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Saturday, July 23, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 287

‘NERVOUS’ AGENTS IN CHINA CANCELING TOURS TO PHL

Chinese charter-flight cancellations continue

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

INSIDE

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boost of confidence

Sports BusinessMirror

CHRIS FROOME’S overall lead of three minutes and 52 seconds will be difficult to erase over the final two Alpine stages before Sunday’s mostly ceremonial finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. AP

HE Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) sought to downplay recent cancellations by Chinese tourist groups of charter services by some Philippine carriers.

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| SAturdAy, July 23, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao Asst. Editor: Joel Orellana

Not another muddled tropical cocktail

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BOOST OF CONFIDENCE Riding in a yellow bodysuit and yellow aerodynamic helmet, Chris Froome pumped his right fist after clocking slightly more than half an hour over the 17-kilometer route from Sallanches to the Megeve ski resort—which featured majestic views of Mont Blanc.

By Andrew Dampf The Associated Press

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EGEVE, France—Chris Froome won a mountain time trial and opened up a seemingly insurmountable lead of nearly four minutes over his closest challenger in the 18th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday.

Riding in a yellow bodysuit and yellow aerodynamic helmet, Froome pumped his right fist after clocking slightly more than half an hour over the 17-kilometer route from Sallanches to the Megeve ski resort—which featured majestic views of Mont Blanc.

Taking his second stage win of this year’s Tour, Froome finished 21 seconds ahead of Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin.

Froome’s overall lead of three minutes and 52 seconds over Dutch rider Bauke Mollema will be difficult to erase over the final two Alpine stages before Sunday’s mostly ceremonial finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

“The main thing for me now is staying safe,” Froome said. “Obviously, I’ve got a fantastic advantage now. So now it’s about looking after that advantage and not taking any risks.

“It’s not over until we cross that final finish line, but today is a huge boost of confidence,” Froome added. “I think over

these next couple of days we’re going to see more of a race for podium spots.”

Froome stood only fifth at the first checkpoint, the top of the Cote de Domancy climb, but the British rider clearly saved energy for the second half of the stage, surging in front over the final kilometers.

“It was a pulsating race, but I knew it was going to be difficult. I was expecting to lose,” said Dumoulin, who rode 90 minutes before the race leader. “Froome just showed he is the strongest.”

Spanish Vuelta champion Fabio Aru of Italy finished third in the stage, 33 seconds behind.

It was the Tour’s first mountain time trial since the 2004 race against the clock up l’Alpe d’Huez.

Besides the flat opening 4 kilometers and a short descent at the finish, it was entirely uphill.

Adam Yates of Britain remained third overall, 4:16 behind, and two-time runnerup Nairo Quintana stayed fourth but now trails by 4:37 after another difficult day for the Colombian.

Froome’s other stage win this year came with an audacious downhill attack in Stage 8 in the Pyrenees. The Kenyan-born rider with Team Sky also won a time trial in the 2013 Tour, when he took his first overall victory.

Having also won the Tour last year,

Froome is on course for his third title in four years.

Considering that most of the route was uphill, many riders used road bikes fitted with bars to lay their arms on for a more aerodynamic position.

Froome was one of the few riders to use a full time trial setup with an aerodynamic rear disc wheel instead of traditional spokes.

“I think that was a big part of today’s stage, selecting the right equipment,” Froome said. “The other aspect of today was pacing. It

was important not to go too fast too early.”

Fans lined the major climb of the route, the Cote de Domancy, getting up close to the riders to shout encouragement—with glaciers and snowcapped mountains in the distance.

Stage 19 on Friday follows a 146-kilometer route over four ascents from Albertville to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. The penultimate leg on Saturday concludes with a tricky descent to Morzine after four more climbs through the Alps.

Take it from Merckx

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EGEVE, France—Take it from cycling great Eddy Merckx: nobody can beat Chris Froome in this Tour de France.

Riding with the poise and purpose of the Tour’s undisputed leader, Froome won a mountain time trial in Stage 18 on Thursday and opened up a seemingly insurmountable lead of nearly four minutes over his closest challenger, Dutch rider Bauke Mollema.

Only two Alpine stages remain before Sunday’s mostly ceremonial finish on the

Champs-Elysees in Paris.

“He deserves his win. He’s the strongest,” said Merckx, a five-time Tour winner. “I can’t see what could prevent him from keeping this yellow jersey until Paris. His opponents just stay on his teammates’ wheels. Barring an incident, nobody can beat him in this Tour.”

“That’s a huge compliment coming from Eddy,” Froome said.

“Obviously, we feel like we’re in a bit of a bubble in the race here.

But to have somebody like that, give a compliment like that, is a great honor.” AP

MORE ABOUT WHO’S NOT PLAYING IN RIO

Sports

This developed, even as tourism-industry sources continued to rack up losses from cancellations by Chinese tour groups, ostensibly due to the recent ruling on the South China Sea dispute between the Philippines and China, which was made by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror, CAB Head for Legal Affairs lawyer Wyrlou E. Samodio said on Friday “only one major carrier filed a notice of cancellation today of its two charter flights from China for the month of July.”

See “Chinese,” A2

6-7

The number of charter flights to Cebu reportedly canceled by Chinese tour operators thus far

A8

BRAZIL’S national cocktail is poised for »Olympic exposure. AP

THOMAS BACH says it would be good if in golf, a wide range of players from as many countries as possible competing for medals. AP

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ORAL GABLES, Florida—It’s tempting to call cachaça a Brazilian rum and think of the caipirinha as another muddled tropical cocktail.

The upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro may change that. Brazil’s national cocktail and unique distillation of sugarcane juice into a clear liquor are poised for the kind of worldwide exposure enjoyed by tequila after the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and Australian wines after the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.

“We, Americans, love to consume the Olympics and ‘travel’ there without going there by drinking and eating and celebrating the culture of whatever the host country is, so I think a lot of people are going to be watching the Olympic Games with a caipirinha in their hands,” Leblon Cachaça President and CEO Steve Luttmann said in a recent interview.

Cachaça (pronounced ka-SHAH-sah) and rum share origins in sugarcane but they are processed differently.

Cachaça, by definition, must be produced in Brazil with fresh sugarcane juice and contain alcohol by volume of 38 percent to 48 percent. Rum can be made anywhere, and it’s usually made from molasses and distilled at higher percentages of alcohol by volume.

The US formally recognized cachaça as a distinct product of Brazil in 2013 after the two countries signed a trade agreement (in exchange, Brazil recognized bourbon and Tennessee whiskey as distinctive US products).

The market for cachaça has steadily grown over the last decade, alongside the liquor industry’s targeting of US consumers’ growing appreciation for premium rums. In April 10 cachaça producers seeking US distribution occupied a significant amount of trade expo space at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival.

When Leblon launched in 2005, US cachaça sales totaled just a few thousand cases sold mainly in Brazilian restaurants.

Now owned by Bermuda-based industry giant Bacardi, Leblon boasts annual sales of 50,000 nine-liter cases, Luttmann said.

“We found that when anybody consumed cachaça with the expectation of a rum, it tastes very different,” said Luttmann, who led a “Legalize Cachaça” campaign to have the liquor recognized independently from rum.

While the caipirinha’s sweet, tropical flavors may resemble a mojito, it’s closer in spirit to a margarita, according to Luttmann.

“I would say that cachaça is more similar to tequila than rum,” he said. “It’s more similar to making tequila than it is to making a rum, in the context that they both use fresh juices from the raw material, from the fruit.”

As the caipirinha has gained popularity in many bars, particularly those that hosted viewing parties for Brazil’s World Cup two years ago, some bartenders now mix variations of the cocktail with vodka or sake and add strawberries, oranges or other fruits.

A true caipirinha—cachaça mixed with limes and ice—seems light but requires precision when mixing, said Rafaella Demelo, a Brazilian native and bartender at Bulla Gastrobar, a Spanish bar and restaurant in Coral Gables, Florida.

“It’s a very simple drink but it’s very hard to get it right. Not only do you have to know the amount of liquor to put in it, but also the amount of limes to put in it and the sugar, as well,” she said while mixing a caipirinha during a recent interview.

Aside from proper amounts of cachaça and white sugar, half a lime should be cut into cubes, “because a caipirinha is not only about the juice of the limes, but also about the bitters, the skin of the limes,” Demelo said.

Shake the ingredients with ice and pour into a glass without straining.

“It has to be everything you used to make a caipirinha straight to the glass, otherwise, you’re not going to have the lime, you’re not going to have the smell,” Demelo said. AP

Special to the BusinessMirror

YEAR away from golf’s return to the Olympics after a 112-year absence, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said it would be good if the sport had a wide range of players from as many countries as possible competing for medals.

And that’s what it delivered—41 countries in the men’s and women’s competition—an example of golf’s global appeal.

But the story of celebrated return has become more

about who’s not playing.

Jordan Spieth will be watching from home, still wondering if he should have set aside his personal concerns and gone to Rio de Janeiro. Rory McIlroy said he won’t be watching at all, citing the Zika virus and then taking a swipe at golf as an Olympic sport by saying he would watch “the sports that matter.”

Of eligible players, 21 men said they would not be going, nearly half of them citing concerns about Zika.

The women have carried the torch for golf, with only

one player declining to go because of the mosquitoborne virus that has been linked to birth defects. Stacy Lewis has questioned whether the men make too much money to care about the Olympics.

She is getting married in the fall, and hearing so many men cite Zika because they plan to start families caused her to probe deeper into the threat.

“I talked to a lot of different people and, basically, went into the conversation thinking in my head, ‘OK, give me a reason I shouldn’t go.’ And none of those people ever

gave me a reason I should not go,” Lewis said.

“I want to be a part of the Olympics,” she said. ”I think the Olympics are bigger than any golf tournament on the planet. It’s bigger than the Masters. It’s bigger than the US Open. It’s bigger than the Women’s Open. It’s the biggest thing out there, and I want to be a part of that.”

None of the top 4 in men’s golf will be part of the Rio Games. The men will have only eight of the top 20 in the world, including Masters champion Danny Willett of England and British Open champion Henrik

Stenson of Sweden.

The women will have nine of 10, only because South Korea has five players in the top 10 and countries only are allowed to send four.

The men’s competition from August 11 to 14, followed by the women from August 17 to 20. Regardless of who plays, medals will be distributed to a golfer for the first time since George Lyon of Canada won the gold in Saint Louis against a 77-man field—three Canadians, 74 Americans.

The women did not play. AP

SUN AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING Senior CITIZENS TURNS 26 OurTime BusinessMirror

B4 Saturday, July 23, 2016 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

SUN Awards for outstanding Pinoy senior citizens turns 26

THE Coalition of Services of the Elderly Inc., a non-governmental organization, focuses on providing services for older people. This group is being trained on program planning.

PHOTO COURTESY OF C.O.S.E.

By Christian Jessie Desoloc | Special to the BusinessMirror

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AMPUNG Ulirang Nakatatanda (SUN) Awards, an awards body recognizing Filipino elders and their contributions to society, turns 26 this year and has extended their nomination period to July 29.

The award is given by the Coalition of Services of the Elderly Inc. (COSE), a non-governmental organization that focused on providing services for elderly people.

The Sampung Ulirang Nakata-

tanda Awards was created in 1991 to recognize the important contributions of elderly Filipinos in society. It later became part of the annual Elderly Filipino Week in October,” said Hazel Ayne Gar-

cia, communications coordinator of COSE. The extension of the nomination period was to accommodate more entries, Garcia said. “We really want to find inspiring and empowering elderly people in the country to show the capacity and strength of this sector, and still active members in nation-building.”

COSE said that, in order to qualify for the nomination the nominee must be at least 60 years old; must not be multiawarded and nt wellrecognized in the international or national level; and must have selflessly rendered life for the service of other people for at least five years.

Information on how to nominate is available in their Facebook page.

From the nominees COSE will receive, Garcia said the organization will validate and form a shortlist until a jury composed of COSE and their partners from their government and private sector narrows it down to the top 10.

Garcia said SUN awardees have been chosen from different sectors, including farmers, women, persons with disability and indigenous groups.

“The awardees are all ordinary older people who, in one way or another, have rendered exemplary service to their respective communities. To date, over 200 unsung heroes nationwide have been recognized and awarded,” she said.

The top 10 winners will get a trophy, a cash prize worth P10,000, a round-trip ticket for two from their residence to Manila, and hotel accommodation with food allowance for two in the awarding period, Garcia said.

Last year, one of the awardees of the SUN Awards was a Dumagat farmer and a traditional midwife (locally known as manghihilot) named Jolita de la Cruz. Garcia added that de la Cruz has assisted three generations of birthing women in her community and never asked for any compensation. The winner also extended help to the sick ones in her community, Garcia said.

Another notable winner of the SUN Awards is Rosita Y. Lacson from Quezon City. Lacson was an urban-poor organization leader since the martial law days and has also been active in the mobilization of social pension for the poorest.

COSE monitors the winners who happen to be within their existing project areas. She said their past awardees continue to render their services and have even become active leaders of their respective organizations in their communities.

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Employing PWIDs can be rewarding for companies

By Cai U. Ordinario @cuo_bm

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MPLOYING persons with intellectual disabilities (PWIDs) can be rewarding for companies, particularly those in sectors that have tedious and repetitive processes.

Unilab Foundation Rhodora Palomar-Fresnedi said PWIDs, such as persons with autism, can be excellent employees for retail companies, hotels or even restaurants.

Palomar-Fresnedi said PWIDs can be very passionate about simple tasks, such as stacking merchandise, folding matressess, or making the perfect cup of coffee.

“The next research I want to do is [to find out] if you employ persons with autism, especially those who have obsessive compulsive disorder, you would increase productivity or reduce spoilage in supermarkets,” she said. Unilab and the local government of Carmona said PWID employees are very diligent workers who are always on time and are passionate about simple tasks, such as shredding documents.

Pa lomar-Fresnedi said their disability becomes part of their strengths as workers because they ensure they complete tasks and do the job perfectly every single time.

Employing PWIDs can help companies clear months- or yearlong backlogs in a short period of time.

She said with their focus, they are also able to influence other workers to commit to their jobs.

Such is the case of the local government of Carmona. Mayor Dahlia A. Loyola said the local government now have more than two PWIDs working in the City Hall.

One of them is working at the treasury office. His daily tasks include checking receipts and functioning as messenger.

She said it was not easy at first, but when the PWIDs became more adjusted to their work, other workers in the City Hall started coming to office on time and were able to lessen the chatter among themselves.

“Nakita namin beneficial kahit sasabihin wala masyado dini-deliver na trabaho [na] totoo sa simula. Pero at the end of the day, ’pag nasanay na sila sa routine works na ginagawa, very beneficial to the organization, masipag,” Loyola said. “’Pag inutusan mo siya bilang regular messenger na magdala ng communication sa ibang departmento siguraduhin mo lamang na nandun ka kasi kino-call niya iyong attention. Halimbawa pumunta siya sa budget office, wala ’yung tao doong magre-receive. Sasabihin break time. ’Pag dumating at alam niyang break time namin ay hanggang 10 minutes maximum, sisitahin ka,” she said.

Apart from the benefits in the staff, employing PWIDs and Persons With Disability (PWDs), in general, is mandated by law, specifically Republic Act 10524, or An Act Expanding the Positions Reserved for Persons with Disability of 2013.

Under the law, companies are mandated to allocate one percent of their work force for PWDs, according to the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA). In the US, the requirement is even higher at 7 percent.

“Private corporations with more than 100 employees are encouraged to reserve at least 1 percent of all persons with disabilities,” the law mandates.

NCDA Information Officer Rizalio Sanchez said about 16 per 1,000 of the country’s population had disability based on the 2010 Census of Population and Housing.

Data showed of the 92.1 million household population in the country, 1.443 million Filipinos, or 1.57 percent, have disabilities.

Of the total PWDs in 2010, males accounted for 50.9 percent, while females comprised 49.1 percent.

These figures resulted in a sex ratio of 104 males with disability for every 100 females with disability.

Males with disability outnumbered females in the age groups 0 to 64 years. The largest excess in the number of males was in the age group 0 to 14 years with a sex ratio of 121 males per 100 females.

Pension of 73,225 seniors in Central House-ownership rates fall in Australia as young can’t afford to buy Luzon now delivered door to door

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ITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—A total of 73,225 older persons from Central Luzon will benefit from the door-to-door delivery of stipends/grants under the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) starting this month.

This, after a memorandum of agreement (MOA) was executed anew between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office (FO) III and the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB).

The two agencies inked their f irst ag reement in 2015 when 32,460 seniors aged 65 and above in selected cities and municipalities in the region were given cash grants through door-to-door delivery.

Mary Jean Balico, head of Social Pension Unit, said the DSWD FO III will disburse P2,196,750 to 73,225 seniors aged 60 and above in 130 municipalities and cities in Central Luzon.

The seniors were among the identified beneficiaries of SPISC based on the result of the data generated by the Listahanan or National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) of the DSWD. Under the MOA, the PVB shall implement the pay-out of the grants/ stipends to SPISC beneficiaries via door-to-door delivery in their respective addresses in accordance with the master list from DSWD. Pay-out should be completed within 30 calendar days from PVB’s receipt of the check and master list.

The PVB shall release the grant only to the SPISC beneficiary and

will not release the grant to a representative, even if armed with a special power of attorney. PVB shall only pay beneficiaries who have complied with the requirements.

The DSWD shall pay PVB a service fee of P100 for every grant/stipend successfully delivered and paid out.

To date, there are 73,225 indigent senior citizens who will be benefiting from SPISC in the region.

“All of them are now covered by the door-to-door scheme,” said Venus F. Rebuldela, Assistant Regional Director for Operations of the DSWD field Office III. The grant/stipend under the SPISC is an additional government assistance given to indigent senior citizens pursuant to Republic Act 9994, also known as Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. It aims to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of indigent Filipino senior citizens.

Under the operational guidelines issued by the DSWD, senior citizens who are 65 years old and older and who meet the eligibility criteria will benefit from this program.

A ll qualified senior citizens shall receive their P500 monthly social pension on a quarterly basis in the first month of each quarter.

Indigent senior citizens are those who are frail, sick, disabled, not receiving monthly pension from Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Armed Forces of the Philippines Savings and Loan Association Inc. and other private insurance companies. PNA

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ELBOURNE—Thewealth gap in Australia between the young and the old is gradually widening, as householdownership rates in the country continue to plummet, a new Melbournebased survey revealed.

In t he Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) report released on Wednesday, findings revealed fewer-than-half of all Australians could be homeowners by 2017, as t he d iv ide bet ween high- and low-income earners continues to grow.

HILDA author and University of Melbourne Prof. Roger Wilkins said older generations had benefited from large increases in house value, while the high cost of real estate was putting pressure on the younger generations. “ B et ween 20 01 a nd 2014 , owner-occupied houses have declined by 3.5 percentage points.

That translates to 700,000 Australian homes,” Wilkins said in a University of Melbourne news release on Wednesday. “It is likely that in the next few years, less than half of Australia’s adults will be home-owners.”

The findings revealed elderly couples over 65 comprise the wealthiest households in Australia, having experienced a real increase in median net wealth of almost 70 percent since 2002.

Australia’s longest-running household survey, based at the Universit y of Melbour ne, interviews approximately 17,000 Au st ra l i a n s eac h yea r, a s it aims to form a national report

OUR TIME

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GRANDMA’S PINEAPPLE HARVEST Despite her age, 60-year-old Emilia Lunag personally manages the marketing of her pineapple harvest right in her backyard in Amballo, Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya. Many of Nanang Milya’s age prefer working at the farm for livelihood and natural exercise. LEONARDO PERANTE II

on topics including household finances, employment, family life and health.

“The HILDA Survey helps to paint a picture of contemporary Australia. It's a crucial tool for policy making and to understand the social and economic direction of the nation,” Wilkins said on Wednesday.

“The data exposes some painful realities in many of the nation’s households. We’re seeing high poverty rates for single-parent families. Almost 20 percent of single parent families are lacking basic essentials,” the report said.

“Nearly 70 percent of all Australians households have received some form of welfare benefits be-

tween 2001 and 2014.”

The report also provided data on Australia’s small businesses, and their tendency to employ fewer people.

Small businesses are more likely to employ men, older people and trade workers, while these jobs tend to be lower wage, part time or casual.

PNA/Xinhua

THE PRODIGAL SON Dear Lord, You told us the parable of the prodigal son to bring home to us the message of Your Father, that is our loving Father who cares for all His children and is ready to forgive even those who have squandered their heritage and their lives. God is a “desertion-proof” Father. His heart is always open to welcome back whoever returns to Him with a sorrowful heart. He does not only welcome the prodigal children who go back to Him, but also reinstates them in their dignity and celebrates their return.

For us who becomes like the prodigal son, may we apologize to You, O Lord, for our past shortcomings and to promise greater faithfulness in the future. Amen!

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

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES The Franchise Asia Philippines 2016 Expo opened on Friday at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. Gracing the event are (from left) Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Johny J. Lumintang; Franklin L. Go, Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) chairman; Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo; PFA President Alan L. Escalona; and Samie Lim, PFA chairman emeritus. With more than 20 years of bringing Asia to the world and the world to Asia, Franchise Asia Philippines provides the platform to help franchises grow not only in the booming Philippine market but also across the Asia-Pacific region. NONIE REYES

P25.00 nationwide | 3 sections 16 pages | 7 days a week

NICKEL EXTENDS GAINS TO 11-MONTH HIGH ON PHL SUPPLY CONCERN

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ickel extended gains to a 11-month high on concern the Philippines’s crackdown on mines is disrupting supplies from the world’s top supplier of nickel ore.

A gauge of mining stocks climbed for the first time in a week.

The new government in the Philippines has pledged to shut mines that fall short of environmental and welfare standards. Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez said on Wednesday that the state plans to suspend shipments from an idled mine owned by the nation’s top refiner, Nickel Asia Corp., while the checkup is conducted.

Inventories of the metal in warehouses tracked by the London Metal Exchange (LME) fell 0.4 percent on Thursday to the lowest since October 2014. Prices also gained as China, the biggest user, said refined nickel imports more than doubled to a record in the first half. Nickel is up 22 percent this year, rebounding from a 42-percent slump in 2015, which was the worst per formance among LME metals.

“Off-exchange nickel inventories are being eaten into by Philippine production curtailments, as this metal continues in its unfamiliar leadership role to

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@lorenzmarasigan

he country’s two telco giants dared the antitrust body to be “transparent to the public” by stating that its transitory rules were in effect when they coacquired their supposedly budding rival in May, something that is crucial in the ongoing probe on the controversial transaction.

Yolanda C. Crisanto, spokesman of

PESO exchange rates n US 47.1630

Globe is disappointed that PCC is not considering this transaction in accordance with its own rules.”

—Crisanto

Globe Telecom Inc., said her group is puzzled by the Philippine Competition Commission’s (PCC) continuous denial that its coacquisition with PLDT Inc. of San Miguel Corp.’s telco assets falls only under the transitory rules and not on the actual implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the competition law.

“It is quite surprising that the PCC has consistently evaded the issue that this transaction falls under Section 4 of Continued on A2

The hike in the global prices of nickel this year the upside,” Michael Turek, the head of base metals at BGC Partners Inc. in New York, said in an e-mail.

Nickel for delivery in three months rose 1.7 percent to settle at $10,760 a metric ton at 5:51 p.m. on the LME, after reaching $10,900, the highest since August 11. Zinc touched a 14-month high, and copper, tin and lead also gained. Aluminum fell.

As disruptions to nickel supply start stacking up, a major Chinese steelmaker said it bought its first ore under a contract from New Caledonia, as users seek to tap alternative sources.

Tsingshan Holding Group Co. sees nickel ore from New Caledonia as a “ good supplement”to supply from the Philippines, according to Kevin He, vice president of the steel company.

The FTSE 350 Mining Index rose 1.8 percent, rebounding from a twoweek low. Vedanta Resources Plc. and Glencore Plc. were among the best performers. Bloomberg News

Cusi still mulling over options on solar-power projects without COE

PCC’s actions puzzling–telcos E

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

22%

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

NERGY Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi continues to assess the agency’s next step in dealing with the solar-power projects that failed to secure a certificate of endorsement (COE) under the second round of the feed-in-tariff (FiT) program.

“Yes, we met a group of them. We are still evaluating options for those who didn’t get the FiT,” the Department of Energy (DOE) chief said in a chance interview.

He said the agency needs more time before it can announce any development.

The DOE recently released the list of solar-power projects that were awarded with COE. Based on the list, 17 solar-power projects, with a combined capacity of 417.05 megawatts (MW), are entitled to receive the subsidized rate of P8.69 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for 20 See “Solar power,” A2

n japan 0.4458 n UK 62.4202 n HK 6.0812 n CHINA 7.0640 n singapore 34.8066 n australia 35.3487 n EU 52.0066 n SAUDI arabia 12.5765

Source: BSP (22 July 2016 )

BMReports BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, July 23, 2016

Asean must act as ‘coalition’ to enforce Unclos–experts F

ollowing the Philippines’s historic win in the Permanent Court of Arbitration, foreign-policy experts called for an Asean “coalition” to address disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea.)

Policy experts presented the possibilities, viability, limitations and implications to regional security of the decision in a forum organized by the Stratbase Albert Del Rosario Institute (ADRi), in

Chinese. . .

partnership with Asia Society Philippines and the Asian Institute of Management.

“It is time for likeminded Asean states, with direct or indirect stakes, to form a coalition

Continued from A1

He declined to identify the airline due to privacy issues, but added that CAB requires all local carriers, which experience cancelled charter services, to file a notice of cancellation with the government agency.

Samodio added that, “when I spoke with the airlines [on Thursday], they said they didn’t know the reason for the cancellation. When I asked them if this was out of the ordinary, they said, ‘no,’ because it’s happened before; their charterers just cancel the flights.”

He also said local carriers have not reported any issues with the Beijing government so far, with regard to their charter permits not being extended or renewed. “The airlines have not raised any concern on the cancellations, otherwise, they would have asked the CAB’s help....It’s hard to speculate the reason behind these cancellations.”

Other local carriers that have charter flights between the Philippines and China are Cebu Pacific Airways and AirAsia Philippines.

On Thursday hotel-industry sources said many Chinese guests have cancelled their trips to the Philippines due to the cancellation of charter flights. (See “Sea-row ruling driving Chinese tourists away - D.O.T. last to know as Chinese cancellations pile up, in the BusinessMirror, July 22, 2016 ) In a text message, Philippine Hotel Owners Association

within and coordinate policy visà-vis South China Sea,” said Prof.

Richard Heydarian, professor at the De La Salle University’s Political Science Department.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are all taking steps to protect their sovereignty in the hotly contested waters, but it’s the Philippines, which sweepingly won an arbitration case that nullified China’s historic claims, that should take the lead, Heydarian added.

Heydarian stressed that the Asean must call for immediate reclamation freeze and reiterate compliance with the United Nations

President Arthur M. Lopez said: “I have received reports of cancellations, particularly to resort hotels, due to the cancellation of charter flights to the Philippines. China, apparently, is not extending permits to charter flights.”

One travel agent enumerated the hotels affected by the Chinese cancellations from July 1 to August 30, as Crown Regency, Montebello Villa Hotel, BE Mactan, and Shangri-La Mactan—all in Cebu—as well as BE Grand Panglao, Panglao Nature Island Resort, Henann Resort Alona Beach, Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort, Flushing Meadows Resort in Panglao and Bellevue Hotel all in Bohol.

Also, the Henann Group’s properties in Boracay are affected by the cancellations, although its management said this had mininum impact on overall occupancy.

Karl Chusuey, vice president for marketing of the Henann Group, said: “It’s actually very minor on our side. It’s either charter flights were cancelled or some of them are scared of coming. But it’s not very alarming.”

He added, “we still have bookings from China coming in.” The Henann Group has five resorts in Boracay and one in Bohol. Aside from Cebu travel agencies, tourism industry sources also cited at least five Manila-based travel agencies handling charter groups of Chinese tourists going to Cebu have also been affected by the cancellations. An industry source said: “I counted six to seven [charter] flights [handled by the Manila travel agencies] from China going to Cebu that are cancelled, as well.”

Most of these charter flights are on Airbus A321 planes and carry 194 passengers. The airlines affected are Philippine

Convention on the Law of the Sea. Dindo Manhit, president of the Stratbase ADRi, said the Philippines must build on its political capital by sending a stern message at the 28th Asean Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR that China, as a rising power, must play a constructive, rather than destabilizing, role in the region.

Albert F. del Rosario, former secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and chairman of Stratbase ADRi, said the recently released ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration “has now charted a new opportunity for Asean mem-

Airlines (PAL) and in China, China Eastern Airlines.

A travel agent, who requested anonymity, said “about 80 percent; the reason [for the cancellations] is because of the decision over the South China Sea.” On July 16 the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled against China’s claimed historical ties over islands and atolls in the South China Sea, based on a case filed by the Philippine government.

The source added that on her end, Cebu Pacific was not affected by the cancellations because “we’ve been told the airline had no available charter flights” for her Chinese tour groups.

A source in the aviation industry confirmed that “PAL has received many cancellations from nervous agents in China.... The curtailed charter flights were to Changsha [Hunan province], Hangzhou and Ningbo, from Cebu and Kalibo.”

But he added that there was no word on disapprovals by the Beijing government nor nonrenewal of charter permits of Philippine carriers.

For her part, Maan Hontiveros, chairman of AirAsia Philippines, said: “We have not been officially informed of this [nonrenewal of charter permits] or on any other restrictions. So everything is normal.”

She added that the carrier has charters to Shanghai, Wenzhou and Wuxi (Jiangsu) in China. It also has a scheduled flight between Hangzhou and Kalibo.

Cebu Pacific declined to comment on its charter operations in China.

bers, claimants or not, to rally once more over the principles that initially brought us together—regional cooperation, shared prosperity and an abiding belief in the moral right of small states to claim the same rights and privileges as anyone else in the our international community. Southeast Asia has a permanent interest in upholding international law.”

Heydarian added that a coalition led by the Philippines should prevent China from trying to occupy other lands, and it should do so without escalating tensions in the already tense region.

Solar power. . .

Continued from A1

years as incentive for investing in solar power.

This list was forwarded to the ERC so it could issue a Certificate of Commerciality (COC) to these projects. Citicore’s 18-MW solar-power project in Mariveles, Bataan, and its 25-MW solar facility in Silay, Negros Occidental, did not make it to the list of projects that the DOE approved.

Also, Negros Island Solar Power Inc. (IslaSol) earlier filed an appeal before the DOE. It asked why its two solar-power projects in Negros failed to make it to the list. The solar-power projects of IslaSol that were not included on the DOE list are the 32-MW La Carlota and the 48-MW Manapla power projects in Negros Occidental.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Solar Developers of the Philippines Inc. (CDSDP) sought an audience with Cusi to discuss the country’s solar-power development.

The CDSDP is composed of seven founding generation companies, including AboitizPower, Bronzeoak, EDC, Equis, NV-VOGT Philippines, SolarPacific and Solar Philippines. These solar-power developers have combined—installed and in operation—capacities of up to 515 MW.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PCC’s actions puzzling– telcos

Continued from a1

PCC Memorandum Circular 16-02; that a mere filing of the notice to the PCC will render the transaction as ‘deemed approved,’” she said on late Thursday.

She was referring to the transitory rules that were in effect on May 30, when the two companies bought out several telecom holding companies of San Miguel to gain access to frequencies. The IRR of the competition law took effect a day after the transaction.

This was supported by Ray C. Espinosa, who heads the regulatory affairs department at PLDT. “The notices were filed on time and contained the essential terms of the transaction. The transaction has been deemed approved by operation of the provisions of the commission’s transitory circulars,” he said.

Espinosa added: “The commission has no power or authority to interpret its rules as it deems fit.

The terms of the commission’s transitory circulars were clear and left no room for interpretation. It behooves the commission to follow its own rules.”

The antitrust body has sought for the review of the transaction, noting that it is not the only deal that is under review. There were 61 transactions closed before the law took effect, and a quarter of this is under review.

What irks the competition council is this: only the duopoly refused the review and the 15 others were fine with it.

But to the commission’s request for more information and documents, the telco players obliged.

“Globe graciously gave these additional documents for their reference and information, though no longer required by their own rules.

Globe even sought a dialogue with the PCC to answer and clear any issue the PCC may have,” Crisanto said.

She added: “Globe is puzzled until now why PCC claims the notice and filing are insufficient.

Globe has bent backward more than it can to accommodate PCC and comply its requests for more information. The PCC, perhaps, might be looking for a nonexistent document.”

Crisanto also urged the competition council to coordinate with the National Telecommunications Commission to learn how the transaction was treated historically and how spectrum was assigned and allocated.

“Globe is disappointed that PCC i s not consider i ng t h i s transaction in accordance with its own rules. This is whimsical and we cannot be subjected to some processes the PCC just conjured for this transaction, and not properly disclosed beforehand. This is in violation of the equal protection and due process clause of the Constitution. This is bad for business,” she said.

Worse, Crisanto added, the anti-tr ust body is employ ing mob rule when it calls for a public forum on a purely adjudicatory matter involving the private rights of the parties to the transaction.

“This is against the law and repugnant to procedural and substantive due process,” she said.

To recall, the two telcos acquired San Miguel’s telco business for P69.1 billion. This transac t ion f reed up t he coveted 700-megahertz (MHz) frequency band, which, according to the players, is the key to improve the current state of the Internet in the Philippines.

It, likewise, gave the two players additional frequencies across all bands.

Before the acquisition of the telco business of San Miguel, which used to hold 345 MHz across different bands, PLDT Inc. held 290 MHz and Globe, 210 MHz.

News BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 23, 2016 A3 Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon

Lopez to push for ecotourism, agroforestry development

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

E

@jonlmayuga

nvironment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez vowed to push for the development of ecotourism and agroforestry areas through the National Greening Program (NGP) to help alleviate hunger and poverty in rural areas.

Lopez said as the chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the massive reforestation program would continue to benefit the poor by making NGP sites areas “ecozones” to boost economic development.

Lopez, who is set to visit the nickel mine of the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp. in Bataraza and two other nickel mines in Palawan, said she would also meet with residents in mining communities and members of civil-society organizations to get inputs and discuss her plans for the island province.

Asked whether she would also visit other large-scale mines after Palawan, Lopez said her intention is to talk first to the affected communities to know how the government can help them improve their lives.

“I am going to go there to talk to the communities of Berong [Nickel Corp.] mines and City Nickel mines to know how to help them,” Lopez said. I want to talk to the civil society in Palawan and the DENR officials there. I have money under the National Greening…and I want to know how I can help them,” Lopez said.

I would like to utilize the NGP money to create economic zones in the country. Not just tree planting, but agroforestry.

I want to do it with civic society [and] convert some of those areas into tourism zones.”—Lopez On July 18 Lopez announced that she had ordered to suspend the operation of Berong Nickel Corp.’s mine in Palawan because of the damage to corals.

Berong is the third nickel mines to be slapped with a suspension order under Lopez’s watch, barely a month after she took office as DENR chief.

An environmental advocate, Lopez said NGP partners should benefit from the huge budget allocated for the program through agroforestry and ecotourism, citing as a model the success of the La Mesa Nature Reserve, which she said has generated funds through ecotourism. “I would like to utilize the NGP money to create economic zones in the country. Not just tree planting, but agroforestry. I want to do it with civic society [and] convert some of those areas into tourism zones,” she said.

Lopez said the La Mesa Nature Reserve is generating P40 million a year through ecotourism. The La Mesa Nature Reserve being managed by ABS-CBN’s corporate social responsibility arm.

“There is money in agroforestry and ecotourism. Our La Mesa Eco Park is now generating P40 million a year. Can you imagine that? That is a lot of money,” she said. Lopez had earlier vowed to help the wood industry by allowing them access to public lands to establish more plantation forests under the NGP. Aside from native, fruit-bearing and fuel-wood trees, some of the NGP sites are also being used for agroforestry for the production of high-value crops, like coffee, cacao and rubber. Some areas are also used for timber production to augment the country’s domestic supply of wood.

Ricardo Calderon, director of DENR’s Forest Management Bureau (FMB) said the current direction of the NGP will be aligned with Lopez’s directive. Next year, he said more fruit-bearing trees and high-value crops would be planted.

“Our DENR field offices are now conducting site assessments.

This is a continuing activity,” he said. Calderon, the national coordinator of the NGP, added that the massive reforestation activities are in fact being implemented by the DENR’s partners under the Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) program. Although a reforestation initiative, the NGP is also a climate changemitigation strategy, as it seeks to enhance the country’s carbonabsorption capacity. The program is also designed to generate green jobs to help reduce poverty and mitigate hunger in rural areas.

The NGP, which aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of open, degraded and denuded forest from 2010 to 2016 is now on its last year of implementation, and the DENR is now preparing for the implementation of the Expanded-NGP next year, which would cover 7.1 million hectares until 2028.

Calderon said Lopez’s instruction is to conduct more consultations with communities to get the people more involved and provide inputs from those who would benefit from the NGP.

LTFRB eyes policy review on accreditation of TNVS

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

I

f you are planning on buying a car for commercial use—say, as an Uber or Grab vehicle—think again, because the government is now reviewing the rules on tech-based transport services.

Transportation Spokesman Cherie Mercado-Santos said the Department of Tranportation is moving towards a review of the existing rules on transport-network vehicle services (TNVS) and, thus, suspending the application for franchises.

“The rationale behind the suspension is the volume of pending applications and the review of existing rules,” she said, referring to a memorandum issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Thursday.

Data from the regulator showed that there are 27,062 applications received, involving 29,151 units.

Broken down, there are 4,808 Grab franchise applications, involving 5,727 units; 22,126 Uber franchise applications, involving 23,293 units; and 128 Uberhop applicants with 131 units.

This means that some applications involve more than one vehicle.

“Applications already filed will be assessed and resolved in accordance with existing rules,” Mercado said.

Grab Philippines Country Head Brian Cu said he respects the decision of the LTFRB on revisiting the policies of TNVS. “Consistent review of regulations

Strengthening Manila-Texas ties

Delegates from the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), a US regulatory government agency which has long been considered the model framework for oil-and-gas regulation in the United States, led by its Chairman David Porter (third from left), discuss ways to strengthen the relationship between the state of Texas and the Philippines during their courtesy call on Trade Undersecretary for Investments Promotion Nora Terrado (right) at the Board of Investments. They are joined by Jason Isaac (from left) Texas State representative (District 45); Chris Hosek, principal—Texas Star Alliance; and Carlos Espinosa, director of RRC. PNA photo courtesy of BOI Infocomms

for businesses, like ours, will ensure the improvement of our services for all our stakeholders and strengthen the entire industry. We are hopeful that the playing field will be leveled among all transport providers and that this will direct the focus on providing the best passenger and driver experience,” he said.

He added that his camp will help the regulator in strengthening the policies and regulations, which will help push for the betterment of the transportation industry. “We would like to respectfully request to be included in the dialogue, because we firmly believe that we are part of the solution to the issues of the industry.”

The TNVS category was created by the transport agencies last year in order to better serve the commuting public, particularly by providing a modern, convenient, and safer alternative to taxis, UV Express and others.

It has also encouraged private car users to leave their vehicles at home in favor of ride-sharing services.

A4 Saturday, July 23, 2016 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

editorial

Why the trust rating matters

L

ock 10 people in a room and you will have an impossible time getting nine of them to fully agree on anything—except maybe on leaving the room.

The Pulse Asia survey, which rated the public’s “trust” on top government officials, is important. We must assume that the respondents all used a similar defiant of trust. That is the “belief that someone reliable, good, honest and effective,” and have assured “reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone in which confidence is placed.”

President Duterte’s trust rating broke down as follows; 91 percent “big trust”, 8 percent “undecided”, and 0.2 percent “small/no trust”. Considering that 61 percent of the voters cast their presidential ballot for another candidate, to see this survey result is somewhat amazing.

Certainly, all newly inaugurated presidents get a “honeymoon” period from the public. President Benigno S. Aquino III’s first trust rating was 85 percent.

However, continuing controversy surrounded President Duterte even before he was officially declared as a candidate and has only intensified since winning the election.

Why do we trust a person whether a political leader, a company executive, or even the head of our own family? What do we expect from a person in whom we place our confidence?

We expect clarity. While we may not agree with what the “boss” decides, we want to know exactly what he or she has in mind. What is announced as policy or objectives on Monday should not be subject to personal or group interpretation. Further, Monday’s goals and plans should not change by the time Friday rolls around. We want to have the leader be consistent in word and action.

Every guide to good parenting says rules must be clearly stated and then adhered to without confusion. Otherwise, children lose confidence—and trust—in their parents.

It is also important that the person in charge displays “command” qualities. This character trait is not as easily definable, but we know it when we see it. Be in an office full of people in a high-rise building during an earthquake and you know exactly what command responsibility looks like. One person immediately accepts the role of leading others safely down the stairs and others accept that leadership.

The archetype of command leadership that people can trust is found in the military, where lives depend on confidence in the general. US Gen. George Patton lived by his idea that “Always do everything you ask of those you command.”

People can only give full trust to someone who they believe understands their own personal situation.

Finally, it is difficult to trust a leader who does not take full responsibility.

A boss who walks in and says poor company performance is a result of prior management has already lost trust. This is because no matter how bad the leader does in the future, it will be someone else’s fault.

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Heads in the sand John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

I

t is a complete myth that ostriches bury their heads in the sand.

They are only turning their eggs several times a day, which are in sand-nests. It is only humans that bury their heads when faced with unpleasant truths.

Certainly, no one likes bad news.

It is a real bummer to wake up in the morning and read in the newspapers about death and disaster. However, the genuine disaster comes with people who choose to ignore what is going on around them. On Thursday I wrote about people who prefer to “remain ignorant.” But the greatest danger to society comes from those who are not ignorant but who are complacent and bury their heads in the sand.

The mythical ostrich that these people emulate knows there is danger and prefers to ignore it. Many Filipino ancestors did not behave that way, otherwise, Spanish would

be the official language of the Philippines, or an American civil governor would be living in Malacañan Palace.

The rise of Japanese military nationalism—that led to the invasion of and atrocities in the Philippines —is ignored because Japan might help the country in its battle with China. The fact that the United States may move to more isolationism under the potential presidency of Donald Trump ignores the catastrophe of US “globalization” in the Middle East.

There used to be a time that people took control of their lives and faced problems head on. Every

The people buried their heads about their national security, about personal liberties and about the economies that provide their quality of living for too long. No longer. Here is a fact about ostriches that is not a myth. While just a “big bird,” a threatened ostrich is so strong that a single blow from its powerful, long legs can kill a lion or cheetah with a single forward kick. nation is facing this same problem.

No one welcomes a war against that, which is wrong, but often it is inevitable. It seems like not too long ago that drug pushers were often dealt with by ordinary citizens. I can remember when unsavory characters in the barangay were “invited” by local barangay tanod and escorted out of town. Corrupt barangay officials found that angry citizens were stronger than elections and a mayor’s protection.

Sure, the latest “war on drugs” is horrifying. Equally horrifying is a Chinese national almost openly

attempting to smuggle 5 kilograms of shabu into the Philippines, appearing to have expected a prepayment to someone to allow the drugs to come in. Do we bury our heads about the latter to avoid the former?

Around the globe for the last many decades, people gave power to governments to protect them and to provide for them. As France’s opposition leader Marie Le Pen said in the aftermath of the latest terrorist attack, “This is the result of a state failing in its first priority, which is the protection of our citizens.”

The people buried their heads about their national security, about personal liberties and about the economies that provide their quality of living for too long. No longer.

Here is a fact about ostriches that is not a myth. While just a “big bird,” a threatened ostrich is so strong that a single blow from its powerful, long legs can kill a lion or cheetah with a single forward kick.

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

Donald Trump’s dark vision

D

onald Trump was true to form on Thursday in his speech accepting the Republican Party’s nomination for president of the United States. He stoked fears by painting a dark, dystopian image of a country overwhelmed by violent crime and under siege by illegal immigrants. He made pie-in-the-sky promises that were divorced from both reality and rationality. He called for a new era of isolationism, in which America would retreat from the world order that generations of citizens sacrificed so much to build and sustain. And beyond the slogan he never tires of repeating, he offered no sense of faith in America’s great strengths.

In short: It was the most disturbing, demagogic and deluded acceptance speech by any major party nominee in the modern political era. It’s no wonder so many Republicans—including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich—are refusing to endorse Trump. When the idea of “voting your conscience” becomes a source of division within a party, something is terribly wrong.

The primary election campaign made clear that Republicans are looking for a miracle worker, but with none in the field, they opted for the snake-oil salesmen instead.

Trump pitches himself as an ultrasuccessful businessman, but scratch-

ing the story’s surface makes clear that it is—like so many others he tells—a mirage. At a time when the US needs a prudent and responsible manager, Trump most emphatically does not fit the bill.

Over the past year, he has run a campaign that has been almost entirely devoid of substance and full of ill-conceived and ill-considered ideas. Just this week, for example, Trump indicated he would be willing to abandon America’s commitment to its European allies in North Atlantic Treaty Organization. That ironclad principle—an attack on any member-country is an attack on all—was essential to victory in the Cold War and it remains essential

TRUMP

to discouraging Russia and other countries from disrupting the era of peace and democracy that has spread across Europe.

Trump’s speech identified a few real problems: crumbling infrastructure, failing schools, excessive regulation, increasing safety concerns, high health-care costs.

But, as on the campaign trail, he offered almost no details on how he would tackle them. Instead, he just preached doom and gloom.

Trump’s campaign manager indi-

cated that the speech would evoke Richard Nixon’s 1968 acceptance speech, in which Nixon portrayed the country at the brink of chaos. It did, and not just by repeatedly using the phrase “law and order.”

But the speech was more reflective of a line uttered by Nixon’s VicePresident Spiro Agnew, who said: “We have more than our share of nattering nabobs of negativism.” That’s still true. And now there is one at the top of the Republican ticket.

Bloomberg View

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph

Opinion

Beijing backup

Pope Francis: ‘Peace in Syria is possible!’

BusinessMirror

Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual

Teddy Locsin Jr.

SERVANT LEADER

Free fire

O

FFICIAL and public opinion in the West and throughout the East outside of China has surrendered. The Asian Southeast view is downright duplicitous, with Asean turds on the mainland hoping to use our victory at the Hague both as a bargaining chip in their own talks with China and as a reason for China to offer them the fig leaf of friendship if they will join China against us—which is, of course, ridiculous, because Asean is worthless in military, diplomatic and economic terms.

Even in the United States no one denies that China can do as it pleases with the Hague decision.

Expert American opinion acknowledges that China is unbeatable in the short term, though perhaps not in the long haul with economic sanctions, American military strategist John Mearsheimer argued.

But then, as Keynes famously said, in the long run we are all dead. So we’re screwed but only in the sense that we are screwed if we don’t screw our Asean allies ahead.

In the coming talks, former President Fidel V. Ramos will not be able to wing this with his trademark charm. He needs backup, right from the get go. The first impression he must make, unless he wants to be toyed with, is that his hands are tied.

The constant presence of two other heavyweights will show that.

This is just a suggestion, but it should be taken because it is right.

One would be an idiot to ignore it.

Ramos needs backup in Beijing— nice alliteration that. And only two will do. And no one else.

The first is the brightest Filipino mind in foreign affairs since independence, Letty Ramos Shahani. The others were just parroting America in the Cold War. The second is the best foreign affairs secretary that this or any other country would be lucky to have—and we had him: Albert F. del Rosario, victor of the Hague.

Del Rosario radiates intelligence and integrity in peerless measure.

He walks with effortless gravity.

We need to talk that walk in China.

He needs to be there as proof that a change of administration did not change the Filipino stand on the South China Sea. Ramos’s bonhomie won’t cut it.

And there should be no attempt at levity, to which he is inclined. The Chinese have no sense of humor. Notice that there is no Chinese version of Jerry Seinfeld, Cosmo Kramer, George Costanza or Newman.

Shahani exudes a genuine gravity, as well. Deep study, long experience and old age can do that for you—although some old people stay as stupid as when they were young, a kind of eternal youth.

Letty can be hard at times but she never fails to be elegant in mind and manner. And the Chinese admire gravity and grace. Simone Weil extolled that combination.

Only the combined witness of Letty and Albert, at every turn in the talks, can impart the wide credibility that cannot be attained without their presence. Likewise will their combined presence impart to the result the wide acceptability that is impossible in the absence of these two.

And no one else will do.

Bilateral talks will amount to nothing if we cannot believe that nothing else passed under the table. We cannot believe without the witness of these two that nothing passed.

We will not take anyone’s sole word for what really happened in the talks nor should we. President Duterte said in his inaugural that the real problem of the country today is that no one respects the government.

He will change that—but only after six years. Meanwhile, he will not ask for our trust; he will not ask for a blind vote of confidence. He abhors obscurity and behind-the-scenes activity as much as he abhors drugs.

He scorns secret deals for any reason whatsoever. Indeed, Mr. Duterte did not ask us for anything but to watch him deliver on his promises.

Clearly, alongside Ramos, we need del Rosario and Shahani standing a little bit behind him, but there all the time. This country cannot afford to be torn apart again by the suspicion that everything is not what it seems; the way it was torn apart by the foreign-concocted and locally served up—poisoned dish of the Bangsamoro basic law.

I

n support to the “Syria: Peace is Possible” campaign of Caritas Internationalis, His Holiness Pope Francis appealed to end the war in Syria, saying there is no military solution for Syria, but only a political solution in his video message released on July 5.

Pope Francis urged the international community to support the peace talks in Syria and he also encouraged all the faithful around the world to offer their prayers of hope, peace and unity. Here is the transcript of Pope Francis’s message: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I want to speak to you about something that saddens my heart a lot: the war in Syria, now in its fifth year. It is a situation of unspeakable

suffering that the Syrian people are victims of, forced to survive under bombs or to find escape routes to other countries or areas of Syria that are less war-torn: to leave their own home, everything…I also think about the Christian communities, which I give my full support to for the discrimination they have to bear.

So I want to turn to all the faithful and those that are committed, with Caritas, to the construction of a more just society. While the people

BLOOMBERG VIEW

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resident Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey seems to be taking increasingly extreme measures in reaction to the thwarted coup last weekend. Yet, Turkey may be forced to democratize following the attempted military takeover and Erdogan’s purges. Coups, both successful and failed, have been shown to increase the likelihood of democratization in authoritarian countries.

Research by Clayton Thyne of the University of Kentucky and Jonathan Powell of the University of Central Florida showed that, in countries where coups have been successful, “leaders have incentives to democratize quickly in order to establish political legitimacy and economic growth.” And in countries such as Turkey that have experienced failed coups, these events are “credible signals that leaders must enact meaningful reforms to remain in power.”

Erdogan has long engaged in practices known as coup-proofing.

Primarily, the moderate Islamist has strengthened the police at the expense of the traditionally secu-

larist military. The 190,000-strong police force is one-third the size of the army, it’s well-trained and wellequipped, and it is led by cadres loyal to the regime.

Under Erdogan, the roles of the police forces’s intelligence department and of the separate intelligence service, the MIT, have grown.

They, too, have been filled with loyalists. The regime has done its best to foster political divisions within the military, and systematic restrictions on secularist media have given Erdogan more control over what the Turkish public sees and hears.

Some of these measures worked.

The coup plotters found no support within the military outside their

suffer, incredible quantities of money are being spent to supply weapons to fighters. And some of the countries supplying these arms are also among those that talk of peace. How can you believe in someone who caresses you with the right hand and strikes you with the left hand? I encourage all, adults and young people, to live the Holy Year of Mercy enthusiastically to overcome indifference and proclaim with strength that peace in Syria is possible! Peace in Syria is possible!

For this, we are called to embody this Word of God: “I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord.

“They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) The invitation is to pray for peace in Syria and for its people at prayer vigils, at awareness-raising initiatives in groups, parishes and in communities, to spread the message of peace, a message of unity and hope.

Works of peace then follow prayer. I invite you to call on those who are involved in peace negotiations to

take these agreements seriously and to make every effort to facilitate access to humanitarian aid.

Everyone has to recognize that there is no military solution for Syria, but only a political solution.

The international community must, therefore, support the peace talks heading toward the construction of a government of national unity.

Let’s join forces, at all levels, to ensure that peace in beloved Syria is possible. Now that really will be a great example of mercy and love lived for the good of all the international community!

May the Lord bless you and may Mary Most Holy protect you.

Thank you.

To know more about Caritas Manila, visit www. caritasmanila.org.ph. For your donations, please call our DonorCare lines 563-9311, 564-0205, 0999-7943455, 0905-4285001 and 0929-8343857.

Make it a habit to listen to Radio Veritas 846 in the AM band, or through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph. For comments, e-mail veritas846pr@ gmail.com.

Where is the Philippines in travel and tourism?

Jemain Tinio Diaz de Rivera

Forward Moving

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raveling is a part of life. Some travel for pleasure, others for work. We either move around by land, sea or air.

According to the Department of Tourism, earnings gained from tourism activities from January to May this year is about P106.6 billion and recorded a double-digit growth of 13.53 percent, compared to P93.91 billion earnings for the same period last year.

For the month of May, the average daily expenditure (ADE) of a visitor is P5,580.24, showing 21.75percent increase from the ADE in May 2015.

For the month of May 2016, visitors from Korea is still the top spending market with a total expenditure of P7.5 billion. Visitors from the United States remained to be the second-biggest spending market, with receipts amounting to P3.6 billion. The top 8 spending markets in the Philippines are Japan, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hongkong, China and India.

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) is the country’s primary port of entry, welcoming 68.42 percent of the total visitors. Cebu welcomes 16.94 percent of travelers, while Kalibo receives 9.38 percent

of total arrivals. The Clark International Airport (CIA), together with the other airports, accumulated only 5.26 percent of arrivals. The CIA is truly underutilized.

There is also an increase in the number of visitors coming for cruise tourism, this segment proved to be one of the fastestgrowing segment in Philippine tourism, with Puerto Princesa welcoming a significant volume.

The Korean market remains the biggest visitor market of the country, followed by the US, China, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Canada, UK, Singapore and Malaysia.

The Philippines can make itself a tourism capital in Asia Pacific, despite the fact that it ranked No. 74 out of 141 countries. At the top of the list are Spain, France, Germany, the

Erdogan will need to liberalize Turkey to survive Leonid Bershidsky

Saturday, July 23, 2016 A5

own faction, and loyal police officers fought the rebellious military units.

The media strategy didn’t work, as well—it was a secularist media company that first allowed Erdogan to address the nation on the night of the coup.

Erdogan has clearly decided to take no chances. By Thursday, 9,194 people had been arrested, according to the Hurriyet newspaper. Of these, 1,000 were police officers— the president mistrusts even those largely loyal forces. Along with 7,500 arrests in the military, there have been tens of thousands of suspensions and firings in the education system, judiciary and government bureaucracy. Erdogan, who has blamed a longtime opponent, the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, for the coup, is likely working from lists of suspected Gulenists. In the education system, he appears to be trying to weed out secularism and may be planning to install more religion-friendly deans and teachers.

On Thursday he initiated a threemonth emergency regime—which essentially allows direct presidential rule, giving Erdogan powers he lacks under the constitution. Turkey has also suspended its adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights, probably meaning that some form of extrajudicial

Erdogan has long engaged in practices known as coupproofing. Primarily, the moderate Islamist has strengthened the police at the expense of the traditionally secularist military. The 190,000-strong police force is one-third the size of the army, it is well-trained and well-equipped, and it is led by cadres loyal to the regime.

punishment will be applied. All of this is scaring away investors who are dumping Turkish bonds. The lira is down sharply, and the purges have given rise to speculation that Erdogan might be moving toward an Islamic republic.

These measures give no indication that the failed coup is going to pave the way for more democracy.

And yet, democratization is a likely longer-term outcome.

Working with a data set of all successful and attempted coups in authoritarian countries between 1950 and 2008, Thyne and Powell showed in a 2014 paper that successful coups can provide the shock that is “almost always necessary to budge staunchly

US, the UK, Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Japan and Canada. The Philippines is extensive and varied, and the government must have a high level of commitment to travel and tourism (T&T), which needs impressive transport infrastructure; high degrees of information and communications technology readiness and openness; and outstanding human resources.

To stand out, the Philippines needs to value natural and cultural resources, and protect the environment.

The Philippines needs digital connectivity and infrastructure between the most and least advanced communities. It should also restrain rampant environmental degradation. Rapid urbanization and industrialization are significantly impacting air quality and forest and ocean ecosystems.

Australia, Japan, Singapore, China, India and Indonesia are doing well in T&T in the region based on the T&T Competitiveness Index 2015 for Asia Pacific, which is calculated on the basis of data derived from the Executive Opinion Survey and quantitative data from other sources. The survey data is derived from responses to the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey. The Philippines must prioritize improvement in safety and security, transport and infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources. Health and hygiene, and ICT readiness also needs immediate attention to attract visitors for

business and leisure.

Safety and security covers: business costs of crime and violence; reliability of police services; business costs of terrorism; index of terrorism incidence; homicide rate.

Infrastructure focuses: air transport infrastructure; ground and port infrastructure; tourist service infrastructure. Natural and cultural resources: natural resources; cultural resources and business travel. Health and hygiene includes physician density; access to improved sanitation; access to improved drinking water; hospital beds; HIV prevalence; Malaria incidence. ICT readiness incorporates: ICT use for businessto-business transactions; Internet use for business-to-consumer transactions; individuals using the Internet; broadband Internet subscribers; mobile-telephone subscriptions; mobile broadband subscriptions; mobile network coverage; quality of electricity supply.

The country has beautiful sites to offer. Filipinos are hospitable, resourceful and entrepreneurial. Business is booming in Centers of Excellence and Next Wave Cities. Visitors are coming for business, health and leisure. Information technology and business-process management investors and employees are not only looking for a place to work and sleep, but would also need a place where they can rest and entertain their family and friends.

authoritarian regimes off their continued path of repression.” Failed coups often have a similar effect, they wrote: Unlike rebellions and riots, which can be cast off by leaders as mere hooliganism, an attack from other elites within the state serves as a credible signal that the situation must change drastically for the leader to retain power. Even as the leader declares victory for thwarting a coup attempt, he cannot be certain how many plotters continue to exist and whether their antiregime fervor was emboldened or impaired by the attempted coup. This is particularly true, given that surviving a coup does not change the underlying conditions that led to the coup in the first place.

Thyne and Powell used the Polity IV index as the measure of democracy. By that standard, Turkey is more democratic than most countries where coups have taken place. A previous experience with democracy is another strong predictor of postcoup democratization.

After surviving a coup, the researchers wrote, a leader could—and usually did—engage in coup-proofing, seeking to purge the elite, divide or weaken the military, give more power to loyal units. This, however, usually results in the weakening of the country’s military capability, and

Turkey cannot afford that: It’s waging a war against Kurdish separatists, and it’s important for Western efforts in Syria.

Within this logic, Erdogan’s crackdown has to be short-lived. He needs to show potential coup plotters that the cost of rebelling can be prohibitively high, but plunging the country into a prolonged period of suspicion, purges, economic uncertainty and military weakness is out of the question if Erdogan wants to consolidate his grip on power.

For the moment, however, the Turkish leader appears to be angry and caught up in short-term thinking. He’s lashing out at Europe and the United States, partly in an attempt to shore up domestic loyalty, and he’s looking for potential enemies everywhere. He hasn’t, however, held on to power since 2003 by thinking short term. At some point, he will need to think about the underlying reasons for the coup. He’ll need to scale back the reprisals and make an effort to lure back investors. Turkey may yet become a less restrictive country than it was before the coup.

That, of course, is only a theoretical possibility. Yet, coup-proofing is never 100-percent effective, and unless Erdogan pauses in his fury, he may face a better-organized revolt down the road.

A6 Saturday, July 23, 2016 • Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo

The Nation BusinessMirror

Cops bag first ‘big-time drug lord’

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By Rene Acosta

@reneacostaBM

N alleged big-time Chinese drug lord was killed on Friday during a police raid on a clandestine drug laboratory in Valenzuela City, making him the first casualty among the highvalue targets (HVTs) in the intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

Meco Tan was killed after he allegedly shot it out with members of the raiding teams from the police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG), the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Northern Police District (NPD).

Five other suspects, all of them Chinese, were arrested during the raid that was carried out at around 4 a.m. on what is known as a plastics factory but actually a laboratory

producting methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, at barangay Lingunan, Valenzuela City.

Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa, National Police chief, personally went to the site and inspected the compound. He vowed that Tan would not be the last big-time drug lord to fall from the campaign against illegal drugs.

Chief Insp. Kimberly Molitas, Metro Manila police command spokesman, said Tan was an HVT

Smartmatic execs admit existence of other servers

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HE camp of former Sen. Ferdinand E. Marcos Jr. on Friday expressed elation over the admission of Smartmatic that there were not just one but several other servers that were used in the automated-election system (AES) apart from those sanctioned by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) during the May elections.

Lawyer Vic Rodriguez, official spokesman of Marcos, said there was a major breakthrough in the case with the admission of Marlon Garcia, head of the Technical Support Team of Smartmatic, that aside from the three servers sanctioned by the Comelec in the transmission of votes, there also existed a “meetme room” where several servers were housed.

“This is a good day for Senator Marcos’s quest for truth because they [Smartmatic personnel] finally admitted the existence of several other servers aside from the three legally authorized servers,” Rodriguez said.

Marcos’s camp earlier revealed the existence of a “fourth server” or the “queue server,” which had been kept secret from the public by both the Comelec and Smartmatic.

Rodriguez pointed out that instead of the votes being transmitted directly to the three servers, namely, the Municipal Board of Canvassing Server, the Comelec server and the transparency server, the results were first coursed through a queue server.

This queue server was not revealed to the public and was never subjected to a source-code review, unlike the other servers used in the elections, Rodriguez said. He added that there were no watchers allowed for the said server.

Ever since the camp of Marcos made the disclosure about the existence of the queue server in May, both the Comelec and Smartmatic have been tight-lipped on its existence.

However, during the clarificatory hearing at the Manila Prosecutors’ Office on the violation of the anticybercrime law complaint filed by former Party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz of Abakada against Smartmatic and Comelec personnel, Garcia admitted that there existed a meet-me room, where the several servers were located.

When the prosecuting panel started asking clarificatory questions, infor mation- technolog y expert Ethan Angeles explained that the queue server was a system wherein all the election data would be first consolidated and processed before releasing the same to the public. It was only then that Garcia denied there was, indeed, such a server.

Rodriguez said the admission of the existence of several other servers in the AES validated their earlier contention that, indeed, Smartmat-

ic was not forthright in the system it employed during the elections, putting the integrity of the May polls under a cloud of doubt.

Simply stated, the election results, which were televised in public, did not come directly from the transparency servers, as mandated by law. Instead, the results were first transmitted to a queue server, where they were “consolidated and processed,” and it was this queue server that sent the data to the socalled transparency servers.

Charged with violation of Section 4(a) of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, or Republic Act 10175, were Garcia, a Venezuelan; Elie Moreno, an Israeli and Smartmatic project director; Neil Baniqued and Mauricio Herrera, both members of the Technical Support Team and Comelec informationtechnology experts, led by Peñalba, Nelson Herrera and Frances Mae Gonzalez, who are all assigned at the Information Technology Department (ITD).

Aside from acknowledging the existence of the other servers, Garcia also admitted that he introduced changes in the transparency server and that he did so with the concurrence of Peñalba.

Rodriguez pointed out, however, that Garcia’s claim was inconsistent with the earlier pronouncements made by Peñalba in an urgent memorandum he submitted before the Comelec, wherein he stated that he never authorized the change in the script because he did not have any authority to give consent on the matter.

“During the clarificatory hearing, Garcia admitted that even without any authority, he changed the script in the system. He committed another blunder when he told the panel that he got his authority from Comelec employee Rouie Peñalba. Based on Rouie Peñalba’s urgent memorandum dated May 11, however, he expressly stated two things—one, that he did not authorize Marlon Garcia to tinker with the system and second, that he himself did not have any authority from the Comelec to allow anybody to tinker with the system,” he pointed out.

Rodriguez also lauded the decision of the investigating panel hearing the violation of the anticybercrime law complaint not to allow Smartmatic to motu proprio make an audio visual presentation on the AES, since this was against accepted procedural rules to make such presentation without being ordered by the prosecutors.

When the hearing ended, the investigating panel ordered the respondents to submit their rejoinder and answer the clarificatory questions raised by the complainant, after which all the parties were given 10 days to submit their respective memoranda. Joel R. San Juan

and had been in two clandestine shabu laboratories that were discovered by law-enforcement agencies during the past years.

“He was involved in the clandestine laboratory operation in Naic, Cavite, some time in 2003 with Jackson Dy, where, more or less, 600 kilograms of shabu were confiscated. He was also involved in the clandestine laboratory operation in Scout Chuatoco in Quezon City, where more than 70 kg of shabu and 3,500 kg of ephedrine were confiscated,” Molitas said of Tan. “However subject always eluded arrest and continue with his nefarious activities until his death after he traded shots with the combined elements of PDEA-Special Enforcement Service, AIDG, HPG, Valenzuela City police and NPD,” she added.

Meanwhile, the National Police warned “nonperforming” police commanders to perform in the antiillegal drugs campaign in the next three weeks or face removal from their posts.

Chief Supt. Camilo Pancratius

Cascolan, the force’s director for operations, said chiefs of police and provincial directors in Regions 2 and 4A, and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) must work harder or they will be replaced.

“We will be coming out with our evaluation today for the past three weeks and we will warn them that they have to intensely double their efforts to catch up,” Cascolan said.

“In a span of six weeks, many chiefs of police and provincial directors who are not performing well would be relieved. That goes also for deputy regional directors for operations because they are the vice chairmen of ‘Double Barrel’ in their respective regions,” he added.

Cascolan said that, based on the data gathered by the National Police general headquarters at Camp Rafael Crame in Quezon City, Regions 2 and 4A, and ARMM conducted less than 1,000 house visitations and registered a low number of arrested peddlers of illegal drugs.

“We will ask them [commanders] about the drive in their areas...why

was it low? Together with that, we will try to see the peculiarity of each area,” Cascolan said, citing that in ARMM it is understood that house visitation or Oplan Tukhang is low, owing to the security situation in the region.

Cascolan said the ax will initially fall on nonperforming chiefs of police, provincial directors and deputy regional directors for operations soon. On the other hand, regional directors will be evaluated after three months.

Cascolan said that, as of 6 a.m. on Friday, a total of 239 persons have been killed since the intensified antidrug campaign was launched on July 1.

Of the number, 212 were killed during police operations, while the others were summarily executed by unknown perpetrators.

“We don’t just hit them if they do not fight us,” he added.

Cascolan said a total of 109,054 drug users have voluntarily yielded, while 2,994 were arrested and 711 pushers gave themselves up to police.

Yasay seen to change tune, expected to rally Asean members vs China in Laos meeting

By Recto Mercene @rectomercene

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OREIGN Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay Jr. is expected to rally other member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to stand united behind the Philippines against China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute during the 49th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in Lao PDR, from July 23 to 26.

This is Yasay’s first Asean ministerial meeting since taking the helm of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in July.

The meeting will be Asean’s first regional meeting since an international arbitration tribunal on July 12 rejected China’s claims to most of the South China Sea and its creation of artificial islands.

The ruling was a victory for the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, who have overlapping claims in the strategic waterways where one third of the world’s shipborne trade passes through.

Lao PDR is hosting the AMM as the Asean chairman for 2016. The country has adopted the theme: “Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic Asean Community” during its chairmanship.

The DFA said aside from the AMM, Yasay will also attend the Ministerial Meetings of the Asean Plus Three, Asean Regional Forum (ARF) and East Asia Summit (EAS), as well as the Asean PostMinisterial Conference (PMC) with Dialogue Partners, such as China, India, Canada, Australia and the United States.

The grouping has long been divided on the South China Sea issue,

Yasay

with nations, such as Cambodia, preventing it from uniting on the issue, fearful of offending one of their largest trade and investment partners.

Lao PDR has been a recipient of China’s economic largesse in the form of foreign investments and is one of its largest aid donors.

China has even offered to build Lao PDR a high-speed railway linking southern China’s Kunming to the Lao capital Vientiane.

In return, Lao PDR provides China with access and a certain degree of political support in the region.

When Cambodia hosted Asean meetings in 2012, China successfully lobbied its communist neighbor to avoid mentioning the West Philippine Sea dispute. That year’s main meeting of foreign ministers broke up without a joint communiqué, a regular feature for more than 40 years.

The Duterte administration, which had earlier said it is willing to negotiate with China bilaterally, had changed its tune after the latter refused to include the tribunal ruling on West Philippine Sea among the topics.

Beijing rejected that decision and said it won’t change its strategy.

In the aftermath, China started

sending long-range bombers over the Scarborough Shoal and said that henceforth, the patrol would be a regular part of their reconnaissance over the contested sea.

China also said it would not halt the construction of artificial islands in the Spratlys.

The 10-member Asean, whose military regularly exerts its right to sail and fly through the South China Sea, has tread lightly in the wake of the tribunal ruling. The invidividual members have issued reserved statements calling for respect for international law but have not pushed China to withdraw its claims.

The meeting in Lao PDR will culminate with a leaders’ summit, including US President Barack Obama in September.

The DFA added that Yasay is also scheduled to attend the meetings of the South East Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Commission, AMM Interface with the Asean Intergovernmental Commission for Human Rights Representatives, and the Southwest Pacific Dialogue.

“The secretary will share the Philippines’s perspectives on Asean Community building, the developments in the South China Sea and Korean Peninsula and pressing issues of regional concern including violent extremism, trafficking in persons, illegal drugs and climate change, among others,” a DFA statement said.

“At the sidelines of the AMM, the secretary will have bilateral meetings with several counterparts to exchange views on matters affecting bilateral relations and common concerns on global and regional issues,” the statement also said.

MILF, MNLF agree to end Mindanao conflict–Dureza

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RESIDENTIAL Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza on Thursday welcomed as “positive” the convergence of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in putting closure to the Mindanao conflict.

The MILF and the largest of three MNLF factions, led by former Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, had twice forged in recent months a deal binding both camps to find a common solution to the now 45-year Moro rebellion.

Sema’s group has more than 20 “revolutionary states” scattered across the country’s south and in all of the five component provinces of

the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“There is an apparent convergence and inclusivity now in each other’s peace-building initiatives.

This is what we want, a peace process involving all stakeholders,” Dureza said on Thursday at the sidelines of his breakfast meeting with MILF Chairman Hadji Murad Ebrahim.

The two-hour meeting was held at Camp Darapanan, the MILF’s main enclave at the northwest of Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao. It was the first official engagement between the MILF and Malacañang under President Duterte.

They talked about the pros-

pects of the peace process under the Duterte administration and agreed to resume with all bilateral initiatives complementing all agreements between the MILF and Malacañang, stalled by the recent synchronized local and national elections.

Dureza said he found beneficial to the peace process the agreement of the MILF and the MNLF-Sema group to a common formula for lasting peace in the south.

The MILF and the MNLF-Sema group had earlier said, in bilateral press communiqués, their initiatives are meant to synchronize each other’s concepts on how to best address the Mindanao Moro issue. PNA

news@businessmirror.com.ph

SC asked to void curfew ordinances

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

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YOU T H g roup on Fr iday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to declare as unconstitutional the ordinances issued by the local governments of Quezon, Manila and Navotas cities that imposes curfew hours for children and those 18 years below.

In a 34-page petition for certiorari and prohibition filed through lawyer Jesus Falcis III, the Samahan ng mga Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) composed of residents and students of the three cities affected by the curfew also sought the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) to immediately stop the three city governments from enforcing their curfew ordinances pending resolution of the case.

Named respondents in the petition were Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Manila Mayor Joseph E. Estrada and Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco.

The petitioners argued that the curfew ordinances are unconstitutional, owing to the following grounds: vagueness, because it results in arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement; because it suffers from overbreadth by impairing legitimate activities of minors during curfew hours; deprives minors of the right to liberty and the right to travel without substantive due process; and deprives parents of the natural and primary right in the rearing of the youth without substantive due process.”

In particular, the petitioner said the Manila City curfew ordinance is an invalid exercise of power for being contrary to Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA).

The Manila City Ordinance, according to the petitioners, imposes a curfew on minors and punishes violators despite that the JJWA prohibits the imposition of curfews except if it is for the protection of the child and the child or minor is not punished.

Furthermore, the petitioners argued that the curfew ordinances encourage arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement.

Ronnel Baccutan and Mark Leo de los Reyes, who are among the petitioners, told the Court that they have been accosted by authorities on separate occasions for allegedly violating the curfew ordinances despite being of legal age already.

“Some young adults look like they are below 18 years old or what could be called as baby-faced. Some of them will be tagged as violators, while some of them will not be,” the petitioners pointed out.

“The arbitrary application and enforcement of the curfew ordinances are inevitable given that law enforcers only conduct a visual inspection of alleged minors violating the curfew. The determination of the age of the alleged curfew violators will be subjective depending on the law enforcer’s assessment of a person’s face and body physique,” the petitioners argued.

The petition also recounts the experience of Clarissa Villegas, a minor, also a student of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, whose classes end at 9 p.m. and has to travel daily from her school in Manila to her home at Quezon City for almost two hours.

Villegas was almost arrested once by authorities while in the middle of her commute, as she was apparently in violation of the curfew policy.

The petitioners noted that curfew ordinances usually exempt only working students or students with evening classes and none would exempt the situation of petitioners who engage in nonacademic, extracurricular, activities at night with their friends or organizations like Spark.

Sports BusinessMirror

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | sports@businessmirror.com.ph

Saturday, July 23, 2016 A7

READY FOR ACTION F

TEAM Foton-Pilipinas is launched on Friday by (from left) Ivy Perez, Dr. Philip Ella Juico, Tom Harrison, Team Manager Peter Cayco, Alvin Lu, Team Manager and Ramon Suzara. Behind them are the other members of the team. NONOY LACZA

By Lance Agcaoili

OTON-PILIPINAS is almost in full harness for its campaign in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Asian Women’s Club Championship set from September 3 to 11 at the Alonte Sports Center in Biñan, Laguna.

And during the team’s official launch on Friday in a hotel in Alabang, Jaja Santiago was named as the fifth local member of the team that will plunge to a more onerous tournament, the International Volleyvall Federation Women’s Club World Championship, from October 18 to 23 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Philippine Superliga (PSL) President Ramon Suzara described the 6-foot-5 middle blocker out of National University as “young, athletic and talented.” She played a key role when the Tornadoes won this year’s PSL Grand Prix.

“We’re glad to have Jaja onboard. We expect her to gain

massive experience playing against the best players in the world and serving as our country’s cornerstone in future major international tournaments.”

Santiago joined Rachel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga of Petron, Kim Fajardo of F2 Logistics, Jen Reyes of Petron and seven foreign reinforcements to represent the Philippines in the World Club Championship.

“This is a big boost to my volleyball career,” Santiago said. “I’m so thankful and blessed that the PSL trusted me to be part of the team. I will do my best to come up with a good performance and make our country proud.”

Santiago received her golden ticket from Suzara and PSL Chairman Philip Ella Juico during the team’s launch, also graced by Foton Head Tom Harrison; Team Manager Alvin Lu; the coaching staff, led by Villet Ponce-de Leon, and players; and Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas Inc. Vice President Peter Cayco.

“Foton believes that this prestigious tournament is a

great opportunity not just to showcase the talent of our athletes but also the Philippines,” Harrison said. “On behalf of Foton management and Foton Pilipinas team, we express our full commitment to AVC, PSL and Blue Army that we will do our absolute best to raise the ranking of the Philippines.”

Santiago will also lead the Foton core of Angeli Araneta, Patty Orendain, Ivy Perez, Bia General, Rhea Dimaculangan, Maika Ortiz, Cara Acevedo, Carol Cervaza, EJ Laure and Sisi Rondina in the Asian Championship.

They will be supported by Army’s veteran setter Tina Salak, Petron libero Reyes, F2 Logistics middle blocker Aby Maraño and Lady Troopers outside hitters Gonzaga and Daquis.

American imports Lindsay Stalzer, who was part of the Foton team that won the PSL Grand Prix last year, and former Cignal reinforcement Ariel Usher will reinforce Foton Pilipinas. Two players will be cut from this pool for the team to the worlds but they will be on reserve in case of injuries.

BATANG GILAS FACES TAIWAN

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By Joel Orellana

HE Batang Gilas starts its campaign in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Asia Under-18 Championship against Chinese Taipei on Saturday morning at the Azadi Sports Complex-Basketball Hall in Tehran, Iran.

The Philippines-Taiwan duel is the finale in a heavy six-game opening day that started on Friday, with both nations clashing at 11:30 p.m. local time (3 a.m. on Saturday in Manila).

The U-18 squad of Head Coach Michael Oliver is bracketed in Group A with defending champion China, India, Iraq and Thailand. Host Iran leads Group B that also includes South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Lebanon.

The top 3 teams in this tournament will advance to next year’s Fiba Under-19 World Championship in Cairo, Egypt.

Leading Oliver’s squad are Ateneo’s Gian Mamuyac, Chiang Kai Shek College’s Jonas Tibayan and Hope Christian’s Harvey Pagsanjan,

who is a member of the squad that shocked China in the Fiba Asia Under-16 tournament, 78-72, in Jakarta.

Also in the Philippine roster are FilipinoAustralian Joshua Sinclair of National University’s (NU), JB Bahio of San Beda, Kemark Carino of Ateneo, Xavier’s Rendel Joseph Lee, NU’s JV Gallego and Theo Flores, La Salle Greenhills’s Alain Madrigal and Fran Yu of Trail International Basketball in Thailand.

Batang Gilas will face a tough Chinese Taipei squad, which has three players who played in the World U-17 tournament in Spain—Wu Pei-Chia, Chen Yu-Wei and Chang Chen-Ya. After Chinese Taipei, Batang Gilas will face Iraq on Saturday (11 p.m. Manila time), China on Sunday (7 p.m.), Thailand on July 26 (11 p.m.) and India on July 28 (3 a.m.)

The top 4 teams in each group will advance to the crossover knockout quarterfinal stage. The semifinals is on July 30 while the gold-medal match is on July 31.

LASSITER 3-POINTER LIFTS SMB

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ARCIO LASSITER drained a threepointer with seven-tenths of a second left to lift San Miguel Beer past NLEX, 94-93, in the Philippine Basketball Association Governor’s Cup on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Road Warriors looked in control until the Beermen clawed back at crunch time. Gary David scored five straight points, including a floater and a triple, but still appeared doomed when Sean Anthony drove in for a 91-86 NLEX lead with 2:29 remaining.

After a swift exchange, Alex Cabagnot nailed a clutch three-point shot to make it 91-93 with 27.1 seconds remaining. NLEX failed to capitalize on its offence with Road Warriors import Henry Walker missing a floater, giving San Miguel a window of a chance.

Lassiter snatched the win for the Beermen,

positioning himself perfectly for the trey from a pass from import Arizona Reid.

Lassiter made seven three-point attempts and only made one that all but bailed the Beermen. He only had eight points in the game but pulled down nine rebounds and had two assists and as many steals.

Reid topscored for San Miguel Beer with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Cabagnot added 19 points for the Beermen, who shared the early lead on a 2-0 won-lost card with Mahindra and Meralco.

June Mar Fajardo made a quiet 16 points and six rebounds for San Miguel Beer.

Walker had 33 points, six rebounds and four assists in 45 minutes of action. Jonas Villanueva contributed 14 points and four assists for NLEX, which dropped to 1-1.

Ramon Rafael Bonilla

Two teams see action in Asia 3x3

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HE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) will field two teams to compete in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Asia 3x3 U-18 Championship in Cyberjaya, Selangor, this weekend.

The Philippines is the defending champion in the men’s division after a team that included Kobe Paras won the maiden edition and went on to participate in the 2015 Fiba 3x3 U18 World Championships.

Hosted this year by Malaysia, 12 men’s teams and 12 women’s squads will compete in the tournament put together by Fiba and the Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) and organized by NBL Asia. It will be staged in the

Gem-In shopping mall.

The first edition of the Fiba 3x3 U18 Asian Championships was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in May 2013 and saw Philippines’s men and Chinese Taipei’s women squads taking home the titles.

Comprising the men’s team are Kyle Christian Tan, John Lloyd Clemente, John Martin Galinato and Rhayyan Amsali. The women’s team is made up of Kristine Cayabyab, Mary Ann Cayabyab, Jenilyn Gamboa and Cristel Mae Dizon. Coaches are Anton Altamirano and Mark Solano The team is also joined by SBP Regional Director for Region Edilberto Abalos and Coach Jehtru Yao, who represents the girls team from Dagupan City.

THE Philippine 3x3 U18 national teams with Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Sonny Barrios (ninth, from left) and Deputy Executive Director Butch Antonio (seventh, from left).

Wei Wei makes US Jrs quarters

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Akhuetie, Altas barrel way past reigning champ Knights

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

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RIGHT AKHUETIE played like a wrecking machine as University Perpetual Help clobbered defending champion Letran, 61-55, on Friday in Season 92 National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball action at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

A man mountain at 6-foot-8, Akhuetie booked monster numbers in the lopsided victory—a game-best 21 points and 16 rebounds that went with three emphatic blocks. The Altas improved to 3-2 won-lost, in the process putting doubt to Letran’s titleretention bid as the Knights fell to their second loss in six games.

“My job is to play. When I go in there, I try my best. It’s basketball, everyone should get chances,” Akhuetie said.

The victory also erased the stigma of their stinging 70-88 defeat to the San Beda Red Lions on Tuesday.

For it was defense that sealed it.

“The players worked hard on defense, they really focused on defense after our loss to San Beda,” Perpetual Help Coach Gimwell Gican said.

In Friday’s other game, Mapua drew strength from Allwell Oraeme’s 13 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks to beat San Sebastian, 88-75, to nail its fifth win against

PAL LADIES INTERCLUB

Captains of 28 ladies teams, including golfers from Australia and Port Moresby, gather at Camp John Hay Golf Club in Baguio for the first team captains meeting of the 11th Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub golf tournament set from October 4 to 7 at Camp John Hay, with the theme “Glam on the Greens.” Photo shows the colorful team captains with (seated center, from left) Tournament Director Henry Arabelo, Camp John Hay Golf Club General Manager Tim Allen, PAL tournament officials Dina May Flores, Eric Tan, Pinky Custodio and Kookai Silverio.

a defeat. The Stags fell to 1-4.

The Cardinals unleashed a 10-2 run midway the fourth period behind Darell Menina’s two three-pointers. Exeqiel Biteng led Mapùa with 19 points, while Menina added 15. Justine Mercado finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for San Sebastian.

The Altas held the Knights to their season-worst scoring output. Letran entered the game averaging 79.2 points per game. Perpetual Help also forced Letran to turn the ball over 22 times, its season worst after norming 16 errors in its first five games.

The Las Piñas-based school also found a way to slow down Rey Nambatac, who missed eight of his 14 shots and wound up with 19 points, a far cry from his career-best 40 points in their 90-77 win over San Sebastian last week.

EI WEI GAO scored two emphatic victories to crash into the quarterfinals of the US Junior Amateur Match Play at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee, on Thursday.

While the Filipinas bowed out one after the other in the US Girls’ Junior in New Jersey, Gao kept the momentum of his 3&2 triumph over Brendan Hansen of the US in the first round of the knockout phase and racked up two wins in the grueling day to reach the Last 8 of the annual event featuring the world’s top junior players.

The 16-year-old Cebuano, who placed seventh in the 36-hole stroke play eliminations, broke away from an all-square match with Joseph Chun after 12 holes as he pounced on the Korean’s bogey, double-bogey and bogey mishaps in the next three to go 3-up, then matched his rival’s par on No. 16 for a 3&2 victory in their morning duel in the Last 32.

Gao sustained his form in his afternoon match with American Austin Eckroat, taking three of the first eight holes on pars to wrest control. The Alta Vista Golf and Country Club member, playing in a tournament of this magnitude for the first time, yielded No. 11 but won Nos. 13 and 15 to fashion out a 4&3 win for a spot in the quarters.

Gao, who aced No. 3 with a 4-iron in the first round of the stroke play qualifier, will next face second seed Eugene Hong of Florida, who needed 23 holes to foil local bet Davis Shore in the Last 32 then routed Austin Coggin of Alabama, 5&4.

Aussie Fred Lee stunned top seed Travis Vick, 2&1, to seal a quarters showdown with Noah Goodwin, who beat Nicholas Lyerly, 3&2, while Korean Lee Won-jun nipped Cole Hammer, 1-up, to arrange a clash with New Jersey’s John Pak, who trounced Brent Ito, 3&2.

The last quarters pairing pits Aussie Min Woo Lee, who edged Frankie Capan on the 19th hole, against Brandon Gillis, who downed Ashkaan Hakim, 3&2.

Over in New Jersey, Yuka Saso, Annika Cedo and Lois Go failed to advance past the Last 32 phase with the seventh-ranked Saso blowing a 2-up lead after six holes as Grace Saint Germain took three of the last four holes, including a par on the 18th to steal a 1-up win.

Cedo went 1-up despite a bogey on No. 11, but Chinese Jing Wen Lu birdied the next two and won Nos. 15 and 16 to post a 3&2 triumph, while Go lost her touch and rhythm after forcing an all-square match on the fifth, yielding six of the next eight holes to drop a 6&5 blowout to Korean Yujeong Son.

Unbeaten squads clash

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BRIGHT AKHUETIE (right), in action against Letran’s Felix Apreku, pulls off a monster performance for the Altas. NONIE REYES

NBEATEN F2 Logistics and RC Cola-Army clash in a much-anticipated match that rolls the curtains down on the elimination phase of the Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament on Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The match is set at 6:30 p.m., with the winner earning the right to brag that it swept the preliminaries.

Amy’s Kitchen (6-0) tries to avoid going winless in the first round when it battles Cignal (1-5) in the first match at 2:30 p.m. and defending champion Petron (4-2) aims to keep within striking distance of the leaders as it tangles with Standard Insurance-Navy (2-4) at 4:30 p.m.

RC Cola-Army, F2 Logistics, Petron and Foton make up the final four of the interclub league bankrolled by KLab Cyscorpions, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller and Senoh with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

After another single-round robin, they will be ranked anew to determine the semifinal pairings with the survivors advancing to the best-of-three finals showdown.

The bottom four—Standard Insurance-Navy, Generika, Cignal and Amy’s Kitchen— will clash in a separate single-round stage to determine the fifthto eighth-placers.

RC Cola-Army Coach Kungfu Reyes admitted that the younger, more aggressive Cargo Movers have what it takes to go all the way to win the crown. However, he plans to use their experience to their advantage, something which worked when they dominated the national junior team of Thailand in the Invitational Conference finals in April.

Lance Agcaoili

Sports BusinessMirror

CHRIS FROOME’S overall lead of three minutes and 52 seconds will be difficult to erase over the final two Alpine stages before Sunday’s mostly ceremonial finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. AP

A8 | S

aturday, July 23, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao Asst. Editor: Joel Orellana

Not another muddled tropical cocktail

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BOOST OF CONFIDENCE Riding in a yellow bodysuit and yellow aerodynamic helmet, Chris Froome pumped his right fist after clocking slightly more than half an hour over the 17-kilometer route from Sallanches to the Megeve ski resort—which featured majestic views of Mont Blanc.

By Andrew Dampf The Associated Press

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EGEVE, France—Chris Froome won a mountain time trial and opened up a seemingly insurmountable lead of nearly four minutes over his closest challenger in the 18th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday.

Riding in a yellow bodysuit and yellow aerodynamic helmet, Froome pumped his right fist after clocking slightly more than half an hour over the 17-kilometer route from Sallanches to the Megeve ski resort—which featured majestic views of Mont Blanc.

Taking his second stage win of this year’s Tour, Froome finished 21 seconds ahead of Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin.

Froome’s overall lead of three minutes and 52 seconds over Dutch rider Bauke Mollema will be difficult to erase over the final two Alpine stages before Sunday’s mostly ceremonial finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

“The main thing for me now is staying safe,” Froome said. “Obviously, I’ve got a fantastic advantage now. So now it’s about looking after that advantage and not taking any risks.

“It’s not over until we cross that final finish line, but today is a huge boost of confidence,” Froome added. “I think over

these next couple of days we’re going to see more of a race for podium spots.”

Froome stood only fifth at the first checkpoint, the top of the Cote de Domancy climb, but the British rider clearly saved energy for the second half of the stage, surging in front over the final kilometers.

“It was a pulsating race, but I knew it was going to be difficult. I was expecting to lose,” said Dumoulin, who rode 90 minutes before the race leader. “Froome just showed he is the strongest.”

Spanish Vuelta champion Fabio Aru of Italy finished third in the stage, 33 seconds behind.

It was the Tour’s first mountain time trial since the 2004 race against the clock up l’Alpe d’Huez.

Besides the flat opening 4 kilometers and a short descent at the finish, it was entirely uphill.

Adam Yates of Britain remained third overall, 4:16 behind, and two-time runnerup Nairo Quintana stayed fourth but now trails by 4:37 after another difficult day for the Colombian.

Froome’s other stage win this year came with an audacious downhill attack in Stage 8 in the Pyrenees. The Kenyan-born rider with Team Sky also won a time trial in the 2013 Tour, when he took his first overall victory.

Having also won the Tour last year,

Froome is on course for his third title in four years.

Considering that most of the route was uphill, many riders used road bikes fitted with bars to lay their arms on for a more aerodynamic position.

Froome was one of the few riders to use a full time trial setup with an aerodynamic rear disc wheel instead of traditional spokes.

“I think that was a big part of today’s stage, selecting the right equipment,” Froome said. “The other aspect of today was pacing. It

was important not to go too fast too early.”

Fans lined the major climb of the route, the Cote de Domancy, getting up close to the riders to shout encouragement—with glaciers and snowcapped mountains in the distance.

Stage 19 on Friday follows a 146-kilometer route over four ascents from Albertville to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. The penultimate leg on Saturday concludes with a tricky descent to Morzine after four more climbs through the Alps.

Take it from Merckx

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EGEVE, France—Take it from cycling great Eddy Merckx: nobody can beat Chris Froome in this Tour de France.

Riding with the poise and purpose of the Tour’s undisputed leader, Froome won a mountain time trial in Stage 18 on Thursday and opened up a seemingly insurmountable lead of nearly four minutes over his closest challenger, Dutch rider Bauke Mollema.

Only two Alpine stages remain before Sunday’s mostly ceremonial finish on the

Champs-Elysees in Paris.

“He deserves his win. He’s the strongest,” said Merckx, a five-time Tour winner. “I can’t see what could prevent him from keeping this yellow jersey until Paris. His opponents just stay on his teammates’ wheels. Barring an incident, nobody can beat him in this Tour.”

“That’s a huge compliment coming from Eddy,” Froome said.

“Obviously, we feel like we’re in a bit of a bubble in the race here.

But to have somebody like that, give a compliment like that, is a great honor.” AP

MORE ABOUT WHO’S NOT PLAYING IN RIO

BRAZIL’S national cocktail is poised for »Olympic exposure. AP

THOMAS BACH says it would be good if in golf, a wide range of players from as many countries as possible competing for medals. AP

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YEAR away from golf’s return to the Olympics after a 112-year absence, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said it would be good if the sport had a wide range of players from as many countries as possible competing for medals.

And that’s what it delivered—41 countries in the men’s and women’s competition—an example of golf’s global appeal.

But the story of celebrated return has become more

ORAL GABLES, Florida—It’s tempting to call cachaça a Brazilian rum and think of the caipirinha as another muddled tropical cocktail.

The upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro may change that. Brazil’s national cocktail and unique distillation of sugarcane juice into a clear liquor are poised for the kind of worldwide exposure enjoyed by tequila after the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and Australian wines after the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.

“We, Americans, love to consume the Olympics and ‘travel’ there without going there by drinking and eating and celebrating the culture of whatever the host country is, so I think a lot of people are going to be watching the Olympic Games with a caipirinha in their hands,” Leblon Cachaça President and CEO Steve Luttmann said in a recent interview.

Cachaça (pronounced ka-SHAH-sah) and rum share origins in sugarcane but they are processed differently.

Cachaça, by definition, must be produced in Brazil with fresh sugarcane juice and contain alcohol by volume of 38 percent to 48 percent. Rum can be made anywhere, and it’s usually made from molasses and distilled at higher percentages of alcohol by volume.

The US formally recognized cachaça as a distinct product of Brazil in 2013 after the two countries signed a trade agreement (in exchange, Brazil recognized bourbon and Tennessee whiskey as distinctive US products).

The market for cachaça has steadily grown over the last decade, alongside the liquor industry’s targeting of US consumers’ growing appreciation for premium rums. In April 10 cachaça producers seeking US distribution occupied a significant amount of trade expo space at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival.

When Leblon launched in 2005, US cachaça sales totaled just a few thousand cases sold mainly in Brazilian restaurants.

Now owned by Bermuda-based industry giant Bacardi, Leblon boasts annual sales of 50,000 nine-liter cases, Luttmann said.

“We found that when anybody consumed cachaça with the expectation of a rum, it tastes very different,” said Luttmann, who led a “Legalize Cachaça” campaign to have the liquor recognized independently from rum.

While the caipirinha’s sweet, tropical flavors may resemble a mojito, it’s closer in spirit to a margarita, according to Luttmann.

“I would say that cachaça is more similar to tequila than rum,” he said. “It’s more similar to making tequila than it is to making a rum, in the context that they both use fresh juices from the raw material, from the fruit.”

As the caipirinha has gained popularity in many bars, particularly those that hosted viewing parties for Brazil’s World Cup two years ago, some bartenders now mix variations of the cocktail with vodka or sake and add strawberries, oranges or other fruits.

A true caipirinha—cachaça mixed with limes and ice—seems light but requires precision when mixing, said Rafaella Demelo, a Brazilian native and bartender at Bulla Gastrobar, a Spanish bar and restaurant in Coral Gables, Florida.

“It’s a very simple drink but it’s very hard to get it right. Not only do you have to know the amount of liquor to put in it, but also the amount of limes to put in it and the sugar, as well,” she said while mixing a caipirinha during a recent interview.

Aside from proper amounts of cachaça and white sugar, half a lime should be cut into cubes, “because a caipirinha is not only about the juice of the limes, but also about the bitters, the skin of the limes,” Demelo said.

Shake the ingredients with ice and pour into a glass without straining.

“It has to be everything you used to make a caipirinha straight to the glass, otherwise, you’re not going to have the lime, you’re not going to have the smell,” Demelo said. AP

about who’s not playing.

Jordan Spieth will be watching from home, still wondering if he should have set aside his personal concerns and gone to Rio de Janeiro. Rory McIlroy said he won’t be watching at all, citing the Zika virus and then taking a swipe at golf as an Olympic sport by saying he would watch “the sports that matter.”

Of eligible players, 21 men said they would not be going, nearly half of them citing concerns about Zika.

The women have carried the torch for golf, with only

one player declining to go because of the mosquitoborne virus that has been linked to birth defects. Stacy Lewis has questioned whether the men make too much money to care about the Olympics.

She is getting married in the fall, and hearing so many men cite Zika because they plan to start families caused her to probe deeper into the threat.

“I talked to a lot of different people and, basically, went into the conversation thinking in my head, ‘OK, give me a reason I shouldn’t go.’ And none of those people ever

gave me a reason I should not go,” Lewis said.

“I want to be a part of the Olympics,” she said. ”I think the Olympics are bigger than any golf tournament on the planet. It’s bigger than the Masters. It’s bigger than the US Open. It’s bigger than the Women’s Open. It’s the biggest thing out there, and I want to be a part of that.”

None of the top 4 in men’s golf will be part of the Rio Games. The men will have only eight of the top 20 in the world, including Masters champion Danny Willett of England and British Open champion Henrik

Stenson of Sweden.

The women will have nine of 10, only because South Korea has five players in the top 10 and countries only are allowed to send four.

The men’s competition from August 11 to 14, followed by the women from August 17 to 20. Regardless of who plays, medals will be distributed to a golfer for the first time since George Lyon of Canada won the gold in Saint Louis against a 77-man field—three Canadians, 74 Americans.

The women did not play. AP