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Sunday, July 3, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 267

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PINEAPPLE FARM TOUR Young Nonie and his older sister

Suzanne June are enthralled picking their choice of sweet jumbo-size fruits from a pile of freshly harvested pineapples at a farm gate in Barangay Amballo, Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya. The upland village serves as the pineapple capital of the province. LEONARDO PERANTE II

Dollar traders see jobs data as obstacle after post-Brexit fade

C

URRENCY traders will be looking at next week’s jobs report for clues on the dol­ lar’s direction, after the greenback had its worst week in a month.

A gauge of the US currency erased gains after the United King­ dom’s Brexit decision sent shock waves through financial markets and diminished the chances of a Federal Reserve (the Fed) interestrate increase any time soon. As political paralysis in Britain looms over Europe, investors will turn their attention to the US, where Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said

Duterte needs power over urban traffic woes U

Dear Lord, by ordering to repeat what You did at the Last Supper, You made provisions for the perpetual reenactment of Your self-offering to the people of all generations under all skies. Blessed are those who receive such a life-giving gift. But even more blessed are those who strive to become themselves a living Eucharist—a constant gift of self to their neighbor in imitation of the Eucharistic Lord. May we appreciate our Lord’s generosity in instituting the Eucharist. May we receive this sublime Gift properly disposed.

Inspire us Lord to imitate Your generosity and self-giving love as exemplified in the Eucharist. Amen!

Word & Life, Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB and Luisa M. Lacson, HFL

@butchfBM @davecaga

RBAN planners are supportive of the grant of emergency powers to President Rodrigo R. Duterte to solve the traffic problem in Metro Manila by putting into effect the various proposals that have been floating around since the 1970s.

Roque A. Magno, a professor at the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Plan­ ning, said students of the school, as well as his fellow professors, have been churning out lots of plans in the past four decades, all in their attempt to help prevent a traffic gridlock in the metropolis.

But most of these plans were left unimplemented; and if some were ever put into motion, road­ blocks present themselves to hin­ der the progress.

Continued on A2

Consumer prices continue to rise

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

See “Brexit,” A2

A LIFE-GIVING GIFT

By Butch Fernandez & David Cagahastian

P

RICES of goods and key com­ modities con­ tinue to increase, but the hike still falls below the central bank’s tar­ get range for this year, an interna­ tional economist said.

In a statement, Singaporebased DBS Bank economist Gundy Cahyadi said inflation—or the growth rate of prices in the coun­ try—may have risen to 1.8 percent in June, slightly higher than that of the previous month’s rate.

May’s inflation was at 1.6 per­ cent, up from the 1.1 percent re­ corded in April this year.

June 2015’s inflation rate, meanwhile, is at 1.2 percent.

All of these are below the gov­ ernment’s official inflation target of 2 percent to 4 percent.

The country’s inflation rate has been failing to come up to the annual target rate for 13 consecu­ tive months now, or since May last year, as the stable prices of key

PESO exchange rates n US 47.0070

food items and the extraordinarily low prices of oil lorded over the consumer price index (CPI) basket.

“Expect the CPI to increase more markedly in June as the ef­ fects from low oil price dissipate,” Cahyadi said. “Food prices have also increased quite a bit, similar to what’s seen in the region, partly due to the weather.”

His forecast backs the views earlier expressed by Bangko Sen­ tral Governor Amando M. Tetang­ co Jr. of a continued acceleration of inflation in June.

Cahyadi’s 1.8-percent June inflation forecast is within Tet­ angco’s 1.5-percent to 2.4-per­ cent inflation forecast range for the month.

With the still-low inflation re­ gime, the DBS Bank economist still sees unchanged monetary-policy settings for the entire 2016.

Central-bank officials have earlier expressed confidence that the average annual inflation for 2016 will fall within target, indi­ cating a monthly uptrend toward the second half of the year.

For the first half of the year, if

Cahyadi: “Expect the CPI to increase more markedly in June as the effects from low oil price dissipate.

Food prices have also increased quite a bit, similar to what’s seen in the region, partly due to the weather.”

inflation falls to the lower end of Tetangco’s forecast, the growth of consumer prices will hit an aver­ age of 1.25 percent for the first six months of the year.

If inflation hits the upper end of the governor’s forecast, it will show an average of 1.4 percent for the year—both still below the gov­ ernment’s target range.

For inflation to hit target for the year, the inflation in the sec­ ond half of 2016 should average at about 2.6 percent to 2.75 percent, depending on the June print.

The inflation rate of the coun­ try for June will be announced by the Philippine Statistics Authority in the first week of July.

₧4-B complex is first 5-star hotel in Clark

By Joey Pavia

Correspondent

C

LARK FREE­ PORT—Fili­ pino and Tai­ wanese investors are pouring in at least P4 billion for the Midori Clark Hotel and Casino.

It is regarded as the first five-star hotel in Pampanga and Central Luzon.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Ron­ aldo P. Tiotuico described the Midori as “excellent,” shortly after he toured the hotel and its facilities during its soft opening on July 1.

“We really need lots of ho­ tel rooms in the region. It has been the desire of our superi­ ors at the DOT,” Tiotuico said.

He added that there are 12,000 hotel rooms in Central Luzon, most of which are in Pampan­ ga, Angeles City, City of San Fernando and Clark.

Ireneo G. Alvaro Jr. of Medal Consortium, Marquez Mercado of Imerex Group and the Taiwanese investors, led by Jack Yang, led the soft open­ ing of their 111-room hotel at the 2-hectare lot on Kalayaan Street and CM Recto Avenue.

The entertainment and leisure complex is owned by the BB In­ ternational Leisure and Resort Development Corp.

“Midori is another gem that makes Clark shine

brightly. Its opening will en­ able the free port to host more visitors and tourists.

We believe they would be impressed with its amenities and features that make up for a five-star rating,” said Noel G. Tulabut, manager of the Clark Development Corp.

(CDC) Communications De­ partment Office.

Mabalacat City, Pampan­ ga, Mayor Marino P. Morales said, “Midori truly makes Clark a world-class destina­ tion.” He attended the simple ceremony for the soft opening.

Morales also hailed the Midori for providing 1,400 jobs, adding that “there will be many more work opportuni­ ties when the complex is oper­ ating full blast.”

At least 50 rooms are now open, Alvaro said, adding the full-blast opening will be dur­ ing the last quarter of 2016.

“When I presented to Clark officials our project years ago, they could not really be­ lieve it, because we wanted to redefine the entertainment and hospitality business at the free port,” Alvaro said. “Now, it’s here, and we were true to our commitment.”

Alvaro said they are con­ structing a second hotel facili­ ty in the same area. It will have at least 208 rooms. The casino was opened in April.

“We introduce unique See “Clark,” A2

n japan 0.4553 n UK 62.5945 n HK 6.0584 n CHINA 7.0708 n singapore 34.9027 n australia 35.0202 n EU 52.2107 n SAUDI arabia 12.5389

Source: BSP (1 July 2016 )

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, July 3, 2016

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Environmental NGO: Responsible mining exists in the Philippines

R

ESPONSIBLE mining exists in the Philippines, said a nongovernmental organization (NGO) advocating for the environment.

The Philippine Business for En­ vironmental Stewardship (PBEST) issued the statement in response to the earlier pronouncement of En­ vironment Secretary Regina Lopez that “where there is mining, there is poverty.”

PBEST, as an environmental NGO, advocates for the compliance of the country’s businesses with all the environmental rules and regulations.

The convenors of PBEST be­ lieve that, instead of being branded as the enemy of the environment, the mining industry should be leading the cause of environmental stewardship, given their resources and culture of innovation.

“We place emphasis on steward­ ship to connote sound management of resources or sustainable develop­ ment that upholds the principle of intergenerational equity,” PBEST Sec­ retary General Ysan Castillo said.

Dr. Carlos Primo C. David, lead convenor of PBEST and a professor at the University of the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sci­ ence, earlier developed the Environ­

mental Performance Tracking Pro­ gram (EPTP), designed to provide the industry with a self-regulating tool.

For the first run of the EPTP, PBEST challenged the controver­ sial mining industry to be open to scrutiny. Some of the biggest mines in the country responded to the call, and PBEST observed that re­ sponsible mining does exist.

“It means operating in a way that follows the various laws and regulations and going beyond what is required with respect to social development and environmental programs. The group arrived at this conclusion after site visits and analysis of documentary evidence and other factual information gathered,” PBEST said.

“To say that ‘where there is mining, there is poverty’ is bereft of factual basis. This statement may be an understandable claim from advocates, but it sends the wrong signal when it comes from the head of the DENR [Depart­ ment of Environment and Natural Resources], the government agency

tasked to properly implement the environmental laws of the land,” PBEST added.

Policies, especially those in­ volving the very complex con­ cept of the environment, must be grounded on facts and science, not on emotions or any other agenda, according to PBEST.

It said government officials should have the necessary skills and technical competence to ad­ equately fulfil their sworn duties.

PBEST said with the kind of pronouncements from the new environment secretary, the envi­ ronmental policies of the Duterte administration may disregard facts and science and fail to distinguish between the role of an advocate and the responsibility of a regulator.

“PBEST stands by its findings that there exists responsible mining as distinguished from illegal and de­ structive mining,” said David, in the policy book Thinking Beyond Politics.

“It must also be noted that ille­ gal small-scale mining is responsible for the significant environmental damage being charged to the mining industry at large today. Small-scale mining is largely unregulated, both from an environmental and fiscal perspective. Small-scale miners gen­ erally do not have environmental protection or mitigation systems in place, and hardly pay the taxes due to the government,” PBEST said.

DUTERTE-LIKE FIST Retired Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. (center) is flanked by D. Edgard A. Cabangon (left), chairman of the ALC Group of Cos.; and T. Anthony C. Cabangon, publisher of the BusinessMirror, after a BM Coffee Club forum organized by the Aliw Media Group at the BusinessMirror offices in Makati City. RUDY ESPERAS

Duterte needs power over urban traffic woes Continued from A1

“This is why we need executive powers for the President to solve this problem,” Magno said.

“Oftentimes, a project could be delayed by right-of-way issues.

Sometimes, the local governments get in the way of an infrastructure project and, many times, local public utilities are slow in doing their part of the project, which further delays the construction,” Magno said.

Outgoing Senate President Franklin M. Drilon, meanwhile, is set to file a bill when the 17th Congress convenes late this month granting President Duterte emergency powers to address the crippling transport crisis in urban areas.

In a still unnumbered bill, Drilon affirmed the need for Con­ gress to pass an enabling law giving Mr. Duterte extra powers amid the daily traffic gridlocks that many experts have confirmed to cost the

Brexit…

tenance of these projects,” Drilon said. “In addition, it is, likewise, essential to have one central urban traffic authority that will strictly enforce traffic rules and implement transportation policies.”

In his explanatory note to the draft bill, Drilon pointed out that urban areas, including Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, are grappling with a transporta­ tion crisis that “not only impedes mobility of people, goods and services; negatively impacts the environment; and decreases road safety, but one that threatens the livability of our cities.”

He said the crisis is estimated to result in productivity loss of “about P2.4 billion, or $54 million, a day, or more than P800 billion [$18 billion] a year.”

Drilon warned that if the transport mess remains unsolved, “the traffic cost is expected to be P6 billion a day.”

Continued from a1

policy-makers will monitor interna­ tional headwinds and the pace of the economy to determine the timing of interest-rate increases.

“Because the Fed is on hold for a very long time, the strong dollar, risk-off trade is fading,” said Jona­ than Lewis, chief investment offi­ cer of Fiera Capital Corp.’s US unit, who manages $15 billion.

The US currency surged on June 24 and 27, as investors sought refuge assets in the wake of Brit­ ain’s shock decision to the leave the European Union before giving back those gains. The greenback has up­ ended analysts’ forecasts this year, weakening against the euro and yen on concern that global growth would impair the Fed’s ability to boost borrowing costs.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which tracks the currency against 10 major peers, slid 0.4 per­ cent. The greenback fell 0.2 percent against the euro to $1.1136 in the

Clark…

economy billions of pesos.

“It is imperative, therefore, to give the President emergency pow­ ers to immediately address the cri­ sis, otherwise, its cost to the econ­ omy and environment, as well as to the functionality and livability of our cities, will continue to hamper our overall growth and develop­ ment,” Drilon said.

As a consequence, he said, the Duterte administration must im­ mediately implement sustainable transportation and traffic-crisis intervention programs or proj­ ects, such as the adoption of in­ telligent transportation systems, road-based public-transportation modernization and provision of adequate and functional road net­ works, railways, airports and ports.

“The proposal, therefore, is to empower the President to adopt alternative modes of procurement for the construction, repair, reha­ bilitation, improvement or main­

five days to Friday and rose 0.3 per­ cent to ¥102.52.

Hedge funds and money man­ agers reduced net-bullish wa­ gers on the dollar, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Bets that the currency would rise outnum­ bered bearish positions by 96,184 contracts in the week to Tuesday, down from 130,989 a week earlier, CFTC data showed.

The US employment report on July 8 is forecast to show nonfarm payrolls rose 175,000 last month, following a lower-than-projected increase of 38,000 in May that sent the dollar plunging by the most in six months. Minutes from the Fed’s last policy-setting meeting will be released on July 6.

“Disappointing US data could fuel fears about an imminent slow­ down and risk aversion could rear its ugly head again,” said Valentin Marinov, head of Group-of-10 cur­

rency strategy at Credit Agricole SA’s corporate and investmentbank unit in London. “Nonfarm payrolls and Fed minutes will be key for risk sentiment and the US dollar outlook.”

Traders are pricing in a 12-per­ cent chance of the Fed raising rates this year, futures data show. Fed Bank of New York President Wil­ liam C. Dudley and Governor Dan­ iel Tarullo are scheduled to speak next week, and market participants will parse their comments for any signals about the Fed’s path.

“I would pay more attention to Fed speakers next week and what are they saying about Brexit because that, to me, is going to matter more in terms of the July meeting and the September meet­ ing” than the minutes, said Paresh Upadhyaya, director of currency strategy at Pioneer Investments in Boston, which oversees about $236 billion. Bloomberg News

Continued from a1

concepts, like Aristrocat’s Be­ hemoth machine in the casino, a first in Asia. Aristocrat is the Mercedes-Benz of casinos and we have it here in Midori. It’s unique as they don’t have it in Macau and Hong Kong. Only in Midori,” Al­ varo said in a statement.

“We are strong in junket tours, but our casino is for all,” he said.

Alvaro said the Midori “takes recreation and lifestyle to a higher level” with its spacious and cozy

rooms. Among the rooms are the Penthouse Suite (146.1 square meters) and the exquisitely de­ signed Presidential Suite (366.7 sq m). The Presidential Suite is provided with a separate living room, audio-visual room, bar, kitchen and dining room for personal refreshments, family gatherings or get-togethers with friends, he added.

The facilities for food and drinks are the Toscana Dining

for international cuisine; Bac­ cus Lounge for fine dining with a view and live bands performing; Baci Bar by the pool; Café Midori for coffee or tea; and Cigar Mad­ uro for excellent wines and cigar collections.

The hotel has a grand ball­ room called Festa Hall, which can accommodate 400 guests. It also has KTV clubs, mahjong rooms, a fitness center, a swimming pool and a spa center.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

HE body of Robert Hall, the CanaBody of beheaded dian beheaded by Abu Sayyaf bandits on June 13, has been dug up and Canadian found in Sulu recovered in Sulu on Saturday morning.

T

Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., Western Mindanao Command spokesman, said Hall’s remains were recovered by soldiers around 11:35 a.m. in Upper Kamuntayan, Talipao.

Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo • Sunday, July 3, 2016 A3

“The body was taken by the troops to the Joint Task Group Sulu Headquarters in Barangay Busbus, Jolo, for documentation before the turnover to the police,” he

added. Hall was beheaded by the bandits on June 13. His head was later recovered by civilians in front of the gate of the Jolo Roman Catholic Cathedral. PNA

SundayV

Busine

A4 Sunday, July 3, 2016 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

These days, there’s more blue in Beijing skies

Y

By Justin Fox | Bloomberg View

OU can see the mountains today in Beijing. That’s a giveaway that the air’s pretty clean. Of the six days that I’ve been in the city, the mountains north of the city have been visible on three.

Beijing’s air quality has always varied a lot from day to day, depending on whether and which way the wind was blowing. Still, I was curious: Could the famously bad air here actually be getting better?

The answer seems to be yes. There still are terrible days, especially in the winter. But overall, average concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) have been trending down since 2013.

This is based on the raw readings from the air-quality monitors at the US Embassy in Beijing. The State Department started releasing them on an hourly basis in 2008, and the Chinese government wasn’t happy about it: it blocked the State Department’s air-quality site on Internet browsers here and, at one point, even demanded that the State Department take the site down. Now, though, it does its own high-frequency monitoring and appears to have unblocked the State Department’s site. Why block good news?

I am not the first to notice the improvement in Beijing’s air. WorldPost’s Matt Sheehan had a detailed article in January, making the case that China was beginning to win its war on air pollution. Beijing-based software developer Russell Young, whose web site is a wonderful resource for those wishing to slice and dice the State Department data, published a summing-up that found 2015 to be a big improvement on the years before. And yes, the Beijing local government says the air is getting better.

What’s behind the improvement? Well, Beijing got rid of all of its coal-fired power plants, for one thing, and replaced them with natural-gas facilities.

Also, according to Li Zheng, a Tsinghua University engineering professor I met at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin last weekend, there’s less pollution wafting into town from steel and cement production in surrounding Hebei Province—because of both environmental regulation and falling demand for steel and cement.

Less-wealthy Chinese regions probably can’t afford to switch from coal to gas, and declining industrial production is, of course, not unmitigated good news. But the country does seem to be approaching that happy point in its development, where rising affluence and worsening pollution stop going hand in hand.

Beijing actually only ranks 55th among the world’s cities for average air pollution, according to the World Health Organization, because of the variability in air quality here. But the bad days, such as during the pollution “red alert” last December, can be really awful.

The Paulson Institute compiled the averages through 2015, and I made my own calculations for 2016. Also, the State Department wants me to let you know that “these data are not fully verified or validated.”

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Ironies and surprises mark Mr. Duterte’s entry to the presidency P RESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s 14-minute inaugural speech last Thursday was forthright, sincere and honest; it was also enlivened by interesting ironies and surprises.

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By Cecilio T. Arillo

After the usual cheery salutation to the members of the diplomatic corps and other distinguished guests, President Duterte surprised every one when, instead of loudly thanking first the more than 16 million people who overwhelmingly voted for him, he glanced at his subject and said: “To FVR: Thank you for making me president.”

Former President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR), who ironically did not openly campaign for Mr. Duterte, was seated on the front row at the extreme right facing the cameras, sandwiched by former President Joseph E. Estrada, a Ramos nemesis, and the President himself before he stood up to deliver his inaugural speech.

So, what was the President thanking FVR for?

With no scorn intended, there are two possible interpretations to this: One is that he thanked FVR for not openly endorsing him because had he done so, he could have lost a lot of votes to Manuel A. Roxas II, who was morally campaigning on the issue of corruption and was the candidate of outgoing President Benigno C. Aquino III, a Ramos political ally.

Two, Duterte thanked FVR because people very close to FVR openly ran a nationwide parallel campaign for him, among them Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Jesus G. Dureza, Rafael M. Alunan III, now Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, now Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, and scores of military and police generals, who risked their careers in securing President Duterte.

Finally, it was FVR, a rightist and a Protestant, who ironically provided the balance of power against the presence of leftists in President Duterte’s hastily setup political organization and made sure he was not cheated and bamboozled by recalcitrant Christians closely identified with some wayward Catholic bishops.

“The problems that bedevil our country today, which need to be addressed with urgency, are corruption, both in the high and low

The problems that bedevil our country today, which need to be addressed with urgency, are corruption, both in the high and low echelons in the government, criminality in the streets and the rampant sale of illegal drugs in all strata of Philippine society and the breakdown of law and order.”—Duterte echelons in the government, criminality in the streets and the rampant sale of illegal drugs in all strata of Philippine society and the breakdown of law and order,” Duterte said.

Former President and now Manila Mayor Estrada, who campaigned for Sen. Grace Poe, had Ramos investigated for graft and corruption, but before the case reached the court, high-ranked military and police generals, backed by powerful Makati businessmen, mutinied and ousted Estrada. The rest is history.

Estrada’s successor, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, ran the country for nine years and, ironically, the one who succeeded her, President Aquino, had her incarcerated for graft and corruption, and for election fraud, in what appeared to be a cycle of hatred and vengeance that marked the Aquino motherand-son regimes.

“These problems were symptoms of an erosion of Filipinos’ faith in the nation’s leaders,” said Mr. Duterte, a lawyer who earned a reputation as a disciplinarian mayor of Davao City for 20 years. He expressed no assurance, though, that his regime will spare Aquino in the anti-corruption campaign.

After taking his oath that ended the graft- and plunder-ridden era of Aquino, President Duterte revealed his anticrime vision that included the revival of the death penalty in a different manner, this time by hanging in public.

“The ride will be rough, but come join me just the same,” Mr. Duterte said in his speech, emphasizing the need for discipline and an end to corruption and the breakdown of law and order.

President Duterte, who shunned sloganeering and color-coding in marked contrast to the Aquino

yellow-color fanaticism, said he will not hesitate issuing thrashing orders to the security services and offer them bounties for the bodies of drug dealers, the worst type of criminals.

The best-selling book, Greed & Betrayal, published by Amazon, the world’s largest publishing house, described the Philippines in reference to the Aquino regimes of mother and son as “A country of ‘yellow fever’ victims.”

“As the elitist image of the Aquino regimes permeated society as a whole, its propaganda experts began to shape the political landscape, as well, and transformed most of the unsuspecting citizens into consumers of its own brand of illiberal democracy symbolized by the yellow banner, the yellow ribbon and the yellow confetti,” the book, written by this writer, said on its inside cover.

Describing his fight against crime as “relentless and sustained,” Mr. Duterte called on human-rights monitors and critics in Congress to respect the overwhelming mandate of the Filipino people given him, with assurance that “he would work within the boundaries of the law.”

“My adherence to due process and rule of law is uncompromising,” he said, stressing that: “As a lawyer and former prosecutor, I know the limits of the power and authority of the president. I know what is legal and what is not.”

“I was elected to the presidency to serve the entire country. I was not elected to serve the interest of any person or any group or any one class,” President Duterte said.

“I ser ve ever yone and not only one.”

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

Voices

essMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph • Sunday, July 3, 2016 A5

Gina knows ‘calderos’ I

T has been asked, with tons of sarcasm, whether Gina Lopez ever cooked with a caldero or does she eat, or order takeout.

She’s got the money for it. Actually, so does everyone if they eat like Gina: mainly veggies, mostly raw.

Free Fire

By Teddy Locsin Jr.

Has she even seen a caldero?

She actually has; and she’s actually used it in the most primitive conditions. I’ve known her since she was a girl of the generation after mine.

She was pretty, and pretty rich, and never spoiled. And just when she could have been a spoiled young woman, she joined Hare Krishna (really Ananda Marga, but who can tell with the same saffron robes?).

For real, in earnest, and lived like an itinerant nun.

Once she dropped in with her group, led by their yogi. No sooner were they in our living room than he dropped to the floor and wriggled and writhed there.

My mother said in Spanish, “Doing that will make anyone hungry.” So she prepared sandwiches— ham sandwiches, which he gobbled up. My mother said, “Aren’t they vegetarian?”

I said, “They are, from birth; why they can’t tell ham from cucumber.”

Gina would ask friends from her old life to tag along with her.

She took Tony Boy and me to Luneta, where she took babies used as props from beggars pretending to be mothers, and handed them to us. I was young then; I could hold a baby at arm’s length for an almost indefinite time.

Gina knows from raw experience

Bill and Hill in 10 talking points

By Francis Wilkinson | Bloomberg View

P

OINT One: Bill and Hillary Clinton are victims of a perpetual right-wing smear campaign, a highly personalized subset of a decades-long, coordinated and sleazy conservative crusade to discredit government.

Point Two: Bill and Hillary Clinton evade rules and skirt laws that others are required to follow.

They seek to hide conduct that should be open to scrutiny, and intentionally evade accountability. When their improper actions are exposed, they invariably dissemble. Why did Hillary Clinton use a private e-mail system to keep thousands of e-mails off of her official secretary of state account?

For convenience? Please. She was dodging the rules to try to keep

her communications inaccessible to the news media and Republicans.

Which meant they were also inaccessible to the public and history.

Point Three: The conservative campaign against the Clintons has been so vile and relentless that they are naturally defensive. For a quarter century, dishonest partisan media and opportunistic Republican politicians have twisted every Clinton word and action—even nonaction, as the fraudulent Benghazi “scandal” has made eminently clear. The mainstream news media has always allowed partisan attack dogs to set the terms of Clinton coverage. Why should the Clintons sit back and allow themselves to be torn apart? They have to protect themselves.

Point Four: Politics ain’t beanbag, as Mr. Dooley pointed out. If

the Clintons have really been subject to a quarter century of unscrupulous attacks, then surely they know that they need to be extra cautious about appearances. Why go money grubbing at Goldman Sachs before launching a presidential campaign?

(Or why not donate the proceeds to charity? The Clintons, after all, are fabulously rich—as a direct consequence of their public service.) Why approach the US attorney general on a tarmac when the Justice Department is in the late stages of investigating your wife’s e-mail habits while she was secretary of state?

What is wrong with these people?

Point Five: Politicians aren’t machines. They’re human beings, with insecurities, neuroses, quirks and blind spots just like everyone else. In his prime, in case you’ve forgotten, Bill Clinton was the kind of politi-

Gina would ask friends from her old life to tag along with her. She took Tony Boy and me to Luneta, where she took babies used as props from beggars pretending to be mothers, and handed them to us. I was young then; I could hold a baby at arm’s length for an almost indefinite time. what calderos are, and that they are indeed made of metal. But she also knows that it is not imperative to hollow out entire landscapes by open-pit mining—so they look like

da moon—in order to extract minerals, like nickel and bauxite, copper and gold—that are never used to make calderos, but jet planes, bullets and jewelry.

And that vastly more is taken out of open-pit mines than are used to make anything. A lot that’s extracted is thrown away. The rest are shipped raw at next-to-zero taxes, to countries that do not use them to make anything, but for trading in stock and commodity markets.

Mining is not about extracting necessary minerals for necessary things; but first, foremost and almost entirely, it is about money and the saliva that makes it grow.

F__k, miners.

cian who would walk the length of a football field to shake a stranger’s hand. When he crosses paths with someone as prominent as Attorney General Loretta Lynch, he’s not going to ignore her. He’s going to reach out.

That’s who he is. As Lynch said, their conversation concerned grandchildren, travel, golf. (Explosive stuff.)

Obviously, Clinton is not going to lobby the attorney general about his wife’s case. That’s ridiculous.

Point Six: A refresher on Bill’s social appetites is, sadly, unnecessary. The Clintons have an uncanny habit of making themselves vulnerable to attack. It’s their fault, not the system’s. All of the same sick political dynamics that afflict the Clintons have been aimed at the current occupants of the White House. The paranoid style didn’t take a vacation when Barack Hussein Obama showed

up for duty. Yet, Obama’s presidency has been essentially scandal-free through more than seven years. By the time his administration concludes, it will almost certainly be among the least tainted in American history. If your enemies are unscrupulous and relentless, you have an obligation to yourself, your supporters and the nation to be above reproach.

The Clintons never seem to get this.

Point Seven: Obama benefited from having witnessed what the Clintons were subjected to. Their situation is unique in American politics. The whole terrible cycle began with them.

Point Eight: But it won’t end with them.

Point Nine: No, it will never end.

Because it’s politics.

Point Ten: Because it’s the Clintons.

Breaking the silence on gender-based violence

By Sicily K. Kariuki, CBS & Siddharth Chatterjee InterPress Service

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ILIFI COUNTY, Kenya—The Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is establishing and strengthening sexual and gender- based violence (SGBV) recovery centers in the country. One such center was launched at the Kilifi County Hospital on July 1 in collaboration with the Kilifi County Government.

It must rank as among the most confounding realities that SGBV, though acknowledged globally as one of the most pervasive violations of human rights in the world, is also one of the least prosecuted crimes.

It is a crime that cuts across all races, income levels and religions, and it continues to be largely visited upon one-half of humanity.

When 4 in every 10 women in Kenya have suffered one form of violence or another from a close partner, it must be clear that the silence on violence against women and children must end now. It is the time to stop seeing SGBV as an issue for gender activists, but as a prerequisite for sustainable development.

Evidence abounds about the tremendous wide ranging effects of violence against women and children.

These are effects that remain not only with individual women and children directly violated, but they can pass from one generation to another.

When four in every 10 women in Kenya have suffered one form of violence or another from a close partner, it must be clear that the silence on violence against women and children must end now Violence against women and girls is an extreme manifestation of gender inequality and systemic gender-based discrimination. The right of women and children to live free of violence depends on the protection of their human rights and a strong chain of justice.

The patriarchal system in many parts of the world, combined with absence of rights at the household level, has made women and girls vulnerable to sexual, physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual violence.

These dated attitudes manifest themselves through practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation, wife inheritance, and disinheritance of women and girls.

They are pervasive attitudes that have propagated the false paradigm that women are mere chattels, fated to rank second to men and boys.

Kenya has enacted various laws related to on violence against women. These include the Sexual Offences Act (2007), the FGM Act (2011) and the National Policy toward Prevention and Response to SGBV (2014). Considerable programs have been established for facilitating enforcement of those laws.

As much as punishment of crimes is crucial, other programs must be put in place, especially toward victim support. Survivors of sexual violence such as rape must, for instance, have rapid access to a health clinic that can administer emergency medical care, including treatment to prevent HIV and unintended pregnancies and counseling. A woman who is beaten by her husband must have some place to go with her children to enjoy safety, sanity and shelter. Victims of violence must have confidence that when they file reports with the police, they will receive nonaccusatory justice, and the perpetrator will be punished.

Despite initial challenges, con-

siderable momentum has gathered toward putting the above in place, not only by large agencies and government, but also by grassroots players. It is extremely heartening, for instance, to hear groups of women, such as Komeni group, who are taking leadership toward the elimination of child marriage in Pokot.

Through their merry-go-round club, they have put up a shelter for girls escaping from forced early marriage, and are collaborating with the local administration to arrest and prosecute offenders. The clarion call is for more hands to be put on deck.

The ministry is keen to work with such community initiatives and to provide national leadership in coordination with the SGBV program.

This includes the comprehensive 5P approach—Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, Programming and Partnership—that will facilitate the achievement of Gender Equality (Sustainable Development Goal 5).

Some of the key issues highlighted in the 5P are awareness creation in communities on SGBV; hot lines for survivors to report; and the establishment of SGBV centers for survivors and survivors’ protection

through prosecution of perpetrators.

The launch of these centers will help to link the community, hospitals and the different sectors that offer SGBV response services, such as legal, psychosocial and security.

Going forward, the longer-term view must obtain if the country is to begin to defang the structural drivers of gender violence. The status of women’s health, their participation in the economy and their education levels must be priority on the development agenda. Where gender gaps in these areas prevail, women will always be subjected to violence.

The entire gamut of development actors must now come together to ensure that every home is safe and free of every form of violence.

This is the only way to ensure truly sustainable peace and progress in which everyone of us has a stake.

Let’s speak out loudly, and call for an end to the scourge of sexual and gender-based violence.

Sicily K. Kariuki, (Mrs),(@sicilykariuki) CBS, is the Cabinet secretary, Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs in the government of Kenya.

Siddharth Chatterjee (@sidchat1) is the UNFPA representative to Kenya.

Honeywell: Who needs a megamerger, anyway?

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By Brooke Sutherland | Bloomberg View

ONEYWELL’S robot deal is a sign of what’s to come for the industrial conglomerate.

The maker of airplane parts and thermostats announced on Friday that it was buying privately held Intelligrated for $1.5 billion to add sorting machines, warehouse-execution software and robotic arms that help companies get orders out the door cheaply and quickly. The dollar amount barely registers when stacked up next to Honeywell’s jumbo-sized $100-billion-plus bid for rival United Technologies earlier this year, but the Intelligrated purchase is more telling than that failed effort about the company’s next steps.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the United Technologies bid was more of a one-off opportunity than a sign of a major strategy shift. The odds of a redux happening anytime soon are pretty slim after the initial approach drew pushback from customers and rankled Honeywell shareholders who had gotten used to CEO Dave Cote’s slow, steady and small approach to M&A. Other big deals are still possible—but just not that big.

Around $10 billion is likely the high end.

Honeywell has only rarely splurged on purchases of more than $1 billion.

The big deals it has done—including its merger with Allied Signal and the purchase of Pittway—haven’t been the biggest success.

Cote, who announced this week he’s retiring next year and handing the reins over to COO Darius Adamczyk, has said he’s putting his elephant gun away. This deal shows he meant it and is getting back to the strategy that’s yielded enviable margins and shareholder returns.

The technology focus of the deal also puts it in the wheelhouse of Adamczyk, who has degrees in electrical

and computer engineering, and a “deep expertise in software.” Honeywell very much wants to be a part of this digital craze that’s taken over the industrial industry. The word software showed up 11 times in the press release announcing Adamczyk’s appointment to the CEO position.

Honeywell has yet to announce the sort of massive undertaking that General Electric is pursuing to turn itself into one of the top 10 software companies. But Adamczyk said in May at the Electrical Products Group

Conference that he wants to boost standalone software sales to as much as 10 percent of the company’s revenue—or about $5 billion—over the next five years. Around 56 percent of Honeywell’s revenue already comes from product-embedded software, such as data-collecting sensors and automation technology that help make machines more productive.

One way Adamczyk plans to build up Honeywell’s software position? Acquisitions. So expect to see more Intelligratedlike deals under his tenure.

A6 Sunday, July 3, 2016

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

Iraqi traders eye PHL I

RAQI businessmen want to reconnect with their counterparts in the Philippines and reactivate the memorandum of cooperation that the Iraqi

chamber of commerce entered into with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PCCI) 18 years ago.

This was conveyed by Federation

of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce officials during a recent courtesy call by Philippine Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Elmer G. Cato at their headquarters

www.businessmirror.com.ph recently. The visit was part of the embassy’s efforts to revive economic ties between the Philippines and Iraq.

Recto L. Mercene

Sports BusinessMirror

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

JET SPIKERS IN FINALS

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HILIPPINE Air Force punched its way to the finals after weathering the mighty comeback of Laoag, 25-14, 25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 15-10, in Game Two to sweep their bestof-three semifinal series on Saturday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Lady Jet Spikers were poised of finishing off the match quickly after winning the first two sets, but the Power Smashers came back in the next two sets, to force a deciding fifth set.

But Air Force kept its composure and took the final frame to book its first finals appearance in the tournament.

The Jet Spikers will face the winner of the other semifinal series between BaliPure and Pocari Sweat.

In Spikers’ Turf Season Two, Cignal and Philippine Air Force knocked out their respective semifinal opponents to forge a best-of-three finals series.

The Air Men beat Instituto Estetico Manila (IEM) in straight sets, 25-15, 25-21, 34-32, while former college rivals Raymark Woo of De La Salle and Isay Marasigan of Ateneo powered the HD Spikers in silencing Santa Elena, 25-23, 25-16, 25-17.

Howard Mojica led the charge for Air

Force with 15 hits on 12 spikes and three blocks. Jeffrey Malabanan and Reyson Fuentes chipped in 12 points apiece, while Fauzi Ismail and JR Labrador added 11 each.

“Siyempre masaya kami kasi nakarating na naman kami ng Finals,” Air Men Head Coach Rhovyl Verayo said. “Mahaba pa naman ‘yung pahinga, mahaba-haba rin ‘yung ensayo namin, so titingnan rin namin ‘yung laro ng Cignal. Kung maaalala niyo, last time tinalo kami niyang four sets, so mahaba-haba pa ‘yung paghahanda.”

Woo led all scorers with 22 points highlighted by 19 kills, while Marasigan had an all-around game with 11 hits, including seven excellent receptions and four digs.

“Siguro may psychological advantage na kami sa kanila kasi ilang beses na rin kami nananalo sa kanila sa Finals,” Cignal Head Coach Macky Cariño said. “Kung anong ginawa namin before para manalo, ganoon pa rin siguro ‘yung susubukan naming gawin.”

Cignal and Air Force will start their best-of-three titular series on July 13 at PhilSports Arena, as the league takes a break to give way for the International Basketball Federation Olympic Qualifying Tournament from July 5 to 10. Lance Agcaoili

Laoag’s Mylene Paat (left) hits the ball hard, as Judy Anne Caballejo (11) and Jocemer Tapic (17) of Philippine Air Force try to block her attempt. NONOY LACZA

CARGO MOVERS FACE TORNADOES, EYE SOLO PSL LEAD

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week break, halos inaayos naming ‘yung mga nakikita pa naming kulang sa team,” de Jesus said. “Medyo kaunting-kaunti na lang maaayos na namin ‘yung mga kailangan naming i-perfect saka ‘yung maintenance na lang ng conditioning.”

Foton, on the other hand, has won its last two outings, including a 25-14, 25-7, 25-18 trousing of Amy’s Kitchen, to improve its standing to 2-1 and trail the leaders by just one game.

Aside from PSL tournament, the reigning Grand Prix champions are also preparing for Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Club Championship in September, and Head Coach Villet Ponce-de Leon is satisfied with the team chemistry.

The team is bannered by National

University 6-foot-3 star Jaja Santiago, University of Santo Tomas Tigresses Cherry Rondina, Ej Laure, Rhea Dimaculangan and Maika Ortiz, and La Salle’s Carol Cerveza.

“Dapat nasa 100 percent na kami after ng first round ngayon. Nakikita ko naman nasa 90 [percent] na kami, and we’re moving fast hindi naman parang bawat game ang bagal,” de Leon said. “Maganda ‘to dahil ‘yung improvement per game nakikita namin. Pero sa defense pa kami kulang marami pa kaming kailangan trabahuin sa area na ‘yon.”

In the second match, Standard InsuranceNavy and Amy’s Kitchen try to end their respective slumps. Amy’s Spikers have yet to win a single game after three matches, while the Corvettes have dropped their last two games. Lance Agcaoili

2 LOGISTICS faces an acid test in Foton, as it eyes the solo lead of the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference on Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Cargo Movers and the Tornadoes collide in their highly anticipated duel at 3:30 p.m., while cellar dwellers Amy’s Kitchen and Standard Insurance-Navy face off at 5:30 p.m. in the interclub tourney bankrolled by KLab Cyscorpions, Asics, Grand Sports, Mikasa, Mueller and Senoh, with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

F2 Logistics continues to enjoy a good start with solid games from the core of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines champion De La Salle bannered by first overall pick Ara Galang, Mika Reyes,

Kim Fajardo and Kim Dy, as well as alumni Cha Cruz, Aby Maraño and Paneng Mercado.

The Cargo Movers already won three in a row, the last one a 25-12, 25-16, 25-18 trouncing of Generika last Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The win put them in a triple tie with defending champion Petron and RC Cola-Army, with identical 3-0 win-loss cards.

F2 Logistics Head Coach Ramil de Jesus said the match against Foton gauges the strength of his team and wants to remain unbeaten before the league takes a one-week break to give way for the International Basketball Federation Olympic Qualifying Tournament from July 5 to 10.

“Mahaba ‘yung pahinga kaya kailangan marami kaming magawa bago mag-one

La Salle-Lipa, National U post huge victories

TURKEY IN SCARY WIN VS GILAS

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E LA SALLE-LIPA and National University (NU) hacked out victories in varying fashions to lead the opening-day winners of the Shakey’s Girls’ Volleyball League of Champions Season 14 at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig late Friday.

The defending champion La Salle-Lipa spikers put on a superb all-around game to frustrate their Ateneo de Davao rivals, 25-19, 25-18, while the NU side, runner-up in last year’s edition of the annual event sponsored by Shakey’s, needed an extra set to defuse the Holy Family Academy tossers, 25-15, 18-25, 25-19.

Those victories gave the two fancied teams the early lead in Pool A of the two-division finale, which gathers the top 10 teams that survived the grueling regional elims of the league backed by MyPhone, Asics and Mikasa, and organized by Metro Sports.

Also hurdling their first assignments in the single-round competition are Kings’ Montessori School and title favorite University of Santo Tomas. The KMS squad also underscored its readiness to vie for the coveted crown, as it walloped Iligan City National High School, 25-12, 25-16, while the España-based team overpowered Central Philippine University (CPU), 25-14, 25-17, in Pool B action.

The top two teams from both sides will advance to the crossover semis on Wednesday, with the winners clashing for the crown on Thursday. For details, visit www.facebook.com/ shakeysgirlsvleague.

Meanwhile, action is expected to heat up on Sunday, with NU facing Ateneo de Davao at 5 p.m. after the 4 p.m. clash between Kings’ Montessori and Holy Rosary College.

CPU and Iligan City National High School tangle in the 3 p.m. opener, while Holy Family Academy and Southwestern University (SWU) collide in the 6 p.m. main match.

La Salle-Lipa and University of Santo Tomas were actually gunning for their second win at presstime, with the former taking on SWU and the latter squaring off with Holy Rosary College.

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ILAS Pilipinas was a much-improved team compared to its first meeting against Turkey, but still surrendered an 84-76 decision to the world’s No. 8 ranked nation in their tune-up match on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Filipinos showed progress in their exhibition game ahead of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) next week, even leading at one point before losing steam in the end.

Both squads met in Istanbul several days ago, and Turkey blasted the PHL 5, 103-68.

“This is a good gauge for how much we’ve improved, but there’s still a lot more work to do,” said Gilas 5 Head Coach Tab Baldwin, who rued their slow start after the break.

The PHL 5 led, 20-19, after the first period and trailed, 33-40, going to the break, then Turkey opened the third quarter with 10 straight points to erect a 50-33 spread, with 8:38 remaining.

But the Filipinos responded with own 20-8 run to threaten at 53-58. Turkey again tried to pull away and erected a 65-53 advantage.

Gabe Norwood’s five straight points put some life on the PHL 5, 65-72, but Turkey replied with a quick 5-0 assault for a 77-65 cushion under four minutes remaining.

Naturalized player Andray Blatche injured his foot but Baldwin draw spark from Terrence Romeo, as the GlobalPort guard scored eight quick points to slice the lead to 76-82, with 47 seconds left.

But Turkey never rattled and preserved the victory in their tuneup encounter.

Turkey’s naturalized player Ali Muhammed led the team with 16 points while National Basketball Association center Semih Erden added 13 markers and six boards.

Blatche paced Gilas 5 with a game-high 20 points, while Romeo chipped in 16 markers off the bench. Jayson Castro and Norwood added 13 and 10 points respectively. Gilas 5 forward Marc Pingris played sparingly and had a minor skirmish with Turkey center Omar Asik in the fourth quarter that resulted in double technical foul.

Turkey, Canada and Senegal are in Group A in the Manila OQT slated from July 5 to 10, while the Philippines, France and New Zealand are bundled in Group B. Joel Orellana

Terrence Romeo (left) of the Philippines tries to elude the defense of two Turkey players during their tune-up match on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena. PBA IMAGE

Sunday, July 3, 2016 A7

WHITESIDE SIGNS 4-YEAR $98-M DEAL

Hassan Whiteside agrees to stay with the Miami Heat. AP

By Tim Reynolds

The Associated Press

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ASSAN Whiteside has been a basketball nomad since he turned professional, never lasting in one place too long because either he wanted to leave or nobody wanted him to stay.

Those days are long gone now.

Sticking to his plan to decide quickly, Whiteside’s foray into free agency ended early on Friday morning—only a few hours after it formally began, with him accepting a fouryear offer to stay with the Miami Heat. The deal as structured right now calls for Whiteside to earn $98 million, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because nothing can be signed and finalized until at least July 7.

Whiteside announced his decision on Snapchat and in a post on The Players’ Tribune.

He then spent part of the rest of his day snapchatting images of himself talking to bison, birds and reindeer—“hey reindeer, I’ll see you on Christmas,” Whiteside said at one point in a video—at a zoo, posing with a fan and enjoying ice cream.

“I’ve played on eight teams since college—from Reno to Sioux Falls to Sichuan, China,” Whiteside wrote on Players’ Tribune.

“I am not ready for there to be a ninth. I have decided to re-sign with Miami. I just wanted to take this time to tell all the fans how much you mean to this team, and to me. Can’t wait to get back to work and try to bring another championship to Miami.”

He’ll be at work soon enough.

Heat officials, they’re not waiting around.

Heat President Pat Riley, managing general partner Micky Arison and team executive Alonzo Mourning are in the group that has a meeting with Kevin Durant on Sunday, presumably one of the last pitches Durant will hear before deciding whether to leave Oklahoma City. And Dwyane Wade remains on vacation in Spain awaiting to see how—or if—he figures into the Heat plans going forward, though he was among those who sent Whiteside congratulatory words on Friday.

“Big, big, congrats to @youngwhiteside,” Wade tweeted on Friday morning. “Your dedication and hard work to the game has finally paid off.”

Wade ended his tweet with the hashtag, “Caniborrow5dollars,” a nod to the financial stratosphere Whiteside will soon enter.

Whiteside made about $980,000 this season, a minimum salary for a player with his level of experience. He’ll now become a maximum-salary guy, or at least close to that level. Regardless of what the final numbers will be,

it is life-changing money after a breakout season. Whiteside averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and a league-best 3.7 blocked shots per game, finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year balloting and became a huge part of not just Miami’s path to the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs but also the team’s thinking going forward.

“I was really excited,” Heat point guard Goran Dragic said in an interview from his native Slovenia. “I’m really looking forward to still playing with him and happy for him, happy for Miami, happy for the organization.

And, of course, we’re going to need him to be his best.”

Whiteside’s career path is well-known, taking him to less-than-glamorous leagues in Lebanon and China, stints in the NBA Development League and even getting cut from teams at that level.

In the NBA, Sacramento and Memphis had time with Whiteside before he was signed by Miami in November 2014. He’s spent time on at least four different D-League rosters, plus the multiple stints in China and Lebanon. If anything, his count of being on eight teams since college seems to be forgetting a move or two along the way.

Less than two years after coming to Miami, Whiteside has become one of the game’s most dominant centers—and one of the highest-paid players in Miami franchise history.

Part of that is simply because of the enormous jump in the salary cap this summer, but part of that is because of the potential the Heat see in Whiteside.

On his Snapchat video announcing the decision, someone asks Whiteside, “Hey cuz, where you gonna sign?”

Whiteside replies, “Miami,”—as Will Smith’s hit of the same name plays and the words “Heatnation it is” appear on the screen.

LTOPF processing at 24th DSAS event

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HE 24th Defense & Sporting Arms Show (DSAS), the country’s longest firearms show, opens to the public from July 14 to 18, at the Megatrade Hall, fifth floor Building B, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

Lawyer Hector Rodriguez, president of the Association of Firearms and Ammunition Dealers (Afad), said this year’s event is expected to draw more gun enthusiasts, after President Rodrigo R. Duterte reiterated his support to the civilian gun community being a multiplier force against criminal elements.

Also, Rodriguez hailed the President’s directive to all government agencies to streamline the requirements and hasten the processing time of transactions with the public. “We are hoping that this will convince gun owners with delinquent license to renew their document,” he stressed.

A wide array of new firearms, gun accessories and shooting apparel will be available at the exhibit area, where more than 50 of the country’s major gun manufacturers and dealers will set up booths to assist visitors.

As a tradition, Afad also organized free seminars on the License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) application, responsible gun ownership, self-defense and disaster survival techniques to be conducted by experts.

A joint project of the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Firearms and Explosives Office and Afad, Rodriguez said the DSAS will again host the Firearms Caravan, which will assist applicants of LTOPF and license renewal at the event venue.

For lucky DSAS visitors, Afad also lined up several raffle prizes that will be drawn during the five-day event.

Afad advised gun show visitors to preregister at www.afad.ph/dsas to avoid queuing at the venue entrance.

Sports BusinessMirror

Williams survives Wimbledon; Djokovic down

SERENA WINS, NOVAK TRAILS

By Howard Fendrich The Associated Press

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Serena Williams of the United States celebrates after beating compatriot Christina McHale on Day Five of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. AP

ONDON— Dismayed at dropping the first set after being a single point from taking it, Serena Williams sat in her Centre Court sideline chair and cracked her racket against the turf once, twice, thrice, four times.

Then she casually flung the racket, hurling it so far behind her that it landed in the lap of a TV cameraman filming her second-round match against 65th-ranked American Christina McHale.

Williams recovered to force a third set, only to fall behind yet again on Friday, perilously close to what would have been the six-time champion’s earliest exit in 17 Wimbledon appearances.

But as she herself declared afterward: “Mentally, no one can break me.”

Eventually, the top-ranked Williams did, indeed, come through, edging McHale, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4, for a thrill-a-minute victory at a tournament, so rain drenched this week that

matches will be scheduled on the middle on Sunday for only the fourth time in 139 years.

The dramatics of Williams’s match, which concluded with the main stadium’s retractable roof closed, were equaled by those of her older sister Venus: She had to wait out three rain delays, including one of more than an hour that arrived, of all times, right as she held a match point. But Venus, owner of five titles at the All England Club, persevered, too, barely getting past 29th-seeded Daria Kasatkina, 7-5, 4-6, 108, to become one of only two women already into the fourth round.

“You see a winner go by you, and a lob go in, and you’re like, ‘My god, what’s next?’” said Venus, who, at 36, is the oldest woman in the field and has played about six and a half hours of tennis in the past two days, including singles and doubles.

Of the way things went for her on Friday, including the interruption at match point while she led 5-4 in the third and Kasatkina served at 30-40, Venus said: “It was like a Hollywood script.” Serena’s mood soured when she had a set point in the first and appeared to have converted it, until McHale—who’s never been past the third round at a major—successfully challenged the call that her shot landed out.

From there, McHale played aggressively, and when she grabbed that set, 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena took out her frustration on her racket.

“I was just really, really, really angry.

I had a lot of chances,” said Serena, who acknowledged she faces a fine for her display and joked that she needed to reach her racketsmashing quota for the season. “She got really lucky on some shots.”

Despite all that went on in the siblings’ matches—they overlapped, so their mother, Oracene Price, hustled from No. 1 Court, where she saw Venus win, across the way to catch the end of Serena’s victory—the most shocking development on Friday was what was going on in Novak Djokovic’s third-rounder against 28thseeded Sam Querrey of the US before it was suspended because of showers in the evening.

Djokovic, owner of a 30-match Grand Slam winning streak that includes the past four major titles, allowed Querrey to seize the first two sets, 7-6 (6), 6-1, during their 72 minutes of action. Given the way things were going for the No. 1-seeded Djokovic, he had to be thrilled that the match was halted, giving him a night to rest and regroup.

Only one man managed to move his way into the fourth round: Roger Federer. He got to play in the main stadium, with the roof overhead, and easily beat Britain’s Daniel Evans, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Four other third-round men’s matches were suspended in progress. Worst of all, from a scheduling standpoint, one secondround men’s match is still not finished, with No. 24 Alexander Zverev locked in a fifth set against Mikhail Youzhny. And three second-round women’s matches are also pending.

A8 | S

unday, July 3, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Wales enters Euro semis

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ILLE, France—On the greatest night in its soccer history, Wales swept past the world’s No. 2-ranked team at the European Championship on Friday.

Wales stormed back from a rough start to beat Belgium, 3-1, in a pulsating quarterfinal won by classy goals from two unheralded forwards.

As usual, Gareth Bale was excellent and, of course, all the talk will be of him and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo before the two teams meet in a semifinal next week.

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Still, unlike Portugal, Wales and Bale have been wonderful and a truly refreshing surprise in reaching a first semifinal at a major tournament. “We

are so excited to be here. We have never been at this level,” said Wales Coach Chris Coleman, who took over a team ranked outside the top 100 four years ago. “You dream about nights like this. You’re never sure if you’re lucky enough to experience it and when you’re involved, you can’t describe it.” After 25 minutes on Friday, the dream seemed far away against a faststarting Belgium side that was playing almost a home game just 10 kilometers from its border.

The ferocity of Belgium’s opening goal in the 13th-minute, a rifled shot by midfielder Radja Nainggolan rising into the net from 25 meters, did not bode well.

But Wales captain Ashley Williams hauled his team back into the fight in the 30th when he stooped to head in a corner.

D-DAY REMEMBERED IN TOUR

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AINT-Lô, France—The landing beaches. The war cemeteries. The museums. The first towns that were liberated more than 70 years ago.

The D-Day and World War II history that is embedded in the culture of Normandy is earning extra spotlight this weekend when the Tour de France opens with two stages in the region.

Saturday’s opening leg starts at MontSaint-Michel, a World Heritage Benedictine abbey perched on a rock off the coast, and ends at Utah Beach, one of the key landing

sites for Allied troops on June 6, 1944.

The first stage also passes through Sainte-Mère-église, where American paratrooper John Steele dangled from a clock tower after his parachute got caught during the invasion, and survived. The town is now home to the Airborne Museum.

Stage Two on Sunday finishes in Cherbourg-En-Cotentin, site of the Battle of Cherbourg. Tejay van Garderen, the BMC rider who represents the United States’s best hope for overall victory in the Tour, was wide eyed as he took a look around this week. AP