Businessmirror July 12, 2019

B.O.C. TO PROBE JAN-JUNE RICE IMPORTS

By Rea Cu

@ReaCuBM

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HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) said on Thursday that it will look into rice imports that arrived in the country from January to June, to determine if the shipments were undervalued.

BOC Assistant Commissioner for the Post Clearance Audit Group Vincent Philip C. Maronilla told the BusinessMirror in an interview that the values declared by traders were inconsistent.

Maronilla made the announcement after the BusinessMirror reported on July 9 (See,“Undervalued rice

imports may have caused P5-billion gap in tariff collection,” Banking and Finance page) that the Federation of Free Farmers Inc. suspected the undervaluation of rice shipments by importers and traders.

“In terms of volume, [the shipments] look consistent [with the trend]. But in terms of value, we’ll have to admit, when we looked at the initial evaluation for the first half of the year, the values were inconsistent,” Maronilla said.

“And there were a lot who did not declare their transaction value, that is on a par with our reference, which is based on established and reputable publications on prices,” he added.

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Friday, July 12, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 275

Growth target of 6-7% still doable, says Diokno D

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

ESPITE the sluggish growth of the Philippine economy in the first three months of the year, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno is optimistic the country will still hit its growth target for the year, as the economy is expected to “fire on all cylinders” in the remaining months of 2019.

Diokno bared his rosy growth prospects of the local economy in a recent speaking engagement, brushing off the below-6 percent

growth numbers of the country as a one-off occurrence for the year.

“Let me outline why we expect the economy to continue to fire on

all cylinders over the medium term, and what makes the Philippine economy an attractive investment destination,” Diokno said.

“We expect that the government’s commitment to accelerate public spending will take the driver’s seat on the supply side, while household spending, supported mainly by cooling inflation and remittance inflows, will spur growth on the demand side.”—Diokno

“Prospects for the Philippine economy continue to be favorable.

Despite the lower-than-expected growth in the first quarter of 2019, we remain optimistic about meeting the GDP growth target of 6 to 7 percent for this year,” he added.

See “Growth,” A2

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

SENIOR lawmaker has filed bills separately amending the outdated provisions of the Public Service Act, Foreign Service Investments Act and Retail Trade Liberalization Act. C a m a r i ne s Su r R e p. L u i s Ray Villafuerte, in a statement, said the three business-friendly measures aim to open wide the economy to more foreign direct investments (FDI).

The three bills are among the congressional measures that the Executive Department has asked the 18th Congress to approve this year to fulfill the President’s goal of further revving up the economy, creating more jobs and significantly lowering poverty incidence by 2022.

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According to Villafuerte, these bills seek to separately amend the outdated provisions of the said laws, which are all more than 15 years old, to make the country’s business climate more conducive to big, long-term investments that could supercharge the domestic economy and generate hundreds of thousands of decent-paying jobs for the country’s young, skilled labor force.

“We need to relax the restrictions in doing business in the country that have become deal-breakers for foreign investors despite the Philippines’s emergence as one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia,” Villafuerte said.

He said these amendments should serve as the “opening act” for Congress’s eventual move to amend the 1987 Charter by paving the See “Bills,” A4

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‘JOB SEEKERS LAW TO SHED P3B FROM GOVT’S COFFERS’

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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HE government is set to lose P3 billion in revenues with the implementation of a new law that seeks to boost the chances of some 1.3 million first-time job seekers to land a job.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said this is the expected outcome of Republic Act (RA) 11261, or the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act, once it is fully enforced after its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) was signed on Thursday.

Despite the projected revenue loss from implementing the new law, Labor Assistant Secretary Joji V. Aragon said the government considers the provision of free documents a “critical investment” to beef up the country’s work force.

3 key business-friendly, amendatory bills filed

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Maronilla said he may recommend to the BOC commissioner the issuance of audit notification letters to traders and firms. The audit will be conducted by his office.

“If ever there was undervaluation of shipments, [the BOC] can recover the deficient duties and taxes plus, of course, the corresponding penalties and interests. It’s an instruction actually coming from the [BOC] commissioner to look into it and recommend if it’s warranted,” he added.

Maronilla said the audit notification letters may be sent out by the first week of August, after the bureau has collated and verified the data it collected.

See “BOC,” A2

“ The government looks at this [as an] investment that can double or triple returns in terms of having a productive human capital and work force for the nation,” Aragon said.

Citing studies from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the International Labour Organization, she said the cost of pre-employment documents required by firms is a major constraint that discourages the poor and those in the provinces from applying for a job.

“For the first time in history I think, this administration has addressed this particular constraint,” Aragon said.

Under RA 11261, total fees for several pre-employment government documents, ranging from P1,800 to P2,400, will be waived for first-time job applicants.

See “Job seekers,” A2

BOC ‘strike team’ guards vs waste from abroad

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THOUSANDS of applicants flock to the Senior High School Job Fair at TriNoma in Quezon City on Thursday, July 11, 2019. A new law exempts first-time job seekers from paying government fees for documents they need. The government is set to lose P3 billion in revenues but the DOLE said this will boost the chances of some 1.3 million first-time job seekers to land a job. The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) was signed on Thursday. NONOY LACZA

HE Department of Finance (DOF) has ordered the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to look into the creation of a strike team that will guard the country’s borders against the possible entry of waste materials from other countries.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the DOF quoted Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III as saying, after issuing the directive to Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, “It’s time we put up something like an environmental unit in the Customs [bureau] to really act on this garbage issue.”

The directive was issued at a

US 51.4080 n JAPAN 0.4740 n UK 64.2703 n HK 6.5755 n CHINA 7.4776 n SINGAPORE 37.8557 n AUSTRALIA 35.7645 n EU 57.8494 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.7080

See “Waste,” A4

Source: BSP (11 July 2019 )

News

A2 Friday, July 12, 2019

BusinessMirror

Ucap sees increase in coco-oil exports

T

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

HE Philippines will end the year with coconut-oil (CNO) shipments of 970,000 metric tons in copra terms (MT-CT) due to higher demand from the country’s major markets, the United Coconut Association of the Philippines (Ucap) said on Thursday.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Ucap Executive Director Yvonne T.V. Agustin said CNO shipments in January to April have already reached 366,992 MT-CT, 35.1 percent higher than last year’s 271,696 MT-CT. At this rate, Agustin said the Philippines will be able to hit its export target of 970,000 MT-CT this year. The figure is nearly 2 percent higher than the 951,353 MT-CT shipped last year.

“Our preliminary figures for May alone showed that more than 100,000 metric tons [of CNO were exported],” she told reporters during a news briefing in Quezon City.

In terms of value, Agustin said traders are hopeful that global CNO prices will recover soon so export receipts will remain at $1 billion this year.

She said Ucap received reports that Indonesia and Malaysia are ramping up their local consumption of palm oil and is using this as biodiesel to ease their supply glut.

This, Agustin said, will push global palm-oil prices and even CNO as the price of the country’s most valuable farm ex-

Growth. . .

Continued from A1

In the first quarter of the year, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth hit 5.6 percent—the lowest the country has seen in four years—due largely to delays in the enactment of the 2019 budget after the two chambers of Congress failed to agree on certain provisions in the appropriations bill.

For the coming months, Diokno’s optimism stems from a combination of renewed public spending and sustained household spending.

“We expect that the government’s commitment to accelerate public spending will take the driver’s seat on the supply side, while household spending, supported mainly by cooling inflation and remittance inflows, will spur growth on the demand side,” Diokno said.

Compared to the trend in 2018, inflation has significantly slowed down this year, with the latest print stabilizing below the midpoint of the government’s 2 to 4 percent annual target range, at 2.7 percent in June.

Aside from being household-spending positive, the cooling inflation has also allowed the BSP to reduce

Job seekers. . .

Continued from A1

Among those that will no longer be paid by firsttime job seekers are clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and police, birth certificates, transcripts of record from government schools and training facilities.

Aragon said at least 1.3 million first-time job seekers annually are expected to benefit from the new law.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said the law will cover all first-time job seekers, who are actively looking for employment.

“There is no age limit [for its beneficiaries] as long

BOC. . .

Continued from A1

He said the BOC has the power to collect duties and taxes if there were deficiencies in the assessment made on imported rice shipments. He noted that shipments are open for post-clearance audit for up to three years.

“If there is deficiency, the penalty is 125 percent plus 20-percent legal interest per annum to a high of 600 percent if fraud is attendant,” Maronilla said.

The Department of Finance (DOF) reported earlier that the BOC had collected P5.9 billion from tariffs slapped on 1.43 million metric tons (MMT) of rice imported by local traders from March 5 to June 30.

Maronilla clarified, however, that the tariffs were collected from shipments made in January to June. He added that the BOC’s report to the

port tracks the price of the palm oil. The United States and Europe are the major buyers of Philippine CNO. Ucap also projected that the country’s coconut-based exports this year will rise by 6.7 percent to 1.878 MMT-CT, from 1.760 MMT-CT last year.

However, total export receipts could decline by 17.13 percent to $1.185 billion, from $1.43 billion last year due to lower CNO prices.

Agustin said the country’s earnings from CNO could be less than what Ucap projected in the first quarter when CNO prices hovered around $700 per MT to $800/MT. This is because CNO prices fell to $600/MT to $650/MT last month.

“Current market prices are below the projected prices. Maybe if the [export] volume will exceed expectation, then we might be able to hit the [target] value,” she said.

The country’s total coconut-based exports from January to April expanded by 35 percent to 660,841 MT-CT from 489,357 MT-CT. However, export receipts contracted by 9.3 percent to $549.143 million, from $605.488 million recorded in the same period of last year. the policy rate last May by 25 basis points and to cut banks’ reserve requirement ratios by 200 basis points on a staggered basis from May to July this year.

“These monetary responses should help temper the impact of any potential tightness in liquidity condition and support credit and real sector activity in the coming months,” Diokno said.

With his ties to the administration and his background as budget chief, Diokno has been dubbed by several analysts and economists as a “progrowth governor.”

In his dialogue with the BusinessMirror recently, he said that growth per se is not bad, but now that he is the BSP governor he wants to see a more inclusive growth by keeping the inflation rate of the country at bay.

“The kind of growth that I am trying to pursue which is sustained, balance and inclusive growth. And to attain that objective you really need to have stable prices, because the first bigger loser of inflation are the poor. The poor, they are fixed-income earners so remember if prices are high, with fixed income they cannot cope so they have to cut down on spending and consumption,” he said. as they are first-time job seekers. But most of them will likely be new graduates,” Bello said.

Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) Director Dominique R. Tutay said those who would like to avail themselves of the free pre-employment documents should first get the necessary barangay certification.

“They would have to make an undertaking in that certification, wherein they will guarantee they are first-time job seekers,” Tutay said.

The validity of the availment of the benefits under the IRR shall be one year from the issuance of the barangay certificates.

The IRR will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

DOF was on the bureau’s performance for the first half of the year and not just for the March to June, when the new law was already in effect. “[The collections] from March 5 to June, when the rice tariffication law is already in effect, were for 966,690 metric tons,” he said. Tariffs assessed on 966,690 MT of rice reached around P4 billion to P4.5 billion, according to Maronilla.

The BOC official also expressed confidence that the bureau’s collection of rice tariffs will surpass P10 billion, the amount that should be allocated annually to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund ever year, under the new law.

FFF National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said the tariffs collected by the BOC from 1.43 MMT of rice imported by traders were“quite small.”

According to FFF’s computation, the landed cost of the rice imports per metric ton would only be about $227 if one were to base this on the import and tariff collection figures released by the BOC, Montemayor said.

A4 Friday, July 12, 2019 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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DOLE: 7K+ POGO workers face deportation for lack of AEP

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

O

VER 7,000 foreign nationals (FN) may soon face possible deportation for their failure to secure work permits, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

In an interview, DOLE’s Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) Director Dominique R. Tutay said they

were able to identify a total of 7,037 FNs working in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) who allegedly did not apply for an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) before the prescribed deadline.

An AEP is a document issued by DOLE to FNs who will be working in the country for more than six months.

“They were given until midJune to comply...the names of

those who did not comply will be submitted to the BI [Bureau of Immigration],” Tutay told reporters in an ambush interview.

This was in line with the Joint Guidelines (JG) 1, Series of 2019, jointly signed by DOLE, Department of Justice (DOJ), BI and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which was signed last May. Under the said issuance, FNs working in POGOs were no longer allowed to avail themselves of a Special Work Permit (SWP).

Instead, they will be required to apply for an AEP. SWP is issued by the BI to FNs who will work in the country for less than six months.

Higher compliance T U TAY s a i d t h e number of FNs they

will be endorsing to BI may still rise since their current figures only covered their validation inspection in Metro Manila alone.

“Our joint inspection team has already saturated the POGOs in NCR [National Capital Region], so we are now focusing our attention to other locators outside of Metro Manila,” Tutay said.

Citing the validation result, she said there was a total of 38,343 FNs in 171 POGO service providers in the NCR that were inspected.

Initially, 8,371 FNs were found to have no work permits, which was, however, reduced to 7,037 after some of them applied for an AEP. Tutay said while JG 1 is yet to be fully implemented, she said it has already triggered a rise on the number of AEP applications in their regional office to 9,357 in the first quarter of 2018 to 15,904 on the same period this year.

“This is equivalent to a 70-percent increase year-on-year,” Tutay said.

Additional requirements

TO recall, the government adopted a more aggressive inspection regime on the growing number of FN employees in the country, amid concerns from some lawmakers that many of them do not have the necessary work permits.

This also resulted to the government’s issuance of JG 1, and the new Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) 001, Series of 2019, signed by DOLE, DOJ, BI, BIR, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), which was signed on Thursday.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said JMC 001 will further ensure that no Filipino will be deprived of work due to the entry of FNs. “This will also lead to a higher revenue collection for the BIR because no

[work] permit will be issued [to FNs] if they will not pay taxes.” Bello said.

Among the salient points of the JMC is enabling FNs to secure a work visa even while they are in their home country; and making Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) a requirement for the application of a work permit.

Centralized database

IT also mandates all concerned agencies, except DOJ and BI, to secure a Certificate of No Objection (CNO) from DOLE in the issuance of their respective work permits for FNs. “This is so we can capture the data of foreign nationals, who intend to work in the Philippines,” Tutay said.

Another landmark provision of JMC 001 is its provision requiring all work permit applications of FNs to be vetted by NICA to ensure they will not pose as a threat to the country’s national security.

All of these collected data will be consolidated by BLE in a soon-to-be established centralized database.

Vehicle sales climbs a tepid 1.46% to 174,135 in H1

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

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OCAL vehicle assemblers’ recovery in May appears to be holding as total sales of passenger cars and commercial vehicles continue to post growth in the first half of the year.

The latest joint report from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed local vehicle sales rose 1.46 percent year-on-year to 174,135 units compared to 171,635 units in the same period in 2018.

Total vehicle sales for the month of June grew 8.7 percent to 31,950 units in 2019, from

Bills. . . continued from a1

way for a government switch to federalism and liberalizing foreign ownership restrictions that have barred the Philippines from attracting the relatively higher levels of FDI now enjoyed by its neighbors like Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.

One of the laws that Villafuerte seeks to amend, the 82-year-old Public Service Act, aims to open more industries previously misclassified as public utilities to foreign investments.

Under Villafuerte’s bill, the term public utility shall only refer to the transmission of electricity, distribution of electricity and waterworks and sewerage systems.

Among others, the bill seeks to clarify the existing confusion between public utility and public service, he said.

It also seeks to formalize the transfer of functions of the Public Service Commission to various administrative agencies; create a mechanism to fix rates while considering a reasonable rate of return; and improve the administrative remedies of the agencies through the fixing of the fines and penalties, Villafuerte said.

Foreign investment

VILLAFUERTE also sought amendments to Republic Act 8179, or the Foreign Investments Act of 1991, to delete the “practice of professions” from the items listed in the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL) promulgated by the President.

The bill also intends to lower the employment threshold to 15 for small and medi-

Waste. . . continued from a1

recent DOF Executive Committee (Execom) meeting after Guerrero reported that he had called on his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to strengthen the law-enforcement capabilities of memberstates not only in the war against drug trafficking, but also in preventing the region from being a dumping ground for hazardous materials such as garbage of other countries.

Guerrero said his fellow customs officials from the Asean reacted positively to his proposal.

The finance chief said the strike team that he wants at the BOC will be like a special environmental strike force team that will be activated to guard against the entry of hazardous materials in the country.

29,395 units in 2018, or a 3.1-percent growth from 30,998 units sold in May 2019.

“We remain very optimistic that the local auto industry is already on a path of steady growth after we conclude the first half of the year on a positive note,” said Rommel Gutierrez, president of Campi.

“The automotive brands’ collective efforts, highlighted by fleet sales, good financing deals, and model updates and upgrades, show that we have learned to adjust and adapt to market conditions, thus, helping consumers acquire new vehicles with fewer hurdles,” he added.

In the first semester, the sale of passenger cars still represented a contraction of 6.4 percent to 52,418 units, from 56,029 units sold

um-sized enterprises (SMEs) established by foreign investors with a minimum paid-up capital of $100,000.

“These amendments to the Foreign Investments Act show the country’s openness to change and willingness to live up to our economic potential by reeling in more foreign investments,” Villafuerte said.

He said the bill also “hopes to facilitate the transfer of technologies by attracting FDI and further hopes to make the Philippines more accessible to foreign investors and generate more employment opportunities in the country.”

in the first half of 2018.

However, the growth of total vehicle sales in June was driven by 9,532 passenger cars sold representing a year-on-year growth of 22 percent and 22,418 commercial vehicles which was 3.9-percent growth.

In the January-to-June period, the top vehicle brands that sold the most units were Toyota Motors Philippines Corp., Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp., Nissan Philippines Inc., Ford Motor Co. Phils. Inc., and Suzuki Phils. Inc. For the month of June this year, Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Nissan are the three top sellers, retaining the positions they held in May. Other brands that made the top 5 were Ford and Honda Cars Philippines Inc.

Compromise sought on hike of CME content on biodiesel fuel

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ALSO, the bill said the amendments to the 19-year-old Retail Trade Liberalization Act (RA 8762) are similarly necessary to encourage more FDI in the domestic retail industry, Villafuerte said.

The measure also seeks to lower the minimum paid-up capital of foreign-owned businesses. From requiring $830,000 to invest in the country, a foreign firm would only need $200,000 to enter the local retail industry.

“In order to accommodate more foreign investors in the country, this bill also proposes to help ease-in the entry of foreign retailers by minimizing the equity and capitalization requirements needed,” Villafuerte said.

“This is in line with the administration’s bid to make the Philippines host to more foreign investments and create a more favorable investment environment,” he added.

IODIESEL industry stakeholders are pushing for a compromise with the government on the hike of the coco methyl ester (CME) content in biodiesel to 5 percent by 2021 on a staggered basis.

The Philippine Biodiesel Association (TPBA) proposed to the government the gradual annual increase of the current CME blend of 2 percent by 1 percent over the next three years starting this year.

This means that they seek a CME blend of 3 percent this year, 4 percent next year and 5 percent by 2021. “ The Philippines was the pioneer in Southeast Asia in blending biodiesel,” TPBA Spokesman Dean Lao Jr. said on Thursday.

“But, when Indonesia and Malaysia followed suit, they immediately jumped to 5 percent using palm-biodiesel. Indonesia is already considering increasing that level to 30 percent. Why are we getting left behind?” Lao added.

TPBA pointed out that the current CME blend has remained at 2 percent since 2007.

The enactment of Republic Act 9367 or the Biofuels Act mandated that diesel sold in the market should contain CME. However, Department of Energy adviser Rafael S. Diaz said they are not optimistic that the CME blend of 3 percent, or B3, would push through this year due to lack of time.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

The Customs chief also told Dominguez that other Asean member-states like Malaysia thanked the Philippines during the 28th meeting of the Asean Directors General of Customs held at the Lao Republic for setting the example in the region. This, after President Duterte stood pat in his decision to compel Canada to immediately repatriate 69 containers of trash that were dumped in Manila six years ago.

After Canada failed to meet the original May 15 deadline set by President Duterte for the return of the imported wastes, the government recalled its ambassador and consuls to Canada to demonstrate its“diminisheddiplomaticrelations”withtheNorth American country.

This action prompted Canada to move its earlier June 30 commitment in repatriating

the waste to the Philippines’s revised May 30 deadline.

“Malaysia was thanking the Philippines for setting the example [on dealing with] this problem about the waste, because now it has come to the consciousness of the international community, this garbage problem,” Guerrero said.

GuerreropointedoutthatasaresultofPresident Duterte’s tough stand on the issue, he has received reports that plans to have other shipments of waste transported to the country have now been scuttled.

Beating the deadline set by the government, the 69 containers of waste from Canada mislabeled by a private importer as recyclable materials and dumped in the Philippines six years ago were finally shipped out of the country last May 31. Rea Cu

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If you have any information / objection to the above mentioned application/s, please communicate with the Regional Director thru Employment Promotion and Workers Welfare (EPWW) Division with Telephone No. 400-6011.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

A10 Friday, July 12, 2019 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

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editorial

The jeepney modernization mess

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T is officially known as the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), launched by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in 2017.

The stated objective was to phase-out old jeepneys, buses and other public-utility vehicles (PUVs). But with some 180,000 jeepneys plying our roads and highways, it is this vehicle that is in the crosshairs of this initiative.

There is little doubt that it is time to do away with this obsolete, inefficient, uncomfortable, and unsafe form of public transportation.

“Jeepney modernization” calls for Euro 4-compliant or electric engines, as well as CCTV, GPS, front facing seats and exits on the right-hand side. Also in the plan is an automated fare collection system, and the jeepneys would be manufactured locally at least to some extent.

You might think that bringing this Filipino invention into the 21st century would be welcomed. However, at this point the implementation is about two years behind schedule. According to industry insiders that we spoke to, two years from now the program will be four years behind schedule.

There are two general parts of the jeepney modernization program.

The first is that future “franchises” will be limited to an entity that owns and operates 10 jeepneys or more. This is designed to create a better economy of scale and a better standard of operation. It is interesting that the taxi industry in Metro Manila was dominated by three large companies that put probably the taxi service on the road outside of a war zone. During the Fidel Ramos administration that policy was changed to allow a single unit owner to get a franchise.

To placate the existing operators of fewer than 10 vehicles, individual operators must band together under a cooperative or corporation. Objections to this plan come from OFWs who worked and saved to own a successful jeepney business that must now add another potentially burdensome layer of management to the operation.

The second part of program is the purchase of a new vehicle. The estimated cost is from P1.4 million to P1.6 million. The government program will provide financing so that owners need to put up a 5-percent down payment, of which a maximum of P80,000 will be paid by the government. The loan for the balance will be at 6-percent interest for seven years.

The maximum government subsidy of P80,000 would cover most of the down payment. That is good. The monthly amortization would be P21,000 per month (rounded up). That may not necessarily be acceptable. The economics of jeepney operations focus on the driver who operates as separate business, taking the revenues, paying the expenses and the “boundary” to the owner. Drivers have been “assured” that they will make more money because of the fuel efficiency of a new vehicle.

However, the owner will most probably be forced to increase the daily boundary to cover the expense of the loan amortization. It may be zero-sum to the driver. Further, with the additional passenger capacity of the new vehicles, there may be fewer jeepneys on the road.

The cooperative/corporation issue is a great sticking point that could derail the plan. But a simple adjustment in the term of the loan from seven to 15 years would make the deal much more attractive.

Plus, the service life of the new jeepney is 15 years. Sensibly, when the loan is repaid, the jeepney could be retired and scrapped.

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TELLTALES

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URPRISINGLY, the PNP Internal Affairs Service has reported a surge in the number of complaints for nonsupport from the wives of our policemen since the monthly pay of police officers were doubled lately. It will be recalled that the entry pay of Police Officer 1 increased from P14,834 to P29,668 a month.

The pay hike applies across the board with the Police director general (PNP chief) now getting a monthly pay of P149, 785 from a modified base pay of only P67,000 a month.

What is alarming is that our daily news are splashed with anomalous activities of men in uniform, which are greatly disturbing to the civilian population whom they have sworn to serve and protect. It seems that contrary to expectation, the pay hike has not deterred our police officers from engaging in shenanigans and illegal practices. The number of rogue officers continue to rise in sync with their pay. We do not expect that the proposed salary increase of publicschool teachers will create the same domestic problem associated with the macho culture of those men in uniform. Our teaching force is predominantly female and it is a taboo for a teacher, even its male specie, to

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indulge in extramarital affairs. The classroom has no place for morally depraved persons. If you want to test a man’s character, give him money and power. nnn

THE BSP predicts that inflation shall ease below 2 percent by the end of September. As the economy grows, business would raise prices and employees would get higher wages.

This inevitably results to inflation.

The worst effect of inflation is that it weakens the purchasing power of the peso. What follows is lower economic growth and unemployment.

Our inflation rate is now hovering from 3 percent to 4 percent. This is expected to ease further down to 2.2 percent to 3 percent for the rest of the year. We can expect the Monetary Board to further cut down the interest rates before year-end.

We have to credit our economic

Justice for Myka Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual

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Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Efleda P. Campos Dennis D. Estopace Ruben M. Cruz Jr. Angel R. Calso

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More and more policemen’s wives complain

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ROTHERS and sisters, are you familiar with Myka Ulpina?

The three-year-old Myka is a new addition to the list of people killed in the midst of the government’s bloody campaign against illegal drugs. She is one of the people whom the President, as well as his allies and supporters consider “collateral damage” in the administration’s war on drugs. And for the newly elected Senator and former PNP chief Bato dela Rosa, it is what it is, people conducting police operations make mistakes.

But is that what it really is? How many innocent children must become victims of this campaign to stop the cruelty and killings?

According to the police, Myka was used by her father as a human shield during a buy-bust operation in Rodriguez, Rizal. The father also sustained gunshots that killed him during the operation. PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde is said to have this incident investigated further by the PNP Region

4A. But the PNP chief said that if Myka’s father didn’t fight back, no one would have perished. However, according to Myka’s mother, the child was never used as a human shield. They were asleep when the incident happened. Her husband even hugged Myka after she was shot. It wasn’t even a buy-bust operation, and there was no warrant of arrest delivered by the police. They should have made sure the place was safe so no one else

managers for taming, if not completely reversing, the inflation rate.

They have been alert and proactive in curbing the stiff increases in the prices of rice, fish and vegetables, fuel and transportation. Had we not taken the necessary steps, curtailing inflation would have been a more difficult and expensive process. As former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan has said, curbing inflation is the most important factor in producing a growing economy. Less than a year ago, the threat of run-away-inflation was the greatest peril to our economy. In June 2018, the inflation rate hit 5.2 percent, which followed the 4.6 percent posted on the previous month. In June this year, the inflation rate hit a 22-month low of 2.7 percent as prices of food and nonalcoholic beverages dropped. There was also a slowdown in the cost of transport and housing. The cost of education has gone down to nil with the free tuition fees in state colleges and universities. The rice tariffication has contained the price of our staple food. The free ride in Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit extended to the students will further cut down the costs of transportation.

Inflation, recession and stagflation are heavy stuff that are only understood by the economists. For us laymen, let’s accept what President Ronald Reagan has said about the subject: “It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your own.”

would have been harmed in their operation.

Myka isn’t the first child to be killed in the middle of the police operations against illegal drugs, but she is the youngest. In 2016, when the government’s war against drugs began, a five-year-old child named Danica May Garcia was killed while inside her home in Dagupan. And in 2018, a stray bullet from a shootout between the police and drug suspects killed four-year-old Skylar Abatayo in Cebu City.

But what is more sorrowful is the government’s seeming disregard for the young victims. If Senator dela Rosa considers these children just collateral damage, their deaths are proof this “war on drugs” being a failure. The Commission on Human Rights or CHR considers these children, like Myka, innocent victims.

Brothers and sisters, from our highest leader to his allies in different branches of the government, it seems that this administration truly does not give importance to the lives of the people, including children.

This violates our belief as Catholics about the sanctity of life. The Catholic social teaching gives emphasis

nnn

I’M not crying over spilt milk, but maybe we should agonizingly revisit our decision to remove the American bases in 1992 in the light of the current developments. Could the American military presence have deterred China from occupying the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea? Would we have protected and preserved our rich fishing grounds and valuable marine resources with the American naval power patrolling the area? I’m not questioning the wisdom of our magnificent senators who defied their president in arriving at their heroic action. Just asking. nnn

THE DTI has announced that it has approved the increase in prices of milk, coffee and patis by around 2 to 5 percent. The increase followed the request of manufacturers who said that the costs of raw materials have gone up and that the current prices would no longer sustain their operations. These items are not covered by the so-called sin taxes. It’s not a sin to take milk, coffee and patis. In many poor households, patis serves as a viand. If they cannot afford to buy patis, “magdildil sila ng asin.” Many breadwinners who cannot bring a decent meal on their table resort to drinking out of pity for their starving family’s miserable plight, as if alcohol is the panacea to their woes.

Alcohol does not solve any problem, but neither does milk. And the latter has become more expensive.

that we must oppose any violation against life and the integrity of the people, anything that harms our human dignity, as well as any way of treating people as objects. Let us remember that these violations are all against the will of our Creator. The desecration of human life is also the desecration of God. Brothers and sisters, a gun and a bullet won’t end our problems against illegal drugs. It is not cruelty that will give our community its peace.

We must not remain silent in the face of cruelty and the death of our children, because maybe next time, it will no longer be people like Myka who will lose their lives. Maybe next time—and we hope not—our siblings or even our own children could become victims. We must not remain silent. Let us demand justice for Myka and the other children killed because of the administration’s war against drugs.

Make it a habit to listen to Radio Veritas 846 Ang Radyo ng Simbahan in the AM band, or through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph and follow its Twitter and Instagram accounts @veritasph and YouTube at veritas846.ph. For your comments, e-mail veritas846pr@gmail.com.

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Friday, July 12, 2019 A11

In a divided Washington, British Portraits at an exhibition: The President’s senators ambassador was a bridge

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By Julie Pace | AP Washington Bureau Chief

Tito Genova Valiente

ANNOTATIONS

ASHINGTON—In America’s deeply divided capital city, British Ambassador Kim Darroch was often the bridge.

He had a direct line to President Donald Trump’s top aides, as well as their predecessors from the Obama administration—and both often found themselves mingling at the same lavish parties Darroch hosted at his stately residence in Washington. He convened discussions on policy and politics with lawmakers, journalists and think tank scholars, sending dispatches on his conversations across the political spectrum back to London.

His private assessments were frank and unfiltered, describing the Trump White House as unpredictable, clumsy and inept. To communicate effectively with Trump, the ambassador said, “you need to make your points simple, even blunt.” When some of those cables were leaked to a British newspaper, it initially appeared that Darroch’s strong ties to the Trump administration would inoculate him. White House officials were gracious and understanding when the British Embassy reached out to alert them to the leak. Darroch’s staff greeted him with applause when he arrived at the embassy on Monday morning, according to a person with knowledge of the week’s events—one of several who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss private interactions with the ambassador.

Then Trump started tweeting about Darroch, calling him “wacky” and a “pompous fool,” and the dynamic began to shift. By late Tuesday, when Boris Johnson—the front-runner to become Britain’s next prime minister— pointedly did not defend Darroch, the ambassador concluded it was no longer tenable for him to stay on the job. He announced Wednesday morning that he was resigning his position.

It was a stunning end to Darroch’s storied career as a diplomat and civil servant, and a reminder of how quickly fortunes can rise and fall in Trump’s Washington.

“It’s heartbreaking that the president undermines US diplomacy and erodes our alliances, and Sir Kim was caught in the cross fire,” said Andrew Overton, an American who served as Darroch’s spokesman at the embassy until last year.

Darroch joined Britain’s foreign office in 1976 and held positions in Tokyo, Rome and Brussels, then served as national security adviser. His appointment in Washington, one of the most sought-after diplomatic postings, was to be the capstone of his career.

He arrived in January 2016, when Trump still looked like a long shot presidential candidate and a proposal for Britain to exit the European Union appeared unlikely to pass. But the

political atmosphere quickly shifted on both sides of the Atlantic.

“He took the job at a very different moment,” said Amy English, Darroch’s former congressional foreign policy adviser. “By November of that year, it was a very different role. But Kim’s calm and steady leadership was essential to steer US-UK relations in this tumultuous time.”

Although much of Washington expected Trump to lose to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, Darroch spent that summer and fall building relationships with the billionaire businessman’s friends and advisers. He mingled on the floor of the Republican convention in Cleveland and got to know Trump’s political advisers and longtime friends, including Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, and Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime lawyer and fixer who is now in jail for campaign finance violations tied to hush money payments he made on Trump’s behalf.

When Trump stunningly defeated Clinton, ambassadors and diplomats from other foreign embassies came to Darroch asking for his help getting to know the incoming administration.

Darroch’s grand residence in northwest Washington became a go-to gathering spot for Trump administration officials. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was a frequent guest at embassy parties. Then-acting Atty.

General Matthew Whitaker and former White House press Secretary Sean Spicer celebrated this past New Year’s Eve at a black tie party. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, came for breakfast.

Ever the diplomat, Darroch often singled out prominent guests in his welcome remarks, frequently delivered in front of an Andy Warhol painting of Queen Elizabeth II that hangs in the residence’s main hall.

Darroch’s ties to the Trump administration extended beyond social calls.

He developed a close relationship with former Chief of Staff John Kelly and spoke on a regular basis with current Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. He played a key role in organizing Trump’s trip to Britain earlier this summer, a visit that was widely viewed in the White House and in London as a success.

Last month, during an interview with Darroch at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said British ambassadors are often so plugged into American politics that it appeared they had their own seat at the table for key discussions. And he praised the British Embassy for being one of the “very few safe spaces” for Democrats and Republicans to come together.

“Publicity has another social function. The fact that this function has not been planned as a purpose by those who make and use publicity in no way lessens its significance. Publicity turns consumption into a substitute for democracy.”

—John Berger, Ways of Seeing

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HE finest thing about Mussorgsky’s composition, “Pictures at An Exhibition,” is not so much the music but the ideas the sound of the piano brings. Is it a castle I am seeing now?

Or a Gnome? Or a Troll?

The worst thing about a photograph of politicians is not so much the images projected but what lies (ah, the pun, the pun!) behind those faces?

The last week of June, as the smoke from the election war started to dissipate, and as the horizon loomed, clearer and resonant, photos of victors in the last political derby began to appear. They came out on national and local papers and free TV, on tabloids, on community bulletins.

When did the Bible enter our oath-taking? The great book was a common feature in most celebrations. The arrangement was suave: children stood beside the father or the mother; the mother or the father held the Bible and one of the children was tasked with holding the paper containing the words for the Oath.

No one was smiling or if there was effusive happiness, it was contained; restraint. The atmosphere was grave.

Being a local official was a grave duty.

They are not officials but servants.

Remember that.

In the absence of a Bible, relatives surrounded the elected official. Identified, the clan was composed of either a father or mother

who was exiting as the son or daughter took over. Siblings and cousins posing for posterity were former local officials themselves or incoming officials of the lower echelon.

Dynastic, the pictures glorified inclusion and exclusion—with the family in position included, with you and me excluded.

The glorious shots were reserved for the last week of June—the documentations of the pro-administration senators with the President. If this were the Renaissance, when the art of portraiture reached its peak, the handlers could have worked overtime. Painters and designers would have been conscripted; banners and tapestries would have been hanged.

But there was new urgency in the air, not the kind of haste meant for progress but one that nuanced anxieties. There was, after all, a rousing consensus that cheating in the last election had a Renaissance and the organization tasked with overseeing the electoral process wallowed in abstruse legalese that was more Byzantine than brilliant.

Allow me to read the photograph as if I am conducting a lesson in Humanities (ah, the pun, the pun).

And so there they were, the eight.

If they were artifacts, their provenance could not have been more varied. The sites of their origins were as disparate as their class and intellect. Yet, they formed a complex, in the archaeological sense of it: all of them can be clustered as forming a trait that made them similar and related to each other. They were all politicians. They had all the blessings of a leader who did not believe in the transcendental. Please supply the other traits.

Pretend they were all lined up on massive mural, one that had enough grandeur and aesthetics to deserve being donated to the Palace as a gift to the people of a nation.

There was symmetry at the background. Symmetry, of course, whether imagined or constructed, always denotes harmony. Even book designers die for symmetry. That must be the reason for the beige/ gray heavy curtains running from left to right, bisected by a shiny wooden panel, which bore the Presidential seal. On the left was the Philippine flag; on the right was the Presidential banner.

Two boyish senators flanked the group; perhaps an index that youth, beautiful youth must frame the republic. The handsomer one had obligations to the court; the charming one surprised the voters how he made it there. There were three women. Do we cluster them together, the photographer or the protocol officer or the production/political designer must have mused?

A solution was reached as regards the women: The No. 1 had to be beside the President. Look, a shadow hanged over half of her body because she pressed herself too close to the Center, with the Seal nearly looming above her. Was this ambition?

Beside her was another youthful senator perhaps to remind us that, indeed, youth is the hope of the Fa-

therland or Motherland or whatever archetype would work in the present dispensation.

Where did the other two women go? They were there flanked by two Bongs! The woman who was once an occupant of the Palace had a strange way of making the fist, for her hand curved gracefully. For those who knew her when the world was at her feet would feel pity now that she had to follow the instruction to clench that fist and push it forward. She looked a bit unhappy. Looming tall next to her was the other lady senator who once pushed that the other woman, the late dictator’s daughter, should resolve the diploma issues attributed to her. Sidled to the tall lady senator was the smaller Bong who had stepped out from the rest in that photo. Smaller in stature perhaps, but not ready to be obscure, he was the only one not smiling. What came across as glee was really the thinness of the upper lip.

Was it Dickens who said, “there are only two styles of portrait painting: the serious and the smirk”?

As for the former policeman, now that was the smile. He was happy. He knew how to raise that fist. The happiness on that face was nothing to the menace of the fist. He knew the violence and threat of the gesture.

Did the other senators knew the inside story of that fist? Did they at all care?

Years from now, or maybe next month, when the Chinese have invaded us, their scholars would look at these photos, these portraits of seeming defiance, and be confused how the bravery of our politicians failed. We could turn not to Confucius but to Aristotle and paraphrase his words about Art, which is not all about “the outward appearance of things, but their inner significance which constitutes reality.”

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

No easy exit in sight from worst Japan-SK spat in years

By Isabel Reynolds & Jihye Lee Bloomberg Opinion

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APAN and South Korea plan to meet over Tokyo’s move to restrict vital exports to its neighbor, but neither has much political incentive to climb down from their worst dispute in decades.

Decades of mistrust make it difficult for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in to retreat from their budding trade feud. A series of looming deadlines, including a Japanese upper house election on July 21, are only raising the political pressure on both men, who can’t afford to look weak dealing with disagreements rooted in Japan’s 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

On Wednesday, Moon, who was elected in 2017 on a promise to reconsider his predecessor’s moves to ease historical spats with Japan, warned business leaders in Seoul of a “prolonged” battle. At an election debate last week, Abe accused South Korea of reneging on its promises.

“The leaders on both sides are incompatible with any sort of political rapprochement,” said Jonathan Berkshire Miller, a senior fellow with the Japan Institute of International Affairs in Tokyo who specializes in Northeast Asian security issues. “The sense on Moon here is negative and Abe is obviously persona non grata in South Korea.”

The flare-up stems from a series of South Korean court decisions ordering the seizure of Japanese corporate assets as compensation for Koreans

conscripted to work in factories and mines during the colonial era. The issue escalated from a regional diplomatic spat to a global trade worry last week after Abe’s government moved to curb the export of specialty materials vital to South Korea’s technology sector.

The restrictions give Japan a mechanism to slow production by chipmakers, such as Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix, squeeze the South Korean economy and disrupt supply chains dependent on their memory chips and components. If left unchecked, analysts have warned of open economic warfare between the two key US allies, something they have avoided since Japan withdrew from the peninsula.

Japan is also considering removing South Korea from a list of trusted export markets, a move that could affect a broader swath of products.

Moon can’t afford any more slippage on the economic front after being dealt a blow earlier this year when South Korea’s gross domestic product in the first quarter shrank the most in a decade.

South Korea appealed for the Trump administration’s help Thursday, with a top Moon aide visiting Washington and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha calling Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.

Kang told her US counterpart that the export curbs could negatively impact the global trade order, according to the foreign ministry’s web site.

But the path to compromise has only grown more complicated. South Korea has for weeks resisted Japan’s demands for third-country arbitration to settle the forced-labor issues, arguing that conscripted workers have a right to pursue their claims in court.

‘This resolution was not universally adopted. Therefore, its validity is highly questionable’ (Statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. on the adoption of the Iceland resolution by the UN Human Rights Council)

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N 1945, the Philippines, along with 50 other states, founded the United Nations. We were not yet independent. But the Filipino people—for having taken in the wretched of the earth—won its place at the Creation of the United Nations.

We helped create the UN to honor the universal values of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of state, which were brazenly and brutally violated on a global scale by those who censured us today. There is too the value of dialogue which is violated by the high-handed insistence that it be one sided while the other side keeps quiet, the latter to speak in its defense but only in proceedings dictated by the former to ensure its agreeable result.

In the process leading to the adoption of this resolution, we have witnessed the very opposite of these values that hold the UN together. We have seen its mandate “weaponized” for the sake of interests with the

evident means to get it done.

This resolution was not universally adopted. Therefore, its validity is highly questionable. It does not represent the will of the Council, much less that of the developing countries who are always the target of such resolutions. Western countries pushed for this resolution in the confidence that the world has forgotten what they did and what should have been done to them had there been a Human Rights Council. It was pushed with the arrogance that developing countries must not stand up to them even if we can and as we hereby do.

There will be consequences.

They sought to bring a people and a country, with an unblemished human rights record, down to the level of the authors of atrocities the world must not forget: of Amritsar, Mau Mau and the Boer War; Ragawede and the murder of Anne Frank and her kind; the trendsetting holocaust of the Congo; the profiling of Romani people; the massacre of aborigines at Forrest River; the culmination of Leopold’s Ghost in Bergen-Belsen to name one of a sprawling network of extermination camps; slave trading in

the West Indies and the abduction of Inuit children as part of the eradication of that race’s way of life; Addis Ababa and the invention of death from above (though that distinction is shared with the author of Amritsar); Setif and the drowning of North Africans in the river Seine; the cowardice of European UN peacekeepers who stepped aside to allow the massacre of those they had herded together for their safety; the dissolution and consequent anarchy of North African and Middle Eastern countries, and the revival of the slave trade from there; and the callous expulsion of refugees crossing the Mediterranean to escape the European miscalculation. But we will not engage in throwing at each other the bodies of each side’s respective victims. We cannot compete with the West.

The Philippines is affronted that we should be named with the very breath of these authors of these atrocities, the same ones so bold to condemn us—we who opened our arms to save their victims before the War, and well into the savage wars of peace culminating in the Vietnam War to whose victims we gave shel-

ter when everyone else turned them away. But let us be clear on this: this resolution is not a triumph of human rights but a travesty of them that should honor the character of the author and co-sponsors of the resolution.

It is an example of how these countries—they who are least entitled to make such accusations, incited by false information from sources peddling their untruths for money, or who have allowed themselves to be played by the ill will of a few— have undermined the Human Rights Council to advance their agenda and target a government that’s hostile to the very things they have done and continue to do, and about which there is overwhelming proof.

This resolution flies in the face of everything the Philippines has worked for when it founded the Human Rights Council in 2006, and when it advanced the work towards realizing a Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the 1940s, insisting on strong commitments for justice, dignity and conscience, and the rights of women—a concept almost unheard of then.

The responsibility to protect starts with protecting the good against the bad, the innocent against the vicious. We invoke the government’s great power—and therefore commensurate responsibility—to protect human rights as multilateral bodies cannot. Foremost among those rights is the right to be protected from crime by the state.

Do not presume to threaten states with accountability for a tough approach to crushing crime, at which some of your countries are complicit at worst and tolerant at best. You don’t have the wherewithal, so all you can do is insult. The United Nations is a collection of sovereignties and not a sovereign collective.

Thus, the Philippines rejects this resolution. It cannot, in good conscience, abide by it. We will not accept a politically partisan and onesided resolution, so detached from the truth on the ground. It comes straight from the mouth of the Queen in Alice in Wonderland, “First the judgment, then the proof.”

The temptation is strong to walk away from all this with well-deserved contempt for the minority of coun-

tries that have the least moral standing to raise their false issues to the discredit of the Human Rights Council. But the Philippines must remain true to the cause of human rights. We will continue to work in the Council to advance a noble mandate to respect, protect and fulfill human rights, and rescue it from its misuse.

The Philippines renews its solemn responsibility to protect the law-abiding against the lawless by any means efficient to achieve the defining purpose for the existence and expense of a state. To that responsibility, my President has made an iron, unwavering and total commitment; and it will not be weakened by this ill-fated resolution.

Our foreign policy was summed up as being “Friend to all, enemy to none.” In the face of today’s changing realities, I refined this to “Friend to friends, enemy to enemies, and a worse enemy to false friends.” We renew our solidarity with our true friends who have stood by us in this farce. But we will not tolerate any form of disrespect or acts of bad faith. There will be consequences; far-reaching ones.

2nd Front Page BusinessMirror

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Friday, July 12, 2019

Govt may require MSMEs to offer family planning

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By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE national government may make a pitch for a new law that will mandate all micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to offer modern family planning resources to their employees, the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) said on Thursday.

Popcom Undersecretary Juan Antonio A. Perez III told the BusinessMirror the new law will require MSMEs to offer family planning services that are similar to those being given by large corporations, or those employing

over 200 workers.

While the government is aware that the initiative could result in additional financial burden for MSMEs, Perez said local government units (LGUs) could help them meet this requirement.

“With devolution, [especially with] universal health care, LGUs will have a bigger role. I think it would be consistent all around if LGUs will focus on this. So we’ll work with them on that,” Perez said at the sidelines of the celebration of World Population Day held in Quezon City. “[Department of the Interior and Local Government] Secretary [Eduardo M.] Año already issued an order to all LGUs to have a local population officer.”

Perez said Popcom will have to work with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to craft the law since the proposed requirement will touch on provisions of the Labor Code.

He noted that institutionalizing family planning in the workplace is part of the conditions of work for

all Filipino workers as indicated in the Labor Code.

Involving the workplace, Perez said, is necessary to boost government’s efforts to bring down the country’s total fertility rate—the average number of children born per woman—to 2.1 by 2022.

“The companies are not providing it except for the top 4,000 companies which are required by law to have a clinic. But even among the 4,000 companies, the DOLE said they can only monitor over 1,000.

These are the companies with 200 or more employees,” he said.

“So the problem [is], those below 200, which is 99 percent of the enterprises, we don’t know if they’re providing family planning.

That’s what we should focus on,” he added.

PHL rice supply expanded to 2.6 MMT in June—PSA

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

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HE country’s rice inventory as of June 1 rose by 10.1 percent to nearly 2.6 million metric tons, from 2.36 MMT recorded last year,

according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

PSA figures showed that the total volume of rice in households and commercial warehouses reached 1.049 MMT and 998,230 metric tons, respectively. The National Food Authority’s

(NFA) buffer stock was estimated at 551,060 MT. On a monthly basis, however, the total stockpile in June was 11.8 percent lower than the 2.947 MMT recorded in May, the PSA said in its monthly report published on Thursday.

“Compared with their levels a month ago, decrements were noted in all sectors. Stocks in households, commercial warehouses and NFA depositories were lower by 17.1 percent, 11.2 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively,” the report read.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PHL REJECTS ‘MINORITY’ VOTE AT U.N. ADOPTING ICELAND RESOLUTION

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HE United Nations Human Rights Council, by a minority vote, on Thursday adopted the Iceland resolution for an international investigation of the Philippines’s drug war, but the Philippines promptly rejected it.

“This resolution was not universally adopted. Therefore, its validity is highly questionable,” said Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. in a statement read aloud by the Philippine representative after the Council, at its meeting in Geneva, voted 18 in favor and 14 against the Iceland resolution, with 15 memberstates abstaining.

“The temptation is strong to walk away from all this with well-deserved contempt for the minority of countries that have the least moral standing to raise their false issues to the discredit of the Human Rights Council.

But the Philippines must remain true to the cause of human rights. We will continue to work in the Council to advance a noble mandate to respect, protect and fulfill human rights, and rescue

it from its misuse,” said the DFA chief ’s statement.

The Philippines, he added, “renews its solemn responsibility to protect the law abiding against the lawless by any means efficient to achieve the defining purpose for the existence and expense of a state. To that responsibility, my President has made an iron, unwavering and total commitment; and it will not be weakened by this ill-fated resolution.”

He thanked the membercountries that stood with the Philippines in opposing what Manila has always described as a campaign by certain western countries to bully the Philippines by “weaponizing” human rights. “We renew our solidarity with our true friends who have stood by us in this farce. But we will not tolerate any form of disrespect or acts of bad faith.

There will be consequences; farreaching ones.”

FulltextofLocsin’sstatement on page 11, “This resolution was not universally adopted.

Therefore, its validity is highly questionable.”

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Holcim completes Davao project to raise capacity

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EMENT firm Holcim Philippines Inc. on Thursday said it has completed the project to raise the production capacity of its Davao plant last month.

The expansion involved the activation of a finish mill and installation of a new pipe for loading cement to the silos from the pier, eco-hoppers to improve dust emissions and an overhead crane. Cold commissioning started in April, while full production began on June 20.

The improvements add 700,000 metric tons to the annual cement production of the plant, the company said.

The expansion of Holcim’s Davao plant is part of the company’s ongoing program to improve operations to support the growth of Mindanao.

In March, the company launched in Davao City its new blended cement product Solido, designed to outperform Ordinary Portland Cement in terms of strength and durability for infrastructure applications.

To improve technical services to partners taking on infrastructure projects, Holcim opened last year in Davao its first construction laboratory outside Metro Manila.

“Our company is determined to continue supporting the development of Davao and the rest of Mindanao. These initiatives strengthen our ability to contribute to the progress of the region at this time of robust growth,” Holcim Philippines

President and CEO John Stull said.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the Davao region is among the country’s top-performing economies, with an average growth of 9.6 percent from 2016 to 2018 compared with the national expansion rate of 6.6 percent during the same period.

The strong economic expansion of the region and the entire Mindanao is seen to continue as the government steps up investments in infrastructure to spur development.

Holcim said it will hold a ceremony next month to inaugurate the facilities with partners in the public and private sector. VG Cabuag

Unqualified opinion from COA cheers SEC

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HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) received an “unqualified opinion” from the Commission on Audit (COA), as it upholds transparency, accountability and efficiency in the use of valuable taxpayers’ money.

“In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Securities and Exchange Commission as at December 31, 2018, and its financial performance, cash flows, changes in net assets/equity, comparison of budget and actual amounts for the year then ended, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant policies in accordance with the Philippine Public Sector Accounting Standards,” State Auditor Concepcion C. Reyes noted in an independent auditor’s report dated April 25.

The SEC said in a statement this is the latest unqualified opinion issued by COA to the commission since 2013, after a series of modified or qualified opinion from 2014 to 2017.

COA audited the commission’s finances in accordance with the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAIs), developed

Capas mayor, Aeta leaders deny dislocation at NCC

C

APAS, Tarlac—Aetas reportedly complaining about being displaced by the ongoing development of the 9,450-hectare New Clark City (NCC) here are dreaming.

This was how Mayor Reynaldo “Reycat” Catacutan described their complaint in a press conference at the Legislative Building here on Thursday attended by Aeta tribal leaders, members of the Sangguniang Bayan, as well as village officials and the media.

“Kaya po sila nananaginip lang dahil binenta na nila ang lupa nila 30 years ago. Nung pumutok po ang Pinatubo, sila po ay nilipat na sa resettlement area sa Barangay Cristo Rey sa O’Donnel Resettlement Site na puro sementado na kaya wala nang makikitang kalupaan doon [I say they’re dreaming because they sold their lands 30 years ago. When Pinatubo erupted, they were moved to the resettlement area in Barangay Cristo Rey at the O’Donnel Resettlement Site, which is now all cemented],” Catacutan said. “As the local chief executive, I will be the first one to resist any project or development that is not pro Capaseño” he said.

“As mayor, my first order of business is to protect my people, their rights and interests,” he added. “This is the same for BCDA, otherwise they will be violating the Philippine Constitution,” he pointed out, referring to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority that is spearheading the massive development.

Aeta tribal leader and former National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Commissioner Bayani Sumawang also said there are no Aetas displaced by the development at the NCC. Kalangitan tribal chieftain Reynaldo Medriano and former chieftain Antonio Sumilang both deny any displaced Aetas. They said they are in constant communication with BCDA. Aeta Jaymar Tiglao, who works as a safety officer at NCC, said he is happy with his work.

Continued on B2

SEC Chairman Emilio B. Aquino,

by the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions for public-sector auditing.

Under the ISSAIs, auditors issue an unqualified or unmodified opinion when they conclude that financial statements, as a whole, are free from material misstatements, which could arise from either fraud or error.

“The commission takes pride in the unqualified opinion rendered by COA,” SEC Chairman Emilio B. Aquino, a CPA-lawyer, said. “We take the results of the independent audit as testament to our transparent, sound and prudent

financial management, as well as to our commitment to curtail graft and corruption.”

The SEC has consistently ranked among the sincerest institutions in fighting corruption, per surveys conducted by the Social Weather Stations Inc. with support from the Integrity for Investments Initiative, funding from the United States Agency for International Development, and in partnership with the National Competitiveness Council and The Asia Foundation.

The commission has also emerged as one of the 10 best-performing national government agencies in semiannual surveys conducted by the Makati Business Club. Recently, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission recognized the SEC for the implementation of the Company Registration System, which minimized human intervention in the processing of applications and thereby reduces the opportunity for corruption.

The CRS allows for the automated and online preprocessing of corporations and partnerships, licensing of foreign corporations, amendments of the articles of incorporation and other corporate applications requiring SEC approval.

On December 28, 2018, the commission achieved ISO 9001:2015, the international standard for quality management systems, for the registration of partnerships and corporations doing business in the Philippines and for the licensing of capital market institutions and professionals.

Friday, July 12, 2019

B1

Senators asked to prod DICT to roll back high telco fees

T

HE Senate is poised to hold hearings on a resolution seeking to roll back “exorbitant” fees charged by telecommunication companies for text messages as soon as Congress convenes regular sessions on July 22.

“One peso is way too much to pay for every text message you send,” Senator-elect Imee Marcos said Thursday after filing Senate Resolution 6, asserting that cheaper text messages and enforcing a strict price ceiling are “long overdue.”

Marcos’s resolution strongly urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to “immediately reduce and set a strict one-centavo price ceiling on the exorbitant cost” of text messages.

“We must balance the business interests of our telco providers and make sure that they abide by the global trend toward cheaper and faster services to the public,” the neophyte senator said.

She noted that while the recent entry of a third telco provider, Dito Telecommunity, is expected to offer lower customer fees charged by existing telco giants Smart and Globe, “the public should already enjoy lower charges, particularly on the short message service [SMS] or text messages.”

Marcos maintained that even if

text messages would cost only one centavo each, “the three telco providers would still be able to profit from that.”

The senator asserted that text messaging services are “a practically costless forwarding service that piggybacks on a readily available signal.”

In a statement, Marcos explained that so-called handshake or persistent communication between a cellular communications tower and a handset allows the delivery of text messages, which are small and simple relative to more data-Intensive internet-based communications.

She stressed that the overhead cost of forwarding text messages is “far less than real-time mobile data transfer.”

At the same time, Marcos lamented that despite the billions in profit raked in by telco providers from text messaging, Internet speed available to Filipinos lags behind that in other Southeast Asian countries.

The senator suggested that lower SMS fees will reduce the cost of doing business, particularly among small-scale entrepreneurs, who frequently communicate with their customers through text messages, adding that the flow of information and knowledge-sharing among lower-income users will also be encouraged. Butch Fernandez

B2

Friday, July 12, 2019

Companies BusinessMirror

Win: Minpocor creation may be in breach of Epira, needs review

T

HE proposed creation of the Mindanao Power Corp. (Minpocor) must undergo an extensive review because the law prohibits the government from owning a power plant, Senate Energy Committee Chairman Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian said on Thursday.

“There are some congressmen who filed bills to create what we call Mindanao Power Corp. in which the main asset will be the Agus-Pulangi power complex.

“The direction there is the government will still retain ownership of the asset and then the O&M [op-

eration and management] can be privatized. We’ll iave an extensive hearing on this… If the government will retain ownership of this asset, then government will be in the power-generating assets, which is contradictory to Epira,” said Gatchalian, referring to the Electric Power

Industry Reform Act enacted 18 years ago.

The Agus complex, which has 728 megawatt (MW) of installed capacity, consists of six cascading power plants strategically located along the Agus River.

The Pulangi complex, meanwhile, is a 255-MW hydro power facility with three generating units. Both facilities, however, already have a derated generation.

Electric cooperatives in Mindanao are pushing for both facilities to remain under state control through a new corporate entity instead of giving them up for privatization.

The Agus-Pulangi power facility is among the remaining power assets that have yet to be sold by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM).

PSALM is pushing the rehabili-

tation of the Agus-Pulangi complex first before it is sold. The rehabilitation is aimed at extending the facilities’ service life by 30 more years and to increase the plants’ reliability and availability.

PSALM is the agency tasked to manage state-owned power assets.

The National Power Corp. is still the owner of the hydro complex. The hydropower complex is required to be privatized under Republic Act 9136 or Epira, the law that restructured the energy sector.

“For me, this is one of the crown jewels of PSALM. If you rehabilitate this, maraming magiging interested dito sa asset na ito [many will be interested in this asset]. Ang gusto naman natin [what we want] at the end is to maximize this asset. It would be a waste if this asset won’t be maximized,” said Gatchalian. Lenie Lectura

Puregold, GCash introduce 1st barcode-based payments

G

CASH, operated by Globe Fintech Innovations Inc. (Mynt), has expanded its existing partnership with Puregold Price Club Inc. to introduce the first barcode-based mobile payments solution in the Philippines.

With GCash Scan to Pay (STP) via Barcode, customers of Puregold may now pay their groceries using a barcode generated in the GCash application.

Users simply have to scan their mobile barcodes upon check out, streamlining the payments

process further.

“Puregold is the first national supermarket chain to accept mobile payments via GCash, and it continues to be a strong partner in our work of building a cashless ecosystem that will lead to a more financially inclusive Philippines,” Mynt President Anthony Thomas said.

The STP via barcode eliminates the merchant need for a QR key card or the handset that will receive the GCash reference number as proof of transaction, streamlining the payment

system. Customers also no longer need to input the amount due for payment in their GCash app, because it will be automatically deducted from their account.

“This is the first time such barcode scanning payment system will be used in the Philippines, and we are proud to be GCash’s partner merchant for this. This aligns with our vision to be the most customer-oriented hypermart that offers one-top shopping convenience and the best value to Filipinos,” Puregold President Ferdinand

Vincent Co said.

Today, Puregold has 367 stores nationwide accepting GCash’s STP and offering cash in to the app.

“We are constantly looking for ways to make financial transactions easier and more convenient for people. With this STP via barcode system we are introducing with Puregold, we hope to encourage more Filipinos to go cashless,” Thomas said.

GCash currently has 20 million users with over 75,000 partner merchants across the Philippines. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Beep cards may be reloaded via Internet and BPI mobile

A

F Payments Inc., the operator of automated fare collection system beep, has partnered with BPI to allow users to reload their beep cards via Internet and mobile.

Users simply have to access BPI Online or download and update their BPI Mobile app and log in to their accounts. Then, they have to choose the load e-wallet option under the payments or load tab.

After that, they have to input the 16-digit number found at the back of their beep cards in the reference number and click on “load amount.”

However, users have to update their card balances at transport stations, and pay a P10 transaction fee.

“Convenience is the key benefit we emphasize for beep. As Filipinos become more mobile and increasingly go cashless, we see

Capas mayor, Aeta leaders deny dislocation at NCC Continued from B1

Aeta workers

BCDA Senior Vice President Joshua “Jake” Bingcang said there are about 6,000 workers at NCC and 300 of them are Aetas.

Bingcang gave a detailed account of the

ongoing development at the NCC, as well as the plans and projects for the Aetas. “There is no truth to the report that there are 15,000 farmers in Capas that will be displaced by the NCC because that figure is the total number of farmers in Capas,” Catacutan said, reacting to a news report.

more opportunities to make our services more accessible to our cardholders,” Agnes Padilla,

who heads the marketing division of AF Payments, said. Lorenz S. Marasigan

www.businessmirror.com.ph

HMO group Ahmopi backs IC order stopping Caritas Health from selling

By Rea Cu @ReaCuBM

T

HE Association of Health Maintenance Orgnaizations of the Philippines Inc. (Ahmopi) has welcomed the Insurance Commission’s issuance of a cease-and-desist order on Caritas Health Shield Inc. (Caritas Health), pointing out that the decision is in the interest of the buying public.

In a statement sent to reporters on Thursday, Ahmopi Executive Director Carlos da Silva said, “The Caritas Health Shield problem in the HMO industry is truly unfortunate and disheartening. In the interest of the buying public, we welcome the IC’s timely issuance of an order to Caritas Health to cease and desist from selling HMO products and/or transacting new HMO business effective immediately.”

The IC on Wednesday issued a cease-and-desist order against Caritas Health, ordering it to stop selling new products and transacting new HMO business.

Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa issued the order as the commission received numerous complaints on the alleged fraudulent swiping of credit and debit cards, as well as misrepresentations of the company’s sales agents.

MUTUAL FUNDS

Funa earlier required the company to show cause why it should not be ordered to stop selling new HMO products and transacting new HMO business.

Unconvinced by the explanation given by Caritas Health and noting that the company acknowledged there were instances of unauthorized swiping and misrepresentations committed by its sales agents, Funa proceeded with the issuance of the CDO dated July 8, 2019.

Funa pointed out that IC ’s continuing receipt of numerous complaints against Caritas Health from the general public “demonstrates the prima facie inadequacy and unresponsiveness of the company’s action plans.”

Simultaneous with the issuance of the cease-and-desist order, Funa also directed the company to continue servicing its existing HMO contracts with its members and to provide uninterrupted conduct of servicing activities.

Funa will be appointing an overseer to ensure Caritas Health’s compliance with his order.

“Pursuant to IC Circular Letter 2018-14 dated 30, January 2018, the Ahmopi stands committed resolving with dispatch issues and concerns brought to its attention by the IC for handling, the Caritas Health complaint cases included,” Da Silva said.

July 11, 2019

NAV ONE YEAR THREE YEAR FIVE YEAR Y-T-D

PER SHARE RETURN* RETURN STOCK FUNDS ALFM GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 268.54 8.28% -0.11% 1% 6.48% ATRAM ALPHA OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 1.661 16.02% 7.98% 3.05% 15.28% ATRAM PHILIPPINE EQUITY OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 4.1801 6.61% -0.01% 0.28% 7.1% CLIMBS SHARE CAPITAL EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND CORP. -A 0.9601 10.62% N.A. N.A. 6.56% FIRST METRO CONSUMER FUND ON MSCI PHILS. IMI, INC. -A 0.8869 8.4% N.A. N.A. 8.07% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN EQUITY FUND,INC. -A 5.5667 8.74% 0.9% 1.02% 5.56% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN PHILIPPINE INDEX FUND, INC. -A,6 0.8941 6.81% -3.57% N.A. 6.86% MBG EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND, INC. -A 123.11 15.85% N.A. N.A. 5.98% PAMI EQUITY INDEX FUND, INC. -A 53.2572 11.28% 0.74% N.A. 8.19% PHILAM STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 553.29 9.73% -0.27% 0.88% 7.49% PHILEQUITY DIVIDEND YIELD FUND, INC. -A 1.3458 11.12% 1.68% 3.18% 7.32% PHILEQUITY FUND, INC. -A 39.5522 11.91% 2.39% 2.73% 7.97% PHILEQUITY MSCI PHILIPPINE INDEX FUND, INC. -A,3 1.0677 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. PHILEQUITY PSE INDEX FUND INC. -A 5.4041 12.27% 1.72% 3.1% 8.98% PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND CORP. -A 902.56 12.33% 1.44% 3.05% 8.95% SOLDIVO STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 0.9443 13.13% 0.8% N.A. 9.8% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE EQUITY FUND, INC. -A 4.4069 12.09% 1.63% 2.47% 8.57% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND, INC. -A 1.0368 11.72% 1.38% N.A. 8.65% UNITED FUND, INC. -A 3.795 10.61% 3.24% 3.25% 8.4% EXCHANGE TRADED FUND FIRST METRO PHIL. EQUITY EXCHANGE TRADED FUND, INC. -A,C,2 120.8349 12.73% 2.34% 4.11% 9.11% ATRAM ASIAPLUS EQUITY FUND, INC. -B $0.9876 -4.76% 5.71% -0.55% 6.3% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY WORLD VOYAGER FUND, INC. -A $1.3122 1.66% 9.73% N.A. 18.73% BALANCED FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ATRAM DYNAMIC ALLOCATION FUND, INC. -A 1.7598 7.59% -1.25% -1.15% 6.58% ATRAM PHILIPPINE BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 2.3479 5.53% 0.19% 0.93% 6.28% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN BALANCED FUND INC. -A 2.6918 6.64% 0.34% -1.14% 5.85% GREPALIFE BALANCED FUND CORPORATION -A 1.3663 4.37% N.A. N.A. 4.75% NCM MUTUAL FUND OF THE PHILS., INC. -A 1.9574 7.55% 0.65% 1.42% 6.2% PAMI HORIZON FUND, INC. -A 3.7815 7.8% -0.57% 0.65% 7.15% PHILAM FUND, INC. -A 17.0315 8.69% -0.41% 0.68% 7.06% SOLIDARITAS FUND, INC. -A 2.173 6.72% 0.83% 1.88% 5.02% SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 3.9263 9.77% 0.7% 1.63% 7.53% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2028, INC. -A,D,4 1.0275 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2038, INC. -A,D,4 1.0293 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2048, INC. -A,D,4 1.0261 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DYNAMIC FUND, INC. -A 1.0079 10.92% 0.95% 1.35% 9.35% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES COCOLIFE DOLLAR FUND BUILDER, INC. -A $0.03754 7.29% 1.53% 2.06% 6.35% PAMI ASIA BALANCED FUND, INC. -A $0.9896 -1.96% 3.48% -0.96% 8.31% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ADVANTAGE FUND, INC. -A $3.7768 3.03% 6.64% 2.9% 14.15% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR WELLSPRING FUND, INC. -A $1.1127 3.75% 4.16% N.A. 10.17% BOND FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ALFM PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 350.77 3.46% 2.04% 2.2% 2.13% ATRAM CORPORATE BOND FUND, INC. -A,1 1.9012 2.28% -0.02% -0.18% 2.26% COCOLIFE FIXED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 3.0531 5.47% 5.27% 5.27% 2.59% EKKLESIA MUTUAL FUND INC. -A 2.1892 3.31% 1.06% 1.85% 2.82% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN FIXED INCOME FUND,INC. -A 2.3128 4.37% 0.96% 1.34% 4.88% GREPALIFE FIXED INCOME FUND CORP. -A P 1.6052 1.98% -1.46% -0.01% 2.61% PHILAM BOND FUND, INC. -A 4.188 6.2% -0.22% 1.22% 6.84% PHILEQUITY PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 3.6928 5.75% 1.26% 1.45% 5% SOLDIVO BOND FUND, INC. -A 0.9373 3.96% -0.77% N.A. 5.17% SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BOND FUND, INC. -A 2.9623 7.89% 1.25% 2.1% 7.1% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY GS FUND, INC. -A 1.6441 7.76% 0.84% 1.62% 6.77% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES ALFM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $459.02 3.62% 1.63% 2.72% 2.37% ALFM EURO BOND FUND, INC. -A Є218.02 2.33% 1.36% 1.5% 2.52% ATRAM TOTAL RETURN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -B $1.1855 6.63% 1.76% 2.52% 5.31% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $0.0256 3.64% 0.79% N.A. 3.23% GREPALIFE DOLLAR BOND FUND CORP. -A $1.7145 1.25% -2.14% 0.59% 1.44% PAMI GLOBAL BOND FUND, INC -A $1.0853 5% -0.63% -2.03% 4.73% PHILAM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A

$2.3438 8.57% 0.7% 3.18% 7.97% PHILEQUITY DOLLAR INCOME FUND INC. -A $0.059254 4.44% 1.55% 1.81% 3.95% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ABUNDANCE FUND, INC. -A $3.0788 6.86% -0.02% 2.64% 7.2% MONEY MARKET FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ALFM MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 123.66 3.73% 2.44% 1.95% 2.3% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A,5 1.0155 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. PHILAM MANAGED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 1.2162 3.96% 1.78% 1.08% 2.9% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 1.2461 3.76% 2.68% 2.06% 2.21% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR STARTER FUND, INC. -A $1.0287 2.18% N.A. N.A. 1.26%

A - NAVPS AS OF THE PREVIOUS BANKING DAY. B - NAVPS AS OF TWO BANKING DAYS AGO. C - LISTED IN THE PSE. D - IN NET ASSET VALUE PER UNIT (NAVPU).

1 - ADJUSTED DUE TO CASH DIVIDEND ISSUANCE LAST JANUARY 29, 2018. 2 - ADJUSTED DUE TO STOCK DIVIDEND ISSUANCE LAST JUNE 5, 2018.

3 - LAUNCH DATE IS JANUARY 3, 2019. 4 - LAUNCH DATE IS JANUARY 28, 2019. 5 - LAUNCH DATE IS FEBRUARY 1, 2019.

Editor: Angel R. Calso

The World BusinessMirror

Friday, July 12, 2019

B3

Powell’s message to Congress: Rate cut is likely coming soon

W

ASHINGTON—Pointing to a weaker global economy, rising trade tensions and chronically low inflation, Chairman Jerome Powell signaled Wednesday that the Federal Reserve is likely to cut interest rates late this month for the first time in a decade.

Delivering the central bank’s semiannual report to Congress, Powell said that since Fed officials met last month, “uncertainties around trade tensions and concerns about the strength of the global economy continue to weigh on the US economic outlook.” In addition, inflation has dipped further below the Fed’s annual target level.

The chairman’s remarks led investors to send stock prices up, bond yields down and the value of the US dollar lower on expectations of lower interest rates. The S&P 500 index briefly traded over 3,000 for the first time.

Testifying to the House Financial Services Committee, Powell was asked, as he has been before, what he would do if President Donald J. Trump tried to fire or demote him. Powell offered the same terse reply he’s given in the past when asked about Trump’s attacks on his leadership and the president’s insistence that he has authority to remove the chairman: Powell said he intends to serve out his full four-year term, which ends in early 2022.

The president has repeatedly accused Powell and the Fed of keeping credit too tight for too long and thereby holding back the economy and the stock market. Most experts dispute Trump’s assertion that he has authority to either fire Powell or demote him from the chairman’s post, and his attacks have raised alarms that he’s undermining the Fed’s long-recognized independence from political pressure.

Powell’s description Wednesday of a more downbeat economic landscape led most economists to conclude that a quarterpoint rate cut is a virtual certainty at the Fed’s meeting in three weeks, with many forecasting further rate cuts to come. Some characterized a likely rate cut late this month as an “insurance policy” against an economic downturn.

“I think it will be the start of a series of rate cuts,” added Sung Won Sohn, economics professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. “Powell wants to provide fuel for the economy down the road.”

Expectations of a pending rate cut drew additional support Wednesday when the Fed released the minutes of its June 18 and 19 meeting. The central bank held rates unchanged then, but the minutes showed that

some officials felt looser credit could soon be needed to address economic weakness.

Investors have collectively put the odds of a rate cut this month at 100 percent. The Fed’s benchmark rate stands in a range of 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent after it raised rates four times last year—action that incited the initial attacks on the Powell Fed from Trump.

In the prepared remarks he delivered Wednesday before taking questions from the House members, Powell made no mention of the president’s criticism. He did thank Congress for the “independence” it has given the Fed to operate free of political intrusion. But later, in the question-and-answer period, several Democratic committee members offered support for Powell’s leadership and a rejection of Trump’s criticism.

Rep. Maxine Waters, who leads the committee, declared that “this president has made it clear that he has no understanding or respect for the independence of the Federal Reserve.”

Waters and other Democrats urged Powell to stand up to Trump’s attacks.

“Have no fear,” Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., told the chairman. “We in Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have got your back.”

Powell’s remarks Wednesday began two days of his testimony on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, he will address the Senate Banking Committee.

At the moment, the US economic landscape is a mixed one: The job market appears resilient, but economic growth is slowing. Many forecasters predict that growth has slowed to an annual rate of around 2 percent in the just completed April-June quarter.

In his testimony, Powell said the economy has fared reasonably well over the first half of the year. But he noted that “crosscurrents, such as trade tensions and concerns about global growth, have been weighing on economic activity and the outlook.”

He said that growth in business investment “seems to have slowed notably,” possibly because of concerns over slowing global growth and the trade battle between the Trump administration and China.

T he Fed chair man told the House c o m m it t e e t h at he t h i n k s av e r a ge

Britain’s US ambassador quits amid Trump’s wrath

W

ASHINGTON­—The abrupt resignation of Britain’s ambassador to the United States over leaked cables critical of the Trump administration may have jolted official Washington, but it’s unlikely to have a lasting impact on the US-British relationship or diplomatic practice.

Current and former diplomats say the leak of Ambassador Kim Darroch’s sensitive reports is unfortunate and alarming, particularly given the apparent political motive behind it. Yet, they believe any complications will be temporary even as they create short-term turbulence in relations.

“It’s a problem, but I don’t know that it has a chilling affect over time because in the end people have jobs to do and they do their jobs,” said Ronald Neumann, a retired three-time US ambassador who is the president of the American Academy of Diplomacy. “It’s wrong and it’s too bad. Still, you move on because there’s work to be done.”

Darroch, a well-known figure in Washington, resigned on Wednesday amid an uproar over the candid cables, saying “the current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like.” The resignation followed President Donald J. Trump’s furious caustic response to the leaked cables in which Darroch offered candid negative views of his administration.

In the cables, Darroch called the administration’s policy toward Iran “incoherent,” said the president might be indebted to “dodgy Russians” and raised doubts about whether the White House “will ever look competent.”

Trump’s lambasting of Darroch on Twitter—

he called the ambassador “a pompous fool” and “a very stupid guy” and criticized outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May—drew condemnation from both sides of the Atlantic.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is in the running to replace May, replied: “Allies need to treat each other with respect.”

Others suggested that Trump’s reaction proved Darroch’s point.

“Trump’s petty and vindictive overreaction not only reinforces the accuracy of Darroch’s por trait of him in his leaked cables, but further erodes an already complicated bilateral relationship,” said William Burns, a highly respected retired career diplomat who served as deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration and is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The State Department downplayed the fracas, saying: “The United States and the United Kingdom share a bond that is bigger than any individual, and we look forward to continuing that partnership. We remain committed to the US-UK Special Relationship and our shared global agenda.”

But Rep. Adam S chiff, the California Democrat who chairs the House intelligence committee, said Trump’s comments make the work of American diplomats abroad harder than they already are.

“Diplomats the world over, including ours, are expected to provide candid assessments and advice to their home governments,” he said. “If a foreign leader treated an American ambassador as President Trump treated the British ambassador, we would be up in arms, and justifiably so. “ AP

worker pay isn’t r ising fast enough to accelerate low inf lation, even w ith the unemploy ment rate near a f ive-decade low. A n absence of inf lation pressure makes it easier for the Fed to cut shor t-ter m rates. Referr ing to rates, Powel l repeated a pledge the Fed made in its June polic y statement that officials would “act as appropriate to sustain the ex pansion.” But notably, he added that

“many” Fed of f icia l saw that the case for a looser monetar y polic y “ had streng thened.”

The Fed hasn’t cut rates since 2008 at the height of the financial crisis.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping declared a truce last month in what had threatened to become an escalating US-China trade war and agreed to resume talks toward a deal that would meet the administration’s demands to better protect US

technology. That step eased fears that Trump would extend punitive tariffs to an additional $300 billion in Chinese goods, in the process inviting retaliation from Beijing on American exports and likely weakening both nations’ economies.

And last week, the government reported that after a tepid job gain in May, US employers sharply stepped up their hiring in June, an indication of the economy’s durability. AP

B4 Friday, July 12, 2019

FORTUNE LIFE BESTOWS LEARNING KITS ON SELECTED PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN CENTRAL LUZON JOLLIBEE BAGS 2019 ASIA PACIFIC TAMBULI ACCOLADES

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OLLIBEE continues its winning streak as it took home eight major awards, including the highest honor for top officers, in the recently concluded Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards 2019.

Topping the list is the 2019 Asia Pacific Tambuli Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on Jollibee Foods Corp.

(JFC) founder and chairman Tony Tan Caktiong who, with an inimitable drive and a visionary entrepreneurial spirit, founded in 1975 what is today one of the Philippines’s biggest brands.

Francis Flores, Jollibee global brand

chief marketing officer and Jollibee Philippines marketing head, took home the 2019 Asia Pacific Tambuli Chief Marketing Communication Officer of the Year. With his extensive experience in brand management and marketing, Flores is credited with spearheading, together with McCann WorldGroup Philippines, the game-changing brand love campaign #KwentongJollibee launched in 2016, with 26 viral videos to date garnering 300 million views. He also helped launch a number of online thematic campaigns that successfully

put the spotlight on its flagship products and other offerings. Among these are the “Chickenjoy Perfect Pairs” campaign, “Yes to Jollibee Burger Steak” with Anne Curtis, “The Return of the Choco Mallow Pie”, and the Jollibee Family Values Awards.

For its #KwentongJollibee series, Jollibee bagged the following prestigious awards: Gold Tambuli with McCann Worldgroup Philippines for “Kwentong Jollibee: Restoring the Joy of Love for the Cynical” in the Seasons Celebration category; four Bronzes in the FamilyCentered Brand category for “Kwentong Jollibee Mother’s Day Series”, “Kwentong Jollibee: Biyahe”, “Kwentong Jollibee Grand Thank You Project: A joyful tribute to hardworking lolos and lolas, and Sarap ng Pamilya” (Chickenjoy campaign); and another Bronze in the Seasons Celebration category for “Kwentong Jollibee: High Five” (Father’s Day).

These awards from the Asia Pacific Tambuli 2019 adds to more than 50 major recognitions from prestigious awardgiving bodies in the country and across the globe that Jollibee has received.

Photo shows William Tan Untiong (third from right), JFC chief real estate executive officer receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on behalf of Caktiong.

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ORTUNE Life sponsored the distribution of school kits to selected public schools in Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Pangasinan in May. The manager and agents of Dagupan branch led the awarding of school kits to Sabangan Elementary School in San Fabian and Dinalaoan Elementary School in Calasiao (in photo). Meanwhile, sales managers and agents of Tarlac branch donated school kits to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) students of Talavera National High School at the regional kickoff of the Brigada Eskwela in Nueva Ecija. They also delivered kits to the Philippine

National Police Region 3, in support of their outreach program of which one of the recipients was Labney Elementary School in Mayantoc, Tarlac.

With the help of regional sales manager for North and Central Luzon Alvin L. Perez, together with Tarlac branch manager Victor A. Taguines and Dagupan branch manager Francisco A. Taguines, the company was able to reach the community by providing these small tokens to the students of public schools.

In its own little way, the company encourages and gives hope to the less privileged children to pursue their education.

FIND GREAT DEALS AT THE INAUGURAL BPI BIG BLOWOUT FROM JUNE 21 TO 23!

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HE Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is hosting its firstever Big BPI Blowout, a onestop-shop event where clients can get great deals on various financial products and services.

The three-day event, happening from June 21 to 23 from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the VMall lobby of the Greenhills Shopping Center, will feature travel promos, low loan rates, free insurance, waived fees, discounted down payments, among other items, and is open to every one including non-BPI cardholders. It will also showcase a wide selection of lifestyle and travel merchants, financial solutions and car dealers.

BPI Northern Metro Manila

branches division head Rally Jereza said this activity allows buyers the chance to afford their dream cars and gadgets, tick off their travel bucket list and fulfill their adulting to-dos, empowering them to achieve their financial and life goals.

“BPI will continue to provide Filipinos convenient access to financial services that matter. We enable consumers to seek expert advice, purchase the things that they aspire for and benefit from financial inclusion,” Jereza said.

Some of the merchants include Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Subaru, VW, KTM, True Value, iSwitch and Horizon Travel.

For updates, visit https://www. facebook.com/bpi/.

GBP AMONG BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR IN ASIA Independent power producer Global Business Power Corp. (GBP) was recognized as one of the best companies to work for in the region in 2019, by the Asia’s most authoritative publication for senior-management professionals HR Asia. GBP, along with 22 other companies, was given this distinction based on HR Asia’s proprietary-assessment process, which covers employee engagement, corporate culture, employer branding and job satisfaction. Among the awardees, GBP was the only company engaged in the business of power generation. GBP President Jaime Azurin (in photo, third from right) said they are humbled that their people-management efforts have made GBP a conducive environment for work and learning, as they recognize that their people are crucial to the company’s new vision to become a total sustainable energy-solution provider. With Azurin in photo are (from left) GBP Vice President For Human Resources, Administration, Learning and Development, and Security Maria Luz Blanco-Uriate, Business Media International editor in chief and group publisher William Ng, Labor Assistant Secretary Alex Avila, GBP learning and development head Sherie Madonna Diaz, and GBP chief finance officer Rochel Donato Gloria.

SHOWDOWN Sports OF GREATS BusinessMirror

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| Friday, July 12, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal moved on to the semifinal showdown everyone’s been thinking about since the tournament draw by each overcoming a tough opening set Wednesday.

By Howard Fendrich

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The Associated Press

IMBLEDON, England—All these years later, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will meet again at Wimbledon for the 40th installment of their terrific rivalry—and first at the All England Club since their memorable 2008 final.

“Such a long time,” Nadal said.

They moved on to the semifinal showdown everyone’s been thinking about since the tournament draw by each overcoming a tough opening set Wednesday.

A 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Kei Nishikori gave the No. 2-seeded Federer his 100th match win at the All England Club, the first man to reach that total at any Grand Slam tournament. Not long after that ended on Centre Court, the No. 3-seeded Nadal finished off Sam Querrey, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 1 Court.

Friday’s other semifinal will draw far less attention: No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, against No. 23 Roberto Bautista Agut, never before this far at a major.

Looking ahead to what comes next for himself, Federer said: “Obviously, I know people always hype it up.”

Well, why shouldn’t they? These are, after all, two of the greatest players in tennis’s long history, winners of more Grand Slam titles than any other men. Of Federer’s 20, a record eight came at Wimbledon. Of Nadal’s 18, 12 came at the French Open, where he routed Federer in the semifinals last month.

That gave Nadal a 24-15 career edge head-to-head, including 10-3 at the Slams.

But that one was on the red clay Nadal rules. This one is on Federer’s territory: grass.

This is their fourth matchup at Wimbledon—and first that won’t come in the final. Federer beat Nadal for the 2006 and 2007 titles, but Nadal won the championship 11 years ago in a 9-7 fifth set as dusk descended.

“Well, we have a lot of information on Rafa, and so does he about us,” Federer said. “So you can either dive into tactics and all that stuff like mad for two days—or you’re just going to say: ‘You know what?

It’s grass-court tennis and I’m going to come out there and play attacking tennis.’ And if he can defend that, that’s too good. And if he can’t, well, then, that’s good for me.”

It is the 13th time that the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are in the semifinals at a major tournament together. On 11 of the previous occasions, one of them claimed the title.

There were some shaky moments for each Wednesday.

“The beginning,” Federer said, “was brutal.”

The eighth-seeded Nishikori jumped out to an early edge by breaking in the very first game, enough to give him that set.

But Federer

an American ranked 65th who was trying to reach his second Wimbledon semifinal.

Nadal wasted three set points at 5-3, then another before getting broken when serving for it at 5-4. Again serving for that set at 6-5, he erased a trio of break points for Querrey before holding—and finally was on his way.

“I definitely think he’s a guy that can win it again,” Querrey said about two-time Wimbledon champ Nadal.

Djokovic, eyeing a fifth trophy at the All England Club and 16th overall at Slams, used a 10-game run to transform what was shaping up as an even, entertaining quarterfinal into a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 romp against 21st-seeded David Goffin.

“I felt,” Djokovic said, “like I managed to dismantle his game.”

Down an early break, the defending champion grabbed control midway through the opening set and never let go.

“He was everywhere,” Goffin said.

Djokovic did to Goffin exactly what he does to so many men on so many surfaces and at so many tournaments: He takes their best shot, deals with it and then wears them down.

“I sincerely hope,” Djokovic said, “that my opponent feels like he’s got to work twice as [hard as] against any other opponent to win a point.”

Bautista Agut, a first-time Grand Slam semifinalist, is supposed to be on the island of Ibiza right now, having a bachelor party with a half-dozen pals ahead of his November wedding. Instead, he will play on after beating No. 26 Guido Pella of Argentina, 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

“Well,” the 31-year-old Bautista Agut said, “it feels better to be here in London.”

Federer and Nadal are surely pleased to still be around, too.

Everyone else will be thrilled to see them trade strokes on Centre Court once more.

“I know they haven’t played here in a long time. It seems a little more exciting, more special, they are playing at Wimbledon, maybe, rather than outside of a Grand Slam,” Querrey said.

“I’ll be watching on Friday.”

ROGER FEDERER and Rafael Nadal will face each other at Wimbledon for the first time since 2008. AP

quickly turned things around in the second, conjuring up whatever he wanted, exactly when he wanted it.

His approach shots were beyond reproach. His volleys vibrant. His returns were timed so well, and struck so violently, that one knocked the net—rushing Nishikori’s racket plum out of his hands.

And Federer’s serve? Sure, he faced break points, but he never allowed 2014 US Open runner-up Nishikori to convert another.

“Overall, I’m just very happy how I’m hitting the ball,” Federer said. “Feel good off the baseline, too, which is clearly going to be important, maybe, for the next match.”

Yeah, maybe.

Nadal, of course, is still a ball-retrieving, shot-whipping machine at the back of the court.

He did have some trouble closing out the first set against Querrey, TOP-RANKED Novak Djokovic will be facing Roberto Bautista Agut, a player who beat him in both of their meetings in 2019— on hard courts in Doha and Miami. AP

TRICKY FOE UP NEXT FOR DJOKOVIC W

IMBLEDON, England—Novak Djokovic only has to look back a few months to remind himself that he shouldn’t underestimate his next opponent at Wimbledon.

The top-ranked Serb will be facing Roberto Bautista Agut, a player who beat him in both of their meetings in 2019—on hard courts in Doha and Miami.

So while the match is pitting a four-time Wimbledon champion with 15 major titles against a player in his first Grand Slam semifinal, recent history suggests that things might not be quite so one-sided.

“He has won twice against me so far this year. That’s certainly going to give him confidence coming into the match,” Djokovic said.

Ahead of the quarterfinals, Bautista Agut was—somewhat surprisingly—the only player who hadn’t dropped a set this tournament. That streak ended against Guido Pella, but the 23rd-seeded

Spaniard still won 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Djokovic had an easier time against David Goffin after erasing an early break, winning 6-4, 6-0, 6-2.

Djokovic is known for his ability to extend rallies and keep the ball in play with his defensive ability, and Bautista Agut said that’s a style of play that suits him well.

“He is very solid from baseline. He likes to play a lot of rallies,” Bautista Agut said. “Well, I like to play against [an] opponent like this, to play a match with a lot of rallies.

Against Novak, that’s what we do.”

On the grass at Wimbledon, though, there might not be so many of those rallies. But Djokovic thinks Bautista Agut could be even more dangerous on the quicker surface.

“The ball bounces lower on the grass, which is I think more suitable to his style of the game. He doesn’t like when the ball bounces higher to his backhand,” Djokovic said.

“Obviously playing on grass, it’s different. Semifinals of Grand Slam, [I’m] going to try to use my experience in being in these kind of matches.”

With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal set to square off in the other semifinal, Bautista Agut is the odd man out in a final four that includes the sport’s ever present Big Three. In fact, it seems not even he had expected to make it this far.

The Spaniard had scheduled his bachelor party for this week instead.

“I had planned to be in Ibiza right now. We had everything organized already. My friends, six of them, are all there,” Bautista Agut said. “Well, it feels better to be here in London.”

ANDY AND SERENA

PLAYING mixed doubles at Wimbledon, Serena Williams and Andy Murray seemed to be having fun out there on court.

They definitely had time for some laughs in their post-match news conferences—even after losing in the third round.

Williams said she enjoyed appearing in front of the media alongside the two-time men’s champion at the All England Club because much of the focus was on Murray and his chances of returning to singles.

“Andy gets asked every question about his body and the US Open. Literally every question in a different way, but it’s the same question,” Williams said after losing to top-seeded Bruno Soares and Nicole Melichar, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. “It’s great for me because I get to sit here and just look.”

Then, as if she were one of the reporters, Williams started a mini-exchange with her doubles partner.

“How is your body?” she asked.

“Feels good, thanks,” came the reply.

“Are you going to be able to play New York?” Williams asked, trying to suppress her laughter.

“I don’t know,” Murray answered, mimicking previous replies he’d given this week. “I need to train, get stronger.

We’ll see. I’m not sure.”

Murray missed last year’s Wimbledon tournament with a hip injury. Since hip-replacement surgery this year, he has been playing only doubles.

On Tuesday, after reaching the third round in mixed

doubles, Murray was asked repeatedly if he would be able to get back to singles, possibly in time for the US Open.

He wasn’t able to give a definitive answer, but while he was trying to satisfy the questioners, Williams looked on laughing to herself.

QUERREY’S RANKING

AFTER missing the French Open with an injury, a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals has given Sam Querrey high hopes for the rest of the season.

Querrey pushed Rafael Nadal hard in the opening set on Wednesday before losing, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, to the third-seeded Spaniard, and said his recent performances on grass has given him a “boost” heading into the American hard-court season. Querrey also reached the final at the Eastbourne grass-court warmup.

“To have three months off, come back, make a final and a quarterfinal, I feel confident,” Querrey said. “Hopefully this will carry over to the summer.”

Querrey has beaten both Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray at Wimbledon in the past and made the semifinals in 2017. But he has fallen to 65th in the rankings, having been as high as No. 11 last year. If he keeps playing like he has been at the All England Club, though, he could soon be knocking on the door to the top 10 again.

“This is a good stepping-stone for that,” he said.

“Hopefully I can win a handful of matches [in the US] and keep my ranking going in the right direction.” AP

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Business

C2 Friday, July 12, 2019

CLIPPERS SEAL LEONARD DEAL L

AS VEGAS—Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are now officially with the Los Angeles Clippers, moves that bring both of them back to their native Southern California.

It might not be forever: Both can become free agents in only two years.

The Clippers completed their blockbuster trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, acquiring George for guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forward Danilo Gallinari and five first-round draft picks—along with the chance to swap draft places in two other years.

“Paul George is one of the greatest two-way players in our game,” Clippers President Lawrence Frank said. “He is both an elite scorer and a relentless defender whose versatility elevates any team. When you have the opportunity to acquire a contributor of his caliber, you do what it takes to bring him home.”

George can become a free agent again in 2021 if he chooses to exercise that option, and Leonard will be in the same situation, as well.

A person with knowledge of the situation said that the deal Leonard signed Wednesday is a three-year max that could be worth nearly $110 million, though the third season is at Leonard’s option. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Clippers did not release contract terms.

The Athletic first reported the three-year term and option provision in Leonard’s deal.

When Leonard decided that he was leaving Toronto for the Clippers last week, he and the team had talked about a four-year max worth $141 million—but this move, which would make Leonard a free agent after his 10th season, gives him the maximum amounts of flexibility and future earning power.

“This is a historic moment for our organization and our fans,” Frank said. “We

are grateful and honored that Kawhi Leonard has decided to come home and join the LA Clippers. Kawhi is a peerless two-way player, a relentless worker and a natural fit for the serious, professional culture our group has established.”

Another major deal got completed Wednesday: Klay Thompson, who will miss part of next season while recovering from a torn ACL, signed his five-year deal to stay with Golden State for nearly $190 million—the largest free-agent one agreed to this summer.

Portland’s Damian Lillard signed a $196-million extension that begins in two years, but he wasn’t a free agent. The Warriors also waived Shaun Livingston, who was part of all five of their National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals teams over the last five seasons.

“He has been a tremendous credit to the Warriors organization and our community for the last five years,” Warriors Cochairman and CEO Joe Lacob said of Livingston.

Leonard will cost the Clippers a lot of money. George is costing them a lot of money and a lot of picks.

The Clippers surrendered their first-rounder picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026, plus sent ones for 2021 and 2023 that were obtained through Miami, to Oklahoma City to complete the George trade.

Oklahoma City also has the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers in 2023 and 2025.

“From the time that Paul and his representation made us aware of what had been transpiring and their subsequent request, our focus as an organization was identifying the best paths for our future,”Thunder General Manager Sam Presti said. “Resiliency has been a staple of our city and our franchise, and this challenge provided us with another opportunity to demonstrate that.”

The Thunder also now have a $10.4-million trade exception.

“Our goal with this transaction was to create value both in the short and long term, and help reposition and replenish the organization’s future platform,” Presti said. “We are thrilled to welcome two extremely talented and efficient players in Shai and Danilo.”

KAWHI LEONARD is now officially with the Los Angeles Clippers. AP

MEDIA WORKOUT

Manny Pacquiao entertains—and answers questions—reporters during his open media workout on Wednesday at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California, ahead of his World Boxing Association super welterweight title fight against undefeated American Keith Thurman on July 20 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WENDELL ALINEA

It’s unclear if Presti is done making big moves this summer. The Thunder has engaged teams in conversations about the possibility of trading All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, a person familiar with that situation told the AP. Miami is one of the teams that has been part of those talks, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Thunder have not revealed specific details.

Presti said he wished George well.

“We are proud that Paul is a part of our

history as an organization and that some of the best basketball of his career was in Oklahoma City,” Presti said. “He should be remembered fondly; we wish him and his family the best.”

George averaged a career-best 28 points last season even while dealing with shoulder issues that required surgery, and the Thunder couldn’t get out of the first round in either of his two seasons in OKC. George was a finalist for both NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year this past season, when he led the league

Seth Curry returns to Mavs

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ALLAS—The Dallas Mavericks have signed Seth Curry to complete the guard’s return after a year away and re-signed one of their restricted free agents in forward Maxi Kleber.

Curry signed a $32-million, four-year contract after spending one season with Portland. Kleber is returning on a $35-million, four-year deal.

Stephen Curry’s younger brother had the best year of his career with the Mavericks in 2016-17, averaging 12.8 points, 2.7 assists and 29 minutes per game. The 28-year-old Curry

missed all of 2017-18 with a stress reaction in his lower left leg before averaging 7.9 points with the Trail Blazers last season.

Kleber’s return means Dallas will have a German on its roster for a 22nd consecutive season. Dirk Nowitzki retired in April after setting a National Basketball Association (NBA) record by playing 21 seasons with the same franchise. Both were born in Wurzburg, Germany.

The 27-year-old Kleber spent his first two NBA seasons with the Mavericks, averaging 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds. AP

Soccer star’s dog returned

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OS ANGELES—European soccer star Daniel Sturridge has been reunited with his beloved dog, a day after reporting it stolen from his Los Angeles home.

Sturridge said in an Instagram posting Wednesday that he and some friends retrieved his Pomeranian, Lucci, from a South Los Angeles home late Tuesday night.

He added: “Absolutely delighted. Can’t believe it!”

KCBS-TV says Sturridge told police he

didn’t believe the people who returned the dog were involved in the original burglary and that no money changed hands.

Sturridge said his house was broken into on Monday night. He posted surveillance video showing a shattered glass door and three men in hoodies walking through the home.

No arrests have been made.

Sturridge most recently played for Liverpool of the Premier League before being released. AP

with 2.21 steals per contest.

Leonard is also coming off the best season of his career. Leonard averaged a career-high 26.6 points in the regular season and was even better in the playoffs, averaging 30.5 points for the Raptors in their run to the title. He won NBA Finals MVP honors for the second time, adding this one to the one he got as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.

“His expectation, and ours, is to contend for championships,” Frank said. AP

NY police probe Rapinoe posters

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EW YORK—New York City police say they are investigating after posters featuring US women’s soccer team player Megan Rapinoe were defaced with derogatory slurs.

Police said Wednesday the vandalism, which was discovered inside the Bryant Park subway station in midtown Manhattan on Monday, was being investigated as a possible hate crime. The posters have since been scrubbed clean.

The 2019 World Cup MVP has been an outspoken advocate for gender equity and LGBTQ inclusion.

The soccer team was honored with a ticker tape parade Wednesday up New York City’s Canyon of Heroes for winning the World Cup. After the parade, Rapinoe urged Americans to “love more” and “hate less.”

New York state, meanwhile, expanded a state law Wednesday that prohibits gender pay discrimination, making it illegal to pay someone less based on characteristics including race, religion, disability or gender identity.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the changes into law in Manhattan, just before joining the U.S. women’s soccer team for a parade in New York City honoring their World Cup victory.

Members of the team have filed a lawsuit demanding pay equity with the men’s soccer team, adding fuel to the broader debate over pay disparities that continue to affect millions of American workers.

The new law, which takes effect in 90 days, also changes a legal standard for pay equity to make it easier for employees to prove discrimination in court.

“Every New Yorker deserves equal pay for equal work regardless of race, sexual orientation, disability or however they choose to identify,” said Democratic Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, who represents portions of Westchester County and the Bronx and sponsored the bill in the state Senate.

It’s already illegal in New York to pay women less than men for doing the same work, yet compensation for women continues to lag, with white women making 89 cents for every $1 earned by men, according to state statistics. For black and Latina women, the gap is wider.

They earn, respectively, 63 cents and 54 cents for every $1 earned by men. AP

SHOOTOUT KING Toby’s President Toby

Claudio (right) poses with (from left) adidas Senior Manager for Wholesale Tim Abella and University of the Philippines’s Bright Akhuetie, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81 Most Valuable Player, during the Shootout King Finals recently at Toby’s Sports Flagship Store in BGC. NONIE REYES

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sMirror

Friday, July 12, 2019 C3

QUE SURGES UP FRONT A

NGELO QUE went on attack mode and got what he wanted with a bogey-free 65 that put the Japan Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour campaigner on top, two strokes ahead of American Christopher Hickman and Justin Quiban in the third round of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Manila Southwoods Championship at the Legends course in Carmona, Cavite, on Thursday Que beat Hickman and Aussie Tim Stewart in a duel of power and went aggressively for the pins with his irons, including the two par-3s at the front which he birdied, finishing with four more at the back capped by back-to-back feats to complete a solid 33-32 card he preserved with five scrambling pars.

After 54 holes, the former Philippine Open champ finally took charge after lurking behind the leaders in the first two days, pooling a 16-under 197 that included a 65 and 67—low rounds he dished out without the benefit of a practice round following a stint in the Japan PGA championship last week.

“I really had a good round but it could been bigger [lead] had I holed in a couple more birdie tries. But it’s a good thing that I made great pars on Nos. 2, 8, 11, 13 and 15,” said Que, adding another 65 would be enough to secure his first win on

Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) Asia.

But sneaking into the title picture is young Quiban, a former PGT Asia leg winner at Luisita in 2017 but didn’t really earn a second look when the $100,000 event took off Tuesday given the depth of the competing international field.

But the former amateur hotshot, who also won a PGT leg in Bacolod last year, proved he’s up to the task, birdying the first two holes and bucking two bogeys with four more birdies and an eagle on the par-5 14th to fire a 65 and earn another crack at the top $17,500 purse.

And he did it after missing grabbing a share of the second round lead with two bogeys in the last three holes at the front Wednesday, dropping him instead to joint fourth, three strokes off Hickman.

But with his second six-under card, Quiban tied Hickman at second at 199 with the erstwhile leader bouncing back with late birdies, three in the last five, to shoot a 68 and stay in the title hunt in his first foray on the region’s emerging circuit put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. “I have five guys at my back who are more than capable of catching up. All of them are playing good so I have to watch out,” said Que, adding another 65 to firm up his title drive.

“I think my chances are good despite going 2-down,” said Hickman. “I just have to stay patient and try to have many looks at birdies. I played my last six holes at three-under and that’s a positive sign.”

Quiban also brims with confidence despite going up against two power hitters.

“I’m driving it really well and I’m confident with my wedges. My putting has been steady and I don’t think I will be intimidated by Angel [Que], who I will be playing with in the championship flight for the first time,” said Quiban.

First day leader Tim Stewart of Australia missed joining Quiban and Hickman at second with a last-hole bogey that ruined what had been a fiery card that featured five birdies. He settled for a 67 for solo fourth at 200.

Juvic Pagunsan failed to make his charge in moving day but the region’s former No. 1, coming off a sweep of three PGT legs in Visayas last month, kept the leader within sight at 12-under 201 after a 68 built on a three-birdie string from No. 14.

But the ace Negrense said Que’s two-stroke lead is already a big cushion for his former national team mainstay while hinting at a closing eightunder card to put him in title contention.

“Given his [Que] caliber, I thing a two-shot

Angels vow to fight back in Game 2 of PVL Finals

lead is enough cushion for him to win this,” said Pagunsan.

Clyde Mondilla birdied the last hole for a 69 but the reigning Philippine Open champion lay six strokes off Que at 203, while Thai Chonlatit Chuenboonngam stood another shot back at 204 after a 67.

Zanieboy Gialon bounced back from a second round 73 with the day’s best 64, a bogey-free card that put him in joint eighth at 205 with American Lexus Keoninh, who fought back with four birdies in the last six holes to save a 69, and Macedonia’s Peter Stojanovski, who matched par 71.

Miguel Tabuena hit his stride after a 72 in the second round, shooting a 66 but remained nine strokes off the pace at 206 that could be too big a deficit to overcome with 18 holes left in the event backed by PLDT Enterprise, Meralco, BDO and PGT Asia official apparel Pin High.

Other with 206 outputs are Michael Bibat (68), Thais Sutijet Kooratapisan (70) and Ratchapol Jantavara (71), and Rufino Bayron (72).

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ANGELO QUE cards a bogey-free 65 in the third round on Thursday. ROY DOMINGO

CASTRO BACK IN TOP FORM J

UNIONPAY, a global payment brand, announces on Wednesday its one-year partnership with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as the official payment partner of Asia’s professional basketball league. After the contract signing, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial (right) and Vincent Ling, UnionPay deputy general manager in Southeast Asia, seals the deal with a handshake.

AYSON CASTRO is back doing what he does best for TNT Katropa.

The veteran guard has churned out solid numbers for the Katropa in their last two outings in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup, both blowout wins against Rain or Shine and Blackwater.

Castro averaged an all-around game of 14 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in the twin victories won by the team behind a whooping margin of 19.5 points.

As TNT clinches a twice-to-beat advantage heading into the playoffs, Castro emerged as unanimous choice as PBA Press Corps (PBAPC)Cignal Player of the Week for July 1 to 7.

The two-time best point guard of Asia garnered the most number of votes out of the 12 players nominated for the weekly citation.

Others who earned votes from the PBAPC include Reden Celda of Columbian Dyip and

Barangay Ginebra’s Stanley Pringle.

Meanwhile those who were nominated aside from the three were Roger Pogoy (TNT), Nico Elorde (NorthPort), Mark Borboran (Rain or Shine), Japeth Aguilar (Barangay Ginebra), CJ Perez and Rashawn McCarthy (Columbian Dyip), and Mike DiGregorio, Bobby Ray Parks, and Allein Maliksin (Blackwater).

Castro finished three rebounds short of completing a triple-double in the Katropa’s 11597 rout of Blackwater. The 33-year-old native of Bacolor, Pampanga, finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, and with no turnovers against the Elite.

Four days earlier, Castro hit 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists as the Katropa downed the Elasto Painters, 102-81.

His heroics had the Katropa stretching their winning streak in the tournament to seven games for a league-best 9-1 (win-loss)

Mighty Sports debuts vs tough Iran in Jones Cup

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IGHTY Sports Apparel-Philippines battles perennial rival Iran on Friday with Coach Charles Tiu looking to start their title campaign on a high note at the Changhua gym in New Taipei City, Taiwan.

While the roster of the five-time champion remains a mystery for both Tiu and Serbian consultant Rajko Toroman, the Go For Gold-backed Mighty Sports is not taking any chances in their 3 p.m. showdown “We still don’t know which team Iran will be fielding, but I’m sure it’s not their elite team,” said Tiu, who also served as one of the deputies of Gilas Pilipinas Youth that competed in the justconcluded Fiba Under-19 World Cup in Greece.

“Still, we have to play to the best that we can since we want to have a winning start,” Tiu said.

Even the godfathers of the team—Alex Wongchuking of Mighty Sports and Willy Ocier of Go For Gold—are both looking for a strong start in their bid to regain the title they won in its initial foray three years ago.

“We are representing our country so I told our players to give their level best each game. That’s one way of entertaining our kababayans our there,” Wongchuking said.

Out to lead Mighty Sports are former San Miguel Beer import Renaldo Balkman, Zach Graham, McKinzie Moore, Eugene Phelps and FilAm Jason Brickman.

Also expected to deliver the goods for the team are Jason Gray and Roosevelt Adams, who helped Mighty Sports finish third in the tough Dubai

Iran threatens to continue boycott of Israel despite promise to respect Olympic Charter

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ATIONAL Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran President Syed Reza Salehi Amiri appeared to have reneged on a promise to respect the Olympic Charter and its nondiscrimination rules by claiming athletes from several Muslim countries would continue their refusal to compete against Israelis.

Amiri said that Iran would maintain its boycott of matches with Israeli athletes and claims he informed International Judo Federation (IJF) President Marius Vizer of the nation’s stance.

It comes despite the Iran National Olympic Committee claiming it would change after it reached an agreement with the IJF in May.

Iran vowed to “fully respect the Olympic Charter and its nondiscrimination principle” and promised to adhere to the IJF statutes in a letter to the worldwide governing body, which was copied to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.

But this has been thrown into doubt by Amiri, whose comments could land Iran in hot water with the IOC. “Refraining from participating in competitions with athletes of the Zionist regime is an issue of the Muslim world, and athletes from 20 countries refrain from doing so,” he said. “I said that we are acting within the framework of the Iranian

CREAMLINE’S Kuttika Kaewpin (16) scores against Petro Gazz’s Cherry Rose Nunag and Stephanie Mercado in Game One on Wednesday. NONOY LACZA

Invitational last February.

Other members of the team are former Philippine Basketball Association star Joseph Yeo, Gab Banal, former Ateneo player Aaron Black and Mikey Williams.

Enjoying the advantage of having seven imports, Mighty Sports posted a whopping average winning margin of 17.4 points three years ago in completing an eight-game sweep of the championship that mirrored the 1981 feat of the Ron Jacobs-coached Northern Consolidated After Iran, Mighty Sports faces powerhouse Jordan on Saturday, Japan on Sunday, Canada on Monday and Korea on Tuesday before taking a two-day break.

“It’s a tight first five days schedule for us that’s why we need to have a good start,” Tiu said.

MEMBERS of the Go For Gold-backed Mighty Sports Philippines leave for Taiwan on Thursday to compete in the William Jones Cup.

regime’s policy—and for this reason, we are not competing with athletes of the Zionist regime.”

Iranian judoka have refused to face Israeli athletes for the best part of 40 years as the countries are locked in a protracted diplomatic feud.

To avoid facing Israeli competitors, Iranian athletes have often feigned injury or ensured they failed to make the weight.

Others have deliberately lost their preceding bout to ensure they do not face an Israeli, often acting on an order from the government.

The most recent incident came at the Paris Grand Slam in February, where world under-81 kilograms champion Saeid Mollaei threw a bout to avoid a meeting with Israel’s Sagi Muki, who went on to win gold.

Mollaei then seemingly feigned injury so he did not have to appear with Muki on the podium.

Insidethegames

record and a shot of clinching the no. 1 seed in the playoffs.

TNT plays its remaining game at the end of the eliminations on July 17 against Magnolia.

NorthPort, meanwhile, tries to gain all the momentum heading into the quarterfinals while two other teams plunge into a mad scramble at the close of the elimination round on Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

With the quarterfinal ticket locked and the twice-to-beat bonus loaded, all Batang Pier need is to look handsome in the playoffs with a second-best 8-2 win-loss record.

A victory would give NorthPort a fitting end to the eliminations, and also a big trouble to the playoff hopeful Meralco (3-6), which needs to win its last two games. Game time is 7 p.m.

Phoenix (4-6), on the other hand, fights for spot in the final eight when it tackles already ran NLEX (2-8) at 4:30 p.m.

HE Petro Gazz Angels hope to put all the pent-up emotions of their Game One loss to the Creamline Cool Smashers on Wednesday behind and put their act together again in Saturday’s Game Two of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference Finals at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Foremost is to minimize their errors, which the Cool Smashers said they pounced in to pound that 24-26, 25-16, 25-16, 25-22 victory that put the latter within a game from completing a 13-game sweep after dropping their opening day game to the Angels for a third straight championship in the league organized by Sports Vision.

The defending champions scored 31 points off the Angels’ miscues, 15 more than they yielded in a match that also saw the Cool Smashers dominated the power-hitting Petro Gazz import duo of Wilma Salas and Janisa Johnson. Creamline piled up 57 attack points, 10 more than their rivals as Salas and Johnson were held to a combined 38-hit effort.

Salas and Johnson finished in the top 4 in scoring after the double round elims with the former scoring 48 points in their two-game sweep of the BanKo-Perlas Spikers in the Final Four and the latter pooling 36 points.

“They did their homework,” said Johnson, who, with Salas, combined for a forgettable 32-of-101 attacking clip in the series opener. “Of course, they have to study hard because it’s the Finals and they did go.”

But Petro Gazz Coach Arnold Laniog pointed to their errors as what hastened their downfall.

“It’s the errors that did us in,” Laniog said.

“As I’ve always said, on top of the mental game, it’s the side which wants it more. And based on the stats, it’s Creamline.”

The last Petro Gazz miscue—albeit controversial—cut short what could’ve been a big Angels’ fightback from 22-24 in the fourth set. With Petro Gazz trying to save a match point, Cherry Nunag was called for an overreach, a call the Angels vehemently protested to no avail.

In fact, the 5-11 Nunag insisted the ball never grazed her hand as she tried to stuff it after teammate Jonah Sabete’s spike was foiled by Creamline’s defenders.

“It’s not overreach since it didn’t hit my hand,” Nunag said.

The Angels actually thought the call went to their favor as they set up for another rally until the referee blew a late whistle, calling Nunag for overreaching which paved the way for Creamline’s victory.

Still, the Angels vow to regroup, strike back and force a decider on Sunday.

Red Lions, Pirates eye 2nd straight victories

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PENING day winners San Beda University and Lyceum of the Philippines University face separate foes on Friday in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 men’s basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Leading the jam-packed triple-header is the encounter between the reigning champion Red Lions (1-0) and Jose Rizal University (JRU) Bombers (0-1) at 12 noon. Last year’s runnerup Pirates (1-0), meanwhile, battle Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals at 4 p.m.

Sandwiched between the two exciting matches is the clash between Letran (0-1) and Arellano University (0-1) at 2 p.m.

Aiming for its fourth straight title, San Beda flashed its usual dominance with a 59-46 rout of

Arellano University last Sunday.

Even with the departure of Robert Bolick and Javee Mocon to the pros, the Mendiola-based squad was in top form, thanks to Cameroonian Donald Tankoua, and the young duo of James Canlas and Evan Nelle.

Tankoua had 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Canlas and Nelle combined for 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Red Lions who delivered the blow in the second half.

The vaunted defense of San Beda spelled the difference after forcing Arellano University to 24 turnovers that yielded 19 points.

Coach Boyet Fernadez said his team is leaning on its lockdown defense to again carve its way to the top.

“As what I always say, defense wins us championships. Hopefully, we’ll continue to play defense every game,” Fernandez said.

“We’re excited to play JRU. It’s a new system, a new Coach [Louie Gonzales in place of Vergel Meneses], and I think they’re young just like ours. It will be exciting.”

Hungry as ever, Lyceum didn’t look different despite the absence of CJ Perez and MJ Ayaay, who also jumped to the Philippine Basketball Association.

Jaycee and Jayvee Marcelino carried the load with Jaycee unleashing 24 points he spiced with six rebounds, five assists and three steals, and Jayvee contributing 18 points, including a clutch basket that sealed the victory for the Pirates.

Ramon Rafael Bonilla

Sports BusinessMirror

By John Leicester

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The Associated Press

OLMAR, France—With four-time winner Chris Froome out, nursing broken bones, two of the big questions at this Tour de France have been whether other contenders who’ve long ridden in his shadow will now be more willing to attack and who, on his team, will fill the vacuum left by the British rider’s absence.

On Thursday, the Tour is expecting some answers.

A fiercely steep climb on Stage 6, with an eye-popping 24 percent gradient at the top, should separate genuine contenders for the Tour title from also-rans.

On the 7-kilometer uphill to the Planche des Belles Filles ski station, scaled with legs already stinging from a succession of climbs earlier in the day, there’ll be no hiding places for riders who aren’t in tip-top shape.

For riders looking to profit while Froome recovers from a horrific crash in training, the hairpin bends among dense woods often thick with mushrooms in autumn will be their chance to make a mark, to stamp their authority on the race as Froome did so often when roads went uphill at previous Tours.

“We will find out a lot,” defending champion Geraint Thomas said. “It will be a challenge.”

One of those challenges could come from within Thomas’s own team, in the shape of lithe Colombian climber Egan Bernal.

With Froome out, Thomas and Bernal have been promoted to coleaders at Ineos. But that precarious balancing act between two contenders for a title that only one of them can win in Paris on July 28 could start to fall apart if one of them seriously struggles and is left behind by the other.

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OLMAR, France—There are two types of French people: Those who relish the savory-sweet tang of choucroute, and those immune to the charms of the shredded and fermented chewy cabbage.

But there’s no arguing about the place of choucroute, a signature dish of the Alsace region visited on Wednesday by the Tour de France, in the pantheon of classic French meals.

Three-time world champion Peter Sagan nailed the sprint finish to win Wednesday’s Stage 5 to the Alsace city of Colmar, close to France’s eastern border with Germany. To the delight of home fans, French rider Julian Alaphilippe rode

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| Friday, July 12, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

OH MY GOD! 24% GRADIENT!

FOR Peter Sagan, winner of Stage 5—the next stage will likely be a day to forget—the three-time world champion is no slouch uphill but he’s no climber, either. AP

The particular sharpness of the final climb would appear, on paper, to be more suited to Bernal, as suggested when he got a five-second jump on Thomas on a much shorter but also quite steep incline at the end of Stage 3. By no means a disaster for Thomas, it was still a possible harbinger for Thursday’s far longer and taxing final ascent.

“That sort of climb favors the punchy, pure climbers, Egan for one,” Thomas acknowledged.

Although only riding his second Tour, Bernal is wowing his teammates. Luke Rowe, who rode with Froome for three of his Tour wins, says Bernal has the same “pit-bull mentality.”

“They want to go out there and they want to rip the legs of people. They’ve just got that tenacious mentality, and Egan has that,” he said.

For French rider Julian Alaphilippe, Stage 6 will be another day to savor in the canaryyellow jersey, after he held onto the overall

race lead on Stage 5. But Alaphilippe is not a pure climber. More the explosive, instinctive type, Alaphilippe may struggle to keep up with mountain specialists like Bernal should they go full-gas.

Or he may not. Because it’s not as long, high or arduous as even tougher climbs lurking in the Alps and Pyrenees, he might cling on as the first French rider in yellow for five years.

And the climb could fizzle rather than pop, playing to Alaphilippe’s hand, if top title contenders decide to hold back, preferring to save their biggest battles for decisive climbs in Week 3.

“It’s hard to say where everyone is from the last few days,” Thomas said. “Obviously Alaphilippe’s flying and he suits those sort of climbs and he’s certainly shown the form to hang onto the jersey, but we’ll know much better tomorrow.”

For Peter Sagan, it will likely be a day to forget. The three-time world champion is no slouch uphill but he’s no climber, either.

On the flat, however, especially at the end of a lumpy stage, Sagan can be unbeatable, as he proved on Wednesday’s 175.5-kilometer (109mile) trek to the eastern city of Colmar.

The victory, secured in a bunch sprint at the finish, was Sagan’s 12th in a shining career at the Tour and put an end to talk that the Slovakian seemed off-color.

“I just have to ride with passion and the victory comes,” Sagan said.

Tour deep into fermented cabbage country strongly to stay in the overall lead of the Tour and its iconic yellow jersey.

As ubiquitous as baked beans in the Anglo-Saxon world and found in every French supermarket, choucroute has been eaten by families in Alsace, with thick forests, rich agriculture and a famous cycling climb up the Ballon d’Alsace mountain, since at least the 15th century.

Naturally fermented in salted water without the addition of yeast, the preserved cabbage provided a supply of vitamins and roughage during the long, arduous winter months in Alsace.

“Now, we have pills, but back in the day people ate fermented heart of cabbage to have enough vitamins in winter,” said Sebastien Muller, president of the Association for the Appreciation of Alsace Choucroute, an industry group.

On the plate, choucroute looks a little like spaghetti. Once heated with a little fat, fried onion, a splash of white wine or beer, and whole juniper berries for a woody flavor, the cabbage is most often garnished with buttered boiled potatoes, juicy hunks of smoked pork belly and smoked sausages.

Choucroute eaten soon after the cabbage

harvest in August, fermented for just two weeks, will be delicate in flavor. But a July choucroute, fermented for months since the previous year’s harvest, will have a more acidic bite.

Muller suggests rinsing the cabbage in water if it’s too tangy.

A good choucroute is measured by the length of the cabbage shreds, their whiteness, firmness and slight acidity, Muller said.

“It’s a vegetable that has crossed the centuries,” he said.

Best washed down with one of Alsace’s many crisp white wines. AP

Giant All-Star scoreboard in Cleveland goes wrong

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LEVELAND—The only errors on the scoreboard at the All-Star Game were by the scoreboard.

At least one player noticed—and wasn’t too pleased.

The giant board at Progressive Field was filled with mistakes on Tuesday night, including a couple of misspelled names, a wrong picture and a pair of incorrect team logos.

“They had what, two weeks to get ready for this? That can’t happen,” New York Mets sparkplug Jeff McNeil said.

McNeil is leading the majors with a .349 batting average, an impressive feat seeing how he made his major league debut less than a year ago.

A late sub, he came up for the National League in the eighth inning and noticed the headshot on the scoreboard wasn’t of him.

Instead, it was of Mets teammate Jacob deGrom.

“That was tough, to see deGrom’s picture up there,” McNeil said. “I didn’t really like that.”

“I wanted to see my picture up there. I know my family did, too. What are you going to do? I guess, but I don’t think that should happen,” he said.

David Dahl didn’t fare any better. The Colorado outfielder batted right before McNeil and was listed on the scoreboard as “Davis Dahl.”

Same for Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras. A starter, his first name was missing a letter and spelled “Wilson.”

Big-hitting Cody Bellinger plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Ketel Marte is with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but when the starting lineups were shown, they both appeared with the logo of the Atlanta Braves.

The American League won 4-3 and neither team was charged with an error. AP

HOME plate umpire Brian deBrauwere (left) huddles with officials while wearing an earpiece connected to a ball and strikes calling system prior to the start of the Atlantic League All-Star minor league baseball game on Wednesday in York, Pennsylvania. AP

‘ROBOT UMPIRES’ MAKE DEBUT Y ORK, Pennsylvania—”Robot umpires” have arrived.

The independent Atlantic League became the first American professional baseball league to let a computer call balls and strikes Wednesday night at its All-Star Game. Plate umpire Brian deBrauwere wore an earpiece connected to an iPhone in his pocket and relayed the call upon receiving it from a TrackMan computer system that uses Doppler radar.

He crouched in his normal position behind the catcher and signaled balls and strikes.

“Until we can trust this system 100 percent, I still have to go back there with the intention of getting a pitch correct because if the system fails, it doesn’t pick a pitch up or if it registers a pitch that’s a foot-and-a-half off the plate as a strike, I have to be prepared to correct that,” deBrauwere said before the game.

It didn’t appear deBrauwere had any delay receiving the calls at first but players noticed a big difference.

“One time I already had caught the ball back from the catcher and he signaled strike,” said pitcher Daryl Thompson, who didn’t realize the technology was being used until after he disagreed with a call.

Infielder LJ Mazzilli said a few times hitters who struck out lingered an extra second or so in the batter’s box waiting on a called third strike.

“The future is crazy but it’s cool to see the direction of baseball,” Mazzilli said.

The umpires have the ability to override the computer, which considers a pitch a strike when the ball bounces and then crosses the zone.

TrackMan also does not evaluate check swings.

Former big leaguer Kirk Nieuwenhuis doesn’t like the idea of giving umps veto power.

“If the umpire still has discretion, it defeats the purpose,” said Nieuwenhuis, who batted .221 with 31 homers in 978 at-bats with the Mets, Angels and Brewers.

About 45 minutes before first pitch, the public address announcer directed fans to look up at the black screen hanging off the face of the upper level behind the plate and joked they could blame the computer for any disagreements over calls.

“This is an exciting night for MLB [Major League Baseball], the Atlantic League, baseball generally,” said Morgan Sword, MLB’s senior vice president of economics and operations. “This idea has been around for a long time and it’s the first time it’s been brought to life in a comprehensive way.”

The experiment with radar-tracking technology to call balls and strikes was originally expected to begin at the start of the season but experienced some delays.

Atlantic League President Rick White said it’s going to be implemented league-wide over the next few weeks.

“After that, we’re relatively confident that’s it’s going to spread through organized baseball,” White said. “We’re very excited about what this portends not only for our league but for the future of baseball. What we know is technology can help umpires be more accurate and we’re committed to that. We think the Atlantic League is being a pioneer for all of the sport.”

Sword said MLB hasn’t received much pushback from umpires. AP

Ever-living God

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EAR God, You inspire new life and renew it. In hope we pray: Lead us to walk in Your truth, oh God. Shatter our idols and heal us of unnecessary busyness. Help us to transform our lives to mirror Your glory in creation. Receive into Your everlasting life those who have ended in their earthly pilgrimage. May God enlighten our hearts in the peace of Christ and lead us to know unending joy in the Holy Spirit. Amen.

GIVE US THIS DAY SHARED BY LUISA LACSON, HFL Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

Life BusinessMirror

GAB FAB: A POWERFUL DOCUMENTARY ABOUT CHERRY PIE’S TRAGEDY D4

Friday, July 12, 2019

TAYLOR SWIFT AND ANOTHER HEADLINEGRABBING SQUABBLE The recent dustup over her early music catalog marked another saga in the drama of Taylor Swift, who has had a number of public feuds, from former boyfriend Calvin Harris to Katy Perry (who made up with the singer and recently appeared in her latest video, “You Need to Calm Down”). ➜D2

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Cover Story BusinessMirror

Friday, July 12, 2019

Taylor Swift and another headline-grabbing squabble

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By Mesfin Fekadu The Associated Press

EW YORK—Taylor Swift’s feuds can captivate the public almost as much as her music, and her latest emotional salvo against one of music’s top managers not only made headlines but got key players in the industry riled up, with the likes of Justin Bieber, Halsey and Demi Lovato publicly choosing sides as accusations and insults were posted furiously on social media.

But days after the storm, experts say Swift and Scooter Braun, who manages Bieber and Ariana Grande and now owns Swift’s masters, will have to find a way to work together—both to preserve Swift’s rich musical legacy but also make money and do good business.

“Whether anyone likes it or not, Scooter Braun just became one of Taylor Swift’s most important business partners [and] these are people that need to work with each other now,” said Bill Werde, former editorial director of Billboard and director of the Bandier program for recorded and entertainment industries at the SI Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. “[Scooter] wants her to continue to be the biggest star in the world for as long as possible because that’s how he’s going to get the best return on his investment,” Werde continued. “I think that in the not too distant future you’re going to see... things get better. You know, you’re going to see some olive branches.”

On June 30, Braun’s Ithaca Holdings announced that it acquired Big Machine Label Group, the label led by Scott Borchetta and home to Swift’s first six albums, including the Grammy winners for album of the year, 2008’s Fearless and 2014’s 1989. Swift said in November she signed with Universal Music Group instead of staying at Big Machine because she knew that resigning with the label would only result in her not owning her future work.

Once the news broke, Swift penned a scathing Tumblr note, saying she was sad and grossed out that her music catalog now belongs to Braun.

“When I left my masters in Scott’s hands, I made peace with the fact that eventually he would sell them.

Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter,” she said in her post. “Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; they both did.

Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever.”

“When Taylor decided to make a deal for future records someplace else, she...certainly knew that Big Machine would be sold probably sooner than later,” said Larry Miller, the director of the music business program at New York University’s Steinhardt school.

“It’s unfortunate that she feels the way that she does about the place that her catalog is now going to live.”

But what seemed to be first about music ownership and artists’ rights turned into dramatic theater, as Swift also wrote about her clashes with Kim Kardashian and West, and claimed she didn’t know about the sale of her catalog until the news was announced on Sunday. The social-media showdown played out throughout the day, with Borchetta providing details of the text he says he sent to Swift about the deal the night before it was announced. He even shared screenshots of a contract between the two of them discussing a possible new deal that would also allow her to own all her masters.

Braun’s wife and his clients including Lovato and Bieber showed him support, while Halsey, Todrick Hall, model-actress Cara Delevingne and music

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Malala Yousafzai, 21; Kimberly Perry, 35; Topher Grace, 40; Steve Howey, 41.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: This is a new year and a new you.

Update your look and pick up new skills. Head out, socialize more and learn all you can from those you associate with. Sporting a friendly demeanor will result in discoveries that will motivate you to reach for a better life, as well as greater stability. Love is in the stars. Your lucky numbers are 2, 9, 16, 22, 31, 44, 47.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Be innovative; use your intelligence when dealing with matters that have been stressing you out. Now is not the time to show emotions, but instead, make adjustments that will help you advance personally or professionally. Use your skills wisely. HH

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t let the little things get to you or you will miss out on an opportunity. See past what others do and home in on what’s important and how best to utilize what’s available to you. HHHH

c

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You will upset someone who depends on you unless you take care of business before you head on to pleasurable pastimes. A healthy discussion can help clear up a misunderstanding. Assisting others will end up helping you in an unexpected way. HHH

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Personal changes can be made. Let your heart lead the way; you’ll come up with something that makes you feel passionate about moving forward. Live life to the fullest, and enjoy the people who add to your happiness. HHH

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Being thorough will help you avoid a situation that involves institutions or government regulations. A friendly and moderate approach when dealing with authority figures will enhance your chance to make gains instead of suffering losses. HHH

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Pay attention to relationships and how you can make adjustments that will synchronize your plans for the future. A personal change to the way you look or how you present who you are and what you want to do will pay off. HHHH THIS combination photo shows Taylor Swift at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1 (right) and Scooter Braun at the 2019 MOCA benefit in Los Angeles on May 18. Braun’s Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine Label Group, home to Swift’s first six albums, including the Grammy winners for album of the year, 2008’s Fearless and 2014’s 1989. AP

video director Joseph Khan were #TeamTaylor. Even country singer Kacey Musgraves jumped in the ring by liking the Instagram post by Braun’s wife.

It marked another saga in the drama of Swift, who has had a number of public feuds, from former boyfriend Calvin Harris to Katy Perry (who made up with Swift and recently appeared in her latest video, “You Need to Calm Down”).

“I think Taylor, who has led many discussions about what is good for artists in the music business, had an opportunity to lead another one here about control and ownership of your own songs as an artist.

But I think she kind of muddled matters by combining this with what felt like a personal vendetta,” Werde said. “Now we’re all talking about which pop star took whose side.”

Swift will release a new album called Lover on August 23. Miller said he expects things to work out in the future regarding her catalog.

“About four years ago maybe there was a big Taylor Swift dust up around the launch of Apple Music, right?...and I’m pretty sure they found a way to work together,” Miller said, referencing Swift’s 2015 public letter explaining why she was pulling her songs over Apple Music over payments to artists; Apple agreed with Swift’s stance and they’ve worked together ever since.

“Big Machine under its new ownership with Ithaca Holdings, and Taylor and her team...will find to do what’s right for her and for her catalog.” n

FIVE SHORT FILMS ON POLITICS AND FREEDOM TO BE SHOWN AT MCAD MANILA

FIVE short films on authoritarian regimes, strong central power, and limited political and individual freedom are set to be shown at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) on July 13.

Procesul (The Trial) is a documentary on a former Romanian army officer’s struggle after he was unjustly sentenced to 25 years in jail. Dumping in the Cosmic Trash measures the energies circulating in a physical space of an art establishment and the invisible effects on people.

The Killing of Nadeem Nawara and Mohammed Abu Daher investigates the death of Nawara and Daher after the dispersal of a protest in the town of Beitunia, West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Route follows the fortunes of one ship and its cargo, revealing in the process a truly global story of workers’ solidarity that begins in Liverpool’s docks and ends all the way back in the artist’s homeland of Taiwan.

The Ocean View Resort story revolves around a man and his old friend, whom he has fallen in love with. He visits his home on an Okinawan island and remembers his late grandfather as he recalls the events that transpired on the beach during and after the war.

Curated by Kiri Dalena, a visual artist and filmmaker, the film screenings are free and open to the public. The MCAD is at the DLS-CSB School of Design and Arts Campus, on Dominga Street, in Malate, Manila. More information is available at 230-5100, local 3837 or mcad@benilde.edu.ph.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Focus on what you know and do well. Share your ideas and drum up interest in your plans. Don’t take criticism seriously. The advice offered will help you perfect what you want to pursue. HH

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Explore new interests, and make a point to engage in encounters with people who come from different backgrounds or who interest you with their style or skills. Opportunity knocks, so don’t hesitate to open the door. Romance is on the rise. HHHHH

i

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Give great thought to the way you handle friends and family. The impression you make will determine how much support you are given. Use your knowledge and experience to help you make the smart choice when dealing with joint ventures. HHH

j

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Embrace new offers or partnerships with progressive individuals. Know what you want, and don’t be afraid to lay your cards on the table. A direct approach will help tidy up business quickly, enabling you to enjoy the rest of your day. HHH

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t feel you have to follow what someone else does. Avoid impetuous changes that could leave you in an awkward position. Put your energy into gathering information and considering how to handle someone pressuring you. HHH

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Observation will offer greater insight into new possibilities.

Be receptive to what others have to say and offer; you’ll be given all the information you require to make a decision that can be quite prosperous. HHHHH BIRTHDAY BABY: You are opportunistic, enduring and competitive.

You are ambitious and challenging.

‘all tied up’ BY NEVILLE FOGARTY The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Includes on an e-mail 4 Wash. winter hours 7 Photographer’s setting 12 Cabbage side 15 = 17 Emily Procter procedural set in Florida 18 Tyke 19 Big ___ (former Red Sox nickname) 20 A-peel-ing fruit 22 Olympic skater Midori 23 Gemini Man director Lee 25 “Bad” cholesterol letters 26 Totaled 28 Heat vision or mind reading 30 Language suffix 31 Played a practical joke involving yolks 32 Spiritual healer 34 Nitrous ___ 36 Brenneman of The Leftovers 37 Rhyming nickname for Obama 39 Schedule placeholder: Abbr.

42 Bit of funny business

3 At another museum, perhaps 4 45 Actor Keach 48 A state of matter 50 Patient’s share of a bill 51 Apple-pie making discards 52 “Patience ___ virtue” 53 Big game 54 Prepare for war 55 Earth’s middle layer 58 Foot fraction 61 Copacabana’s country 63 Where you may find a vacant seat on a flight 65 You must be 30+ to join it 66 Flowed (from) 67 Expresses regret, perhaps 68 Country lodge 69 Notice DOWN 1 Cyrillic USSR 2 ___ Nostra 3 Leave surreptitiously 4 Pitchfork-shaped Greek letter 5 Hunk of marble 6 Husk-wrapped food

7 Charlotte’s Web girl 8 Activity for four couples 9 Yank 10 Regatta activity 11 River through Nebraska 13 Candy rapper?

14 One of Queen Elizabeth II’s homes 16 Got up 21 Speaker speaker 24 Crisp green apple 27 Candle count, often 28 Noncommercial TV spot 29 Resistance unit 33 “As if!”

35 Tweeter’s qualifier 38 “Eat!” 39 Hairstyles literally featured in 3-, 8-, 14- and 24-Down?

40 Word repeated before “black sheep” 41 “...have you ___ wool?”

42 Versatile blackjack card 44 Novel alluded to in “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” 45 Picket line crossers 46 Olympic swimmer Dara

7 Milan fashion house 4 49 Sandwich cut 56 Pub purchases 57 ___ Williams bourbon 59 Saskatchewan tribe 60 Sinister literary Mr. 62 Turn the other way 64 Former Texas Governor Richards Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Relationships BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Friday, July 12, 2019

Asking the hard questions SOMETHING LIKE LIFE

MA. STELLA F. ARNALDO

@akosistellaBM

I

VISITED a family doctor last weekend to check on my health after I was generally feeling the blahs, suffering slightly from a sore throat and what I thought were swollen tonsils that made it difficult for me to swallow food, the beginnings of a cough and itchy eyes.

(By the way, imagine my surprise that there still are family doctors, or as we knew them in my generation, GPs or general practitioners. Most doctors have become specialists—cardiologist, pulmonologist, nephrologist, etc.—and with all these “ists,” the patient usually and unfortunately ends up paying for their extremely high consultation fees.)

I shall not bore you with the details of Dr. A’s diagnosis, but she was quite thorough and told me to get a lot of rest, try not to get stressed so my immune system doesn’t become overloaded, and to keep a sanitary, hygienic lifestyle.

We also got to talking about various cases she has handled as a family physician, and what she told me was quite disturbing.

Apparently, she and many doctors like her have seen an increasing number of young patients now suffering from poor eyesight. She said kids as young as six years old are now wearing glasses because they are constantly glued to computers, mobile phone screens or tablets. Peering at these devices all the time strains their eyes, Dr. A explained, and if their genetics have already made them a prime candidate for poor eyesight to begin with, the condition will appear even earlier in their life.

But what to do about it? Parents have greatly contributed to this phenomenon, I said, because they’ve made these gadgets their children’s virtual babysitters. In my family, a stern look from my Mama was all it took to make us shut up and sit still. These days, I see a number of parents attending Mass with their kids, and yet when the latter start acting up, the parents stick a mobile phone or a Nintendo under the latter’s noses to occupy them.

(Mama was a firm believer in not bringing kids to church until we very well could comprehend what was going on, or at least were curious enough to ask about it. After the Mass of course. We couldn’t talk or behave like asses during Mass.

Nowadays, no matter how many times one gives parents the evil eye for being unable to control their

brats, they remain oblivious and act as if their kids are perfect little angels.)

Also, Dr. A narrated that they are now seeing a rising number of cases of hypertension and diabetes in young adults. And as I correctly surmised, most of these patients, not even 30 years old, work in the business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry, in what are commonly known as call centers.

Those who work on the graveyard shift are the most prone to these medical conditions, Dr. A said, because our bodies are not made for doing work in the evening to the early hours in the morning.

And because these young workers have to remain awake, their diets reflect it: they drink a lot of coffee and eat a continued regimen of sweets.

Dr. A said these young patients from the call centers come to her, complain about backaches (from sitting all the time), of being constantly ill, and all she can advise is to either get a morning shift, or look for a

completely different job with regular working hours.

(HIV infections are also on the rise among this set; their “quickie” lifestyle and “f#@k-buddy” mentality for an immediate stress release has contributed to this development. Look here, millennials: You claim to be smarter than my generation. Use a condom, for heaven’s sake!)

That’s just the physical impact of working in BPOs. What about the mental health of BPO employees?

A study cited by the National Institutes of Health showed that in New Delhi, where BPOs thrive as much as in the Philippines, call-center agents were more stressed at 58.3 percent compared with 19.3 percent among non-BPO employees. They were also more anxious at 33.9 percent versus 1.4 percent of those not working in call centers. Another study cited

by NIH, also done in Delhi, showed call-center agents suffering from a high level of stress at 66 percent. (See: bit.ly/2G2NVWQ)

I understand the attraction of working in a call center; one receives a higher pay than usual, with starting salaries said to be at least P25,000 to P30,000 a month, including night differentials and transportation especially for those in the graveyard shift.

On the macroeconomic level, the sector has helped grow the local economy, and push consumer demand.

Car dealers, for instance, have pointed to these BPO employees as an increasing market for their vehicles. (And with low interest rates, puchasing a car makes more sense for these BPO workers instead of squishing themselves in crowded MRT trains just to get to work.)

But at what cost? For the numerous millennials who especially trumpet their precious “work-life balance,” there are hard questions they now must ask themselves. If your work is costing your health or your sanity, is it still worth to stick with it? n

Why women do not report the violence they suffer

By PauLine JOy M. GuTieRReZ ACTRESS, host and beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez used to cover the scars she got from her former husband, Yilmaz Bektas.

She would put on hair extensions when he would cut her hair, she said, and then she would apply a concealer on her bruises so that no one, including her family, would notice. The abuse happened with numbing regularity that, according to the actress, it became the norm in their marriage.

“I didn’t even call the police. I didn’t know where to go back then, 12 years ago.

Every time I went to my in-laws, I would cry to them and ask for help. They would get mad at their son, but they were also protective of him,” Gutierrez recalled.

Continuing, she said, “It got worse overtime. You’d think he’d change, but he never did and things just got worse until I couldn’t take it anymore.” Gutierrez’s experience is, unfortunately, not unique.

Gender-based violence against women and girls is a prevailing human-rights violation in all societies. In the country, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that 17 percent of women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence since age 15. Almost one in four women of the same age group experienced other forms of physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their current or most recent husband or partner.

Of these, 41 percent have never sought help or told anyone about their ordeal.

Karen G. Weiss, an associate professor of sociology at West Virginia University whose research focuses on sexual violence, said most victims are afraid to come forward because they blame themselves.

Another reason for cases of violence

going unreported is that victims can’t tell whether they are suffering abuse: 60.4 percent of women across the world, on average, don’t recognize rape even when it fits the legal definition of rape.

Having been part of these cold statistics, Gutierrez, Avon Philippines brand ambassador for the past 12 years, has turned from victim to survivor to advocate. Sitting as a panelist in the recent Voices Against Violence forum, which aims to end gender-based violence in the country, Gutierrez said it is important for victims to speak up to free themselves from abuse.

The forum was held through the partnership of the New York-based Avon Foundation for Women and the global nongovernment organization Vital Voices. Gutierrez also stressed the significance of financial literacy in helping victims rebuild their lives.

“A lot of these women have no income and have nowhere to go,” Gutierrez said, adding that they should be given a chance to progress toward the future that they’ve chosen for themselves.

Apart from discussions to equip women with the knowledge and tools to tackle gender-based violence based on their societal roles, interactions and experiences, the three-day workshop also brought together Avon leaders and beauty entrepreneurs, as well as multisector stakeholders to provide training focused on providing financial literacy and tools to enable victims to be financially independent.

This is in response to a research that revealed most women are deterred from leaving abusive relationships because they rely on their partners financially.

Christine Jaworsky, director of the Avon Foundation for Women, said

AVON Foundation for Women Director Christine Jaworsky

VITAL Voices Director of Justice Initiatives Nicole Hauspurg

AVON celebrity brand ambassador Ruffa Gutierrez

that the Philippines is one of the three key Avon markets selected for the implementation of the training program this year.

She added, “This is an important initiative for the Avon Foundation to help advance Avon’s Stand4Her platform as we work to fulfill the Avon promise to help end violence against women and girls. This newest initiative builds on the foundation’s continuation of our commitment to support this important cause in the Philippines, which we started in 2016 with the Avon Justice Institute on

gender-based violence.”

United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, who graced the program launch as a keynote speaker, pointed out that discussions such as these are useful not only in raising awareness for abused women, but opening up the conversation to the larger public, which hopefully would lead to the erosion of cultural biases that fuel such violence, and encourage both men and women to recognize their equal roles.

“One in three women globally experience violence and no one sector can

confront the depth and breadth of this epidemic,” said Nicole Hauspurg, director of justice for Vital Voices. “[But] we are confident the capacity-building we have undertaken in collaboration with multisector stakeholders here in Manila will catalyze holistic responses to violence against women that improve outcomes for survivors of violence in the Philippines and around the world.”

As for Gutierrez: “The greatest lesson for me was taking care of myself. Selfrespect, self-love is what’s important.

Now, I love myself more.”

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Show BusinessMirror

Friday, July 12, 2019

NBC’s Lester Holt to get Walter Cronkite journalism award PHOENIX—Arizona State University is awarding its 2019 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism to Lester Holt, news anchor for NBC. Holt has anchored NBC’s flagship Nightly News broadcast since 2015, following eight years as anchor of the newscast’s weekend edition and 12 years as coanchor of Weekend Today. The university’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication announced on Tuesday that Holt will receive the award on November 4 in Phoenix.

Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan called Holt “a fantastic role model for our students and all journalists for his insightful, caring, fact-based journalism and stories that focus on the impact of major news events on everyday Americans.”

The school was named in Cronkite’s honor in 1984.

The famed CBS News anchor died in 2009. AP

AP Exclusive: Nicki Minaj pulls out of Saudi Arabia concert

By Mesfin fekadu The Associated Press NEW YORK—Nicki Minaj is pulling out of a concert in Saudi Arabia because she says she wants to show support for women’s rights, gay rights and freedom of expression. “After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest. While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression,” Minaj said in a statement on Tuesday to The Associated Press.

Minaj was originally scheduled to headline the concert on July 18.

In Saudi Arabia, gender segregation between single men and women is still enforced in many restaurants, coffee shops, public schools and universities, but other rules have loosened with women now allowed to drive and attend events in sports stadiums.

Jeddah World Fest, which in line with Saudi laws is alcohol and drug-free, is open to people 16 and older and will take place at the King Abdullah Sports Stadium in the Red Sea city. Other performers include former One Direction member Liam Payne and DJproducer Steve Aoki.

The Human Rights Foundation issued a statement last week, calling for Minaj and other performers to pull out of the show. On Tuesday, the New York-based organization praised Minaj’s decision to not perform at the concert.

“This is what leadership looks like. We are grateful to Nicki Minaj for her inspiring and thoughtful decision to reject the Saudi regime’s transparent attempt at using her for a public relations stunt,” said Thor Halvorssen, president of the Human Rights Foundation. “The July 18 festival in Saudi Arabia still shows Liam Payne as a performer. We hope that he follows Nicki Minaj’s lead. Minaj’s moral stance differs from celebrity performers like J-Lo and Mariah Carey who in the past have chosen to line their pockets with millions of dollars and stand with dictatorial governments as opposed to with oppressed communities and imprisoned humanrights activists.”

Over the past several months, the kingdom has seen performances by Carey, Enrique Iglesias, the Black Eyed Peas, Sean Paul, David Guetta and Tiesto.

That’s a stark change from when Saudi morality police would raid establishments that played loud music.

Saudi organizers said the Jeddah World Fest will be broadcast globally. The kingdom is also promising quick electronic visas for international visitors who want to attend. Saudi Arabia saw profound change last year as a result of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s top-down reform efforts, including the opening of the first movie theater and the lifting of the world’s only ban on women driving.

In December 2018, women—some without headscarves—drove themselves to a Formula-E car race where thousands of young Saudis and hundreds of international visitors partied into the night at concerts. The spectacle would have been unthinkable until recently in the ultraconservative kingdom where religious police used to enforce strict gender segregation and scolded women for not covering their hair.

But there’s a hard limit to the reforms—as revealed by the brutal killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents close to the crown prince in October and the reported torture of several women’s rights activists in detention. While the arena for entertainment is widening, the space for political engagement and dissent has virtually disappeared.

The 33-year-old crown prince, backed by his father King Salman, presides over a nation where he alone defines the pace and scope of change.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

A powerful documentary about Cherry Pie’s tragedy CHERRY PIE PICACHE

GAB FAB JET VALLE

@jetvalle

I

T was impossible not to be fired up by DocuCentral’s Radical Love, which aired last Sunday on ABS-CBN’s Sunday’s Best. It was a documentary chronicling Cherry Pie Picache’s journey in facing her late mother’s killer.

Five years ago, the body of Cherry Pie’s mom, Zenaida Sison, was found dead inside her home in Quezon City.

Police arrested suspect Michael Flores a few months into the investigation and he was imprisoned for robbery and homicide.

The film opens with interviews of the loved ones of Zenaida, including Cherry Pie recalling the events that led to the murder. Then it jumps to the investigation mixed with actual news reports in a completely consistent and engrossing way. It was a perfect prologue of what was about to happen.

No spoilers here actually, as publicity for the documentary has been largely focused on Cherry Pie forgiving Michael, who was sentenced to life by the court. Cherry Pie, in her most raw, showed her hurt and grief. And then we see the current life of Michael trying to rehabilitate himself in jail.

At this point, Cherry Pie says, “Sana maproseso naming pareho...I really pray...by God’s grace I’m really praying. ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us...’ Paano ka hihingi ng tawad kung hindi ka magpapatawad.”

We then go to that scene when Cherry Pie finally faces her mom’s murderer. Watching the documentary, it felt like a volcano was about to erupt and you sense the hesitation of both. Cherry Pie starts by asking “Kamusta ka na?” Michael just mumbles the perfunctory answer, “OK lang po.” Cherry Pie is in tears for a few seconds and when Michael blurts out, “Sorry po,” Cherry Pie hugs him. It was raw, it was devastating, it was a moment that hit you like a wrecking ball.

Radical Love earns its right to engage us on a primal level. Making viewers ask themselves: What if this happens to me, will I be able to do what Cherry Pie did? The film strives not to exploit the story. The film remains genuine and emotional, and it’s one of the few films that guarantee to turn its viewers into a sobbing mess. And the raw power of this story is why it will be a film that will have a lasting effect on people. It is an undeniably shattering film. Make sure to bring tissues when you watch it because you will certainly need them.

MICHAEL V.

DAWN ZULUETA

Radical Love is available online via iWant and will re-air on dzMM Teleradyo on July 14, 7 pm, and on ANC on July 15, also at 7 pm. nnn FANS of Maja Salvador went wild when she promised her upcoming show, The Killer Bride, would be “mas wild!” ABS-CBN viewers who miss Maja will be thrilled to learn she plays the title character, Camilla, a woman whose forbidden love results in her death on, of all days, her wedding day.

“What’s different about this show is that many programs talk about how one fights for the person you

BIANCA UMALI

love, pero ito, hindi mo alam na ang minamahal mo ay pwede pala ang pumatay sa iyo,” shared Maja.

More will be revealed about the show but we know two things: The show will be a mixture of goth-mystery but still family-oriented, and joining Maja in the cast are Geoff Eigenmann, Joshua Garcia, Janella Salvador, Eddie Gutierrez, Aurora Sevilla, Lara Quigaman, Ara Arida, James Blanco, Sam Concepcion, Cris Villanueva, Jobel Salvador, Dominic Ochoa, Alexa Ilacad, Loren Burgos, Pamu Pamorada, Malou de Guzman, Pepe Herrera, Eric Nicolas, Keanna Reeves and Neil Coleta. n

MIGUEL TANFELIX

GMA Pictures, Mic Test Entertainment debut with ‘Family History’ THIS July 24, GMA Pictures and Mic Test Entertainment bring to theaters everywhere Family History, a heartwarming movie about the values of life, marriage and love that will always lead you home.

The film is written, produced and directed by comedy genius Michael V., who marks a milestone in his career by wearing these many hats for a project.

Michael V. also takes on the lead role as Alex de la Cruz, a happily married man who finds himself at a crossroad in his life when a life-changing disease challenges his marriage to his wife, May, portrayed

by Dawn Zulueta. Dubbed as “BiDawn,” this is their

first team up and both are honored to be working with each other. “Napaka-flattering at napaka-humbling na experience makatrabaho ang isang Dawn Zulueta. Siya talaga ang gusto naming kunin sa simula pa lang. Masaya at magaan din siyang kasama,” said Michael V. For her part, Dawn admitted to being a fan of Michael V. “I’ve always wanted to work with Bitoy.

Always. I’m a fan. ’Yung mga characters niya sa TV, tuwang-tuwa talaga ako.”

Joining them in the movie are Miguel Tanfelix as Malix de la Cruz, Alex and May’s only son; and Bianca Umali as Jenna Roque, Malix’s girlfriend who longs for

a family figure.

Also part of the stellar cast are John Estrada, Paolo Contis, Nonie Buencamino, Kakai Bautista, Ina Feleo, Mikoy Morales, Nikki Co, Jemwell Ventenilla and Vince Gamad.

Dingdong Dantes and multi-awarded comedienne and TV host Eugene Domingo play special cameo roles as Dr. Ronaldo Cruz and Liza de Guzman, respectively.

A perfect mix of drama, romance and comedy, don’t miss the much-awaited Family History this July 24 in cinemas nationwide.

Motoring BusinessMirror

Henry Ford Awards Best Motoring Section 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 2011 Hall of Fame

Editor: Tet Andolong

Friday, July 12, 2019 E1

NEW MAZDA 6 MODELS UNVEILED T

Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino

HOSE who seek prestige and power in a premium midsize car would be delighted to know that the Mazda 6 range now has two new versions.

Recently, Bermaz Auto Philippines Inc., the exclusive distributor of Mazda vehicles and parts in the Philippines brought in the new Mazda 6 Sedan and Mazda 6 Sports Wagon. Powered by a potent Skyactiv-G 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, the new Mazda 6 Sedan brings new heights to spirited driving with class. The Mazda 6 Sports Wagon, on the other hand, is the lone nonturbo variant yet endowed with a new bolder look.

The new Mazda 6 range now offers three distinct models—the Sedan 2.5-Liter Skyactiv-Gasoline Turbo, the Sedan 2.2-Liter Skyactiv-Diesel and the Sports Wagon 2.5-liter Skyactiv-Gasoline.

At a glance, the three models highlight the fresh fascia design.

It has that entrancing signature

five-point pronounced grille with a new pattern. This matches the broader chrome accent extending underneath the slender adaptive projector type LED headlamps with daylight running lights. That extending visor-like on top of the grille along with the chrome lining at the bottom part of the bumper added to that absolutely more striking look. The “Mazda Vision Coupe” inspiration is very much evident from the flowing character lines all over. All three models are fitted with multispoke 19-inch, gun metallic finished rims wrapped in 225/45 series tires for that eyecatching stance.

Similar to that of the Diesel variant, both the new Mazda 6 Sedan and Sports Wagon are endowed with finely crafted interiors.

THE new Mazda 6 Sedan with a Skyactiv-G 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine

THE 30th anniversary edition MX5

These are the remote keyless entry with pushbutton start; Nappa leather seats with front ventilation and eight-way electric driver’s seat with lumbar support/memory function; dual-zone climate control; 60/40 split-folding rear seat; cruise control; electronic parking brake; Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Mazda Connect integration with Commander control knob and touchscreen control functionality; 360-degree camera; a new 8-inch display screen; and a 7-inch TFT display screen in the instrument cluster.

Propelling the new Mazda 6 Sedan is a potent 2.5-liter SkyactivGasoline turbocharged motor en-

Skyactiv Drive automatic transmission with Sport Mode setting.

The Mazda 6 Sports Wagon, meantime, is powered by an efficient Skyactiv-G 2.5 naturally aspirated engine. With a number of fine-tuning and upgrades, it is now smoother and quieter in generating 187 hp and a healthy 252 N-m of maximum torque. Paired with the six-speed Skyactiv-Drive automatic transmission, the Mazda 6’s 2.5-liter engine comes standard with cylinder-deactivation technology, which shuts off its two outside cylinders in cruising conditions for even more fuel-efficiency.

As for safety and convenience, a 360-degree camera view, Lane

gineered with Dynamic Pressure Turbo technology. It generates 228 hp on regular unleaded fuel and an impressive 420 N-m of maximum torque starting at 2,000 rpm. By utilizing vanes inside the turbocharger unit to reduce the volume of exhaust gases at low engine rpm, the faster outflow to the turbine allows the turbocharger to react more immediately thus reducing turbolag. Interestingly, this mill has an improved exhaust outflow through an innovative 4-3-1 exhaust manifold, which utilizes a scavenging effect to extract combustion gases out smoothly and efficiently. Power is transferred to the front wheels via highly responsive six-speed

Keep Assist and Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Traffic Alert now come as standard along with other features. Another noteworthy feature is the latest innovation in the Skyactiv-Vehicle Dynamics suite. The G-Vectoring Control (GVC) Plus further improves the handling and comfort gains from the original system. The system realizes consistently smooth transitions between yaw, roll and pitch even under high cornering forces. In turn, this improves the vehicle’s ability to accurately track sudden steering inputs and crisply exit corners.

Continued on E4

Moto

Business

E2 Friday, July 12, 2019

HOFFMAN and Ong demonstrate the washing process

SONAX Germany Area Sales Manager for Asia Pacific Werner Hoffman (from left), Waido Marketing and Distribution Inc. President Edbert Tiu and Sonax Asia Regional Manager Jeremy Ong

oring

sMirror

SOME of the DIY product range we tested

Friday, July 12, 2019

ROGIELYN OYCO (from left), Truck Elite (Isuzu Alabang); Danny NuĂąez, dealer Sales A-section head (IPC); Victor Hermosa, president (Excelsior); Mary Ann Hermosa, VP finance; and Lucy Vergara, sales Manager (Isuzu Alabang)

INTERIOR detailing essentials

DISTRIBUTORSHIP Engagement Ceremony (Hangzhou, China), Will Wan (from left), sales manager, Geely International; Jenny Guang Yu, deputy general manager, Geely International; Mikihisa Takayama, president, Sojitz G Auto Philippines; and Yoshihiko Tsuruta, deputy general manager, Automotive Department 2, Sojitz Corp. Japan

THE brilliant shine result from Easy Shine

E3

Motoring BusinessMirror

E4 Friday, July 12, 2019

Veiled Vince’s valedictory just delivered?

Tini also said 20,000 kms are freebies, including services costs.

Maintenance expenses go five years or 150,000 kms whichever comes first.

Below is the public reference:

Model

E

VEN as it continues to hurdle the government’s TRAIN-induced hump and maintains its industry leadership, Toyota does not forget to pencil customers’ interest. Thus, large cost-saving deals are now in place starting this July.

Buying a Vios gives you a whopping P90,000 discount, an extended five-year warranty and a free periodic maintenance service (PMS) package.

Did you know that the locally built Vios might soon be a major export, simply because of its enduring quality, reliability and durability?

“Worry-free ownership is a promise we intend to keep for all our customers. From dealership purchase to after-sales service, driving a Toyota should give everyone peace of mind,” said Tini Arevalo, the TMP first vice president.

VINCE SOCCO

ALL-NEW TOYOTA VIOS (FMC)

importance of forests cannot be underestimated.

“Our aim by 2050 is to establish a society where humans and nature coexist in harmony, and we will continue to promote activities that

Variant

Savings

1.5 G and G Prime

P90,000

1.3 E Prime CVT

P5,000

1.3 E Prime MT

P10,000

1.3 E

P25,000

1.3 XE

P5,000

Toyota’s Innova, Fortuner and Hilux are also in promo prices until July 31.

I might yet buy one or two shortly. So who said I’ve stopped buying lotto? n n n Conclusion of Toyota Hybrid speech delivered recently at Hyatt Hotel Manila by Vince Socco, TMAP executive vice president “Finally, the last challenge…

To preserve and enhance our co existence with nature, we need to conserve our forests and other rich ecosystems. Challenge 6 aims to establish a future society in ‘Harmony with Nature.’

“At a global level, 1 percent of forests is being lost each year. This is equivalent to 15 football fields [of trees] being lost every minute. The

connect regions, the world and the future as a whole.

“Toward this goal, our 2030 Milestone targets to realize Harmony with Nature activities across regions in collaboration with local communities, companies and NGOs.” “Our approach is three-pronged: afforestation, biodiversity and education.

“In the area of afforestation, Toyota has planted approximately 12 million trees since 2005 by 23 Toyota companies around the world. The focus is not only to create forests but also to develop a habitat for living creatures.

“For example, in a township in Northern China, with strong support from local communities, we turned a desert land into a ‘green

wall’ of lush forest of more than 5 million trees sitting on 3,500 hectares of land. That is the equivalent to around 4,900 soccer fields.

“In Indonesia, Toyota supports a variety of projects aimed at preserving native plants and endangered tropical tree species in collaboration with local NGOs.” “In the area of biodiversity, we developed a biotope at our Toyota Ban Pho plant, the first of its kind in Thailand.

“It was constructed under the concept of ‘from sky to mountain to river’ through the replication of different forest communities such as biotopes of evergreen forests, and wetland ecosystems, such as mangrove forests. This biotope spans an area of 96,000 square meters, with 218 species of living organisms.

“Finally, in the area of education, let me highlight some of Toyota’s efforts toward developing ecoconscious minds.

“For close to 20 years, Toyota in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have been partnering with local governments in educating highschool students on the importance of environment protection.

“In addition, as the official mobility partner for Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, we are also supporting 12 athletes across Asia in not just pursuing their sporting dreams, but also taking on social causes they wish to champion.

“In the Philippines, Paralympian swimmer Ernie Gawilan is dedicated to educating the communi-

ties to protect the environment. In September 2018, he joined a group of volunteers in mangrove treeplanting and a coastal cleanup.”

“Finally, in terms of collaborative initiatives, Toyota partners with NGOs to support 387 projects in 54 countries.

“For example, we have partnered with WWF in the Living Asian Forest Project to conserve tropical forest areas and wildlife in Southeast Asia.

“Toyota and Conservation International are working together to protect the Philippines’s marine biodiversity of Verde Island Passage in Mabini, Batangas. The area is home to over 1,000 species of fish and 400 animal species. It is a crucial source of food and income for the community.

“In closing, Toyota continuously strives to implement a positive cycle of making ever-better cars, exceeding customer expectations and enriching lives of communities. By doing so, we will be able to achieve sustainable mobility for all.

“We look forward to continue working together with all of you in helping build a better and greener future for our world. Indeed, tomorrow will be a better day.”

PEE STOP

I hope it’s fake news: Singapore-based Vince Socco is retiring on July 14 as executive vice president of TMAP (Toyota Motors Asia-Pacific) after working with Toyota 41 years beginning 1978.

Hard to surpass, even equal.

GET REAL PROTECTION FROM MOTUL A A

Miata wins Kalayaan Cup 12-hour Endurance Run

S the top-of-the-line, full synthetic racing oil with Motul’s technical expertise crammed into it, 300V is the brand’s most popular product. When it comes to picking the right motor oil, the most common question is which is more suited for my car, the 300V or 8100?

300V is cutting-edge stuff, and while you certainly can use it in every application, it doesn’t mean you should do so. When it comes to motor oil, there are so many different machines and types of usage of each machine that it’s not really a case of which is best, but rather, which is most suitable.

Here we explain the differences between 300V and 8100 so you can choose the most suitable product for your application and vehicle.

The most important thing to know is that 300V is truly a racing oil. Mechanics at the Dakar Rally or LeMans endurance race empty a can of the stuff into the competition vehicles they service, and it’s the exact same stuff that you can buy off the shelf at your local Motul dealer or service provider. Racing oils provide the same things that “street” (or regular) oils do: Improve power, protect the engine, the reliability and longevity of components. 300V is a very

specific product, and there are even different formulations for different racing applications, from sprint races to endurance rallies. 300V does its job well, but unlike 8100, it’s designed—as is typical of a racing lubricant—to have a more frequent replacement interval than a street oil like 8100. 8100, as a high quality lubricant, can be changed at your car’s stated service intervals while 300V would require replacing far sooner for the optimum performance.

So, besides those with actual racing cars, who should use 300V? Avid motorsport enthusiasts whose vehicle are in a high state of tune or which are used regularly at track days or sporting events such as time attacks, gymkhana or drag races. And that’s not to say 8100 can’t do it either— those who attend occasional track days but do a majority of driving on normal roads will find 8100 up to the task.

T the 2019 Petron Kalayaan Cup 12-hour endurance run held at the Clark International Speedway recently, Team Race Form Garage 2233, driving a Mazda Miata Global Cup Car, emerged as the overall champion. Powered by Petron Blaze 100 Euro 6—recognized as the best gasoline in the country—the Miata was able to complete 274 laps of the 4.2-kilometer track during the 12-hour run. Team Race Form Garage 2233 is managed by Francis Godinez with Antonio Brias, Don Pastor, Enrique Hormillo and Jason Choachuy as drivers.

Petron-sponsored teams also performed well in other Independence Day race categories. Driving a Honda Civic, Mon Dimapilis, Danby Yaptinchay, Ditrie Villacorta and Allen Escoto of the Petron Blaze Racing Team won the Class 2 championship with 220 laps. At the same time, Carlo Consumido’s Petron Tora Tora team with Chad Parian, Walter Rillorta, Francis de los Reyes and Paolo Yaptinchay on a Honda Civic hatchback finished 1st runner-up in the Class 1 category. The Petron Kalayaan Cup is an endurance race traditionally held during the Philippine Independence Day. A car is

driven by a team of alternating drivers attempting to complete as many laps as possible in the race circuit. The official fuel for all competing cars is Petron Blaze 100 Euro 6 with its Triaction performance advantages, (1) better engine protection for longer engine life; (2) better mileage for longer drives; and (3) better power.

As the industry leader, Petron is also a major force in Philippine motorsports, providing support for such events as the Toyota Vios Cup, Formula 4 Southeast Asia, Asian Karting Series, IAME Karting, Kalayaan Cup, Rainforest Challenge (Diesel), to name a few.

NEW MAZDA 6 MODELS UNVEILED Continued from E1

In addition to improving handling in emergency collision avoidance maneuvers, GVC Plus offers a reassuring feeling of control when changing lanes on the highway and when driving on snow or other slippery road surfaces.

Both the new Mazda 6 Turbo and the current Mazda 6 Diesel are priced at P2.25 million, while the Mazda 6 Sports Wagon is valued at P1.995 million.

MX5 30th Anniversary Edition

MEANWHILE, Mazda celebrates 30 years of two-seat, opentop motoring with the reveal of the Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition. With its exclusive Racing Orange color, unique set of commemorative fixtures and a limited run of only 3,000 examples worldwide, the commemorative edition of the iconic roadster promises to be a future collector’s gem in years to come. Only 30 units were allocated to the Philippine market as the Retractable Fastback.

With four model generations produced in three decades, this roadster has been recognized as the Best-selling Sports Car in the World by the Guinness World Records. In fact, the one-millionth MX5 come out of the Hiroshima factory back in 2016. Offered in an exclusive Racing Orange color, the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition’s splashes of orange shade extend to the front Brembo and the rear factory brake calipers. Further, the Racing Orange trimmings are also found in the door panels and dashboard accents.

There are also the special orange-lined Recaro sports seats.

Fitted with 17-inch lightweight forged aluminum Rays wheels, each rims has a special engraving to commemorate

ALL three models are endowed with similar finely crafted interiors

the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition. Of course, this unit also offers the Mazda Connect system with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ integration, long with a nine-speaker Bose® Premium sound system. The suspension setup is equipped with Bilstein dampers (for the manual transmission model).

Motivation comes from a 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine found in the current updated MX-5. This high-revving engine generates 181hp and paired to either six-speed automatic or manual Skyactiv-Drive transmissions. The MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition can be had at P2.990 million.