knew people that mattered in the local gaming industry. In due course, he landed a teaching job and consulting work in DLS-CSB. Since March 2012, he has been the special lecturer of the Interactive Entertainment and Multimedia Computing (or IEMC, formerly the Game Design and Development Program of DLS-CSB), where he teaches a broad spectrum of subjects: from physics, artificial intelligence, to graphics programming and 3D art.

At the start, he wanted to adopt a “do-it-yourself,” project-driven learning paradigm which he imbibed while at school in France.

That unusual teaching methodology elicited blank stares from his former students. Apparently, they were instead expecting to be spoonfed with information; that is, to be lectured conventionally on the subject at hand.

Despite his initial reticence, Ramos started giving lessons in class.

He applied those from his previous work experience with the global gaming industry, as well as new discoveries from his lifelong quest for knowledge. According to him, that move paid off, since most of the graduates of the program landed jobs in gaming and related businesses.

Continued on E2

Envoys& BusinessMirror

E2 Thursday, February 13, 2020

HIGHER LEARNING

EU, PHL: Matched in space through satellites

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N this day and age, finding a partner can already be made possible with the use of technology via several applications. Even team-ups between space agencies have so much to gain from cutting-edge technology.

The ongoing dialogues between the European Union and the Philippines, through the Copernicus Programme, illustrate technology’s role in laying the foundation for a strong collaboration.

Copernicus is the EU’s Earth observation tool, which draws on a large number of space and in situ (on-site or local) measurement systems. The program is supported by a family of dedicated, EU-owned satellites—the Sentinels—designed to meet the needs of Copernicus services and their users.

Among the many unique features of this program is its ability to monitor the Earth to ensure that citizens are prepared, and protected, during natural or man-made disasters. Apart from providing high-resolution global spatial coverage, the Copernicus program promotes free and open use of its information for all its users.

During the Second National Conference on the EU’s space program, Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña welcomed the Copernicus Programme as a system which has given the Philippines “different opportunities to develop Earth observation applications for disaster-risk reduction and management, environmental protection and climate-change adaptation.”

De la Peña said that the Philippines has been a heavy user of Sentinel data. Through the Sentinel Australasia Regional Access, data and user products from Copernicus satellites Sentinel 1, Sentinel 2 and Sentinel 3 are now easily accessible to scientists and engineers at the Department of

Science and Technology (DOST).

Eye in the sky

DATA captured by orbiting satellites can be analyzed and processed in real time to become weather forecasting, climatic environmental and geological-monitoring information. This helps in determining rainfall and temperature, identifying land degradation, resource extraction, spread of insect-borne diseases, crop yields or managing disasters.

This prospective cooperation aims to address key objectives of the Philippine government to develop and utilize Earth observation satellite applications to enhance hazard management and disaster mitigation strategies, as well as further strengthen the country’s resilience to climate change.

Dr. Philippe Brunet, principal advisor to the European Commission Directorate for Cooperation and Development (and former EU director for space policy, Copernicus Programme and Defense), affirmed this prospective bilateral cooperation on space program. He said that the EU is looking at the possibility of implementing a national capacity-support program on Copernicus toward the end of the current year as a first step in close cooperation with the DOST.

Network of partners

INITIAL discussions between the EU and the Philippines have focused on disaster-risk reduction and climatechange adaptation, forest monitoring, as well as marine pollution and marine litter.

In the long term, Brunet said that “the EU is exploring the possibility

DR. Philippe Brunet EU IN THE PHILIPPINES

SCIENCE Secretary Fortunato de la Peña

France expands scholarship program for Filipinos

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EFLECTING the growing interest of Filipinos to pursue graduate studies in France, the Embassy of France to the Philippines is expanding its scholarship program in 2020 through a partnership with the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Science Education Institute.

The jointly administered Philippines-France-DOST Scholarship Program aims to encourage Filipino professionals working in academic, research, or government institutions to pursue a master’s or doctorate degree in French public higher education institutions. To further strengthen exchanges in scientific knowledge, and expertise, between France and the Philippines, the PhilFrance-DOST scholarships prioritize the following fields of study: agriculture, biological sciences, climate change, forestry, health and medical research, material sciences, natural resources and environment, nuclear application on health and veterinary sciences.

The French Embassy is also accepting applications for the PhilFrance Scholarships. Started in 2016, this program is directed to Filipino students, and professionals, who wish to come to France and pursue master’s degrees in all academic disciplines taught at French higher education institutions. The study grant is awarded to highly qualified candidates who have demonstrated strong academic, and leadership acumen, in their scholarly and professional pursuits.

Subsidies and more

DELINEATION map of the area around Taal Volcano, showing 15,753 hectares (157.5 square kilometers) affected by ash deposits at the time of satellite imagery acquisition. COPERNICUS EMS

of creating a network of Copernicus partners in the Asean region, aside from other parts of the world.

[We are] hopeful that through the program, it will enable mainstream use of information in development assistance operations.”

According to Brunet, since becoming operational six years ago, Copernicus has become an excellent example of European cooperation, and is the world’s leading provider of Earth observation data and information.

Copernicus supports evidencebased policy, creates economic opportunities, encourages innovation.

It also contributes to better disasterrisk management and emergency response, as well as tackles challenges of global nature.

The journey for both the EU and the Philippines as partners is gearing up amid some challenges, but the delegation is certain that through the Copernicus Programme, its bilateral relations will all the more be strengthened.

AWARDEES of the PhilFrance-DOST Scholarships and the PhilFrance Scholarships will be entitled to the following benefits: partial tuition subsidy, round-trip ticket from Manila to France, exemption from visa-application fees, monthly allowances, a health-care package and priority access to public student accommodations for the expected length of their academic programs.

Since 2016, more than 50 Filipinos have been awardees of the PhilFrance Scholarship, which has enabled them to pursue graduate degrees in the French language and literature, business, public policy and international development, engineering, mathematics, marine biology, applied chemistry, environmental and ecological sciences, and public health.

Details and guidelines on eligibility, benefits and requirements are

available through www.philfrancescholarships.com. The web site also contains useful information for applicants to explore higher education institutions and graduate programs offered in France. Interested candidates must submit their applications online through the PhilFrance Scholarships site no later than March 16, 2020.

Why study in France?

FRANCE is an attractive destination for studying abroad due to its rich culture and history, its world-class higher education system, and for being one of the world’s most researchintensive nations. Each year, at least 325,000 international students choose to study in the European country, making it the fourth-most attractive destination for inbound students, according to Unesco.

Fluency in French is not a necessary requirement to study in the European country. An increasing number of internationally ranked higher education institutions offer programs taught in English, while also providing French language courses for international students.

The state subsidies allow a more reasonable cost of living for international students in France, compared with other destinations.

Moreover, France offers a wide range of specializations, in line with the priority sectors of the Philippines. These include academic and research programs in sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM; sustainable development; disaster-risk reduction and mitigation; as well as social innovation and entrepreneurship.

Through information sessions, participation in education fairs and personalized consultations, the Campus France Manila office brings French higher education closer to Filipinos and helps prospective students make a more informed decision about their academic plans. For more information, contact manille@ campusfrance.org.

College instructor is at the top of his game Continued from E1

The French lecturer also takes pride in the fact that some theses of his graduating students received honors in the annual international festival hosted by the college. He is particularly impressed by a winning entry that illustrated the various stages of coming to terms with grief: “You play through the game, and through dialogue and visuals.

The characters go through denial, anger and acceptance—the aspects and stages of grieving.”

lege and have a diploma. The student could end up getting frustrated, stuck in a course he is not fit for, to begin with.

Ramos also thinks creating games should not be taken lightly. “Games can have a powerful influence in our lives; but there are times they just add to the ‘noise.’”

He pointed out that at DLS-CSB, they require thesis projects and capstone projects to be socially relevant.

Nevermind that the overarching topic might be mundane, as long as it has a value proposition.

Gaming as education

Thoughts on technology

COMPARED with their foreign counterparts, Filipino students are similar in their attitude toward education, said Ramos, as he elaborated: “There are those who are very selfdriven, while some are not at all. Most really want to do game development.

Still, others come to the classroom thinking they will just play games.”

He feels a bigger dilemma arises when students enroll in a course just to please their parents who wanted to simply send their children to col-

WAXING philosophical, Ramos continued, “Technology can be intrusive, and I don’t think we’re good at managing its impact on us. We’re just absorbing it.”

“I’m all for the business part of it,” and cautioned, “but we also need to understand better the effects of gaming on the minds of players and on their bodies.”

Despite thriving in a tech-driven setup, the instructor still considers himself “low-tech,” as he still uses

RAMOS is rewarded for a noteworthy project together with his students.

Purpose in PHL

DE La Salle-College of Saint Benilde consultant-instructor David-Jean Ramos: Games can have a powerful influence in our lives; but there are times they just add to the “noise.”

a hand-me-down, first-generation smartphone from his Filipina wife.

Nevertheless, he is quite excited about the future of gaming and how it will be shaped by artificial intelligence, machine learning and the upcoming 5G wireless technology.

Right now, he said, the indus-

try is aiming to develop “triple-A games,” where the play unfolds like a big-budget Hollywood movie. A recent title, “Death Stranding,” is at the forefront of current releases featuring crisp graphics, humanlike textures and agile movement of characters.

DELVING into less serious topics, especially about his Philippine residency, Ramos admits being quite ambivalent about Filipino food. He has come to love dining in places that serve specialties prepared with fresh vegetables and ingredients.

However, if push comes to shove, he would stay away from popular restaurants, where “processed meals” pose a challenge to his taste buds and personal health.

It may come as a surprise that the French instructor has grown a liking to carinderia food, especially those being served in small food places that dot the roadsides when

he travels around the country. He describes the usual fare as “super oily, but they’re tasty, nonetheless—being home cooked and all that.”

Outside lecture halls, Ramos turns into an active hiker. He, and some Filipino friends, recently went to Nepal and climbed the Himalayas.

Satisfied with his current status in life in this country, he shared: “I think I have a great job here. It gives me control on how I do things. I have time for my teaching program at Saint Benilde, and I also have time to learn new things.”

On top of his game, it can be said: A Frenchman has found his purpose in the Philippines.

&Expats

envoys.expats.bm@gmail.com |Thursday, February 13, 2020 E3

US, UST, military honor valiant Filipinos during World War II AMBASSADOR Sung Y. Kim joined officials from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in a wreath-laying ceremony to honor Filipinos who helped Americans at the España, Manila, campus during World War II.

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By Recto Mercene

@rectomercene

MBASSADOR of the United States to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim on February 3 paid tribute to brave Filipinos who covertly helped provide food and communications to the estimated 4,000 interns at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) during World War II (WWII).

“Countless brave Filipinos quietly implemented a supply line providing extra food and other goods, currency and correspondence to the people in UST. [They] gave [those who were once] interned here a fighting chance, helping them survive until they could eventually be rescued,” Kim said during the 75thyear commemoration of that eventful stage during the last great war.

At the UST rites, where members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) performed a silent drill along with the Philippine Marines

Corp.’s Drum and Bugle Team, Kim led a wreath-laying ceremony, assisted by UST’s Secretary-General Rev. Fr. Jesus M. Miranda Jr., OP, PhD and Defense Undersecretary Ricardo A. David.

The US ambassador said UST was thrust into the thick of the battles and, from 1942 to 1945, “this great university shouldered an incredible burden as the largest internment camp in the Philippines, housing nearly 4,000 allied civilians—including as many as 3,000 Americans.”

French Embassy, comic maker, Komiket award outstanding student comic

“Those that were interned here endured unbelievable hardship,” he added, “and yet, in the midst of all that despair and tragedy, emerged stories of hope, compassion, courage and friendship.”

Kim further noted that countless brave Filipinos, who could not stand by idly as internees died of starvation, quietly implemented a supply line which provided extra food, other goods, currency and correspondence to the people in UST. Of the 4,000 internees at UST, almost 3,000 were Americans who were later liberated by American forces. Captain Manuel Colayco, a UST faculty member who later died in the war, guided the liberators who entered the camp.

The valiant Filipinos Kim referred to were probably part of the guerrilla movement, of whom more than 260,000 members were officially recognized as having fought in the resistance movement against the Japanese.

‘Deep, enduring partnership’

KIM cited the remarkable acts of kindness, as the bonds formed during those difficult years, “helped to forge the deep and enduring part-

nership that has defined the USPhilippine relationship to this day.”

“We are so fortunate that some of the people who lived through those events are here with us today to tell their stories and remind us that when Filipinos and Americans join together, [they] can overcome even the most difficult times,” the US envoy noted.

As a guest, Kim commented, “It is a tremendous honor to be here today to revisit the events of 75 years ago.”

He paid tribute to American Leslie Ann, war veteran Sgt. Jose Quilatan and Colayco. The American diplomat said they and many others “sacrificed much to ensure that the alliance our nations forged during World War II would protect, unite and inspire future generations of Filipinos and Americans.”

“The alliance remains important today as it was 75 years ago, as we work together to respond to humanitarian disasters, counterterrorism, and keep the IndoPacific region free and open for all nations,” Kim stated.

“Today, we remember and pay tribute to the people who bonded together and fought side by side,

right here, 75 years ago, becoming allies for freedom,” the diplomat declared, and thus: “The best way for us to honor their sacrifices is by taking our relationship forward, by seizing opportunities to strengthen our partnership, and taking on future challenges together as friends, partners and allies.”

Alliance in action

KIM added that this alliance proved its usefulness when the Marawi crisis broke out. When Isis-inspired terrorists took over the Lanao del Sur capital, “our enduring military alliance enabled us to provide valuable advice, assistance and equipment in support of the AFP’s efforts to liberate the city from terrorist control,” Kim said.

The US ambassador emphasized the adaptability and importance of the US-Philippines alliance is also evident every time it confronts a natural disaster, then hailed their military assistance and training when preparing for and responding to disasters.

“After Supertyphoon Yolanda [international code name Haiyan], we launched Operation Damayan, which immediately deployed

13,400 US troops, 66 aircrafts and 12 ships to [calamity-struck areas supporting] relief efforts,” he explained. “We helped evacuate 21,000 Filipinos from impacted communities and brought in food, water, doctors and medical supplies to assist those who remained.”

The WWII story of cooperation inside UST, as well as the recent examples of extending help in Marawi, Yolanda and the recent eruption of the Taal Volcano, “demonstrate that, when we need each other the most, Filipinos and Americans are there for each other.”

Kim said a few weeks ago, when he visited the province of Batangas, he had a chance to interact directly with the people forced to evacuate their homes and communities. “I was deeply impressed by their resilience, and I was proud to deliver much needed supplies to our Filipino friends in their time of need.”

The envoy referenced the approaching end of his stint in the country, as he shared, “I genuinely believe in the continued promise of the US-Philippines relationship, and I am confident that we will accomplish even more together in the years and decades to come.”

Aussie master printmaker’s geopolitical opus now on display A

FOR the Future by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde animation student Isabella Hilario

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HE Embassy of France in Manila, prominent French author and comics writer Benoît Peeters, as well as Filipino komiks and art market Komiket recently lauded local artists at the “Manila 2019-2050: City of the Future” comics contest, a competition which encouraged homegrown professional and amateur illustrators to showcase their visions of the Philippine capital 30 years from now through original comic strips.

The jury, composed of Peeters, Komiket cofounder Paolo Herras, Alliance Française de Manille Executive Director Jean-Pierre Dumont and French Embassy Audiovisual Attaché Martin Macalintal awarded young artist Isabella Hilario, an animation student from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Design and Arts (SDA) for her winning piece, For The Future.

Hilario’s artwork depicts present deci-

sions affecting succeeding events. “I want my comic to speak about the malleable nature of our future as a country,” she shared. “What happens next is very much in our hands. Our actions have a lot of influence in shaping the rest of our lives, so it’s part of our responsibility to speak up and take action if we feel that something is not right.”

The contest was held in line with Manila 20192050: City of the Future, a series of occasions organized by the Embassy of France in Manila, which highlights the potential of the metropolis in 30 years’ time: “a region of sustainability, a center of economic, [as well as] technological progress and, more important, a home for its inhabitants.”

The project aims to seamlessly blend “French and Filipino experiences, [as well as] expertise in sustainable and livable urban development.”

USTRALIAN master printmaker, curator and educator Michael Kempson recently gifted the De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde one of his most popular works, entitled Child’s Play.

The collection, a 17-piece set of etching and aquatint prints that tackle the geopolitical issues of the 21st century, features adorable animals as commercialized national symbols of different countries.

The Philippines, represented by a carabao, or water buffalo, explores postcolonial legacy, ideas of social inequity and interrelationships within a wider paradigm.

Child’s Play was initially installed as part of the traveling exhibit By Hand: Rediscovering the Art of Printmaking by Benilde Center for Campus Art in 2018 before finding its home at the newly renovated office of the School of Diplomacy and Governance of College of Saint Benilde.

Kempson is currently a senior lecturer and convener of Printmaking Studies at the University

CHILD’S Play by Australian Michael Kempson

of New South Wales Art and Design in Sydney, Australia, and a visiting professor at the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts in China. He was the

international member-at-large for the US-based Southern Graphics Council International from 2014 to 2016.

His works have been showcased in 26 solo exhibits and have participated in more than 200 group exhibitions around the world.

Envoys&Expats BusinessMirror

E4 Thursday, February 13, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

nCoV WATCH

PHL sends goodwill donation to China

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LARK FREEPORT—In a gesture of solidarity with the communities in China affected by the novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) outbreak, the Philippines donated basic emergency and food items, including sanitation products, for the people of Hubei province on February 8.

THE Philippines donated basic emergency and food items for the people of Hubei province. Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of China participated in the ceremonial turnover. DFA-OSCR/KATHLEEN P. SALONGA FOREIGN Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Brigido J. Dulay presents the package containing basic emergency and food items to Ambassador Huang Xilian.

DFA-OSCR/KATHLEEN P. SALONGA

At a ceremonial turnover in Clark Development Corp., Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Brigido J. Dulay turned over the donation to Ambassador Huang Xilian, on behalf of the Philippine government.

The goods, to be handed over to Hubei provincial authorities for local distribution, are being flown into Wuhan together with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Depart-

ment of Health’s Health Emergency Response Team which departed on the same day to repatriate Filipinos from the province.

“This modest assistance is also our affirmation of the abiding friendship and legacy of mutual aid that has been the hallmark of Philippine-Chinese ties over the years.” Dulay said in his remarks, and quoting ancient literature, “it is the ‘goose feather from a thousand

Li away;’ the ‘small gift that conveys affection’ that [Chinese forefathers] have spoken of, with regard to sincere tokens of lasting amity.”

Huang expressed the gratitude and appreciation of the Chinese government for the gesture of the Philippine government and Filipino people.

“On behalf of the government and people of China, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the people of the Philippines, and the donors who have made this possible,” the ambassador remarked.

Mutual assistance and coopera-

GOODS were flown into Wuhan City. DFA-OSCR/KATHLEEN P. SALONGA

tion in times of emergencies and natural calamities have characterized Philippine-Chinese relations over the years.

Since the outbreak of the 2019nCoV ARD, the two countries have worked closely toward securing the safety of Filipino nationals in affected areas.

With the cooperation of the Chinese government, that of the Philippines, through the DFA, was scheduled to repatriate a total of 56 persons—including four infants— from Wuhan City. DFA

DFA distributes relief goods to Filipinos in Wuhan

THE Department of Foreign Affairs on-site repatriation team braves the dire situation in Wuhan City to give out goods to Filipinos there. DFA

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HE on-site repatriation team of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) handed out relief goods to Filipinos in Wuhan City, who were stranded in their homes due to government restrictions limiting travel movement in order to contain the spread of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Mark Anthony Geguera and Sanny Darren Bejarin of the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai ,coordinated with volunteer members of the Filipino community in the relief operations.

The DFA on-site repatriation team entered “ground zero” of the 2019-nCoV outbreak on February 7, to firm up the arrangements for the planned repatriation activities with Chinese authorities.

In an earlier statement, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido J. Dulay said, “We already have our DFA team inside Wuhan City, and they are there working on the ground preparing for the repatriation of our OFWs. They’re taking great personal risk for the sake of our kababayans, and I salute them for that.”

The team hired a vehicle to visit neighborhoods with identified Filipino residents in travel-restricted Wuhan City, then handed out grocery items and basic necessities.

A total of 56 persons, including seven spouses, have confirmed their intent to join the repatriation flight. The DFA initiated the call to repatriate the workers on January 28, facilitated by the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai. The latter is the foreign-service post with jurisdiction over Wuhan City and Hubei province. DFA