Businessmirror january 10, 2016

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Shakespeare lives

Now in the Philippines Turning Points: Global Agenda 2016 is a year-end package of opinion pieces and features, photos and cartoons covering events and trends in 2015 that will influence 2016 and beyond.

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This year’s 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare is not just an opportunity to commemorate one of the greatest playwrights of all time. It is a moment to celebrate the extraordinary ongoing influence of a man who—to borrow from his own description of Julius Caesar—“doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus.” »B3 Envoys&Expats

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A broader look at today’s business

n Sunday, January 10, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 94

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Slow budgetary spending under Aquino blurs PHL’s growth focus–economists

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By Bianca Cuaresma

he country’s inability to spend the budget quickly enough has and should again undermine its ability to continue to expand at potential, unless the matter is addressed soon, economists said.

week ahead

ECONOMIC DATA PREVIEW

n Previous week: The peso fluctuated in the first week of the year, due largely to developments internationally, affecting the dollar. The local currency hit a depreciating mode at the first trading day of the year, as market players run to safe havens amid the emerging conflict in the Middle East. Data from the PDS Group showed that the local currency hit 47.12 to a dollar on Monday, the first trading day of the year. The peso then appreciated to 46.89 to a dollar on Tuesday. It closed at 47.025 to a dollar on Wednesday, then hit 47.03 to a dollar on Thursday. The peso ended the week at 47.165 to a dollar.

n Week ahead: Markets are still seen to take cue from international developments for the next week—drawing attention to the Middle East conflict and data from the US economy.

However, economic managers lauded the improvements in the disbursement of public funds in recent months, saying the “slow but sure” spending ultimately should prove beneficial for the economy in the long run.

In a recent review of the country’s economic dynamics, HSBC economist Joseph Incalcaterra said government spending—particularly infrastructure spending—will prove “the bedrock of the Philippines’s growth outlook over the next decade.” Fixing the many bottlenecks of fund disbursement is critical in ensuring the sustainability of the growth momentum.

A while earlier, the Department of Finance (DOF) said the national government incurred yet another budget surplus last No-

vember, which only means fiscal authorities have yet to resolve the gridlock in disbursement.

The DOF said the national government budget balance in November 2015 stood as a surplus of P6.1 billion that reversed the deficit of P27 billion the previous month.

See “Budgetary spending,” A2

Govt willing to pay MRT 3 maintenance contractor but...

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

Remittances (November)

n October remittances: The growth of remittances in the country stumbled again last October and posted a below 1-percent expansion rate, despite the expectations of increased money from Filipino migrant workers toward the last quarter of the year in preparation for the Christmas expenditures. The Bangko Sentral reported earlier that the cash sent home by Filipinos working overseas hit a dismal 0.2-percent growth last October, after recovering last September. In absolute terms, cash from Filipino migrant workers to their families in the country hit $2.232 billion last October, almost unchanged from the $2.228 billion seen in the same month in 2014.

n November remittances: Economists and central bank officials have earlier said that a spike in remittance flows is expected to be seen toward the end of 2015, owing to the need for funding for the holiday season. Adding to that is the weakness of the peso, which is seen to add more purchasing power to the dollar flows sent by Filipino migrant workers to the country. Bianca Cuaresma

Incalcaterra: Government spending will prove “the bedrock of the Philippines’s growth outlook over the next decade.”

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HE government will only release the full payment for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3’s P128million interim rolling stock-maintenance deal once its private contractor completes all the requirements laid out on the agreement, transportation officials said.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said his office is willing to disburse the remainder of the P128-million payment due to Comm Builders and Technology Philippines should the group provide all the necessary upkeep needs of the MRT’s rolling stock and signaling system.

“On our part, we will give what is due [the] people. We don’t have any problem with they payment,” he said.

Comm Builders President Roehl

PESO exchange rates n US 47.0700

Bacar earlier said the government failed to pay his group for providing the maintenance of two of the MRT’s necessary components.

MRT General Manager Roman Buenafe, for his part, called the lawyers of the private contractor “liars”, explaining that his office has disbursed money to pay what was due the company.

“Their lawyers are liars, we have paid them almost P13 million.

I also signed a disbursement voucher for another P9 million. Based on the contract, there is a provision that they should show that they have delivered their services. They have not delivered, according to bin cards,” he said.

Buenafe added that the contractor was “treated fairly,” and he wants them to be paid in full.

“We want them fully paid for their services and the part that they have rendered. But they must deliver,” he said.

See “MRT,” A2

World’s richest losT $194B in first trading week of ’16

An electronic trading board shows a downward trend on the Philippines and other markets during morning trading at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Makati City on January 7. Chinese stocks nosedived on Thursday, triggering the second daylong trading halt of the week and sending other Asian markets sharply lower, as investor jitters rippled across the region. AP/Aaron Favila

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HE world’s 400 richest people lost almost $194 billion last week, as world stock markets began the year with a shudder on poor economic data in China and falling oil prices.

Forty-seven billionaires lost $1 billion or more during the worst week for US stocks since 2011, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The combined drop was almost seven times the $29-billion lost in the first five trading days of 2015. The 400 people on the index had a combined $3.7 trillion at the end of the week, compared with more than $4 trillion a year ago.

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, the best-performing billionaire in

2015, lost the most, his fortune dropping $5.9 billion this week, as shares of the world’s largest online retailer fell more than 10 percent. Bezos is the world’s fourth-richest person with $53.7 billion and more than doubled his net worth in 2015, as investors cheered profits at Amazon.

The world’s richest person, Bill Gates, fell $4.5 billion to $79.2 billion, while Spain’s Amancio Ortega, the second-richest, dropped $3.4 billion to $69.5 billion.

The combined loss among the billionaires represents a 4.9-percent dip in their total wealth, according to the index, a slightly better perfor-

mance than world equity markets so far this year. Global stocks tumbled 6.2 percent for the week, according to the MSCI ACWI Index.

There were 11 billionaires among the 400 whose fortunes rose this week, including the five heirs to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The five Waltons added a combined $2.5 billion, as Wal-Mart gained a little over $2 a share. Jim Walton, son of company founder Sam Walton, had the biggest gain, a $759-million increase.

The combined net worth of the 400 people on the index is $3.7 trillion, about equal to the GDP of Germany. Bloomberg

Think tank cites Mactan-Cebu airport PPP Given its current growth spurt, Cebu could pass the 10 million annual passenger milestone by 2018, and be close to processing 12.5 million passengers at the end of this decade.”—Center for Asia Pacific Aviation

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HE first airport public-private partnership (PPP) project of the current administration was hailed as the best transport deal in the region last year by a global project finance think tank.

The P17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) modernization deal, bagged by Megawide Construction Corp. and its Indian partner, was tagged by Thomson Reuters’s Project Finance International (PFI) as “2015 Best Transport Deal” in Asia Pacific.

Awarding will be held in February in London.

MCIA was taken over in late 2014 by GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., which has a 25year concession to manage and expand the air hub. The project involves the construction of a new world-class passenger-terminal building, which will boost the facility’s capacity to 12.5 million by 2018.

Since the project was turned over to the private partner, there have been various upgrades and changes that were implemented: a “greener” terminal building with new seats; washrooms are being

n japan 0.4003 n UK 68.8305 n HK 6.0703 n CHINA 7.1395 n singapore 32.8564 n australia 33.0525 n EU 51.4899 n SAUDI arabia 12.5403

See “PPP,” A2 Source: BSP (8 January 2016 )

NewsSunday A2 Sunday, January 10, 2016

BusinessMirror

MRT…

Continued from a1

Comm Builders, together with Schunk Bahn- und Industrietechnik GmbH, recently protested against the awarding of the P3.8-billion contract for the long-term maintenance of the MRT. In its notice of protest, the company called the awarding unlawful, as the procurement law provides for the suspension of the award of a project until a dispute has been resolved.

The group sought for the reconsideration of its bid for the contract, calling on President Aquino to review his group’s proposal.

The Filipino-German joint venture was disqualified from the emergency-procurement negotiations for submitting its offer 45 minutes late from the supposed deadline for submission of offers.

It said that in an emergency-negotiated procurement, “deadlines should not be enforced strictly” compared to formal and official public biddings. This, according to Bacar, should have been considered as his team had rushed the processing of its offer documents particularly the authentication documents of German firm Schunk since the DOTC negotiating team had not invited it to a “prenegotiation conference” last October.

Budgetary spending…

This brought the budget balance in the first 11 months last year to a more narrow deficit of only P46.5 billion. The January-toNovember deficit was actually 81 percent, or some P200 billion, lower than targeted for the January-to-November period.

In a recent public engagement, Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima shrugged off criticisms coming in the wake of the budget surplus in November.

“It is crucial that we reduce the infrastructure gap between the Philippines and our neighboring countries so we may be connected to the global economy. This wasn’t an easy task. In the early stages of the Aquino administration, people were already getting im-

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The consortium of Busan Transportation Corp., Edison Development & Construction, Tramat Mercantile Inc., TMI Corp. Inc. and Castan Corp. on Friday started to maintain the train line.

Comm Builders is also seeking to place whole train system under a massive transformation program to augment its capacity and to provide a safe and comfortable travel to commuters from the northern and southern corridors of Metro Manila.

The P4.64-billion proposal, submitted in February last year with Filipino partner Comm Builders, calls for the complete overhaul of the 73 light-rail vehicles of the MRT, the replacement of the rails, the upgrading of the line’s ancillary system, the upgrade of the track circuit and signaling systems, the modernization of the conveyance system, and a three-year maintenance contract.

The transportation department has yet to formally accept of reject the offer.

Under the amended build-operate-transfer law, the government has to inform the proponent whether it accepts or rejects an unsolicited proposal within 120 days.

The MRT is in a chronic state of decay, with the 16-year-old trains already maxed out of their rated capacities and the rails already experiencing difficulties in handling almost 560,000 passengers per day.

Continued from a1

patient with the progress of our infrastructure program…. But today, I have no regrets with taking the slow but sure way of delivering our infrastructure projects,” Purisima said, adding quickly they had to reevaluate the infrastructure backlog to minimize mistakes.

Incalcaterra also said the low level of investments in the Philippines was partly to blame for the country’s low growth narrative.

“The low level of investment in the Philippines remains a concern, even if infrastructure spending has increased as of late.

While the private-public partnership initiative has proven to work, it has been sluggish at best,” Incalcaterra said.

“Moreover, one recent project was can-

celed by the operator due to delays on the part of the government. Across the country, key shortages, such as electricity and transport, remain unaddressed,” he added.

This development, according to the economist, will help diminish the competitiveness of the economy, as well as crimp its output potential.

Bank of the Philippine Islands research officer Nicholas Antonio Mapa called on the government to release quickly funds for infrastructure development in the country.

“Nobody said doing things right would take so long. Other nations can certainly carry this out. For some reason, we didn’t,” Mapa said.

“As we speak, the low-interest-rate environment is fading and the opportunity to make use of the immense political capital will be gone in a short six months,” he added.

PPP…

Continued from a1

renovated; new self-service check-in kiosks have been installed; and new immigration, customs and quarantine counters are in place, among others.

The aviation hub in Cebu, which is currently being marketed as the world’s first resort airport, is poised to grow rapidly in the coming years, as Manila continues to face capacity constraints both in airside and landside infrastructure.

“Given its current growth spurt, Cebu could pass the 10 million annual passenger milestone by 2018 and be close to processing 12.5 million passengers at the end of this decade,” aviation think tank Center for Asia Pacific Aviation said in a report. “With the new private owners the airport should be able to continue expanding, and keep up with growing demand for an alternative hub in the Philippines.”

All local carriers, five foreign low-cost carriers, and four foreign full-service airlines operate in and out of Cebu.

The Cebu airport is well groomed to be an option for airline expansion, given the steady 6-percent to 7-percent per annum economic growth in the Philippines

To date, the government has awarded 12 PPP projects with an estimated total cost of $4.83 billion. Lorenz S. Marasigan

NewsSunday

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo

Security forces brace for feast of Black Nazarene

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ECURITY forces were on alert as they braced for one of the globe’s biggest human gatherings as millions took to the streets of Manila to celebrate the festival of the Black Nazarene on Saturday.

Former President and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada shut schools and liquor sales will be regulated within 200 meters of the procession. Some streets in central Manila will be closed to clear the way for the throngs, according to a police advisory posted on the city’s web site.

The feast of the Black Nazarene is one of the country’s biggest annual security challenges as the faithful of Asia’s most Catholic country flock to the capital.

Last year at least two people died and about 1,700 were treated for injuries during a 19-hour procession during which the statue of a black Jesus carrying a cross was paraded, according to the government and Philippine National Red Cross.

During the procession, a sea of devotees, mostly men dressed in maroon and yellow shirts, will jostle to get close to the carriage bearing the image. Some toss towels to men designated to wipe down the 400-year-old icon, believed to have healing powers.

About 1.2 million people joined the procession, Supt. Marissa Bruno said in a mobile-phone message about 7 a.m. local time. Almost 300 people were treated for dizziness and minor injuries, Bruno said.

The procession started about 6 a.m., according to a local newspaper.

Crowd control

ATTENDANCE at this year’s procession may exceed the 5 million recorded in 2015, GMA News reported, citing Msgr. Hernando Coronel, Quiapo Church rector.

About 5,000 policemen will be deployed to maintain order, among them medical teams that will help treat injuries, Director Joel Pagdilao, Metro Manila police commander, told reporters last week. About 900 soldiers, including explosives experts will also help crowd control, Col. Restituto Padilla, Armed Forces spokesman said on January 6. Bloomberg News

BusinessMirror

Sunday, January 10, 2016 A3

Meralco execs draw wish list for next administration

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By Lenie Lectura

OP officials of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) have drawn up their wish list for the country’s next president.

Meralco Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, in an earlier interview, said allowing the private sector to invest in critical infrastructure is something that the government should observe amid robust economic growth.

The group of Pangilinan, as well as those of other conglomerates, like the San Miguel Corp. and the SM group, experienced delays in the current administration’s approval of project implementation processes.

The six-year term of President Aquino ends in June, with only a few months left before the national elections held in May. “To be fair, there are no schools for presidents. Quite likely, new presidents are new presidents and they haven’t been there before, unlike prime ministers,” Pangilinan commented.

The businessman was asked what his aspirations are for the country, with a new president to be proclaimed in the next few months. “We always batted for more power plants because we create pricing pressure,” Pangilinan replied.

Meralco, the country’s largest electricity distribution-utility company, is also involved in the power-generation business through the Meralco Power-

Gen Corp. (MGen). Together with partners, MGen is gearing up to achieve a target of providing 3,000 megawatts (MW) of power-generating capacity in Luzon.

He pointed out that it is better for the country to have “more supply than less.”

“If the power plants are new then they are more efficient and better for the country. You could then retire old, creaky, expensive coal-fired plants.

We should do just that. Allow the private sector to invest. It’s their money, it’s their risk. There’s no government funding involved, there’s no guarantees involved. So let them, subject of course to environmental constraint and proper permitting,” Pangilinan lamented.

The MGen-led consortium’s 600-MW power plant, for instance, has been delayed since 2010 owing to legal hurdles.

Pangilinan could not stress enough the importance of power-related infrastructure in the country. Electricity, he said, is similar to water, toll roads and other critical infrastructure which are “vital to everybody’s welfare.”

Meralco President Oscar S. Reyes, for his part, said industry stakeholders should support one another in order to achieve the following: an adequate sup-

ply of generation capacity, an interconnected transmission system and a reliable distribution network.

“The whole industry must work together. Generation, transmission and distribution must work together under the oversight of the leaders of the ERC [Energy Regulatory Commission] and the DOE [Department of Energy],” Reyes said.

Pangilinan said it is difficult to enumerate the critical policies that the government must give focus on, saying “it’s a broad range.”

Nonetheless, Energy Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada assured the private sector that the policies crafted by the agency are meant to ensure a level playing field among industry stakeholders.

“It has been the goal of the DOE to create a healthy environment, to foster competition that will benefit the consumers.

We are also looking after the welfare of the consumers,” she said when sought for comment.

ERC Chairman Jose Vicente Salazar, meanwhile, said the agency has “detached itself from politics” in order to arrive at a reasonable decision with an end view of looking out for the consumer’s welfare.

“The law has made us independent.

We have laid down the necessary resolutions. We have insulated ourselves from politics. Rest assured that we will decide on the cases fairly,” Salazar said in a text message.

Reyes stressed the importance of a harmonized power generation, transmission and distribution network. “You have to look at the whole industry. We

must try to provide that much support to the generation sector, particularly in terms of addressing shall we say what is the most critical. No. 1 is transmission,” Reyes said.

The transmission facilities are vital to the power sector. Without these, the power produced by the generation firms could not be transported to the DUs, which, in turn, is responsible for distributing power to end-consumers.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) operates the country’s transmission network. Recently, the grid operator has been reporting of right-of-way (ROW) violations that have resulted in interrupted transmission services.

“ROW violations, along with bombing attacks, have become the significant problems for NGCP. It will be very difficult for us to deliver the available power supply to distribution utilities if we continue to encounter these problems,” the NGCP said when sought for comment.

The NGCP legally holds the ROW in the areas near and around the transmission towers and posts. The assets, however, are still government-owned.

A coal power project in Subic by a consortium headed by MGen has encountered ROW problems that led to a delay in the project’s timeline.

But the delays and other problems encountered by Meralco do not hinder the utility company from further investing in the country. “These problems are all part of a fulfilling life. That’s why it’s more fun,” Pangilinan said.

Pineda to relocate families along DOE ensures adequate power supply during May Arnedo Dike, Arayat-Apalit levee T

PAMPANGA Gov. Lilia “Nanay” Pineda (left) inspects the section of Arnedo Dike in Arayat damaged by floodwaters induced by Typhoon Nona. Joining the governor are Department of Public Works and Highways Region 3 Director Antonio V. Molano Jr., National Housing Authority Region 3 Director Ines Gonzales (second from right) and former board member Fritzie David-Dizon (right).

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By Joel Mapiles | Correspondent

RAYAT, Pampanga–Gov. Lilia Pineda urged thousands of families and villagers living along the stretch of Pampanga River to vacate the old Arnedo Dike and go to safer places or relocate to a permanent resettlement site.

Pineda said every now and then their lives are at risk, particularly those living along and in between the Arnedo Dike and Arayat Apalit Setback Levee, which serve as first and second line of defense from the cascading floodwater from the Pampanga River, especially during rainy season.

She said the two flood-control structures are highly critical and damage to the structures during a typhoon may result in destruction of lives and properties.

This developed as different sections of the more than 50-year-old Arnedo Dike in San Luis and San Simon and the Arayat-Cupang Section of the Arayat Setback Levee collapsed recently during the onslaught of typhoons Lando and Nona.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Central Luzon Director Antonio V. Molano Jr. said the agency would immediately reconstruct the slope protection of the damaged portion of the setback levee in Barangay Cupang with an initial fund of P45 million.

In addition, Molano said, he would ask the national government to augment the funds as this amount would not be enough to strengthen the setback levee as more slope protections should be constructed to fill up the gaps.

“We need to reconstruct the breached portion of the setback levee and to continue the construction to fill the gap portion were the breaching originated. Mayroon pa kasing earth dike na natitira kaya doon pumasok ang tubig kaya natibag ng tuloy-tuloy pati iyong may slope proteksyon tuluyang nasira,” Molano said.

He added that the old Arnedo Dike put up long ago from Apalit, San Simon, San Luis to Candaba, which serves as first line of defense next to the ApalitArayat Setback Levee, is no longer dependable as most of its portions had collapsed and other sections are also susceptible for possible scouring anytime.

With the existence of the Arayat-Apalit Setback Levee as second line of defense, “our attention is more on the protection of the levee and not of the Arnedo Dike,” he said.

He clarified that Arayat town is only being protected by the setback levee and it has no Arnedo Dike portion.

Arayat Mayor Bon Alejandrino warned that the towns of Arayat, Mexico, Santa Ana, Magalang and even the city of San Fernando will be put at risk if the scoured setback were not given immediate engineering intervention.

The water of the Pampanga River has three main sources—Chico River, Bamban Paruga River and the San Antonio Dam in Nueva Ecija.

Pineda urged the National Housing Authority (NHA) to study and plan a holistic approach on how to relocate the more than 35,000 families living along the threatened stretch of the Pampanga River.

She said the NHA has the Telapayong property that could be used as possible resettlement area for the relocatees.

Ines Gonzales, NHA Pampanga manager, said the initial 12 families affected by the breaching of the Cupang section of the Arayat Setback Levee could be relocated in a resettlement area in Barangay Lambak, Guagua town.

“It has housing units which are ready for occupancy and it is ideal because it has complete amenities such as schools and public market,” Gonzales said.

Pineda said the provincial government would give P200,000 for each of the 12 families would prefer to relocate to other places of their choice if they decline the relocation offer of the NHA in Guagua.

HE Department of Energy (DOE) has created a task force to ensure adequate and reliable supply of electricity before and after the May 9 elections.

DOE Department Circular DC2016-01-0001 outlines specific duties and responsibilities of concerned national government agencies and power stakeholders, such as ensuring availability and operation of power plants and electricity market; carrying out strategic preventive maintenance of all power facilities; and providing enough technical manpower for emergency response and security of vital power infrastructures, among others.

The Power Task Force Election 2016 shall be composed of a core group and supporting organizations.

The core group team will be headed by the energy secretary, while the members are the president of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), administrator of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and presidents of the National Power Corp.

(Napocor), the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), National Transmission Corp. (Transco), Philippine Electricity Market Corp.

(PEMC) and Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).

PSALM and Napocor are tasked to ensure availability of generating units, including those already privatized, to meet demand and required reserves, in close coordination with the NGCP. They are also required to ensure maximum reservoir level for hydro power plants prior to election day.

Further, they are responsible for suspending preventive maintenance and testing of generating units one week before and after election day.

Transco and NGCP are also tasked to ensure avail-

I.S.O. recertification

ability of all substation facilities and emergency-diesel generators. NEA, on the other hand, shall oversee the preparations of all electric cooperatives and ensure the readiness and reliability of the distribution systems.

PEMC must ensure the continuous operation of the spot market.

The members of the supporting organizations, meanwhile, include the Philippine Independent Power Producers Association, Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Private Electric Power Operators Association Inc., Retail Electricity Suppliers Association, Philippine Federation of Electric Cooperatives and other associations of distribution utilities.

Energy Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada shall head the task force. The members, meanwhile, are tasked to ensure operation of their respective facilities, institute mitigating measures, report the status of their facilities, address potential problems.

They shall also establish their respective contingency teams and designate their representatives to support the sub-Task Force Election 2016.

“As part of its mandate and in accordance to Comelec Resolution 10023, the DOE deems it necessary to adopt measures to ensure provision of stable and continuous supply of power during the national and local elections starting from May 2, 2016, until the termination or conclusion of the canvassing of votes and the proclamation of winning candidates,” the circular said.

The Election Power Task Force’s Command Centers within NGCP Compounds in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao will be in Diliman, Quezon City; Banilad, Cebu City; and Cagayan de Oro City. Lenie Lectura

First Gen Corp., a Lopez Group company, earned once again a recertification recently from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO, through its accredited certifying body Anglo Japanese American Registrars Inc. (AJA Registrars), renewed First Gen’s certificate of registration for First Gen’s compliance with ISO’s Quality Management System (ISO 9001:2008). Francis Giles B. Puno (second from left), First Gen president and COO, receives the certificate of registration from AJA Registrars Vice President Paul Bagatsing (center). First Gen officials witnessing the event are (from left), Renato A. Castillo, senior vice president and concurrent chief risk officer; Luis C. Aningat, quality, environment, safety and health (QESH) senior manager; and Margarita Pambid, QESH Management System senior specialist.

SundayV

Busine

A4 Sunday, January 10, 2016 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

editorial

The challenge of technological change

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OR a long time now, we have joined millions of people demanding solutions to Metro Manila’s insufferable traffic problems. We have welcomed the Dream Plan put forward by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and lamented its delayed implementation. But just as we said in this space the other day, human ingenuity and common sense will provide some stopgap measures. It will take some time, but it will happen.

We have in mind two projects that give concreteness to this notion, though these are not stopgap measures but measures that have the potential of becoming long-term solutions: The e-vehicle project inaugurated some three years ago by US President Barack Obama on the occasion of his visit here, and the electric road train (ERT) project recently announced by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The DOST is planning to install an ERT system in Metro Manila to solve the city’s traffic and mass-transport problem. Power-utility giant Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and Aseana Holdings are reported as keen on adopting the plan.

As described by the DOST, the ERT is a 40-meter long train-like bus composed of five interconnected fully air-conditioned coaches, four of which can accommodate 60 passengers each, for a total of 240 commuters per ride, and the fifth and last to serve as the power coach.

The ERT can run at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour. It is powered by hybrid-diesel fuel and an electric-power battery. It does not need electricity and suspended cables to operate, which means it is energy-efficient. It has very low smoke-emission levels, compared with existing mass-transport vehicles, making it an eco-friendly mode of transport.

Most noteworthy, the ERT is designed by Filipino engineers. ERTs, therefore, can be built in the Philippines and, the DOST assures us, can be delivered to users in a year or less. The reported interest of Meralco and Aseana in the ERT system is most welcome. It will abbreviate the waiting period of Manilans and, more or less, assure them of an efficient transport system operating to satisfy their need.

On the e-vehicle project, the e-jeepney and the e-tricycle have been described as harbingers of the new technology and being more competitive than current jeepneys and tricycles in terms of passenger capacity and gas consumption. If reports are correct, however, the e-vehicle business is languishing at the edge of limbo. Manufacturers apparently have more homework to do to make their project a roaring success.

These twin projects can help make the traffic woes of Metro Manila bearable while the bigger projects are awaiting completion.

As technologically progressive as they are, however, when carried out, these projects will have severe social consequences—the loss of jobs and means of livelihood of drivers, mechanics and other people currently engaged in the jeepney and tricycle business. This is a challenge to governments. Measures must be put in place to ensure that everyone not only survives, but benefits from the transition.

Saudi Arabia’s problems

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By Tobin Harshaw | Bloomberg View

AUDI Arabia’s feud with Iran over the beheading of a prominent Shiite cleric led to a lot of overwrought speculation about Sunni-Shiite tensions rising to tear up the Middle East. Those more steeped in regional affairs point to the other 46 men beheaded, almost all of whom were Sunnis charged with terrorism.

The theory here is that the execution of the preacher, Nimr al-Nimr, was less about provoking Shiites than preempting domestic outrage over the deaths of so many Sunnis, who make up 85 percent of the country’s population. The kingdom has rarely been concerned with domestic opinion in its 90 years of statehood. Does Saudi Arabia now fear unrest among the masses? Should it?

Outside of North Korea and the New England Patriots, few institutions are more opaque than the Saudi royal court. But over the last year, the first in the reign of 80-year-old King Salman, the famously hidebound monarchy has undergone a shocking and risky makeover.

Salman, who took over last January 23 on the death of his half-brother King Abdullah, was widely expected to be just a caretaker. Instead, he took care of business. Within months, he replaced the anointed crown prince with his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef, the longtime interior minister. Yet, he also watered down this new heir’s influence by dismantling the crown prince’s previously independent court.

The real winner was the king’s young son, Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman, who became deputy crown prince and gatekeeper to those seeking the king’s attention.

The prince was named head of the new Council of Economic and Development Affairs, which took over many powers of the finance ministry, and was given control over Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil monop-

Gospel

Sunday, January 10, 2016

oly. (On Thursday he suggested that the kingdom may consider selling a stake in the oil giant.)

Many questioned whether the untested Mohammed bin Salman, who is thought to be in his early 30s, was up to all that responsibility. Open letters printed in the Guardian attributed to a “senior Saudi prince” accused King Salman of being “completely reliant on his son’s rule,” and hinted that the oldest generation of royals should choose a replacement for Salman.

Mohammed bin Salman’s tenure has not put those doubts to rest. He was the prime agitator for the Saudi intervention in neighboring Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels had overturned the Saudi-backed government. A nine-month bombing campaign has reduced much of the impoverished country to rubble and killed hundreds of civilians, but the military quagmire just grows deeper.

It certainly does not demonstrate a mastery of geopolitics.

There were also reports, unverified but widely believed in the Arab world, that road closings for the deputy crown prince’s motorcade were partially responsible for the stampede among Muslim pilgrims near Mecca last September, in which more than 2,000 died. Even if the prince was blameless, and even if road closings were not a factor, the rumors cut deeply into one of the family’s greatest sources of legitimacy: As dependable custodians of the Islam’s most revered sites.

The Saudi reaction to 2015’s collapse in oil prices is also under scru-

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tiny. Saudi Aramco has refused to cut back production—no doubt wary of the huge losses in market share it suffered by following that path in the 1980s—leading to huge deficits and staggeringly high unemployment rates among younger citizens. As David Fickling of Bloomberg Gadfly points out, the Saudi economy is now more exposed to cratering oil prices than archrival Iran’s.

Facing this budget crunch, the young prince did what you might expect from a modern monarch: He called in the consultants. With advice from McKinsey & Co., Mohammed bin Salman has outlined a plan that will impose taxes and cut billions in electricity, gasoline and water subsidies, particularly among the wealthiest. The government has begun issuing sovereign bonds, its first since 2007, rather than further draw down its $635 billion in reserves. Some state-controlled functions, such as airports, will be privatized.

Above all, the plan calls for diversifying the economy away from oil, which provides 80 percent of budget revenue. The imported number crunchers said a “productivity- and investment-led transformation” could add 6 million jobs by 2030. Sure.

Mohammed bin Salman wasn’t alive to see all of them, but there have been at least 10 previous official development plans for the kingdom since 1970, and each has put economic diversification at the top of the agenda.

Perhaps, 11th time will be the charm. Maybe the Saudis and their Gulf allies can forge a truce in Ye-

men that lasts more than a couple of days. Perhaps, rising Sunni rivals, such as Qatar, which notably did not break off diplomatic relations with Iran this week, can be brought into line at the emergency meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council scheduled for Saturday.

But none of this will ease the royal family’s existential fears, or its horror over the Arab Spring of 2011.

Particularly chilling was the fall of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, abandoned by his longtime US allies.

The House of Saud has long kept the populace in line by spreading out oil riches, what the scholar Toby Craig Jones calls “the very social contract that informally binds ruler and ruled.” Now, a population of which a large majority is under 30 will be the first in memory to face economic privation. It may want a greater say in its future.

“Part of the leverage the regime has had on their people is that they don’t impose taxes and, therefore, people don’t expect representation,” said Robert Jordan, a former US ambassador to Riyadh. “But once they pay taxes, you’re likely to see an increase in political unrest.”

The kingdom is taking no chances.

It has initiated a new security law that lists “disrupting public order,” “risking national unity” and “harming the reputation” of the royal family as terrorist acts. Human rights lawyer Waleed al-Khair was given 10 years in prison for “inflaming public opinion,” and a pro-democracy blogger, Raif Badawi, was given the same term as well as 1,000 lashes.

The House of Saud has long kept the populace in line by spreading out oil riches, what the scholar Toby Craig Jones calls “the very social contract that informally binds ruler and ruled.” Now, a population of which a large majority is under 30 will be the first in memory to face economic privation. It may want a greater say in its future.

S the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ, John answered them all, “I baptize you with water; but He who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art My Beloved Son; with Thee I am well pleased.”

— Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Voices

essMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph • Sunday, January 10, 2016 A5

Shifting center W

Free Fire

By Teddy Locsin Jr.

E are back in the reign of Diocletian, who tried to exterminate the Christians, only this time the exterminators do not speak Latin, but gibberish. In the Middle East and in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, Christians have been slaughtered or driven away, to die in the wilderness, like Armenians at the hands of the Turks.

“They hate difference, whether

it is Muslims who think differently, or Yazidis or Christians. Because of them, Christians face elimination in the very region where Christianity began,” said the archbishop of Canterbury on Christmas Day; the same observation was made by Pope Francis. Our native bishops continue to be clueless about it. He was referring to formerly Western-backed guerrilla assets against Bashar al-Assad who went rogue and have attacked the

West as well, though they are still supported by Turkey. They are Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), or Daesh, if you watch Homeland. They are the new Herods, said the archbishop.

No Western country has tried to save Christians from extermination, only individual Westerners—ex-special forces or just plain citizens with a sense of decency like those who fought in the Spanish Civil War. Only former communist

Russia and Shia Iran have done so on a massive scale.

The world has changed. In the past, the slightest threat or even insult to Christians provoked massive military response from Christian powers. Now Christians in the West, who are slapped or even shot

by Islamic radicals like ISIS, only turn their heads away as though turning the other cheek, so they won’t see Christians in the East mistreated

with far rougher methods.

Pope Francis is right.

The vital center of Christianity has shifted elsewhere, to Latin America and Africa, maybe Asia, as well. One day, a deconsecrated Saint Peter will be a resort hotel or nightclub—when the first pope to celebrate Christmas in Bogota was the last pope to celebrate it in Rome.

Nothing in the gospel says that Christianity needs to be in the West.

privileged minorities, Marcos lives.

In the form of these legacies, Marcos is indestructible.

“Unable to erase President Marcos from the nation’s memory, his enemies have resorted to editing history to depict him as an arch-villain: Evil, vain, oppressive, beyond redemption, universally loathsome.

“They have denigrated the medals his war exploits won him, as fakes.

They have dragged him and his wife to various American courts on charges of plunder and massive humanrights violations. In trials by publicity, the Marcoses stand convicted of atrocious acts, which approximated crimes against humanity.

“They have demonetized the P1 coin bearing his image and all paper bills bearing his New Society catchphrases. They have produced history textbooks that demonized him as a tyrant, a dictator, a fascist, an American puppet, a thief, a murderer, a crook.”

One simplistic text in Dr. Sonia M. Zaide’s 241-page Philippine History and Government, has chapters on “the Marcos Dictatorship.”

Excerpts: “President Marcos became a dictator for 14 years–from 1972 to 1986… A dictator is a ruler who has total power… A dictatorship is the opposite of a democracy. So while President Marcos was a dictator, democracy died in our country from 1972 to 1986.”

Zaide’s aforementioned book has been approved for use in Philippine high schools. It is only one of the many publications instilling in the minds of the youth the fiction that “President Marcos was a dictator who was above the law. The miseducation is obvious, given the odious application to the term dictator.”

A nation’s strength though is often personified by its leaders. Marcos was labeled a dictator, although Aguinaldo, as historical events

Agoncillo wrote: “They have denigrated the medals his war exploits won him as fakes. They have dragged him and his wife to various American courts on charges of plunder and massive humanrights violations. In trials by publicity, the Marcoses stand convicted of atrocious acts, which approximated crimes against humanity. They have demonetized the P1 coin bearing his image and all paper bills bearing his New Society catchphrases. They have produced history textbooks that demonized him as a tyrant, a dictator, a fascist, an American puppet, a thief, a murderer, a crook.”

Evil men at work Database

By Cecilio T. Arillo Conclusion

‘W

OR SE ,” sa id Mrs. Imelda Marcos, “their enemies even attempted to rewrite history and compared me to some of the nastiest women in the world who poisoned their husbands, flaunted their expensive jewels, and bedded with kings and presidents for the sake of power.”

“I don’t belong to their rank and God knows what I did for my country. All my projects have strong economic relevance and have improved the condition of the hungry and the dispossessed.”

Emphasizing her point during the interview, she quoted a passage (page 45) of Hubris, a little known 545-page comprehensive historical book on the persistent persecution of the Marcoses written by noted authors Karla Sohmer, Salvador Escalante and J. Augustus Y. de la Paz and published in 2000: “Philippine history has indeed been subjectively distorted by dozens of anti-Marcos writers according to their agenda. It may be profitable, but the profits cannot cover the truth: The practice is intellectually unethical and is made more repugnant by the resulting miseducation of the Filipino youth.

“But despite years of sustained and

officially sanctioned indoctrination, the masses have not been tricked into losing all reverence for the late President Marcos. The masses persisted in measuring succeeding leaders against the Marcos benchmark. Were they resolute and politically willful? Were they able to stand up to the Americans? What were they able to build?

What did they do for the homeless, the landless, the illiterate, the sick and the dispossessed?

“The Marcos era was indeed better in many ways, for the leadership was of higher quality and loftier commitment. From the dawn of prehistory, Malakas and Maganda [Strong and Beautiful], the genesis of Ferdinand and Imelda, have journeyed to lead their progeny across perilous period, with not just survival in mind, but a superior future.”

Indeed, even the late eminent historian, Prof. Teodoro A. Agoncillo, in his 637-page History of the Filipino People, never referred to President Marcos as a dictator.

Agoncillo wrote: “The mortal life of President Marcos came to an end on September 28, 1989. But his death did not put a stop to the obsessive efforts of his foes to stigmatize him for perpetuity. The pseudo-gods have consigned him to perdition.

“There is an explanation: Marcos the man is dead, but his legacy lives on. While his people continued to govern and be governed through the barangays, Marcos lives. While citizens continued to oppose communist control, Marcos lives. While the poor clamored for a return to the socialized pricing of basic commodities, the control of housing rentals, the protection of Philippine industries from foreign competitors, and the regulation of key industries like petroleum and power distribution, Marcos lives. While the people demanded a leadership that got things done over the protests of

showed, was the only head of state who formally assumed the title of a dictator. Marcos was denounced for extending his tenure beyond the constitutional limit; the distinction of being first to do so belonged to President Manuel L. Quezon. Marcos was impugned for suspending the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus; the first to make such a suspension was President Elpidio Quirino on October 22, 1950 to be able to indefinitely detain members of the Political Bureau of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (Communist Party of the Philippines) who were captured that month.

They also criticized President Marcos for his lengthy exercise of emergency powers; President Quezon was similarly decried, for having used emergency powers until the end of 1941. Political rival Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., echoed the communists’ summation of the Marcos presidency when he declared in 1977: “Mr. Marcos declared martial law to perpetuate himself in power. He deliberately abetted chaos for seven years so that at the end of his constitutionally allowable term, he could justify the imposi-

tion of martial rule to cover up his mismanagement.”

Aquino was entitled to his opinion, but his theory was implausible.

Historical facts showed that Marcos neither invented nor abetted the communist and separatist insurgencies; rather it was Ninoy who morally aided both insurgencies and materially supported the communist subversives as well. These insurgencies were the major reasons for the imposition of martial law (A Country Imperiled, 2011).

Marcos was not intent on merely presiding over a government. He worked hard to make the Republic strong, internally and internationally. To help contain the communist and separatist insurgencies, he opened diplomatic and trade relations with Mainland China on June 9, 1975, the Soviet Union on June 2, 1976, member-states of the Eastern Bloc starting in 1973, with East Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria and countries in the Middle East.

In August 1977 he visited Malaysia and Sabah, which he knew had secretly supported the Mindanao separatists with training and arms

backed by some members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. During his visit to Malaysia, Chief Minister Datuk Haris Saleh assured him that Sabah was not assisting the separatist rebellion in Mindanao.

He pursued an independent foreign policy, instead of simply following the American line, at the risk of gradually losing American support for his administration. He insisted on Philippine sovereignty over the US military facilities in the Philippines and on rentals for their continued use.

“Most of these achievements,” Mrs. Marcos said, “were recorded during the martial-law period.

President Marcos intended martial law not only to contain the communist and separatist insurgencies, but also to provide the controlled environment, under a crisis situation, for the reforms that would shape the New Society—a nation of disciplined, capable and united Filipinos.”

To reach the writer, e-mail cecilio.arillo@gmail.com.

Hunting’s cold-blooded cruelty

By Craig Shapiro

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals TNS Forum

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OST of us have done things that we’d give anything to take back. I still remember taunting a boy in second grade until he ran away from school and embarrassing a girl in junior high who asked me to dance. I could plead young and stupid, but that only half-applies to the time I went hunting.

I was in college and staying at the farm that my friend’s father ran in southwestern Georgia. We grabbed rifles and went looking for squirrels.

We found them, too, perched on fence posts and scrambling out of our way.

I also found one high up in an oak tree, although I didn’t realize it until I fired into a nest. A nest. Forty years later, I can still see that squirrel— torn from her family and flung from her home—dropping to the ground.

That cold-blooded lapse always replays in my mind whenever I read a story about hunters “harvesting,” “culling” or “taking” any animal who wanders into their crosshairs. They make it sound downright pastoral, but semantics can’t sway me now.

What they do—what I did—is slaughter. Hunters aren’t keen on using words like that, as one pleasant commenter implied in an online exchange. He called me “a sentimental old fool” and suggested that “slaughter” be reserved for “senseless” killings. Well, hunting might have made sense a few hundred years ago, when human survival was at stake, but today, it’s nothing more than a senseless blood sport.

The typical stale defense goes something like this: We harvest/cull/ take to prevent starvation among the rest of the herd. We’re environmentalists. We’re dutiful stewards of American values. The Bible gives

us dominion over animals. Let’s pick off these arguments one by one.

Given the choice between killing a doe or a 10-point buck, no hunter is going to slaughter the doe, and preventing starvation has nothing to do with it. And that buck may not die right away after being shot. Many animals endure painful, prolonged deaths after they’re injured by hunters.

Environmentalists don’t use rifles and crossbows. And hunters don’t create green space—they create a spike in the food supply, which increases breeding among survivors and attracts newcomers. Hunters also disrupt migration and hibernation patterns and destroy families.

And as for American values, how about honesty, compassion and fairness? But the argument that chafes me the most is the one about having dominion over animals, as if Genesis

1:26 were some perverse license to slaughter.

Last year in his encyclical, Pope Francis wrote: “We are not God....

[N]owadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures.”

The Bible teaches kindness and compassion and love. The definition of dominion doesn’t say a thing about squeezing a trigger. Surely, there are hunters who struggle with semantics. (Psychologists can address denial and—ahem— whatever a hunter may be compensating for.)

Some hunters have other issues.

A nun in Pennsylvania touched off a furor last month when she posted a picture of herself with a 10-point buck she had slaughtered on the first day of deer season. He had been in a herd of doe with another buck. The hunter, Sis. John Paul Bauer, who

Given the choice between killing a doe or a 10-point buck, no hunter is going to slaughter the doe, and preventing starvation has nothing to do with it. And that buck may not die right away after being shot. Many animals endure painful, prolonged deaths after they’re injured by hunters. Environmentalists don’t use rifles and crossbows. teaches at a Catholic high school, said she prayed the rosary in her tree stand that morning.

“That’s a tradition,” she said—and that her prayers had been answered: “I just think the Blessed Mother did smile upon me.” Bauer was surprised by the outcry. But what’s really surprising is her blithe disregard for God’s crystal-clear commandment: Thou shalt not kill.

A6 Sunday, January 10, 2016

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Climate-change programs at ₧12.4-B budget

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NVIRONMENT Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje said a total of P12.4 billion, more than half of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’s (DENR) total budget this year, has been earmarked for 19 specific climate-change programs to strengthen the country’s resiliency against natural calamities.

The amount represents 57 percent of the DENR’s total budget of P21.8 billion this year, which is P1 billion lower compared to the DENR’s budget last year, Paje said.

The National Greening Program (NGP), President Aquino’s flagship reforestation program, got the bulk of the budget, with a total of P8 billion, he said.

While this year’s budget for NGP is P800 million higher compared to last year’s P7.2 billion, the DENR

originally proposed a P10.19-billion budget for the program.

The lower budget for the NGP was a result of the realignment by Congress for other priority programs of the DENR, Paje said.

“Hindi na ako nagreklamo dahil mahalaga naman talaga iyong project for coral rehabilitation at solid-waste management,” he said.

Other climate-change programs are also aimed at strengthening the country’s forestry sector: For protected-area development and

PAJE: “Hindi na ako nagreklamo dahil mahalaga naman talaga iyong project for coral rehabilitation at solid-waste management.”

management, P1.063 billion has been earmarked; for forest protection, P473.6 million; and reforestation of major river basins under the Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management Project, P451.4 million.

The DENR has also earmarked a total of P443.7 million for air-quality improvement; unified mapping project, with a P398-million budget; national geohazards assessment, P397 million; and clean-water program, P194 million.

Meanwhile, for ecological solidwaste management regulation, a total of P88.2 million has been allotted this year. For Manila Bay rehabilitation, P80 million; wildlife

protection and conservation, P72.2 million; and hazardous-waste management, P41.7 million.

Paje boasted of the NGP accomplishment, which exceeded its target for the fifth straight year in 2015. He also expressed confidence of achieving the program’s overall target of covering 1.5 million hectares before the end of the year, its last year of implementation.

The DENR will be conducting a strategic planning starting this week for the implementation of the NGP. In an earlier interview, Director Ricardo Calderon of the Forest Management Bureau (FMB) said the strategic planning will be conducted together with the DENR’s regional directors and Provincial Environment and Natural Resource Officers (Penros) to make the necessary adjustment in the implementation of the program because of this year’s lower budget.

Paje noted that the successful implementation of the NGP over the past five years has reversed the trend of deforestation in the Philippines, citing the Global For-

est Resources Assessment report of the Food and Agriculture Organization which ranked the Philippines as fifth worldwide in terms of most forest gain from 2010 to 2015, at an average annual rate of 240,000 hectares.

Before the implementation of the NGP, Paje said the country is losing 100,000 hectares of forest annually.

A total of 636,710 jobs were generated through the NGP’s cash-forwork component, benefiting the DENR’s Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) partners.

Paje said the massive reforestation program is key to achieving the country’s goal of reducing its carbon emission by 70 percent under a business-as-usual scenario from 2020 to 2030.

The “conditional commitment” was expressed in the contry’s intended nationally determined contribution (INDC), which was submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by the Climate Change Commission on October 31, 2015.

With the country’s economy steadily growing, Paje said there is

Military expects to end NPA insurgency in 2016

By Rene Acosta

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HE military is confident that it could meet its target of ending the communist insurgency problem this year, before it fully shifts into a territorial defense posture.

“Our campaign is continuously showing success, paving the way for

the clearing of additional barangays from the New People’s Army [NPA],” said the Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Hernando Delfin Carmelo Iriberri, after the command conference that was attended by all military commanders on Friday.

Irriberi said the government has already cleared a total of 64 provinces from the influence of

the communist guerrillas and is working to clear the remaining 12 provinces, most of them in the Davao and Caraga regions.

Iriberri said the 12 provinces are already “peaceful and ready for peaceful development.”

The Internal Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan, the military’s countercommunist-insurgency cam-

IRIBERRI: “Our campaign is continuously showing success, paving the way for the clearing of additional barangays from the New People’s Army.”

paign that also included all threat groups, was conceived during the term of President Aquino and has an end goal of defeating all rebels before his term ends in June this year.

There is an urgency for the government to end the insurgency problem, so that it could fully focus its attention to territorial defense, whose center is fending off China’s aggressiveness in the West Philippine Sea. I r iber r i sa id t he m i l it a r y cleared at least 13 guerrilla fronts last year and this translates to 292 barangays formerly influenced or controlled by the NPA. For the rebels, each guerrilla front covers one or, in some cases, two provinces, and its armed members are equivalent to a company-sized

or bigger formation in the military.

Iriberri said that from a membership of 4, 443 at the end of 2014, the military has managed to reduce the number of rebels to 3, 296 as of the end of last year. He did not explain how the Armed Forces arrived at those exact figures.

Iriberri said the military and police forces also arrested or neutralized at least 31 top leaders of the Communist Party of the PhilippinesNPA-National Democratic Front.

“There was no major tactical offensive that the rebels carried out last year,” Iriberri said in underscoring the accomplishment of the military.

As to the other threat groups like the Abu Sayyaf, he said the military has also reduced its membership, although he could not give figures.

The Abu Sayyaf has resurrected its kidnapping activities late last year by taking in a number of foreigners, including the two Canadians and a Norwegian from a resort in Davao del Norte, whom it took to Sulu for ransom negotiations.

As to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, it has an existing preliminary peace agreement with the government.

Pampanga typhoon victims get help Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman Richard

Gordon (left photo) pulls a sack of goods containing food packs and nonfood items, like blankets, mosquito nets, plastic mats and jerry cans, for distribution to some 1,000 families (right photo) in San Simon, Pampanga, during a recent relief-distribution activity as part of the ongoing reliefassistance program of the PRC for typhoons Nona and Lando-affected communities.

Miriam slams P1-billion cut in RH budget

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EN. Miriam Defensor-Santiago slammed the decision of fellow lawmakers to slash P1-billion funding in the 2016 national budget for the Aquino administration’s controversial reproductive-health program which she vowed to “fully promote” should she win the May 9 presidential derby.

“When I am president, I shall work to fully and conscientiously implement the reproductive-health law,” Santiago said in a statement e-mailed to the BusinessMirror over the weekend.

Santiago strongly protested the

huge (P1-billion) reduction in this year’s budget allocation for assorted reproductive-health methods being promoted by the government to curve population growth.

“I am, therefore, appalled at the cut on reproductive health allocations in the 2016 budget,” she said. “It is irreconcilable that Congress, which enacted the RH law after much hardship in 2012, would three years later render that same law inutile.” She warned that the P1billion budget cut “threatens to deprive some 7 million women of reproductivehealth services.” Butch Fernandez

a need to continue expanding the country’s forest cover to enhance our carbon-absorption capacity, as well.

He said an increase in the GDP means that the country’s carbon emission increases, as well. “’Pag nag-increase ang GDP, ibig sabihin tumaas ang carbon footprint kasi nagtayo ng power plant for energy,” he said.

This, he said, is the reason President Aquino signed Executive Order 193, expanding the coverage of the NGP. The Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change, which is chaired by Paje, has commissioned the Ateneo de Manila University to study the country’s carbon footprint per industry.

The study, he said, will allow the country to get a clear estimate of the corresponding increases in carbon emissions by industry, in particular, and the entire country, in general.

“Currently, our carbon footprint is increasing by 1.3 percent annually. The study was partly the basis for the country’s INDC submission,” he said. Jonathan L. Mayuga

Metro Manila air will be cleaner in 2016–Paje

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NVIRONMENT Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje said Metro Manila’s air quality will continue to improve with the implementation of a policy mandating cleaner motorvehicle fuel starting this year.

This, as Paje said the level of total suspended particulates (TSP) has gone down to 101 microgams per normal cubic meter (µg/Ncm) from July to December last year from the 106 µg/Ncm during the same period last year.

This even as January to June air pollution last year was recorded to reach 130 µg/Ncm. Paje said that separate administrative orders issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Energy (DOE) last year prescribed cleaner fuels.

DENR Administrative Order 2015-04 was issued in March 2015, while the DOE issued a parallel circular shortly after.

“We can expect cleaner air in 2016 because starting this year, all gasoline pump stations should be selling Euro-4 fuel,” Paje said.

He said the use of Euro-4 gasoline and diesel was prescribed by two separate administrative orders issued by the DENR and the DOE last year and took effect on January 1, 2016.

“Motorists can ask pump stations if they are selling Euro 4. If not, they can refuse and demand for Euro-4 fuel,” Paje said.

The orders target the shift from Euro-2 fuel to Euro-4 fuel that will reduce by 500 percent the sulphur being emitted by motor vehicles using both diesel and gasoline.

Around 80 percent of air pollution comes from motor vehicles, while the other 20 percent comes from industries and other sources.

Also starting this year, Paje said that all brand-new motor vehicles will be issued certificate of conformity by the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

“We hope that traffic will improve in Metro Manila because addressing the traffic problem will help reduce air pollution,” Paje said.

Mea nwh i le, EMB D i rec tor Juan Miguel Cuna said aside from prescribing cleaner fuel, the DENR will conduct garage visits in Metro Manila and different provinces to check on the compliance of owners of private, as well as public-utility vehicles to its appeal for proper-engine maintenance. Jonathan L. Mayuga

Sports BusinessMirror

Sunday, January 10, 2016 A7

ACES EYE 3-1 LEAD

By Joel Orellana

A

LOT of things are happening at the GlobalPort camp.

They are losing their poise because of Alaska’s relentless defense. Their top big man is injured and failed to finish Game Three. And their team owner expressed his disappointment in social media and called his team “like a bunch of girls playing in a men’s league.”

But despite all these, Aces Head Coach Alex Compton does not want his players to lose focus as they shoot for a commanding 3-1 lead in Game Four of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Defense has been Alaska’s main weapon, so far, since yielding a 107-93 decision to Batang Pier in Game One, holding them to under 80 points in the last two games to take a 2-1 lead.

And Compton hopes his wards continue to display the same

defensive energy against the dangerous GlobalPort squad.

“We are up one game against arguably the most explosive team in the league. No way we’re going to be contented. We’re not there yet,” Compton said after his Aces manhandled Batang Pier in the fourth quarter and grabbed an

82-69 win to take the series lead.

After allowing GlobalPort’s scoring leader Terrence Romeo to score 41 points in Game One, the Alaska defense has “limited” the former Far Eastern University star to a combined 37 points in Games Two and Three.

Worse, Romeo was frustrated in Game Three and was ejected with more than six minutes left in the game after incurring a second technical foul.

Romeo’s exit doomed Batang Pier’s chances after center Billy Mamaril was sidelined with back pain in the third period.

“It was a huge defensive effort from us.

It was not easy guarding those guys,” added Compton, who had six players scoring at least nine points in Game Three led by Vic Manuel’s 16 points.

The performance of the

Lady Stags seek sweep of elims

team of Coach Pido Jarencio on Friday was heavily criticized by team owner Mikee Romero, who went to Facebook to express his disgust.

“To our GlobalPort Batang Pier fans: no excuses, the team is just choking, period. Our team is playing like a bunch of girls playing in a men’s league,” Romero wrote on his Facebook account.

Romeo is expected to come out strong in Game Four, a must win for the young franchise—or they face a difficult task of toppling a 1-3 deficit.

ALASKA big man Vic Manuel drives past GlobalPort’s Stanley Pringle (right) and Rico Maierhofer.

WARRIORS TORCH BLAZERS

SPITFIRE GUARDS HONORED

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ORTLAND, Oregon—Stephen Curry once again played only three quarters, but this time, it was solely because the Golden State Warriors were ripping the Portland Trail Blazers apart in a 128-108 win.

The Warriors improved to 34-2 as Curry showed no signs of discomfort with his left shin on Friday, three days after he limped off the court in Los Angeles and caused some concern.

There would be no worrying at Portland.

Klay Thompson scored 36 points and Curry added 26, as the Warriors put on a shooting clinic for all of their fans in the Pacific Northwest. Golden State was 18 for 32 as a team from threepoint range.

While Curry didn’t come back after the third with the game in hand, Thompson did and hit the shot that got Draymond Green his 10th assist.

Green finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds, as well, making it four of the past five games where he has notched triple-doubles.

The three potential All-Stars were too much to handle for Portland. Damian Lillard, the Oakland native, poured in 40 points and had 10 assists, but his performance wasn’t nearly enough for the Trail Blazers to be a threat.

Elsewhere in the National Basketball Association on Friday, it was Toronto 97, Washington 88; Orlando 83, Brooklyn 77; Cleveland 125, Minnesota 99; Indiana 91, New Orleans 86; Milwaukee 96, Dallas

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HREE guards—San Beda’s Baser Amer, Letran’s Mark Cruz and Far Eastern University’s (FEU) Mike Tolomia— will share the limelight when they hoist the Super Senior trophy when the University Athletic Association of the Philippines-National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Press Corps and Smart Sports present the Collegiate Basketball Awards on January 26 at Saisaki-Kamayan in Greenhills.

Joining the three playmakers who completed their five-year eligibility in their respective leagues are FEU’s Nash Racela and Aldin Ayo, formerly of Letran, as Coaches of the Year.

FEU’s Roger Pogoy and Letran’s Kevin Racal will share the Pivotal Player award.

The press corps will also award the Smart Player of the Year and members of the Collegiate Mythical Five.

Despite failing to help San Beda capture a first “six-pear” in NCAA history, Amer is proud to have won four straight crowns with the Red Lions from his rookie season in 2011 up to 2014.

Nicknamed “The Ant Man,” the 5-foot-5 Cruz defied all odds with a series of memorable performances to lead underdog Letran to its 17th NCAA title against San Beda. He was named Finals MVP. Tolomia, on the other hand, stepped up in games that mattered most as the Tamaraws ended a 10-year title drought at the expense of University of Santo Tomas.

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AN SEBASTIAN College goes for a sweep of the elimination round against College of Saint Benilde (CSB) at the close of the regular season of the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s volleyball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Lady Stags eye their ninth straight win against the Lady Blazers for an outright championship berth where they will hold a thrice-to-beat advantage.

The eliminations in the juniors and men’s divisions also end on Sunday. The matches start at 8 a.m.

The sweep is within reach for the Lady Stags, but their Head Coach Roger Gorayeb doesn’t want to be complacent.

“I don’t look forward to the sweep,” Gorayeb said. “What I look forward to is if we win that game, we automatically go to the finals, and if we loss, we still have the twice-to-beat advantage.” Gorayeb added it’s win-win situation for them—no matter what the result will be.

“For me, it’s our advantage. Our fate is in our hands,” he said. “If we win, it’s because of our effort. If we lose, it’s because of our being too confident. And we cannot be too confident against CSB because they have a tall line-up but everything has a solution, so we have to prepare and I won’t pressure them.”

University of Perpetual Help, tied with CSB with a 6-2 card, will take on the winless Letran in the other women’s match.

In men’s action, Perpetual Help shoots for a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals opposite Letran. Lance Agcaoili

PORTLAND’S Allen Crabbe (23) tries to knock the ball away from Golden State’s Klay Thompson. AP

50 teams see action in WVL at Xavier gym

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ORE than 50 teams will compete in four categories in the 20th Women’s Volleyball League (WVL) which fires off on Sunday at the Xavier School gym. Organized by the Basketball Efficiency Scientific Training (Best) Center and sponsored by Milo, the WVL is one of the few longest-running junior volleyball leagues aimed to developing the sport that has seen a revival in the past decade.

Best Center Founder and President Nic Jorge, a former national basketball coach, said Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas Inc.

President Joey Romasanta will be the guest of honor and speaker in the brief opening ceremony. Saint Paul College-Makati will defend its crown in the 13-under Developmental Division against 12 other teams, while Colegio San Agustin-Makati will also be back to defend its 13-under Competitive Division title against five equally strong school teams.

Also returning are La Salle College-Antipolo, which will try to keep its 17-under Developmental Division crown and Hope Christian School, which will defend the 17-under Competitive Division trophy.

95; Memphis 91, Denver 84; San Antonio 100, New York 99; Miami 103, Phoenix 95; Golden State 128, Portland 108; and Oklahoma City 117, LA Lakers 113.

Right from the start, Thompson sent a message. He was five for five from threepoint range on his way to scoring 19 points in the first before finishing with seven 3-pointers in 10 attempts.

The Warriors dominated the Trail Blazers, leading 12-2 after the first timeout and by 24 points before halftime. The Warriors’ 74-52 halftime lead was their second largest of the season. The game began with Curry hitting a 3-pointer, and 10 more 3-pointers would come for the Warriors before halftime.

The most adversity the Warriors would face was when the Trail Blazers took advantage of defensive lapses and cut the lead to 13. The Warriors responded with a 14-2 run in which Curry threw a no-look, over-the-shoulder lob to Andrew Bogut and Brandon Rush hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 25.

“Once I obviously, hopefully, get through this, I’ll be back to my normal

attire,” Curry said before the game, referring to the shin guard he wore at shoot-around.

“I’ll have to bring out kind of my Messi kind of mind-set tonight.”

Curry and the Warriors came to Portland seemingly wearing top hats, as well, putting on a show. With every three-pointer, the Warriors fans in the arena roared. Curry began one-for-six from long distance but finished four for 11.

The Warriors continue to roll despite Curry dealing with recent bruising to his shin, Harrison Barnes still coming off the bench after recovering from an ankle sprain, and Festus Ezeli resting up until the fourth quarter after a bout with toe soreness.

Leandro Barbosa (sprained shoulder) and James Michael McAdoo (sprained toe) remain unable to play because of injuries.

In their place, others have emerged.

Rush has used his starting stint in place of Barnes to regain his confidence, as he scored 20 points on eight-for-nine shooting, including four-for-four from three-point range. Ian Clark has emerged from obscurity in Barbosa’s absence, and he hit both his 3-point attempts on Friday. AP

IS PACQUIAO RETIRING?

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S Manny Pacquiao retiring after his fight with Timothy Bradley in April?

Sky Sports reported from sources the eight-division champion Pacquiao declared his intention to hang up his gloves and concentrate on a political career after he shoots for Bradley’s World Boxing Organization welterweight belt on April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I am retiring from boxing to concentrate on my political career. My fight with Timothy Bradley will be my last,” Sky Sports quoted Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is currently a congressman for Sarangani but will be running for a Senate seat in the May 9 national elections.

Pacquiao (57 wins, six losses and two draws with 38 knockouts) is guaranteed a purse of $20 million in his April fight.

Earlier, Top Rank boss Bob Arum said that a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. rematch would be in the works after the “Pacman” deals with Bradley.

“Pacquiao agreed not to sell the fight [against Bradley] as his last,” Arum said last month. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

Sports JORDAN LEADS BusinessMirror

A8 | S

unday, January 10, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao Asst. Editor: Joel Orellana

For all the talk about how he can match what he did last year—two majors, five victories—it might be just as tough to repeat what he has done the opening two rounds. Spieth was at 16-under 130, one short of the 36-hole record at Kapalua set by Ernie Els in 2003.

By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press

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APALUA, Hawaii—A new year, and everything is falling Jordan Spieth’s way.

Spieth chipped in for eagle, make a pair of tough par saves late and ended his round on Friday with a 15-foot birdie putt into the grain that stopped on the lip and then dropped into the cup for a nineunder 64. It gave him a four-shot lead in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

Two rounds into 2016, it already feels a lot like last year.

Spieth is making putts. Spieth is holing chips. Spieth is in the lead.

For all the talk about how he can match what he did last year—two majors, five victories—it might be just as tough to repeat what he has done the opening two rounds. Spieth was at 16-under 130, one short of the 36-hole record at Kapalua set by Ernie Els in 2003.

“Did I see 16 under? Probably not to start the season,” Spieth said.

Kevin Kisner, coming off a big year of his own with his first victory and four runner-up finishes, missed a couple of short birdie putts and still shot his way around the Plantation Course with ease for an eight-under 65 that earned him a spot in the final group with Spieth on Saturday.

“What’s Jordan at? I saw he was at 15,” Kisner said when he finished.

“He’ll probably shoot another 15 [under], so I better get going tomorrow, the way he plays. We’ll just make a bunch of birdies and see what happens.”

Birdies have not been in short supply this week with only a moderate breeze and a blazing

sun that is making Kapalua pick up some speed. Fabian Gomez of Argentina, one of 14 players making his debut this week, made seven birdies in his round of 66. He joined Kisner and Patrick Reed (69) in the group four shots behind.

Reed didn’t make nearly enough birdies to keep pace. Except for the par 5s, he only had two chances inside 20 feet on the back nine.

“I didn’t quite hit the ball solid like I needed to and because of that, even though I was hitting a lot of greens, I wasn’t hitting it as close as yesterday,” Reed said. “But any time you can be 12 under through two rounds, within shouting distance of the lead, you have to take it and just go on to tomorrow.”

Reed fell out of the lead for the first time when Spieth made an 18foot birdie on No. 8, and then Spieth took over with a chip from 35 feet behind the pin that broke sharply into the pin and disappeared.

But it was the back nine where Spieth built his lead.

Even this early in the year, he felt good enough with his driver to be aggressive on the 13th, and it led to a short wedge he hit to 3 feet. He driver again on the 14th, narrowly clearly a bunker and leaving a pitch just short of the green to 3 feet.

And then from a hanging lie on the 15th, he drilled a 3-wood just off the back of the green and rolled the putt down to just over 4 feet for a third straight birdie.

Equally important, however, were the pars.

His worst swing of the week with a 52-degree wedge was fat and smothered, and it left him a long, tough putt across the green to 6 feet.

He made that for par, and holed a 7-footer for par on the 17th. The final putt was a bonus.

The putt looked like it would be short all the way, especially into the grain. It paused on the right side of the cup and then gravity took over, and Spieth extended his lead. As

much as the three birdies built a cushion, the last three holes also played a big role.

“Those two [par] putts going in probably allowed the one on 18 to go in— that and the nice little cut-out lip on the right side of the hole,” Spieth said. There’s a chance that was three strokes. I go from leading by one to leading by four. And that’s huge.”

It matches his largest 36-hole lead since he was up by five halfway through the Masters. Els had a threeshot lead when he set the record at Kapalua at 17 under.

As well as he’s playing, Spieth knows he has a long way to go, and he doesn’t expect to have the lead when he starts.

Kisner only needed five holes to tie for the lead, making two birdies and a 30-foot eagle on the par5 fifth hole. He started the back nine with three straight birdies, and the only glitch was failing to birdie the two par 5s on the back nine.

“First tournament of the year, kind of rusty, haven’t played in a while,” Kisner said. “Seeing where my game is, I’m looking forward to having a chance on the weekend.”

Danny Lee recovered from a bogey-bogey start to shoot 68 and was five shots behind. Rickie Fowler and Steven Bowditch each had 67 and were another shot back.

Jason Day, the No. 2 player in the world competing for the first time in three months, had a 73 and already was 12 shots behind.

He would appear to have little chance of getting to No. 1 this week.

JORDAN SPIETH opens up a four-shot lead at Kapalua. AP

BALLON D’OR TO MESSI

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Novak-Rafa final in Doha D

OHA, Qatar—Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will break their 23-23 head-to-head record when they meet for the 47th time in the Qatar Open final on Saturday.

Top-seeded Djokovic beat third-seeded Tomas Berdych, 6-3, 7-6 (3), to reach his 16th consecutive final on Friday.

The last time the Serbian failed to reach a tournament final was when he lost in the quarterfinals in last year’s Qatar Open.

“I’m very proud of the achievement and this

particular stat, but I try not to think about what would happen if I would lose and not get to the final,” Djokovic said. “I try to keep an optimistic approach to every match and every tournament.”

“This is exactly how I want to start the year, getting to the final in the first tournament of the year, against one of my biggest rivals.”

Nadal advanced to his career 99th final after defeating Illya Marchenko of Ukraine, 6-3, 6-4.

“I’m happy with the victory, being in the first final of the season in the first official tournament is

something great,” Nadal said. “The most important thing is if you feel yourself that every time you go on court you are competitive against everybody and you have your chances.”

Djokovic won all four of their 2015 meetings without dropping a set. The last time Nadal defeated Djokovic was the 2014 French Open final.

It will be the Spaniard’s first final in 18 hard court tournaments since he won the 2014 Qatar Open title. Nadal has won 67 career titles, including 14 grand slams. AP

ENEVA—Lionel Messi is favored to win the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) Ballon d’Or on Monday, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s two-year hold on soccer’s top individual prize.

Messi already has a 4-3 lead in their career duel for the annual Fifa prize but has recently been eclipsed by his great rival.

That changed in 2015 when Messi inspired Barcelona to regain the Champions League title among five major trophies to none for Real Madrid, despite Ronaldo’s relentless goalscoring pace.

Barcelona’s dominance also helped Brazil star Neymar earn a place on the three-man short list for the first time.

The Catalan club can sweep the men’s honors with Luis Enrique heading the coaches’ short list after becoming European champion and winning the Spanish league and cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup. Messi can also win the Puskas Award—a fans’ online vote for best goal—for his solo slalom through the Athletic Bilbao defense to score in the Spanish cup final.

The World Cup-winning United States team is set to dominate the women’s honors.

Carli Lloyd’s 13-minute hat trick in the final—

Wambach and Coach Pia Sundhage were rewarded including a shot from the halfway line in a 5-2 for the team’s Olympic title. rout of Japan—makes her a top contender for the Barcelona swept the 2011 awards when player’s prize. Lloyd is a finalist for the first time at Messi and then-Coach Pep Guardiola won.

33 after a decade of national team duty, more than Guardiola is also nominated this year after 200 appearances and two Olympic titles. winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

She is against Aya Guardiola will skip Monday’s event to stay with Miyama of Japan and Bayern’s midwinter training camp in Qatar. AP Germany’s Celia Sasic, whose six World Cup goals in Canada matched Lloyd though it earned her the Golden Boot because they were LIONEL MESSI is set scored in less playing to get fifth Fifa best time. player prize. AP US Coach Jill Ellis is

strongly favored to win the women’s team coach award ahead of Mark Sampson, who led England to third place, and Norio Sasaki, who took the 2011 award after Japan won the previous World Cup. Americans swept the 2012 awards when forward Abby