Businessmirror march 06, 2016

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n Sunday, March 6, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 150

HEALTH advocates representing civilsociety organizations show off samples of graphic health warnings on cigarette packs: (from left) Rommel Arriola of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines; Emer Rojas of New Vois Association of the Philippines; Party-list Rep. Leah Paquiz of Ang Nars; and Patricia Miranda of HealthJustice Philippines.

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Mindanao in darkness again China loosens D fiscal stance

By Manuel T. Cayon | Mindanao Bureau Chief

GHW law is now in effect

AVAO CITY—Several places in Mindanao have been advised to brace themselves for another dark weekend, as two coal plants on the island were expected to go off the Mindanao grid.

In the case of the franchise areas here and three towns of Davao del Norte, the Davao Light and Power Co. announced it would impose two-hour brownouts to be applied on rotation over the weekend.

The company said it received information from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) that the Steag State Power Inc. would subject one of its turbine units on a two-day maintenance shutdown on March 5 and 6.

The Steag coal plant in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, operates

two units, one of which churns out 110 megawatts.

The announcement came two days after NGCP also told Davao Light that the Aboitiz-owned coal plant in Toril, west of this city, suddenly went offline on Wednesday.

The coal plant here is operated by the Aboitiz affiliate Therma South Inc.

Wednesday’s shutdown forced Davao Light to impose three to four hours of brownout.

The unscheduled shutdown was the third shutdown of the coal

plant, which was inaugurated only on January 8 and went on commercial operation on February 2.

NGCP quoted Steag management the shutdown was “necessary to ensure optimum availability of its capacity during the critical period, which is summer.”

The Davao Light management has already described the situation as “unstable power supply in Mindanao,” saying that it was due to the decreasing water elevation of major hydroelectric power plants caused by El Niño and the bombings of NGCP transmission lines.

The Mindanao grid relies on 53 percent of the power generated from the Agus River in Lanao and the Pulangui River in Bukidnon.

Davao Light said, “Rotatingpower interruptions are projected to continue until summer. New generating plants in Mindanao, which Davao Light has contracted additional power supply, are said to be available in May and August 2016.”

amid slowdown

By Leony R. Garcia

O

N Thursday last week, the Ph i l ip pi nes joined 80 countries in the world requiring all tobacco products manufactured or imported for sale in the country to carry graphic health warnings (GHWs) or photographs showing the health risks of smoking.

Signed in July 2014, the GHW law, or Republic Act 10643, took effect on Thursday.

In a news conference in Quezon City, various antismoking groups urged the public to help in the thorough implementation of the new law.

These include the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (Fcap), HealthJustice Philippines, New Vois Association of the Philippines (Nvap) and the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca).

“Canada was the first to do so in 2001. In the Asean region, Singapore did it in 2004 followed by Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Therefore, the Philippines lags behind on the GHW,” said Ulysses Dorotheo, Seatca FCTC program director.

The March 3 deadline comes one year after the Department of Health (DOH) issued the templates to be printed on cigarette packs.

The templates comprise of realistic depictions of the ill effects of smoking, such as mouth and neck cancer, stroke and impotence.

Under the law, an additional eight-month period will be given to tobacco companies and retailers to exhaust old stocks. By November See “GHW,” A2

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang appears on a big screen, as he delivers the work report at the opening session of the annual National People’s Congress in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Saturday. AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

C

HINA unveiled a looser fiscal stance, and pledged to accelerate the restructuring of its bloated state-owned industries in setting a weaker growth target for this year.

ONE MILLION CAME Yesterday, March 5, the float of Efficascent Oil featured a giant octopus made of various fresh flowers and foliage and won the hearts of many spectators during the last day of this year’s Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City.

MAU VICTA

Owners of Pampanga’s popular hot-spring resort under criticism

By Joey Pavia Correspondent

C

LARK FREEP O R T—T h e popular hot spring of Pampanga, found in the hinterlands of Mount Pinatubo, is under fire from businessmen and 4x4

PESO exchange rates n US 47.1150

vehicle enthusiasts.

“We are deprived of our own lands. Tourism destinations should be enjoyed by all, especially our visitors, for the benefit of the people in our communities,” said businessman Rene Romero of the Land Rover Club of the Philippines (LRCP), as he condemned the alleged discrimination on local residents and

tourists at the Puning Hot Spring and Restaurant at the boundary of Sitio Bato, Angeles City, and Inararo, Porac town, Pampanga.

Joseph Luzano, Puning operations manager, denied the alleged discrimination on local residents and tourists, and abuse on their Ayta workers.

See “Hot-spring resort,” A2

Premier Li Keqiang announced a 6.5-percent to 7-percent expansion goal on Saturday, down from an objective of about 7 percent last year and the first range the government has offered since 1995.

The government also abandoned its trade target, underscoring the degree of uncertainty about prospects for global growth. The details were given in Li’s work report at the annual meeting of the legislature in Beijing.

The plan reflected the government’s determination to maintain growth and put off confronting its debt—now nearly 250 percent of GDP. The report also cited downward pressure on the economy

against a backdrop of weaker global growth.

“The package of monetary stimulus, higher deficit, and restructuring of the state sector is a surprisingly coherent response to China’s downturn,” said Andrew Collier, an independent China analyst in Hong Kong and former president of the Bank of China International USA. “The problem is, there’s a lot of bad lending going on behind the scenes at the banks that’s slipping through the cracks.”

Easing bias

THE slowest growth in 25 years has prompted officials to tweak monetary policy to “prudent with a slight easing bias” Continued on A2

n japan 0.4145 n UK 66.8138 n HK 6.0657 n CHINA 7.2095 n singapore 33.9348 n australia 34.6248 n EU 51.6333 n SAUDI arabia 12.5674

Source: BSP (4 March 2016 )

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, March 6, 2016

GHW…

Continued from a1

2016, all tobacco-product packages sold and distributed in the country must have the prescribed GHWs. “The 12-month grace period given to the tobacco industry to print GHWs is very much longer than what’s been required in other countries that have even bigger GHWs, such as Nepal [90 percent], Thailand [85 percent], Uruguay [80 percent], and Brunei Darussalam and Canada [75 percent], which all gave the industry only six months or less to comply. Sri Lanka [80 percent] and Jamaica [60 percent] gave the industry as short as three months to comply. The tobacco industry should have no excuse to delay implementation,” Dorotheo said.

The Philippines is a signatory to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which requires the implementation of “large, rotating health warnings on all tobaccoproduct packaging and labeling.” According to WHO standards, GHWs should be placed on 50 percent or more—but not less than 30 percent—of both front and back display areas of a cigarette pack. A maximum of 12 variations of the warnings will be rotated every 24 months.

Ten Filipinos die every hour because of tobacco-related illnesses, according to data gathered by FCAP.

“Pictures on packs are the most effective means of showing the harms brought about by tobacco abuse, causing premature death and diseases, including cancer,” Rommel Arriola, FCAP’s tobacco control technical officer, said.

“I lost my vocal chords to Stage 4 throat cancer due to smoking. I am

just one of the lucky ones to survive such disease. Let us all do our share in pushing for the implementation of the GHW law. It may help reduce the number of victims of tobacco like us.

Let us help save lives,” said Emer Rojas, Global Cancer ambassador and president of NVAP. “With the recent release of implementing rules and regulations of the Graphic Health Warnings law, tobacco companies are left with no excuse but to comply with the law by today’s deadline,” said Irene Reyes, managing director of HealthJustice.

“Health advocates and the public should be vigilant to watch out for any attempt the tobacco industry may make to circumvent the law,” the health groups said, noting that tobacco companies had made attempts to water down the GHW law while it was still being deliberated on in Congress.

Party-list Rep. Lea Paquiz of Ang Nars attested on the impacts of the lobbying of tobacco industry in the policy area.

“Health advocates have been lobbying GHW policies for the past seven years. Repeatedly filed in the 14th and 15th Congresses; nothing happened. They killed it on first instance. With vigilance, we passed it on the 16th Congress. Indeed, for all of us here today, we must consider this a celebration,” Paquiz said.

With 240 Filipinos dying every day owing to major tobacco-related diseases, health advocates say picture-based warnings are also needed to warn Filipinos who cannot read or understand the current text warnings being used on cigarette packs.

Hot-spring resort…

He said they decided to hold people on the gates near the resort’s spa for “safety purposes.”

Puning is frequented by Korean and Chinese tourists who usually stay in Clark during the visit.

The hot and cold springs of Puning were borne out of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991.

Romero said he was informed recently that residents living near Puning are “barred from touring their own relatives, friends and visitors at the portion of Sacobia River near the resort.”

“As far as I know, the river is owned by the government. I can’t believe that our own province mates are not allowed to enjoy what belongs to the community,” Romero said.

He vowed to launch a relentless pursuit “to know the truth and fight for the rights of the people, especially the Aetas working at Puning.”

Romero alleged that at least 69 regular Aeta workers of Puning “are underpaid and abused.”

Last month Romero and his visitors, led by Robby Consunji, president of the LRCP, and other members of the LRCP were barred from entering a road near the spa of the hot spring. Steel gates manned by Aetas are at the foot of the road near the river and at the upper portion of the road near an Aeta community.

Romero and his visitors onboard at least 14 4x4 vehicles were only allowed to enter after he argued with Puning officials.

A huge sign at the entrances said only those vehicles authorized by

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Continued from a1

THE Puning’s Aeta workers who prevented Rene Romero and his group from entering a road near the Sacobia River at the Clark Freeport. A sign prohibiting “unauthorized” visitors and vehicles is displayed near the steel gate. RIC GONZALES

Puning can enter the road.

“We have been passing on the road for ages. Suddenly, they are closing it,” he said.

Consunji, whose cousins are the top honchos of the prominent construction firm DM Consunji Inc., said: “We have been visiting provinces all over the country and we just don’t enter a community.

“We seek their approval and we ask for the rules set by the people in a community. I have passed that road at Puning many times and it was the first time we were prevented from entering,” he added. “I am disappointed.”

Consuji and members of their club said they visit Clark and Pampanga at least twice a month.

“Attorney Consuji and our friends visit Clark and Pampanga regularly. They buy gasoline, eat, shop and sometimes stay in hotels for days. They bring in business and spend their money in our place. Not to mention they promote destinations and activities in our province via Facebook and tell their friends about the beautiful Pampanga province and its attractions,” Romero said.

On February 13 Romero wrote a letter to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), questioning Puning for constructing structures that they said “may have altered the

ecological habitat of the area.”

“May we further inquire if the DENR regulations were complied with and the necessary DENR permits acquired in its continuing as a nature resort and spa?” Romero added in his letter.

The Pampanga Off-Roaders Club Inc. led by Marni Castro and the Club Overland off-road sports team headed by Dale Nepomuceno Antonio also assailed the closure of the road.

Luzano, who invited members of the Pampanga Press Club, showed last week the stiff portion of the road leading to an Aeta community and the end portion of it is near the Sacobia River.

Luzano said people onboard 4x4 vehicles can pass through the portion of the road.

“We highly recommended only 4x4 vehicles to avoid accidents,” he added.

Luzano said, “We have not closed the road and anyone can pass, but we recommend coordination with us.”

Luzano also said they employ at least 69 regular Aeta workers. He added that “we employ at least 130 more Aetas” when there is maintenance work and emergency cases.”

He admitted that some of their workers receive P259 per day, which is below the standard rate of P359 per day for regular workers in

Central Luzon.

“But we have an agreement that it’s okay for them to receive a lower salary so that more Aetas can work,” Luzano said.

Puning started with 15 Aeta workers in 2008.

“There was miscommunication between us and the group of Rene Romero,” he said. “We allowed him access after the usual procedures.”

Romero also sought the help of the Department of Tourism in Central Luzon.

Tourism Regional Director Ronnie Tiotuico said on Thursday the Puning Hot Spring “cannot claim ownership of a property in its vicinity, much less prohibit people from using the same as entry point to certain places and beyond.”

In a letter to National Economic and Development Authority Regional Director Severino Santos, Tiotuico said Sitio Target at Barangay Sapangbato in Angeles City “is a public domain and cannot be owned by any private individual or corporation, including its roads and other infrastructures thereat.”

“While the company initiated and covered the cost of building the passage en route to the Sacobia riverbed, the same cannot claim ownership of the property, much less prohibit people from using the same as entry point to certain places beyond,” Tiotuico said.

China loosens fiscal stance amid slowdown Continued from a1

last month. On Monday the central bank cut the ratio of reserves banks must lock away. Moody’s Investors Service lowered China’s credit-rating outlook to negative from stable on Wednesday, highlighting a surging debt burden and falling currency reserves while questioning the government’s ability to enact reforms.

Underscoring the government’s determination, Li said in his work report that China will need average annual growth of at least 6.5 percent in the next five years to reach its target of doubling per-capita income from 2010 levels.

“On the one hand, we will focus on current realities and take targeted steps to withstand downward pressure on the economy,” Li said in his report. “On the other hand, we must have our long-term development goals in mind, keep some policy tools as options for later use, strategize our moves and gather strength.”

While the leadership pledged to speed up the disposal of unproductive state assets, there was little on specifics. Li said the government would address zombie enterprises—inefficient and unproductive state-owned companies—through

mergers and restructuring, while offering 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) for employees laid off as part of that process.

In the financial field, Communist leaders underscored commitments to free up interest rates and the yuan’s exchange rate. In a possible nod to criticism about lack of policy clarity, China plans to develop forward-guidance communication at the central bank.

Sharper deceleration

“A MODESTLY lower growth target shows the authorities will ease enough to prevent a near-term hard landing and that they understand the peril of an excessive buildup in debt,” Yao Wei, a Parisbased China economist at Societe Generale SA, said before the report’s release. “There will be further policy easing, especially fiscal, but at best this may be enough to only temporarily prevent a sharper deceleration in growth.”

The Finance Ministry’s budget said the fiscal deficit would increase to 3 percent from 2.3 percent. Money supply will rise by 13 percent, up from 12 percent last year. The government will also press ahead to inject new life into the property market by seeking more mortgage lending, among other steps.

“Medium term, the outlook for property remains bleak, as supply has to contract to come into line with demand,” Tom Orlik, chief Asia economist at Bloomberg Intelligence in Beijing, wrote in a note on Saturday. “Short term, aggressive support from the government could still provide a boost.”

The premier’s work report was released at the same time as the 2016 budget, the 2016-2020 Five-Year Plan and a report from the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s economy planner. China will push ahead with interest-rate liberalization and deepen state-owned bank reform, the government said. The stock and bond markets will also be reformed.

The goal of a 6.5-percent to 7-percent expansion for this year compares to a median estimate for a 6.5-percent growth in 2016, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

“The announced range for the indicative GDP growth rate is welcome,” said Bert Hofman, the World Bank’s country director in Beijing for China, Mongolia and Korea. “It provides needed flexibility for balancing structural reforms and demand management.” Bloomberg News

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

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

Sunday, March 6, 2016 A3

Airline operators threaten lawsuit against Honrado

A

Recto L. Mercene

IRLINE operators said on Saturday they file a case in court to stop Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) General Manager Jose Angel A. Honrado from stopping them from using the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Honrado earlier threatened the airline from using the premier airport for their alleged failure to pay landing and other fees.

However, the airline said Honrado can not present a breakdown of their alleged arrears and refused to pay.

Honrado, on the other hand, refused to present a breakdown of the airlines’s arrears after reportedly being “insulted” by the airlines’ demand.

On Friday the Airline Operators Council (AOC) held a dialogue with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and asked for a tripartite meeting

among the CAB, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) and the Miaa to speedily resolve Honrado’s threat not to provide parking slots to at least nine foreign carriers.

The Miaa said these foreign carriers were remiss in paying landing, parking and other fees.

The airline representatives said that after filing the case in court, they will ask their respective embassies to intervene in their behalf with the government.

“No less than the bilateral agreements between the Philippines and

LTFRB not yet decided on motorcycle service

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

M

OTORCYCLE services may not be considered alternative public transport until the safety of passengers is assured, the chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said.

Until guidelines on such transport services have been crafted LTFRB Chairman Winston M. Ginez said transport-network companies are prohibited to operate Internet-based motorcycle services in the Philippines.

“Our main objective is to provide the commuters safe, reliable and convenient transport system; recognizing motorcycles as ‘forhire service’ or a form of public transport doesn’t fit into the policy framework of the department,” he added.

The transportation department informed GrabTaxi Pte. Ltd. last month that operations of its motorcycle service should stop owing to the lack of regulation on the matter. In a follow-up letter dated February 26, the agency “reiterated that motorcycles and bikes are not considered as public transport, due to safety reasons.”

It is not also line with the department’s “policy of shifting to higher capacity public-transport system, especially in dense urban areas.”

Grab, in defending its business, had previously presented before the transport agency the safety and security features of its motorcycle operations. Among these features are the provision of helmets and face masks, both for the passenger and the driver.

Although the transport department considered this, the agency noted that bike riders are

still the most vulnerable road users in the street.

There are about 3.4 million motorcycle users in the Philippines and most of them are beginners.

Studies showed that there are about an average of 16,208 motorcycle accidents recorded in the country every year.

Despite the implementation of the helmet law in the country, motorcycles have the highest fatal accident rate in Metro Manila from January to November 2015, according to statistics compiled by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System (MMARAS) database.

The MMARAS database also shows that of the 696 road fatalities recorded in that period, 236 were motorcycle riders.

The database also recorded a total of 166,883 vehicles involved in road accidents in Metro Manila, with motorcycles coming in second with 18,482, next to private cars with 81,837.

“The board remains firm in exercising our authority to regulate land-based public transportation, we will not tolerate transport operators to provide transport service using motorcycles or bikes until we have set the proper guidelines and regulations,” Ginez said.

To date, there is no department order or policy that covers the operation of a motorcycle or bike services through the use of an Internet-based technology platform to facilitate a prearranged transportation for passengers.

Instead, Ginez said the riding public could opt for other transport options that have been introduced recently, like the point-to-point bus services that connect various parts of Metro Manila.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport runway

the country the carrier represents here are involved,” the AOC said.

The AOC made an appeal through the media for President Aquino to step into the fray and to exercise his

executive powers to allow the AOC member-airlines to continue their operations, while their reported arrears are being assessed.

They said that Aquino was fur-

nished a copy of the letter of AOC’s legal adviser, the AMA and Paredes Law Office, which pleaded with Honrado to reconsider his decision.

The nine airlines have asked

Amended fisheries law not helping fishermen R

EPUBLIC Act (RA) 8550, the law governing fisheries and its subsequent amendment, RA 10654, failed to help improve the living condition of small fishermen in the country, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya (Pamalakaya) said on Saturday.

Pamalakaya Vice Chairman Salvador France said this is the common sentiment of fishermen who attended the forum held by the group in partnership with Reeling the Line, a broad alliance against RA 8550, at the Missionaries of Sacred Heart (MSC) Scholasticate in New Manila, Quezon City.

The forum assessed the implementation of the 18-year-old law governing fisheries and its subsequent amendment and was attended by small fishermen from the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Rizal and Laguna, and the cities of Navotas and Parañaque.

France said during the forum, the fishermen shared their experiences before and after the amendment to the Fisheries Code was put into place.

Pamalakaya said that in the last 18 years, the country’s marine imports and exports mainly to the United States, European Union (EU) and Japan substantially increased, adversely affecting the country’s local fish production.

Pamalakaya said that import and export rose to 120 percent, which severely affected small fishermen who could no longer cope with the production cost—mainly fuel for motorized bancas and fishnets, which small fishermen badly need.

According to France, from 2014 to 2015, around 336 million metric tons of fish, mainly tuna and other seafood, such as shrimp and seaweeds, are exported by the Philippines. This, despite the production shortfall of 15 percent to 20 percent.

“Because of the production shortfall, the government is resorting to importation to flood the market with imported fish,” he lamented.

During the forum, Myrna Candinato, vice chairman of Alyansa ng Magdaragat sa Cavite, was quoted as saying that even before the Fisheries Code was amended, small fishermen, like

members of their group, are already burdened by taxes and fines slapped against them.

Now, she said, small fishermen are even more experiencing hardship because of the higher penalties and restrictions that hamper their production “courtesy of the newly amended fisheries law.”

The Fisheries Code amendments, or the RA 10654, was passed in February 2015 under the command of the EU, which threatened to prohibit the country’s marine products to enter the EU market.

“In Batangas fishermen are experiencing equipment confiscation, lofty fines and, worst, imprisonment, when they are accused of committing the so-called ‘illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing [IUUF].’” said Lino Baes, spokesman for Haligi ng Batangueñong Anakdagat (Habagat) in a statement.

According to Pamalakaya, the amended Fisheries Code aims to deter and eliminate the IUUF, which, according to its proponents, is the reason for the food insecurity and livelihood unsustainability of the fishing sector in the country.

“The fishermen and other sectors gathered today to consolidate the effect of the 18-yearold Fisheries Code. Based on the experiences and data shared by the fishermen leaders in different areas, it is clear that the fisheries code is a detriment to them, manifesting chronic hunger and widespread pauperism among their sector,” France said.

The forum’s participants support Pamalakaya’s call to scrap the fisheries law and called on the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to release the more than P11billion unspent fund for small fishermen from 2011 to 2014.

“We demand that the government release these unspent fund for the benefit of small fishermen and, once and for all, to genuinely help improve the fisheries sector, repeal the fisheries law. We should replace it with a genuine fisheries reform law that is based on the democratic aspiration of small fishermen and the Filipino people,” he said. Jonathan L. Mayuga

Honrado to provide them with a detailed accounting of their alleged accumulated fees. One Middle Eastern airlines is being dunned to the tune of P45 million.

The airlines involved include Saudi Arabian Airlines, Emirate Airlines, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airlines and Qatar.

“If these Middle Eastern carriers were to stop flying out of Manila, the jobs of some of the 1.8 million Filipinos in Riyadh would be adversely affected including their remittances,” an AOC official said in an interview.

The AOC added that tourist arrivals would also be adversely affected.

Also on Saturday, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific expressed support for the the AOC in asking Honrado to reconsider his decision and to come up with a win-win solution to the problem.

The concerned airlines are contesting the accuracy of the accounting methods the Miaa used.

“We are more than willing to pay for what is due the Miaa, despite the poor services the airport has provided, such as the lack of security measures,” the AOC said.

New York forum turns spotlight on sustainability of PHL reforms

‘T

HE Philippines will need to nurture the virtuous cycle of business confidence that good governance and good economics have engendered,” Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said in his keynote address at the Philippine Business and Investment Forum (PBIF) held at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel.

The PBIF is taking place in the context of potential Philippine growth rates of 7 percent to 10 percent in the next decade and an HSBC Global Research Report predicting the country to be the 16thlargest economy in the world by 2050.

“This forum is a great opportunity for us to take stock of the incredible performance of the Philippine economy over the past number of years, and to bring attention to the successful reforms that have driven the country’s economic transformation since 2010 when President Aquino assumed the presidency,” said Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia Jr., who initiated the PBIF. Purisima stressed the important policy and strategic issues that the Philippine government needs to address in order to maintain the sustainability of recent economic growth. He underscored the importance of good governance, particularly in the areas of transparency, freedom of information, rule of law, security and accountability.

He added that good governance is intertwined with good economics and contributes to the virtuous cycle of confidence that encourages optimism in the Philippines, both domestically and internationally.

On sustaining Philippine economic growth, Purisima said certain areas of connectivity: infrastructure, policy, digital connectivity and process, should be given attention.

He touched upon the opportunities, as well as challenges that the Philippines currently faces, such as the Asean integration, climate change, investing and scaling up in many industries, such as information technology, micro, small and medium enterprises, agriculture and tourism, as well as diversifying geographically such as in Mindanao, and the Philippines’s investment promotion areas.

In the same panel, Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan of the Philippine Competition Commission, noted the three key constraints to growth, namely, weak institutions, poor infrastructure, and peace and order.

Balisacan, a former economic planning secretary, said that “the Aquino Administration has tackled each of these basic constraints leading to the greaterconfidenceofbusinessandinvestors.”NourielRoubiniofRoubiniGlobal Economics also noted that the success of the Philippine economic story can, likewise, be attributed to its openness to global and regional integration.

The message of sustainability of economic growth was reinforced by the panel on the Philippine Competitive Edge composed of Perry Pe, president of the Management Association of the Philippines; Alex Cabrera, chairman of PriceWaterhouseCoopers Philippines; John Hixson, vice president for Corporate Affairs of Cargill; and Andres Edlefsen of the US Department of Commerce. Recto L. Mercene

Smart named Company of the Year at Anvil Awards

S

MART Communications Inc. was the big winner at the recently concluded 51st Anvil Awards, bringing home the Company of the Year distinction after receiving the highest number of Gold Anvils for its public-relations programs.

Smart was presented with a seven Gold Anvils and seven Silver Anvils in a ceremony organized annually by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.

Receiving a Gold Anvil was

Smart’s “Free Internet” campaign, an initiative to bring the benefits of mobile Internet to more Filipinos.

From September 2014 to February 2015, Smart gave the 70 million subscribers of Smart, Sun and TNT free access to 30 MB of data on a daily basis. Smart also released educational materials that taught Filipinos how mobile Internet could make their lives better.

Another Gold Anvil winner was the Sun’s “Choose Better” cam-

paign, which encouraged the youth to celebrate practicality—to not go along with the hype and choose options that give them more than what they pay for.

Another top awardee was Smart’s Employee Rockstar Program. This is an organization-wide rewards and recognition program for employees who promote innovation, an awesome customer experience and collaboration in the workplace.

Four of Smart’s education pro-

grams, likewise, bagged Gold Anvils. One of these is the Smart TechnoCart, a compact mobile laboratory donated to public schools to develop literacy among kindergarten students. Each TechnoCart contains tablets for students, a laptop, projector and mobile Wi-Fi. The tablets are preloaded with the Batibot mobile application—the first educational app for kids in Filipino which is aligned with the official kindergarten curriculum.

SundayV

Busine

A4 Sunday, March 6, 2016 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

editorial

China and Forbes List

U

NTIL the Marxian critique of capitalism is proved—that the system will self-destruct via a falling rate of profit—we just have to admit that capitalism is the most powerful machinery for the creation of wealth. The world’s economies support this thesis. Capitalist nations, cycles of booms and busts, prosperity and decay notwithstanding, are surviving well.

The nations with the highest gross national income (GNI) per capita are all capitalist nations, with the United States leading the group with $50,000 and Western European countries plus Japan a step behind at more than $40,000.

Singapore is there in the same league as the US. At the same time, we must also admit that capitalism is the most vicious generator of income and wealth inequalities. Forbes List 2015 of the world’s billionaires suggests the size of the top of the global wealth pyramid. Of the world’s total of 1,826 billionaires with at least $2 billion, the US has 536; China, 213; Germany, 102; India, 100; and Russia, 88. The Philippines has 11 billionaires.

The interesting part of this story concerns China. China remained basically in the caves in the three decades under Chairman Mao. Guided by moral incentives, it denounced self-interest as capitalist. However, beginning in the 1980s, when Deng Xiaoping rose to power, with his now famous remark that “it doesn’t matter whether it’s a yellow cat or a black cat, as long as it catches mice,” China began to allow individual initiative to take over economic decision-making from state organs. This marked the beginning of what can be called the restoration of capitalism in China.

The result is epochal in its dimension. Over a period of 35 years, the Chinese economy doubled every seven years, with its GNI per capita of something like $200 in 1980 rising to $6,000 in 2014. Apparently, income inequality also intensified. We do not have the data but it is safe to say that at the moment millions of Chinese people in a state of poverty are coexisting side by side with Chinese billionaires.

We can overcome poverty by simply lifting everybody beyond the poverty threshold. In the Philippines this means ensuring that workers earn more than the current poverty threshold of P10,534 per capita per year. But are we condemned to accept capitalism’s inequality along with its prosperity?

The French economist Thomas Piketty, examining tons of statistical data, found that the rate of return to capital, except in times of war and deep depressions, has always exceeded the rate of growth of production, giving rise to the predominance of capital in the world’s economies. He predicted that this trend would persist in the next 100 years, to the revulsion of fair-minded people and governments. He proposes a progressive tax on capital and its income.

If it is a Hobson’s choice when it comes to income inequality, so be it. However, we also know from knowledge and experience that we can deploy industrial, trade and fiscal policy to reduce income inequality. Let’s put our knowledge and experience to our service, for a change.

Stories of Aquino’s HR violations

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Part One

O the current generation of Filipinos who had to rely on textbook accounts and biased media reports of the martiallaw years up to the Edsa revolt, Ferdinand Marcos was a tyrant and oppressor and the Aquino couple, Ninoy and Cory, icons of democracy.

Database

By Cecilio T. Arillo

Gospel

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Unknown to the general public, however, Aquino’s regime, compared with that of Marcos, was marked with a more gruesome record of human-rights (HR) violations during her presidency. Her regime had a greater magnitude of HR complaints to her credit, compared to Marcos, over a span of 20 years. She unquestionably outperformed Marcos in this category.

According to existing records in the United Nations, during Aquino’s six years and four months of incumbency, respectable quarters in the world HR community ventilated the issue about her regime’s despicable record of HR violations. The information contained in the Core Document on HR Violations of the Aquino Administration (1989), submitted to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, the Philippines’s HR record had reached a “record low during the Aquino administration.”

During Aquino’s term (19861992), the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, at that time the leading, nonprofit HR organization in the country, documented the following: n 816 desaparecidos (the disappeared, or the victims of enforced disappearances); n 135 cases of massacres (including the famous Mendiola carnage

N

and the Hacienda Luisita Massacre); n 1,064 victims of summary executions; n 20,523 victims of illegal arrests and detention; and n 1.2 million civilian victims of dislocations due to military operations.

These disturbing figures came about despite Aquino’s creation of the Commission on Human Rights on May 5, 1987, through Executive Order 163.

Former Supreme Court Justice Abraham Sarmiento, one of four oppositionists who Ninoy Aquino said he admired the most, also drew attention to the massive HR violations under Aquino (A Country Imperiled —Tragic Lesson of a Distorted History, by this author published in 2011 by Amazon).

He noted that from 1988 onward, an average of 200 persons have been arrested daily, with 94 percent of the arrests done illegally. He reported 4,408 political detentions in the 21 months, from January 1989 to September 1990. Of those arrested, 535 showed signs of torture; 109 disappeared following their arrest; 218 people died from massacres, while 157 were wounded in 54 cases of frustrated massacres. It was estimated that from 1988 until April 1991 only, over 1 million people suffered injuries in the course of the government’s counterinsurgency drive.

The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, in a report covering January 1987 to September 1991, stated that the rights of over 20,700 persons were violated as a result of 18,281 arbitrary arrests; 701 involuntary disappearances; 1,000 extrajudicial executions; and 727 summary killings.

The Children’s Rehabilitation Center also reported that in 1988 and

OW, the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

So Jesus told them this parable. And He said, “There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’

And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.’” And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced

1989, the rights of 346,789 children were violated.

What do these statistics and figures tell us? The book Lost in Time noted: “Aquino finally experienced how difficult it actually was to defend democracy. It was a lot easier to condemn her predecessor Marcos and to keep on ascribing to him problems that plagued her reign. To her dismay, the human-rights class suit against the Marcos estate in America did little to spare her regime from intense criticism for its own human-rights record.”

The nationalist, the late Renato Constantino, whose house was raided by government agents in August 1988, added: “The success of Mrs. Aquino’s advisers in institutionalizing vigilantism, food blockades and other counterinsurgency measures shows us that…the Aquino administration cannot keep up with its own rhetoric of upholding human rights even in its narrow sense.”

So, while the illusion created was that the Aquino government is markedly different from that of Marcos since it was not as politically repressive as its predecessor, this perception was accepted in a shrinking group of Aquino believers. Granting that Aquino was sincere in her human-rights pronouncements, this was contradicted by factual record.

It would not be surprising, thus, if one day victims of HR violations will also seek to attach her estate and those of her surviving family, including Hacienda Luisita, for compensatory damages similar to what was done by supposed Marcos victims of HR violations.

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

him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to make merry.

“Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And the servant said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.’

But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, “Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!” And the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”—Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Voices

essMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph • Sunday, March 6, 2016 A5

The place of dogs in Creation

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ONATHAN Wells in the Telegraph writes that James Issac, a 9-year-old boy in New Zealand, has severe autism. He doesn’t talk, he makes no eye contact and he cannot bear physical human contact.

Free Fire

By Teddy Locsin Jr.

The only one who can touch him, even more lick his face and prop his huge head on his lap, is not human at all but a black Labrador called Mahe. It is trained to help the autistic boy make his way around and protect him from harm.

It—heck—Mahe is better than a human nurse. The dog manages to calm the boy, who is easily excited and goes into seizures.

So when Issac was taken to a hospital for an MRI scan, whose noise can drive a normal person crazy, Mahe was given special dispensation to stay by the boy’s side—except during the scan. But the dog stayed well within Issac’s sight.

James’s parents remember how hard it was to have a quiet cup of

coffee together. James would get fidgety and worse. But when they got Mahe, James would just sit there waiting for them to finish.

James looks Mahe straight in the eyes and holds it there. The dog sleeps on James, as if the boy was his pillow. The boy’s sleep is peaceful and long. James is tied to the dog, so when they step out, they are one creature: Excitable on the boy’s part and circumspect on the Labrador’s. If James goes into a seizure, Mahe whines and barks to raise the alarm.

Now tell me, according to Thomas Aquinas, there is a hierarchy of higher beings created by God to keep people safe, like cherubim, seraphim and angels. Now if you ask me, Aquinas missed out on dogs. If James was left only in the care of his guardian angel, the boy would be stark crazy or under the wheels of a car.

But Mahe, he gets around.

Surely, theology is a work in progress, and a new article must be added about the place of canines in the scheme of creation.

Mahe stuck at James’s side during his MRI. Louise Goossens/CCDHB/USAToday

How racism breeds depression

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By Darryl Wellington | Tribune News Service

T is hard to feel anything but a sense of lost potential over the suicide of MarShawn McCarrel, an Ohio Black Lives Matter activist who shot himself in early February. He led antipolice brutality rallies and initiated a program in Ohio to feed the homeless.

Though only 23, McCarrel had already touched many lives. McCarrel had been homeless; he carried scars from his life. McCarrel said he suffered attacks of fear “whenever I see a badge or police lights.” On the day he died, he posted on Facebook: “My demons won today. I’m sorry.” His friends and acquaintances blamed depression—fueled in part, no doubt, by the social ills that McCarrel devoted himself to ending.

His death reminds us of the long reach of racism, how it exacerbates stress, hopelessness and mental illness. That racism takes a psychological toll even on people of color who have never been beaten, or wrongfully arrested, is clear from books like

Ralph Ellison’s 1952 novel Invisible Man, whose narrator sinks into depression after repeated racist social confrontations.

Blacks and other minorities have for decades exchanged stories of how racism led to ongoing feelings of anger. That anger can lead to noble activism, or a greater appreciation of universal humanity. It can also lead to substance abuse or pervasive depression. Medical research details the bleak reality.

A 2002 study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry concluded that Caribbeans, Africans and Asians who had endured racist verbal abuse were three times more likely to suffer from depression or

psychosis. Those who had endured a racist attack were five times more likely to suffer from psychosis. Other studies have shown that the stress from racism substantially increases the risk of heart disease and early death. And the suicide rate among blacks is climbing.

The Black Lives Matter movement has emphasized holistic mental, environmental and economic well-being, even before McCarrel’s suicide. Hopefully, the movement will help release people of color from the myth that there is something wrong, or weak, in seeking mental and psychiatric help. Native American youth between the ages 15 and 24 are particularly susceptible to

depression, leading to suicide. The suicide statistics for Native youth exceed rates among whites or any other ethnic group. Officials blame the crisis on poverty, unemployment, domestic violence, sexual assault, alcoholism and drug addiction. It’s also the sad upshot of forcibly stripping generations of people of a sense of heritage.

MarShawn McCarrel did his best to transform his personal demons into a life led for the greater good. He succeeded in extraordinary ways that should be celebrated. In his memory, we should continue to expand outreach services to minorities with the recognition that mental health is dependent on a world free of prejudice.

Clinton takes aim at another government watchdog

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By Josh Rogin | Bloomberg View

HE Hillary Clinton campaign has gone on the attack against the government official who conducts oversight of the State Department she used to run, accusing him of partisanship and misconduct, without any direct evidence. That strategy could backfire by politicizing the role of the government’s inspectors general (IG) and undermining needed State Department reforms.

This is not the first time Team Clinton has accused a federal inspector general of trying to foil her presidential ambitions. In January the campaign publicly accused the IG of the intelligence community of acting in concert with two Republican senators to leak details of nowclassified information found on her private e-mail server. This week the Clinton campaign set its sights on Steve Linick, who has served as the State Department’s IG since 2013.

Linick has never been regarded as a partisan official. President Barack Obama appointed him as the State Department IG and the Senate confirmed him. Before that appointment, the role had remained unfilled for more than 5 years and there was only an “acting” IG at state the entire time Clinton was secretary, a career foreign-service officer.

When he joined the State Department, Linick brought with him Emilia DiSanto, who worked for him at the office of the inspector general for the Federal Housing Finance

Agency. Previously, DiSanto worked as an investigator for Charles Grassley, a Republican and one of senators pushing for more transparency in the Clinton e-mail controversy.

After the newspaper the Hill published an anonymous accusation this week that Linick’s office had an “anti-Clinton bias” and that Linick was “excessively deferential” to DiSanto, Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta added that the anonymous source’s accusations raised “serious questions about the independence of this office.”

Linick’s office denies that they have any anti-Clinton bias. Spokesman Doug Welty told me that “Partisan politics play no role in OIG’s work” and “at all times, State OIG operates as an independent organization, consistent with the law.”

On Tuesday Representative Eliot Engel, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote a letter to Linick demanding he instruct DiSanto to recuse herself from the review altogether and

provide all related internal records to his committee.

“I regret that the OIG has been brought into the political three-ring circus aimed at derailing Secretary Clinton’s presidential bid,” Engel, who has endorsed Clinton, wrote.

“We need to act quickly and shut down any speculation that impugns the Office’s motives so that you can get back to your important work.”

DiSanto is an easy target because she worked for Grassley and because Democrats have already publicly accused her of leaking information about another investigation, a look into Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s status as a special government employee at the State Department while she also drew checks from the Clinton Foundation and Teneo, a firm run

by Clinton confidante Doug Band.

The Clinton campaign argues that a series of leaks coming from Grassley’s office can be traced back to the State Department IG office.

Documents related to the office’s referral of Abedin to the Justice Department wound up in the Washington Times, but both the Times and Grassley have publicly denied DiSanto was the source.

While there’s no direct evidence that DiSanto provided the leaks, the Clinton team agrees with Engel that she should recuse herself from all Clinton-related investigations. For them, the anonymous leak to the Hill accusing DiSanto of misconduct is only the latest in a string of clues that point back to the IG office as being biased.

Clinton allies on the Hill have not limited their accusations to Linick and DiSanto. In January Representa-

tive Steve Israel, a Clinton supporter, accused David Seide, another official in the State Department IG shop, of having a vendetta against Clinton, because he previously investigated her senate campaign finance chairman, David Rosen. Rosen was indicted on four felony counts related to filing false campaign finance reports but was acquitted by a jury.

For the State Department IG staff, the accusations are impossible to confront head on because they are not authorized to speak on the record about ongoing investigations.

Also, the office is now devoting enormous resources to defending

themselves from the Clinton campaign’s efforts.

In addition to Engel’s demands, they have been receiving dozens of FOIA requests aimed at gathering information on office staffers themselves. Sources in the inspector general office tell me they see the requests and accusations as an attempt to intimidate them and deter them from continuing Clintonrelated work.

In fact, the State Department inspector general’s investigation is not about Clinton’s private email server; they are reviewing the e-mail practices of four previous

secretaries of State and the current officeholder, John Kerry. Later this month, the State Department will release the third and final report as part of its review of informationhandling at the State Department, an investigation of practices by the last five secretaries of state.

I obtained a memo dated March 2 from Linick to the Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy, confirming that they had found that sensitive information was transmitted by personal e-mail accounts to Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice or their staffs.

The State Department inspector’s entire review was part of an effort initiated by the Janice Jacobs, the department’s transparency coordinator for managing information and records, who was appointed by Kerry last September.

That review is run by the office of evaluations and special reports, not by DiSanto or her staff. None of this has stopped Clinton’s allies from pushing the idea that DiSanto and Linick are on an antiClinton crusade.

The Clinton campaign declined to comment for this story.

Accusing Linick’s staffers of misconduct due to their past work affiliations is a slippery slope; tons of government employees have connections on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, the State Department IG’s credibility is suffering and they are wasting resources over what are so far unsubstantiated allegations. If Engel is serious about protecting the inspector general’s office from becoming politicized, he should tell Clinton to hold her fire.

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A6 Sunday, March 6, 2016

Oil firm: Net-zero carbon emissions feasible

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By Lenie Lectura

CHIEVING a world with net-zero carbon emissions is feasible, according to power, energy and gas technology leader Shell, but getting there will not be easy, because this will entail high levels of collaboration between policy-makers, businesses and civil society.

During its annual flagship forum on urbanization and sustainability held in Manila for the Asian leg of this global event, Shell showcased the Philippines as a leading proponent of collaborative action in the region.

“Energy, water and food are the world’s most vital resources and where public, private and civilsociety sectors need to collaborate in order to make the country more resilient,” said Edgar Chua, country chairman, Shell companies in the Philippines. “Cities, being the largest human habitat of the future, should, therefore, be an essential target of innovation.”

Shell, as an energy company, continues with its commitment to help shape the future of energy by using advanced technologies and innovat ions to del iver

cleaner energy.

Chua, in his welcome note, said the Shell Powering Progress Together (PPT) conferences have become a platform for forging collaboration initiatives with advocacy partners.

This year’s PPT forum carries the theme “Collaboration for a Sustainable Future.” As in the past two years Shell has invited experts and representatives to speak about the continuous impact of climate change and the need for collaborative action among sectors, to drive immediate solutions to efficiently manage the world’s vital resources and lower carbon emissions.

Climate partnerships

WITH the increased need for climate resilience and disasterr isk management, especia l ly

in coastal communities of the Visayas and Mindanao regions, Shell spearheaded the Automated Weather Station (AWS) network project, focused on updating and expanding the existing AWS net work of par tner c l imateresea rc h i n st it ut ion Ma n i l a Observatory, together with Smart Communications.

The AWS is an urban and environmental-resilience project that provides localized weather data to communities to help enhance risk and resilience analysis on weather and climate in key cities, especially coastal cities most at risk to climatechange impacts.

The project provides opportunities to generate new knowledge through scientific research on climate and helps to enhance disaster preparedness of local governments.

T he M a n i l a O b s e r v ator y provides technical analysis of weather and climate data, while Smart Communications provides free connectivity for wireless-data transmission. Shell has offered strategically located retail stations and depots as sites for installation of the AWS devices, which provide near real-time weather data in a specific location, such as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction.

Shell’s partnership with Manila Obser vator y a lso extends to upgrading the institute’s weather

and climate facilities, including the installation of a high-tech comput i ng fac i l it y i n 2015, which significantly improved the modeling capacity of its Regional Climate Systems program.

In Palawan, the site of the Malampaya deep water gas-to-power project, Shell has embarked on a similar AWS project together with the Weather Philippines Foundation and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.

‘Achievable’

SHELL, according to international chief climate-change adviser David Hone, plays an important role in helping the Philippines achieve its goal of establishing a fuel mix that comprises the following: 30 percent renewable energy (RE); 30 percent natural gas; and 30 percent coal.

For Hone, this fuel-mix scenario presented by Energy Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada, who was among the speakers during a panel discussion on Energy Transitions and the Climate Change, is “achievable.”

“That scenario shows that the Philippines will be heavily reliant on natural gas, in combination with RE, and that one is quite achievable,” Hone said in an interview.

“Shell’s perspective is really an important part of this mix.

The Philippine government has a program in RE, and is looking at natural gas as a pathway forward

to achieving that fuel mix. That pathway does look achievable for this country,” the Shell executive added.

Shell is pursuing plans to set up a local liquefied natural gas import facility. It also recently switched on a new offshore platform for its Malampaya natural-gas production.

The new Malampaya platform ensures that natural gas will continue to fuel three power plants supplying electricity to a third of the Philippines’s homes and businesses.

Currently, the country sources bulk of its power requirements from coal-fired power plants.

Based on the Department of Energy data, 70 percent of nearly 5,000 megawatts of new power plants being built until 2020 are coal-based.

In her presentation, Monsada said coal—as a power source—will reach 70 percent by 2030 under the business-as-usual scenario.

Still, the Philippines committed in the United Nations’ 21st Conference of Parties on climate change last December to cut emissions by 70 percent by 2030.

Hone s a id ac h ie v i ng t h i s commitment is quite ambitious, but it is not impossible. “It is subject to international support, and that’s a key par t in the Paris agreement. There must be collaboration involved in order to deliver these outcomes.”

SEA’s largest solar project starts commercial operations

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ELIOS Solar Energy Corp. inaugurated last week its 132.5 -megawatt solargeneration facility in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.

The project is Southeast Asia’s largest solar project.

T he project was developed through a partnership between Gregorio Araneta Inc. and Soleq.

Soleq is the market leader in the solar-photovoltaic industry in the Philippines and one of Southeast Asia’s largest independent solarpower producers.

This project follows the partnership’s first solar project, a 30-MW solar-generation facility in Ormoc City, Leyte, which was commissioned in April 2015.

The project employed more than 2,000 local people during the con-

HELios Solar Energy Corp. in Cadiz City.

struction phase. Additionally, it is estimated that the project will produce 188,500 megawall hours of solar power per year, or enough to power an estimated 167,526 households, and save 177.7 million liters of water and lower carbon emissions by 94,627 tons per year (equivalent of 10 years of carbon sequestered by planting 2.4 million trees).

Gregorio Araneta III, Helios chairman, said, “We are pleased to launch this ambitious project, which underlies our conviction to support the country’s shift to more renewable energy. This project also demonstrates our country’s ability to develop world-class renewableenergy projects, and establishes the Philippines’s foothold as a frontrunner in renewable energy.”

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Govt asked to probe cement importations

By Joel R. San Juan

C

ONCERNED quarters in the business community have called on the government to look into transfer pricing and other alleged various irregularities to circumvent the provisions of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines to avoid payment of the rightful amount of taxes for cement importations.

The call was made by members of the Cavite Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who were quoted as saying that some local businessmen raking in huge profits from cement importation—among them a Cavite-based trader who reportedly earned a whopping P200 mil lion in just t wo months last year, by importing Vietnamese cement that landed in Iloilo City, while operating at the comforts of his home in a middle-class subdivision.

T he c a l l w a s d e e m e d highly significant, in light of observations that the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) would have a difficult time raising the P3.002trillion national budget for 2016, the biggest so far mandated by the General Appropriations Act. Industry sources also warned against the illegal practice of transfer mispricing as a scheme to defraud the government of correct taxes. BOC records showed that cement importation in 2013 peaked at 2.5 million tons, with a cost, insurance and freight value of more than P5.3 billion.

On the other hand, the Bureau of Product Standard of the Department of Trade and Industry repeatedly warned the public against substandard quality checks and slip through warehouse confinement orders into the market.

PICE elects new officers

Marcos, Escudero neck and neck in vice-presidential derby

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ESCUDERO

MARCOS

EN. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed over the weekend to step up efforts to deliver his campaign message anchored on “national unity,” as Marcos closed the gap between his front-running rival in the May 9 vice-presidential derby.

In a statement, Marcos acknowledged growing public acceptance of his national unity plea, after a recent Pulse Asia survey showed early leader in the vice-presidential race—Sen. Francis G. Escudero suffering a 4-percentagepoint decline, while Marcos enjoyed a 3-percentage-point rise, even though

he stayed at second place.

Put another way, the survey showed Marcos narrowing Escudero’s lead over him, from 10 percentage points (33 percentage points versus 23 percentage points in previous survey) to only 3 percentage points (29 percentage points versus 26 percentage points).

“The latest Pulse Asia survey is a reaffirmation that our message for national unity is being accepted by the Filipino people,” Marcos said.

Marcos added that he also saw it “as a reflection of the increasing clamor for

genuine change through unity.”

He affirmed that his good showing in the surveys “will only spur my campaign to switch to high gear, as there still a lot of work to be done before the real survey—the elections in May.” “We will strive harder to deliver our message to our countrymen, especially our less fortunate brothers and sisters [Tayo

ay lalong magsisikap na ihatid itong mensahe ng pagkakaisa sa ating mga kababayan, lalung-lalo na sa mga kapus-palad nating mga kapatid.],”

Marcos said. Butch Fernandez

Mountaineer urges presidential bets to lead conservation efforts

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OUNTAINEER Kiko Rustia on Saturday urged presidential bets to actively move to preserve the vanishing flora and fauna of Luzon, saying government conservation efforts are still inadequate to protect the country’s natural resources against human predation.

To stress his point, Rustia will explore the inner fringes of the remaining virgin forests and still undiscovered far-flung communities in Luzon for 90 days to see for himself and show to the world the urgency of preserving these remaining species of plants and animals unique only in Luzon.

Rustia will be exploring areas

through the routes of provincial bus lines, like the Victory Liner, to emphasize and show to his fellow Filipinos that these unique species of flora and fauna are just “within reach, within our backyards,” that every one could just take a bus and take part in the movement for conservation.

A longtime University of the Philippines mountaineer, Rustia says it is the responsibility and duty of every one who longs to be president to preserve our country’s natural resources as a heritage to the next generation. Rustia is frustrated that presidentiables discuss mostly economic and political issues, but do not disclose their plans to preserve the remaining forest cover of the coun-

try, especially in Luzon.

“Based on studies by the World Wildlife Fund, the Luzon rain forest ecoregion is considered to be in its critical or endangered state. The 36,900 square miles of forest cover is supposed to be home to the Philippine eagle and other endemic species.

Now the Philippine eagle is nowhere to be found here,” he said.

There is only one remaining endemic animal, the Luzon shrew mouse, which was only one specimen collected at about 300 meters high in the northern part of Sierra Madre, Rustia told a group of reporters in a forum.

Rustia sounded alarmed when he said that the Philippine cockatoo, which was widespread throughout

Luzon, is now virtually extinct. Researchers in Luzon also think that the endemic bird, the Isabela oriole, is virtually already extinct until reports reached us that recently, only two were discovered to still be alive.

Deforestation and pet hunting are contributing to the steady decline in population of the only endemic parrot in the Philippines, the green racquet-tail Prioniturus luconensis, which were previously seen all throughout Luzon. Now these sweet little creatures are being hunted to extinction.

“There are 13 mammal species listed by the International UCN as threatened. This includes the flying fox, the largest bat in the world

at more than 1.2 kilograms, due to heavy hunting and habitat destruction. Similarly, the long-tailed macaque, Philippine warty pig or the baboy ramo, Philippine brown deer, Malay civet and the common palm civet are not going extinct.

“If we don’t do something about these, these species, which God gave us to take care of, will surely disappear in a few weeks, months time. The Sierra Madre, which is home to about 13 endangered species, including the Philippine longtail macaque, should be strictly monitored by the government and placed under protection. Same goes to the Mount Isarog Natural Park,” Rustia added. Jonathan L. Mayuga

DE CASTRO

E

NGR. Ernesto S. de Castro was elected national president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers Inc. (Pice) in a swift executive session of the newly elected national board of directors held recently at the Bacolod SMX Convention Center, Bacolod City.

De Castro is the founder of Esca Inc., which offers structural design, civil engineering, and project and construction management services. In over 30 years of operation, it has cultivated and applied expertise in commercial, industrial, institutional and residential projects of varying scale and complexity, both local and international.

Other national officers elected were Ador G. Canlas, first vice president; Clemente A.Ibo, second vice president; Nerie Bueno, secretary; Albert A. Perfecto, treasurer; Restituto C. Bautista, business manager; Erdsan Rene S. Suero, auditor; and Cesar C. Pabalan, public relations officer.

The national directors include Peter Paul D. Dy, Robert S. Licup, Rosein A. Ancheta Jr., Mariano R. Alquiza, Lea N. Delfinado, Guillermo C. Suñega Jr. and Rodney P. Menchavez.

Sports BusinessMirror

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Sunday, March 6, 2016 A7

UST clinches No. 2 seed in UAAP softball

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University of Santo Tomas’s Cherry Ann Rondina (16) scores against Maria Shaya Adorador of University of the East. NONOY LACZA

IDING on the momentum of its shock win against defending champion Adamson, University of Santo Tomas (UST) blanked National University (NU), 6-0, to claim the remaining twice-to-beat slot in the Final Four on Saturday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines softball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

Coming off a 6-2 win that ended the Lady Falcons’ historic 73-game winning run, the Tigresses simply played, inspired to frustrate the Lady Bulldogs.

UST needs to repeat against NU in the Final Four at 11 a.m. on Monday to secure a spot in the bestof-three championship series.

The other semis pairing pits top-ranked Adamson University and No. 4 University of the Philippines in a rematch of last season’s finals.

Settling for a twice-to-beat bonus after finishing the elims at 11-1, the Lady Falcons need only to prevail once over the Lady Maroons to make it to the title round.

The finals is scheduled on Friday at 8:30 a.m. at the Malate venue.

Tigresses on a roll, down Warriors

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NIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) picked up what is left off, as the Golden Tigresses scored another straight sets win, this time against University of the East (UE), 25-17, 25-23, 25-16, in University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 78 women’s volleyball tournament on Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

Fresh from its huge win against De La Salle University, UST showed no mercy against the lowly Lady Warriors and notched its second straight win to improve its standings to 4-4.

“That’s our problem, we’re on cloud nine. I told them that we don’t’ have the right to be on cloud nine because of our standings...that’s what I’ve been emphasizing to them,” Golden Tigresses Head Coach Kungfu Reyes said, referring to their 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 upset victory over the Lady Spikers last Wednesday.

“It’s okay that we won a game [against La Salle] but that’s just one game, were still at the

Best Center hoop, volleyball clinics

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HE award-winning Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training (Best) Center, sponsored

by Milo, will conduct summer basketball and volleyball clinics for aspiring young athletes.

Tuesdays and Fridays classes, starting April 1 at the Starmall Alabang and Amoranto Sports Complex, will feature classes in basketball (Preparatory Level and Levels 1 to 4); while Wednesdays and Saturdays, from April 2, will be reserved for students in basketball at the Caloocan High School and Xavier School (Preparatory Level and Levels 1 to 3) and at the Malate Catholic School (Preparatory Level and Levels 1 to 4).

Mondays and Thursdays from April 4 will be for students at the University of Perpetual Help-Las Piñas (Preparatory Level, Levels 1 to 3). Classes at the Ateneo College Covered Courts will start on April 11 for Preparatory Level and Levels 1 to 6.

Sunday classes are to be held at the Lancaster New City in Imus, Cavite, from April 17 to May 22.

For volleyball, Monday and Thursday classes are set at the Starmall Alabang for Levels 1 and 2 starting April 4 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Tuesdays and Fridays are at the Malate Catholic School starting April 5 for Levels 1 and 2, and at the Ateneo College Covered Courts starting on April 12 from 8 to 11:30 a.m. for Levels 1, 2 and Mastery.

Wednesdays and Saturdays are set at the University of Perpetual Help starting April 6 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. for Levels 1 and 2.

Daquis skippers PSL stars in Thai gig

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bottom. They have to wake up,” Reyes added.

“But it’s still a blessing, because we won, despite being erratic and unstable.”

Team Captain EJ Laure led UST with 15 points, highlighted by 14 kills, while Cherry Rondina, the leading scorer of the tournament, had a steady game with 12 hits on 11 attacks, including seven digs.

After a 0-3 start, UST has won four of its last five games to get back in the hunt for a Final Four slot. “[Our hardwork] is slightly showing some results, but we’re in a roller coaster ride, so I told them to fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride,” Reyes said. Nobody scored double figures for UE, which absorbed its 53rd straight match that dated back in Season 74.

In men’s action, Ateneo de Manila claimed the solo lead, after mounting a huge comeback over Far Eastern University, 19-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-21, 15-11.

Down 1-2, the Blue Eagles showed resiliency and leaned in reigning UAAP Most

Valuable Player Marck Espejo, who had 18 points on 15 kills, two service aces and a block, including 16 excellent receptions.

Joshua Villanueva delivered 16 hits on 15 kills for Ateneo, while skipper Isay Marasigan contributed 15 markers. Karl Irvin Baysa and Rex Intal added 13 and 11, respectively, for the Blue Eagles. Ateneo setter Esmilzo Polvorosa put up a stellar pacing, with 46 excellent sets with seven points.

The defending champions claimed the top spot with 7-1 record, while the Tamaraws slid to 4-3 slate, but remained tied with National University for third spot.

Greg Dolor and Jude Garcia led the charge for the Tams with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Jeric Gacutan had 13 markers, while John Paul Bugaoan added 11 in a losing cause.

Meanwhile, La Salle outlasted University of the Philippines in thrilling five sets, 27-25, 25-21, 18-25, 23-25, 15-11, to end its six-game woes. Lance Agcaoili

Manila Southwoods players give their Team Captain Terdy Escano a victory ride after winning the Philippine Airlines regular men’s crown. ROY DOMINGO

TWO IN A ROW M

ANILA Southwoods got its A-Team performing at full throttle on Saturday and, after several failed bids, finally scored its first-ever repeat as Philippine Airlines (PAL) Interclub men’s champion.

National pool member Justin Quiban tamed the Mountain View layout of the Mimosa here, carding a week-best five-under par-67 for 41 points to spearhead Southwoods to a closing 141 and a 10-point victory over Canlubang.

Quiban gunned down 10 birdies—a mark considered as a record in Interclub play—in a superlative round that also underscored his readiness to turn pro and give Southwoods the finishing kick it needed to break away from a tight match with the Sugar Barons at the start of the day.

Yuto Katsuragawa assembled 37 points, the veteran Jun Jun Plana was efficient with 34 and Ryan Monsalve scored 29, as the Carmona-based squad tallied 552 and finally won back-to-back titles after two failed bids in a rich history in the event unofficially known as the country’s team

‘Centennial III’ back-to-back regatta champS T

HE country’s sail master Judes Echauz, who skippered Centennial III, dedicated their triumph in the 7th Standard Insurance Boracay Regatta Race to a 14-year-old high-school student who drowned during practice in Manila Bay last week.

Echauz’s TP 52 Davidson Centennial III repeated as champions after the three-man international juries ruled in favored their protest against Hong Kong’s Freefire helmed by Sam Chan.

Last year Centennial’s 16-man crew defeated Hong Kong’s elite yachtsman Frank Pong’s Jelik, a Richel/Pugh 75 and pulled out in the first of IRC I race last Tuesday, after sailing with a broken running back.

Jelik did not compete anymore until the sixth race and placed last of the four-day regatta race backed and organized by Philippine Sailing Association, Subic Yatch Club and backed by Cebu Pacific, Tanduay Rum, Seawind Hotel, The Lighthouse Marina Resort, PLDT SME and Philippine Coast Guard.

Centennial III, who placed second in the Subic Bay to Boracay Race, recovered and won in Races 2, 3 and 6, nosing out Karakoa, skippered by veteran local sailor Ray Ordoveza.

Freefire, who filed a protest in the fourth race against Centennial III but was dropped by the international juries

CHARMING, skilled and seasoned spiker will be at the helm when the Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Star competes in the Thailand Super League women’s invitational volleyball tournament from March 23 to 28 at the MCC Hall of The Mall Bangkapi in Bangkok.

Rachel Anne Daquis, a lovely outside hitter from RC Cola-Army, was chosen to skipper the PSL stars in this prestigious tourney where the region’s best club teams from Thailand and Hong Kong will be clashing for pride and glory.

The 27-year-old former Far Eastern University star has been a regular fixture in major international tournaments.

After steering Petron to a clean sweep of the PSL

that day, placed third in IRC I class.

In IRC Class II, Black Baza, manned by Steve Manning, was this year’s champion, while Centennial II skippered by local sailor placed second. Regular campaigner EFG Mandrake, helmed by Nick Burns and Fred Kinmonth, placed third.

Vineta, skippered by Helmut Hennig, was the champion in Cruising Class, defeating Bella Uno, skippered by Michiel Brinkers, placed second. On the other hand, Mermaid, an Oceanis 45-designed, of Hong Kong’s Xiong Ting, took third.

In his speech during the awards night, Echauz dedicated their triumph to teenager Clarence John Sanchez, a seventh grader at the Araullo High School, who drowned last week.

Sanchez, who wanted to become a sailor, was practicing with 12-man training pool along Parola in Tondo, Manila, on February 28.

His teammates tried to revive him but failed. Sanchez’s parents forgive and dropped the case against sailing national Coach Felipe Mosquera, who recruited Sanchez a day before.

Mosquera pleaded for forgiveness to the teenager’s parents on what happened to their son, saying that “it was beyond comprehension that the father did not know what his son was doing.”

All-Filipino Conference and winning the PSL Most Valuable Player award last year, Daquis suited up for the national team in the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore and the Asian Volleyball Confederation Asian Women’s Club Championship in Vietnam, where she proudly displayed the athleticism, power and beauty of a true Filipina athlete.

“I am truly honored to be chosen as team captain,” said Daquis, arguably one of Asia’s most popular female athletes due to her skills, good looks and wholesome character.

“I don’t think there will be any adjustments, because most of them have been my teammates before. The chemistry is already there, so we just have to further enhance it. I want them to look at me,

golf championship.

Jobim Carlos fired 37 points to pace Canlubang, but didn’t get enough help with Carl Corpus and Aidric Chan, shooting 33 and 32, respectively, and the Sugar Barons’ fourth man, Gab Manotoc, tallying just 30 for 132 and 542 overall.

Cangolf started the fourth round just a point behind, but simply couldn’t keep up with Quiban’s smoking-hot play.

“There was no doubt we had the best team in the final round,” Southwoods nonplaying skipper Thirdy Escaño told reporters. “I would like to congratulate the organizers for discarding the handicapping system. It’s good for Philippine golf.”

Luisita, a team being prepared for the future, drew 39 points from Brian Kim and 34s from Chan Jung-park and Lanz Uy, and with Gido Mandanas shooting 30, tallied 137 for the day for 531, and third spot ahead of 2014 champion Orchard.

Former pro Raymund Sangil shot 38 and Krsitoffer Arevalo fired 35, as Orchard assembled its best round of the week, a 139, to finish with a 520 total. Tomas Joson and Niko Santiano fired

NBA RESULTS Miami 112, Philadelphia 102 Phoenix 102, Orlando 84

NatGeo run set on April 17

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Charlotte 108, Indiana 101 Toronto 117, Portland 115 Boston 105, New York 104 Milwaukee 116, Minnesota 101 Memphis 94, Utah 88 Cleveland 108, Washington 83 Brooklyn 121, Denver 120, OT Atlanta 106, L.A. Lakers 77

NOT ENOUGH

Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard (left) drives past Toronto Raptors’ Corey Joseph. Lillard’s 50 was not enough, as Portland bowed to Toronto. AP

not just as a teammate, but as a big sister inside and outside the court.”

PSL All-Star Coach George Pascua said Daquis’s skills, leadership and experience were the factors that he considered in tapping her to be the team captain.

She will be assisted by another pretty spiker Cha Cruz of F2 Logistics, who will be playing her first international tournament.

“Rachel and Cha make a perfect pair. They are both carefree and always play without any pressure,” said Pascua, who has been Daquis’s mentor in college leagues and in Petron, where they won a pair of PSL titles.

“But I chose Rachel to be the team captain because of her skills, experience and leadership. She also has a

33 each for Orchard.

Cebu Country Club, meanwhile, closed out with 124 points built around burly Bayani Garcia’s 35 and the 33 of Mark Dy, to rule the Founders Division by eight points over hardfighting Villamor with 468 total.

Marko Sarmiento fired 30 and Jon Alvarez had 26 for Cebu, which threw away the 26 of Jovi Neri at the Lakeview and Acacia nines.

Richard delos Santos fired 37 and ex-pro turned businessman Gary Sales had 36, as Villamor pooled 132, but fell short in its lastditch rally.

Tagaytay Highlands pooled 113 and was third, four points behind.

The Interclub was sponsored by the People Asia, Travelife, Mareco Broadcasting Network (Crossover), Manila Broadcasting Corp., Airbus, the BusinessMirror and Philippine National Bank.

Other supporters are the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer.net, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, Tanduay Distillers, Asia Brewery, Splash Corp., RFM Corp., Goldilocks, Eastgate Publishing Corp., Robinsons Land and Rolls-Royce.

winning mentality, which could rub off to her younger teammates.”

Aside from Daquis and Cruz, also included in the squad are Rhea Dimaculangan and Maika Ortiz of Foton; April Ross Hingpit and Jeanette Panaga of Cignal; Jen Reyes, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Frances Molina and Mina Aganon of Petron; Melissa Gohing and Michelle Gumabao of Philips Gold; and Stephanie Mercado and Aby Maraño of F2 Logistics.

“This is a very special team,” Pascua said, adding that defense should be their forte against powerhouse teams like King-Bangkok, Idea Khonkaen, 3BB Nokhonnont, Supreme Chonburi and reigning champion Bangkok Glass, which will parade a core of national-team members.

HE seventh edition of the National Geographic Channel’s NatGeo Earth Day Run will hit Manila on April 17, as the annual race goes international with simultaneous events in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tai Chung in Taiwan.

About 20,0000 runners are expected to flock Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City, with proceeds from the five-city race will directly help non-governmental organization World Wide Fund for Nature.

The NatGeo Earth Day Run aims to attract more “Eco Warriors,” for the benefit of biodiversity protection and humanity’s footprint on environment.

“Through the years, the participation and the millions of pesos have been very fruitful in making the run exactly what it is,” said Jude Turcuato, Fox Networks Group-Philippines general manager, on Thursday’s press conference at Maxim’s Hotel in Resorts World Manila.

“This will be the biggest run in Asia if you combine all five cities,” Turcuato added.

The race has categories in the 42 kilometer, 21 km, 10 km and 5 km in the race course prepared by Takbo.ph.

Past NatGeo Earth Day Run events have helped plant 36,000 fruit-bearing trees in a watershed in the Abuan Watershed in Isabela.

Last year the race was able to create and provide portable solar-powered lighting kits for the Tawbuid Mangyan tribe in Mindoro.

In 2014 it raised money for fishermen affected by Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) and trained them on how to make fiberglass boats.

Fees are priced at P1,700 (42K), P1,300 (21K), P850 (10K) and P750 (5K).

Registration started on March 1 and will end on March 31. For more details, visit www.natgeoearthdayrun.com.

Ramon Rafael Bonilla

Sports BusinessMirror

2018 Pyeongchang Games dealing with ice issues

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GROUP of international luge, bobsled and skeleton athletes are getting their first look at the sliding track that will be used in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, albeit without enough of one key component.

They need more ice.

The homologation of the Alpensia Sliding Centre track in South Korea is not going as planned, because only the bottom section of the artificially refrigerated track has ice. Saturday should have been the third day of sliding for the international group, but problems with the cooling system on the upper half of the course has turned the trip into a vacation for the invited athletes.

“It puts us in a situation where we really can’t move up the track any higher,” USA Luge men’s slider Chris Mazdzer of Saranac Lake, New York, said on Saturday by telephone from South Korea. “That’s the unfortunate issue right now.”

Mazdzer said athletes have gotten some runs from the lower starts, which is standard for a homologation—or certification—process. From there, they work their way up to the top, and that’s not possible on this track right now. Without those runs from the top, the track can’t be certified and the athletes who went to collect data and offer feedback essentially have neither.

The homologation process allows athletes to test the track’s safety, ensure that the venue is technically sound and suggest any potential modifications or improvements. It must occur before any newly built track can be

certified by the governing bodies for luge, bobsled and skeleton.

A track official in Pyeongchang told The Associated Press in an e-mail that “an official statement” on any schedule changes was expected soon.

Mazdzer said sliders have been making the best of the situation. He went swimming one day, skiing another day and was touring temples on Saturday.

Unless the problem was resolved on Sunday or Monday, he was intending to visit Seoul for a couple days before flying back to the US this week.

The homologation period is scheduled to end on Tuesday.

If the process isn’t completed now, organizers could invite teams back later this month— which some sliders would prefer, Mazdzer included—or possibly delay the homologation until next fall.

“This track needs to be homologated,” Mazdzer said.

“The sooner we can do it, the better.”

There are tentative plans for bobsled, skeleton and luge athletes to have training weeks on the new track in the winter of 2017, before the Olympics there the following year.

Ideally, homologation would be completed long before those training periods. AP

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unday, March 6, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao Asst. Editor: Joel Orellana

Scott leads, McIlroy, Johnson chase at Cadillac Championship

MAKING A MOVE

By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press

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ORAL, Florida—A rare instance of Adam Scott seeming less than pleased on Friday came after his first putt on the par-4 16th, when he miscalculated the speed and left the 30-footer well short.

Of course, that was after he drove the green on the 315-yard hole and had to merely settle for a two-putt birdie.

Otherwise, there wasn’t much for Scott to dislike during the second round of the Cadillac Championship. His 6-under round of 66 got him to 10 under for the tournament and put last week’s winner of The Honda Classic two shots clear of Rory McIlroy and defending champion Dustin Johnson at the midway point of the first World Golf Championships event of the season.

“Overall, it was a lot of good stuff,” Scott said. “Enough quality shots and enough quality putts to negate a couple of mistakes out there, but they can easily happen on this golf course. So I’m glad there was enough of the good stuff to keep me up on top and kind of setting the pace after halfway.”

Scott made eight birdies, including three straight on holes 15, 16 and 17, to strengthen his grip on the lead.

“I’m probably a little more relaxed this week leading going into the weekend than if I hadn’t won last week,” Scott said. “A 36-hole lead doesn’t mean that much, unless it’s by about 10. I could tee off tomorrow and not be leading. I’m going to have to play a good couple of days and try to keep moving in the right direction while the

conditions are allowing us to.”

He’s right—with relatively gentle breezes, the Blue Monster wasn’t exactly defenseless but scores were there to be had on Friday, as in the opening round. There were 25 rounds where a player went under 70 at Doral last year; so far this year, the count is already at 21 with the weekend left to go.

Johnson shot a flawless 64, eight birdies and no dropped shots on the way to the best round of the day. McIlroy shot a 65 for his share of second place after two rounds, and Danny Willett (66) was alone in fourth at 7 under.

“I think the golf course is fantastic,” Johnson said. “It’s in great shape. The greens are perfect. It’s not an easy golf course.”

McIlroy announced his arrival with a fourhole barrage of birdies on the front side, but the catalyst to all that, he said, was what came immediately before that streak. Going with a left-hand-low grip this week on the greens, McIlroy made a testy 7-footer to save par at the par-3 fourth hole—and that’s when the run of birdies started.

“There was a lot of big momentum putts in there that I have not been holing,” McIlroy said. “So to see those drop today and to be as comfortable as I was, it feels really good and obviously I’m very happy with where I’m at going into the weekend.”

Phil Mickelson got to 9 under at one point, leading by three—until the two shortest holes on the course led to his undoing.

Mickelson three-putted from 55 feet for bogey on the 191-yard 13th, and made an enormous blunder at the 139-yard 15th by

putting his tee ball into the water. That led to double bogey, the only one made on the hole all day and essentially costing him nearly 2 1-2 strokes against the rest of the field. Mickelson made a 5; on average, everyone else made 2.68.

“I just kind of lost my train of thought,” Mickelson said. “I’ll be fresh and ready for the weekend. I feel like I’m driving the ball extremely well and my iron game is sharp. And even though that back nine wasn’t what I wanted, it was kind of an anomaly. It’s going to be a good weekend.”

DIVOTS: Bubba Watson, who has contended at Doral in each of the last two years, shot his second straight 69 and is four shots back.... Jordan Spieth made bogey on his final hole and shot even-par 72, leaving him seven shots off the lead.... Brandt Snedeker, who shot 76 on Thursday, withdrew on Friday citing a rib injury.... Marcus Fraser, who shared the lead after the opening round despite flying in from Australia earlier in the week, seemed to have fatigue catch up with him. He shot 77.

the crowd » Adam Scott acknowledges on the 18th hole during the second round of the Cadillac Championship. AP

ITF: Wrong surface in Aussie-US tie

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ELBOURNE, Australia—The International Tennis Federation (ITF) says that the first-round Davis Cup match between Australia and the United States should have been played on hard courts, and not grass.

It said the confusion came from a three-way “oversight” by the ITF, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Tennis Australia (TA).

In 1999 the last time Australia and the US met in the Davis Cup, Australia should have hosted the matches. But a decision was made by the ITF to stage a 100th-anniversary celebration of the Davis Cup at Longwood Cricket Club near Boston.

The ITF placated Australia by allowing the matches to be played on hard court instead of clay, which the Americans preferred.

In exchange, the three groups agreed that the next time the two countries played, the matches would be played on hard courts.

But 17 years later, that agreement was overlooked when Australia, with its new captain Lleyton Hewitt, announced grass as the surface for this weekend’s tie at Kooyong, which is level 1-1 going into Saturday’s doubles.

“Part of the agreement to award the tie to the US was that Australia would receive choice of ground for the next two rotations and that the surface for the 1999 tie and the next tie would be hard court, with Australia having choice on the third tie,” the ITF’s Barbara Travers said in a statement.

“The US and Australia did not meet again

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt (top) and John Peers play against Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States during their Davis Cup doubles match in Melbourne. AP

until 2016 and, while the notes in the ITF database did include the reversal of choice for the next two subsequent ties, it did not specify the surface requirement for the next tie currently being played in Australia.

This was an oversight by the ITF, USTA and TA which all acknowledge and will refer to the Davis Cup Committee. While neither nation remembered the condition attached to this tie, now that it has been brought to their attention both Australia and the US, in the spirit of sportsmanship... have agreed to accept the decision of the committee regarding surface for the future tie.”

USTA Managing Director of communications Chris Widmaier said he hoped for a successful outcome for the Americans the next time the teams meet Down Under.

“We recognize that an oversight has taken place regarding the playing surface for the firstround Davis Cup match taking place in Kooyong,” he said. “We look forward to working with the ITF and Tennis Australia on how this oversight will be corrected the next time that the US and Australia compete in Australia.”

Both Hewitt and Jim Courier, the current US captain, played in that 1999 quarterfinal match near Boston, which Australia won and went on to clinch the title that year over France in the final. It was also the 18-year-old Hewitt’s debut in Davis Cup play. AP

McIlroy’s putting change doing really well

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ORAL, Florida—Rory McIlroy’s left-handlow putting style was something he was considering switching to for a while before he took the plunge this week at the Cadillac Championship.

The reason he hesitated, he said, was he didn’t want to be accused of mimicking Jordan Spieth.

“That was the whole thing for me,” McIlroy said on Friday, maybe only half-seriously.

Whatever works. McIlroy shot a 7-under 65 on Friday on the Blue Monster at Doral, getting to 8 under for the week and going into the weekend tied with Dustin Johnson for second, two shots back of Adam Scott.

And the reason McIlroy is in prime position is his putting.

He needed 33 putts on Thursday, leaving several short in his first competitive round since switching his putting approach— something he’s long tinkered with during practices. But on Friday, McIlroy took just 23 putts, making 15 of 16 from 10 feet or closer.

If he needed any more affirmation that the change works, it came on his closing hole on Friday. McIlroy buried a 20-footer for birdie on the 18th, getting a huge roar from the grandstand and giving him plenty of momentum to take into Saturday.

“A great putt to finish with,” McIlroy said.

“Obviously gives me a lot of confidence going into the weekend.”

For as good a round as it was, McIlroy left some chances out there, as well. After uncorking a 353-yard drive on the 413-yard 17th, McIlroy’s chip approach barely cleared a greenside bunker and left him about a 25-footer from the fringe.

McIlroy flipped his wedge skyward after the chip, and the ensuing birdie try wasn’t remotely close to the hole. AP Rory McIlroy throws his club in »frustration after hitting into the rough from the 17th fairway. AP