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Friday, June 9, 2017 Vol. 12 No. 239
‘PHL becoming more popular as FDI destination in Asean’
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By Catherine N. Pillas
@c_pillas29
ultinational enterprises (MNEs) regarded the Philippines as one of their most-favored investment destinations in the Asean region this year, according to the latest report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).
In its report, titled “World Investment Report 2017”, the Unctad surveyed executives regarding their top-15 host-economies.
The Philippines emerged as the second most-favored destination for foreign direct investments (FDI) in Southeast Asia, and the
10th overall. The Philippines emerged as the top performer in Southeast Asia last year, when it recorded a 60-percent growth in FDI inflows. The country bucked the trend in 2016, as combined inf lows to developing Asia contracted by 15 percent to $443 billion and by 20 percent in
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hina’s overseas shipments accelerated from a year earlier in May, aided by a more buoyant global demand, as robust imports signaled resilience in the domestic economy. Key points ■ Exports rose 8.7 percent in May in dollar terms, more than the 7.2percent increase forecast by economists in a Bloomberg survey; ■ Imports surged 14.8 percent in dollar terms, more than the 8.3percent forecast; ■ The trade surplus widened to $40.81 billion.
projected vehicle sales for 2017. MMPC also said it remains confident of the technical integrity of the automatic transmission units of its Montero Sport. “We remain confident of the technical integrity of these models, and will robustly defend the safety compliance of the vehicle concerned,” the company said in a statement. “No safety-related concerns on sudden unintended acceleration have been raised in any other
Big picture A brighter international outlook is supporting China’s manufacturing machine, with the World Trade Organization saying it expects trade to “expand moderately” in the second quarter. After a solid start to the year, the domestic economy had shown signs of weakening momentum, though May’s robust import figures could imply that domestic demand will hold up. While China’s import data can sometimes be skewed by big moves in commodity prices—it’s the world’s top ore buyer—the value of commodities remained broadly stable over May. China’s imports from the US rose 27.1 percent in dollar terms in May from a year ago, as a low base last year partly contributed to the surge. That said, growth of China’s imports since the beginning of the year has reversed a contraction from the past two years —at a time when the Trump administration has been vocal about
See “Mitsubishi,” A2
Continued on A2
Yoshiaki Kato (from left), president and CEO; Froilan Dytianquin, FVP-Vehicle Sales and Marketing; Hirofumi Shibata, EVP, treasurer and CFO; and Shigeru Ogura, EVP-Vehicle Sales and Marketing, pose with the Mitsubishi Vintage Car PX33—Japan’s first full-time 4WD passenger car and was produced in 1935 at the Kobe Shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.— which was displayed during Mitsubishi’s 100th anniversary celebration held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. NONOY LACZA
Mitsubishi Philippines targeting to hike sales by 22% this year
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itsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC), the countr y’s second best-selling auto brand, expressed confidence that its sales could expand by 22 percent this year, as its vehicles remain affordable and safe. With its vehicle lineup that caters to every market segment and the expected hike in its production under the government’s stimulus program, MMPC said its sales target for 2017 can be achieved. “We’re confident of hitting 75,000 units by the end of the
year, a 22-percent improvement over 2016,” said Shigero Ogura, MMPC executive vice president, during the centennial celebration of the company held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City on Thursday. Arlan Reyes, MMPC senior manager for brand communications, said its Mirage G4 is expected to do well, especially among budgetconscious motorists. The current model of the Montero Sport is again expected to take up 25 percent of the company’s
PESO exchange rates n US 49.5260
Congress should make up mind on responsibility age of minors
Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza
Make Sense
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he issue on what should be the right age of criminal responsibility for children in conflict with the law, as provided for in Republic Act 9344, or The Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of 2006, is a very important issue in light of Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez and Capiz Rep. Fredenil H. Castro’s House Bill 2, which seeks to lower the criminal responsibility age of young offenders from 15 to nine , and in view of the growing number of children getting involved in crime. Continued on A10
Continued on A2
China’s exports expand in May as global trade outlook brightens
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$8 billion The total amount of foreign direct investments received by the Philippines last year
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SMC’s Ang vows to open MRT 7 line in two years By Lorenz S. Marasigan
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@lorenzmarasigan
AN MIGUEL Corp. President Ramon S. Ang vowed to open Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7 in two years, despite hitting roadblocks in terms of the delivery of right-of-way early on. In a chance interview, Ang said his group is doing its best to finish the construction of the new overhead-railway facility by 2019, even as it awaits the complete delivery of the remaining easement. “We will finish it by around 2019. We have quite a few delays in right-of-way delivery. But we have received the majority of it. We are now continuously building it, and it is now fully funded,” Ang said. As of February 10, the project is 5-percent complete, data from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center showed. The P62.7-billion deal, signed in 2008, has two components: rail and road. The rail component of the MRT 7 project involves the construction of a 22.8-kilometer railtransit system envisioned to operate 108 rail cars in a three-car train configuration with a daily passenger capacity ranging from 448,000 to 850,000. MRT 7 will have 14 stations, starting with the North Avenue Station on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, passing through Commonwealth Avenue, Regalado Avenue and Quirino Highway, up to the proposed Intermodal Transport Terminal in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan. The company will also supply the trains to be deployed in the facility. It will also supply the communications, signal and electric requirements of the railway line.
THE P62.7-billion MRT 7 deal, signed in 2008, has two components: rail and road. The rail component involves the construction of a 22.8-kilometer railtransit system envisioned to operate 108 rail cars in a three-car train configuration with a daily passenger capacity ranging from 448,000 to 850,000. The road component of the project involves the construction of a six-lane access road from San Jose del Monte to the Balagtas, Bulacan North Luzon Expressway exit.
The road component of the project, meanwhile, involves the construction of a six-lane access road from San Jose del Monte to the Balagtas, Bulacan North Luzon Expressway exit. It took all the stakeholders seven years before finally closing the deal. The 25-year-concession agreement betweenUniversal LRT Corp. (ULC) and the government was signed in 2008, but was delayed owing to the proponent’s failure to secure financial closure. San Miguel Holdings Corp. owns a 51-percent controlling stake in ULC. The conglomerate has tapped the South Korean consortium of Hyundai Rotem Co. and EEI Corp. for the engineering, procurement and construction requirements of the train line. The deal is the largest the South Korean company has ever made in the Philippines.
n japan 0.4511 n UK 64.2006 n HK 6.3539 n CHINA 7.2891 n singapore 35.8442 n australia 37.3723 n EU 55.7613 n SAUDI arabia 13.2069
Source: BSP (8 June 2017 )
BMReports BusinessMirror
A2 Friday, June 9, 2017
www.businessmirror.com.ph
‘PHL becoming more popular as FDI destination in Asean’ Continued from A1
Southeast Asia. “The Philippines—the third-largest recipient in the subregion—increased by more than 60 percent to a new high of $8 billion in 2016,” the report read. In contrast, Singapore’s FDI inflows declined by 13 percent to $62 billion, and Malaysia, by 11 percent to $10 billion, due to economic uncertainties. Echoing the optimism of Philippine officials concerning the FDI haul this year,
the Unctad report is bullish on the investment prospects for South Asia and Southeast Asia this year. The Philippines, along with Bangladesh and Nepal, are expected to receive more FDI in the following years “in line with a division of labor between more developed countries (increasingly focusing on goods with higher value added) and less developed countries (increasingly focusing on labor-intensive activities)”. “ This may continue to strengthen
China’s exports expand in May as global trade outlook brightens Continued from A1
cutting trade deficit with the world’s largest exporter. Economist takeaways The economy still has strong momentum, with major export destinations, such as the US and Europe “operating in a steady way”, said Yao Shaohua, an economist at ABCI Securities Co. in Hong Kong, who had the most accurate imports forecast. He sees full-year import growth rising to 10 percent, and exports increasing by 4 percent. “It’s good timing for regulators to cut financial leverage, as the economy is strong. The Peoples Bank of China will watch how the economy is doing when pacing its deleveraging efforts.” “Glo b a l e x te r n a l d e m a n d i s strengthening,” said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Natixis SA in Hong Kong. “The trade
surplus figures are quite good, and even more so, if you look at import and export figures in volume. Exports are ballooning.” “Imports, in particular, held up surprisingly well,” wrote Julian Evans-Pritchard at Capital Economics in Singapore. “But given the approaching headwinds to the economy from policy tightening, we doubt this strength will last.” “The further pick-up in growth of exports to the US and EU increases the likelihood that the current global trade improvement is sustainable,” wrote Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics at Oxford Economics in Hong Kong. “Imports were stronger than expected, with volumes up significantly. Nonetheless, even though the headline year-on-year data should continue to look decent in the coming months, the cooling of China’s domestic demand that we expect should weigh on imports in the rest of 2017.” Bloomberg News
these countries’ positions in regional production networks. For instance, five Chinese companies plan to invest $10 billion in the aviation, downstream oil, renewable energy, iron and steel and shipbuilding industries in the Philippines,” the report read. For the whole of developing Asia, Unctad said the region would see a 15-percent increase in FDI inflows this year. Unctad surveyed executives of MNEs early this year. The report noted that their
optimism was strongly anchored on the perceived resilience of developing Asia. Overall, the survey revealed that the US, China and India are the top three prospective FDI destinations. Unctad said global FDI f lows in 2017 would expand by 5 percent to almost $1.8 trillion this year, from the estimated $1.75 trillion last year. For 2018 global FDI f lows are projected to go up to $1.85 trillion. T h e Wo r l d I n v e s t m e nt R e p o r t
39th CMMA set October 25 T
he Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) for this year takes place on October 25, at the Star Theater, Star City, Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, Pasay City. This marks the 39th year of the awards-giving organization established by the late Jaime L. Cardinal Sin to pay tribute to values-oriented mass-media works and workers. T he date of the CMM A present at ion wa s set by t he C MM A Fou nd at ion boa rd of trustees, headed by D. Edgard A. Cabangon, chairman and president, during a meeting held yesterday at Dominga Building 3 on Chino Roces corner De La Rosa streets, where the CMMA Secretariat offices are located. At the same time, the CMMA extended the deadline for the acceptance of entr ies in t he different categories of the massmedia competition to June 15.
Sasa San Juan Tobias, Internal and External Affairs officer of CMMA, said the extension was made to accommodate requests for more time to submit entries by mass-media workers, including students vying for the Student CMMA in the different mass-media categories. T he t heme for t his yea r’s CMMA, based on the Social Communication Day message of Pope Francis, is “Fear not, for I am with you (Isaiah 43:5)”; Communicating hope and trust in our time”. The CMMA was established in 1978 by Cardinal Sin, then-Archbishop of Manila, as the means by which the A rchdiocese of Manila recognizes “those who are ser v ing God through the mass media”. Through the years, it has become a tradition and a prestigious event joined by some of the countr y’s most respected personalities in the fields of
New DOT ad enjoins foreigners to ‘Experience PHL’
snacks, which he enjoyed with some locals, but one of them stops him and says, “Next time.” Uchimura replies with an Arigato (Thank you), and as he stands, he takes out his foldable walking stick, revealing that he is blind. He then leaves the eatery, shown to be located on the
cobblestoned Calle Crisologo. The words “Life feels better when with Filipinos” then appears on the screen, and fades to “Experience the Philippines”. De Castro pointed out, “If you noticed, ‘Experience the Philippines’ also used the same font and color style of ‘It’s More Fun…’,”
monitors international business activity in a number of areas and presents the most up-to-date detailed trends and prospects on FDI at a global, regional and country level. This year’s report investigated the impact of digital technologies on international production and the operations of multinational enterprises. The report also presents a new top 100, ranking digital multinational enterprises and their international production footprint.
underscoring that the DOT was still sticking to the country’s brand slogan. This particular TV commercials (TVC), she said, primarily targets senior citizens and retirees, as well as those who are differently abled. It will be shown in Japan, Russia, Indonesia, the UK, the
United Arab Emirates, Australia and China, to name a few. Like the “Anak” TVC, the Experience the Philippines ad is also based on a true story of a Japanese retiree in the Philippines, and still carries the theme, “When With Filipinos”. The Anak TVC will run until
television, radio, print media, music, cinema and the Internet, as well as by students from various academic institutions. The CMMA had a two-year interruption in its operation, and was revived in 2000 by the Cardinal, who asked the late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua to be its chairman and president. He held the post until March last year. Last year’s presentation of the 38th CMMA Night, held on October 12, at the Star Theater in Pasay City, was a great success, based on the overwhelming attendance of individuals and organizations in the field of mass communications. Similarly, the number of entries received by the CMMA continues to increase significantly, affirming that the organization consistently gains support from mass-media practitioners and advocates from around the country.
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August, the DOT official said, and will then be replaced with new ads “in the ‘ber months”, or when winter starts creeping in the Western and Northern Hemispheres. The Experience the Philippines campaign will run simultaneously with the current ad, she added.
Trump offers to connect Gulf divide Continued from A12
taking its side despite US having some 10,000 troops based in the country’s al-Udeid Air Base. B ut i n G e r m a ny, Fore i g n Mi n ist r y Spokesm a n Ma r t i n Schaefer pointed out that Trump’s words differed substantially from those of State Department and Pentagon officials. “I can indeed see differences in some 140 character comments by the American president,” Schaefer said. “But what the position of the United States of America...is something I can’t really say.” Both Qatar and the US sought to show the rift wasn’t affecting military cooperation. They cited no change to the status of al-Udeid Air Base. And a State Department official said an approved but pending sale of F-15 fighter planes to Qatar hasn’t been affected. The call with Qatar’s emir showed Trump trying to personally involve himself in resolving the conflict. A day earlier Trump discussed the crisis with King Salman of Saudi Arabia, which is leading the antiQatar campaign. Other countries also are offering to intervene, and it’s not clear if Trump will end up as the primary mediator. Kuwait’s emir flew to the UAE on Wednesday to discuss the crisis, while Qatari ally Turkey voiced willingness to play a role. A White House summit seemed an unlikely possibility. The potential for a coup makes it unlikely the Qatari emir would travel so far from home, especially as its adversaries hint that regime change would be welcome. In the interview, Al Thani confirmed the Federal Bureau of Investigation is helping Qatar investigate a hack of its state-run news agency last month that may have been a catalyst for the crisis. The Saudis and others have cited an article in which a top Qatari official seemed to pay tribute to Iran as a major regional power; the Qataris say the comments were fabricated as part of the hack. Al Thani also denied any Qatari involvement in a separate hack of e-mails belonging to the UAE’s Washington ambassador, which have surfaced at various news agencies this week. AP
Mitsubishi. . . Continued from A1
market concerning the Montero Sport (2010 to 2015) automatic, of which 360,000 units have been sold around the world,” MMPC added. T he compa ny a l so s a id it stands by the findings of a Japanese automotive engineering agenc y it has commissioned, Horiba Mira Ltd., that the models have no technical defects. MMPC issued the statement after the Department of Trade and Industry’s Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau ordered the company to recall the automatic transmission units of Montero Sport released from 2010 to 2015. Catherine N. Pillas
news@businessmirror.com.ph
The Nation BusinessMirror
Court won’t consolidate 3 petitions against martial law in Mindanao By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
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HE Supreme Court (SC) will separately hear and resolve the petition filed by opposition lawmakers directly assailing the constitutionality of President Duterte’s Proclamation 216 that imposed martial law and suspended the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao following attacks led by the Maute Group. SC Spokesman Theodore O. Te made the clarification after two other petitions were subsequently filed by individuals seeking to compel the Senate and the House of Representatives to convene in joint session and vote jointly on the legality of Proclamation 216 as mandated under the Constitution. The first petition was filed by Liberal Party Reps. Edcel C. Lagman of Albay, Emmanuel A. Billiones of Capiz and Teddy Brawner Baguilat of Ifugao, and Party-list Reps. Tomasito S. Villarin of Akbayan and Gary C. Alejano of Magdalo. The second petition was filed by former Sen. Rene A.V. Saguisag; former Commission on Elections Chairman Christian S. Monsod; former Commission on Human Rights Chairman Loretta Ann P. Rosales; former Philippine Health Insurance Corp. President Alexander A. Padilla; lawyer Rene B. Gorospe; and Sen. Leila M. de Lima. The petition attached a list of over 300 lawyers, led by former Solicitor General Florin T. Hilbay, who have signified their support for the petition. On the other hand, the third petition was filed by former Sen. Wigberto E. Tañada, together with several Catholic bishops namely: Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Bishop Antonio Tobias,
Bishop Emeritus Deogracias Iniguez and Mother Adelaida Ygrubay of the Order of Saint Benedict, Shamah Bulangis and Cassandra D. Deluria. Te noted the last two are petitions for mandamus, which were filed after the Court’s en banc session on Tuesday. “They differ from the petition challenging the factual basis/es for martial law in Mindanao and will thus, not be consolidated with the martial-law petition and will not be covered by the Court’s instructions given on Tuesday for: [a] preliminary conference, and [b] oral arguments,” Te said. He added the Padilla and Tañada petitions “will most likely be consolidated and will be dealt with separately”. Both the Padilla and and Tañada petitions assailed the issuance of separate resolutions by the Senate and the House of Representatives supporting Duterte’s martial law, which they claimed contravened the provisions of the Constitution and committed in “grave abuse of discretion”. They insisted the House and the Senate should convene and decide on the fate of Proclamation 216 saying that a “transparent and deliberative process is necessary to quell the people’s fears against executive overreach”. The petitioners stressed that the constitutional mandate of the Senate and the House under Article VII, Section 18 of the 1987 Constitution cannot be legally carried out by separate briefings given by the Executive Branch and the Armed Forces to both Houses of Congress. On the other hand, the SC has set the petition filed by Lagman, et al., which seeks to declare null and void Proclamation 216, for a threeday oral arguments on June 13, 14 and 15.
Palace distances self from Aguirre’s claims By Elijah Felice E. Rosales @alyasjah
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ALACAÑANG on Thursday shielded Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II from what appears to be an absurd claim he made accusing opposition lawmakers of sparking terroristic attacks in Marawi City. Presidential Spokesman Ernesto C. Abella said Aguirre did not violate Malacañang’s campaign for the accurate delivery of information on the ongoing clash in Marawi City. “He is not going against any policy. He is simply doing his job as far as he’s concerned,” Abella said. “These things are all part of his process so we defer to him,” he added. However, Malacañang distanced itself from Aguirre’s statements, saying it was not responsible for the justice chief’s allegation against opposition lawmakers. “Regarding these matters, unless really fully vetted, they remain speculation as far as we’re concerned,” Abella said. “We did not make that statement so we stand-by our claim that we give accurate reports,” he added. The Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO), along
with the Armed Forces, has committed to the responsible and precise dissemination of information on recent developments in Marawi City, where soldiers and Maute Group terrorists have been fighting for three weeks now. The PCOO, in fact, launched the “Mindanao Hour” news briefing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, to make available to the media information on the ongoing clash. Aguirre on Wednesday said Sens. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV and Antonio F. Trillanes met with local leaders of Marawi City on May 2, which could have “sparked terroristic acts” in the city. Aside from Aquino and Trillanes, Aguirre also dragged Party-list Rep. Gary C. Alejano of Magdalo, and Ronald Llamas, political adviser of the previous administration, in his allegation. Aguirre said “it’s probable [and] it’s possible” the meeting with local leaders might have led to the chaos that took event in Marawi City on May 23, when Islamist militants laid siege on the city. “I don’t know why after they [opposition lawmakers] went there, violence took place after two weeks. They met with the people there [and] they met with several families there,” Aguirre said in Filipino.
Alvarez vows to defy SC over joint Congress session on ML
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By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
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ed warnings by the international community,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement. “The Philippines notes with alarm the increasing frequency of ballistic missile launches by [the] DPRK. We underscore the need for [the] DPRK to comply with its international obligations under relevant UNSC resolutions, and call for the recommencement of
@joveemarie
PEAKER Pantaleon D. Alavarez on Thursday warned of a constitutional crisis if the Supreme Court (SC) will compel Congress to convene on martial law.
In an interview, Alvarez vowed to ignore SC if it requires lawmakers to review in a joint session President Duterte's Proclamation 216, that suspended the writ of habeas corpus and imposed martial law on Mindanao. Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao following the attacks of Maute Group in Marawi City. “They should go over their law
books. How can the Supreme Court dictate Congress [on] what to do? We’re coequal bodies. I’ll tear apart any directive issued by Supreme Court telling Congress, dictating Congress to convene in a joint session,” Alvarez said. “There would definitely be a constitutional crisis and it would not be our fault,” the Speaker added.
On Wednesday, a third petition was filed before the SC questioning the validity of martial law. All the petitions want the SC to order the Senate and House of Representatives to convene in joint session and vote on the legality of the proclamation. “Ask them what the effect [of the constitutional crisis] is. As for us, we will not heed the Supreme Court, because they have no jurisdiction to dictate Congress on what we are supposed to do,” Alvarez said. “That’s nonsense. That’s why I said they should study again and review their law books. They should assess whether they could really do that,” he added. According to Alvarez, conducting a joint session is useless, as both houses of Congress have already agreed through two separate resolutions to back the
declaration of martial law. “I don’t know what kind of logic those [critics] have. Majority of the members in the Senate have already expressed support to the declaration of martial law. The House of Representatives also passed its own resolution, [the] majority supporting the declaration of martial law. Now, if we convene a joint session, what will we discuss? We already know the decision. Maybe they want some sort of grandstanding regarding the joint session?” he said. However, Alvarez added the Solicitor General will answer all the petitions on behalf of the House of Representatives. “I already submitted it to the Office of the Solicitor General. And our position is that the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction over that,” he said.
Unicef, DOH eye Zero Open Defecation by 2022
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HE Philippines is in the best position to achieve Zero Open Defecation (ZOD) in the next two years.” This was a challenge posed to the Department of Health (DOH) by the pioneer of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), Kamal Kar, in a gathering organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) for various government and development partners working on sanitation, held in Manila. Health Assistant Secretary Maria Francia M. Laxamana affirmed that achieving ZOD is one of the legacies of the department, and targets to declare that the country has achieved ZOD by 2022. Laxamana recalled how the government used to give out toilet bowls in the hope of ending open defecation. However, this has not worked when toilet bowls were not used, because the problem on changing household’s behavior was not changed. CLTS is a participatory approach in helping households abandon the practice of open defecation. It helps residents in a community realize that having no sanitary toilets is a risk, not just to one family, but to the whole community as well. “We have learned from this experience well, and that is why DOH has rolled out CLTS as a key strategy in enabling communities to analyze their sanitation conditions and to collectively decide and take responsibility in stopping open defecation,” Laxamana said. Since the implementation of CLTS in 2008, a shift in the pace of the communities declaring ZOD happened after a majority of development partners signed up to support the government and implement a Phased Approach to Total Sanitation (PhATS). From mid-2012 to mid-2016, open defecation free (ODF) achievement was accelerated through CLTS and PhATS, with success rates of 82 percent. Emphasizing that no Filipino should be left behind, Laxamana assured that DOH and its partners would work toward achieving these goals, and would ensure that programs would be implemented
PHL concerned over Nokor missile launch
HE Philippines on Thursday expressed “grave concern” following North Korea’s missile launches near the eastern port city of Wonsan on May 21 and May 29. “The Philippines expresses grave concern on the DPRK’s [Democratic People's Republic of Korea], missile launches on May 21 and May 29 which were carried out in defiance of repeat-
Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo • Friday, June 9, 2017 A3
constructive dialogue to defuse tensions in the region.” The DFA has yet to respond to North Korea’s latest launch of four antiship missiles into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula on Thursday. South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said the projectiles were believed to be surface-to-ship cruise missiles and were launched near the eastern port city of Wonsan. Recto Mercene
with an equity lens and in such a way that would not undermine the community’s sense of agency and resourcefulness. As of 2015 7.4 million Filipinos still do not have access to sanitation
facilities, and are possibly resorting to open defecation. Open defecation is a dangerous practice that results to people being at risk of getting diarrhea, cholera and other waterborne diseases; intestinal worm
infections; and malnutrition and stunting of children. To date around 1,062 barangays have been declared open defecation free and 20 towns were able to eliminate OD completely.
Economy
A4 Friday, June 9, 2017 • Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon
BusinessMirror
NGCP records highest electricity peak demand in summer of 2017
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By Lenie Lectura
@llectura
he National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Thursday its comprehensive grid enhancement program has helped prevent the occurrence of power failures during the last summer period, just as when the demand for electricity is at its peak.
This year’s actual electricity demand reached an all-time high of 10,054 megawatts (MW) recorded on May 9 at 2:27 p.m. This surpassed last year’s actual peak demand and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2017 peak demand projection The total available capacity in May was at 11,444 MW, allowing an operating margin of 1,390 MW. According to the NGCP, Luzon grid customers did not feel the effect of the steep rise in demand, as improvements on the transmission facilities designed precisely to better manage the grid during peak load periods were implemented by the grid
10,054 MW This year’s all-time-high actual electricity demand recorded on May 9 at 2:27 p.m. operator in anticipation of this year’s record-breaking power demand. In particular, the NGCP increased protection for its critical substation equipment, enhanced operating measures of transformers at its San Jose, Dasmariñas, Bolo and Tayabas
500-kiloVolt (kV) substations, and coordinated adjusted capabilities of large generating units, such as Sual, Masinloc, GN Power, Pagbilao, Ilijan and Santa Rita/San Lorenzo. Potential low voltage problems were also eliminated through the timely energization of capacitor banks, allowing the NGCP’s Luzon System Operations to maintain the system voltage level within the normal limits, even at the height of the summer season. “The NGCP is pleased to report that, through the foresight of our technical team, we were able to prepare and address early on any potential grid stability issues for the summer period, even as the demand breached the DOE’s projection. With this foresight, our customers enjoyed reliable and uninterrupted quality of power,” the company stated. As the peak demand season for 2017 nears its end, the NGCP seeks support for its projects aimed at strengthening the grid for the coming years, as it also appeals for better management of power supply, particularly scheduling additional energy sources to increase the thinning supply. “We want to be able to accommodate the continually growing demand and supply for power in Luzon,
not just during the summer season. The support of local government units (LGUs), government agencies, such as [the] DILG [Department of Interior and Local Government], DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources], Laguna Lake Development Authority [LLDA] and the public, will enable the NGCP to complete these projects on time, if not ahead of schedule,” it said. Part of the NGCP’s load growth projects for Luzon are focused on reinforcing the Western and Eastern Manila backbone, with critical components, such as the 230-kV Pasay Substation, TaguigTaytay 230-kV line and a 500-kV Taguig Substation. “These locations have been identified, through careful technical research and feasibility studies, to be the most strategic, being close to the center of load growth. Delaying the implementation of critical projects, like the Pasay substation, will lead to overloading issues and possible power interruptions within Metro Manila,” it said. The NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s power grid, led by majority shareholders Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr.
DENR eyes ‘realistic’ target for E-NGP By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga
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he Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will adopt the Enhanced-National Greening Program (E-NGP), but will be more “realistic” in setting annual targets. DENR Forest Management Bureau (FMB) Director Nonito M. Tamayo told the BusinessMirror that Cimatu’s marching order is to review the NGP to further improve and enhance the program, but will be eyeing a more realistic overall target of 1.2 million hectares. A forester, Ta m ayo ser ved a s DENR reg ion a l d i rec tor for t he Caraga Reg ion for f ive yea rs, before h i s a ssig n ment to t he FM B. The E-NGP plan will be crafted for the period 2017 to 2022, the duration of Duterte’s six-year term of office as the highest official of the land, detailing the annual budget requirement, targets in terms of hectare and number of trees to be planted, including commodities, Tamayo said. Speaking mostly in Filipino, Tamayo added the plan is to lengthen the duration of contracts with DENR partner-organizations, from the original three years under the NGP to five years under the E-NGP. Under the NGP, the first year is dedicated for planting trees, and the next two years covers maintenance of the NGP sites. “The secretary wants the E-NGP contracts extended to five years to make sure that the probability that the trees will survive will be higher,” he said. “Aside from ensuring high survival rate, the longer the contract, the longer the NGP partners will benefit from the NGP implementation. This means additional income to our NGP partners,” Tamayo added. He said the policy guidelines of the NGP will be revisited. “In a way, my analysis is to set a more realistic target,” he said. According to Tamayo, Cimatu has also ordered an audit of the NGP, which will require ground validation to determine which areas need replanting.
Sharing the burden
Farmworkers use a bamboo pole to carry a heavy load of mangoes harvested at an orchard in Palawan at the close of the summer season. Nonie Reyes
1.2M hectares The likely reduced target of the E-NGP under the Duterte administration from the original, which is lower by 250,000 hectares targeted by the Aquino administration under the NGP The 1.2 million hectares overall target is lower by as much as 250,000 hectares compared to the overall reforestation target of the Aquino administration during the six-year implementation of the NGP, which originally aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of open, degraded and denuded forest. Last year the sixth and final year of implementation, the target was reduced from 300,000 hectares to 247,683 hectares. Overall, the DENR reported to have slightly exceeded the NGP target in terms of areas by
36,406 hectares, but fell short in terms of target number of trees by 130 million. During the NGP’s implementation, the government was able to generate over 4 million “green jobs” through its partnership with various groups under DENR’s Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) program. Taking over from the abruptly terminated stewardship of the DENR by environmental advocate Regina Paz L. Lopez, Cimatu vowed to implement the E-NGP. However, instead of the ambitious E-NGP target that aims to cover the remaining 7.8 million hectares of degraded forest from 2017 to 2028, the DENR-FMB, the lead-implementing agency of the program, will plan and implement covering the duration of Duterte’s administration. The E-NGP, signed by former President Benig no S. Aquino III, is aligned with the Philippine Master Plan for Climate Resilient Forestry Development 2016-2028. Tamayo said with its budget
of approximately P7 billion, this year’s E-NGP target is to reforest 147,000 hectares. This will require partnership with 5,700 civil society organizations as NGP-partners enrolled under the DENR’s CBFM Program. The E-NGP, he added, will continue to promote agro-forestry, planting high-value cash crops including industrial trees. “The Department of Agriculture will play a major role in this,” he said. Aside from fuel wood and timber, Tamayo added the E-NGP will promote planting indigenous species, especially within watersheds. “Of course, we will also enhance production forest—part of the forest set aside for economic activities,” he said. Planting of trees for wood fuel, Tamayo added, is a priority under the E-NGP noting the country’s huge demand for such commodity. He said the DENR-FMB is now coordinating with DENR’s Policy and Planning Division to finalize the E-NGP plan under the Duterte administration.
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Senators to Duterte: Step up tax collection, anti-smuggling drive By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
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en ator s on T hu rsd ay asked the Duterte administration to step up ta x collection and anti-smuggling ef for ts, even a s Cong ress is work ing on remedia l leg islation to make the country’s tax system “simpler, more equitable and progressive”. At the initia l Senate heari n g on t he Pa l a ce - e ndor s e d P4 35 - bi l l ion Compre hen sive Ta x Refor m Program (CTR P), Ways a nd Mea ns Comm it tee Chair man Sen. Juan Edgardo M. A ngara and Sen. Sher w in T. Gatcha lian, Economic A ffairs Com m it te e C h a i r m a n , a i red concerns over unchecked smuggl ing act iv it ies t hat depr ive the gover nment of bil lions in foregone revenue. A n g a r a , i n f i l i n g R e s olu tion 118, tr ig gered the Senate scr utiny of the finance departme nt ’s t a x pro p o s a l s u nd e r mu ltipack age CTR P, which led to initial findings that government agencies concer ned need to intensif y col lection effor ts by crack ing dow n on rampant smug g l i ng ac t iv it ies, a mong other measures. Gatchalian and Angara zeroed in on Package 5 of the CTRP, which seeks to impose luxury tax on automobiles, yachts and jewelry and calls for a review of the mining-tax regime and “sin” taxes, as well as possible imposition of carbon tax and lottery and casino tax, all of which could possibly generate additional P129.4 billion in taxes. Gatchalian requested finance officials to provide the Senate at the next CTRP hearing with a copy of a study, if any, that raising the tax on so-called luxury items will trigger smuggling. “Do we have a research that if we raise the tax, the dealers will import these items underground?” the senator asked, adding, “If you raise the tax, there is the temptation.” Angara agreed with Gatchalian as he voiced suspicions “how some dealers of these luxury items are able to sell at prices lower than accredited dealers.” Gatcha l ian a lso asked t he Bureau of Customs to submit to the senators its strategies to cover increased smuggling activities, citing studies that incidents of smug gling “may increase even more”. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Gatchalian recalled testimonies that “at least 20 percent of luxury vehicles, conservative-
Package 5 The part of the CTRP that seeks to impose luxury tax on automobiles, yachts and jewelry, and calls for a review of the mining-tax regime and sin taxes, as well as possible imposition of carbon tax and lottery and casino tax, all of which could possibly generate additional P129.4 billion in taxes ly, are smuggled or potentially were smuggled. And I am of the view that if we raise excise tax on luxury vehicles smuggling will also increase.” He said there was need for the Senate, exercising its oversight functions, to check how Customs will effectively combat smuggling. In the end, the senator warned against the possibility the government will collect nothing because the items will just be smuggled into the country.… They have to have a new strategy, Customs have to have a new strategy to make sure that the increase in excise tax on luxury vehicles, which is P2.1 million and above would not result in unabated smuggling, the senator suggested. Gatchalian added that, in the case of tobacco and alcohol products, for instance, “only the smugglers will benefit from increasing excise tax.” On proposals to also raise taxes on sugar and beverages, the senator suggested these should be tagged as a “health bill”. “Initially, when I read it, as a principle, I think we should see this as a health bill and a tax bill at the same time,” Gatchalian said, adding: “we have seen that diabetes is top 5 most common diseases in our country and diabetes is caused by sugar. So, just like lung cancer, ginamot natin by imposing a high sin tax. Itong diabetes pwede nating gamutin with sugar tax.” He admitted senators still need to deliberate on this issue but added that “for me, in principle, I do agree that we need to have this type of sugar tax”. The senator recalls that, under the sin tax on cigarettes, almost half of the revenues go to healthrelated projects, including Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and state-run hospitals.
Govt extends aid to squatters affected by R-10 expansion By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
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overnment officials on Thursday extended financial assistance to displaced families for the expansion of Radial Road 10 (R-10). Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar, National Capital Region Director Melvin B. Navarro, and representatives of different government agencies, including Presidential Commission on Urban Poor, National Housing Authority, Commission on Human Rights, City Government of Navotas and Municipal Government of Norzagaray, led the awarding of checks to the beneficiaries of Maryhill Northville Homeowners Association Inc. Villar said the additional financial assistance on top of the government housing project is aimed to support the affected families with their immediate and
future needs. “Rest assured that we will continue to work with our partner agencies to guarantee that the affected families will be provided with safe, adequate and affordable housing units as part of the administration’s campaign to fight poverty and uplift the lives of every Filipino,” Villar added. He did not disclose how much the assistance was. The members of Maryhill Northville Homeowners Associations have been displaced from their residence in R-10 to give way for better road connectivity of Metro Manila toward Central and Northern Luzon. The construction of first community-initiated relocation site for the affected families in Norzagaray, Bulacan is now ongoing, through the partnership of the public works department, national and local government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations.
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Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Friday, June 9, 2017
PHL sugar output exceeds forecast for CY 2016-2017 By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
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@jearcalas
hilippine sugar production as of May 28 has already reached 2.333 million metric tons (MMT), surpassing both the government’s projection and the output in the previous crop year (CY), data from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) showed.
Preliminary data from the SRA, a government-owned and -controlled corporation attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA), showed that sugar production has reached 46.667 MMT of 50-kilogram bags (Lkg) or 2.333 MMT. The figure is 4.24 percent higher than the 2.238 MMT produced in the previous crop year. It is also 3.68 percent higher than the SRA’s projection of 2.25 MMT. Earlier SRA Administrator Anna Rosario V. Paner told the BusinessMirror that sugar production will go up due to the expansion of areas planted with sugarcane. Also, Paner said more farmers were encouraged to plant sugarcane this year due to the favorable price of sugar at the start of CY 2016-2017. Based on the preliminary estimate of SRA, sugarcane areas in the current crop year expanded by 1.87 percent to 419,207 hectares, from 411,502 hectares recorded in the previous crop year. SRA data also showed that, as of May 28, the volume of sugarcane milled has reached 25.851 MMT, 11.74 percent higher than the 23.135 MMT recorded a year ago. However, data from the SRA showed that the sugar-milling recovery rate declined by 6.19 percent to 1.82 Lkg per MT, from 1.94 Lkg/MT recorded in CY 2015-2016. Refined sugar production also declined by 11.3 percent to 809,641 MT (16.192 Lkg), from 911,084 MT (18,221,688 Lkg). The SRA said domestic demand for sugar during the nine-month period was pegged at 1.55 MMT, 2.8 percent higher than the yearago level of 1.5 MMT. The SRA estimated the domestic demand for sugar in CY 20162017, which would end on August 31, would hit 2.15 MMT. Sugar produced locally is also exported to the US under the tariff rate quota (TRQ) scheme. The TRQ allows countries to export specified quantities of a product to the US at a relatively low tariff. Earlier the SRA said the country has already shipped 74,464.99 MT of sugar to the US, filling more than half of the 136,201 MT allocated by Washington. Paner said she expects local sugar exporters to ship the remaining volume to the US by June.
Project to improve water use efficiency launched
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he International Rice Research Institute (Irri) said the Department of Agriculture (DA) has tapped its expertise on rice production, particularly on irrigation efficiency, to help the government hit its rice self-sufficiency target. “Under the national rice program, the Philippine Rice Research Institute [PhilRice] and the Irri are undertaking a joint scientific effort to improve water-use efficiency in the country’s irrigation systems,” the Irri said in a statement released recently. “With financial support from the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Department of Agriculture [DA-BAR], the Irri and PhilRice have launched the project, Water-efficient and risk mitigation technologies for enhancing rice production in irrigated and rainfed environments [WateRice],” it added. Irri water scientist and WateRice project leader Suhid Yadav said the project aims to promote the incorporation of ICT (information and communications technology) tools in the crop-management practices of farmers. “WateRice’s goal is to improve water-use efficiency through ICT tools that can improve farmers’ decisions on water and weed management. We will be combining this with recommended best management practices and mechanization in both irrigated and rainfed environments,” Yadav said. During the launch of WateRice project, the PhilRice also rolled out a new irrigation management decision tool called AutoMonPh, according to Irri. The tool allows farmers to monitor irrigation systems in real time. “The project [WaterRice] will also focus on mechanization, best management practices for rainfed and weed management to improve water use efficiency,” PhilRice scientist and project lead Dr. Manuel Jose Regalad said. “The project will initially be implemented in Regions 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12.” Earlier this year the DA said it would bank on the inputs of the Irri and PhilRice in crafting a national rice farming program. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol has moved his earlier target of achieving rice self-sufficiency to 2020 due to lack of funding. Piñol said the DA will bank on its National Hybrid Rice Seeds program to boost rice production and improve productivity. “The DA is promoting the nationwide use of hybrid-rice seeds, which have been proven to produce double the production average of inbred-rice seeds,” he said. “The National Hybrid Rice Seeds program, along with the provision of small-scale irrigation systems, mechanization and the availability of easy credit and financing for the farmers, is expected to boost the country’s rice production and achieve rice sufficiency by 2020,” Piñol added. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
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All eyes on Venezuelan military as country teeters
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A police officer stands guard as vehicles drive in front of Iran’s parliament building in Tehran, Iran, on May 8. The police increased their patrols in the streets and subway stations of Tehran on Thursday, a day after a pair of stunning Islamic State-claimed attacks on Iran’s parliament and the tomb of its revolutionary leader killed at least 16 people and wounded over 40. AP
Iran says 5 Tehran attackers had fought for Islamic State
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EHRAN, Iran—Five of the men who launched an attack in the heart of Iran’s capital previously fought for the Islamic State group, the country’s Intelligence Ministry said on Thursday, acknowledging the first such assault by the extremists in the Shiite power.
The attacks on Wednesday on Iran’s parliament and the tomb of its revolutionary leader killed at least 16 people and wounded over 40, stunning its people. The ministry issued a statement on its web site with bloody pictures of the men’s corpses. It identified them only by their first names, saying they didn’t want to release their last names due to security and privacy concerns for their families. It described them as “long affiliated with the Wahhabi”, an ultraconservative form of Sunni Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia. However, it stopped short of directly blaming the kingdom for the attack, though many in the country expressed suspicion that Iran’s regional rival had a hand in the attack. The men had left Iran to fight for the extremist group in Mosul, Iraq, as well as Raqqa, Syria—the group’s de fact capital, the ministry said. It said they returned to Iran in August under the command of an Islamic State leader and escaped when authorities initially broke up their extremist cell. The ministr y did not identif y the men’s hometowns, nor say how they were able to evade authorities.
US-backing
COMMU TER S in the Iranian capital noticed police on street corners and motorcycles, more than usual as dawn broke. That came after Mohammad Hossein Zolfaghari, a deputy interior minister, told state T V t hat
“ law enforcement activities may increase”. “We are focused on intelligence” gathering, he said. State television also reported on Thursday the death toll in the attacks had risen to 16 people killed, citing Ahmad Shojaei, the head of the country’s forensic center. The attack occurred as lawmakers held a session in parliament and at the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini shocked Iranians, who so far had avoided the chaos that has followed the Islamic State group’s rise in Syria and Iraq. Iranian forces are backing embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the Shiite power also is supporting militias fighting against the extremists in Iraq. The attack came as emboldened Sunni Arab states—backed by US President Donald J. Trump—are hardening their stance against Shiite-ruled Iran.
People’s rejection
THE White House released a statement from Trump condemning the terrorist attacks in Tehran and offering condolences, but also implying that Iran is itself a sponsor of terrorism. “We grieve and pray for the innocent v ictims of t he terrorist attacks in Iran, and for t he Ira ni a n people, who a re going through such challenging times,” the statement said. “We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.” The comments sparked anger
from Iranians on social media, who recalled the vigils in Tehran that followed the September 11 attacks. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a tweet on Thursday called the W hite House comments “repugnant” and accused the US of supporting terror. “Iranian people reject such US claims of friendship,” Zarif tweeted. Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard indirectly blamed Saudi Arabia for the attacks. A statement issued on Wednesday evening stopped short of alleging direct Saudi involvement, but called it “meaningful ” that the attacks followed Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, where he strongly asserted Washington’s support for Riyadh. T he st atement sa id Saud i A rabia “constant ly suppor ts” terrorists, including the Islamic State group, adding that the IS claim of responsibility “reveals (Saudi A rabia’s) hand in this barbaric action”. T he “s pi l led blood of t he innocent will not remain unavenged ,” t he R e volut ion a r y Guard statement said.
Go forward
EMIRATI Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told The Associated Press on Wednesday that “the Iranian government should not use the attack in a very polarized situation against Saudi Arabia or claim that Saudi Arabia is somehow linked to the attack, because it isn’t.” On the streets of the capital on Thursday, Iranians said they remained suspicious that Saudi Arabia had a hand in the attack. Some pointed to comments in May by Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of the King Salman and the kingdom’s defense minister, who said his country would “work so that it becomes a battle for them in Iran and not in Saudi Arabia”. “I am sure Persian Gulf Arab countries are behind this,” said Nahid Ghanbari, a 21-year-old university student studying ac-
counting. “They have been angry about Iran’s power in the region. They look for a way to destabilize our country.” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, used the attacks to defend Tehran’s involvement in wars abroad. He told a group of students that if “Iran had not resisted,” it would have faced even more troubles. “The Iranian nation will go forward,” he added.
Circulating images
THE violence began in midmorning when assailants with Kalashnikov rifles and explosives stormed the parliament complex where a legislative session had been in progress. The siege lasted for hours, and one of the attackers blew himself up inside, according to Iran’s state TV. Images circulating in Iranian media showed gunmen held rifles near the windows of the complex. One showed a toddler being handed through a first-floor window to safety outside as an armed man looked on. A s t he pa rl i a me nt at t ac k u n fol d e d , g u n me n a nd s u i cide bombers also struck outside Khomeini ’s mausoleum on Tehra n’s sout her n outsk ir ts. Khomeini led the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Western-backed shah to become Iran’s first supreme leader until his death in 1989. Iran’s state broadcaster said a security guard was killed at the tomb, and that one of the attackers was slain by security guards. A woman was also arrested. The revered shrine was not damaged. Police on Thursday said they now held six suspects as part of their investigation into the attacks. Reza Seifollahi, an official in the country’s Supreme National Security Council, was quoted by Iranian media as saying that the perpetrators of the attacks were Iranian nationals. He did not elaborate. Tehran’s stock exchange fell nearly 2 percent on Thursday after the attacks. AP
Eurozone growth at 2-year high but ECB set to hold fire
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RANKFURT, Germany—Economic growth across the 19-country eurozone was higher than previously thought in the first quarter of the year, official figures showed Friday, further good news for policymakers at the European Central Bank (ECB) as they deliberate whether to ease up on their efforts to stimulate the region’s economy. Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency, said on Thursday that economic growth across the region was a quarterly 0.6 percent in the January to March period, 0.1 percentage point up on the previous estimate. The rate is the highest in two years and backs up a raft of indicators showing the recovery has picked up momentum.
The revision was due to higher than anticipated growth in France, Italy and Greece. France, the eurozone’s second-largest economy behind Germany, saw quarterly growth of 0.4 percent against 0.3 percent beforehand, while Italy, the No. 3, expanded by 0.4 percent instead of 0.2 percent. The most dramatic change was seen in Greece, which had previously been considered to have been in recession. Instead, it grew by 0.4 percent during the first quarter instead of a 0.1 percent decline. All told, eurozone growth during the first quarter was double that of the US, a welcome development for the central bankers at the ECB ahead of their latest
policy decision on Thursday afternoon in Tallinn, Estonia. Despite the rosier growth, few in the markets expect the ECB to announce any change in its stimulus program, largely because inflation remains too low for comfort. Though inflation in the eurozone is higher than it was for much of the past two years, that’s largely because of a pickup in oil prices, and it remains below the ECB’s target rate of just below 2 percent. In the year to May, inflation slowed to an annual rate of 1.4 percent. As such, most economists think Mario Draghi, the ECB’s president, will acknowledge the improved growth but hold off from announcing any change to the bank’s array
of stimulus programs. The ECB has slashed interest rates, including its main one to zero, and embarked on a big bond-buying stimulus program to keep a lid on market-interest rates. Its primary aim is to get inflation back toward its target and then to start easing off the bond-buying program. Draghi is likely at some point this year to signal that the bank plans to ease off its bond-buying stimulus program, but most analysts do not expect him to do so on Thursday. “Strong growth and low inflation probably allows Draghi to be upbeat but hold back from big changes today,” said Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank. AP
AR AC AS, Venezuela—It was 10 a.m. and the newly promoted lieutenant was already sweating under his plasticface shield and black flak jacket. A few days before, the 28-yearold who goes by the name of Catire had watched a national guardsman get his arm broken at a protest. A week earlier, a friend collapsed several paces from him on the riot line, shot through the groin. Catire pulled up his visor and chainsmoked by his motorcycle, hoping the day would pass quickly. Several miles away on the other side of the city, tens of thousands of Venezuelans in white shirts and homemade-gas masks gathered to march toward Catire and his unit, part of a bloody protest movement that has seen dozens of deaths in more than two months of turmoil. Catire’s family suffers along with protesters who skip meals while watching their money become worthless. The lieutenant is unsure whether to blame the government or the opposition for the crisis. What he and other soldiers decide in the coming months could decide the country’s fate. President Nicolas Maduro has greatly expanded the military’s authority and is leaning on the armed forces as his own grip on power weakens. The military has helped hold up the socialist administration for more than a decade, but never before was it the government’s main crutch. And despite the outward loyalty of top officers, cracks are beginning to appear.
No exception
IN April three lieutenants publicly rejected Maduro as commander in chief and sought asylum in Colombia. Another lieutenant in a restive western state cut up his official military ID card as supporters cheered. “Soldiers must not turn their arms on the people,” he said. Days later, he was in military prison. “The country is unhappy with the situation right now, and the armed forces are no exception. The military has traditionally been on the right side of history here. If they turn, it’s all over for Maduro,” said Cliver Alcala, a retired general who participated in an unsuccessful 1992 coup led by a then-unknown junior officer named Hugo Chavez. These days, Alcala is a vocal opponent of the socialist government installed by Chavez after he won election to the presidency in 1998. Despite counterintelligence and close surveillance in the barracks, Maduro is unlikely to know an uprising is brewing until it’s already upon him, Alcala said. Any actual coup would cause an international crisis across a hemisphere profoundly scarred by the bloody military takeovers that marked much of the past century. But most opposition figures are hoping for much more passive support: for soldiers to hold back from attacks on protesters. More than a dozen military officers were arrested during the first two weeks of the protests and thrown into a military prison on suspicion of rebellion, according to military documents provided to The Associated Press by a third party.
Potential consequences
THE government has pampered the armed forces as much as an economy in shambles will allow. Before Catire put on his green fatigues, knee-high boots and black body armor before the protest, he sat down to a breakfast of two corn cakes, beans, eggs and coffee with milk—more than many Venezuelans eat in a day. He gets bonuses in dollars, and his status has allowed his relatives to cut the line for government-subsidized apartments, household appliances and cars. But those perks have not been enough to insulate
militar y families from shortages and crime. In Caracas, Catire, whose name is local slang for blond, feels increasingly hemmed in. Like most other soldiers, he has been confined to barracks since the protests started at the end of March. Opposition leaders have used social media to broadcast appeals to young soldiers killing time in the barracks. In one recent video, lawmaker Jose Manuel Olivares emphasized the potential consequences for soldiers who fire on protesters. “Captains and lieutenants, we are the same age, we have the same dreams and expectations from life. But you are the ones carrying out orders to repress on the street, while your bosses try to figure out how to preserve your special privileges. You’re the ones who risking prosecution,” Olivares said. Like many leading politicians, the 31-year-old Olivares has been photographed mu ltiple times stumbling away from blooms of tear gas at protests with blood streaming down his face.
Prominent role
THE opposition has said it will hold officials to account for human-rights violation and the message seems to be getting through. In 2014 the US sanctioned officers involved in a far tamer crackdown on protesters. On a secret recording The Associated Press obtained last month, high-level military officers are heard debating the use of snipers against protesters, with some expressing concerns about possible prosecution should the opposition gain power. The recording’s authenticity could not be verified. Catire has taken extra precautions since the day he saw a friend collapse next to him as his unit shot tear gas at protesters near an upscale eastern Caracas plaza. A bullet passed through his friend’s upper thigh and punctured his groin, causing rapid blood loss. A teenage protester was killed at the same plaza that afternoon, his chest crushed by a tear gas canister. While the soldiers inflict more injuries than they receive, Catire is wary of protesters throwing gasoline bombs and rocks. Shots also often come from progovernment militias who ride into the scrum on motorcycles. At least two National Guard soldiers and two policemen have been killed in the protests. Along with asking soldiers to break up demonstrations, Maduro relies on military tribunals to jail protesters, and gives the armed forces a prominent role in his effort to rewrite the constitution. He has invited uniformed military members to appear at televised rallies since the protest movement started, and has promoted waves of officers to general.
Dark skin
ALTHOUGH he lacks the military background of Chavez, his late mentor, Maduro has been at pains to point out he shares soldiers’ working-class background and emphasize that he and many soldiers have browner skin, while opposition leaders and elite Venezuelans in general look more European. In May he appeared before a group of grim-faced young soldiers and told them opposition protesters had burned a bystander to death “ just because he had dark skin like you and me”. Witnesses say the bystander was caught stealing. Catire, who did not give his full name because he was violating protocol by speaking to a reporter, said he feels the country is descending into civil war. He grew up poor near the Colombian border, and joined the military because he liked the idea of bringing order to a chaotic country. He disapproves of the opposition calling on the armed forces to pick a side and believes the military must stay neutral and wait for elections. AP
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Republicans face fight of own making in debt-ceiling agenda W
ASHINGTON—This summer was supposed to be a heady time for Republicans, who would be repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, cutting taxes and simplifying the tax code, and reining in the reach of government. But now the party, rife with divisions, faces a familiar fight of its own making: raising the government’s statutory borrowing limit. Once a distasteful, but manageable, task for Congress, the debt ceiling has become a battle Washington seems unable to escape.
By law, Congress must periodically raise the cap on the amount of money that the government can borrow on international lending markets. Republicans transformed the onceroutine task of lifting the debt ceiling into high-stakes games of chicken during the Obama presidency—edging the economy toward fiscal cliffs to extract policy concessions, such as budget cuts and spending caps.
Easy lift
WITH Republicans in control of both houses of Congress and the Oval Office, some thought that the debt ceiling would be an easy lift. Instead, it has become an obstacle threatening to f ur ther sta l l an agenda that has a lready fa l len wel l-behind schedule. The Treasur y Department wants t he debt cei ling raised before Congress leaves for its August recess, a demand that cou ld consume many of the 13 leg islative days on the ca lendar next month. “It’s going to complicate the ability to pass a budget, and it’s going to complicate ta x reform because of t he inter na l tensions that they have to struggle with,” said Ed Lorenzen, senior adviser for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a bipartisan group. Time is running short. Republicans must finish their healthcare legislation under the Senate’s budget process in the coming weeks and pass a 2018 budget resolution before they can move on to the tax legislation that they have promised to approve this year. This fall, they will have to cut a deal with Democrats to fund the government. And all of that must happen against the backdrop of investigations into Russia’s meddling in the presidential election. Fears over a looming debt ceiling fight were fanned late last month when Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, noted that tax receipts were coming in more slowly than had been anticipated and that the limit needed to be raised this summer rather than in the fall. The Congressional Budget Office revealed why in its monthly budget review on Wednesday: tax receipts were $60 billion to $70 billion short of what was projected at the beginning of the year. This was most likely the result of taxpayers’ delaying their tax filings in anticipation of big tax cuts.
Consistent warnings
THE accelerated timetable to raise the debt limit has laid bare a difference of opinion within the White House about how it should be raised—whether it should be lifted without policy encumbrances or it should be tied to other policy changes. Mulvaney, who led the debt cei l i ng br i n k m a nsh ip i n h is prev ious job as a Republican representative from South Carolina, explained last week that he would like to see concessions such as spending cuts or budget process changes tied to any bill that would raise the debt ceiling. But Steven Mnuchin, the Treasur y secretar y, has urged Congress to raise the borrowing limit as quickly as possible, with no strings attached, to avoid roiling financial markets and putting the economy at risk. While the administration has not taken an official stance, President Donald J. Trump signaled in a meeting with the Republican leadership this week that Mnuchin, not Mulvaney, was leading debt ceiling negotiations. Still, those negotiations will not be easy. After years of arguing that debt-limit increases should be paired with spending cuts, conservative Republicans may be unwilling to raise the ceiling without a price. Many House Republicans insist that inaction on the debt ceiling would not result in a government default, as Treasury secretaries from both parties have consistently warned.
Panned request
A F T E R M nu c h i n w a r n e d i n May t hat t ime to ra ise t he cap was r u nning shor t, t he House Freedom C auc u s pa n ned h i s request, say ing , “ We dema nd t hat a ny increase of t he debt cei l ing be pa ired w it h pol ic y t hat add resses Wash ing ton’s unsustainable spending by c ut t ing where necessa r y, cap ping where able a nd work ing to ba l a nce in t he nea r f ut u re.” Steve Bell, a former Republican staff director of the Senate Budget Committee, said the party’s difficulties raising the debt limit were emblematic of its current state of dysfunction. “ T h i s i s t he re a l it y of t he B a l k a n i z at ion of t he R e publ ic a n Pa r t y,” sa id B e l l , now w it h t he B ip a r t i s a n Pol ic y C e nt e r. “ It i s a l mo s t t he olo g ic a l , a nd t h i s i s no t s o m e t h i n g t h at i s goi n g t o c e me nt t he p a r t y b a c k t o ge t he r.” The infighting means that
Budget Director Mick Mulvaney arrives to testify before the House Budget Committee hearing in Washington on May 24. Republicans became adept during the Obama years at precipitating debtceiling crises to extract concessions. Now they are in charge but are still unsure of how to proceed. Al Drago/The New York Times
Republicans will need support from across the aisle to raise the debt limit, but Democratic leaders do not appear eager to help. The party out of power in the W hite House has, by tradition, been reluctant to shoulder that political burden. “I don’t have any intention of supporting lifting the debt ceiling to enable the Republicans to give another tax break to the wealthy in our country, to further exacerbate the challenge that is created when they have their trickle-down economics,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, said last week.
Toward disaster
ON Wednesday Democrats, inc lud ing Pelosi a nd Reps. Nit a L owey of New York a nd John Ya r m u t h o f K e n t u c k y, t h e ra n k ing members on t he Ap propr iat ions and Budget Comm it tees, assa i led Republ ica ns for fa i l ing to get t heir f isca l pr ior it ies i n order, pa r t ic ularly their inabi lit y to produce a budget or consider spend ing bills. T hey war ned that the Republ ica n Cong ress was “ d it her ing towa rd d isaster”. Similar concerns have been expressed in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to pass debtceiling legislation unless Republicans try a parliamentary tactic called budget reconciliation that requires only a simple majority. “It’s going to be a lot harder to get the debt ceiling raised if our Republican colleagues insist on raising the deficit dramatically by huge tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, said on Tuesday. Democrats have not decided whether to demand concessions of their own in exchange for helping to raise the debt ceiling. For veterans of the borrowing limit battles of the Obama years, small policy concessions are not worth risking economic calamity. “It shouldn’t be an issue regardless of who is in the White House and regardless of who controls the Congress,” said Alan K rueger, former chairman of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. “The responsible thing is for Congress to raise the debt ceiling.” New York Times News Service
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The World BusinessMirror
Friday, June 9, 2017
Editor: Lyn Resurreccion • www.businessmirror.com.ph
Multiple threats could lead to downfall of Brazil president
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IO DE JANEIRO—Brazil’s top electoral court is considering whether to annul what is left of President Michel Temer’s term because of allegations his ticket received illegal campaign contributions. While the Superior Electoral Tribunal is the most immediate risk to Temer’s political survival, it’s only one of several. Temer, vowing to continue in office despite calls for his resignation and approval ratings around 9 percent, faces the threat of being forced out of office by any of the following:
Superior electoral tribunal
An Indian boy jumps into a pond near the India Gate monument on a hot day in New Delhi, India, on June 6. AP
India’s rising temperatures already deadly, study shows
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EW DELHI—India is now twoand-a-half times more likely to experience a deadly heat wave than a half-century ago, and all it took was an increase in the average temperature of just 0.5 degrees Celsius (less than 1 degree Fahrenheit), a new study shows. The findings are sobering considering that the world is on track for far more warming. For the last two weeks much of Asia has been gripped by a heat wave, with a record high of 53.5˚C (128.3˚F) set in the southwest Pakistani city of Turbat on May 28—the world’s hottest-ever temperature recorded for the month of May. Temperatures in the Indian capital of New Delhi have soared beyond 44˚C (111˚F). Even if countries are able to meet the Paris Agreement goals in curbing climate-warming carbon emissions, that would still only limit the global temperature rise to an estimated 2˚C (3.6˚F). US President Donald J. Trump’s recent pledge to exit the Paris treaty won’t help. “It’s getting hotter, and of course more heat waves are going to kill more people,” said climatologist Omid Mazdiyasni of the University of California, Irvine, who led an international team of scientists in analyzing a half century of data from the Indian Meteorological Department on temperature, heat waves and heatrelated mortality. “We knew there was going to be
an impact, but we didn’t expect it to be this big,” he said.
Sharp increase
T H E I R s t u d y, p u b l i s he d o n Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, shows that, while India’s average temperatures rose by more than 0.5˚C (0.9˚F) between 1960 and 2009, the probability of India experiencing a massive heat-related mortality event—defined by more than 100 deaths—shot up by 146 percent. T he study also found that the number of heat-wave days increased by 25 percent across most of India. Areas in the south and west experienced 50 percent more heat-wave events, or periods of extreme heat lasting more than three or four days, in 19852009 compared with the previous 25-year period. It’s harder to estimate how deadly future warming might be. There is no historical data for heat-wave mortality at those peak temperatures, and death tolls could increase sharply as it gets even hotter. “The general public may think that a 1- or 2-degree temperature rise is not that significant, but
our results show that even small changes can result in more heat waves and more death,” said Amir AghaKouchak, another climatologist at UC Irvine and a coauthor of the report.
Dire impact
SCIENTISTS have warned for years that climate change will make heat waves more intense, more frequent and longer lasting. “It stands to reason there would be more dire health impacts with more severe heat waves, and this paper provides a key quantification of those impacts for one region of the world,” said climate scientist Gerald Meehl of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, who was not involved in the study. The same methodology can be applied in any region to get a sense of how vulnerable a country or population might be, the authors said. They accounted for India’s fastrising population and income levels in the analysis, to make sure neither affected the results. In the case of income, they found an even stronger correlation between heat waves and deaths among those who are poor. That’s bad news as India is already seeing new deadly highs. Last year in May, India recorded a record 52.4˚C (126.3˚F) in the western city of Jaisalmer.
Hurting crops
THE vast major it y of India’s 1.25 billion people are poor and have few options as temperatures hit sweltering levels, dr ying forests and riverbeds and wiping out farm animals. They are unlikely to have air conditioners—up to 25 percent still have no access to electricity.
Most in India rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, and climate change is likely to hurt their crops. Many who work as farmers or in construction will have to shorten their work days by two to three hours within four decades, simply because it will be too hot outdoors, according to a report last year by the UN Environment Program. Most Indian cities and states are not prepared to handle more heat, even if they understand the devastation it can w rea k. In 2010 some 1,200 people died in a heat wave in the wester n cit y of A hmed abad, prompting cit y officia ls to introduce seven-day weather forecasts, extra water supplies and coolair summer shelters.
Anecdotal evidence
AFTER more than 2,500 were k i l led i n heat-ravaged a rea s across India in 2015, nine other cities rolled out a plan to educate children about heat risk, stock hospita ls w ith ice packs and extra water, and train medical workers to identify heat stress, dehydration and heat stroke. But the nine cities cover only about 11 million people, not even 1 percent of the country’s population. “Heat-wave stress is a relatively new aspect that hasn’t been recognized” as a climate-change threat in the region, said scientist Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Dhaka. In Bangladesh “we are seeing more heat waves, there’s no doubt about it. And there is strong anecdotal evidence that we are seeing a similar trend in mortality. I would recommend a similar study here.” AP
North Korea fires suspected cruise missiles after US drills
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EOUL, South Korea—North Korea fired several suspected short-range anti-ship missiles off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, in a continuation of defiant launches as it seeks to build a nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. The missiles were fired from the North Korean eastern coastal town of Wonsan and likely flew about 200 kilometers with an altitude of about 2 kilometers, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. They landed in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, where US aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan participated in joint exercises with the South Korean navy that ended earlier this week. The North’s missile tests present a
difficult challenge to new South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a liberal elected last month who has expressed a desire to reach out to Pyongyang. North Korea, which could have a working nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile in the next several years, may also be the most urgent foreign-policy concern for the Trump administration, which has been distracted by domestic political turmoil and has insisted China do more to rein in the North’s weapons activities. Roh Jae-cheon, spokesman of Seoul’s military, said the latest launch would have intended to show off its widening arrange of missiles and also its “precision strike capabilities” on ships in response to the joint drills. North Korea’s weapons tests are meant
to build a nuclear and missile program that can stand up to what it sees as US and South Korean hostility, but they are also considered by outside analysts as ways to make its political demands clear to leaders in Washington and Seoul. Analysts say the latest launch appeared to be aimed at keeping up pressures on Moon to try to win concessions. The launches on Thursday from Wonsan were North Korea’s fourth missile test in as many weeks as the country continues to speed up its development of nuclear weapons and missiles. Kim Dong-yub, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the projectiles, which showed longer range than North Korea’s previously known KN-01 anti-ship cruise missiles that can travel up to 160 kilometers (99 miles), were likely from
a new cruise missile system North Korea displayed during a massive April 15 military parade. The improved range indicates the North is pursuing weapons capable of reaching US aircraft carriers that operate from deeper positions, he said. Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said after Thursday’s launch that Tokyo has not detected any “flying objects” that headed toward Japan or landed inside the country’s maritime economic zone. North Korea on May 14 premiered a powerful new midrange missile that it said could carry a heavy nuclear warhead. Experts said that rocket flew higher and for a longer time than any other missile previously tested by North Korea, and that it could one day reach targets as far away as Hawaii and Alaska. AP
Temer was reelected vice president in 2014 as President Dilma Rousseff’s running mate. He took over the presidency last year after Rousseff was impeached for illegally managing the federal budget. The court is currently reviewing allegations that their ticket received illegal campaign funding, and could annul their victory. Should that happen, Temer would be stripped of the presidency. Temer could appeal such a decision with the electoral court. Should the court stay its decision, Temer could appeal to the Supreme Federal Tribunal, the country’s highest court, which would have no deadline to make a judgment.
Damaging recordings
AT TOR NE Y Genera l Rod r igo Janot has opened an investigation into whether Temer conspired to obstruct Brazil’s colossal Car Wash investigation into billions of dollars in inflated contracts and kickbacks to politicians, which launched in March 2014. Janot is also investigating Temer for corruption and conspiracy. The case against Temer is partly based on a recording made by businessman Joesley Batista that appears to capture the president endorsing hush money for ex-House Speaker Eduardo Cunha, a former Temer ally serving a 15-year sentence for corruption. Federal police delivered Temer 84 questions related to the allegations, the circumstances of his meeting with Batista and the intricate web of relations with other politicians, lobbyists and black market dealers. Should Janot offer charges, the Supreme Federal Tribunal would send them to the lower Chamber of Deputies, which would create a
commission to review the accusations. If a simple majority ruled the charges had merit, the matter would go to the full house. If twothirds agreed then, Temer would be suspended for up to six months pending a trial in the Senate. If the Supreme Federal Tribunal acquitted Temer, he would go back to his job. If Temer was found guilty, he would be removed from the presidency and possibly jailed.
Jailed aide
FORMER congressman Rodrigo Rocha Loures was arrested last Saturday in the same corruption investigation targeting Temer. Federal police released a video of Rocha Loures carrying a bag with 500,000 reals ($154,000) that prosecutors say included bribe money for Temer. As part of a plea bargain, the owners of the JBS meatpacking company accused Temer and Rocha Loures of receiving kickbacks. The close aide to the president had some protections from prosecution as a congressman. Only the Supreme Federal Tribunal can decide whether federal lawmakers can be investigated. However, the court justice overseeing the Car Wash investigation ordered Rocha Loures removed from his post last month. If Rocha Loures reaches a plea bargain, his testimony could further implicate Temer in a scandal that prompted many to call for his resignation.
Coalition politics
TEMER so far has been able to hold on to his presidency, thanks to the backing of his Brazilian Democratic Movement Party and allies from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party. Members of the Social Democratic Party support Temer’s proposals for overhauling labor rules and the pension system, but reports indicate many in their ranks fear the corruption accusations against the president could tarnish their own party during next year’s general elections. Should they abandon Temer, it would sink his agenda and harm his strongest argument for staying in power: that he can lead Congress in passing the deeply unpopular labor and pension changes that many economists feel are necessary to pull the economy out of recession. AP
Kuwait’s emir meets with Qatari leader amid diplomatic fissure
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UBAI, United Arab Emirates—Kuwait’s emir traveled to Qatar to help mediate an end to a crisis that’s seen Arab nations cut ties to the energy-rich nation home to a major US military base, though Emirati officials warned there was “nothing to negotiate”. Kuwait’s Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah was met planeside by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, when he arrived on Wednesday night. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement the two held talks on how “restore the normal relations” of the Gulf as the 2022 Fifa World Cup host and international air travel hub now finds itself isolated by land, sea and air. But the visit came after Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told The Associated Press (AP) that Qatar has “chosen to ride the tiger of extremism and terrorism” and now needed to pay the price, despite Qatar long denying the allegation. Gargash said Qatar “definitely” should expel members of Hamas, stop its support of terror groups “with al-Qaeda DNA” around the world and rein in the many media outlets it funds, chief among them the Doha-based satellite news network Al-Jazeera. Their “fingerprints are all over the place” in terror funding, Gargash said. “Enough is enough.” Qatari officials declined to comment on Gargash’s comments. Its foreign minister has struck a defiant tone in interviews, even after worried
residents emptied grocery stores in its capital of Doha, as Saudi Arabia has blocked trucks carrying food from entering the country. Its flag carrier Qatar Airways now flies increasingly over Iran and Turkey after being blocked elsewhere over the Middle East. Emirati officials also shut down the airline’s offices in the UAE on Wednesday. Al-Jazeera offices also have been shut down by authorities in Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Meanwhile, Turkey’s parliament approved sending troops to an existing Turkish base in Qatar as a sign of support. The international agency Standard & Poor’s announced on Wednesday that it lowered its rating on Qatar’s long-term debt to “AA-” because of the country’s dispute with its neighbors. S&P said those countries’ severing of diplomatic and business links “will exacerbate Qatar ’s ex ternal vulnerabilities and could put pressure on economic growth and fiscal” stability. Speaking to the AP from a Foreign Ministry office in Dubai, Gargash listed a number of terror groups he alleged Qatar had funded, including al-Qaeda’s branches in Syria and Somalia, militants in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and other group’s with “al-Qaeda-type organizations” in Libya. He offered no documents to support his claim, but Western officials long have accused Qatar’s government of allowing or even encouraging funding of some Sunni extremists. AP
news@businessmirror.com.ph
The Regions BusinessMirror
Peace corridor opened around Lake Lanao towns By Manuel T. Cayon Mindanao Bureau Chief
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AVAO C I T Y— G o ve r n ment Chief Negotiator Irene M. Santiago said the government has allowed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to open another peace corridor to bring in goods and medicines to thousands of evacuees spread across the many lakeside towns of Lanao del Sur. In the “Mindanao Hour” here on Thursday, Santiago said the government and MILF teams opened another peace corridor “to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian aid and civilian protection activities spanning the length from Malabang, Lanao del Sur to Marawi City.” She said the peace corridor brought in humanitarian aid, which was then an unsafe and unsecured highway. She said the aid began reaching the civilians displaced by the Marawi crisis who fled to the municipalities of Lanao del Sur, including Malabang, Madamba, Bubong, Masiu, Marantao and Ditsain Ramain. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) said on June 8, “Several organizations deployed vans and trucks carrying food, medicines and other aid.” The ARMM Regional Command Center facilitated the deployment of
medical doctors and supplies of the International Committee on the Red Cross in Ganassi, Lanao del Sur. Food aid was distributed by the United Bangsamoro Humanitarian Assistance in the municipalities straddling Lake Lanao. The Bangsamoro Development Agency of the MILF also coordinated the movement of humanitarian aid. The Opapp said the creation of the peace corridor was approved by President Duterte to ensure a safe and secure space for the elderly, women, men and children fleeing the crisis in Marawi and to establish a secure route so that humanitarian assistance could pass through. Santiago said, “There are now two kinds of peace corridors: One that is involved in the rescue of trapped civilians and the recovery of bodies in Marawi City; and another that ensures the free flow of humanitarian aid through a secure corridor.” She said the peace corridor was a “joint effort” of the GPH and MILF Peace Implementing Panels. They established two Joint Coordinating, Monitoring, and Assistance Centers (JCMAC) in Marawi City and Malabang, Lanao del Sur. Assistant Secretary Dickson Hermoso is the government’s focal person for the Peace Corridors, while Mohajirin Ali is the official MILF representative.
Editor: Efleda P. Campos • Friday, June 9, 2017 A9
Final BBL draft gets Bangsamoro nod
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By Elijah Felice E. Rosales
@alyasjah
HE Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) has approved the final draft of the Bangsamoro basic law (BBL) and is set to present it to President Duterte in mid-June, a peace negotiator of the government announced on Thursday.
In a news briefing, Irene M. Santiago, chairman of the government implementing panel for Bangsamoro accords, said the Bangsamoro peace process is perfectly on track, as the BBL breezed through the
drafting commission. “It [BBL] is now gone to a standing committee, so we hope the final draft can be submitted to the President before the middle of June,” Santiago said.
“We are hoping the President will mention it in the Sona [State of the Nation Address] and say that, ‘This is a priority bill for me.’” The BTC, a 21-member convening body, made use of the previous draft of the BBL as framework for the final draft it came up with. Santiago believes the final draft is “a better version” than that of crafted during the previous administration. The peace negotiator said the provisions of the final draft are practical, as it zeroes in on transitioning from passage of the law to ratification. “I found that everybody [in the BTS] was pleased with the draft that they made,” she added. Duterte, who hails from Mindanao, vowed to bring peace in his region through the passage of the BBL. The administration is keen on sowing “inclusive” peace in Mind-
Sen. JV Ejercito visits Baguio General Hospital
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Palace turns down NDF offer to help govt forces fight Maute, ASG
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AVAO CITY—Malacañang turned down the conditions of the revolutionary group National Democratic Front (NDF) that it would fight alongside government soldiers to crush the Maute and Abu Sayyaf forces that attacked Marawi City. On T hu rsd ay President i a l Spokesman Ernesto C. Abella quoted the brief Palace statement the potential cooperation was unlikely. “The potential cooperation is unlikely with the NDF’s saying it would cooperate with the government in fighting the Maute Group if we would lift the declaration of martial law and the all-out war policy,” the statement said. It said the Duterte administration would rather tread the path of dialog with its citizens. “To show that the CPP-NPANDF [Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army] is truly in pursuit of peaceful coexistence, we must stand against a common enemy without conditions,” it said. A day earlier, the NDF posted on its Internet web site that “to accomplish cease-fire, coordination and cooperation between the forces of the GRP [government of the Republic of the Philippines] and the NDF within Marawi against the aforesaid terrorist groups, the GRP must at best unilaterally withdraw its all-out war policy and martiallaw declaration or at least,” the NDF said, “the government should allow its negotiating panel to meet with the NDF negotiating panel to start discussing coordination and cooperation in Marawi and subsequently on a wider scale.” It said it has already instructed the Moro Resistance and Liberation Organization (MRLO) inside Marawi to assume home-defense tasks against the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups. It added it has also directed NPA units close to Marawi “to redeploy for the purpose of mopping up, holding and blocking operations.” It said the MRLO and the NPA “can coordinate and cooperate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines by keeping a safe distance, maintaining independence and initiative and avoiding problems of getting mixed up with the AFP and PNP units.”
“The localized cease-fire, coordination and cooperation can be agreed upon if the GRP and NDF negotiating panels meet first and discuss matters in detail,” the NDF said. The statement signed by NDF chief negotiator Fidel V. Agcaoili said a government-NDF meeting was “not too late because the terrorist attack on Marawi might still be prolonged or if suppressed soon, might recur in other parts of Bangsamoro.” Abella also said it was up to the President to determine if the speed of the operation against Maute Group, including the arrest of key personalities of the terror group, may warrant an early lifting of martial law before the end of the 60-day period. Martial law was declared on May 23 across Mindanao. Abella said Duterte has repeatedly said he would rely on the assessment of the security forces in Mindanao on the safety of island against terror attacks, and after the President would have conferred with his security and military advisers. Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, designated martial-law spokesman in eastern Mindanao, said the 2,651 checkpoints established across Mindanao, and the 1,082 security patrols conducted have netted the arrest in Davao City on Wednesday night of Marawi City Mayor Fahad Panarigan Umpar Salic and Cayamora Maute, the father of the Maute Group founders, Omar and Abdullah. Gapay said Salic was listed in the wanted persons for allegedly providing logistics in the formative years of the Maute Group, while the elder Maute was wanted for charges of illegal detention, illegal possession of firearms and multiple murder. Salic was arrested with three other persons, while Maute was arrested along with his second wife Kongan Alfonso Balawag, their daughter Norjannah Balawag Maute, her alleged partner Benzarali Tingao, and driver Aljon Salazar Ismael. The driver was released later at 9 p.m. Wednesday after it was established he was just the driver of the van and had no connection with the Mautes. Manuel T. Cayon
anao by engaging rebel groups in the negotiating table, including the Nur Misuari-headed Moro National Liberation Front and the National Democratic Front, the negotiating arm of the communists. Under the previous administration, Congress was poised to pass the BBL until the Mamasapano clash took place on January 25, 2015, where 44 members of the police’s Special Action Force were killed, thus, sparking public outrage. Due to this, lawmakers were forced to reconsider their support for the BBL, which aims to grant wider autonomy and bigger resources to the Muslim-dominated Bangsamoro region in Mindanao. The BTC is a convening body tasked by the government to draft the BBL, pursuant to Executive Order 120, Series of 2012 signed by former President Benigno S. Aquino III.
WATER SYSTEMS DEVT IN SIQUIJOR Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol surveys Bolo-Bolo Spring, located in Barangay Tagmanukan, Lazi, Siquijor, on June 7, during an inspection of water sources in the province that may be used for the water-systems development project under the Department of Agriculture. During Piñol’s usual rounds of rural communities under the “Biyaheng Bukid” initiative of his administration, the Agriculture chief said the area can potentially be a source of agricultural and drinking water. Piñol is keen on building irrigation systems for the province to improve production of rice and other agricultural crops. Alan Jay Jacalan, DA-AFID
Cebu solon files bill vs anti-ATM skimming C EBU Fifth District Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI has proposed a bill that penalizes the use of an automated teller machine (ATM) skimming device as a form of economic sabotage and a heinous crime. Durano filed on May 24 House Bill 5723, which seeks amendments to Republic Act 8484, otherwise known as “An Act Regulating the Issuance and Use of Access Devices, Prohibiting Fraudulent Acts Committed Relative Thereto, Providing Penalties, and For Other Purposes”. Durano said the rampant clamor of the banking sector and the business sectors over the proliferation of cases involving bank fraud particularly ATM fraud has greatly affected the integrity of the banking and business sector in the country. “The advances in information technology on access devices have been taken advantage of by criminals and criminal syndicates in perpetuating fraudulent activities that are inimical to the country’s financial sector and undermine the public’s trust toward the bank-
ing industry,” Durano said. Among the amendments Durano proposed is the State shall declare commission of a crime using access devices as a form of economic sabotage and a heinous crime with penalties to be imposed up the maximum level allowed by law. “The clamor to protect the people from all forms of banking fraud, if left unheeded, could have a serious implication on the country’s booming economy,” Durano said. The penalties proposed include imprisonment for not less than six years and not more than 20 years, and a fine of not less than P300,000 and not more than P1 million depending on the aggregate amount of all affected or exposed bank account and the number of counterfeit access devices and or unauthorized access devices in possession. The penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of not less than P1 million and not more than P5 million shall be imposed if the offense constitutes economic sabotage as defined by the law. Charles R. Pepito
HE Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) will soon have its 500-bed capacity expanded to 800. This was a commitment given by Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, who, in a brief stint in the city this week, consulted with the medical staff of the hospital to ascertain the needs of the hospital. The senator was given a presentation to familiarize him with the situation and needs of the hospital. Medical chief Dr. Ricardo Runez, who presided over the presentation, appealed for their proposed budget increase to be granted by Congress. Ejercito, who heads the Senate Committee on Health, inspected the medical wards where corridors were occupied by patient beds and was saddened by the situation of what he saw. “I saw for myself the sad situation of patients already in corridors,” he said. This fact would make it easier for him to push for the proposed budget of the hospital, he said. He also lamented that beds in the charity ward were too close to one another and commented that patients need privacy even more so because they are sick. BGHMC, designated as a referral center of the North, caters to patients from the Cordilleras, the Ilocos Region ,and the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac. Its occupancy rate exceeds its bed capacity given the areas it serves. In 2016 occupancy was recorded at more than 144 percent. To ease the burden of patients that have to be referred to Manila, BGHMC also has on blueprint for 2018 and 2019 the creation of a heart, lung and kidney centers pegged at a budget of P512 million, staggered at P240 million for 2018 and another P272 million for 2019. Ejercito saw this as a sensible development so as to also decongest Manila facilities and to spare Northlanders the hassle of having to commute to Manila and spend more for logistics. The hospital records an average of 30 angiograms per month and six angioplasty in its private wards, and serves 300 chronic kidney disease patients for hemodialysis. However, the senator said everything will be a matter of prioritization and encouraged the hospital officials to sit and discuss further with him the budget before Congress goes on session again after the Sona in June. An obstacle to this plan is the long-standing problem of 300 families who have built their dwellings as informal settlers occupying 12 hectares of the 24-hectare BGHMC compound. Plans are afoot to transfer them to a lot in Barangay San Vicente where medium-rise buildings can be constructed to house them for which more funding is required. Marilou Guieb
Allen Salas Quimpo Memorial media forum set June 24
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ALIBO, Aklan—The Aklan Press Club Inc./ Kapihan Sa Aklan and the Aklan Provincial Government of Aklan, in cooperation with the Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. (Papi) and the Federation of ProvincialPress Clubs of the Philippines, will hold a regional media forum here on June 24 this year. The whole-day Allen Salas Quimpo Memorial Media Forum, named after Aklan’s favorite son, the late Congressman Allen Salas Quimpo, will be held at the Aklan Training Center in this capital town. The media event will cover a wide array of subjects including the legal parameters of press freedom, Dutertenomics, federalism, food security and agriculture, tourism and other related concerns. Quimpo was an ardent advocate of
press freedom, educational reforms, environment, humanitarianism and Asean economic integration. Invited as resource speakers are leading authorities on the subjects mentioned. Some experts will also serve as reactor panelists. Expected forum participants are journalists from print, broadcast and social media in Western Visayas, local government unit (LGU)executives, academicians, campus writers and their publication advisers, LGU information officers non-governmental organization leaders and other sector representatives in Western Visayas. For further information, interested parties may contact the media forum secretariat at the NVC Masscom department, XIX Martirez and Pastrana Streets, or call Liza at 0918-9591687 or 0949-1294777.
A10 Friday, June 9, 2017 • Editor: Angel R. Calso
Opinion BusinessMirror
editorial
The power of ‘three’
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T has been an extraordinary seven days for two publicly listed Philippine corporations. And that is a gross understatement. The Resorts World Manila complex was the venue for a horrible deadly attack by a person whose conduct cannot be called anything less than deranged. Then the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) apparently had its depositors accounting system also acting deranged. How does a man carrying a semiautomatic firearm get past a security checkpoint? How does a bank accounting system show a negative balance in a savings account without the roof of the bank’s headquarters exploding? To call these unexpected ‘black swan’ events is an insult to the real black swans in the wetlands of Australia. The fact that there were two highly unusual corporate occurrences in a brief span of time got us to thinking about what some people refer to as the power of “three”. The number “3” has an interesting history. Some research indicates that early people counted “One, two, three” and anything over three—days, ducks, or drums—was simply “many” in normal conversation. There are three primary colors—red, yellow and blue. In the Hindu, Buddhist, Tao and Christian religion/philosophy, the idea of three deities or a concept of trinity is prominent. A threelegged table will always rest steadily on a flat floor. Many numbers are associated with good and bad luck. For many Chinese, “8” is good; “4” is not. The next time you visit a high-rise hotel, check the elevators buttons. You may see 11, 12, 14, 15 as there is a supposed psychological condition—triskaidekaphobia— fear of the number “13”. The reason we bring up this idea of 3 is that there is a belief in the filmmaking circles of Hollywood that celebrity deaths occur in threes. While there is obviously no scientific evidence to back that up, there have been some remarkable coincidences. In 1959, rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died but they were killed in a single plane crash. But then again, in 2009, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Johnny Carson’s sidekick Ed McMahon all passed on within five days. Last year David Bowie, Alan Rickman and singer Céline Dion’s husband René Angélil died in the same week. The US city of Orlando, Florida experienced the shooting death of singer/songwriter Christina Grimmie, the mass murder of 49 people in a nightclub frequented by the gay community and a 2-year-old boy killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World all within four days. When a group of people wants to lift something heavy together, some one usually says “One, two, three”. And we say, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”. That’s three attempts; not four. The Philippine stock market is also at “try, try again” having tried but failed to break the 8,000 level first back in 2015 and also in 2016. While we have our fingers crossed—sure, we are a little superstitious, too—that the corporate disasters will end at two, we are hoping that “the third time’s a charm” for the Philippine Stock Exchange.
A state of mind James Jimenez
spox
I
ndependence is a state of mind. Take the Philippines, for instance. When Gen. Emilio A. Aguinaldo first hoisted the Philippine flag outside the window of his home in what was then known as Cavite El Viejo, on June 12, 1898, he called it a “proclamation of independence”. By September that same year, the declaration had been ratified by the Malolos Congress but by almost no one else; certainly not by the Americans, for whom an independent Philippines would have been a roadblock in the way of their colonial ambitions; nor by the Spaniards, from whom precisely independence was being declared. And yet, despite being under the heel of these two world powers as a matter of indisputable fact, the Filipinos believed in their independence enough to declare, in 1899, war on the Americans who had just demolished the 300-year
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that they were, in fact, independent despite being subjugated once again, albeit not by some foreigner. And because of this, there was pressure on the dictator that he couldn’t do away entirely with at least one manifestation of the people’s freedom: elections. Yes, even during martial law, elections were held. While it can be argued that those elections were typically used only as window-dressing, the underlying notion that the electorate had a say in their government remained intact in the minds of the people. And it would stay, barely smoldering but alive, long after the depredations of martial law’s administrators had lost, for far too many of our countrymen, the ability to shock. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that in the end, while it was an assassination that doused the dictatorship with gasoline, it was the blatant hijacking of an election that sparked the conflagration, and a people who believed themselves to be free matched thought to action and took back their independence. Independence is a state of mind.
Congress should make up mind on responsibility age of minors
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Spanish colonial rule over the islands; and to persist in that armed conflict until long after the 1902 formal end of hostilities. A quarter of a million Filipinos dead—in the name of a state of mind: independence.
Eventually, after two World Wars, the US got around to recognizing Philippine independence—I’d rather not say “granted independence to the Philippines” since we’d already paid for that with the blood of our revolutionary forefathers—on the 4th of July 1946. It was only after 18 years, on the 4th of August 1964, that our government finally gave due recognition to the fact that, throughout decades of subjugation and colonization, the notion of an independent Philippines had never faded from our minds; and that we had, therefore, actually remained free. Just like under martial law. When martial law was declared in 1972, a pall descended over the country. Media outlets were shut down, drastically reducing the public’s access to information, and Congress was soon all but extinguished as the dictator got it into his head that ruling by decree was a much better way of doing things (as tyrants are wont to believe). And yet, because not everyone bought into the dictator’s fiction, enough people continued to believe
Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza
T
he issue on what should be the right age of criminal responsibility for children in conflict with the law, as provided for in Republic Act (RA) 9344, or The Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of 2006, is a very important issue in light of Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez and Capiz Representative Fredenil Castro’s House Bill 2, which seeks to lower the criminal responsibility age of young offenders from 15 to 9 and in view of the growing number of children getting involved in crime. In 2007, for instance, there were 1,825 cases of children in conflict with the law that were reported to the Philippine National Police Women’s and Children’s Protection Center (WCPC). The number ballooned to 5,318 cases in 2011 representing a 290-percent increase. And from 2012 to 2015, it rose to a staggering number at 13,680, with offenses ranging from petty theft to crimes punishable with life imprisonment if the offender is an adult, like rape and murder. During said period 6,062 offenses on physical injury, 2,446 for robbery, 1,973 for rape and other forms of sexual abuses, and 217 murders were reported involving minors aged 17 and under. Meanwhile, as the age of children getting involved in crime is getting younger, the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of then-Sen. Francis N. Pangilinan raised the age of exemption from criminal liability of those considered child offenders to age 17 where before his Act, the age of exemption from criminal responsibility was 15 and below. Under Pangilinan’s law, a child 15 years of age or under at the time of
the commission of the offense shall be exempt from criminal liability. However, the child shall be subjected to an intervention program pursuant to the provisions of the law, such as counseling, skills training, education and other activities that will help enhance the child offenders psychological, emotional and psychosocial well-being. W hile a child above 15 years but below 18 years of age shall, likewise, be exempt from criminal liability and be subjected to an intervention program, unless he or she has acted with discernment, in which case, such child shall be subjected to the appropriate proceedings in accordance with the Act.
The thin gray line in proving discernment
iscernment as described in the D dictionary, is the ability to judge people and things well. Meaning, to prove that a child offender acted with discernment, it must be established that the offender knew that what he or she is about to do is bad or illegal. In which case, establishing whether the child offender acted with discernment
would be the hardest part. First, who will decide whether a child offender’s criminal act was committed with his or her full knowledge that what he or she did was bad or illegal and not a naive act of his or her youthful ignorance. Moreover, Its been confirmed in some reports that children are now being utilized by crime syndicates for their criminal operations, knowing fully well that they will not be imprisoned under the law. And with the country’s poverty situation, criminal syndicates will not have a hard time finding children who would be willing to work for them for money. T ake for instance the street urchins who prey on motorists and pedestrians for their pickpocket victims. Most of them have already been herded to appropriate government authorities to undergo counseling together with their parents, if they still have. But they keep on going back to the streets doing their old illegal ways. Some of them have even graduated to heavier crimes like robbery, hold up, drugs, rape and even murder. And yet, under the law, they would still be exempted from criminal responsibility if they were under 18 and show that they did not act with discernment for their crime. Meanwhile, their victims and the families of their victims can only wail in anguish as they suffer in agony of their horrible experience, or endure the grief of losing a loved one, all because of a law that states that discernment has first to be established before an offender aged 17 and under can be prosecuted and incarcerated.
House acts to strengthen the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act
O clearly define the rules that will T establish discernment in youth offenders, House Bill 6052 was passed
by the chamber. A conspicuous provision of the bill says that “if the offense charged is murder, parricide, homicide, kidnapping, rape, robbery, drug trafficking or other offenses punishable by more than 12 years, such child shall be presumed to have acted with discernment.” Proving discernment is, indeed, a grinding task. Take for instance the case of a couple of young offenders, both aged 17, who were caught for robbing a store. While they were being questioned for their crime, they were asked if they ever felt fear or reluctance before they committed the crime. Their reply was “Hindi naman kami makukulong [We’re not going to be jailed anyway].” And that for them, was their discernment of their act.
Is there conflict between RA 9344 and RA 10742?
But amid the varying views on what should be the right criminal responsibility age of minor offenders as provided for in RA 9344, there are other issues that would need clarification from both Houses of Congress with regard to exemption age from criminal responsibility among young offenders and establishing discernment in their criminal acts. Prior to RA 9344’s passage by the 13th Congress in 2016, Presidential Decree (PD) 684 creating the “Kabataang Barangay” (KB) already existed. Issued by then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos on April 15, 1975, the law gave the youth aged 15 to 18 the right to elect their KB officials who would undertake the management and implementation of government funded projects for the youth. T he order practically recognized the discernment and readiness of all those aged 15 to 18 to choose their KB leaders. And that PD 684 provision, after
See “Arranza,” A11
Opinion BusinessMirror
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The war in Marawi and martial law in Mindanao
The end of the Chronicle Tito Genova Valiente
annotations
Joselito T. Sescon
EAGLE WATCH
I
lived in the Islamic City of Marawi for six years, from 1977 to 1983, in Mindanao State University (MSU) Marawi campus while completing my undergraduate degree. My hometown is just an hour away in Iligan. In 1973, a year after Marcos proclaimed martial law, the Moro National Liberation Front launched coordinated attacks in Mindanao, massing its forces in capturing Marawi City and other population centers.
I remember a 50-caliber machine gun stray bullet made a hole on the refrigerator at my grandfather’s house near Camp Datu Amai Pakpak. That war raged on for a decade, tapering down only in the early 1980s as I graduated and left the campus. War and its attendant effects to populations in and around Muslim Mindanao, at that time, were normal to us who lived close by. Ambuscades, massacres, evacuations, blood-soaked bodies in the funeral parlors of Iligan and warring politicians, who all swore obedience to Malacañang, were common occurrences and were the familiar social terrain we lived in. We watched how vintage World War II planes bombed Nosa-nosa island off the lake shore town of B’lindong. The legendary story was that the rebels escaped under cover with water lilies, riding with the lake’s water currents at nighttime. We were familiar with gunfire and the boom of the 105 mm howitzers. We fell victims to military abuses in the campus when war-weary soldiers got drunk. As Christian students, we bowed our heads down slightly, careful not to offend Muslims. Despite these, I will never forget the natural beauty of Marawi, and its cool climate nestled in the green valley beside Lake Lanao. Today, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-inspired Maute combatants are dug in deep in Marawi City. The positive difference I can see is that Christians and Muslims are helping and saving each other from the onslaught of this new war. In 1970s Christians, which included my grandfather, uncles and aunts, evacuated from Marawi City to Iligan and other Christian areas, while Maranao Muslims evacuated from Christian areas to Marawi. One Maranao family friend told us how they walked from Iligan to Marawi. But now Muslims also walked that distance to take shelter in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro cities. Politically, the war in Marawi is no different from the past. The international sources of inspiration among the different Muslim insurgent groups in Mindanao normally change along with the times, but the motivation for engaging in violent warfare, including separatist acts of rebellion, remains the same. It is true that the historical conflict,
Arranza. . .
continued from A10
the Order’s going through a series of amendments, was carried over in the most recent RA 10742 or the “Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2016”. A s the youth’s governing body, the “Sangguniang Kabataan” is also tasked to develop, manage and undertake the implementation of various government-funded programs for the youth. The law practically empowers the youth to run its own affairs. Is it not a recognition then by the government that 15-year olds are already discerning Filipino citizens who are ready and capable of governing themselves? How will RA 9344 reconcile with RA 10742 and its predecessor laws, when under the Pangilinan law, discernment in an act of crime among the youth aged 17 and under has still to be established before they can be criminally liable? While in RA 10742,
atrocities and injustices go as far back under Spain, but the unending state of contest for political power and wealth among Muslim clans remains to be the perpetual source of violent conflicts in Muslim Mindanao. Clans vie for power and wealth, and once in power, they court the support of the larger Moro citizenry; either by becoming an ally with the power wielders in the capital of Manila and become sole transmitter of IRA funds and other largesse from the state; or found rebel groups espousing different degrees and paths of separation, independence and Islamic practices, and become the proclaimer of the dreamt future society. The Maranao Muslim population in Marawi must have realized how the extremist ISIS model of warfare will disrupt the very social fabric of the population centers. The Maute Group experimented in taking over its own home town of Butig, Lanao del Sur, and currently digging in themselves in Marawi City residential homes. In interclan politics, clans do not interfere much on other clans’ activities to avoid usually long and pestering conflicts (rido) between clans. But, the Maranao clans have been forced to take a stand, by leaving en masse from Marawi, depriving the Mautes of cover and support. The events in the last 12 days have shown that the Maranao society cannot just watch and tolerate ISIS-inspired groups digging in for war in their peaceful abodes. Martial law will not solve this recurring and resurgent war and conflict in Muslim Mindanao. It will only be the learning, awakening and resolve of the Mindanao Muslim population to push past their unending and fragmented clan politics, the contest for political power and wealth tramps every other institutional form of arbitration and mediation. This nascent form of states within states has to be transcended for the Mindanao Muslim population to prosper economically, socially and politically. The ISIS-inspired war in Marawi is the Maute clan’s chosen path for gaining political power and wealth, in trying to become violently stronger, and, at the same time, attract wealthy sponsors and connections, with ambitions to dominate the province and, probably, Muslim Mindanao in the future. the law practically recognizes the discernment of the youth aged at least 15 by empowering them to run its own affairs? During the Senate and House deliberations of RA 9344, did any of our legislators raise the possibility of its being in conflict with other existing laws in terms of determining the exemption age of youth offenders from criminal responsibility? Or was the law passed simply because of camaraderie among the legislators or for whatever other reasons? T he importance of rationalizing the criminal responsibility age of Filipinos is now even more pronounced because of the rising number of children in conflict with the law. And while I personally feel that lowering the criminal responsibility age to 9 is too low, I disagree, however, with the RA 9344 provision raising the exemption from criminal responsibility age of young offenders to 17 and under, unless discernment is established during the crime.
I
have been chronicling the events and moments in my mother’s life in this column. The essays were not really about her but themes taking off from her—from aging to memory loss, from sleeping and calming pills to devices able to crack tablets and capsules perfectly. Many readers responded to these articles. Well, this is the end of that chronicle: My mother, Liliosa, died peacefully in her sleep at about noon of May 28, 2017, Sunday. She was 91. Presently, I have nothing to write about old persons and growing old. In fact, I am almost not thinking about anything. The scenario where my mother is not around anymore has been played and replayed in my mind for a long time. Now that it is here—that nothingness in the presence—I find myself staring at the wall. No one is ever ready for death. In the case of my mother’s, she gave me many reasons to write about life than about death. As she started to grow weaker, nothing about dying ever came to my mind. She represented
persistence and a kind of eternity, at least in memories. My mother was the main reason I relocated partially to Naga City. I thought when she is gone, I will immediately rush to get my luggage and be back in Manila. This is not happening. I am sure I will have long trips outside this small city. There is no urgent reason to come home anymore. And yet, the opposite is also true—there seems to be no demand to leave home at all. My excuse for not leaving the city when she was alive is now the reason why I am still here now that she is gone. An empty calendar looms in front of me. This means that what I thought as the reason why I could not be mobile was the same reason why I was home. Both reasons were
Friday, June 9, 2017 A11
monumental as I see it now. A whole universe is also gone—repeated trips to emergency rooms when my mother still believed in the power of hospitals and doctors; methodical documentation of the prices of adult diapers; sourcing of commode and wheel chair. Sheer force of habit compels me to look at the shops where I would buy the things she needed always in her room. When she passed away that Sunday, all the morbid thoughts about death disappeared. I kept calling her, as if my voice can summon her to life. During the last night of the wake, we asked a fine singer to sing “Autumn Leaves”. That was the theme song of my parents. I remember how amused she was when, one day, my sister asked her the reason for choosing that song when there is no autumn in her home. In the wake, we talked about the song as not really about falling leaves but of longing and love. As I write this, I still look at her
room every now and then. Another habit. There is only the empty bed. Soon the room will be refurbished. There is a plan to repaint the wall and hang the old photos that are stacked on top of the headboard. It will take a long time—months —before I can be in that room. If I do enter that room, I will be an old man, the oldest man, in the house.
E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com.
Good Samaritan, offering a helping hand Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual
SERVANT LEADER
A
S Radio Veritas believes in the good Samaritan, the station intensifies its program aimed at helping the needs of every Christian.
It believes in the biblical passage, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). This program aims to assist anyone, especially the underprivileged, by tapping those with generous hearts who are willing to share their blessings with their brethren. Also, as Radio Veritas takes part in the celebration of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021, the station aims to foster selflessness and stewardship among Filipinos who are part of Christian communities, bonded with one heart and mind. As stated in the Holy Bible, “You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 In this program, the station accepts requests for on-air appeals of those who are in need and will find good Samaritans to help them. These pleas will be heard on-air through the public service program, “Caritas sa Veritas” that will also be announced in other programs of the station to reach those good Samaritans who will extend their help and support as a concrete faith response. Radio Veritas has been serving the
ISIS in our midst Val A. Villanueva
Businesswise Conclusion
A
mong the topics in the Singapore security conference is the fear that cities or places, like Marawi City, could become a new base for the Islamic State groups as it loses ground in the Middle East. Says Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen: “…If not addressed adequately [the Marawi siege], it could be a pulling ground for would be jihadist.” ISIS fighters fight blindly. They are highly motivated by transforming the world into a caliphate where only pure Muslim practices are allowed, and Christians and other faiths have to convert or die. They have fighters who are so pumped up that dying means orgasmic release in the arms of 72 virgins. But nowhere in the Islamic faith can we find reference to 72 openmouthed sex deities welcoming the ‘martyrs’, who killed ‘infidels’ in the name of Allah, or the word ‘suicide’ (‘intihar’ in Arabic), which has become
synonymous with martyrdom. Such belief was planted over one oral tradition by Imam Tirmidhi, who cunningly fashioned the “72 virgins” that has now become the rallying cry of radicalized and misled Muslim men. How can we fight ISIS soldiers who are not afraid to die? It should not make Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana wonder why ISIS will fight to the last man. The late Osama Bin Laden once said: “We love death like you love life.” ISIS is a killing machine. It has torched cities it has overran, raped women, and beheaded Christians and fellow Muslims who would not bend to their command. We all saw the terrifying devastation it has caused in Iraq and
people through “Caritas sa Veritas” airing Monday to Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The program serves as a platform for those in need to make an appeal for legal or spiritual advice, as well as medical, material and financial assistance. As Radio Veritas President Rev. Fr. Anton C.T. Pascual said, “We must always remember that God will provide. He places people in our lives to play certain roles for specific seasons and reasons. And when it’s time for them to help you, God’s providence will work through them.” The good Samaritan is a term that originates from the parable told by Jesus in the Bible, Luke 10:25–37 about a Samaritan (man from Samaria) who helped a Jewish man who was ambushed by thieves and left to die. This was a selfless act considering the Jews and Samarians people in those times normally did not associate with each other. To all those who want to make an appeal or send help, you may visit Radio Veritas at 162 West Avenue corner Edsa, Quezon City or you may call the Kapanalig hotline 925-7931 to 40 or e-mail us at
kapanalig@veritas846.ph. Its Facebook page www.facebook.com/Veritasph will assist you in your needs. Radio Veritas 846, the No. 1 faithbased AM radio in the Philippines, is owned and operated by the Archdiocese of Manila. Established in 1969, the Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient radio station continues to be the leading Catholic social-communications ministry for truth and evangelization in the country today. Sincerely Dec Bartolome Public Relations Officer Radio Veritas Global Broadcasting System Inc. Veritas Tower 162 West Avenue corner Edsa, Quezon City Mobile Number (0998) 842-2474 Telephone Number (632) 9257932 to 39 local 132
Syria, and the ruthlessness by which it carries out the carnage. This is partly what we are witnessing now in Marawi. The defense establishment should carefully weigh what Indonesia’s Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said during the three-day Singapore Summit, which was also attended by US Defense Secretary James Mattis: “The terrorism threat in this region has evolved into an unprecedented immediate level of emergency…The death group’s area of operation has gone global.” We should not put our guard down.
regulation of small mining from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to the local government units (LGUs). Deloso also argues that RA 7942, or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, has sustained the devolution of small mining operations to LGUs by mandating the creation of the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board, which would formulate policies on small mining operations in every province. He says the Zambales provincial government wants to remove these nickel ores because they pose hazards to communities, farmlands and water systems, particularly during the rainy season. The Mines and Geoscience Bureau (MGB), meanwhile, could only cite an executive order—Section 10 of Department Administrative Order 2012-07, or the implementing rules of Executive Order (EO) 79 dated July 6, 2012—as basis for stopping the hauling of the nickel ores. It is puzzling why a provision in an EO would take precedence over the provisions of two major laws that have legislative fiat. Is the MGB leadership acting with grave abuse of discretion, which is punishable under the anti-graft and corrupt practices law?
A question of jurisdiction
Just as the Zambales provincial government, through a private mining firm, was about to haul the abandoned nickel laterites, this legal question was posed: What is the exact legal basis for stopping the provincial government to get rid of those dangerous nickel ores? According to Zambales Gov. Amor D. Deloso, cleaning the province of nickel ores is based on the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, which empowers the provincial governor to implement emergency measures to lessen the impact of natural and manman calamities and disasters. This law, which virtually promotes a revolution in local governance, also devolves the
To know more about Caritas Manila, visit www. caritasmanila.org.ph. For your donations, call our DonorCare lines 563-9311, 564-0205, 09997943455, 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.
For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com.
2nd Front Page BusinessMirror
A12 Friday, June 9, 2017
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Meralco customers to get refund, see lower electricity bills this month
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By Lenie Lectura
@llectura
lectricity bills this month will go down by P1.43 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from last month’s overall rate of P9.60 per kWh, the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) announced on Thursday. At P8.17 per kWh, the June overall rate is the second lowest since December 2009. The rate decrease this month amounts to a P285 decrease in the total bill of a typical residential household consuming 200 kWh, P428 for 300 kWh, P570 for 400 kWh and P713 for 500 kWh. T he rate decrease ref lects
the refund of over-recovery on pass-through charges from January 2014 to December 2016, totaling around P6.9 billion. Meralco’s petition for refund with prayer for provisional authority on implementation was granted by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on May 11. It is up for implementation from June to August 2017.
₧1.43 per kWh The reduction in Manila Electric Co.’s power rate in June The refund will not be a separate line item in the bill but will be embedded in the different pass-through charges indicated in the bill, which include generation, transmission and system-loss charges, and lifeline and seniorcitizen subsidies. For residential customers, the refund translates to a reduction of P0.79 per kWh, excluding taxes. A l so cont r ibut i ng to t h is month ’s rate decrease is the downward movement in the generation charge. Overall generation charge decreased this June by
P1.0253 per kWh, from P4.8839 per kWh in May to P3.8586 per kWh for this month. Contributing to the decrease are the P0.59-perkWh decrease in the cost of power sourced from independent power producers (IPPs), the P1.25-perkWh decrease in power sourced from the W holesale Electr icity Spot Market (WESM) and the P0.04-per-kWh decrease in powersupply agreement (PSA) prices. There was a reduction in IPP and PSA costs because of higher plant dispatch, continuous peso appreciation and the comple-
tion of the staggered recovery of liquid fuel cost that was incurred during the Malampaya ma intenance shutdow n f rom Ja nu a r y 28 to Febr u a r y 16. The share of IPPs and PSA purchases to Meralco’s total requirements are 40.7 percent and 45.6 percent, respectively. Additionally, the decrease in cost of power supplied through the WESM is due to fewer plant outages despite higher power demand in Luzon. The share of WESM this month stood at 13.7 percent. There will also be a decrease of P0.11 per kWh in the transmission charge of residential customers, while taxes and other charges also went down by a combined amount of around P0.35 per kWh. However, starting this month, the feed-in-tariff allowance (FiTAll) will be P0.1830 per kWh,
after the ERC recently approved an increase of P0.0590 per kWh on the previous rate. FiT-All is a pass-through charge remitted to the National Transmission Corp. as an incentive for renewable-energy developers, such as those operating wind, runof-river hydropower, solar and biomass facilities. Meralco’s distribution, supply and metering charges, meanwhile, have remained unchanged for 23 months, after these registered reductions in July 2015. Meralco reiterated that it does not earn from the pass-through charges, such as the generation and transmission charges. Payment for the generation charge goes to the power suppliers, while payment for the transmission charge goes to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
Trump offers to connect Gulf divide W
Coffee-perfect moment Even with the Marawi City siege, the declaration of martial law and all, Mindanao still offers some of the best tourism getaways in the world for the family that allow lasting memories, including this perfect father-and-son moment at the foot of the multitiered Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig, Surigao del Sur, that exudes serenity amid troubled times. Susan P. Reyes
New DOT ad enjoins foreigners to ‘Experience PHL’ By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
@akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror
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HE Department of Tourism (DOT) is still keeping the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” brand slogan, but admits recent events have prompted it to refocus its current ad campaign to assuage travel-security concerns of foreign tourists. In a news conference on Wednesday, the agency showed its new TV commercial (TVC), featuring a Japanese tourist in a hat and dark sunglasses, enjoying different destinations in the Philippines. At the end of the TVC, the words “Experience the Philippines” fade into the screen. In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Tourism Undersecretary Katherine de Castro said the tagline Experience the Philippines is “a call to action for foreigners to come and see for themselves how the Philippines is doing right now”.
She said, “Admittedly, recent events have become a cause for concern for foreigners. So McCann Worldwide Group thought it may not be the right time to push the ‘fun Philippines’ angle.” McCann handles the ad collaterals of the DOT, which has a P650-million budget for its ad campaign this year. When Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) struck Central Visayas, resulting in the loss of lives and property, the DOT suspended the showing of its “It’s More Fun…” ads worldwide for about three months. As this developed, Bloomberry Resorts Corp. Chairman Enrique K. Razon Jr. disclosed in his report to stockholders on Thursday that the company-owned Solaire Resort and Casino recorded 40 canceled bookings in the aftermath of the Resorts World incident. Proven to be a lone gunman shooting, and not a terrorist attack by extremist elements, the situation is expected
to return to normal, said Razon, as he emphasized the foot traffic at Solaire was not affected. Prior to the Resorts World incident, a number of foreign tourists and travel agencies had already canceled their bookings in Bohol, Cebu and Davao due to the clashes between government troops and Islamist rebel forces in Inabanga, Bohol, and Marawi City. The clashes in Marawi prompted President Duterte to declare martial law in the whole island-region of Mindanao. De Castro said Ex per ience the Philippines is only being used for that particular TVC, which will be launched on Independence Day, “and will not replace the country brand slogan It’s More Fun in the Philippines. In the final edition of the ad, It’s More Fun… will still be used [and flashed at the end of the video]. In fact, we still use that [More Fun] slogan in all our collaterals.” She said the TVC is “still un-
dergoing fina l editing. W hat we showed [on Wednesday] was merely a work in progress. The final output will be uploaded in our social-media platforms after its launch on major networks.” A rough edit of the TVC showed the Japanese tourist named “Mr. Uchimura” going to the Hundred Islands, the Banaue Rice Terraces, the Paoay Sand Dunes and Calle Crisologo in Vigan. In each destination, he “experiences” what the locals are doing, seeing and eating, including dancing at the rice terraces. W h i le eac h dest inat ion is shown onscreen, Uchimura says in a voice over: “Here, you don’t have to see the sun to discover radiance; you don’t have to see colors to experience vibrance; you don’t have to see smiles to know you are safe; you don’t have to see to feel you are home.” Toward the end of the ad, Uchimura tries to pay for his Continued on A2
ASHINGTON—President Donald J. Trump has offered to personally broker a resolution to the Persian Gulf ’s escalating diplomatic crisis, as both he and Qatar looked past his pointed suggestion only a day earlier that the tiny gas-rich nation enables terrorism. In a phone call on Wednesday with Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad A l T hani, Trump said he wanted to help Qatar and its Arab neighbors resolve the row that has upended any sense of Gulf unity, suggesting a possible White House summit among leaders. Though Trump again said countries must eliminate funding streams for terror groups, the White House said he focused on the need for the region’s various US allies to stick together. Blockaded by its neighbors by land and sea, Qatar is eager for Trump’s help. Qatar’s US ambassador, Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani, told The Associated Press his country is counting on Washington to persuade Saudi Arabia and others to back down. “We have great confidence in the president’s ability to calm this crisis and to resolve it,” Al Thani said in an interview. Trump’s bid to fashion himself as a neutral arbiter among A r ab gover n ment s de pa r ted from his stance only a day earlier, when he left little doubt about where he felt the fault rested. In a tweetstorm, Trump said Mideast leaders he’d met with last month had all “pointed to Qatar” as the source of terrorist financing, waxing optimistically that the isolation of the kingdom might be “the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism”. Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) joined the Saudis earlier this week in cutting diplomatic ties to Qatar, accusing it of backing groups from al-Qaeda and Hamas to the Mus-
lim Brotherhood that threaten the region’s other governments. Qatar vehemently denies such support. Al Thani, the ambassador, insisted his country had no idea why Qat a r ’s neighbors were picking a fight. Qatar received no notice from the other Arab countries before ties were cut, he said, calling it “a surprise and a shock to us, this act of aggression”. He said normal life in Qatar is “not affected” by the blockage, insisting the tiny country maintains sufficient access to other air and sea routes to secure food for its people. Trump also called Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, on Wednesday. On the call, he reiterated “the importance of maintaining a united Gulf Cooperation Council to promote regional stability, but never at the expense of eliminating funding for radical extremism or defeating terrorism,” the White House said in a statement. Trump’s broadside on Tuesday against Qatar, which plays a major role in US military efforts in the Mideast, arrived as an early-morning shock to US officials. They then sought to clean up the president’s comments by stressing US-Qatari cooperat ion rema ined int act and crediting the country with working hard to stem funding and support for extremists. That was enough, it seemed, to persuade Qatar the US wasn’t abandoning its strategic partner. “We don’t see that he’s pointing fingers at Qatar,” Al Thani said. “Our relationship with the US speaks for itself.” Countries across the globe are increasingly faced with the same conundrum: How much credence to give to the president’s Twitter musings when they deviate sharply from US policy? Emirati officials said they perceived Trump’s tweets as a sign Qatar shouldn’t count on America Continued on A2