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Sunday, July 10, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 274

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ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS Shortly before leaving for the Enactus Philippines National Competition Finals, held on July 8 and 9 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, this team from the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU) in Bayombong tries its skills bottling fresh pineapple chunks at the NVSU Food Processing Center. Enactus mobilizes university students in developing their entrepreneurial talents. LEONARDO PERANTE

NGO asks Davao to review port devt project

By Roderick Abad

W

Contributor

@rodrik_28

ITH President Duterte duly sworn in, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) affiliated with the Ecowaste Coalition wants the government to review the proposed reclamation and port-development project to be undertaken by Mega Harbour Port.

See “NGO,” A2

Think tank sees boom in local retail industry

By Bianca Cuaresma

T

@BcuaresmaBM

HE retail industry is set to increase its contribution to the country’s strong growth momentum.

This is because consumers continue to be optimistic of their purchasing power, and the Duterte administration is set to introduce a new policy direction aiming to open the economy to more inves-

tors during the current term, an international think tank said.

In its most recent economic news update, Oxford Business Group (OBG) said the country’s retail sector will see a strong growth

this year as one of the main beneficiaries of President Duterte’s plans to welcome foreign investments in the Philippines.

“Rising consumer confidence, combined with the new administration’s plans to open up the economy, looks set to underpin strong demand and growth in the Philippines’s retail sector. The retail sector could be one of the main beneficiaries of President Duterte’s plans to liberalize rules restricting foreign investment,” the OBG said in a report.

At present, the sectors currently Continued on A2

Clark provides refuge to 13 passenger planes

By Joey Pavia

Correspondent

C

THE TRIUMPH OF MERCY

Dear Lord, the feeling of total renewal and freedom experienced by anyone of us, after having experienced God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, enables us to understand the relief and joy experienced by the adulterous woman in the Gospel who was saved from death and forgiven by Jesus. The Jewish authorities had dragged her to Jesus with the intention of having Him sanction their sentence that she should be stoned to death. But Jesus’ sentence was, “I do not condemn you. Go, and from now on , do not sin anymore.” Jesus’ words expressed the triumph of mercy over blind justice, the triumph of love over fear. May we all have the triumph of forgiveness in our hearts. Amen!

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

LARK FIELD, Pampanga—At least 13 commercial aircraft, including 10 owned

by Taiwanese carriers, sought refuge at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga at the height of Typhoon Butchoy, a Clark International Airport Corp. (Ciac) official said on Saturday.

The 10 Taiwanese commercial planes were diverted to Clark on Thursday afternoon, while the three others sought shelter at the same airport on Friday.

Ding Aranas, manager of the Ciac Terminal Operations Department, said the Taiwanese planes were TransAsia Airways Airbus A320 and A321, three ATR72s, Mandarin Airlines A320, two ERJ190s and two TigerAir Taiwan A320s. On Friday three more commercial aircraft arrived at Clark owing to bad weather in Manila: an AirAsia Airbus 320 from Mactan-Cebu, Cebu Pacific Air A320 from Bacolod and Asiana Airlines

PESO exchange rates n US 47.0400

SOME of the planes that sought refuge at the Clark Airport at the height of Typhoon Butchoy (international code name Nepartak). JOJO DUE from Incheon, the Ciac said.

The Duterte administration earlier expressed intention to push for more domestic flights at Clark. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City is plagued by flight delays and passenger congestion.

The only regular local flight at Clark is the Cebu-Clark flight of Cebu Pacific.

Aranas said the planes arrived at the Clark Airport to escape from the fury of the typhoon, which battered parts of Taiwan on Friday.

He said Clark Airport can accommodate aircraft from foreign countries for

emergency purposes. Clark Airport has a wide parking space for airplanes.

Aranas said Clark Airport “is always ready, especially during times of calamity, to assist airlines for their diversion and evacuation.”

The Clark Civil Aviation Complex is at least 2,367 hectares located inside the Clark Freeport Zone. The airport has a 3.2-kilometer parallel runway built by the US Air Force, which pulled out in 1991 owing to the termination of the RP-US Bases Agreement and the subsequent eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991.

U.S. economy rebounds with June hiring surge of 287,000

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A S H I N G T O N —T h e strong rebound in hiring last month, after almost zero new jobs were added in May, allayed worries that the long recovery in the labor market and the economy was coming to an abrupt end.

“We can all breathe a big sigh of relief,” said Harry Holzer, a Georgetown University professor and former chief economist at the Labor Department.

Friday’s government report showing growth of 287,000 jobs last month—following revised gains of just 11,000 in May and 144,000 in April—will bolster confidence among employers and policy-makers at the Federal Reserve (the Fed) that the expansion in the labor market and the broader economy remain on track.

The figures fueled a big rally on Wall Street on Friday, with the broad-market S&P 500 closing near a record high and other major stock indexes also surging.

But analysts said it would not be enough to push the Fed to raise interest rates later this month or possibly even in September, given the increased risks created by Britain’s surprising vote to leave the European Union. Analysts expect at most one rate hike this year.

The Fed will “still be watching and waiting with concerns about the Brexit vote,”said Alan Levenson, chief economist at Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price Group. “These data don’t show you anything about

that,” he said, noting that the latest employment survey was taken before the June 23 referendum.

In short, the latest snapshot from the Bureau of Labor Statistics essentially sets things back to where they were before the lull in May. And that means the same slow and steady—some would say fragile—growth that has marked much of the recovery.

Economists don’t expect a repeat of June’s robust hiring anytime soon, but instead something closer to an average of 150,000 in coming months, which would still mark a slowdown from the monthly pace of nearly 200,000 in the first quarter and a 229,000 average last year.

Still, the latest jobs report was welcome news for Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Another month of weak hiring would have dealt a blow to her political fortunes as they are inextricably linked to the performance of President Barack Obama and the economy.

Neither Clinton nor Donald Trump, her likely Republican opponent in November, immediately commented on the jobs report, as Trump did a month ago when he spotlighted the poor hiring. But Jason Furman, Obama’s chief economic advisor, hailed the bounceback in hiring, saying it is “a clear indication that the economy continues to make solid progress.”The nation has added 14.8 million private-sector jobs since early 2010, he noted in a statement. TNS

n japan 0.4669 n UK 60.7380 n HK 6.0636 n CHINA 7.0385 n singapore 34.8573 n australia 35.1718 n EU 52.0592 n SAUDI arabia 12.5396

Source: BSP (8 July 2016 )

NewsSunday Cherry blossoms in Benguet reflect 3 nations’ friendship BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, July 10, 2016

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Here is his story

By Marilou Guieb | Correspondent

T was one day last month when Benguet celebrated its Arbor Day. It might seem like a trite activity to mark the day—a tree-planting activity, but as the day unfolded and stories were told, it became something more—a story of healing from the scars of war.

Benguet’s sister city in Japan, Kochi, brought to the province cherry-blossom trees called sakura and planted them on picture-pretty rolling hills in Paoay, Atok.

It was a setting quite bare of trees and vegetation, except for a thicket of Philippine oak at the borders and a gentle terrain with baskets of newly harvested cabbages sitting on the vegetable terraces that day.

The planting of cherry blossoms was besieged by environmentalists, concerned the sakura trees may prove to be invasive —and why not indigenous species instead?

But there was more to that gathering than just a cocelebration of the planting and caring of trees.

It was a celebration of the blossoming of friendship among three countries, once fierce enemies during World War II. For one, the area where the Sakura

saplings were planted was the land that Spanish-American pioneer and war veteran Guy Franklin Haights developed more than a century ago.

Fourth-generation descendant Susan Haightsnarrated how her great grandfather came with the company of Col. Lyman Kennon of the US Corps of Engineers in 1903 to build Kennon Road.

Haights took a strong liking for Celo, the son of one of his workers and named the bright-eyed boy Celo Haights, gave him a shirt and soap, and taught little Celo his first English words, “Go river, wash.”

But after a year of work, Haights contracted tuberculosis, the scourge at that time, but refused to go back home to California as advised by doctors. Instead, he heeded another advice—look for a cool place where he could recuperate. He found

SECOND Secretary Takuhiro Watanabe (left) of the Japan Embassy joins Benguet Gov. Nestor B. Fongwan lead the planting of 34 Japanese cherry-blossom trees or sakura saplings (Prunus serrulata) in Paoay, Atok, Benguet. A Japanese botanist said the trees are expected to blossom in three years, making the 100-square-meter Sakura Park a virtual cherry-blossom garden. KARL LAPNITEN

that place higher up, following narrow foot trails into Paoay in Atok where he found the weather to be like California’s.

Falling in love with the gentle scenery and the quiet of the place, he took little Celo with him and started to hike back to the place he would call home for the rest of his life. There, the clear air and Celo’s loving care nurtured Haight back to better health, and soon, they were clearing lands to plant vegetables.

First, they made a clearing where oak trees were felled and highland vegetables were grown in the ever-expanding farm gardens. Haight married a lass named Susie f rom Suyoc and little Celo himself married another Suyoc g irl na med Kathy with whom he had 14 children.

Haight asked relatives in America to send him the seeds of cabbages, carrots,

lettuce and other vegetables, and that was how the vegetable trade now worth millions of pesos a day started. In fact, on the day the sakura trees were planted, rows and rows of cabbages were being harvested and loaded on waiting trucks.

Refreshingly, while the vegetable industry teems around the commercial borders of the garden towns, life in Paoay still feels like in the timeless era of their ancestors, kept pristine and serene. “My grandmother’s house, Susie, still stands,” Susan Haights said, pointing to a nearby dwelling where folks were busy cooking by firewood the pancit and the meat of the sacrificial pig served in the gathering.

Haight was famous then for a kind of hotel, a health resort called Haight’s Place, which remained popular for many years. He must also have started tourism here for he had guide tours who brought straying visitors to places now known as Mount Pulag, Mount Data and others on horseback.

Celo died in Paoay on October 13, 1952, and was buried in the cemetery there following native rites.

Yoshikawa, chairman of the Kochi Benguet Sisterhood Development Group, leads a friendship trail to the hearts of the Filipinos through the beauty of flowers and the enrichment of agriculture.

“In March of 1967, I was dispatched to the Benguet Province as one of the members with agricultural skills of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers [JOCV] Program. The Philippine population then was only 27 million. The population during the war was roughly 12 million, and 1.1 million were killed due to the war. The Philippines was the worst victim among the Southeast nations. The antagonism against Japan was fierce and continued until the 1970s.

JOCV, which started in 1965, was initiated not by politicians nor bureaucrats, but by ex-soldiers dispatched to Southeast nations. They wanted to help Filipinos by improving agricultural standards.

Both Japan and the Philippines were very nervous since there remained antiJapan sentiments. I became accustomed to the Philippines soon. I saw many terraced ricefields in Benguet, which reminded me of the farming in my hometown Kochi.”

But memories of Japanese cruelty still lived in the memory of Filipinos then, and once Yoshikawa was asked if he felt any responsibility for the death of his father who was killed by Japanese soldiers, a question which he said threw him in a flurry. But he answered, “I can’t resurrect your father. My generation does not know the war. In order not to wage war again, we should develop a deep relationship on a first-name basis.”

Since then, not only has Yoshikawa pioneered mushroom propagation in the province, now a flourishing agri-industry, but his Kuroshio Agricultural Development Cooperative has, so far, accepted hundreds of trainees on farming. From the first graduates, the greenhouse way of agriculture was started in Benguet and the flower Gloriosa brought back from his city Kochi is now a specialty of Benguet.

So not only was the planting of sakura trees an Arbor Day celebration. It was a celebration of heritage and healing from the old wounds of war, and like the blossoming of cherry blossoms a strengthening of exchanges of each nation’s gifts and beauty.

Surely, cherry blossoms on American Haight brought by the Japanese to Philippine soil, where once blood spilled, is a much more precious sentiment than a biodiversity concern of the pink-and-white blossoms overcoming the landscape. And the cherry blossoms will keep old stories alive and make for continuing colorful stories to tell generations to come.

Think tank sees boom in local retail industry Continued from A1

deemed out of bounds for overseas investors are broadcasting, domestic shipping and pharmaceuticals, along with most retail activity as the constitution provides for a foreign ownership cap of property in the country.

“This could soon change, with Duterte officials announcing in mid-May that constitutional amendments could be considered to boost the attractiveness of the Philippines to foreign direct investment [FDI],” OBG said.

FDI in the country has been on the rise under the Aquino administration, with the latest report

NGO. . .

Continued from A1

The three-year Davao City coastline and port development project will involve the reclamation of 200 hectares of offshore site in two districts there. In a statement, Interface Development Interventions Executive Director Ann Fuentes said the city council did not conduct any public consultation for the project.

Since the NGO only learned about the project after the second reading, Fuentes asked for an opportunity to represent before the council.

Fuentes said the NGO feared the project would dislocate the residents of Isla

from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showing a 52.1-percent surge in the first quarter of the year to $1.29 billion.

Despite the growth, total FDI inflows of the country remain meager compared to the volume of investments other countries receive. In 2015 FDI represented only about 2 percent of the country’s GDP. The Asean region averages over 5 percent of GDP. Aside from Duterte’s policy shift, rising consumer confidence owing to optimism in income levels and economic conditions are also set to contribute to the rise of the retail sector in the Philippines.

T he cou nt r y ’s con s u me r -

confidence index for the first three months of 2016 rose to -5.7 percent, up from -8.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015, the central bank’s Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) released in early June said.

“Though the index was still in negative territory consumers were more positive, citing an improvement in availability of jobs, price stability and increased investment in the economy,” OBG said.

The first-quarter rating marked the highest number reached by the CES index since the second quarter of 2013. The Philippine Statistics Authority said retail trade contributed 18 percent to the national output in 2015.

Verde, an area of 123,201 square meters with an estimated population of 13,398.

This community is covered under Presidential Proclamation 85 signed by former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, stating that Isla Verde is a human-settlement site. In November 2015 a Swiss challenge was organized by the local government, but no other bid was submitted. The project was expected to face another Swiss challenge, since concerns about it were elevated to national government agencies.

The proposal will be submitted to the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) after the city council passes an ordinance granting then-Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte the authority to sign a joint-venture agreement (JVA) with the proponent.

Earlier, the Davao City council blocked

the bidding of the P19-billion Davao Sasa Port Modernization Project under the previous administration’s Public-Private Partnership Program.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Davao issued a resolution stopping the auction due to “the irregular procedure, as well as the various questions raised against the Sasa Port Modernization project, now being bid out without prior consultation and expressed approval of the local government as provided for by the Local Government Code.” Asian Terminals Inc., International Container Terminal Services Inc., Bollore Africa Logistics, Singapore-based Portek International Pte. Ltd. and San Miguel Corp. were recently prequalified by the transportation department for the Davao Sasa Port project.

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

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

Research: Workplace attire now more casual

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NEW research by a flexible-workspace provider found that the traditional business attire of suit and tie are reaching the end of the line, with workers globally reporting they are now often seen as too formal.

The survey of almost 40,000 workers around the world by Regus revealed that more casual dress choices are preferable in today’s work environment.

Specifically, Filipino businesspeople reported that jeans (82 percent) and T-shirts (59 percent) are now considered as suitable office attire. Homeworkers generally conform to stereotype, with 55 percent saying they sometimes work in their pyjamas or even underwear (18 percent). However, nine out of 10 (92 percent) rush to smarten up before a video call.

Key findings: Filipino business people report that a suit and tie are often regarded as too formal for the modern office place (82 percent); A fifth of workers confess to working in just their underpants at home (18 percent);

Flip-flops (18 percent) and tracksuits (21 percent) remain big office no-nos; Sandals have made the grade and 39 percent of respondents globally report they are acceptable workwear.

Lars Wittig, country manager for Regus Philippines, said, “Today’s office place has radically changed in many aspects. Not only is the technology we use much more advanced, but less rigidly vertical hierarchies are in place. It’s hardly surprising that in this rapidly changing scenario, people’s view on business dress code have also changed.

“While a suit and tie remain standard in only a few areas of businesses, jeans and smartcasual attire are now common well outside the creative industries. Perhaps, also influenced by Silicon valley’s casual and much talked-about attitudes to workwear, workers now expect a more laid-back approach to office dressing.

That said, there are still some important cultural boundaries and businesspeople in most countries draw the line at flip-flops and gym clothes.” Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Sunday, July 10, 2016 A3

GMA seeks doubling of pay of cops, troops

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

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@joveemarie

O help the Duterte administration lessen, if not end, criminality and lawless violence in country, former President and now reelected Lakas Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Pampanga is pushing for a measure promoting the welfare of soldiers and policemen by doubling their gross pay.

In House Bill 304, Arroyo said professionalism in the National Police and the Armed Forces and adequate remuneration and benefits of its members shall be a prime concern of the state.

“Together with the call to help

the administration to lessen, if not end, the war in country, as well as the eradication of corruption, drugs and criminality on the occasion of the National Police Change of Command [ceremony] held on July 1, His Excellency Rodrigo R.

Duterte reiterated his promise to double the salary of the men and women of the National Police and the Armed Forces,” she said.

“In order to enhance the general welfare, commitment to service and professionalism of the members of the police and the military, the monthly take-home pay of their personnel shall be doubled,” she added.

Under the bill, the detailed schedule of the adjustment in pay shall be done by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), provided that Civil Service Commission qualification standards apply to the police and the military.

The bill also said the National Police Commission and the Armed Forces shall institute reforms in the system, which governs the selection, hiring, appointment, transfer, promotion or dismissal

of all personnel and officers.

“The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this act shall be charged against the appropriations savings of the National Police, the Armed Forces or other definite sources or both as determined by the DBM to be sufficient and readily available. Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this act shall be incorporated in the regular appropriations of the police and the military in the General Appropriations Act,” the measure added.

The bill also mandates the police, the miitary and the DBM to jointly submit to the Senate and the House of Representatives an annual report on the implementation of the act, saying the report will include information on the application of the budget for the salary and other benefits provides under the law.

No sign of Abu hostages in Basilan

By Teofilo P. Garcia Philippines News Agency

I

SABELA CITY, Basilan—Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said there are no signs that the Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has transferred its hostages to this province.

Hataman issued the statement after he disclosed that there were Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf bandits who had fled to this province to escape from the continuous military offensive in Sulu.

“I’m sure there are no hostages... we have information there are no hostages here. They [Abu Sayyaf bandits] transferred here due to [the military] pressure in nearby Sulu,” Hataman said.

The bandits are still holding captives nine foreigners and three Filipinos in Sulu.

The foreigners included a Dutchman birdwatcher, a Norwegian and seven Indonesian sailors.

Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) spokesman, said the Joint Task Force Sulu continues to conduct focused military operations against the bandits.

Westmincom received intelligence report that nine bandits were killed, while 13 were wounded when the troops pounded on Thursday the Abu Sayyaf position in Barangay Kabuntakas, Patikul, Sulu.

Hataman said based on reports

HATAMAN: “I’m sure there are no hostages...we have information there are no hostages here.

They [Abu Sayyaf bandits] transferred here due to [the military] pressure in nearby Sulu.”

he received, there were about 200 bandits operating in this province.

“Ang nagparami sa kanila ay iyong mga taga-Sulu, Zamboanga Sibugay and Marangan, Zamboanga City,” Hataman said.

Marangan is a sitio in Barangay Muti, Zamboanga City, where, Hataman said, around 30 Abu Sayyaf bandits came from, and joined their cohorts in this province.

He disclosed they learned there were some bandits from Zamboanga Sibugay here, since one of them was arrested by the military in the nearby town of Al-Barka.

He said the bandits staged the attack on Wednesday in Tipo-Tipo as they wanted to instill fear among the residents in the area.

“Hindi namin papayagan at hindi namin hahayaan na gawin nila iyon,” he said.

Hataman met with the provincial, city and municipal officials of this province, and discussed measures to address the problem on peace and order of this province.

BI: 117 personnel drug-free

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HE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Friday announced that all its 117 personnel, who were subjected to a surprise drug test, have been found negative of drug traces.

The 117 personnel are assigned in the BI’s Intelligence Division, Office of the Commissioner and offices of division heads.

“This is just the start of a series of surprise drug tests that I will be conducting to make sure that the BI is drug-free,”Immigration Commissioner Jaime H. Morente earlier said.

Morente said he started with the bureau’s intelligence personnel because they play a key role in the efforts to eradicate corruption in the bureau and

in ensuring that BI personnel delivering frontline services do their job efficiently.

He gave the Intelligence Division the additional task of monitoring and building up cases against BI personnel who may be engaged in unlawful activities.

“We need to deliver on the pronouncement of President Duterte to eradicate corruption and hasten government transactions,” Morente said.

The result was released by Senior Insp. Aileen Yagono of the National Police Crime Laboratory, which conducted the drug tests.

“We have no place for drug users in the bureau,” Morente added.

Joel R. San Juan

Better safe than...

A fisherman anchors his empty fishing boat (right photo) at the riverbank in Las Piñas City, so he could seek shelter from the heavy rains brought by Typhoon Butchoy (international code name Nepartak) on Friday. The winds and rains brought by Butchoy, which did not even make land fall in the country, also prompted the diversion of at least 13 aircraft bound for Manila to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga. PNA

Think tank warns of overcapacity in Australia route

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

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HILE local carriers are planning to expand their presence in Australia, an aviation think tank warned that overcapacity will soon be reached, and that the increasing traffic between Manila and cities in Australia will prove to be unsustainable overtime.

Competition, the Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (Capa) said, will continue to intensify in the Philippines-Australia market, as Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific plan to increase their capacity by using bigger aircraft.

“Overcapacity is a major concern. Cebu Pacific’s entrance has stimulated demand but impacted load factors and yields,” the think tank said.

In 2015 the average load factor on AustraliaPhilippines flights was less than 67 percent, including a dismal 60 percent at PAL and only 64 percent at Cebu Pacific.

T he Austra lia-Philippines market has doubled in size over the last five years, from 228,000 nonstop passengers in 2010 to 466,000 nonstop passengers in 2015.

The market has grown every year, but, by far, the fastest growth was in 2015, when the number of nonstop passengers surged by 39 percent.

Local airlines are mulling over the prospect of adding new routes and increasing their capacity in certain Australian cities, after the recent signing of an expanded air agreement between Manila and Canberra.

With the new agreement, PAL is now free to add capacity to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, will launch Melbourne flights this year, though the timing for the said service remains hinged on securing gates, slots and additional aircraft.

“Cebu Pacific and PAL, however, could face challenges in the Australia market as more capacity is added. Both airlines have had unsustainably low load factors on their Australia routes over the last year. As competition further intensifies

there will likely be further pressure on yields and load factors,” Capa said.

Average load factor in the market was at a low 66.6 percent in 2015. This marks the lowest average load factor on Australia-Philippines routes in at least a decade.

Hence, the think tank said, it could take a few years for the capacity added over the last two years to be fully absorbed—assuming there is not any further significant expansion.

“If Cebu Pacific and PAL pursue further expansion as intended, the market could suffer from overcapacity for several years,” the research agency said.

It warned local carriers that capacity increases in Australia may not be sustainable.

“There is a lot of potential for growth in the AustraliaPhilippines market, particularly as lower fares continue to stimulate new demand in both the outbound and inbound sectors. But the market is highly seasonal and directionally imbalanced,” Capa said.

Filipino airlines rely heavily on ethnic or visiting friends and relatives traffic, making it hard to maintain high year-round load factors, it added.

“Significant growth and sustainable load factors may only be achievable with significant sixth freedom traffic beyond Manila,” Capa noted.

But, given the intense competition in Australia’s international market and the fact PAL and Cebu Pacific are not well-known brands outside the Filipino community “any sixth freedom traffic would be low yielding and

Transfer of high-profile NBP inmates to islands mulled

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HE government is considering the transfer of high-profile New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmates to several islands in Palawan, especially the convicts involved in the illegaldrugs trade.

“Meron na kaming kino-consider na ilang isla sa Palawan na talagang walang [cellular-telephone] signal,” Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II said.

President Duterte is bent on eradicating the illegal-drugs trade in the country, in which 75 percent of the supply, according to Aguirre and Director General Roland dela Rosa, National Police chief, comes from the NBP. Convicted drug lords at the NBP still manage to run the trade through the use of smuggled mobile phones and Internet connections inside the

national penitentiary.

Aguirre said stopping the use of mobile telephones and blocking of Internet access inside the prison are keys to stop the majority of the illegal-drugs trade.

The inmates, who may be moved to an island, will be from the Maximum Security Prison of the NBP. “We will start at the Maximum Se-

curity Prison,” Aguirre said.

He added that their priority will be the convicts involved in illegaldrugs trade, “because that is the priority of our President.”

On the other hand, Aguirre said the entry of National Police Special Action Force troopers to the NBP is “anytime soon,” as the papers of the new prison officials are now being processed. PNA

likely carried below cost.”

Sixth freedom refers to the “right to carry passengers or cargo from a second country to a third country by stopping in one’s own country.”

“The preference would be to grow the local market and stimulate more demand from Filipinos.

But there is a limit to this growth, and the low load factors at Cebu Pacific and PAL is an indication of the challenges that lie ahead,” Capa said.

SundayV

Busine

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

Freedom is receding around the world

T

By Noah Smith | Bloomberg View

HE economic dangers of Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU) are probably exaggerated.

The UK is in a bit of trouble, since falling real-estate prices might spark a recession there. But it seems unlikely that the spillover to the global economy will be severe.

British trade policy probably won’t change much, and extremists in the UK Independence Party, which spearheaded the “leave” campaign, are unlikely to take power. The EU itself is on shaky ground, but that was just as true before Brexit.

Brexit’s real importance probably comes not from its direct effects, but from its symbolism. It’s a sign of a much bigger, broader trend—a global political regime change. The shift was happening before Brexit, and it will continue after. It’s something we should be worried about.

In the aftermath of World War II, the globe was divided into two main blocs—a US-led group that embraced liberal democracy, capitalism and free trade; and a Soviet- and Chinese-led group that favored autocracy, economic isolationism and various forms of communism. Neither side was particularly unified, and neither one lived up fully to its professed ideals. But gradually, the liberal bloc succeeded economically and socially, and the other one failed.

As this became apparent, many countries started changing their institutions to be more like the US. China and other authoritarian countries liberalized their economies, while many others converted from autocracy to democracy.

In recent years, that trend has halted, and the institutional tide now appears to be moving in the other direction. Illiberalism—political autocracy and restriction of civil liberties—are on the rise.

Many organizations track these trends, and they tend to have different definitions of democracy and freedom. But they all seem to agree on the broad trend. For example, Freedom House, an organization sponsored by the US government, says freedom in the world has been declining for the past 10 years. Since 2006, the number of countries it records as having experienced declines in freedom has been greater than the number of countries where freedom has advanced: If you weigh the world by population rather than by the number of countries, the retreat for democracies is less dramatic, but still clear. The Economist Intelligence Unit maintains democracy index, which it says has been “in limbo” or declining since the index was created in 2006. Reporters Without Borders, an international nonprofit, sees a “deep and disturbing decline” in press freedom around the globe. And the widely used Polity IV data set shows the number of democratic countries stagnating or falling in almost all regions of the globe since the early 2000s. The World Economic Forum believes that the liberal order is being “challenged by a variety of forces.”

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ANY people may not be aware that the National Capital Region (NCR), already overpopulated with more than 12 million people, is also crowded with officers and enlisted personnel of the police and military organizations.

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Predator or protector?

Database

By Cecilio T. Arillo

Often mingling with the civilian population, armed and in civilian clothes, a casual observer would surely have a hard time telling the difference between a predator and a protector.

This is so, because the seat of political power is in the NCR, and there’s an overconcentration of police and military camps and offices with overlapping functions and responsibilities trying to protect it.

For instance, if one draws up a schematic circle, using Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame as the nerve center, he’ll find 30 small, medium and large police and military headquarters operating in a constricted 30-kilometer radius.

These are the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Unified Area Command, Logistics Command and Intelligence Services of the AFP in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City; the Philippine National Police (PNP), Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, Philippine Drugs Enforcement Administration, Criminal Identification and Investigation Division, Philippine Center on Transnational Crime, Traffic Management Group, Firearms and Explosives Unit and the Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame, Quezon City; The Army, Special Forces, Marines, Army Logistics Command, Light Armored Brigade and the Reservist Command in Fort Bonifacio; the Air Force and seven wing commands in Villamor Air Base; the Navy and three commands on Roxas Boulevard, Manila; The PNP Western Police District on UN Avenue, Manila; the Northern Police District in Caloocan City; the Central Police District in Quezon City; the Southern Police District in Fort Bonifacio;

There are more than 40,000 police and military personnel assigned to these headquarters. In addition, there are more than 20,000 blue guards in Metro Manila at any given time. Compounding the problem is the preponderance of headquarters elements: police regional and provincial commands, military area commands, divisions, brigades and various task forces. When martial law was declared in 1972, police and military personnel were not allowed to go out of their camps, unless they showed first their mission orders to the military police at the gates. the National Capital Command in Bicutan, Taguig; the PNP Special Action Force in Bicutan; the Presidential Security Command in Malacañang, Manila; and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency in Quezon City.

There are more than 40,000 police and military personnel assigned to these headquarters. In addition, there are more than 20,000 blue guards in Metro Manila at any given time.

Compounding the problem is the preponderance of headquarters elements: police regional and provincial commands, military area commands, divisions, brigades and various task forces.

When martial law was declared in 1972, police and military personnel were not allowed to go out of their camps, unless they showed first their mission orders to the military police at the gates.

If they were riding in vehicles, they had to show first their trip tickets and their mission orders before they were allowed to go out of the camp. The idea was to monitor their movements and prevent them from either becoming victims of criminals or themselves becoming criminals.

Indeed, these preventive measures proved effective but when martial law was lifted in 1981, they were removed and no one in the chain of command (COC) in the succeeding years ever had the initiative to restore these safeguards.

This could be a reason an alarming number of military personnel and policemen are getting involved in criminal activities.

The COC controls the movement of men and equipment from top to bottom. For example, a battalion commander is responsible for his men and their movements through his company commanders, platoon leaders and the squad leaders.

Sad to note, neither were the top generals nor the policy-makers in Congress had done something to correct this overpopulation problem in the succeeding years after the martial-law period, despite the urgent need to disperse them to other camps located outside the populated areas in nearby provinces.

Worse, beyond merely giving members of the armed services miniscule salary increases and bonuses, some policy-makers have the simple notion that soldiers and policemen are “robots,” trained just to obey orders, to shoot and ask questions later, or to kill and be killed without realizing that they are also like other people who have the right to a dignified life and are as much affected by the political, social and economic problems of the country.

President Duterte’s decision to provide our men in uniform with decent salaries and wages and to hold office in Davao City three times a week is, indeed, a good idea.

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

Voices

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

Founding Fathers saw American Indians as ‘savages’ T

By Mark Anthony Rolo | Tribune News Service/TNS Forum

HIS Fourth of July, as in years past, the broadcasters at National Public Radio (NPR) celebrated with an on-air reading of the Declaration of Independence.

My ears perked up, and then my heart sank when I heard a specific passage. In a list of grievances against England’s King George III, the Declaration states, “He has excited domestic insurrections among us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose

known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.”

As a Native American, I was reminded of how little many people in this country know about what’s actually in the Declaration of Independence other than the part about “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In fact, this document was signed by Founding Fathers who had a limited vision of unalienable rights. Obviously, this whitemale club did not extend those unalienable rights to women and African slaves. And when it came to

American Indians, the aforementioned passage was an outright call to war against the first people of this continent. It was a fight that continued throughout this nation’s history, often led by US presidents.

Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the first draft of the declaration, charged Lewis and Clark to inform native people that he, Jefferson, was their “great white father.” Andrew Jackson ordered the forced removal of thousands of East Coast Cherokee on a 1,000-mile deadly winter march to present-day Oklahoma. And famed World War II military man,

Dwight D. Eisenhower, sought to end the “Indian problem” by terminating American Indian nationhood.

Perhaps, NPR, in its Fourth of July reading, hoped listeners would not think much about this particular display of hateful language. But the passage remains relevant today.

Tribes continue to fight in state legislatures and federal courts for the right to govern their people, manage their own affairs and protect their lands against corporate development.

The federal government continues to shirk its treaty-based duty to provide basic education,

For too many, the job market isn’t working F

By Betsey Stevenson | Bloomberg View

OR all the encouraging headlines the strong June jobs report has generated, it also illustrates a major challenge for the US economy: Too many people are still not working or not even trying to find work.

The malaise can be remedied, if we can find the political will.

Despite the robust job growth of the past six years, people still aren’t participating in the labor force the way they used to. As of June, just 62.7 percent of the population had a job or was actively seeking one—up a bit from the previous month, but still almost 5 percentage points below the 2000 peak.

One explanation is demographic: As the population ages, a larger percentage will naturally be retired. This explains about half of the decline

in participation, and will keeping putting downward pressure on participation—particularly as the babyboom generation crosses the retirement threshold. The Congressional Budget Office expects the labor-force participation rate to decline another 2 percentage points by 2026.

Still, even if we look at people in the prime working years of 25 to 54, participation is depressed. At the beginning of 2000, 84 percent of prime-age adults were in the labor force. Today only 81 percent are.

So why are so many people not participating? Do they just have better things to do? Or is something keeping them out? The answer is crucial to figuring out how worried policy-makers should be, and what they can do.

A recent report from the president’s Council of Economic Advisers offers some useful insight.

It finds that the decline in men’s participation is driven primarily by people with less than a bachelor’s degree—people who have seen very little wage growth for decades, an indication of the weak demand for their services.

Such poor opportunities mean that when workers leave or lose a job, they struggle to reenter the labor force. It’s even worse if they’ve been out of work for a long time.

Many never return, particularly in the wake of recessions.

Unfortunately, some public policies have made things worse.

Thanks to background checks, for example, the burgeoning ranks of men with criminal records—some for transgressions as minor as marijuana possession—are effectively locked out of the labor market.

Occupational licensing has also created barriers, requiring people

Germany’s integration problem B

By Trudy Rubin | The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

ERLIN—On a trip to the beach, a German friend recently saw two teenage Afghan refugee boys stare in shock at female bathers in scanty bikinis. She overheard one youth agitatedly ask the German volunteer accompanying him: “Where are their fathers? Where are their fathers?”

The good news is that the boy

spoke German and had a German friend who could explain the culture gap between Afghanistan and Europe. The bad news is obvious: Germany has an overwhelming task trying to integrate many of the million or so Muslim migrants who arrived in 2015. And a debate has gone public over a subject that was once considered unmentionable in public here: Whether Islamic precepts are compatible with the West.

A sizable number of migrants are from the educated middle class, especially those arriving from Syria, around 40 percent of the total. But many others are young men from poorer backgrounds in Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. They were sent ahead to establish a family beachhead in Europe or escape the army. A good

number are unaccompanied minors.

Many Germans—not just members of the anti-immigration or populist movements—worry that such youths are tempting targets for Islamists. They also wonder whether the gap between Germany society and conservative Arab Muslim cultures may be too wide to bridge.

“Fear toward Islam is increasing in Germany,” said Thomas Volk, coordinator on Islam and religious dialogue at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

“Fifty-seven percent of the non-Muslim population thinks Islam is dangerous or very dangerous. In May a poll showed that 60 percent think Islam doesn’t belong to Germany.”

Those polled don’t distinguish between Islamist ideology and the Muslim religion, Volk said. The German public’s warmth toward refugees faltered after a New Year’s Eve episode in Cologne, where hundreds of young Arab men accosted German women during street celebrations. The men were mostly North African, not war refugees, and many were here illegally. Yet, this awful event also spurred a necessary public debate about how to integrate the newcomers quickly—and how to

avoid the emergence of Arab Muslim ghettos, or “parallel societies,” as the Germans call them, where Islamists or criminal gangs could take root.

At present, the government sees providing jobs for immigrants as the main antidote to Islamization. But it appears to be paying less attention to another critical issue: Who will fund the mosques and imams that serve the new influx of Muslims? At present, around two-thirds of Germany’s roughly 4 million Muslims (5 percent of the population) are of Turkish descent, and Turkey’s religious ministry provides around 900 imams.

This arrangement was long viewed as satisfactory until the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began Islamacizing what had been a secular country. However, the new immigrants are largely—though not all—Arabic speakers.

The German press reported last year that Saudi Arabia offered to build 200 mosques in Germany for the newcomers (the Saudis have denied this), which sparked controversy. In an astonishingly frank interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag last December, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel warned:

jobs and health-care services to American Indian people. This disparaging, dehumanizing language toward American Indians was put in the declaration deliberately and for a reason that still resounds. It serves as a powerful reminder of the challenges we, as a nation, face in seeking to extend full democratic rights to people all colors, races, faiths, ethnicities and, especially, to the American Indian. I wish the good folks at NPR would have found the wisdom and courage to reflect on this challenge with their listeners.

to invest in a time-consuming and expensive process before entering fields ranging from haircuts and interior design to law and medicine.

Too many licenses have evolved as a way to protect incumbent workers at the expense of new entrants. Since licensing laws vary by state, they also make it harder for workers to move to where the jobs are.

It’s crucial that the US create more opportunities for employment and promotion, particularly for lowerand middle-skilled workers. To that end, we must commit to investing more in people’s skills, making it easier for workers to adapt to changes in the economy. We must reform the criminal justice system, so it doesn’t exclude so many people from the legal economy.

Employers, for their part, can help by assessing applicants more carefully—even when they have

employment gaps on their résumé— instead of discarding anyone with a blemish on their record. They must also do more to help their workers identify pathways for promotion and raises.

If the federal government took over licensing, it could sharply reduce the number of licensed occupations and allow licensed workers to move freely among states. If a license is truly necessary to protect health and safety, then everyone in the country should have access to the same protections.

Almost one in five prime-age adults is sitting on the sidelines of the labor market today. We need to do more to bring them back. We owe it to those who want to work, and to ourselves: It would make us all richer, not only in terms of GDP, but also as members of a more inclusive society.

“We have to make clear to the Saudis that the time of looking away is over.

Wahhabi [Islamic fundamentalist] mosques all over the world are financed by Saudi Arabia.”

However, a proposal by the conservative Christian Social Union party that Germany ban foreign funding of mosques and train its own imams gained little traction. This is a hotbutton issue that won’t go away.

Four theological schools have begun training German-speaking imams, leading some to hope Germany can produce a unique variant of European Islam that emphasizes tolerance and the peaceful aspects of the religion.

However, the largest Turkish Muslim association in Germany has made clear it will not accept the newly minted imams. It is also unclear whether they would be welcomed in mosques created for Arabic newcomers. They might still prove immensely valuable in teaching “European Islam” in schools, since religious education is required in Germany.

At present, official Catholic, Protestant and Jewish religious bodies oversee training of teachers who give religious instruction in public schools.

But there is no one organization that speaks for all Muslims in Germany.

“Maybe the way is to emphasize training in schools,” said Deniz Nergiz, a Turkish-German expert on integration, “where these new theologians would teach, but would not be in the mosques.”

The question of how to ease young migrants into German society and culture touches on the nerves of those who fear youths may be easy targets for radical proselytizers outside of school. Puritan salafi Muslims—of whom there are said to be about 9,000 in Germany—have been caught trying to infiltrate refugee shelters.

“We are afraid of recruitment, particularly among unaccompanied minors,” said Deidre Berger, the Berlin representative of the American Jewish Committee, which has concerns about threats to Jewish life in Germany.

Can the Afghan boys on the beach find a way into German society where they can practice their faith but don’t feel alienated by their surroundings?

And can the debate over clashing cultures be addressed without encouraging a racist backlash that alienates those whom Germany is trying to integrate? At this point, no one can say.

Some want a race war, but Dallas won’t deliver T

By Francis Wilkinson | Bloomberg View

HE first e-mail, with the subject line “Race War,” arrived in my inbox, from a regular, unbidden correspondent, at 7:31 this morning. The term was already floating in the ether. The Drudge Report headline was “Black Lives Kill,” painting tens of thousands of peaceful protesters in cities across the country as murderers.

The New York Post went with the always provocative “Civil War” for its cover. A former congressman skipped the “civil” part, declaring on Twitter “This is now war” and telling the president to “watch

out.” (He deleted the tweet, thus, immortalizing it.)

There is a virulent quarter of America that seems disappointed that we haven’t had a race war.

They’re the people who listen to

President Barack Obama’s thoughtful, restrained and measured concern for black victims of hair-trigger police officers and swear they hear the president says it’s time to kill whitey. They insist that Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter are somehow mutually exclusive.

They jump at these moments of tension and tragedy, not merely because they are haunted by their own churning racial aggression.

They jump because they are impatient. After all, we’ve had seven years of a black man in the nation’s most powerful office. Yet, still no mass roundup of white patriots, no

greenlight for black-on-white crime, no comic-book clash worthy of their juvenile imaginations.

Dallas will disappoint them again. The city of 1.3 million people should be as ripe as any for racial strife. Almost a third of the population is white. One quarter is black.

More than 40 percent is Hispanic and about 3 percent is Asian. One quarter of Dallas, once an insular enclave, is foreign-born.

Yet, the city’s white mayor and black police chief seem to be on the same page. “This must stop, this divisiveness between our police and our citizens,” Chief David Brown

said. Mayor Mike Rawlings urged the city and the nation to “come together and lock arms and heal the wounds we all feel.”

Social strains are great right now.

Racial anxieties are coursing through our politics, some of them very deliberately stoked. There is an ugly presidential campaign under way (though Donald Trump rose, rather than sank, to this occasion). Yet, in all likelihood, the next few days in multiracial Dallas will be marked more by introspection, solidarity and grief than by blind rage and racial antagonism.

Before the shots rang out, the

protest was peaceful. When the chaos began, Dallas police officers shepherded protesters to safety.

And protesters were duly horrified by the killings.

The unity called for by Dallas’s civic leaders may be a tall order. The conflicts between black communities and the police have been decades, centuries even, in the making.

But most everything about the past hours in Dallas has been a testament not to the bloody racist past, but to a far better, if still imperfect, future.

The demagogues are out in force, eager for a quick score. Don’t let them carry the day.

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A6 Sunday, July 10, 2016

DOJ backs longer prescriptive period for graft cases

T

By Joel R. San Juan

@jrsanjuan1573

HE Department of Justice (DOJ) has expressed support for the passage of a proposed law that would extend the prescriptive period for cases involving violation of the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 3019, otherwise known as the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act. In a one-page legal opinion sought by the Office of the President, through Deputy Executive

Secretary for Legal Affairs Mildred Yovela Umali-Hermogenes, the DOJ said it has no legal objec-

tion to the passage of the consolidated House Bill 4146 and Senate Bill 2422, which both seek to increase the prescriptive period for violations of RA 3019 from 15 to 20 years.

Justice Undersecretary Zabedin M. Azis said the proposed measures is in accordance with the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, which mandate the State to “take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption.”

The DOJ noted that it has actively been engaged and involved in the deliberations of the proposed bills pertaining to the increase of the prescriptive period for violations of RA 3019 and that its comments and recommendations have been considered and

incorporated in the subject enrolled bill.

“Further, this department finds no legal objection to the passing of the consolidated enrolled bill since after a careful review and evaluation of the text of the same shows that there is nothing in the said bill that is inconsistent with the Constitution or other pertinent laws,” it added.

“In sum, we fully support the passage of the enrolled bill into law,” the DOJ added.

The bills, specifically, seek to amend Section 11 of the law and expand the presciptive period or the period within which a complaint for violation of R A 3019 can be filed counting from the date of commission of the

In sum, we fully support the passage of the enrolled bill into law.”—DOJ alleged act.

Proponents of the measure led by former House Deputy Speaker Giorgidi Aggabao earlier explained that extending the prescriptive period would ensure that those who commit graft and corruption in government would not be able to escape liability by mere technicality of the current 15-year prescription period.

Specialist notes low treatment rate for victims of Parkinson’s disease

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco Correspondent

W

HAT does Muhammad Ali, Michael J. Fox and Saint John Paul II have in common? They all display an image of Parkinson’s disease that is visibly physical, with tremors and uncontrolled movements.

Mrs. Ferrer (not her real name), a 75-year-old retired government employee, had been a very active senior citizen until eight years ago.

Her routine consisted of cleaning the house, going to the market and cooking meals for the family.

What started as pain at the back of her knees in 2009 turned out to be the onset of Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s.

Today Mrs. Ferrer sits on a wheelchair—immobile, speechless and with an expressionless face.

Affecting mostly the elderly, Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the patient’s movement. Slowness of movement, or bradykinesia, a primary clinical criterion, muscular rigidity and tremors are the three cardinal features of Parkinson’s disease, according to neurologist and psychiatrist Raymond Rosales, newly appointed chairman of the UST Hospital’s Department of Neurology and Psychiatry.

“It initially affects one side of the body. Eventually, over time, it affects both sides. Parkinson’s is commonly mistaken as arthritis, and patients also can’t move their joints because they are stiff,” Rosales explained.

He said cell death in Parkinson’s patients is faster, rabid and concentrated in the midbrain, which hosts cells that produce dopamine, the neurotransmitter that regulates movement and emotion. Apart from genetics, several theories abound in the far majority of patients—whether sporadic or nonfamilial cases—as to why the dopamine-generating cells die prematurely.

A survey conducted in 2005 by Rosales and his fellow physicians for the Philippine Neurological Association showed that there were an estimated 160,000 Parkinson’s cases in the Philippines, wherein one in every 100 patients likely has someone in the family with the same disease.

Some cases are considered acquired, as studies have found that people exposed to pesticides, insecticides, artesian wells in rural areas, and heavy metals have higher risk of developing Parkinson’s.

Pain, anxiety

WHAT many people are unaware of is that the disorder has both neurological and psychiatric components.

“It used to be thought that Parkinson’s is a purely motor disease,” Rosales said. “Not many people know that Parkinson’s patients

also suffer from anxiety and depression. In fact, the one that really impacts on the quality of life of a patient is the nonmotor manifestation of the disease.”

Other nonmotor manifestations of Parkinson’s include a wide range of conditions, from constipation, loss of sense of smell, to sleeplessness and pain—in the chest, hands and face.

Rosales added: “Parkinson’s patients may have REM [rapid eye movement], sleep behavioral disorder, which leads them to behavior, such as punching their partner in bed, while they are in deep sleep. In addition, these nonmotor manifestations also fluctuate as do the motor manifestations, which really pose a serious therapeutic challenge.”

He also said: “Advanced Parkinson’s, which is five years or more after diagnosis, may lead to memory impairment, termed Parkinson’s disease dementia.”

Raising awareness

RECENTLY, a landmark medical conference was held in the country, bringing in top medical experts in the field of movement disorders to enhance the knowledge of local health-care practitioners.

The Fifth Asian and Oceanian Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Congress was brought in by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society’s Asian and Oceanian Section (MDS-AOS), hosted by the Movement Disorder Society of the Philippines (MDSP) to be able to emphasize the nonmotor aspects of Parkinson’s.

Rosales, secretary of MDSAOS, admitted that “doctors also face challenges in dealing with Parkinson’s.”

He revealed that out of the estimated number of Parkinson’s patients now, only 2 percent are likely being seen by specialists. He said he has seen some 500 Parkinson’s patients locally.

Without any cure yet for the disease, the congress still signals an effort by the health-care community to improve care for Parkinson’s patients.

“We give medicines that will replace, enhance, or prevent the breakdown of neurotransmitters,” Rosales explained, referring to dopaminergic therapy, the gold standard in managing Parkinson’s.

Treatment of the nonmotor symptoms is also mainly through drugs.

Given these scenar ios, as with Parkinson’s patients like Mrs. Ferrer, the burden increases not only owing to the motor and non-motor disabilities, but also due to the financial costs involving medications and the accompanying rehabilitation.

However, Rosales added that with continued dedication and commitment to understanding the disease, there just might be an end in sight to the plight of Parkinson’s patients, however far in the future that may be.

Bangko Sentral helps PRC Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman Richard J. Gordon receives a donation amounting to P500,000 from

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. The donation will be used by the PRC National Blood Services Department to purchase blood-bank equipment. The BSP has been a partner of the PRC for the past nine years and has given a total of P4.3 million in support of the PRC’s national blood services since 2007. Aside from fund donation, the central bank also conducts blood donation twice a year among its employees to support the Red Cross’s blood-donation program.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Libel case awaits union officials of government printing company

T

HE Board of Trustees and officers of the governmentowned APO Production Unit Inc. on Saturday denounced the filing of a plunder case against them as they denied any wrongdoing.

The P191-million plunder case against them before the Ombudsman was filed by the Asian Productivity Employees Association (Apea).

In a statement, the APO Board of Trustees and officers said they would sue their accusers—the Apea—for libel.

“We, members of the Board of Trustees and officers of APO Production Unit Inc. vehemently deny the P191-million plunder case brought by the APO union against us with the Office of the Ombudsman. We will counter sue these individuals for malicious libel,” it said.

“We are aggrieved by this charge against our persons and families.

We are ready to face the charge and present documents that will disprove this alleged plunder. All our actions have been above boards and we have nothing to hide,” it added.

On Friday Apea accused former Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr., APO Chairman of the Board Milagros S. Alora, APO President Armando C. Dimarucot Jr., General Manager Jaime H. Aldaba, Treasurer Olivia T. Mateo, Special Concern/Compliance Officer Gerardo T. Mateo, as well as Sales Manager Dominic Tajon, of plunder for allegedly paying 11 sales specialists with a total of P191 million in sales commission for a period of five years ending December 31, 2015.

The 11 sales specialists were only identified in the complaint as “John or Jane Does.” “[Coloma and Apo officials hired 11 sale specialists to] siphon [off] hundreds of millions of pesos from Apo revenues for a period of five years,” said Conrado F. Molina, Apea president.

Apo, which is under Presidential Communications Operations Office, is a government-owned and -controlled corporation engaged in the printing of important government documents.

Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

Shell, GK implement Nueva Ecija housing project

P

OWER, energy and gas technology company Shell, through its social-development arm Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI), joined forces with Gawad Kalinga (GK) to lay the foundation for a project aimed at providing decent homes for homeless families in Nueva Ecija.

Named Shell–Gawad Kalinga Kalikasan Village, the project envisions a sustainable community that will rise on a 2.3-hectare land in the town of Cabiao.

This village is the fourth housing project in Nueva Ecija, coinciding with this year’s Bayani Challenge themed Barangay Walang Iwanan, a three-year effort of GK to revitalize the spirit of communal unity among the public.

The new undertaking strengthens Shell and GK’s already strong partnership spanning years. “This is important for us since, not many know this, but during the time when we were just starting and few believed in our organization, Shell and Cabiao already believed in us,” shared IssaCuevas Santos from the GK Community Development Foundation Inc. Cuevas recalled GK’s early years, when only a few recognized the small organization and when their movement had barely gained traction. It was during this time that Shell explored the opportunity to forge a partnership with GK to enhance the former’s social performance and social development programs.

“Many years after, for over a

decade, we’re still strong partners.

Fifteen years after, we’re still here and that’s because of the commitment of our two reliable partners.

We know that this partnership is not only for today, but for many years to come. Thank you to Pilipinas Shell for its unrelenting support to GK,” she added.

Edgar Veron Cruz, executive director of PSFI, expressed that, while this assistance may be small in scale, he is positive that the project has a big impact on the lives of individuals who will be given new homes and will create a ripple effect by encouraging other institutions to support GK’s cause.

“We are glad to work together with Gawad Kalinga in this Kalikasan Village project for the Cabiao commu-

nity. I know that our help is small, but I hope that this will help many, as well as encourage other organisations to join in our advocacy to help people in need,” Cruz said.

He also shared PSFI’s interest to explore additional activities, such as skills and livelihood training for the community once Kalikasan Village is ready for occupancy.

“Today we are on our fourth year of our Bayani Challenge and it’s very historical to remember that it is also the fourth Gawad Kalinga Village here in our community. In behalf of our municipality, we want to thank Shell for embracing us and we believe that with our love for our country, we will continue to work together,” Cabiao Mayor Baby Congco added.

Calabarzon forest officers undergo biodiversity-conservation training

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

F

OREST officers of the Department of Environment a nd Nat u ra l R esou rces (DENR) in Region 4A, or Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), recently completed a four-day training on forest and biodiversity-protection system to make biodiversity conservation a breeze using high-tech gadgets.

A total of 222 forest officers took part in the training, dubbed Lawin Forest and Biodiversity Protection System, held from July 5 to 8 at El Cielito Hotel in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

Organized by the Forest Management Bureau (FMB), w ith

support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the training aims to increase the effectiveness and performance of forest officers for them to better respond to various forest threats.

The DENR and the USAID with its Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (B+WISER) Program worked together with the local government units and the local community to establish an improved forest and biodiversity-protection system in the region.

The Lawin System training is sixth of a nationwide regional series being conducted by the FMB and USAID’s B+WISER Program since

January, which aimed at capacitating a total of 2,014 forest officers.

FMB Director Ricardo L. Calderon, during the training, emphasized the weight of the role of forest officers, as well as the importance of their being knowledgeable of environmental laws and regulations.

DENR Calabarzon Director Reynulfo Juan, for his part, said: “The capacitation training is not just a need, but a must. The Lawin System training is very important for us in the field as it is a new, improved system of monitoring and protecting the environment.”

The participants include foresters, forest rangers, forest technicians, protected area superintendents, park management foremen,

biologists and environmental management specialists. Most of the participants are new hires or are just recently promoted.

The Lawin System is a scientific approach to identify conservation areas. It uses information on indicator species, forest cover change, and threats for the design of participatory management plans for the Calabarzon region’s conservation areas.

It applies open-source software, including CyberTracker for the data- collection interface and the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool for data analysis, mapping and report generation, and makes use of hi-tech gadgets, such as tablets, or even smartphones.

Sports BusinessMirror

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

Sunday, July 10, 2016 A7

Cummings wins Tour stage as inflatable device blocks riders

SEVEN TO STEVE L

AC DE PAYOLLE, France—British rider Steve Cummings won the Tour de France seventh stage, which came to a bizarre end when an inflatable arch marking the final kilometer collapsed on Friday.

Adam Yates, a British rider with the Orica team, was hit by the arch and reached the finish with a bloodied chin.

“He was alone when it happened. He could not brake and did a somersault and fell on his face,” Orica Sports Director Laurenzo Lapage said. “The doctor is seeing him now. His shoulder is aching.”

Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium, who was in a breakaway with Cummings, held on to the yellow jersey he claimed two days earlier.

Overall favorites Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana finished in the main pack during the first stage in the Pyrenees.

Froome, Quintana and other riders had to lift the arch—known as the “flamme rouge” for the red flag it holds—off the ground and slip their bikes underneath it.

Organizers said they would take finishing times 3 kilometers from the finish of the 162.5-kilometer (101-mile) leg from L’IsleJourdain to Lac de Payolle.

“It won’t make a big difference because there was a downhill and flat portion before the finish,” said Thierry Gouvenou, the Tour technical director. “It was a major incident, but we have the means to deal with it.”

Daryl Impey of South Africa finished second and Daniel Navarro of Spain crossed third, each 65 seconds behind Cummings.

I

However, it wasn’t immediately clear what times they would be given.

In the overall, Van Avermaet leads Julian Alaphilippe by 6:36, with Alejandro Valverde third, 6:38 back.

“I did not plan to be in a breakaway,” Van Avermaet said. “I’m not a good climber, I’m a classic rider, and the big

in Manila, Philippines, were on Friday, with France meeting Turkey and Canada playing New Zealand as of press time.

Bojan Bogdanovic of the Brooklyn Nets scored 20 points, and Croatia shut down Greece star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first semifinal. Dario Saric, a former lottery pick of the Philadelphia 76ers, added 16 points and eight rebounds. Antetokounmpo, the rising Milwaukee Bucks star, was held to nine points.

He missed all seven three-point attempts and finished 3-for-14 from the field.

Nicolo Melli scored 14 points for the Italians, who got 12 from Marco Belinelli, recently traded to the Charlotte Hornets.

Italy’s victory set up a rematch with Croatia, which it beat, 67-60, in group play. Francisco Cruz scored 20 points for Mexico, which played the tournament without top big man Gustavo Ayon. AP

UEFA EXPECTS $917-M EURO PROFIT

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AINT-DENIS, France—Expanding the European Championship has paid off for Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which expects to make a record profit of €830 million ($917 million).

UEFA’s projected tournament finances published on Friday showed total revenue of €1.93 billion ($2.13 billion) for the expanded 24-team tournament.

“The numbers are positive,” UEFA interim General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis said at a news conference, adding that a larger event “was a big success.”

Revenue is forecast to rise by 34 percent— earned from 20 extra matches—over Euro 2012, which had 16 teams and 31 matches played in Poland and the Ukraine.

Four years ago, the UEFA’s profit was €593.7 million (then $724 million) from its most lucrative competition, according to its financial accounts for that year.

UEFA leaders, including Theodoridis and Senior Vice President Angel Maria Villar, praised Michel Platini, the European football body’s outgoing president who will serve an International Football Federation (Fifa) ban from official duty until 2019.

Platini’s pledge to add eight more teams to the tournament was key to him being elected in 2007, and he worked in 2010 with Nicolas Sarkozy, then president of France, to help its hosting bid beat Turkey in a 7-6 vote of UEFA executive committee members.

victory last week, is the 13th player to pull out of the Rio Games. Eight of them, including world No. 1 Jason Day and world No. 4 Rory McIlroy, specifically have cited Zika as the reason. Patrick Reed, who said earlier this week at the Scottish Open he wants to play in the Olympics, would replace Johnson. The United States is allowed four players, the most of any country in golf, because they are in the top 15 in the world.

“This was not an easy decision for me,” Johnson said in a statement released by his management company. “But my concerns about the Zika virus cannot be ignored.”

Johnson said he and his fiancée, Paulina Gretzky, plan to have more children. They have an 18-month-old son, Tatum.

“I feel it would be irresponsible to put myself, her or our family at risk,” Johnson said.

“I believe I am making the right decision for

me and, most important, my family. While I am sure some will be critical of my decision, my hope is that most will understand and support it.”

The decision follows a meeting at the Bridgestone Invitational with USA Golf in which the leading four Americans were briefed on Zika and security concerns. Johnson had called it a productive meeting and that he was planning to play, though he still wanted a few more answers.

Of the top four Americans, only two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson said he is going. Golf was last an Olympic sport in 1904 in Saint Louis.

Nine of the 13 players who have withdrawn are among the top 30 in the world—Day, Johnson, McIlroy, Adam Scott, Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Hideki Matsuyama and Shane Lowry.

Britain’s Steve Cummings crosses the finish line to win the seventh stage of the Tour de France. AP

ITALY, SERBIA ONE WIN AWAY TALY and Serbia cruised into the championship games of Olympic Qualifying Tournaments on Friday, moving a win away from a place in the basketball field in Rio. Danilo Gallinari of the Denver Nuggets scored 15 points, as the Italians beat Mexico, 79-54, in Turin. They will face Croatia, which knocked off Greece, in Saturday’s final.

Italy hasn’t reached the Olympics since winning a silver medal in 2004.

Bogdan Bogdanovic had 21 points and eight rebounds; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic added 19 points and eight boards; and Serbia routed the Czech Republic, 96-72.

The Serbians, who won a silver medal two years ago in the Basketball World Cup, will host Puerto Rico on Saturday in Belgrade.

Puerto Rico beat Latvia in their semifinal game, 77-70. The three qualifying tournaments are determining the final three spots in the Olympics. The semifinals

this late in the Tour in 103 editions.

The Aspin, which was included in the Tour for the 73rd time, was affronted from its longer southern slope, 12 km at an average gradient of 6.5 percent.

Fresh off his third stage win a day earlier, Mark Cavendish was involved in an early breakaway along with world

champion Peter Sagan.

After the Cavendish-Sagan group was caught by the peloton, a 29-man pack featuring Van Avermaet and 2014 winner Vincenzo Nibali established a more dangerous lead of five minutes.

However, it was Cummings who attacked first and he rode solo over the summit and maintained a comfortable lead on the ensuing high-speed descent and slight rise to the finish in Lac de Payolle.

Cummings shook his head in disbelief as he approached the line then raised both arms, pumped his fist and kissed his wrist.

Cummings, a teammate of Mark Cavendish on Team Dimension Data, also won a stage in last year’s Tour.

When the main pack reached the line four-and-a-half minutes later, Quintana and Froome were seen patting each other on the back and talking to each other, likely about the incident with the inflatable device.

The Tour remains in the Pyrenees for the next two days.

Stage 8 on Saturday is a much more challenging 184-km (114-mile) leg from Pau to Bagneres-de-Luchon featuring four serious climbs, beginning with the Col du Tourmalet, which is so difficult it’s labeled “beyond classification.”

“France’s hosting of the UEFA Euro 2016 is down to one man: Michel Platini,” Villar said at the briefing at Stade de France, where the home nation plays Portugal in the final on Sunday.

“Michel can be proud, very proud, of his Euro.”

Still, the UEFA does not expect Platini to accept its invitation to attend the match.

Platini’s tournament legacy includes letting the UEFA bank €230 million ($254 million) from Euro 2016 to cover its own running costs for the next four years.

The UEFA’s profit will also provide €600 million ($663 million) for its 55 member federations for development projects over the next four years.

The money was earned by Broadcast rights of just over €1 billion ($1.1 billion); sponsorship and licensing deals worth €480 million ($530 million); and sales of tickets and hospitality earning €400 million ($441 million).

Spending by the UEFA on Euro 2016 included €650 million ($718 million) on organizing the event; €301 million ($333 million) in team prize money; and €150 million ($168 million) to clubs for releasing their players to the finals tournament and qualifying matches. The UEFA can point to its financial results as an argument for keeping the 24-team format beyond Euro 2020, despite criticism that the quality of football has declined. AP

favorites did not see me as a threat.

Tomorrow, it will be too difficult with all the climbs, but I’m happy I spent an extra day in the yellow jersey.”

Thibaut Pinot, considered one of the top French contenders, was dropped on the Aspin.

All 198 riders started the stage, marking the first time the entire peloton was still racing

NO RIO FOR DUSTIN D

ALLAS—US Open champion Dustin Johnson withdrew from the Rio Games on Friday because of concerns over the Zika virus, costing golf three of the world’s top four players for its return to the Olympics after a 112-year absence.

Jordan Spieth is the only player from the top 4 who has not said if he is going to Brazil. A decision could come as early as this weekend ahead of the British Open.

Rickie Fowler also is undecided.

Johnson, No. 2 in the world after his US Open title and another World Golf Championship Lascuña

LASCUÑA BAGS BACOLOD CROWN

T

ONY Lascuña turned from flawed to flawless and foiled two gritty foreign rivals to annex a third straight championship on the International Container Terminal Services Inc. Philippine Golf Tour (PGT).

Lascuña came away with a bogey-free five-under 65, then sank a 12-foot birdie putt off the fringe on the first playoff hole on No. 9 to edge Dutch Guido Van der Valk and American Micah Shin, completing his fightback from a shocking third-round foldup and a three-stroke deficit to snare the Bacolod Golf Challenge crown at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club in Binitin on Saturday in Bacolod City.

“I just got lucky my putt off the fringe went in,” said Lascuña, after pulling off the tense-filled victory that moved him two wins away from matching his record fivetitle romp in 2014 that netted him a third straight Order of Merit (OOM) crown.

But it took him a solid round to fashion out the stirring come-from-behind triumph, particularly in a duel of wits and nerves at the back that saw him hit all the fairways and greens and pick up birdies on Nos. 12 and 14 to finish with a 10-under 270.

In contrast, Shin bogeyed No. 17 and ended up with a 68 but missed the green in the playoff while Van der Valk matched Lascuña’s closing

five-under card but rued a crucial double-bogey mishap on No. 15 and flubbed his birdie bid from long range on their second trip to the par-4 ninth.

“I played perfect golf at the back, hit all the fairways and greens and made two birdies,” said Lascuña, who also tackled the short, tricky par-4 13 with an iron and made a routine par after dropping five strokes on two out-of-bounds drives on Friday.

With another P270,000 purse, Lascuña hiked his earnings to P2,143,115 and firmed up his hold of the OOM lead heading to next week’s stop at Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club, where he won when it last hosted a PGT leg in 2014. Shin and Van der Valk received P145,000 each. Lascuña’s solid final round comeback further underscored the brilliance and resiliency in the veteran Davaoeño shotmaker, who blew a three-stroke lead with a horrible 9 on No. 13 in the third round and instead fell by three heading to the final 18 holes of the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. But he knew he still had a chance and he pressed his bid by ramming in three birdies in the first nine holes to pull within Shin and Van der Valk, while three others stood just two shots behind in what proved to be tightest finish after nine legs of the circuit backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Pacsports, TaylorMade, Sharp and Champion.

Valdez

Valdez to miss BaliPure’s Game 1 match vs Laoag

B

ALIPURE will miss the services of its superstar Alyssa Valdez in the battle for third against Laoag in Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Open Conference, as she will lead Ateneo de Manila for one last time in the Asean University Games (AUG) from July 11 to 18 in Singapore.

Valdez, a three-time University Athletic Association of the Philippines Most Valuable Player (MVP), along with fellow Lady Eagles Jia Morado, Bea de Leon and Jhoana Maraguinot, flew to Singapore on Saturday for another stint in AUG. “She [Valdez] will be coming with Ateneo,” Ateneo Team Manager Tony Boy Liao confirmed to the BusinessMirror. “I’m now in Bangkok for the World Grand Prix Finals. As far as I was informed, she already left with the team and will return on Friday.” Valdez, who was part of all the five straight finals appearances of Ateneo against De La Salle, was part of the bronze medal team in the 2014 AUG. The two-time V-League MVP will surely miss Game One on Wednesday, but her status in Game Two, set on Saturday, is uncertain, as she will arrive on Friday. If the series reaches Game Three, scheduled on July 18, there’s a big chance that Valdez will play.

Without Valdez in Game One, BaliPure playing Coach Charo Soriano still believes on her team led by reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association MVP Grethcel Soltones and former Lady Eagles Amy Ahomiro, Mae Tajima, Jem Ferrer, Dzi Gervacio and Denden Lazaro, as well as San Beda standout Janine Marciano.

“With the absence of Alyssa Valdez on Wednesday’s game, we have been preparing Janine Marciano to be our outside hitter, opposite Grethcel Soltones,” Soriano told the BusinessMirror.

“Laoag has very strong outside hitters and their middle players are also very versatile, especially with Chie Saet’s setting skills,” she added. “That’s why we [Balipure] are continuously working our blocking. Of course, reception will still play a big role for us. And we’ll work on stronger serves too, so that we can eliminate multiple attack options coming from Laoag.”

Pocari Sweat and Air Force will also begin their best-of-three title showdon on Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. The tournament takes a break to give way for the International Basketball Federation Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Lance Agcaoili

Sports ROGER’S MELTDOWN BusinessMirror

A8 | S

unday, July 10, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Fall, double-faults hurt Federer in Wimbledon loss to Raonic

By Howard Fendrich

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The Associated Press

ONDON—There was Roger Federer, so famous for his flawless footwork, flat on his stomach, face down and motionless on the Centre Court grass after jamming the toe of his left shoe and stumbling during what turned out to be the fifth set’s pivotal game in his Wimbledon semifinal.

And, a little earlier on Friday, there was Federer, so successful through the years, thanks in part to such a pinpoint serve, double-faulting two times in a row—What?! Really?!—while getting broken to drop the fourth set.

Two miscues of the sort you’re just not used to seeing from him all that often.

Two moments that even Federer found hard to fathom.

Once seemingly on the verge of a victory that would have given him a record 11th berth in the Wimbledon final, and a shot at an unprecedented eighth men’s championship at the All England Club, Federer lost his way and the match, beaten 6-3, 6-7 (3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 by sixth-seeded Milos Raonic.

“This one clearly hurts, because I felt I could

have had it. So close,” said Federer, who had his surgically repaired left knee checked by a trainer after the uncharacteristic fall and wasn’t sure whether he was seriously injured. “It was really so, so close.”

Quite true.

Federer, owner of 17 major trophies in all, was merely one point from serving for the match when, ahead two sets to one, he got to 30-40 on Raonic’s serve at 4-all in the fourth.

But the 25-year-old Raonic, the first man from Canada to reach a Grand Slam final, cast aside that break point with a 139-mile-per-hour service winner. Soon, he was in charge.

“I sort of persevered. I was sort of plugging away,” said Raonic, whose serve reached 144 mph, produced 23 aces and saved eight-of-nine break points. “I was struggling through many parts of the match. He gave me a little opening toward the end of the fourth. I made the most of it.” Carlos Moya—one of Raonic’s trio of coaches, including three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe—said Federer “kind of opened the door for Milos to have a chance to come back. At this stage of the tournament, you pay for that.”

On Sunday Raonic will face No. 2 Andy Murray, who easily eliminated No. 10 Tomas

Berdych, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in the second semifinal.

Murray beat Raonic on grass in the Queen’s Club final three weeks ago.

It will be Murray’s 11th major final; he’s won only two so far, including at Wimbledon in 2013, when he gave Britain its first men’s champion at the tournament in 77 years. But this is Murray’s first Grand Slam title match against someone other than Federer or Novak Djokovic.

“You learn from those matches, for sure,” said Murray, who’s 29. “The older you get, you never know how many chances you’re going to have.” Federer, who turns 35 on August 8, would have been the oldest finalist at the All England Club since 1974. He remains tied with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw (who played in the 1800s) with seven titles at Wimbledon, most recently in 2012, and was the runner-up to Djokovic the past two years.

Maybe this time Federer ran out of steam, forced to play 10 sets in his last two matches, including a quarterfinal comeback from two sets down against Marin Cilic on Wednesday.

Two years ago, Federer got past Raonic in straight sets in the Wimbledon semifinals. This time, Federer flinched the way he seemingly never used to.

Serving to get to a tiebreaker at 6-5 in the

fourth set, Federer went up 40-love. After a forehand winner by Raonic, the unthinkable: Those back-to-back double-faults to let Raonic back into the game. Eventually, Raonic took advantage of a soft volley to deliver a downthe-line backhand passing winner, breaking for the first time since the match’s fourth game— which ended with a double-fault by Federer— and sending the semifinal to a fifth set.

“I can’t believe I served a double-fault twice.

Unexplainable for me, really,” Federer said. “Very sad about that and angry at myself because never should I allow him to get out of that set that easily.”

He went up a break at 3-1 in the fifth by winning the game in which Federer tripped— and contributed yet another double-fault.

“I hope it’s not so bad. I walked it off. I was able to finish,” Federer said. “But I don’t slip a lot. I don’t ever fall down. It was a different fall for me than I’ve ever had.”

Asked how badly he might have been injured, Federer replied: “I don’t know yet. I don’t even want to know. I just felt not the same afterward.”

This has been a difficult season for Federer, who never needed an operation until having his knee’s torn cartilage repaired in February.

He’s also had back issues, missed the French Open to end a 65-appearance streak at majors, and came to Wimbledon without a title in 2016.

Canada’s Milos Raonic celebrates after beating Roger Federer of Switzerland in their men’s semifinal singles match of the Wimbledon. (Below) Federer falls during the match. AP