BusinessMirror March 18, 2019

SECONDARY AIRPORTS BOOSTING AIR TRAFFIC

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

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RAFFIC in secondary airports in the Philippines will help fuel the government’s goal of growing the commercial aviation sector by double digits this year, with two of the leading airlines now looking at expanding their operations in budding and existing hubs throughout the country.

Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Executive Director Carmel L. Arcilla said the government expects that both international and domestic air-traffic volumes will increase by as much as 10 percent in 2019 on the back of the rising demand for direct connectivity to tourism areas.

THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport, one of several new hubs that have allowed leading carriers to keep growing their passenger traffic despite the congestion in Manila’s main airports. BUSINESSMIRROR FILE PHOTO

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“We are almost consistent in growing our volumes by 10 percent or 11 percent.

We expect the same for this year. It will be driven by the expected growth in Manila, but most of the growth may come from the secondary airports due to more direct flights,” he said in an interview.

In absolute terms, a 10-percent growth in terms of volume would mean 5 million more passengers this year. This means that air-traffic volumes should reach the 59-million mark by end-December.

For 2018, international scheduled passenger traffic grew by 10 percent to 26.85 million passengers from 24.37 million passengers the year prior, while domestic traffic expanded by 12 percent to 27.83 million passengers from 24.81 million passengers.

Arcilla explained that the secondary airports will help fuel this year’s growth target, as airlines mount more flights in other hubs due to slot and capacity constraints at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

Cebu Pacific COO Michael Ivan S. Shau said his group sees secondary airports as growth drivers for the company, as demand for direct connectivity to certain tourist destinations continues to rise.

“We are very much interested in the development of Clark. We have increased the capacity of our Clark-Davao, ClarkPanglao and Clark-Cebu routes. We feel that we can serve the market in Clark and grow our secondary routes,” he said.

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Monday, March 18, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 159

Amid ‘Trabaho’ bill, Japan firms investing $1.24B ₧19.72B J

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

These investments on manufacturing, agriculture, retail trade, real estate, automotive and education will generate at least 16,000 jobs in the country, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.

The commitments were secured by the DTI in a business mission last week to Tokyo, Japan.

The DTI and the Board of Investments (BOI) also used the business mission to explain the supposed benefits of the proposed Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities, or the Trabaho bill.

The Trabaho bill seeks to gradually lower corporate income tax to

20 percent by 2029 from 30 percent.

In exchange, incentives granted to firms operating in economic zones, such as the 5-percent tax on gross income in lieu of all local and national taxes, will be removed.

Foreign investors, both prospective and existing, disapprove of the component on rationalization

Total approved investments from Japan for 2018, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, making it the third-largest origin of foreign investments after China and Singapore. However, PSA data also showed investments from Japan last year—the height of debate on the Trabaho bill— declined 38.3 percent from P31.98 billion in 2017

of incentives, as this could compel some locators to move out of the Philippines, which, in turn, will result in job losses.

The Trabaho bill was approved in September of last year by the House of Representatives, but has See “Japan firms,” A2

@BNicolasBM

& Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

N the heels of the water crisis affecting some parts of Metro Manila, the government is eyeing to reconstitute the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) and place it under the Office of the President (OP).

This was revealed by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Sunday.

Under the proposed executive order (EO), the proposed reconstituted NWRB will be responsible for policy, direction-setting and the integration of all government efforts pertaining to water.

Nograles said in a statement that “given the scope and breadth of water-related concerns, the su-

By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM

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HE government is losing the opportunity to spend P500 million a day for productive activities such as education, health care, infrastructure and job creation with every week that the government is forced to operate on a reenacted budget, the Department of Finance said.

Finance Secretar y Carlos Dominguez III called on the members of the legislature to break their impasse on the 2019 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) soon, as it has an adverse impact on the local economy’s spending numbers.

“For the first quarter of the year, the fact that we did not have the budget that we presented meant that we had P46 billion less to spend in the first 90 days,” Dominguez said during

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.5910

See “NWRB,” A5

BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR

a recent press briefing.

“Now, if you divide P46 billion into 90 days, that’s half a billion pesos a day that we are not spending to create jobs, that we are not spending to improve the infrastructure, that we are not spending for better health care, better education,” he added.

The finance secretary said the budget will have to be approved at the soonest, given that it would still take about a month after its transmittal to Malacañang—and its subsequent enactment into law by President Duterte—for this year’s national budget program to take effect.

After Malacañang receives the GAB, Dominguez said it would take the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) a few days at the least to go over the transmitted document, after which the See “Underspending,” A12

MWSS sets meeting on SMC’s water offer

“Our country is blessed with an abundance of water, and it is ironic that as we celebrate Philippine Water Week, many Filipinos are being deprived of access to water.

Having unusually heavy rainfall levels— particularly coming from a waterworld to a waterless scourge—seeing the taps run dry is galling.”—Binay

pervision of OP could help ensure that all 30-plus agencies involved in water resource management are on the same page.” The NWRB is currently under the supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources by virtue of EO 123, Series of 2002.

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DOF chief flags risks of underspending as 2019 budget stalls

NWRB under OP eyed; water crisis probe slated

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

P25.00 nationwide | 5 sections 30 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK

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APANESE firms are investing a total of $1.24 billion in new projects and expansions to the Philippines, shrugging off uncertainties brought about by the government’s move to rationalize tax incentives.

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See “Air traffic,” A5

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CRITICAL LEVEL A campus photojournalist takes pictures of the rock walls of the Magat Hydroelectric Dam in Ramon, Isabela, as what was once the biggest multipurpose dam in Southeast Asia reaches critical water level. The bright rock walls indicate the normal level used to be covered with water. Weather forecasters point to the early negative impact of the dry spell. CEASAR M. PERANTE

ETROPOLITAN Waterwork s and Sewerage System (MWSS) Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco will lead a special meeting of various stakeholders on Monday to operationalize San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) offer to help by delivering 140 million liters of clean, treated water to areas affected by the water shortage.

T he meeting, w ith top officials of the three water concessionaires of MWSS—Manila Water Co. Inc., Maynilad Water Services, Inc. and Bulacan Bulk Water—w i l l inc lude af fected See “MWSS,” A12

n JAPAN 0.4708 n UK 69.6515 n HK 6.6997 n CHINA 7.8214 n SINGAPORE 38.7954 n AUSTRALIA 37.1503 n EU 59.4594 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.0239

Source: BSP (15 March 2019 )

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Monday, March 18, 2019

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Tax hikes to dampen investor appetite in local financial instruments–expert

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By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE implementation of tax increases in the banking and finance sector under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act could discourage investors from buying local financial instruments, according to a consultant of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

Diwalwal. . .

Continued from A12

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the dredging and cleanup of the Naboc River was crucial as it drains into the Agusan River, the country’s third largest river basin, which drains into an estimated 12,000 square kilometer area, including the Agusan Marsh, a wildlife sanctuary.

Less grumbling

EDGARDO BAYAWA, one of those served with the cease-and-desist order, pleaded with serving officers from the local Mines and GeoSciences Bureau and the Environmental Management Bureau, to allow him 10 more days at most to haul the unprocessed gold lying idle at the small tailings pond and to process the rocks that must be crushed and refined at the ball mills.

“It would take one day to crush and pulverize one sack of these rocks,” he said.

The serving officers were divided though, with one assuring him that he could negotiate it with the higher officials.

One other small processor would rather stop his processing activities. “It is difficult to get gold from the ores. These few years, a gram of gold could be extracted from three to four sacks of rock ores.

That’s how it is getting to be scarce.”

CA. . .

Continued from A12

Since the subject property was then mortgaged to MBC, it was agreed that out of P321.6 million, RGVDC will directly pay P55 million to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the partial settlement of the loan of GDI to MBC, while P16.6 million will be for the legal and miscellaneous expenses incurred in the redemption of the subject property with the MBC. The CA held that the trial court correctly ruled that out of the P321.6 million, only P1 million was actually received

by GDI as earnest money.

“The amount of P117,166,400.00 and P129,474,250.00 constituted the bulk of the purchase price, and as such, RGVDC’s noncompliance with their obligation constituted nonpayment of the full purchase price, and consequently, a breach of contract on their part,” the CA declared.

Based on its complaint for reconveyance of real property with prayer for damages, GDI said following its issuance of a deed of absolute sale over the subject property, it chanced upon an issue in one of the major dailies on April 14, 2007, showing that AFP-RSBS was offering for sale 1.5 million shares of stock of Monterrosa Development Corp. (MDC) at a 150-hectare residential site in Barangay Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas, for a minimum bid price of P892.5 million.

Due to this, GDI learned about the transfer of the subject property from MDC to AFP-RSBS, prompting it to file the complaint.

RGVDC: Complied with MOA

FOR its part, RGVDC insisted that they had fulfilled its obligation under the MOA by clearing the subject property of its occupants with the Department of Agrarian Reform

A company sized unit of Army soldiers was tapped to secure the residential and mining site, and to provide security to the enforcement teams headed by 11 community environment and natural resources officers (Cenros) and five Penros.

They would serve the order on the more than 300 operators of 1,797 ball mills and 31 CIPs. As of the first day of the serving of the ceaseand-desist order, the only grumbling heard was the further pleading from operators to give them a little more time to prepare and haul the remaining sacked ores and gold dusts.

“The mining operators have no other recourse but to comply,” Barangay Captain Pedro Samillano said.

Today, he added, “the miners called me up or sent text messages telling me that the DENR has arrived in the area. They asked me what to do.”

“Of course, I told them to comply,” he said.

Since 2002

RELOCATING the processing activities to Mabatas began a few years immediately after the government took over the small scale mining operation of the 729-hectare Diwalwal mines site in 2002. The National Task Force Diwalwal soon subdivided the scattered and violence-wracked control of the tunnels into cooperatives. Malacañang also established offices here of its corporate arm on mining, the Philippine Mining Development Corp. and

(DAR), and that GDI was satisfied, that is why it executed the deed of absolute sale.

Granting that RGVDC did not comply with the deposit, the beneficiaries of the amount are the tenants/occupants of the subject property, and not GDI, the RGVDC said.

It also argued that GDI is barred from denying its satisfaction with its dealings with RGVDC in view of the execution of the deed of absolute sale and the transfer of the title over the subject property to MDC since 1998.

MDC, on the other hand, denied GDI’s claim of simulation of contracts as there was an actual transfer of ownership when it paid P321.6 million to GDI, which resulted in the execution of the deed of absolute sale.

AFP-RSBS: joint venture

ON the other hand, AFP-RSBS claimed that as part of its business undertakings, it entered into a joint venture with AG&P for the construction and marketing of a 28-story condominium in Binondo, Manila, named as Chinatown Steel Towers Inc. (CSTI).

It recounted that on September 7, 1999, CSTI and RGVDC executed a deed of assignment allowing the former to transfer and assign in favor of the latter all its shares of stocks and assets consisting primarily of 120 condominium units at the Chinatown Steel Towers, in exchange for the subject property which at that time was in the name of MDC. Also, on the same date, RGVDC executed a deed of assignment transferring and assigning all its rights and interests over the shares of stock with MDC to AFP-RSBS. AFP-RSBS claimed that the deed of assignment was in effect a corporate swap, whereby CSTI would hand over all of its shares of stocks comprising 120 condominium units to RGVDC in exchange for the latter’s right and interest in MDC to AFP-RSBS, which consists of all its shares of stocks including the subject property.

the DENR’s corporate arm, Natural Resources Development Corp.

A relocation was identified at an area covering 60 hectares in Mabatas, intended to remove the families from shanties perched atop the slopes with tension cracks developing underneath, but mainly to bring the processing mills away from the rivulets and streams that feed into the Naboc River, a tributary of the Agusan River.

The mercury contamination in the 1990s of the Naboc River, which eventually found significant traces into the Davao Gulf, forced the government to clamp down on the wanton use of mercury and cyanide but to no avail, as suspicion of payoffs to high-ranking government, police and Army officials hounded the enforcement.

Miners and barangay officials also argued that the government has not constructed the necessary structure of a tailings dam, and basic infrastructure for civilian occupancy was not seen. Last year, lawyer Alberto Sipaco, former regional director of the Commission on Human Rights and currently designated president of the PMDC, announced government’s warning to miners to transfer them with finality to Mabatas.

Tawantawan said the miners were given the final grace period since October 2019 till March.

She said in the previous meetings leading to the enforcement over the weekend, “we made it clear that we now have to enforce it.”

AFP-RSBS also alleged that at the time MDC’s shares and assets were assigned to it, the title of the subject property had no adverse claim annotated in favor of GDI, thus, it claimed that it acted in good faith as MDC’s assignee, and that it was a purchaser in good faith and for value.

This resulted in AFP-RSBS’s filing of a cross-claim against RGVDC where it contended that it was a mere assignee of MDC by virtue of a deed of assignment executed by CSTI and RGVDC. Thus, it argued, RGVDC should, likewise, be ordered to return the proceeds of the sale of the 120 condominium units of CTS to AFP-RSBS, and to pay damages, among others, in case of a ruling that favors GDI. The CA held that: “In this case, RGVDC failed to pay the purchase price which gave GDI a right to demand the fulfillment or cancellation of the obligation under an existing valid contract.

“Here, GDI opted to have the contracts rescinded, which is well within its right…,” it added.

With regard to the claim of AFP-RSBS, the CA ruled that it is an assignee in “bad faith” because, “had AFP-RSBS carefully examined the documents handed over by RGVDC, it would have easily discovered that the latter was not able to comply with its obligations to GDI, which would have prompted AFP-RSBS to inquire into the title of RGVDC as regards the subject property.”

However, the appellate court held that RGVDC should pay AFP-RSBS the proceeds of the sale of the 120 condominium units of CSTI. “Thus, the RTC correctly ordered that Rodolfo and RGVDC return the proceeds of the sale of the 120 condominium units of CSTI to AFP-RSBS as it is an assignee of MDC. Besides, Rodolfo and RGVDC did not present any evidence that it was CSTI that received the proceeds of the sale of the 120 condominium units,” the CA pointed out.

Concurring with the ruling were Associate Justices Ramon M. Bato Jr. and Ramon A. Cruz.

In a Policy Note, PIDS Consultant Geminiano L. Sandoval Jr. said the higher taxes could make the Philippines lose investors to its other neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Sandoval found through a number of Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) that taxes in banking increased by 100 percent, and there were significant increases in taxes related to equities and insurance.

“Tax rates under TRAIN have significantly increased. Such increases, particularly on DST [Documentary Stamp Tax], may be acceptable in single transactions.

However, from the business standpoint, the cost of completing a transaction or delivering their service have already doubled,” Sandoval said.

“In wholesale investments, the increased costs accumulate, which may, in turn, reduce interest in the Philippines. In this regard, data on these sectors should be reviewed as soon as they become available,” he added.

Based on data collected by Sandoval, Interest income from Foreign Currency Deposit Unit increased to 15 percent from 7.5 percent; Bank checks, drafts, certificates of deposits not bearing interests and other instruments (DST), P3 from P1.50; and debt instruments (DST), P1.50 for every P200 and its exceeding fraction from P1.

Sandoval also said DST for bills of exchange or drafts; upon acceptance of bills of exchange; and Foreign Bills of Exchange and Letters of Credit increased to P0.60 for every P200 and its exceeding fraction from P0.30.

Further, in terms of mortgages, Sandoval noted there was also an increase to P40 from P20 when the amount secured does not exceed P5,000, and an increase to P20 from P10 on each P5,000 and fraction exceeding every P5,000.

“While the DST imposed by the Phil-

Japan firms. . .

Continued from A1

yet to get past the Senate. Deliberations on the measure will have to wait until the 17th Congress resumes session for the last time on May 20.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez vowed the government will assist foreign investors with their projects in the country.

“The DTI and the BOI are actively engaging with our foreign investors like the Japanese to assist them in these expansion projects and new business endeavors in the country. We assure them that the Philippine government welcomes all investors that would like to join our growth story,” Lopez said.

Total approved investments from Japan for the whole of last year amounted to P19.72 billion, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

This made Japan the country’s thirdlargest origin of foreign investments behind China and Singapore. However, PSA data also showed investments from Japan during that year—the height of debate on the Trabaho bill—declined 38.3 percent from P31.98 billion in 2017.

ippines appears to be reasonable, its rates have significantly increased under TRAIN. It is difficult to assess the impact of these new rates on trade in financial services because checks and bill of exchange may be more relevant in the domestic sphere rather than in international trade,” Sandoval said.

In terms of equities, stocks not traded in the stock exchange are now uniformly taxed at 15 percent on capital gains. Prior to the TRAIN regime, their tax was only at 5 percent if the gain were P100,000 or less, and 10 percent if over P100,000.

Sandoval added that taxes for stocks traded in the stock exchange and not sold by a dealer have increased by 20 percent under TRAIN, from 1/2 to 6/10 of 1 percent of the gross selling price.

“Most of our Asean neighbors do not impose a tax on the transfer of shares,” he said. “Indonesia is one exception, but its rate is but a small fraction of what the Philippines charges.”

For insurance transactions, Sandoval said that various DST rates for life-insurance policies, as well as changed tax base, which moved from the effective rate of 12 percent on the premium.

However, Sandoval noted that it increased the effective rate for preneed plans to 0.20 percent from 0.10 percent, and also doubled the DST for certificates of damages.

“Similar to the Philippines, other Asean countries also impose a standard corporate income tax on life-insurance companies. However, the Philippine corporate income tax rate is the highest in the Asean region. This means life-insurance companies in the Philippines are subject to the highest income tax in Asean,” he added. Sandoval recommended that a careful analysis be done on the imposition of taxes on financial services to prevent any unintended consequences.

The new Japanese investments will include the $76-million joint venture of Mitsubishi Corp. with a local real-estate firm for putting up affordable housing.

Itochu Corp., through its subsidiary Dolefil, is investing in a waste-to-energy project that will convert pineapple waste into biogas. This $19.2-million joint venture with Metro Pacific Investments Corp. can produce electricity enough to replace 20 percent of Dolefil’s yearly grid requirement.

In a deal with domestic firms, ISE Foods Inc. will put up a large-scale poultry farm composed of five integrated farms, estimated to have 6 million layers.

The project was valued at $250 million and is estimated to recruit 1,000 workers. The farm will employ and train Filipino workers on the latest technology in poultry farming, as well as in fortified egg production.

On the other hand, Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd. will invest in a $46-million manufacturing facility that will produce wire harness systems for passenger cars.

Lopez tendered the BOI’s assistance in providing a list of candidate locations where the firm can set up its factory. The project is expected to generate 13,000 jobs, according to the DTI.

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Military probe to confirm if JI leader among dead in anti-BIFF operation

By Rene Acosta

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@reneacostaBM

HE military is validating whether regional terrorist Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader Mauiyah was among the casualties in its ongoing offensive against the Islamic State-affiliated faction of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Maguindanao, which has entered its seventh day on Sunday and has already resulted in the confirmed killing of Abdul Rahman, an Arab terrorist.

Mauiyah, a Singaporean and leader of the Indonesian-based JI who is in the country, were among the five foreign terrorists that included Rahman, two other Arabs and an Indonesian who were the focus of the military operations in the areas of Shariff Aguak-Pagatin (Datu Saudi), Mamasapano and Datu Salibo—the so-called SPMS box in Maguindanao—where the local terrorists operates.

Mauiyah and the four other foreign terrorists were in the company of the group of Esmael Abdumalik, alias Abu Toraife, the head of the IS-affiliated faction of the BIFF, when the military initiated its operation against the group on Sunday last week, commencing at Barangay Inaladan in the town of Shariff Saidona Mustapha.

“We could not yet confirm if Mauiyah was among the casualties, but there is no longer proof of life,” Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander Major Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said on Sunday.

“The residents, those who were displaced, confirmed that he was in the area just minutes before the bombing began,” he added, referring to the bombing run carried out by the Air Force and the artillery strike by the Army during the start of the massive operation at Inaladan before it spread into other areas under the SPMS box.

During the operation, Rahman and Toraife’s two deputies, Salahuddin Hasan and Commander Bastardo, were killed along with several members of the BIFF. Hasan was a known bomb maker, having been trained by Mauiyah and the JI. Sobejana said the massive operation was continuing in adjoining barangays under the SPMS, although some of the residents affected by the conflict have begun to return to their homes, especially in Inaladan where some of the houses were earlier occupied by the terrorists.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Monday, March 18, 2019 A3

Tourism agency to market PHL as safe destination for LGBTQIA community

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo Special to the BusinessMirror

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HE Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) is anchoring its work program this year on conferences and meetings to boost the country’s tourist arrivals.

TPB, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), is also adopting strategies that will tap people’s motivations for traveling and focusing on their interests instead of just pushing the local destinations, which had been part of the promotions plans of the agency in the past.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror, TPB Chief Operating Officer Venus Marie Q. Tan also said it will initiate community-based projects that support sustainable tourism, the DOT’s overarching theme.

One of the DOT’s goals is to make the Philippines the “premier Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions [MICE] destination in Asia.”

As such, Tan stressed, “I want to strengthen MICE and bring back all the big congresses. Because we’re still run by [arrival] numbers, the bodies will come from MICE.” Under the National Tourism Development Plan of 2017 to 2022, the DOT is targeting to attract 8.2 million foreign tourists this year, up 15.5 percent from the 7.1 million who traveled to the Philippines in 2018.

“We will work on slow travel, on immersion, and strongly on soft power, [with tourists’] interest as a driver. We

will build on culture, gastronomy, our strength [smiles], and everything to do about Filipino values and our unique national assets,” she added. “Even the way we will communicate will be around the strength of the Philippines.”

As regional director of the Cordillera Administrative Region, Tan introduced innovative concepts such as painting Baguio houses on a hill in colors, like the favelas of Brazil, and most recently, tree bathing in the summer capital’s forests.

According to TPB’s work program for 2019, its strategic marketing directions will focus on high-spending markets that stay longer in the country and give them an “optimal experience.”

Among its new marketing initiatives, Tan said, is a “rainbow pride project” to tap the growing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied market. The idea, she explained, is “to position the Philippines as a safe and friendly country that welcomes the LGBTQIA community,” considered a high-end market.

The TPB will also be implementing a “Philippines on Wheels” program, targeting consumers in highly populated areas in South Korea, Japan and China, especially in malls, markets and parks. This will “create awareness in target areas in partnership with top agents, airlines, private stakeholders and online stores,” said Tan. To encourage more visitors from Asean, the TPB also intends to tap Filipino teleseryes and movies, dubbed in Malaysian or Bahasa, for airing and

online streaming through cable TV and other multimedia companies. Depending on the budget available, the TPB may also invite “top-rated” Malaysian, Indonesian, or Thailand TV series “to shoot episodes in the Philippines with famous Filipino actors and actresses to maximize publicity,” she added.

The TPB is also pushing the Philippines as a film location “by leveraging on its rich natural attractions and cultural heritage,” she added.

In coordination with the DOT overseas offices, the TPB will partner with international retail brands (e.g., Roxy, Billabong, Quicksilver) to design special pieces to feature different island destinations in the Philippines, like Siargao, for instance, “and to sell them at a certain cost where a portion of the proceeds will benefit a local community development in the destination,” said the TPB chief. “A raffle draw will also be held for those who purchase the product.

The prize will be a trip to the Philippines sponsored by the private sector.”

To strengthen the MICE industry, the TPB intends to bid for big-ticket events, such as conferences of the World Travel and Tourism Council, United Nations World Tourism Organization, Unesco Creative City meets, South by Southwest Music Festival, film events, and the like.

The TPB also aims to employ crossbrand marketing to boost the awareness of the Philippines by partnering with popular international brands like Hertz (Hertz Philippines Travel Guide), Hugo Boss, Christian Loubotin (for limited

edition bags inspired by iconic Philippine features) Oris watch (e.g., Limited edition Tubbataha watch), Filipino designers Michael Cinco and Monique Lhuillier, and Philippine jeweler Jewelmer.

Part of its action plan to boost the tourism numbers of the Philippines, aside from branding the Philippines as a MICE center, is to implement a focused marketing communication plan, which includes “advertising in all markets in cross hubs of the world, as well as heavy online digital platforms and offline activations to draw point of sales.”

It also intends to participate in nontraditional fairs and events with “high attendance of global influencers present,” to boost tourism numbers.

Among the new international tours and travel events the TPB intends to participate in for the rest of the year are: (March) Nagoya Travel Fair; (April) China International Leisure Tourism Expo; (May) ITB Asia and Blue Ocean Diving Festival Kansai; (June) Ehime Soratabi in Japan; (August) Hokkaido Overseas Travel Fair and The Big Festival in Oxfordshire, England; (September) Seoul Friendship Fair; (November) Okinawa Travel Fiesta; and (December) United States Tour Operators Association Conference and Market Place.

For MICE markets specifically, the TPB is eyeing to participate in these events: The Meetings Show in UK (June), Get Global Australia (July), and Meet the Bidder Grand Edition Poland (November).

A4 Monday, March 18, 2019 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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‘Population survey in limbo due to budget delay’

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

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HE delay in the passage of the 2019 national budget has another possible casualty­— the Philippine Census of Population and Housing which should be conducted next year.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Officer in Charge Rosalinda Bautista told the BusinessMirror in an interview that many of the activities to prepare for the oncein-a-decade census are scheduled for this year.

This means the proposed P6.73billion budget of the PSA already took into consideration a part of the 2020 Census. Foremost of these activities are the procurement of around 90,000 tablets that will be used for data collection.

“If the 2019 GAA [General Appropriations Act] is not approved, it looks like we cannot proceed with the 2020 Census,” Bautista said. “Although sometimes special funding can be given. We don’t know yet.”

Based on the proposed 2019 budget, the PSA intends to spend P1.31

billion to conduct the preparatory works for the 2020 Census.

However, Bautista said that if the 2018 budget of the PSA will be used, the agency will fall short of P1.205 billion since only P95 million can be allocated for Census preparation.

To enable the PSA to conduct Census preparations under a reenacted budget, Bautista several periodic surveys may not be undertaken. But this, she said, is “simply unimaginable.”

“Baka ’pag dudugtong-dugtungin natin ’yung budget sa lahat ng survey at hindi na tayo mag-survey, baka dun lang tayo makaka-census [Only if we pool the funds from all the surveys of PSA can we be able to make room for the Census budget],” she said.

“We need [over a] billion for the Census. The procurement of the tablets will be done in 2019 that’s why the budget is large,” Bautista added.

She said the tablets will be leased as this is less costly for the government. However, the procurement of around 90,000 tablets entails expense and is time-consuming as no single supplier can provide all the requirements of the PSA. Apart from this, the PSA, by law,

is mandated to employ teachers to conduct the survey. This means the Census has to be conducted during summer vacation.

The public-school teachers will be “paid an honorarium as may be determined by the National Census Coordinating Board but not less than P250 and shall receive service credits equivalent to the number of days rendered in census work.”

Bautista said this means the PSA still needs to make the necessary arrangements with the Department of Education (DepEd) so the agency can tap public-school teachers.

If the Census will be held after the summer months, she said the DepEd may not allow the teachers to assist in conducting the survey.

Under Batas Pambansa 72, Bautista said the Census should be conducted every May during years ending in zero.

However, the decision on whether to conduct a Census next year will still depend on the PSA Board which is chaired by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

“A national census of population and other related data shall

be taken every decade beginning in 1980, in accordance with plans prepared by the National Census and Statistics Office, without prejudice to the undertaking of special censuses on agriculture, industry, commerce, housing and other sectors as may be approved by the Neda,” the law stated.

‘Not suspended’

NEDA Undersecretary for Planning and Programming Rosemarie G. Edillon told the BusinessMirror that despite the reenacted budget, the government can still push through with the Census.

National Statistician Lisa Grace S. Bersales said the PSA, an attached agency of Neda, has also been undergoing workshops since January on strategic planning as well as procurement.

“Probably not [suspend the 2020 Census]. Big expense will be for next year anyway,” Edillon said in a text message to the BusinessMirror over the weekend.

The government’s statistics and civil registry efforts, most notably its biggest project of implementing the national ID, have

continued. In a recent statement, Neda said the rollout of the national ID is on schedule despite a reenacted budget.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Implementation Plan has already been approved and mass registration is already expected next year.

The PhilSys implementation plan detailed four phases of the project’s execution from procurement of technology to issuing actual IDs. The Neda said phase 1 which will be done this year involves the procurement, testing of core technology infrastructure, organizational development of the PhilSys Registry Office (PRO), and launch of target registration.

Phase 2 which will be between January and June 2020, will entail the development and full operationalization of core technology infrastructure, development of a mass registration ecosystem, use case development, and registration of pre-registered persons.

Neda said phase 3, between July 2020 and June 2022, will undertake

mass registration of 110,000,000 Filipinos and resident aliens, including overseas Filipino workers and phase 4, between July 2022 and December 2022, will involve issuing of PhilSys numbers, or PSNs, to newborns.

The PhilSys provides for a national identification system that seeks to unify all government IDs into one. It will provide identification to both citizens and resident aliens of the country to facilitate public and private transactions.

Despite the numerous IDs issued by the Philippine government, Pernia said 14 percent of Filipinos are still denied of government and financial services due to lack of proper identification documents.

“Having one national ID will strengthen financial inclusion by reducing the cost of transactions through easier authentication procedures. This way, the marginalized will have easier, faster access to public programs,” he said.

The PhilSys Act was signed into law last August 6. The Neda said the law is an “historic accomplishment of the Legislative Agenda under Chapter 5 of the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.”

Kaliwa Dam won’t solve current water supply crisis—economist

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

T

HE construction of China-funded Kaliwa Dam project, which is seen as a medium-term solution to the water crisis in Metro Manila, is also expected to be delayed because of the standoff in the passage of the proposed 2019 budget, a local economist said.

The budget bill has yet to be transmitted to the Palace as there is an ongoing debate on the last-minute changes done on the budget bill after the version approved by the bicameral conference committee was ratified by both chambers on February 8.

Foundation for Economic Freedom President and local economist Calixto V. Chikiamco also tagged as a mistake the Duterte administration’s shift in emphasis on the mode of financing the project from a public-private partnership (PPP) to official development assistance (ODA), which entailed getting a loan from a foreign country.

Debt servicing is annually appropriated in the country’s budget bill.

Despite the opposition of environmentalists and some critics to the construction of Kaliwa Dam, Chikiamco, meanwhile, also stood firm that this is the right step forward.

“Firstly, the Duterte government made a mistake of canceling the PPP for Kaliwa [Dam] in favor of Chinese ODA, delaying the project,” Chikiamco said in a text message to the BusinessMirror. “Secondly, Kaliwa can only be up in three to four years.

Won’t solve current shortage.”

Nonetheless, he said he still favors the construction of Kaliwa Dam together with other dams as a good mediumterm solution.

Chikiamco pinned the blame on the water crisis to the failure of Manila Water Co. Inc., one of the private concessionaires, to anticipate higher demand versus its water supply.

“For medium term, Laiban, Kaliwa and Kanan dams should be tapped as alternative to Angat. Combined the dams are capable of 8,000 million liters per day, double [that of] Angat’s capacity,” he said.

Manila Water on Saturday said it has already restored supply to 80 percent after a week of scheduled water interruptions.

No overnight solution–AER

NONETHELESS, Action for Economic Reforms Coordinator Filomeno Sta. Ana III said there is no overnight solution to increase sustainable supply but the government should no longer be complacent about this.

“Building new dams must proceed but the government must be credible in undertaking these projects by being transparent and by convincing people that environmental, engineering and safety standards are met, that financing is sound and fair,

that affected people are justly compensated,” Sta. Ana said in a text message to the BusinessMirror.

In the short run, he also urged the government to take the lead in facilitating the coordination between water concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water in water sharing.

The government must also lead efforts in undertaking water conservation, he said.

High prices for summer

MOREOVER, Chikiamco recommended that the government set higher prices for water above a certain level during summer to encourage water conservation.

He also urged the government to immediately pass a law reforming the water industry similar to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) and to set rights and rules for private investment in water production and distribution.

Population factor

MEANWHILE, lawyer Michael Ll. Yusingco, nonresident research fellow at the Ateneo School of Government, said the government should not lose sight of the underlying cause of the problem, which is the growing population in National Capital Region.

“Ultimately, what this crisis is showing us is that the supply will soon be overwhelmed by the demand. And this is the problem we must all face now,” Yusingco said.

He also said the best way to move forward from this crisis is for President Duterte to call for a Water Resource Management Summit to look for viable long-term solutions to preserve the country’s water resources, including revamping the current water resource management regime.

Stakeholders can be gathered to produce a comprehensive and coherent water resource management plan for the country, he said.

“One such solution which can be properly discussed is to de-populate Metro Manila. While obviously controversial, I believe this proposal is very much in line with the President’s federalism agenda.

In any case, this is an idea people in Metro Manila must seriously consider if we want to prevent an even harsher water crisis,” he said in an e-mail sent to the BusinessMirror.

“Doing this is utterly paramount considering that by next year our population will be 110 million. With more than half of Filipinos less than 35 years old.”

Aside from this, he said the government should also consider stabilizing water from typhoons into a sustainable and vast supply for cities.

“This will certainly relieve some pressure on our natural reservoirs. Pursuing this makes sense considering the number of typhoons that come our way every year,” he said.

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Comelec may issue voters’ ID despite PhilSys rollout

T

HE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it may resume the printing of voters’ identification (ID) cards, as the soon-to-be implemented National ID system will not perform its functions.

Comelec Spokesman James B. Jimenez said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has opted not to use their voters’ registration database for its Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).

NWRB. . .

Continued from A1

While the provisions of the proposed EO are still being finalized and have yet to be submitted to the President for his input and approval, Nograles said the proposed EO will cover the different components of integrated water resource management (IWRM).

The body will also be responsible for the crafting of a national water-management master plan that will integrate all relevant and existing plans and road maps of the different agencies that play a role in IWRM, he said.

The Palace official said the issuance of the EO was discussed at the last Cabinet Assistance System meeting in Leyte on Friday.

“At this point we have built a consensus on how we can address these issues, but the

Instead, the poll official said PSA opted to create its own database for the PhilSys from scratch instead of tapping Comelec’s database of its over 61 million registered voters.

“In 2012, we stopped with the recommendations as outlined in the EO will still be subject to the approval of the President,” he added.

Manila Water on Saturday said it has already restored supply to 80 percent after a week of scheduled water interruptions.

The water crisis was blamed on a combination of population growth and the corresponding uptick in the number of water consumers, the unusually huge demand brought about by a “mild” El Niño and limited water allocation for the East Zone, which were serviced by Manila Water. Critics, however, said Manila Water itself was to blame for failing to prepare for the projected increase in customers.

House probe

The House of Representatives called on top officials of Manila Water, Maynilad Water Services Inc., the NWRB and five mayors of Metro Manila to attend the House’s investigation

printing [of voters’ ID] because we were expecting the National ID to take over [its functions],” Jimenez said in an interview.

“But now it is clear the National ID is not going to perform [the functions of] a voters’ ID; we may have to resume its printing,” Jimenez said.

He said Comelec will have to consider the availability of funds before it pushes through with the printing of voters’ ID. While it is not mandatory for

Filipinos to cast their vote, their voter ID can be used for transactions requiring government-issued IDs. It contains the personal information of holders like their name, civil status, address and the precinct number where they are assigned to vote.

Congress earlier said the PSA is targeting to distribute the first batch of the National IDs to 6 million people by September.

on Monday into the water shortage in parts of Metro Manila and Rizal.

The House Committee on Metro Manila Development chaired by Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo and the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development chaired by Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez want to find out what caused the water shortage and the possible solutions to it.

Meanwhile, Castelo said the Oversight Committee on Public Utilities will file and approve the resolution on Monday allowing the use of deep wells to ease the crisis affecting 1.2 million households in East Zone.

Last Friday, Speaker Gloria MacapagalArroyo led the opening of the cross-border pipe at the corner of West Avenue corner Bulacan Street, in Quezon City, to enable Maynilad to give water to Manila Water. With the opening, some 10 million liters of water per day will immediately flow to the east zone.

Ironic twist

Samuel P. Medenilla

THIS developed as Senator Nancy Binay noted an ironic twist in Metro Manila’s water-supply crisis as the country observed “Water Week.”

“Our countr y is blessed with an abundance of water, and it is ironic that as we celebrate Philippine Water Week, many Filipinos are being deprived of access to water,” Binay said over the weekend.

“Having unusually heavy rainfall levels— particularly coming from a waterworld to a waterless scourge—seeing the taps run dry is galling,” she said in a statement.

“We reiterate our call to have a clear policy on maintaining water security whenever water supply goes bad,” she added, suggesting that government regulators concerned“should have a holistic and comprehensive water-resource plan, as well as an effective water allocation and reuse policy.”

With a report from Butch Fernandez

Monday, March 18, 2019 A5

Amid water shortage, DOH advises: Don’t drink dirty water, don’t skip hygiene

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco Correspondent

T

HE D epar tment of Health (DOH) on Sunday warned the public on the danger of drinking water from unsafe sources amid the shortage of water in some parts of Metro Manila.

“It is important to ensure the quality of your drinking water through simple, inexpensive steps to treat and safely store water in your homes to avoid falling ill,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III declared.

DOH authorities said that drinking water from unsafe sources can be made safe for drinking by boiling or by using chlorine tablets.

It is important to bring water to a boil and allow it to boil for at least two minutes to kill most disease-causing

Air traffic. . .

Continued from A1

Shau also mentioned the airports in Cebu and Davao as two others where Cebu Pacific would like to expand internationally.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) Vice President of Sales Ryan T. Uy noted that his group also sees the strategic and critical role of secondary airports for the development of the local aviation industry.

organisms, Duque said.

Likewise, chlorinating water for drinking is an alternative way to make it safe, but it may not be effective against some disease-causing organisms, such as those that cause watery diarrhea.

“In the midst of the water-shortage crisis, continue observing personal hygiene to avoid common diseases such as scabies, diarrhea and other food and waterborne diseases,” Duque said.

He also expressed worry that the limited amount of water may tempt many to forego personal hygiene habits such as taking a bath and frequent washing of hands.

“Let us conserve water, adapt to the limited water supply and make sure to prioritize cleanliness and personal health at all times,” the health chief advised.

He explained that due to slot constraints in Manila, his group is developing hubs such as Clark, Cebu, Davao and Kalibo.

“The beauty is we are not dependent on Manila only. We also have Cebu, where we fly to five international destinations. We also have Clark, Davao and Kalibo. We are able to utilize different hubs, and we are adding new destinations, mounting new flights and increasing frequencies to some key markets,” he said.

A6

Monday, March 18, 2019

The World BusinessMirror

Editor: Angel R. Calso

New Zealand digs graves as massacre toll rises to 50

C

HRISTCHURCH, New Zealand—Anguished relatives were anxiously waiting on Sunday for authorities to release the remains of those who were killed in massacres at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, while police announced the death toll from the racist attacks had risen to 50.

Islamic law calls for bodies to be cleansed and buried as soon as possible after death, usually within 24 hours. But two days after the worst terrorist attack in the country’s modern history, relatives remained unsure when they would be able to bury their loved ones.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police were working with pathologists and coroners to release the bodies as soon as they could.

“We have to be absolutely clear on the cause of death and confirm their identity before that can happen,” he said. “But we are so aware of the cultural and religious needs.

So we are doing that as quickly and as sensitively as possible.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said a small number of bodies would start being released to families on Sunday evening, and authorities hoped to release all the bodies by Wednesday.

Police said they had released a preliminary list of the victims to families, which has helped give closure to some relatives who were waiting for any news.

The scale of the tragedy and the task still ahead became clear as supporters arrived from across the country to help with the burial rituals in Christchurch and authorities sent in backhoes to dig new graves in a Muslim burial area that was newly fenced off and blocked from view with white netting.

The suspect in the shootings, 28-year-old white supremacist Brenton Harrison Tarrant, appeared in court on Saturday amid strict security, shackled and wearing all-white prison garb, and showed no emotion when the judge read him one murder charge and said more would likely follow.

Tarrant, the suspect, had posted

a jumbled 74-page anti-immigrant manifesto online before the attacks and apparently used a helmetmounted camera to broadcast live video of the slaughter.

Ardern said the gunman had sent the manifesto to her office e-mail about nine minutes before the attacks, although she hadn’t gotten the e-mail directly herself.

She said her office was one of about 30 recipients and had forwarded the e-mail to Parliamentary security within a couple of minutes of receiving it.

Bush said at a news conference on Sunday that they found another body at Al Noor mosque as they finished removing the victims, bringing the number of people killed there to 42.

Another seven people were killed at Linwood mosque, and one more person died later at Christchurch Hospital.

Another 34 victims remained at Christchurch Hospital, where officials said 12 were in critical condition. And a four-year-old girl at a children’s hospital in Auckland was also listed as critical.

Dozens of Muslim supporters gathered at a center set up for victims, families and friends across the road from the hospital, where many had flown in from around New Zealand to offer support.

About two dozen men received instructions on their duties Sunday morning, which included Muslim burial customs.

Abdul Hakim, 56, of Auckland, was among many who had flown in to help.

“As soon as people die we must bury them as soon as possible,” Hakim said. “We are all here to help them in washing the body, putting them in the grave.”

Javed Dadabhai, who flew from

Auckland after learning about the death of his 35-year-old cousin Junaid Mortara, said the Muslim community was being patient.

“The family understands that it’s a crime scene. It’s going to be a criminal charge against the guy who’s done this, so they need to be pretty thorough,” he said.

Still, it was hard, he said, because the grieving process wouldn’t really begin until he could bury his cousin.

People across New Zealand were still trying to come to terms with the massacre that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.”

A steady stream of mourners arrived at a makeshift memorial outside the Al Noor mosque, where hundreds of flowers lay piled amid candles, balloons and notes of grief and love. As a light rain fell, people clutched each other and wept quietly.

Under a nearby tree, someone had left a potted plant adorned with cut out red paper hearts. “We wish we knew your name to write upon your heart. We wish we knew your favorite song, what makes you smile, what makes you cry. We made a heart for you. 50 hearts for 50 lives.”

The gunman livestreamed 17 minutes of the rampage at the Al Noor mosque, where he sprayed worshippers with bullets. Facebook, Twitter and Google scrambled to take down the video, which was widely available on social media for hours after the bloodbath.

The second attack took place at the Linwood mosque about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away.

Ardern has said Tarrant was a licensed gun owner who bought the five guns used in the crimes legally.

Ardern reiterated her promise that there will be changes to the country’s gun laws in a news conference on Sunday, saying her Cabinet will discuss the policy details on Monday. Arden used some of her strongest language yet about gun control, saying that laws need to change and “they will change.”

Neighboring Australia has virtually banned semiautomatic rifles from private ownership since a lone gunman killed 35 people with assault rifles in 1996.

Before Friday’s attack, New Zealand’s deadliest shooting in modern history took place in 1990 in the small town of Aramoana, where a gunman killed 13 people following a dispute with a neighbor. AP

Google’s AI struggles to keep shooting video off YouTube Y OUTUBE has tried to keep violent and hateful videos off its service for years. The Google unit hired thousands of human moderators and put some of the best minds in artificial intelligence (AI) on the problem.

On Thursday, that was no match for a gunman, who used social media to broadcast his killing spree in a New Zealand mosque, and legions of online posters tricking YouTube’s software to spread the attacker’s video.

When the rampage was streamed live on Facebook, police alerted the social network, which took the video down. But by then it had been captured by others, who reposted it on YouTube. Google said it’s “working vigilantly to remove any violent footage.” Still, many hours later, it could still be found, an unnerving reminder of how far giant Internet companies have to go to understand and control the information shared on their services.

“Once content has been determined to be illegal, extremist or a violation of their terms of ser-

vice, there is absolutely no reason why, within a relatively short period of time, this content can’t be eliminated automatically at the point of upload,” said Hany Farid, a computer science professor at the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Information.

“We’ve had the technology to do this for years.”

YouTube has worked to block certain videos from ever showing up on its site for years. One tool, called Content ID, has been around for more than a decade. It gives copyright owners such as film studios the ability to claim content as their own, get paid for it, and have bootlegged copies deleted. Similar technology has been used to blacklist other illegal or undesirable content, including child pornography and terrorist propaganda videos.

About five years ago, Google revealed it was using AI techniques such as machine learning and image recognition to improve many of its services. The technology was applied to YouTube. In early 2017, 8 percent of videos flagged and re-

moved for violent extremism were taken down with fewer than 10 views. After YouTube introduced a flagging system powered by machine learning in June 2017, more than half of the videos pulled for violent extremism had fewer than 10 views, it reported in a blog.

Google executives have testified multiple times in front of the US Congress on the topic of violent and extremist videos being spread through YouTube. The repeated message: YouTube is getting better, sharpening its algorithms and hiring more people to deal with the problem. Google is widely seen as the best-equipped company to deal with this problem because of its AI prowess.

So why couldn’t Google stop a single video, that is clearly extreme and violent, from being reposted on YouTube?

“There are so many ways to trick computers,” said Rasty Turek, chief executive officer of Pex, a start-up that builds a competing technology to YouTube’s Content ID. “It’s whack-a-mole.” Bloomberg News

www.businessmirror.com.ph

The World BusinessMirror

French protesters riot in Paris, say Macron gave them ‘hot air’

Risk of political disarray stalks Thai economy as election nears A

PARIS famed restaurant Fouquet’s burns on the Champs Elysees Avenue during a yellow vests demonstration on Saturday, March 16, 2019, in Paris. Paris police say more than 100 people have been arrested amid rioting in the French capital by yellow vest protesters and clashes with police. They set life-threatening fires, smashed up luxury stores and clashed with police firing tear gas and water cannon. AP PHOTO/CHRISTOPHE ENA

P

ARIS—French yellow vest protesters set life-threatening fires, smashed up luxury stores in Paris and clashed with police on Saturday in the 18th straight weekend of demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron. Large plumes of smoke rose above the rioting on Paris’s landmark Champs-Elysees avenue, and a mother and her child were just barely saved from a building blaze.

Cobblestones flew in the air and smoke from fires set by protesters mingled with clouds of tear gas sprayed by police, as tensions continued for hours along the Champs-Elysees. By dusk, as the demonstrators had dispersed, the famed avenue was a blackened expanse.

The resurgent violence comes at a watershed moment for a movement, which had been fizzling in recent weeks, and at the end of a two-month-long national debate called by Macron that protesters say failed to answer their demands for economic justice.

Police appeared to be caught off guard by the speed and severity of Saturday’s unrest. French riot police tried to contain the demonstrators with repeated volleys of tear gas and water cannon, with limited success.

One arson fire targeted a bank near the Champs-Elysees on the ground floor of a sevenstory residential building. A mother and her child had to be rescued just as the fire threatened to eng u lf t heir f loor, Paris’ fire service told The Associated Press. Eleven people in the building, including two firefighters, sustained light injuries.

A 43-year-old German factory worker, who identified himself only as Peter, had traveled to Paris to show solidarity with yellow vest protesters. Standing on Saturday outside the burned-out bank, he said he agreed with the destruction, calling banks “the biggest problem in the world.”

Protest organizers had hoped to make a splash on Saturday, which marks the four-month anniversary of the yellow vest movement, which started on November 17, and the end of the “Great Debate” that the French president organized to respond to protesters’ concerns about sinking living standards, stagnant wages and high unemployment.

They claimed that Macron failed in that aim.

“It was hot air. It was useless and it didn’t achieve anything. We’re here to show Macron that empty words are not enough,” said yellow vest demonstrator Frank Leblanc, 62, from Nantes.

“We’re marking the end of

the great debate...Macron has given us no great solutions,” said protester Francine Sevigny from Lyon.

Others praised the violence that tore through Paris.

“I’m glad there are the thugs, b e c au se w it hout t he m ou r movement wouldn’t get any attention. We need the violence so we can be heard,” said Marie, a mother of two from Seine-etMarne who wouldn’t give her surname.

The violence started minutes after the protesters gathered on Saturday, when they threw smoke bombs and other objects at officers along the ChampsElysees—the scene of repeated past rioting—and started pounding on the windows of a police van.

Simultaneous fires were also put out from two burning newspaper kiosks, which sent black smoke high into the sky. Several protesters posed for a photo in front of one charred kiosk.

Demonstrators also targeted symbols of the luxury industry, smashing and pillaging shops including brands Hugo Boss and Lacoste, and tossing mannequins out of broken windows. A posh eatery called Fouquet’s, which is associated with politicians and celebrities, was vandalized and set on fire. A vehicle burned outside the luxury boutique Kenzo, one of many blazes on and around the Champs-Elysees.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, who inspected the damage on Saturday evening on the Champs-Elysees, said an estimated 10,000 yellow vest protesters were in Paris and another 4,500 had demonstrated around France. He also said the Paris crowd included 1,500 “ultraviolent ones who are there to smash things up.”

Still, the numbers paled beside the 30,000 people who took part in a separate peaceful climate march in Paris at the same time, according to Castaner.

And the number of yellow vest protesters remains smaller than early in the movement, when it drew masses to the streets nationwide and polled showed a majority of French people supporting their cause. Since then, repeated rioting by the protesters and economic concessions by Macron have diminished public support for the yellow vests.

Paris police told the AP that 192 people were arrested in Paris on Saturday and 60 others were injured, 18 of them police and firefighters.

The yellow vest groups represented teachers, unemployed people and labor unions. While the rioters drew most attention on Saturday, most of the protesters in Paris remain peaceful. AP

Monday, March 18, 2019 A7

HIGH-SPEED train that glides from an expanded coastal airport handling 60 million passengers toward cavernous new stations in Bangkok. An infrastructure blitz that takes Thailand’s economy to new heights.

That’s the vision of the Thai military junta, which has ruled the Southeast Asian nation since seizing control in a coup in 2014, and is now looking to bring its leader, Prayuth Chan-Ocha, back as prime minister in the March 24 election.

Its economic plan rests on a 1.7 trillion baht ($54 billion) spending push to revive competitiveness in an economy hamstrung by depressed business confidence and investment. Growth has lagged peers in the region, productivity has weakened and companies have been reluctant to invest in an environment of trade tensions and political uncertainty.

The return of democracy comes with its own risks: a possible messy exit from five years of repressive military rule that is clouding the economic outlook.

Thailand’s establishment elites have dueled for power with the populist alliance of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra for over a decade, a fault line that could bring gridlock to the next parliament. He or his supporters prevailed in each election since 2001, only to be unseated by the military or the courts.

The instability has weighed on competitiveness and investment, both of which the junta has struggled to turn around since taking power.

As Brexit stalls, UK supporters protest betrayal of their dream

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UNDERLAND, England—With Britain’s departure from the European Union likely to be put on hold, some Brexit supporters fear their dream is dying.

But they aren’t giving up without a fight—or at least, a long walk.

Hard-core Brexiteers led by former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage set out on Saturday on a twoweek “Leave Means Leave” march between northeast England and London, accusing politicians of “betraying the will of the people.”

They plan to finish at Parliament in London on March 29, the day the UK was supposed to leave. That deadline now looks unlikely. With British politicians deadlocked over departure terms, lawmakers voted on Thursday to seek to delay Brexit until at least, June 30.

“If you have seen what’s happening in Parliament this week, we may well not be leaving the EU,” said Brexit figurehead Farage, who joined the protest dressed for a country walk in tweed cap and Barbour jacket. “If politicians think they can walk all over us, we’re going to march back and tell them they can’t.” For the 100-200 Brexit believers who showed up to march on a wet, cold day, the gridlock in Parliament is confirmation that Britain’s politicians have no intention on cutting the country’s ties with the 28-nation EU. “People now are just fed up with the whole situation and want to get out,” said John Harrington, who traveled from Southend on England’s south coast. “Now with it being prolonged, it could just go on forever.”

Like many things connected to Britain’s departure from the EU, the Brexit march didn’t go completely to plan. Chaos reigned as protesters set off in a cold rain down a muddy North Sea coast path in Sunderland, a former shipbuilding city 270 miles (435 kilometers) north of London. AP

“Improving national competitiveness is super urgent,” said Somprawin Manprasert, the chief economist at Bank of Ayudhya Pcl., a Thai unit of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.

“Thailand can ill-afford another period of lagging behind from political disorder. I believe we’ve bottomed out as people realize we need to improve productivity.”

Thailand has dropped 10 places on the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness index since 2007—the biggest decline among Southeast Asia’s top economies— to rank 38th out of 140 countries last year. The index measures everything from the openness of the economy and quality of infrastructure to the strength of institutions and innovation.

Investment as a share of gross domestic product has also been steadily sliding over the years, capping the economy’s expansion.

Growth is expected to trail the average for Southeast Asia for a seventh year, reaching 3.9 percent in 2019 compared with 5.2 percent for the region, International Monetary Fund data shows.

Junta leader Prayuth—who deposed an elected administration in 2014—made the so-called $54billion Eastern Economic Corridor project the centerpiece of his push to close the economic gap.

It calls for new transport infrastructure, businesses and skills by 2021 across an already-industrialized part of the eastern seaboard dotted with traditional automotive and electronics-parts exporters.

Prayuth has cut red tape, making Thailand one of the 10 most improved nations in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2018 rankings as it vies with neighbors such as Vietnam for investment.

He is now seeking to return as premier with the help of a juntaappointed 250-member Senate, which will vote on the prime minister along with the 500-seat elected lower house. However, the main opposition Pheu Thai is on course to be the biggest party in the lower house, and opposes the continuing influence of the military in politics.

The party is popular among the rural poor and linked to Thaksin, who now lives in exile.

Advanced voting in Thailand took place on Sunday, with reports of long queues and waiting times running into hours to cast ballots despite temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Tension spiked earlier this month after a court dissolved another Thaksin-linked opposition party, damaging the election strategy of his alliance. The ruling evoked memories of the bloody street protests triggered when Thaksin-allied parties were previously broken up.

Unsettled foreign investors have already pulled out a net $700 million from Thai stock and bond markets so far this year amid the political intrigue, which is coming at the same time as a prolonged surge in the currency weighs on tourism and exports, the key drivers of the economy.

Aging work force

ANALYSTS at United Overseas Bank Ltd. and Standard Chartered Plc. see the possibility of a coalition government after the March 24 election, though the likely composition, leader and durability of this kind of arrangement remains unclear.

Whoever takes power though will have to tackle a key long-term risk facing the economy, which will weigh on its competitiveness: how to boost skills and productivity in an aging work force.

A new government may focus more on wooing rural voters than investing in high-skilled areas, which would end up encouraging farmers to stay in low productivity jobs, said Gareth Leather, an economist at Capital Economics Ltd. in London.

“Thailand’s upcoming election will do little to improve the economic outlook,” he said. “Whoever wins, the shift toward economic populism is likely to continue, delaying reforms needed to raise productivity growth and deal with the worsening demographic outlook.”

While a stable democratic government would boost Thailand’s chances of attracting more foreign direct investment, wooing sophisticated industry won’t be easy, said Aloke Lohia, the billionaire chief executive officer of Bangkok-based plastics producer Indorama Ventures Pcl. “It’s a difficult task,” Lohia said.

“We don’t have that education that helps build the pool of talent that large corporations are looking for.”

Bloomberg News

A4 Monday, March 18, 2019 A8

The World BusinessMirror

US business groups encouraged by prospect of US-China trade deal W

ASHINGTON—US business groups said on Friday they are encouraged

by China’s approval of a new law that loosens restrictions on foreign investment and said it could help smooth the way to a substantive trade agreement between the two countries.

China’s ceremonial legislature passed a measure on Thursday seeking to prevent Chinese officials from forcing US and other foreign companies to turn over proprietary technology, a key sticking point in the trade fight between the two countries.

The US has imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods in an effort to force changes to a range of China’s economic policies. China has retaliated by slapping duties on most US imports.

“It’s one of those confidence building measures,” Erin Ennis, senior vice president of the US-China Business Council, said of the move by Chinese

legislators. It suggests “the two sides are talking the same language.”

US companies have long complained that Chinese officials informally push them to turn over trade secrets in order to access China’s market. In some cases US businesses are required to form a joint venture with a Chinese partner, and share technology with them. In other cases US companies are forced to provide trade secrets to win regulatory approval from local officials, who then turn over those secrets to Chinese firms.

The Trump administration also wants China to reign in subsidies for state-owned firms and for companies that are focused on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and self-driving cars.

The new law would bar Chinese officials from leaking technology to Chinese firms, and would also make it easier for more US companies to do business in China without a partner.

Still, it’s not clear how close the

two sides are to an agreement. Earlier this week, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told a Senate committee “there still are major, major issues that have to be resolved.”

And Ennis said China needs to publish regulations that would implement the new law, a step they have delayed taking in the past.

Lighthizer has emphasized that the agreement must include enforcement provisions that would allow the US to impose tariffs or other sanctions if China doesn’t follow through on its promises. That remains a key sticking point between the two sides, business lobbyists have said.

Lighthizer sketched out how the United States wants to enforce the deal in his testimony on Tuesday.

US companies that are forced to turn over technology, for example, could bring that concern to US officials, who would raise them in monthly meetings with their Chinese counterparts. Lighthizer and his Chi-

nese counterpart would meet every six months and seek to resolve the toughest cases.

If they were unable to do so, Lighthizer said, the US could “unilaterally act to enforce change,” which would likely mean tariffs. The Trump administration wants China to agree to not retaliate, but that is a major sticking point.

Still, both presidents want a deal, business lobbyists say.

“We are cautiously optimistic that the two sides are going to get there,” said Jeremie Waterman, president of the US Chamber China Center.

“They’re clearly whittling the number of outstanding issues down.”

Some business groups think an agreement, if it is reached, won’t happen until the end of April.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday at the White House, “We’ll have news on China probably one way or the other over the next three or four weeks.” AP

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Oil closes near 4-month high after 2nd straight weekly gain

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IL gained for a second straight week as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) assured traders it’s committed to culling supplies ahead of a key meeting with allies in Azerbaijan this weekend.

Futures advanced 4.4 percent this week in New York and settled on Friday just pennies off a four-month high.

Opec self discipline and a surprise reduction in US crude inventories signaled tightening supplies, but concern that the US-China trade dispute won’t end soon limited gains at week’s end.

“The market basically seems to be stalling,” said Gene McGillian, senior analyst at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. “Concerns that either the delay in the trade negotiations or signs of worries about slowing economic growth that will impact energy demands are limiting the market’s upward movement.”

Crude has risen 29 percent this year as various geopolitical and economic factors diminished concerns about a worldwide glut. The International Energy Agency reported on Friday that Opec’s February crude production fell to a four-year low. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia announced it will continue to

curb production and American sanctions have isolated two major exporters, Venezuela and Iran.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for April delivery slipped 9 cents to close at $58.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent for May settlement declined 7 cents to close at $67.16 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract traded at an $8.34 premium to WTI for the same month.

Baku meetings

MEETINGS scheduled for March 17 and 18 in Baku, Azerbaijan, will be the first ministerial gathering of Opec and allied producers since Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid AlFalih stressed the need to continue with the production cuts. A full meeting of cartel leaders in Vienna next month will follow deliberations by important committees.

Opec’s monthly report on Thursday slashed forecasts for global oil demand and boosted projections for supplies from non-Opec countries, particularly in the second half of the year. As a result, the group indicated that a surplus might emerge during the fourth quarter even as cutbacks trim the group’s overall production. Bloomberg News

US military budget focused on China despite border talk W ASHINGTON—Chinese bombers. Chinese hypersonic missiles. Chinese cyber attacks. Chinese antisatellite weapons.

To a remarkable degree, the 2020 Pentagon budget proposal is shaped by national security threats that acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has summarized in three words: “China, China, China.”

The US is still fighting small wars against Islamic extremists, and Russia remains a serious concern, but Shanahan seeks to shift the military’s main focus to what he considers the more pressing security problem of a rapidly growing Chinese military.

This theme, which Shanahan outlined on Thursday in presenting the administration’s proposed 2020 defense budget to the Senate Armed Services Committee, is competing for attention with narrower, more immediate problems such as President Donald J. Trump’s effort to use the military to build a border wall.

The hearing, for example, spent more time on the wall and prospects for using military funds to build parts of it than on any aspect of foreign policy, including the conflict in Syria or military competition with China, Russia or North Korea.

Shanahan is hardly the first defense chief to worry about China.

Several predecessors pursued what the Obama administration called a “pivot” to the Pacific, with China in mind. But Shanahan sees it as an increasingly urgent problem that exceeds traditional measures of

military strength and transcends partisan priorities.

“We’ve been ignoring the problem for too long,” Shanahan told a senator.

“China is aggressively modernizing its military, systematically stealing science and technology, and seeking military advantage through a strategy of military-civil fusion,” he wrote in prepared testimony to the committee, which is considering a $718 billion Pentagon budget designed in part to counter China’s momentum.

The $25 billion the Pentagon is proposing to spend on nuclear weapons in 2020, for example, is meant in part to stay ahead of China’s nuclear arsenal, which is much smaller than America’s but growing. Shanahan said China is developing a nuclearcapable long-range bomber that, if successful, would enable China to join the United States and Russia as the only nations with air-, sea- and land-based nuclear weapons.

Shanahan ticked off a list of other Chinese advancements— hypersonic missiles against which the US has limited defenses; space launches and other space efforts that could enable it to fight wars in space; “systematically stealing” of US and allied technology, and militarizing land features in the South China Sea. Bonnie S. Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the US has been lacking effective strategies for competing with China on a broad scale.

“It is overdue,” she said of the Sha-

IN this March 14, 2019, photo, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee to discuss the Department of Defense budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington. To a remarkable degree, the Pentagon’s new budget proposal is shaped by national security threats that Shanahan has summarized in three words: “China, China, China.” AP PHOTO/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

nahan focus. “We have been somewhat slow in catching up” in such areas as denying China its regional ambitions, including efforts to fully control the South China Sea, which is contested by several other countries.

Some defense analysts think Shanahan and the Pentagon have inflated the China threat.

“I do think it’s worth asking what exactly is threatening about China’s

behavior,” said Christopher Preble, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute.

He doesn’t discount China as a security issue, including in the South China Sea, but doubts the US military is the institution best suited to deal with such nonmilitary problems as cyber intrusions into American commercial networks.

In Preble’s view, competition with

the Chinese is not mainly military.

“I still don’t believe the nature of the threat is quite as grave as we’re led to believe” by the Pentagon, he said.

“They tend to exaggerate the nature of the threat today.”

In his previous role as deputy defense secretary, Shanahan and Trump’s first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, crafted a national defense strategy that put China

at the top of the list of problems.

“As China continues its economic and military ascendance, asserting power through an all-of-nation long-term strategy, it will continue to pursue a military modernization program that seeks Indo-Pacific regional hegemony in the near-term and displacement of the United States to achieve global pre-eminence in the future,” that strategy document says.

That explains in part why the US is spending billions more on space, including means of defending satellites against potential Chinese attack, and on building hypersonic missiles to stay ahead of Chinese and Russian hypersonic weapons development.

It also explains some of the thinking behind preparing for an early retirement of the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier, a strategy that views carriers as a less relevant asset in a future armed conflict involving China.

This concern about countering China has permeated the entire US military. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, head of US Africa Command, said last month that dozens of African heads of state were invited to Beijing last fall to consider billions in Chinese loans and grants, and that China is building thousands of miles of railroads in Africa, mostly linked to Chinese mineral extraction operations.

“They’re heavily invested and heavily involved” in Africa, he said.

The top US commander in Europe told Congress this week that China also is making inroads in Europe. AP

Germany’s bid to catch up on digital age hinges on 5G auction

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ERMANY’S effort to catch up to the digital age starts this week when the gavel falls on the auction for the airwaves to build ultra-fast 5G wireless networks.

The rollout of the technology is critical as Europe’s biggest economy seeks to transition away from its reliance on old-school engineering. The country lags behind the likes of Qatar, Albania and Moldova when it comes to mobile Internet speeds, and its clunky network is becoming a handicap in the transition to a data-based economy.

“Updating Germany’s digital infrastructure is very important,” said Rubin Ritter, co-chief executive officer of Berlin-based Zalando SE, Europe’s biggest online fashion retailer. “There are moments when customers have dif-

ficulties accessing our app.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has promised to create “world-class” digital infrastructure and end the notorious dead zones that dot the countryside. It expects proceeds of as much as €5 billion ($5.7 billion), but the actual bill will be hard to predict.

The goal goes beyond streaming video, but allowing family-owned manufacturers and corporate giants like Siemens AG to digitalize production processes and develop data services.

The bidders are a select group, comprising current network operators Deutsche Telekom AG, Vodafone Group Plc. and Telefonica SA, as well as new entrant United Internet AG. The buildup to the auction, which starts on Tuesday, has been accompanied

by controversy, including legal disputes over the conditions and pressure on the German government to ban equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies Co. over security concerns.

Holographic chats

5G promises to be lightning fast, offering enough bandwidth and speed to download a full-length feature film in seconds. After years of falling share prices, the telecommunications industry is hoping the technology opens up fresh revenue streams, with visions of holographic chats, remote surgery and driverless cars.

But it will cost billions to realize that potential. Over the next three years, Deutsche Telekom plans to invest €20 billion in Germany on 5G services and high-speed Inter-

net connections.

The foreboding investment levels prompted bidders to try to stop the auction by filing lawsuits against the government’s requirements—including providing coverage for 98 percent of German homes, every highway and all federal roads with download speeds of 100 megabits per second by the end of 2022. A court threw out those suits on Friday, clearing the way for the auction to start as planned.

Hey bidder, bidder

THIS won’t be like a cattle auction with an auctioneer driving up the price. It’s more similar to a drawnout chess game that could take several weeks. The bidding teams are in closed rooms at the headquarters of Germany’s network

regulator in Mainz. They will bid on 41 blocks of frequencies—akin to wireless building lots, with some more prized than others.

Despite the enormous potential, bidders are likely to be cautious. Auctions in Italy and the UK overshot on costs, fueling complaints by carriers that governments are using the sales to fill their tax coffers instead of fostering network investment.

Back in 2000, at the height of dot.com bubble, the carriers plunged into a bidding frenzy for 3G frequencies, resulting in auction proceeds of more than €50 billion, saddling operators with massive debt. Given that Germany needs to catch up, there may be interest in keeping auction proceeds under control to not sap the resources needed to invest in the complex

network rollout.

Germany can’t afford to lose any more time. In the US, Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. have already started 5G services in several cities, and China—another early mover that’s investing aggressively—is forecast to be the world’s biggest 5G market by 2025, according to the GSMA wireless trade association.

Meanwhile, Germany is just trying to stay connected.

“Driving with a car through Germany, you lose your cellular connection every five kilometers,” said Stefan Brandl, chief executive officer of EBM-Papst GmbH, a maker of industrial fans based in rural Baden-Wuerttemberg. “The network and the infrastructure we have right now in Germany is a big weakness.” Bloomberg News

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Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

Monday, March 18, 2019 A9

Natl Tobacco Administration opposes higher excise taxes

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

T

@jearcalas

HE National Tobacco Administration (NTA) is opposing higher excise taxes on tobacco products, which it argued would result in lower production and more farmers being displaced.

In a position paper submitted to Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara, the NTA maintained that it “would not recommend further increases on tobacco excise taxes” as the sector have already suffered so much since the “sin” tax law was enacted in 2012.

“Further increases in the prices of cigarettes will impact more on

the buying/manufacturing sectors, which have an effect on their production and will eventually result in more job lay-offs, in production as well as in the retail,” the NTA said in the paper, which was obtained by the BusinessMirror.

“The demand for tobacco leaf, which constitutes about 56 percent

annual average for the last five years, will likewise decrease, thus affecting the tobacco farmers, which ever since [have] enjoyed increasing prices per kilo and ready market for their produce,” it added.

The NTA disclosed that one local tobacco buyer has ceased operations since Republic Act 10351— Sin Tax Reform law—took effect and led to an “unfavorable business environment.” “[It was] due to continued business losses; [the company] has terminated [the] majority of its employees, not to mention the displacement of tobacco farmers with which they had a contract-growing arrangement,” it said.

Since 2012, demand for tobacco products have fallen by at least 40 percent, according to the NTA, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture.

NTA data obtained by the BusinessMirror showed that tobacco output has declined by 26 percent in 2017 to 48.179 million kilograms from nearly 65 million kilograms in 2012.

Likewise, NTA data showed double-digit contractions in the number of Filipino tobacco farmers and the area they plant the cash crop with.

In 2017, the number of Filipino tobacco farmers reached 32,652, a 34-percent reduction from 52,610 farmers recorded in 2012, NTA data showed.

Total area planted with tobacco in 2017 contracted by 37 percent to 22,704 hectares from 36,160 hectares in 2012, NTA data showed.

However, the NTA argued that they would push for safety-net measures for tobacco farmers should the government push through with its plan to hike excise taxes,

“The law should include specific measures/safety net to counteract the economic dislocation or should provide provisions that would promote the general welfare, to ensure that the interests of tobacco farmers, growers, workers and other stakeholders in the tobacco industry,” the paper read.

Earlier, the Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) argued that increasing tobacco excise taxes would lead to higher incidence of illicit cigarettes in the country.

Lawyer Carmen Herce, PTI’s representative, pointed out that further excise tax increases on tobacco products will aggravate the incidence of illicit cigarettes, which could go up from 13.3 percent to 14.2 percent in 2019 to 2022, with equivalent revenue losses of about P14.2 billion to P16.8 billion, based on projections from the

Euromonitor International.

In end-February, the Department of Finance (DOF) announced that it is joining an anti-tobacco lobby by the Department of Health, as well as supporting the proposal of a boxer-solon to increase excise tax on cigarettes.

The DOF said results reveal smoking prevalence in the country could go down by an estimated 17 percent if the excise tax on cigarettes is increased to P60 per pack, as proposed

by Sen. Emmanuel D. Pacquiao.

The DOF said Pacquiao’s proposal, if followed, will bring down cigarette consumption and lead to 3.2 million adults quitting smoking.

Senate Bill 1599, authored by Pacquiao, aims to increase the excise tax on cigarettes, regardless of brand or price, to P60 per pack in the first year of implementation and an additional 9 percent per year thereafter.

Bureau of Internal Revenue urges taxpayers to make a clean start with amnesty law and Revenue District 43-Pasig City to educate taxpayers about ease of doing business, the Tax Reform for Accelereaton and Inclusion (TRAIN) law and the Tax Amnesty Act. Revenue District Officer Rufo Ranario said that, in line with their theme for 2019—“Para Sa Inyo, Maging Tapat Tayo; Serbisyong Tapat, Buwis na Sapat,” the BIR is appealing to taxpayers to apply for the amnesty.

RA 11213 was approved by the President on February 14, with

RDO Rufo Ranario (with microphone) leads the tax forum recently. Also in photo are Assistant Commissioner Teresita Angeles (right) and Regional Director Romulo Aguila Jr. (second from right). RUDY ESPERAS

S

AYING the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s Amnesty Act of 2017 serves as the Duterte administration’s gift to taxpayers, BIR officials recently encouraged

taxpayers to avail themselves of the relief offered by the law.

In a tax forum held in Pasig City, the Bureau said it is continuously reaching out to taxpayers

regarding the Tax Amnesty Act of 2017, or Republic Act (RA) 11213.

The forum, held at Tanghalan ng Pasigueño Pasig City, was facilitated

by Revenue Region 7-Quezon City

Perspectives The future will be hyperconnected

A

CCORDING to Steve Bates, principal in the US firm and global leader of KPMG’s CIO Center of Excellence, research and financial results are proving that the winning operating model of the digital era is a fully integrated front, middle and back office, creating what KPMG calls the connected enterprise, all laser focused on the customer.

When designing a connected enterprise, front-middle-back office alignment is essential. But what does that mean? If we look at data, for example, a connected enterprise easily shares data throughout the organization by ensuring the chief information officer (back office) partners with the head of sales (front office) and the chief supply chain officer (middle office) to build both a customer- and company-centric data strategy.

Companies demonstrating a greater ability to execute on a customer-centric strategy spanning the organization are eight times as likely as their less-successful peers to deliver experiences that consistently exceed customer expectations. Customer-centric organizations are also 38 percent more likely to report greater profitability than ones that are not. Connected enterprises are significantly more nimble and responsive to ever evolving customer behaviors and changing competitor strategies.

One of the key differentiators of a connected enterprise is a holistic approach to digital transformation and unleashing the power of technology across the value chain without the burden of it.

“If you’re like many organizations, you may struggle to deliver value to customers while delivering a meaningful return to the company. This is often due to a focus only on customer-facing operations,” continues Bates. Fragmented digital infrastructure and lack of alignment between front, middle and back office functions—from customer service, to supply chain and operations, HR and IT—can impact the ability for organizations to deliver seamless customer experience and drive growth.

For example in the retail sector, retailers still organize by channel, with separate P&Ls, leadership, and incentives for stores and ecommerce. They invest heavily in front of house technology but run separate applications, managing forecasts and inventory independently.

This failure of alignment results in lack of inventory visibility across brick-and-mortar and online channels and inconsistencies in products and pricing across channels. Retailers struggle to “onboard” items, vendors and content in their legacy applications fast enough to meet the “always available, immediately deliverable” expectations of cus-

tomers. The result is supply chain and inventory-management systems that cannot meet the commitments made by channels at presale or point of sale, leading to lower customer satisfaction and higher service costs.

To achieve the performance boost that a connected enterprise delivers depends on frictionless technology. Most of these are either provided by information technology e.g., technology architecture, agile methods and secure platforms, or enabled by IT, e.g., responsive supply chain, advanced analytics.

It is clear that the future of IT will be inexorably intertwined with this concept of the connected enterprise. The rationale and promise of the connected enterprise powered by digital technology is real. However, in many cases, the IT function must go through its own transformation in order to be an effective business partner in a digital world.

The excerpt was taken from the publication, entitled “Market speed: IT operating models in the age of the connected enterprise.”

R.G. Manabat & Co. is a Philippine partnership and a member-firm of the KPMG network of independent member-firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. For more information on KPMG in the Philippines, please visit www. kpmg.com.ph.

provisions for estate tax amnesty and tax amnesty on delinquencies.

The tax law aims to lessen the burden of taxpayers having past liabilities and to increase government revenue. Ranario said their office and all other offices of BIR are open to anyone who wishes to know more about the tax law.

“In RDO 43, we conduct tax forums, we have open communications daily and lectures every Thursdays for them [taxpayers] to understand

the Tax Amnesty Act approved by the president,” Ranario said.

He also called on to taxpayers to file their income-tax return early before the deadline on April 15 to avoid the rush. “We are appealing to the taxpayers to file early their income-tax return to avoid gridlock,” Ranario said.

On March 13, the tax forum of RDO 43 led by RR-7 Quezon City Regional Director Romulo Aguila Jr. and ARD Albino Galanza for Pasigueño was also conducted successfully. Eunice Calma

A10 Monday, March 18, 2019 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

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editorial

Neda should be the ‘boss’

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HE current water shortage in Metro Manila has in turn created incredible inconvenience, endless finger-pointing and even conspiracy theories as some sort of an election ploy. However, the underlying reason for situations such as this is a failure by the Philippine government.

Unfortunately, it is so easy for the politically motivated to blame a particular president and his or her administration. This happens every time there is a failure that can and should be traced back to the government. But if it were simply a matter of a problem ignored by the “current administration” regardless of when that administration took office or left office, then all we have to do is change the current administration. Except, that is done every six years by law.

The idea that an incoming administration gets to reexamine every project put in place by previous administrations might seem to have some merit. However, we have already had one example that cost the Philippine government P800 million.

The International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) ordered the Philippine government to pay P800 million to Baggerwerken Decloedt En Zoon (BDC) for scrapping the P18.7billion Laguna Lake Rehabilitation Project (LLRP) in 2011.

ICSID issued the award on January 23, 2017, six years after former President Benigno S. Aquino III junked the deal that was twice declared by then-Justice Secretary Leila M. de Lima as “legal and binding.” Former President Aquino called the project as merely transferring the silt from one part of the lake to another. This was after BDC spent close to P400 million to undertake studies on the lake, including its water quality, its geology and geomorphology, the species still existing in the lake, and the social and economic impact of the LLRP. Whether or not cancelling this individual project was sensible is not the issue. The issue pertains to the system of checks and balances in the government, which should have rejected a “bad” project before its implementation. And if it was a “good” project, why can an administration operating within specific term limits be allowed to interfere without offering new information and therefore a rationale for the cancellation?

The National Economic and Development Authority was designed to be that impartial body, operating only in the best interests of the nation. Neda’s mandate is clear: “Coordination of such activities as the formulation of policies, plans and programs to efficiently set the broad parameters for national and subnational (area-wide, regional and local development); Review, evaluation and monitoring of infrastructure projects identified under the Comprehensive and Integrated Infrastructure Program consistent with the government’s thrust of increasing investment spending for the growing demand on quality infrastructure facilities; and undertaking of short-term policy reviews to provide critical analyses of development issues and policy alternatives to decision-makers.”

Neda should be totally nonpolitical to function properly. Yet, the members of the Neda Board are all “political” appointees by the sitting President. Something has to change and it must be changed quickly.

World Water Day Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

RISING SUN

I

T is just so fitting that the world is celebrating World Water Day on Friday, March 22, as we Metro Manila dwellers currently experience a water shortage. And it is probably just as fitting to widen our perspective a bit, in the midst of our personal waterrelated struggles, and look at the global picture.

According to data from the United Nations, there are about 844 million people in the world who lack access to clean water. India faces its worstever water crisis affecting about 600 million people. Cape Town, Michigan, Asia’s megacities, Brazil’s Sao Paulo, Barcelona, California and the rural sub-Saharan Africa have faced, or are still facing, severe water crisis.

✝ Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Founder Publisher Editor in Chief Associate Editor News Editor Senior Editors

T. Anthony C. Cabangon

T

Despite the so-called high GDP growth being registered by the country, half of the population remains poor, per survey by the Social Weather Station. On the other hand, the majority in the other half are “near poor,” unable to build their own homes and graduate to what Neda says is the status of a developed middleclass family.

Unfortunately, the democratic essence of this electoral exercise is eroded in many places by dynastic politics, the guns-and-gold patronage politics by elite families to keep them in power. Moreover, the electoral exercise has failed—so far—to enlighten the people about the root causes of the social and economic problems and the policy choices and remedies needed to address these maladies. The present electoral campaign is reduced to hollow debates on who can deliver better public services despite the glaring reality that the country is in need of bold systemic changes on various fronts of governance: economic, social, environmental and political. This is aggravated by corrupt vote buying by the rich candidates and the failure of Commission on Elections to require the candidates to sort out in concrete details how promises of better governance and performance can be achieved through a clear platform of change, meaning a development program that alters the status quo and the monopoly hold of a few on the country’s wealth.

monopoly hold on markets (retailing, wholesaling, trading, importexport business, logistics, telecoms, etc.), land and natural resources (exacerbated by the liberalized policy allowing “land banking by a few” and the absence of a national land and resource use policy), contracts on infrastructure development and public service delivery (through the so-called public–private partnership and expensive privatization programs), and, yes, continuing stranglehold on political power.

The relevant questions to ask: Why is poverty deepening, despite the so-called high GDP growth?

Why is inequality persistent and growing, from one administration to the present? Why are unemployment, underemployment, poverty, inequality, maldevelopment and so on all happening despite 73 years of the Philippines being an “independent” republic and despite the occurrence of the twin Edsa people’s revolts, both of which are supposed to usher in systematic reforms and development for the people?

And like the massive debt-driven infrastructure program during the martial-law period of the 1970s, the

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LEGALLY SPEAKING

HE Filipino people, once again, are being asked to go to the polls to elect their legislators and local government officials.

We welcome this exercise because electing the people who will craft and implement national and local policies is very much part of democracy.

Lourdes M. Fernandez Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug

increased demand for more water, others say it’s a political maneuver related to the construction of Kaliwa Dam. More recently, there are those who claim it’s because MWSS had the bypass valve closed. (The bypass valve splits water from reservoirs between the two concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water.)

Aside from conserving water in our homes, which everyone must do regardless of whether they are being serviced by Maynilad or Manila Water, it is also important for the city to establish more stringent regulations related to industrial processes. Aside from the residential homes, the city’s industries must also put water conservation measures in place and implement these strictly. Furthermore, it would help if we could all support and fund clean water initiatives, usually promoted by nongovernment organizations, international agencies and other active players in the advocacy.

People’s reflection on livelihood, poverty and the future

Since 2005

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business

These are just some of the places on the long list of cities affected by water shortage.

Metro Manila residents can relate. We know how hard it is to have water rationed, to carry water from the source to our homes, to scrimp on water for washing and cooking, and to suffer all this in the middle of a scorching summer. We can’t

downplay the national and global impact of this problem. Access to clean water is crucial to development: there is better hygiene and sanitation, people are healthier, children are more likely to go to school, certain types of illness are avoided, people can grow their crops and nurture their livestock, there is more food for everyone, and communities become more progressive.

Water management professor Arjen Hoekstra says that water scarcity is mainly brought on by quick growth (high demand) and insufficient preparation. Further, climate-change effects like drought will definitely make matters worse.

In the global setting, agriculture represents 80-90 percent of the world’s total water consumption. This is followed by energy production and industry. Home use is only at 3 percent.

Back home, there are various reasons being presented to the people.

Some say it is because of El Niño and

Also, the electoral exercise has even become an excuse to cover up for the shortcomings of the sitting government on the economy. In July 2018, no less than President Rodrigo Duterte blurted out the truth: “The economy is in the doldrums,” obviously referring to the failure of the economic policy regime to lift up the situation of the poor.

Facts: Despite the so-called high GDP growth being registered by the country, half of the population remains poor, per survey by the Social Weather Station.

On the other hand, the majority in the other half are “near poor,” unable to build their own homes and graduate to what Neda says is the status of a developed middleclass family, a family with decent incomes and livelihood, and able to provide all members of the family decent living standards.

Also, the Philippines is a very unequal society, with the top 1 percent getting the bulk of the nation’s wealth. In fact, the top 50 families, out of a population of 100 million, control the economy through their

“Build, Build, Build” (BBB) is putting the country on the road to financial unsustainability and economic uncertainty because the huge loans from China, and ODA aid givers and the big foreign and local banks are ballooning into an unpayable giant debt bomb given the failure of the real economy to grow (agriculture continuing to shrink and industry/ manufacturing still growing at a low level). This economic/financial unsustainability is accompanied by another worrisome reality—environmental unsustainability given the failure of the government to stop the deadly mining projects and appropriation of land and other resources by the elite, the uninterrupted deforestation (both in the highlands and in the mangrove sea lands) happening nationwide and the weak government response to the global call for international cooperation to halt the deadliest problem facing humanity: climate change.

This is why the present electoral exercise provides the nation an opportunity to reflect once more on the root causes of the nation’s maladies and the policy measures needed to break the vicious cycle of unemployment/underemployment, poverty, inequality, underdevelopment, maldevelopment and economic-environmental-social unsustainability. How can this be achieved? And how can the nation be assured of a real and meaningful social, economic and cultural transformation within the lifetime of the young generation, as what we have witnessed in the experiences of our neighboring Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea? What kind of See “Kapunan,” A11

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Opinion

Moving forward with Cipag

Heart of PAL

BusinessMirror

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

Joel L. Tan-Torres

THE PATRIOT

DEBIT CREDIT Conclusion

I

CONCLUDE my series on globalization (“G” of Cipag) with a discussion on the Mutual Recognition Arrangements and its impact on the Filipino Certified Public Accountant (CPA). The MRA is an international agreement by which countries agree to recognize one another’s qualification assessments. The first MRA on accountancy of the Philippines is the Asean MRA signed in November 2014 by the representatives of all Asean member-states.

It was during my term as chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy that this monumental agreement was concluded. You can get a copy of this MRA in the link: https://www. prc.gov.ph/sites/default/files/4.%20ASEAN%20MRA%20on%20Accountancy%20services_e.pdf This MRA is intended to provide career mobility of accountants in the Asean region where there will be minimal restrictions imposed on qualified professional accountants working in the various countries in the region. Filipino CPAs will be able to take advantage of the demand for accountants in Singapore, Malaysia, and the other Asean member-states and consider employment in these countries. This MRA is also intended to enhance exchange of information or networking, promote adoption of best practices on standards and qualification, and provide opportunities for capacity building and training of professional accountants in the Asean region. However, the Asean MRA does not directly provide the benefits of the agreement to the practice of signing off of the independent auditors report.

The Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy (BOA) has organized a Monitoring Committee for the MRA implementation.

The guidelines had been released on how to become an Asean Chartered Professional Accountant and avail yourself of the benefits of the MRA. The guidelines can be accessed in: https://boa.com.ph/asean-mutualrecognition-arrangement/ In addition to the Asean MRA, there are other countries that the Philippines can consider for concluding MRAs. During my term as chairman of the BOA, I was involved in discussions for the negotiation of at least two MRAs with other countries, including Australia and the United States. If MRAs will be concluded with these two countries,

Kapunan. . .

continued from A10

development compass do we need?

It is against this backdrop that the Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya, the Church and various civil-society organizations have banded together to convene a multisectoral “People’s reflection on livelihood, poverty and the future/isang pambansang paglilimi sa kabuhayan, kahirapan at kinabukasan.”

The Pambansang Paglilimi is a gathering of people from the grassroots and all walks of life from the key regions of the country: To do a national/regional paglilimi or reflection/scoping on the livelihood and poverty situation (issues, causes and remedies) in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao; To conduct “joint visioning” on the future we want at the national, regional, and local levels, with special focus on the country’s economic, social and environmental sustainability; To draw up a People’s Development Agenda, which shall be circulated and discussed with various stakeholders in society during and after the May elections, up to the end of Duterte’s presidency and beyond.

Specifically, what do we want to raise in the paglilimi? Below are some of the key questions we would like to pose: First, what are the values that we need to affirm/reaffirm as a nation

During my term as chairman of the BOA, I was involved in discussions for the negotiation of at least two MRAs with other countries, including Australia and the United States. If MRAs will be concluded with these two countries, Filipino CPAs may have an easier time tapping the opportunities for accountants in these jurisdictions where Filipinos abound.

Filipino CPAs may have an easier time tapping the opportunities for accountants in those jurisdictions where Filipinos abound. I just hope that the initiatives started during my term may be pursued by the BOA to its conclusion.

Clearly, the MRA provides opportunities for our CPAs. However, the Philippine accountancy profession and the Filipino CPA should all be ready to address the demands that these global opportunities require.

The qualities of Cipag, namely, compliance, innovation, professionalism, advocacy and globalization should be imbued by the Filipino CPA to move forward in his profession.

Joel L. Tan-Torres is a Certified Public Accountant who placed No. 1 in the May 1979 CPA Board Examinations. He was the former commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue from 2009 to 2010 and the chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy from 2014 to August 2018. He is a partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co. This column accepts contributions from accountants, especially articles that are of interest to the accountancy profession, in particular, and to the business community, in general. These can be e-mailed to boa.secretariat.@gmail.com.

and builders of a good society? Is nationalism not the missing element in our national search for genuine development? Maka-tao, Maka-Diyos at Makabayan—paano bibigyan ang mga ito ng konkretong palaman?

Second, how do we address or resolve the principal contradiction in the economy—worsening poverty and inequality amid growing GDP? Disemployment of the many versus the never-ending enrichment of a few?

Third, what is the essence of economic justice and people economic empowerment? How do we make the people the true agents of change for society, not mere objects of dole-outs such as the conditional cash transfer or CCT program?

Fourth, what is right and what is wrong with the present development blueprint of the country (as reflected in PDP 2017-2022 and the 10-point agenda of the Duterte administration? Is it just a question of grow-grow-grow to build-build-build while depending on tax-tax-tax and borrow-borrow-borrow measures?

What strategic adjustments are needed?

Fifth, how we build bridges to a sustainable economy? What do we mean by economic sustainability for all? Environment sustainability for all? Digital transformation for all?

When do we stop relying on migration as the nation’s lifesaver?

This is a call for national reflection—Pambansang Paglilimi!

Reflection before elections!

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EADERSHIP begins with the heart. Inspirational author John Maxwell said that Paul had a heart that was consistent, contrite, courageous, convictional, committed and captivated. Maxwell further said that servant leaders are like shepherds who are after God’s own heart. To be effective, according to Maxwell, a leader must have the positive and persistent attitude, the people skills to be able to communicate, delegate, and motivate, behavioral training skills to develop others for service, and most of all, an awareness of a higher purpose to be able to “cast vision, plan strategy, direct teams and empower others.”

There’s an increasing number of such leaders in Philippine Airlines (PAL) who understand what it takes to exhibit the Heart of the Filipino.

Incidentally, PAL celebrated its 78th anniversary last March 15.

Unlike most juridical entities that celebrate their “birthdays” on the date of incorporation as indicated in the SEC registration, PAL commemorates its anniversary on the day of its first commercial flight—from Nielson Field (Makati) to Baguio City. That maiden flight carried five passengers; all were founders of PAL (Andres Soriano, et al). What most people are perhaps not aware of is the fact that PAL was officially registered as a company on February 25, 1941.

In a morning thanksgiving Mass, the officiating priest asked the congregation what virtue made them work and stay in PAL. After all, one of PAL’s senior leaders in the person of its Chief Financial Officer Marianne Raymundo, whose birthday coincided with PAL’s anniversary, retired from PAL after 42 years! That virtue is service, the priest said. From a commercial perspective, some would say that PAL is in business of selling tickets from Point A to Point B. But from a big picture point of view, PAL is truly selling a service, not just tickets. It is in the business of principally offering a service of giving a delightful experience to its passengers—the feeling of “home away from home” while in

Monday, March 18, 2019 A11

Part of the anniversary activities included a simple breakfast for employees, with PAL executives serving them. I hope this humble gesture of serving would become a regular affair to remind company leaders that they are in PAL to serve not only their customers, but also their employees. transit from Point A to Point B. With this in mind, the profitability of PAL can be measured not just by the numbers in the financial statements but also in the number of smiles it can generate throughout the journey of each customer. Happy and satisfied customers can only be earned by the warmth of the service each PAL employee—from its ticket counters and sales agents to its cabin crew and its baggage handlers—can provide. The priest further emphasized the kind of service necessary, that is, service with humility of the heart in the same way Jesus washed the feet of His apostles.

Part of the anniversary activities included a simple breakfast for employees, with PAL executives serving them. Inspired by its leader MeAn Llamzon, the Human Capital Department of PAL “required” all of its executives to serve food and refreshments immediately after Mass.

I hope this humble gesture of serving would be a regular affair to remind PAL leaders that they are in PAL to

serve, not only their customers, but also their employees.

In the Bible, Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

When asked what is the Heart of the Filipino, some PAL employees answered that it is a giving, forgiving, and a gentle attitude that knows no boundaries when it comes to helping others. Motives behind such natural behavior expected in the Filipino culture will, however, be ultimately dictated by what’s in the heart. Hence, for PAL employees to truly serve in the spirit of its tag line or slogan, “the Heart of the Filipino,” they have to understand, from the bottom of their hearts, that they do what they do out of service to others. Nothing less. The priest ended his homily by reminding the leaders of PAL that they are “God’s servants first, but children of God forever.” As children of God forever, PAL employees ought to serve their customers, not only to achieve revenue targets and make their employers happy, but more important, to please their Father above. In a subtle way, the priest behooved PAL executives to model the leadership skills of Jesus—“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). Such service can only come from the heart.

For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

The life insurance industry has our people’s trust Speech delivered by Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa on March 13, 2019, at the 34th Annual Awards Night of Fortune Life Insurance Co. Inc., Citystate Tower, Manila.

M

R. ARNOLD CABANGON, president; Officers and Board of Trustees of Fortune Life; guests and friends of Fortune Life, ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

The privilege of handing out awards to exemplary Sales Producers are almost always given to Insurance Commissioners. Today is no exception. But I have to say that, today, the privilege is even more pronounced because I will be able to personally meet the Sales Producers who were so-called tested by fire and came out victorious.

Last year, the country underwent remarkable challenges. What were these challenges? Well, right from the start of 2018, there were already apprehensions about the TRAIN law. Insurers were wondering, with estate taxes lowered at 6 percent, would people still buy life insurance? Then, as the year wore on,

rising prices of commodities caused inflation to rise—or is it the other way around? But regardless of which caused what, this cycle resulted in a really challenged economic environment. The financial market was affected. Investments were affected.

But despite all these, the life insurance industry sustained its positive growth in terms of its Premium Income. This can mean a host of things, but I will focus on two important points: First, that you continued to work hard amidst all the hurdles. There can be no question that our insurance agent continued to encourage our people—make presentations, talk to clients, think of product innovations, promote,

promote and promote—which is why we continued to grow. And I have to thank you for that.

Secondly, what I see from our continued strong performance is this: The life insurance industry has our people’s trust. I don’t think we can explain it any other way. If people are buying something they cannot hold, if they are prepared to part with their money for something they can only benefit from in the future, I think it’s safe to say that their trust has been gained.

So what’s in it for us in 2019?

If with the challenges of 2018, the efforts brought good harvest, I am very optimistic that 2019 will also be plentiful, if not more so. Generally, the outlook of our country’s economy is geared toward improvements. A healthy economy will provide us with a better stepping spring for growth. Plus, this trust that the people have given us will provide us with unspeakable advantage.

That said, this doesn’t mean we are licensed to work less. Where much

is given, much will be expected. So, we need to work extra hard so that the trust given us will not be wasted.

Each of us in the industry, we will endeavor to ensure that every validly payable benefit shall be paid, that policyholders and beneficiaries will be served fairly and courteously, and will not be sorry that they have chosen to put their eggs in the life insurance basket.

As I speak about hard work, let me assure you that you are not alone. We at the Insurance Commission are working equally hard to ensure that, true to our vision, the industries we regulate shall remain strong, sustainable and globally competitive, always ready to serve every Filipino, to its best and fullest. In this, I know that we will work harmoniously together.

Again, my congratulations to Fortune Life and of course, to your Top Sales Producers. I look forward to meeting you all again in the 2020 Awards Night.

Thank you.

Nurturing your child’s potential to be a leader

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By Charles M. Marcos

HILE there are people who are born natural leaders, parents and teachers can help our children develop their leadership skills early in life.

Leadership skills are not just about influencing others but also making children become more confident. These skills help children creatively solve problems, work in a team, and perform collaboratively with others.

These particular and important skills of being a good leader allow children to understand how they can control their lives and become responsible citizens.

Some quarters believe some children are “born leaders.” However, some experts propose that a child can “learn to become a leader.” Arguably, all children have the potential to develop leadership skills. However, leadership development can be a lifelong process.

As adults, we can teach the skills necessary for children to take on leadership roles now and in the future. Here are some ways that you can do to help your children develop leadership skills: Model leadership behavior to children. Children learn from

seeing what others do. Tell the child what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Teach children how to see things from another’s point of view. Good communication is a key component to being an effective leader. Teach children how to listen carefully and how to respond to others in a calm and respectful way.

Help children build self-confidence. Give children opportunities to do a good job and offer praise when appropriate. You might say, “I am so proud of you that you volunteered to be the leader of the ‘toy clean up’ team in your classroom. It is a big job to make sure all your classmates are doing their part.”

Find ways to create problem solving situations. Children can learn how to solve their own problems. Allow children to start making small decisions, such as which activity they want to participate in and then give them more opportunities to make decisions as they learn the concepts of responsibility and

Out of all the lessons you can teach a child, the most important is building and developing a positive outlook and character. A child who can learn the foundation of trust, honesty, respect and integrity will be ready for a lifetime of successful leadership, partnerships and relationship.

consequences of making a decision.

Assist children to develop a plan or strategy to address a problem or situation. Children, as well as adults, shy away from leadership tasks because they feel overwhelmed. Show children how to break tasks into workable ways to get the job done.

Encourage communication and action. Leadership involves speaking up or taking action. You can encourage children’s leadership abilities by suggesting projects or identifying problems that may be important to them and helping them to come up with suggestions for actions and possible solutions. Teaching good oral communication skills and constant practice certainly will help your kids as they grow.

As with most things, the best lesson for your child is your own example. One great way to let a

child see your leadership in action is to volunteer for community work together. Show your child what it means to be passionate about the community and other people, and let him or her experience how it feels to make an impact on another person’s life.

Reminder to parents: Let your children create their own path and purpose without interference. Allow them to be their unique individual selves. Support them and nurture them; shine the light on their passions and strengths and help them become leaders of their own lives.

Out of all the lessons you can teach a child, the most important is building and developing a positive outlook and character. A child who can learn the foundation of trust, honesty, respect and integrity will be ready for a lifetime of successful leadership, partnerships and relationship.

Every child has the potential to be a leader. Some may have more traits associated with leadership, but any child’s leadership ability, at whatever level, can be groomed and nurtured.

The author is Master Teacher 2 and OIC at Bayabat National High School in Amulung, Cagayan.

2nd Front Page BusinessMirror

A12 Monday, March 18, 2019

Mercury, cyanide processing of Diwalwal gold relocated

By Manuel T. Cayon

@awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

D

IWALWAL, Monkayo, Compostela Valley —Hordes of green-uniformed national and local mining officers, backed by soldiers, finally enforced a long-ignored government regulation to transfer mercury and cyanide-laden processing of gold away from active mining sites and underneath residential houses to the lone government-designated processing area here.

In Purok Nang here, they knocked on stores and houses to serve the cease-and-desist order and showed reporters the ball mills and the carbon-in-pulp (CIP) processing machines underneath these establishments and simple residential house structures.

They explained to gold-ore processors that enforcement of the order, and the relocation of their operations to Purok Mabatas in Barangay Ulip, some 5 kilometers down the slope, were to begin on that day, March 15, and onward until Sunday.

729 The hectarage of the Diwalwal mine site that the government started to overhaul since 2002

“By then, we would slap a fine of P200,000 for every day that they defy this order,” said Environment Assistant Secretary Ruth M.

PROCESSING equipment mothballed by the interagency government task force that swooped down on Diwalwal before the weekend is seen with the closure notice tacked on by authorities, declaring the ban on mercury- and cyanide-laden processing of gold in the residential areas. MANUEL T. CAYON

Tawa nt awa n, t he desig nated field operations chief for Eastern Mindanao.

The relocation of the processing plant was the prelude to a massive cleanup of the mercury contamination of the Diwa l-

wal’s Naboc River and its surrounding rice fields, and would be Mind anao’s equiva lent to the cleanup of Boracay in the Visayas, and the Manila Bay in the National Capital Region.

See “Diwalwal,” A2

Andaya: Senate erased ₧17-B ROW fund of ‘BBB’

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

A

@joveemarie

MID the budget mess, the House of Representatives said the 17th Congress has until May 20 to pass the P3.757trillion national budget for 2019.

Nonetheless, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Rolando Andaya Jr., in a statement, urged the Senate to act now

on the annual appropriations in support of the government’s “Build, Build, Build” programs, as he claimed the Senate removed P17-billion funding for BBB’s right-of-way (ROW).

According to Andaya, the House of Representatives has done its duty in passing the 2019 budget.

“Your district representatives have approved the national budget for 2019 in accordance with all the

NORTHEAST MONSOON AFFECTING NORTHERN LUZON, as of 4:00 am - March 17, 2019

agreements forged with senators during the bicameral conference committee meetings,” he said.

“If the Senate is indeed serious in enacting a General Appropriations Act for 2019, we have until May this year to complete our task. Both chambers will resume legislative session on May 20 until June 7. That is our last chance to pass the national budget,” he added.

BBB

MOREOVER, Andaya said lineit e m i z e d b u d g e t i n g b y t h e House will not cripple President Duter te’s Bui ld, Bui ld, Bui ld program.

“What may stall the acceleration of the infrastructure spending was the Senate’s unilateral decision to remove P17 billion for the rightof-way funding of BBB projects,” he said.

CA favors developer in ₧322-M land sale

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

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HE Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the right of a property developer to rescind the contracts it signed with a real-estate tycoon for the sale of a 150-hectare land in Barangay Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas, amounting to P321.6 million.

In a 15-page ruling penned by Associate Justice Ronaldo Roberto Martin, the CA’s Eighth Division affirmed the ruling of the Batangas City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 14, which ordered RGV Development Corp. (RGVDC) owned by businessman Rodolfo Valencia and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Retirement and Separation Benefits System (AFPRSBS) to reconvey Lot 2-A-1 to Group Developers Inc. (GDI)—comprising 150 hectares of land in Nasugbu, Batangas which were then mortgaged to Manila Banking Corp.

The CA held that RGVDC did not comply with its obligations to GDI under their memorandum of agreement for the sale of the property, thus, entitling the latter to rescind the agreement and the deed of absolute sale.

Under the MOA, the purchase price of the subject property is P321,600,000, but out of this amount, P117,166,400 is to be distributed to the informal settlers, while P129,474,250 is to be spent to develop relocation sites of the informal settlers.

See “CA,” A2

www.businessmirror.com.ph

GORDON GRIPES OVER PALACE VETO OF OSG BILL

By Butch Fernandez

S

@butchfBM

ENATOR Richard Gordon griped over Malacanang’s veto of a Congress-approved bill granting benefits to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), lamenting that thumbing down the legislation that lawmakers worked to pass “wasted taxpayers’ money.”

In vetoing the bill, Malacanang had cited its provision granting OSG benefits “ beyond the current compensation framework,” but Gordon lamented that the Palace also “wasted the time of lawmakers.”

“It was a waste of time, a waste of taxpayer’s money. We worked so hard for this bill. It was an administration bill,” the senator complained, adding that he “had no plans of filing such bill, but they lobbied for it. They vetoed themselves.”

President Duterte vetoed last week the enrolled OSG bill due to apprehension that provisions of the proposed measure granting benefits beyond the current compensation framework for other government offices may “prove to be too onerous,” as it will “create too much disparity and inequality” among Execu-

MWSS. . .

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local government units (LGUs), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Association of Volunteer Fire Chiefs and Firefighters of the Philippines, and is meant to map out saturation operations over the new two weeks to help distribute water to affected areas.

In a statement, the MWSS chief lauded SMC for its offer to help and use its untapped water allocation from Angat to provide water to over 6 million people in the east zone of Metro Manila currently experiencing supply shortage.

Velasco thanked SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang for coming forward at this critical time in the spirit of bayanihan and sense of brotherhood to its fellow concessionaire, Manila Water.

Millions of consumers of Manila Water, the private water concessionaire in the east zone, have been affected by the supply shortage blamed on the “weak” El Niño which caused an unusually increased demand for water coupled with the limited supply allocation for the east zone coming from Angat Dam, the single major source of raw water for water consumers in Metro Manila and nearby areas.

In a statement the other day, Ang said, “This situation is unfortunate and dire for many of our countrymen who do not have access

“It was a waste of time, a waste of taxpayer’s money. We worked so hard for this bill. It was an administration bill.... [We] had no plans of filing such bill, but they lobbied for it. They vetoed themselves.”—Gordon

tive branch officials and employees.

“They asked for their salaries [to] be the same as others,” the senator said in a statement over the weekend. “We complied and we even debated it for them.”

Gordon, who chairs the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, said he agreed to sponsor the bill in the Senate to help ensure that the benefits received by the Solicitor General and the OSG lawyers would “be [on a] par with their counterparts” in the Judiciary, including the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman.

The senator recalled that during plenary deliberations on the OSG bill, he had asserted the “need to strengthen the OSG by adjusting the salaries and providing more benefits in order to attract and hire more lawyers.”

to basic water. Many are affected: Households, hospitals, schools, businesses. Right now, the best thing we can do is to pull together and help each other.”

According to Ang, the undertaking, will not be easy since an estimated 14,000 truck trips per day using 10-kiloliter (kl) tankers, or 7,000 trips per day using 20 kl tankers, are needed to deliver clean water.

In January, SMC operationalized Stage 1 of its Bulacan Bulk Water Project. Once fully completed, the company is mandated to supply water to 24 Bulacan water districts at P8.50 per cubic meter, the lowest bulk water charge anywhere in the country.

Ang explained that currently, Phase 1 of the project has a production capacity of 200 million liters per day. However, as many water districts have yet to upgrade and prepare their facilities to receive water from the BBWSP, only about 60 million liters per day are currently being utilized.

“This leaves an excess capacity of about 140 million liters per day, which is enough to serve the average daily requirements of 2 million people or about 455,000 households. As a quick response to the situation of customers of Manila Water, we will coordinate with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and local government units to secure permits to place water-refilling stations in affected areas,” Ang said.

Underspending. . .

President will review it as well before signing it into law.

Dominguez explained that the government is also losing the opportunity to front-load spending for infrastructure-modernization projects, as fasttrack construction only works during the dry season.

“Given the weather conditions, given the government procurement systems, it’s really going to be very difficult to catch up,” Dominguez said. “That’s why it’s so critical and so sad that we missed the best time to start construction projects.”

The Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) earlier said that the local economic growth will

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be reduced by 0.7 to 0.9 percentage points if the budget is reenacted until April 2019; 1.4 to 1.9 ppt if until August 2019; and 2.1 to 2.8 ppt under a full year of reenacted budget.

“We therefore urge Congress to transmit the 2019 national budget at the soonest possible time to Malacañang so the government can sustain its investments on development priorities, namely public infrastructure and social services,” the DBCC said in a statement released after its Wednesday meeting.

“The longer the budget impasse lasts, the larger the adverse effect to the Philippine economy and its people,” it added.

Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Companies BusinessMirror

Monday, March 18, 2019

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Cebu Air profits plunge 50% to ₧3.9 billion in 2018

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By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

EBU Air Inc. saw profits plunging last year following a slew of macroeconomic factors such as steep fuel prices, currency volatility and rising interest rates.

Its revenues hit a single-digit growth for 2018, reaching P5.9 billion. The operator of budget carrier Cebu Pacific recorded a net income of P3.9 billion, based on a company statement. Compared to the P7.9 billion netted in 2017, the figure is

a 50-percent drop.

Cebu Pacific COO Michael Ivan S. Shau described 2018 as “challenging” due to high fuel prices, a volatile Philippine peso, rising interest rates, increased competition, the six-month closure of Boracay and

AC Energy to continue assessing value of Phinma Energy assets it bought

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C Energy Inc. said it would continue to assess the renewable energy (RE) and gas projects Phinma Energy Corp.

(PHEN) following the signing of an investment agreement involving the former’s purchase of 68.46 percent of the del Rosario-led firm.

Though there are no immediate and firm plans on what to do with the energy assets of Phinma, AC Energy President Eric Francia said “we will definitely consider them.”

“They have a lot of RE and some gas. We will look at all of their RE such as solar and wind. We will also take into consideration their gas assets. The top priority for us is solar and wind. We haven’t decided, but those are still in consideration,” Francia said.

The consideration will likely depend on the company’s direction moving forward. Francia added RE plays a major role in AC Energy’s goal to develop 5 gigawatts of attributable capacity and generate at least 50 percent of energy from renewables by 2025.

AC Energy is a fast-growing energy company with more than $1 billion of invested and committed equity in renewable and thermal energy.

“My view is that there’s room for us to develop RE in the next five to 10 years because it’s more competitive. Because of Renewable Portfolio Standards, there will be sole mechanisms to promote RE. So, in this context, we will continue to take a look at solar and the other RE businesses

of Phinma,” Francia said.

PHEN has an attributable generation capacity of 472 megawatts and is the third-largest retail electricity supplier, serving 378 MW of customer demand.

It holds 100-percent interests in Phinma Power Generation Corp., Phinma Renewable Energy Corp., CIP II Power Corp., One Subic Power Generation Corp. and One Subic Oil Distribution Corp.

It also holds 60-percent holdings in Phinma Solar Corp.; 50.74 percent in Phinma Petroleum and Geotherma Inc.; 30.65 percent in Palawan Exploration and Production Corp.; 45 percent in South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp.; and 25 percent in Maibarara Geothermal Inc. Francia said Phinma Energy platform has significant operating and developmental RE assets, and its large diesel capacity will complement the scaling-up of AC Energy’s renewable projects.

The deal between AC Energy and Phinma Energy is worth P6.052 billion. Francia could not say when AC Energy will reach a decision.

“There is no hard timeline,” he said. Phinma President and CEO Ramon del Rosario Jr. said the sale allows Phinma to focus “on our rapidly expanding investments and operations in the education and construction materials sectors.

Francia earlier said “the upstream oil and gas business is not our core,” though AC Energy “will study what to do with those after the deal closes.” Lenie Lectura

operational limitations in the country’s key airports.

“Despite the pressures posed in 2018, we remained resilient. We were able to expand our network by upgauging our flights, touching congested airports,” he said.

The company was able to end 2018 with P74.1 billion in revenues, a 9-percent increase, thanks to the ever-increasing demand for air travel and the growth of its cargo business.

In 2018, the carrier flew a total of 20.3 million passengers, about 2.7-percent more than the year prior.

Shau noted that Cebu Pacific will see better days this year, as the company jump-starts its aggressive expansion for both route and fleet.

O

ties in these areas,” DMCI Power President Nestor D. Dadivas said.

Palawan sales showed the strongest growth at nearly 34 percent from 98 GWh to 131 GWh, while Masbate energy sales reached 111 GWh, a 12-percent increase from 99 GWh in 2017.

Registering the second-highest percentage growth in 2018 was Oriental Mindoro with 66 GWh in sales, a 32-percent jump from 50 GWh the year before.

In Sultan Kudarat, where DMCI Power operates as a back-up or reserve power provider, sales volume was flat at 170 megawatts per hour from 140 MWh in 2017.

On a standalone basis, DMCI Power’s net income surged 30 percent year-on-

wide-body A330s and replace them with as many as 15 Airbus A330 neos or Boeing 787s. “‘We will continue to pursue our fleet upgauging strategy and invest in the latest aircraft technologies, as well as develop secondary hubs like Cebu and Clark. We will also continue to grow our cargo business with the incoming ATR freighters, as well as continue our digital transformation

for us to be more agile and adaptable to changing customer expectations,” Shau added. Cebu Pacific and subsidiary Cebgo fly to 36 domestic and 26 international destinations, with over 107 routes spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East and the United States. For 2019, it targets to serve as many as 23 million passengers, and reach the 200-millionth passenger mark by 2020.

PHL to host 2 regional energy meetings in next two years

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

T

HE Philippines will host two important regional energy industry conferences in the next two years.

Led by the Department of Energy (DOE) in cooperation with the Department of Tourism and other local energy industry stakeholders, the country will host two biennial events of the Association of Electricity Supply Industry of East Asia and the Western Pacific—the AESIEAP CEO Conference in 2019 and the Conference of Electric Power Supply Industry (Cepsi) in 2020.

T he for ma l announcement

of the Philippine hosting of Aesieap 2019-2020 will take place on March 19.

“Asieap 2019-2020 will give the Philippine energy family an opportunity to participate in the discourse on the best power generation, transmission and distribution practices of our neighbors in the region and the Western Pacific. This would help us come up with innovative strategies that would bring us closer to our goal of providing stable, reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity services throughout the entire archipelago,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said.

Industry stakeholders expected to attend the formal announce-

ment include Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary and Spokesperson Felix William B. Fuentebella, Meralco President and CEO and Aesieap 2019-2020 President Oscar S. Reyes, Aesieap 2019-2020 Secretary-General Rogelio L. Singson, National Power Corp. President Pio J. Benavidez, National Transmission Corp. President Melvin A. Matibag, National Grid Corp/ of the Philippines President Anthony L. Almeda, and Meralco Deputy CEO Ray C. Espinosa.

The theme of Aesieap 20192020, “ Energ i zed Cou nt r ies, Empowered Communities,” is relevant to the Philippines as the country seeks to attain total electrification, particularly in

underserved and unserved areas, to help bolster sustainable and inclusive economic development.

“After our last hosting in 2000, it is an honor to once again give Aesieap events a home in our country. In the next two years, we will look at how utilizing a smart, synergized and scalable approach would impact the energy industry,” Reyes said.

Aesieap is the largest organization of power and industry companies in the region, with over 100 members from 25 countries.

Cepsi is considered the biggest and most prominent gathering of the electricity supply industry in East Asia and the Western Pacific region.

Jollibee to open ‘milestone’ store in Guam

By VG Cabuag @villygc

F

AST-FOOD company Jollibee Foods Corp. said it will open the “milestone” store of its flagship brand, Jollibee, in Guam as part of the company’s accelerated expansion plans around the globe.

The milestone store opening comes as the company hopes to even the split between its domestic and international sales, the

Closure of Boracay Island pushes demand for DMCI Power supply FF-GRID electricity supplier DMCI Power Corp. said it had the highest sales volume last year, growing 25 percent to 308 gigawatt hours from 247 GWh in the previous year, as the closure of Boracay Island pushed tourists to other destinations.

It also said stronger power demand across its key operating areas coupled with improved distribution and transmissionline systems accounted for the doubledigit growth.

“The six-month closure of Boracay positively affected Palawan and Oriental Mindoro, which are known secondary tourism spots in the Philippines. Higher tourist arrivals generated more economic activi-

“The year 2019 will be a different story though—we have already received the first of our fuel-efficient A321neo orders from Airbus, and we expect 10 more new-generation aircraft this year,” he said. “We also just announced four new domestic routes. 2019 is definitely the year we accelerate our growth.”

The company is set to receive 12 brand-new aircraft in 2019—six Airbus A321neos, five A320 neos and one ATR 72-600.

Through 2022, the company will engage in a massive refleeting program that will upgrade old aircraft and add more fuel-efficient ones to end 2022 with 83 jets.

It also plans to retire eight of its

year from P359 million to P465 million.

“Our business has long-term contracts, so it rides on the long-term economic growth of the island. That alone is a good basis to say if we will have a better year or not,” Dadivas said.

“Let’s say in Mimaropa [the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan], we discovered the economies of Palawan and Mindoro, grew at 6 percent and 9 percent, respectively. Then Masbate grew 5 percent, and there’s a direct correlation between demand of power and economic growth. We experience the same in any part of the country. So, more or less that’s the outlook for the year,” he said. VG Cabuag

company said. At the moment, its domestic sales at home are overwhelmingly more significant than those from the overseas market.

The Jollibee branch in Guam is located near Micronesia Mall in Dededo, and will be opening its doors on April 6. The Guam branch is on top of the 37 Jollibee stores currently in the US operating in states including New York, Florida, Texas, California and Hawaii.

"This is a special moment in

Jollibee’s histor y. We’ve long dreamed of the day we could serve the beautiful island of Guam, with its unique blend of Pacific, Asian, and American cultures and cuisine,” said Dennis Flores, president and head of International Business-Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia. “We believe that our best-selling Chickenjoy and other favorites will appeal to the diverse people of Guam.”

On top of serving Filipinos

overseas, Jollibee has also been known to cater to each country’s local market. It has succeeded in winning the taste and preference of various markets such as Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Manhattan.

Jollibee has 14 brands with over 4,500 stores across 21 countries. The fast-food giant is now aiming to be among the top five largest restaurant companies in the world.

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Monday, March 18, 2019

Fortinet posts $1.8-B revenue in 2018 due to strong demand

By Roderick L. Abad

C

@rodrik_28

Contributor

YBER-SECURITY solutions provider Fortinet reported a 20-percent hike in total revenue to $1.8 billion for full year 2018, from $1.49 billion in 2017 on the back of continued patronage for its vast offerings.

The company generated last year a topline of $674.4 million from its products, 17 percent higher than the $577.2 million it registered a couple of years ago.

Service revenue rose by 23 percent from $917.7 million to $1.13 billion year-on-year (YoY).

Billings aggregated to $2.15 billion, an increase of 20 percent compared to $1.80 billion during the two periods in review.

Operating income in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) stood at $231 million in 2018, from $109.8 million in 2017. These figures rep-

resented a GAAP operating margin of 13 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

Non-GA AP operating profit surged $402.9 million from $257.4 million, with a non-GAAP operating margin of 22 percent from 17 percent YoY. Last year’s financial standing of Fortinet also improved further, with cash flow from operations increasing from $594.4 million to $638.9 million, while free cash flow surging from $459.1 million to $585.9 million.

For the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2018, revenue reached $507 million,

up 22 percent from previous year’s $416.6 million.

It was comprised of $200.8-million product topline or over 24 percent than the comparable period’s $162.1 million, as service revenue jumped by 20 percent from $254.5 million to $306.2 million.

From October to December 2018, overall billings amounted $649.2 million or over 22 percent compared to $534 million in the same quarter of 2017.

GAAP operating income was $85.1 million (17 percent difference) and $42.2 million (10 percent difference) for Q4 YoY. Non-GAAP operating income ballooned to $130.6 million (26 percent margin) and $78.7 million (19 percent margin) for the last quarter of 2018 and 2017, accordingly.

In Q4 of last year, cash flow from operations was $180.2 million against $157.5 million in the $168.6 million as opposed to $143.9 million a couple of years ago.

“Our strong fourth quarter results drove a solid finish to 2018, demonstrating demand for our product and services, and illustrating our ability to drive disciplined growth with solid

margin improvement,” said Ken Xie, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Fortinet.

The firm remains bullish on constant business growth as it expects revenue to be in the range of $465 million to $475 million for the first quarter of this year.

It also projects the topline to be between $2.06 billion to $2.10 billion for the fiscal year 2019.

“We are well-positioned to achieve another year of better than industry growth in 2019, driven by business momentum and strong customer demand for our broad, integrated, and automated security solutions across their entire network infrastructure,” he stressed.

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Fortinet is a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cyber-security solutions.

Ranked No. 1 in the most security appliances shipped worldwide, it offers real-time protection to more than 375,000 customers worldwide.

In the Philippines, the network security company provides sales and marketing support, as well as technical back up to their distributors and resellers.

STOCK-MARKET OUTLOOK LAST WEEK

SHARE prices were almost unchanged last week as trading was lackluster with investors staying on the sidelines.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index gained 1.17 points to close at 7,798.28, while all other subindices ended mixed.

The main index started the week slow, giving up 1 percent, but slowly recovered throughout the rest of the week.

“Most investors are still on the sidelines as the general investor sentiment remains cautious. Several local and global factors are keeping investors on their toes, but one thing that stood out this week is the depreciation of the currency,” said Christopher Mangun, research head at Eagle Equities Inc. “Overall, we had a very quiet trading week with low daily trading volumes.

Almost half of the P40.89 billion traded this week came on Friday as this was the day that the Financial Times Stock Exchange index rebalancing took place. One of the major changes was the removal of JG Summit Holdings Inc. from the index,” he said.

Foreign investors were net buyers at P1.4 billion.

Other subindices ended mixed. The broader All Shares index gave up 4.19 points to close at 4,813.03; the Financials index rose 9.95 to 1,770.81; the Industrial index was down 24.06 to 11,556.33; the Holding Firms index lost 125.29 to 7,673.47; the Property index was up 24.21 to 3,969.89; the Services index climbed 28.44 to 1,579.08; and the Mining and Oil index fell 3.38 to 8,135.77.

For the week, losers edged gainers 133 to 84, and 30 shares were unchanged.

Top gainers were DM Wenceslao and Associates Inc., Metro Alliance Holdings and Equities Corp. B, Boulevard Holdings Inc., PLDT Inc., Chelsea Logistics and Holdings Corp., and DMCI Holdings Inc. Top losers were Greenergy Holdings Inc., Keppel Philippines Holdings Inc. A, Easycall Communications Philippines Inc., Philippine Racing Club Inc., Omico Corp. and Premier Horizon Alliance Corp.

THIS WEEK

INVESTORS may continue to trade the range this week as they wait for some impetus to trade.

The US Federal Reserve Open Market Committee will meet during the week, as well as the local Monetary Board on Thursday. The US Fed may maintain its rates, but there may be a different story at home.

“Several players are starting to price in cut in reserve requirement from the new Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas chief, a move that could help induce tending to support capital rollout,” 2TradeAsia said in its market comment.

“Overall, trading range zones should still be supported in local equities trading, as risks are still present with stalled fiscal budget approval for the year,” it said. Mangun said the depreciation of the local currency has an effect on the stock market: The main index tends to go lower as the currency gets weaker, and higher as the currency gets stronger.

“Overall, the strategy has been to pick up second-liners with good growth prospects,” he said.

STOCK PICKS

BROKER Regina Capital and Development Corp. recommended to sell during rallies on the stock of Philippine National Bank (PNB) as its price has been increasing over the past week.

“The rally propelled PNB into a two-year high, further strengthening the bullishness of the indicators,” it said. PNB shares closed last week at P59.60 apiece.

Meanwhile, Regina Capital gave a buy rating on the stock of LT Group Inc., the holding firm of Lucio Tan, as its technical indicators all show some buying pressure, but with varying levels of strength.

It gave a weekly target on the stock at P16.85.

LT Group's shares closed on Friday at P16 apiece. VG Cabuag

PCAAE holds mini conference on March 21

T

HE Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) is holding a mini conference on branding, marketing, public relations and communications on March 21, Thursday, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

Dubbed the “association of associations” in the country, the PCAAE counts close to 300 association members and partner organizations in Asia and the US. Dubbed “The Next Gen RICH: Responsive. Inclusive.

Collaborative. For Humanity,” the one-day workshop features four leading professionals who will help address the “pain points” of organizations.

Participants can learn from the combined experiences and best practices from the four speakers who will talk about these topics: “Communicating by Design” (Chris Dingcong, founder and creative director of Hong Kong-based brand consultant and design agency Springtime Design); ”RICH Marketing: The New Marketing” (Yayu Javier, president and COO of Avanza Relationship and Rewards Marketing, and 2014 president of the Philippine Marketing Association); “Build and Achieve through Authentic PR” (Ritzi Villarico-Ronquillo, APR, consultant, coach and trainer on business communication and strategic public relations; and “Communicating through Writing: The Struggle Is Real” (Sheila Samonte-Pesayco, president and CEO of Writers Edge).

Editor: Efleda P. Campos

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

March 15, 2019

Net Foreign Stocks Bid Ask Open High Low Close Volume Value Trade (Peso) Buy (Sell) FINANCIALS

BDO UNIBANK 131.7 132 131.8 132 130.5 132 4739110 623559662 BANK PH ISLANDS 88.85 88.9 87.35 88.9 86 88.9 2383250 210025729 CHINABANK 27.5 27.65 27.8 27.8 27.5 27.5 70600 1948500 EAST WEST BANK 12.18 12.2 12.2 12.2 12.14 12.18 184700 2246334 METROBANK 79.5 79.55 77.7 79.5 77.7 79.5 4106410 324352963.5 PB BANK 13.84 14 14 14 13.84 13.84 15500 216068 PHIL NATL BANK 59.55 59.6 60.5 60.5 59.5 59.6 627470 37619994 PSBANK 58.25 58.85 58.2 58.2 58.2 58.2 750 43650 RCBC 26.35 26.75 26.35 26.35 26.25 26.35 24400 642770 SECURITY BANK 164.3 165 170.5 170.5 164.3 164.3 537370 88656895 UNION BANK 60.9 61 61.25 62.5 60.9 60.9 1430 88177.5 BRIGHT KINDLE 1.35 1.4 1.35 1.35 1.35 1.35 3000 4050 BDO LEASING 2.24 2.32 2.34 2.35 2.23 2.32 68000 155020 COL FINANCIAL 18.2 18.4 18.2 18.4 18.2 18.4 25400 466800 FERRONOUX HLDG 4.32 4.48 4.53 4.53 4.31 4.48 105000 459320 IREMIT 1.42 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.4 1.47 121000 174570 MEDCO HLDG 0.45 0.455 0.455 0.455 0.455 0.455 100000 45500 NTL REINSURANCE 0.96 0.97 0.97 0.97 0.96 0.96 36000 34680 PHIL STOCK EXCH 184.5 185 185 185 184 184.5 270 49850 VANTAGE 1.13 1.16 1.13 1.13 1.13 1.13 3000 3390

INDUSTRIAL ALSONS CONS 1.42 1.45 1.46 1.46 1.41 1.46 54000 76290 ABOITIZ POWER 35.4 35.5 35.55 35.55 35.15 35.5 2375800 84,236,095( BASIC ENERGY 0.237 0.243 0.243 0.243 0.243 0.243 30000 7290 FIRST GEN 20.5 20.6 20.85 21.15 20 20.5 5506100 112745565 FIRST PHIL HLDG 73.9 74.1 73.75 74.2 73.7 73.9 440960 32628743.5 MERALCO 370 372.8 380 380 370 370 341040 126807488 MANILA WATER 26 26.05 26 26 25.15 26 5192100 134521070 PETRON 6.52 6.8 6.74 6.85 6.52 6.52 102276200 668753338 PETROENERGY 3.75 3.77 3.77 3.77 3.75 3.77 286000 1078140 PHINMA ENERGY 1.29 1.3 1.33 1.33 1.3 1.3 17307000 22672870 PHX PETROLEUM 11.86 12.2 12 12.2 11.98 12.2 124300 1496988 PILIPINAS SHELL 48.65 48.85 49 49.05 48.65 48.85 492800 24076520 SPC POWER 6.37 6.39 6.39 6.39 6.38 6.38 169900 1084631 AGRINURTURE 14.5 14.58 14.48 14.7 14.12 14.58 403200 5895550 CNTRL AZUCARERA 15.4 15.78 16 16 15.4 15.4 4800 74790 CENTURY FOOD 15.32 15.64 15.42 15.64 15.3 15.64 101400 1558646 DEL MONTE 6.1 6.28 6.29 6.29 6.28 6.28 900 5656 DNL INDUS 11.28 11.5 11.28 11.5 11.16 11.5 1951400 21880770 EMPERADOR 7.45 7.55 7.5 7.59 7.4 7.45 259000 1931872 SMC FOODANDBEV 106.5 106.7 104.9 106.5 99.1 106.5 19708040 2093402196 ALLIANCE SELECT 1.01 1.02 1.02 1.02 1.01 1.01 464000 468770 GINEBRA 26.55 27.4 27.1 27.4 27.1 27.4 10800 294970 JOLLIBEE 314.8 316.2 313 316.2 310.6 316.2 740420 233490632 LIBERTY FLOUR 51.35 54.45 54.5 54.5 54.5 54.5 300 16350 MACAY HLDG 10.78 11.2 11.44 11.44 10.66 11.2 5000 56402 MAXS GROUP 11.86 12 12.06 12.06 11.84 11.96 93500 1114726 MG HLDG 0.196 0.201 0.196 0.2 0.196 0.2 260000 51510 PEPSI COLA 1.4 1.41 1.38 1.41 1.37 1.41 3764000 5252970 SHAKEYS PIZZA 11.9 11.92 11.92 11.94 11.86 11.9 23400 278540 ROXAS AND CO 1.82 1.86 1.81 1.86 1.81 1.82 58000 105790 RFM CORP 4.67 4.75 4.68 4.68 4.67 4.67 22000 102750 ROXAS HLDG 2.65 2.69 2.66 2.66 2.65 2.65 5000 13260 SWIFT FOODS 0.128 0.134 0.129 0.129 0.129 0.129 10000 1290 UNIV ROBINA 145.6 145.7 145 146 143.7 145.7 1367980 198909179 VITARICH 1.62 1.64 1.62 1.64 1.62 1.64 980000 1599810 VICTORIAS 2.5 2.55 2.5 2.51 2.5 2.5 1000000 2500100 CONCRETE A 65.55 71.9 65.55 71.85 65.55 71.85 40 2685 CEMEX HLDG 2.75 2.76 2.6 2.75 2.58 2.75 20957000 56524800 EAGLE CEMENT 15.7 15.8 15.7 15.8 15.7 15.7 694800 10937618 EEI CORP 9.03 9.07 8.88 9.11 8.88 9.07 1853300 16811986 HOLCIM 9.67 9.7 9.6 10 9.54 9.67 3170000 30967984 MEGAWIDE 19.98 20 19.94 19.98 19.9 19.98 702800 14010992 PHINMA 8.95 9 8.81 8.95 8.8 8.95 29900 265575 TKC METALS 1 1.01 1.05 1.05 0.99 1 204000 204530 VULCAN INDL 1.28 1.3 1.32 1.32 1.27 1.3 1955000 2521360 CROWN ASIA 1.9 1.91 1.89 1.91 1.89 1.91 602000 1145850 LMG CHEMICALS 4.05 4.06 4.05 4.06 4.05 4.05 49000 198460 MABUHAY VINYL 3.52 3.65 3.65 3.67 3.6 3.65 19000 69210 PRYCE CORP 5.8 5.85 5.85 5.88 5.8 5.8 155000 906650 CONCEPCION 41 42.5 41 41 41 41 15700 643700 GREENERGY 2.5 2.51 2.6 2.6 2.48 2.51 16371000 41695110 INTEGRATED MICR 12.64 12.66 12.6 12.8 12.5 12.66 186400 2354080 IONICS 1.66 1.7 1.72 1.72 1.65 1.66 257000 428670 SFA SEMICON 1.27 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.27 1.3 139000 179960 CIRTEK HLDG 29 29.25 29.75 29.75 29 29.25 94500 2777630

HOLDING & FRIMS

ABACORE CAPITAL 0.74 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.73 0.75 10147000 7478700 ASIABEST GROUP 20 20.3 20.5 20.5 20 20.3 24000 482310 AYALA CORP 920.5 922 920 925.5 915 920.5 459370 422754270 ABOITIZ EQUITY 56.9 56.95 58.35 58.35 56.95 56.95 4147040 237140460.5 ALLIANCE GLOBAL 15.36 15.5 15.12 15.5 15 15.5 13736200 210884168 ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.74 0.76 0.74 0.74 0.74 0.74 4000 2960 ATN HLDG A 1.43 1.44 1.4 1.45 1.4 1.43 3871000 5533660 ATN HLDG B 1.43 1.45 1.41 1.45 1.41 1.45 690000 996030 COSCO CAPITAL 7.44 7.45 7.46 7.5 7.4 7.45 1297200 9655686 DMCI HLDG 12.14 12.4 11.88 12.4 11.7 12.4 6084800 74542552 FILINVEST DEV 14.88 14.9 14.6 15.02 14.58 14.9 5191300 77297000 GT CAPITAL 995 995.5 1000 1002 974 995 333745 331817535 HOUSE OF INV 6.4 6.51 6.41 6.53 6.4 6.51 82200 533145 JG SUMMIT 61 61.05 61.7 62.8 60.8 61.05 75,952,420 4 ,643,608,502.5 JOLLIVILLE HLDG 5.51 5.86 5.86 5.86 5.86 5.86 100 586 LODESTAR 0.52 0.54 0.56 0.57 0.53 0.53 2427000 1288980 LOPEZ HLDG 5.23 5.24 5.12 5.28 5.12 5.24 567700 2961370 LT GROUP 16 16.26 16.64 16.74 16 16 4746400 77504144 METRO PAC INV 4.9 4.94 4.9 4.94 4.85 4.94 99172000 488791890 PACIFICA 0.039 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 2500000 100000 PRIME ORION 3.16 3.17 3.1 3.18 3.1 3.16 3069000 9682490 REPUBLIC GLASS 2.55 2.72 2.55 2.55 2.55 2.55 6000 15300 SM INVESTMENTS 932 934 925 934 901.5 934 1146550 1058377740 SAN MIGUEL CORP 174.2 174.5 173 174.2 167.5 174.2 13313500 2316921571 SOC RESOURCES 0.75 0.78 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 102000 76500 TOP FRONTIER 275.2 280 275.2 280 275.2 280 1070 299504 WELLEX INDUS 0.241 0.245 0.244 0.25 0.241 0.245 2880000 717350 ZEUS HLDG 0.355 0.36 0.345 0.36 0.345 0.355 16830000 5990750

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.87 0.88 0.89 0.89 0.86 0.88 776000 674460 ANCHOR LAND 10.8 10.94 10.4 11 10.4 10.94 5900 63542 AYALA LAND 43 43.1 42.8 43.15 42.6 43.1 13077100 562082420 BELLE CORP 2.34 2.35 2.37 2.37 2.31 2.35 1451000 3377160 A BROWN 0.77 0.78 0.79 0.79 0.78 0.78 795000 620780 CROWN EQUITIES 0.242 0.245 0.245 0.245 0.242 0.242 740000 179640 CEBU HLDG 6.5 6.77 6.75 6.77 6.5 6.5 14800 96618 CEB LANDMASTERS 4.31 4.33 4.28 4.35 4.26 4.34 517000 2234170 CENTURY PROP 0.48 0.485 0.49 0.49 0.48 0.48 1420000 683750 CYBER BAY 0.395 0.405 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 20000 8000 DOUBLEDRAGON 20.85 21 21.25 21.45 20.75 20.85 174600 3688165 DM WENCESLAO 10.92 10.94 10.26 11 10.26 10.94 4107800 44080740 EMPIRE EAST 0.5 0.51 0.5 0.52 0.5 0.51 3843000 1954330 EVER GOTESCO 0.128 0.137 0.128 0.128 0.128 0.128 10000 1280 FILINVEST LAND 1.51 1.53 1.53 1.54 1.51 1.51 3807000 5791360 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.22 1.23 1.22 1.22 1.22 1.22 1918000 2339960 8990 HLDG 12.08 12.1 11.8 12.12 11.8 12.1 2664900 32183080 PHIL INFRADEV 1.95 1.96 2 2 1.94 1.95 1828000 3594990 CITY AND LAND 0.86 0.9 0.87 0.91 0.87 0.91 41000 35710 MEGAWORLD 5.62 5.63 5.53 5.62 5.52 5.62 41896400 234551013 MRC ALLIED 0.38 0.385 0.38 0.39 0.38 0.385 11110000 4240450 PHIL ESTATES 0.445 0.455 0.455 0.455 0.455 0.455 60000 27300 PRIMEX CORP 2.79 2.84 2.89 2.89 2.78 2.79 337000 953520 ROBINSONS LAND 24 24.05 23.8 24 23.05 24 6493200 154346470 ROCKWELL 2.01 2.05 2.05 2.05 2.01 2.05 55000 111260 SHANG PROP 3.13 3.15 3.15 3.15 3.15 3.15 56000 176400 STA LUCIA LAND 1.58 1.6 1.59 1.6 1.56 1.6 411000 653890 SM PRIME HLDG 38.4 38.45 37 38.4 37 38.4 18543000 708167950 STARMALLS 6.9 7 7.1 7.1 6.89 7 379000 2647656 VISTA LAND 7.23 7.24 7.26 7.29 7.2 7.24 3344200 24228374

SERVICES ABS CBN 20.3 20.35 20.55 20.9 20.3 20.3 78900 1611180 GMA NETWORK 5.72 5.73 5.69 5.73 5.69 5.73 153600 875671 MANILA BULLETIN 0.58 0.6 0.58 0.61 0.58 0.58 1254000 736850 GLOBE TELECOM 1916 1921 1929 1947 1896 1916 179480 344118360 PLDT 1152 1161 1133 1161 1113 1161 356070 410636825 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.042 0.044 0.043 0.045 0.042 0.044 3600000 155300 DFNN INC 6.83 6.98 7 7 6.84 6.84 61200 424240 IMPERIAL 1.92 2.04 1.92 1.92 1.92 1.92 4000 7680 ISLAND INFO 0.125 0.126 0.127 0.128 0.125 0.125 3370000 422400 ISM COMM 5.64 5.65 5.75 5.76 5.57 5.64 3570100 20202729 NOW CORP 2.81 2.82 2.85 2.85 2.8 2.81 649000 1829240 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.42 0.425 0.42 0.43 0.42 0.42 5180000 2197800 PHILWEB 2.75 2.76 2.8 2.81 2.74 2.75 201000 553250 2GO GROUP 12.28 12.3 12.28 12.3 12.16 12.28 26800 328644 CEBU AIR 81.6 82 83 83.5 81.6 81.6 39970 3281115.5 CHELSEA 6.04 6.05 5.94 6.17 5.94 6.05 1943200 11773066 INTL CONTAINER 119.5 119.6 119.5 120 117.5 119.5 8537360 1018265944 LBC EXPRESS 15.26 15.8 15.26 15.26 15.26 15.26 3000 45780 LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.89 0.9 0.89 0.89 0.89 0.89 118000 105020 MACROASIA 20.65 20.7 20 20.9 19.72 20.7 2129500 43635547 METROALLIANCE A 1.88 1.95 1.9 1.95 1.86 1.95 30000 57770 PAL HLDG 10.4 10.52 10.36 10.52 10.2 10.48 35200 368890 HARBOR STAR 2.85 2.86 2.88 2.91 2.81 2.86 826000 2356670 ACESITE HOTEL 1.31 1.32 1.32 1.36 1.32 1.32 246000 325890 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.076 0.077 0.075 0.078 0.074 0.077 73890000 5651570 WATERFRONT 0.65 0.66 0.66 0.66 0.66 0.66 465000 306900 STI HLDG 0.7 0.71 0.7 0.71 0.7 0.7 1206000 844920 BERJAYA 2.74 2.75 2.73 2.78 2.73 2.74 76000 208440 BLOOMBERRY 11.7 11.9 11.8 11.9 11.7 11.7 7413200 86880464 PACIFIC ONLINE 9.05 9.29 9.39 9.39 8.9 9.29 1300 12106 LEISURE AND RES 3.37 3.41 3.35 3.5 3.32 3.39 1387000 4739650 MANILA JOCKEY 4.74 4.94 4.74 4.94 4.74 4.94 22000 105020 PH RESORTS GRP 4.77 5 4.92 4.92 4.76 4.77 96000 465460 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.86 0.87 0.87 0.88 0.86 0.87 6067000 5287280 PHIL RACING 7.6 8.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 1200 9000 TRAVELLERS 5.61 5.63 5.6 5.63 5.6 5.63 515100 2894700 METRO RETAIL 2.99 3 2.99 3.02 2.97 3 1965000 5892590 PUREGOLD 48.9 49 47.95 49 47.05 49 403000 19585035 ROBINSONS RTL 83.8 84 85 85 83.7 84 5638550 473648161 PHIL SEVEN CORP 125 126 129.5 129.5 126 126 32250 4067481 SSI GROUP 2.37 2.38 2.35 2.37 2.35 2.37 3249000 7686540 WILCON DEPOT 15.4 15.44 15.4 15.5 15.26 15.44 45142400 696580710 APC GROUP 0.415 0.425 0.43 0.43 0.41 0.41 1340000 562050 EASYCALL 13.16 13.2 13.2 13.78 13.2 13.2 163700 2188910 GOLDEN BRIA 372.4 381 368.2 382 368.2 381 1290 485230 IPM HLDG 7.09 7.15 7.1 7.1 7.09 7.09 7500 53240 PAXYS 3.15 3.2 3.08 3.15 3.08 3.15 8000 24850 PRMIERE HORIZON 1.18 1.19 1.22 1.22 1.19 1.19 7534000 9020920 SBS PHIL CORP 8.44 8.7 8.7 8.7 8.7 8.7 4200 36540

MINING & OIL ATOK 13.04 13.5 13.04 13.52 13 13.5 6300 83170 APEX MINING 1.44 1.45 1.46 1.46 1.44 1.45 1406000 2040810 ABRA MINING 0.002 0.0021 0.0021 0.0022 0.0021 0.0022 59000000 124000 ATLAS MINING 2.9 2.94 2.94 2.94 2.9 2.9 117000 339700 BENGUET A 1.18 1.24 1.18 1.18 1.18 1.18 100000 118000 CENTURY PEAK 2.35 2.36 2.33 2.35 2.32 2.35 727000 1698840 DIZON MINES 7.81 7.98 7.81 7.98 7.81 7.98 300 2360 FERRONICKEL 1.47 1.49 1.49 1.49 1.48 1.49 2278000 3374940 GEOGRACE 0.243 0.249 0.249 0.249 0.24 0.249 410000 101000 LEPANTO A 0.121 0.124 0.121 0.124 0.12 0.124 2530000 304130 MANILA MINING A 0.0081 0.0083 0.0081 0.0081 0.0081 0.0081 1000000 8100 MARCVENTURES 1.07 1.09 1.06 1.09 1.06 1.08 26000 28140 NIHAO 1.02 1.05 1.05 1.08 1 1.05 96000 97810 NICKEL ASIA 2.52 2.53 2.6 2.66 2.5 2.53 4443000 11320480 OMICO CORP 0.58 0.61 0.59 0.62 0.57 0.57 469000 271650 ORNTL PENINSULA 0.92 0.93 0.92 0.93 0.92 0.92 518000 478080 PX MINING 3.94 3.99 3.93 4 3.92 3.99 437000 1741150 SEMIRARA MINING 21.5 21.6 21.05 21.6 21.05 21.6 7589300 161757840 UNITED PARAGON 0.0072 0.0077 0.0072 0.0072 0.0072 0.0072 2000000 14400 ORNTL PETROL A 0.012 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.012 0.012 441700000 5312300 ORNTL PETROL B 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.012 500000 6300 PHILODRILL 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 2600000 31200 PHINMA PETRO 3.15 3.28 3.18 3.18 3.18 3.18 6000 19080 PXP ENERGY 14.1 14.12 14.4 14.48 14.12 14.12 471600 6692164

PREFFERED AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF SMC FB PREF 2 FGEN PREF G FPH PREF C GTCAP PREF B LR PREF PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

465.2 483.2 96.6 971.5 102 450.2 891 0.98 99 103 75.25 77 72.55 74 75 72.5 74

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR GMA HLDG PDR

19.6 5.6

1.94

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ITALPINAS 5.04 XURPAS 1.37

115

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470 495 98.4 975 104.5 476.8 900 0.98 99.5 103.5 75.45 77 72.5 73.45 74.75 71.9 72

470 495 98.4 975 104.5 476.8 900 0.98 99.5 103.5 75.45 77 72.5 74 75 73 74

468 490 98.4 971.5 104.5 476.8 900 0.98 99.5 103.1 75.4 77 72.5 73.45 74.75 71.9 72

470 490 98.4 971.5 104.5 476.8 900 0.98 99.5 103.1 75.4 77 72.5 74 75 73 74

50 200 20 30 110 10 10 50000 6500 210 400 1000 20180 43300 15820 47800 196290

23480 98300 1968 29180 11495 4768 9000 49000 646750 21683 30160.5 77000 1463050 3187105 1185065 3448930 14486865

13403 -362500 7361595

20.1 5.69

20 5.57

20 5.57

20 5.57

20 5.57

21300 1500

426000 8355

-

1.95

1.89

2

1.89

1.94

316000

616840

-

5.08 1.38

4.9 1.36

5.05 1.39

4.9 1.36

5.05 1.38

219000 2286000

1097050 3137170

-262340

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF

4,543,600.0004) -39411175 65778 -14022870 45490250 -297724766 -643400 4600 185565 6380 318552 276608 -17555846 16140 451109370 267870 25828784 -44956 1553719.9997 -29774 -4670 101804968 -83120 2250000 -6309010 -5077162 851901 -8991345 3839344 151430 37800 -175370 631400 -1771680 -285192 -547570

474 495 98.4 980 104.4 476.8 900 0.99 100.9 106.5 75.4 77.1 73 74.45 75.4 73 74.9

WARRANTS LR WARRANT

12405684 31877192 -404660 -898326 64896608.5 8922822.5 -540175 -40485678 -66529 268360 2860 -

116

115.4

116

114.8

116

9310

1073867

-

Agriculture/Commodities BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

‘SSG levels playing field for local coffee makers, farmers’

T

HE special safeguard duty (SSG) slapped by Manila on imported coffee products will ensure that Filipino planters will continue to have a ready market for their produce.

Nestlé Philippines Inc. Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs Ernesto S. Mascenon told the BusinessMirror that the SSG on coffee imports “simply levels the playing field between importers and local manufacturers.”

“Without the SSG local coffee farmers and local producers suffer because importers [incur] lower production and raw material costs which local manufacturers cannot match,” Mascenon said in a statement sent to the BusinessMirror.

Due to this equal playing field, local coffee manufacturers are able to purchase more locally produced coffee beans, hence, allowing Filipino farmers to earn more, Mascenon said.

“The SSG helps Filipino farmers because the more local manufacturers produce, the more they buy coffee from local farmers whose livelihoods are sustained. The more coffee the Filipino farmers sell to local manufacturers, the more their earnings are enhanced,” he added.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Segfredo R. Serrano said the government would continue to impose the SSG when imports exceed the minimum access volume (MAV) to protect local coffee farmers.

Serrano said the government imposed the SSG on imported coffee products last year after local manufacturers complained that the surge in imports is hurting their business.

Allowing the market to be flooded with cheap imports, he said, would be detrimental to farmers as Philippine-based manufacturers may cut their purchases of local coffee.

“It is important to protect the livelihood of our people as the welfare of a large portion of our people is at stake. We do not want uncertainties in our coffee industry,” Serrano said in a recent interview with reporters.

“We are really making headways in coffee and other high-value crops, and these are also avenues for diversification for small farmers. It will not be in our interest to abandon and leave them to the dogs and vagaries of international trade,” he added.

Fine for tourists carrying pork from ASF-hit countries eyed

T Serrano also clarified that Manila did not target Indonesia when it imposed the SSG on coffee imports, as it also applies to the other trade partners of the Philippines.

He noted that even local conglomerates manufacturing coffee, such as San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and Universal Robina Corp. (URC), were also affected by the SSG. “The actions of the companies that just bring in processed coffee into the country, and are not investing locally, are disadvantageous to our local coffee manufacturers. And these are companies that have invested in processing coffee in the country and are buying beans from farmers,” Serrano said.

“They have a thriving local industry here. It’s not like they leave the country and constructed a manufacturing plant abroad. So, there is a need to balance and provide proper support to the companies that are manufacturing locally,” Serrano added.

Instant coffee and other coffee products imported from Asean member-countries are tariff-free.

Lower purchases

THE country’s instant coffee imports in 2018 nosedived by 55 percent to $91.791 million from an all-time high of $205.224 million in 2017, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed.

PSA data also showed that the total volume of instant coffee imported last year plunged by 63 percent to 34,635.415 metric tons from 93,696.938 MT recorded in 2017.

In 2018, Vietnam edged out Indonesia as the Philippines’s top instant coffee supplier, accounting for 44.2 percent of the total exports to Manila. However, instant coffee shipments from Vietnam fell by 44.5 percent to $40.558 million last year from $73.039 million in 2017.

Indonesia, which has been the top exporter of instant coffee to the Philippines since 2012, posted a 68.2-percent cut in its shipments last year.

In 2018, the Philippines imported $34.518 million worth of instant coffee from Indonesia from the previous year’s $108.46 million.

The country’s purchases of other extracts, essences and concentrates of coffee from abroad also declined by 48.6 percent to $715,867 last year from $1.393 million in 2017.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Monday, March 18, 2019 B3

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is keen on punishing tourists who will bring in pork products from countries affected

by African swine fever (ASF) with a fine of not less than P200,000.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol told the BusinessMirror that the DA is now studying the possibility of penalizing erring tourists to ensure that the Philippines will remain free from the dreaded hog disease. Piñol said he has instructed his policy team to review if the DA has legal authority to issue an administrative order (AO) mandating the implementation of the stringent measure.

If the DA cannot issue an AO, the DA chief said he would urge Congress to introduce a bill that would allow

the agency to impose penalties.

“The DA is still looking for the legal basis [to impose the fine]. We are working on it, our policy and planning office is working on it,” Piñol said in an interview on Sunday.

“Personally, I believe the penalty should not be lower than P200,000 on the first offense,” he added.

Slapping erring tourists with a fine is part of government efforts to prevent the dreaded ASF from harming the country’s P200-billion hog sector.

While it is not transmissible to humans, the ASF is fatal to live hogs.

The ASF virus could also survive in processed meat products, such as siomai and bacon.

The DA chief made the pronouncement after Taiwan decided to penalize tourists who will smuggle pork products from ASF-affected countries.

Visitors to Taiwan who will be caught carrying or smuggling pork products from abroad are fined with NT$200,000 (P340,000) and will not be allowed to enter the country if they will not pay the fine. Those who will be caught the second time will be fined with NT$1 million (P1.7 million), according to online news reports.

Taipei is mulling over to raise the penalty for the first offense to NT$300,000 (P513,000).

Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines (ProPork) President Edwin G. Chen earlier told the BusinessMirror that his group supports the proposal and even encouraged the government to file cases of economic sabotage against erring tourists.

Sniffing dogs

PIÑOL also said the government may tap sniffing dogs to strengthen the biosecurity measures rolled out in airports and seaports. He said the deployment of sniffing dogs is cheaper than x-ray machines.

He said the government will deploy a pair of dogs in every airport and port of entry nationwide.

This is an additional measure that has been agreed upon by the DA, Bureau of Animal Industry and National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. last Thursday, Piñol said.

“The dogs will be used to ferret out luggage containing meat products brought into the country without Sanitary and Phytosanitary Permits,” he said.

Piñol said the DA has invited companies “offering services of sniffing dogs” to coordinate with the agency.

The DA will tap calamity funds for the deployment of sniffing dogs.

He said the deployment of sniffing dogs would now be “standard operating procedure” for the government.

Mangyan mothers learn farming skills to ease food insecurity in community

T

HE Mangyans, an indigenous group living on the island of Mindoro, are known for their peaceful and welcoming nature. Unfortunately, behind this placid demeanor, Mangyans have struggled to feed their families, secure their livelihood, and claim their ancestral domain.

Zero Extreme Poverty 2030, a coalition of nongovernment entities that aims to reduce extreme poverty in the Philippines by 2030, has its eyes set on the Mangyans, recognizing that indigenous peoples are among the most impoverished in the country. Apart from IPs, ZEP 2030 targets to help 1 million extremely poor families from among farmers, fishermen, and informal settlers.

In partnership with local government and civil-society organizations, ZEP 2030 has worked with the Mangyan community to identify their pressing needs and work on building the sustainability of their food source.

Corazon Maribunay, a mother of four, describes the daily task of bringing food to the table. “It’s difficult to live up in the mountains, we’re unsure where we can source our food especially when there is a typhoon or flooding in our area. If we get to harvest sweet potatoes or corn, we would have food, but it’s usually insufficient to tide us through the next harvest,” she said in Filipino.

Armed with this knowledge, ZEP worked with the local community to undertake interventions and programs to address the issue of food scarcity.

Training THE Mangyans in Naujan have an existing IP organization called Samahan ng mga Nagkakaisang Mangyan Alangan ng Mindoro Association.

According to Sanama, previous efforts to help their community farm their land have been unsuccessful primarily due to the absence of technology and knowledge transfer to the Mangyans. Although coffee, cacao, and calamansi naturally grew in Naujan, the Mangyans did not have the expertise and equipment to process and prepare these crops for the market.

For six months, ZEP 2030’s Livelihood and Partnerships for Indigenous Peoples clusters, led by Peace and Equity Foundation and Assisi Development Foundation respectively, worked to educate mothers from 80 extremely poor families from the Mangyan-Alangan community in Naujan’s Barangay Paitan.

With the help of EastWest Seeds Inc., the mothers were educated and given hands-on training on natural farming technology. The mothers learned to use farming tools, raise seedlings, and apply natural pesticides and fertilizers. They also acquired an understanding and appreciation for organic farming as a means to care for the land they cultivate.

“We surveyed the community and consulted the mothers as to the kinds of vegetables and fruits they usually ate at home. Upon assessment of their area, we identified crops they could easily grow and augment their family’s source of food,” Benjamin Abadiano, lead convenor of ZEP

2030, said in a statement.

“Helping them plant the food they eat addresses the community’s need for food security and nutrition, and eventually, helps build their livelihood potential. It was enough push for the participants to finish and accomplish the six-month training,” Abadiano added.

As part of the training program, ZEP 2030 helped the community build greenhouses, vermicomposting areas, dryers, and processing centers at the Tugdaan Mangyan Center for Learning and Development.

Tugdaan is a Mangyan-Alangan word for “seedbed,” emphasizing the commitment of the center to anchor the development of the Mangyan community on their life and culture. The school is also supported by ZEP 2030.

At the center, the community has have successfully grown crops to feed their families or sell in the market.

Results

LITERALLY seeing the fruits of their labor has boosted the confidence of the mothers and has given them the assurance that for as long as they worked hard, they would be able to turn their lives around. They have since sought to impart the same knowledge to the other members of their community, and eventually, prosper together.

“At first, we didn’t understand how the training would help us. We thought the new farming techniques would only add to our expenses. But when we saw that our crops were growing fast, we were impressed and worked really hard,” Maribunay said.

“We saw that common vegeta-

tion found in our backyard could be turned into fertilizers or pesticides.

Our harvest was abundant. We found a stable source of food. We could also sell the produce in the market,” she added.

The bountiful harvest of the participating mothers was showcased at the 2018 Harvest Festival held last November at the Tugdaan Mangyan Center. In the event, participants demonstrated their newly acquired skills, including how to plot and prepare the land for planting, and how to make natural fertilizers and pesticides, to visiting stakeholders, local government representatives, and potential partners.

“With the guidance we received, we can now cultivate our land. Other members of our community have seen that what we undertook was not difficult after all. Now, we ourselves can spread the learning within the community. Now, we have the confidence of being able to support our families,” she said.

Indeed, self-sufficiency, supported by collaboration, is what will bring about the eradication of extreme poverty in the country.

“Our coalition is dedicated to helping communities become selfsufficient. The different experts from our member organizations lend their knowledge to offer long-term solutions to challenges faced by impoverished communities across the country,” said Abadiano.

ZEP 2030 said it is looking for more organizations and partners to join its mission of helping 1 million Filipino families break free of extreme poverty nationwide.

Brazil’s sugar giants go nimble, making output harder to predict

B

RAZIL’S sugar mills can make the switch into ethanol easier than ever before, making it harder to predict how much sweetener will come from the world’s biggest producer and exporter.

Take the case of São Paulo-based Usina Batatais. Just two years ago, no matter how low sugar prices got, the company had no choice but send at least 45 percent of crops into producing the sweetener. Now, after investing in expansion, that number has dropped to about 36 percent for the 2019-2020 season, Luiz Gustavo Junqueira, the group’s commercial director, said in an interview.

The question of the sugar “mix” —that is, how much cane is diverted to biofuel versus sweetener— was among the hottest topics of

discussion at a major industry conference in Ribeirao Preto, São Paulo state on March 13. With investment in ethanol equipment and storage by millers, there are less limitations on production and they’ll simply go with what’s profitable.

“Sugar and ethanol must fight harder this year in Brazil,” said Franciele Rivero, a São Paulo-based analyst at Sopex Group.

At stake for investors is a market that’s turned hugely bearish. In the week ended March 12, hedge funds held a net-short position of 115,049 futures and options, United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission data showed on Friday. The figure, which measures the difference between bets on a price increase and wagers on a decline, was the most negative

since September. Short only holdings jumped 25 percent.

The bets mean money managers could end up flat-footed if Brazil’s millers decide to produce more ethanol, potentially widening a deficit that some analysts are already predicting for the sugar market.

There are signs that’s starting to happen. The funds boosted their bearish wagers just before sugar futures posted a 2.8 percent rally in the week ended on Friday.

At São Paulo’s Usina Batatais, the company on March 1 started crushing cane from the current harvest, Junqueira said. So far, almost all the crop is being made into ethanol. In Brazil’s CenterSouth, the key cane region, biofuel is fetching the equivalent of about 14.5 cents a pound. Global sugar fu-

tures, meanwhile, settled on Friday at 12.52 cents in New York.

Last season, Center-South millers made an unprecedented 26-percent cut for sugar production from the prior year as they opted for more ethanol. That drained global sweetener output by almost 10 million metric tons, helping to offset a rise in supplies from India.

The industry is ready for even more switching this year, said Eduardo Sia, a trader at France’s Sucres et Denrees, or Sucden.

For now, the company sees basically steady Center-South sugar output in the upcoming season since biofuel prices aren’t yet attractive enough for processors to make significant changes.

But Sucden is also predicting a wider global sugar deficit, so any

BLOOMBERG NEWS

variations in the mix could further tighten supplies.

At Minas Gerais-based miller Delta Sucroenergia, minor investments in equipment mean the company gained the flexibility to cut by more than 10 percentage points how much of the crop has to go into

sugar production, said Virginia Soriano Lyra Leao, a vice president.

All they have to do is turn a key, and biofuel starts flowing.

“Now we can overcome the limits and produce more ethanol to take advantage of prices,” she said.

Bloomberg News

Green Monday BusinessMirror

B4 Monday, March 18, 2019

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Saving Manila Bay: Is it possible?

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

in Manila Bay, she said.

“This is a scientific way of determining the priorities and concerns. There is a risk quotient or point system. If it is more than 1, then there’s a problem,” Bermas-Atrigenio said.

@jonlmayuga

A

few days after the government-led a massive coastal cleanup fronting Bay Walk on Roxas Boulevard in Manila, eager beavers have started to take a plunge at the polluted waters of Manila Bay. T his prompted the Manila Bay Inter-Agency Task Force to put up steel fences and issue a public warning that the water of Manila Bay are not fit for bathing or swimming.

In fact, the level of pollution in Manila Bay’s poses serious health risks to those who may ingest water from it, with the fecal coliform level reaching up to as high as 333 million most probable numbers per 100 milliliters in some portions.

Long-term strategy

In coordination with the DENR, various stakeholders made a declaration highlighting the need to implement a long-term strategy for Manila Bay. It gave birth to the Operational Plan for the Manila Bay Coastal Strategy, which translates the shared vision of various stakeholders.

From 2000 to 2007, the first phase of the Manila Bay environmental project, one of the outputs is the operational plan.

“Moving forward…there was now a Supreme Court order in 2008, requiring the 13 agencies to clean and rehabilitate the Manila Bay, citing the operational plan as a basis for the cleanup,” she explained.

A gargantuan task

Led by t he De pa r t ment s of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Interior and Local Government (DILG) and of Tourism (DOT), the government is faced with a far bigger challenge than Boracay in launching what it calls the “Battle for Manila Bay,” which primarily aims to save Manila Bay. Skeptics believe, given the gargantuan task at hand, that rehabilitating Manila Bay is a seemingly impossible mission given the government’s limited resources to make things happen.

The Manila Bay area covers eight provinces and 178 local government units in three regions of the country, namely: National Capital Region (NCR), Central Luzon and Calabarzon.

Of the eight provinces, four are coastal (Bataan, Bulacan, Cavite and Pampanga); four are noncoastal (Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Rizal and Tarlac).

Its drainage area covers 1,994 square kilometers, or 199,400 hectares; its coastline measures some 190 km. There are 17 principal river systems draining to Manila Bay.

SC continuing mandamus

The gover nment, led by the DENR, DILG and DOT, is tasked to implement a 2008 Supreme Court continuing mandamus to clean up, rehabilitate and preserve Manila Bay, and restore and maintain its waters to SB level to make them fit for swimming, skin diving and other forms of contact recreation.

DENR Administrative Order 34 of 1990 defines coastal and marines waters under Class SB classification as areas regularly used by the public for bathing, swimming and skin diving; and as spawning areas for bangus (milkfish) and similar species.

The DENR is tasked to ensure the implementation of the Operational Plan for the Manila Bay Coastal Strategy pursuant to Executive Order 192, Series of 1987; regularly coordinate with mandamus agencies and other concerned agencies involved in the management of Manila Bay on effective implementation of OPMBCS; pursuant to Section 19 of Republic Act 9275, manage water quality of Manila Bay through standards setting, regular monitoring and determination of Water Quality Management Areas (WQMA).

Relocation of informal settler families

The Supreme Court, likewise, orders the dismantling and removal of illegal structures along the following waterways: Pasig-Marikina-San Juan Rivers; ParañaqueZapote, Las Piñas Rivers; Navotas-Malabon-Tullahan-Tinajeros

Scientific studies

A backhoe is preparing to collect mud and solid waste in Manila Bay early this month. Bernard Testa

and connecting waterways and esteros in Metro Manila; rivers in Bulacan, Bataan, Cavite and Laguna de Bay and other rivers connecting waterways and esteros that discharge wastewater into the Manila Bay. According to the DILG, almost 233,000 informal settler families (ISFs) are residing along the waterways of Manila Bay, directly discharging their wastes into the water.

Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Año said the biggest challenge to the government in rehabilitating the Manila Bay is finding appropriate on-site or in-city relocation for the informal settler families.

Is it possible?

Environmental groups welcome the launching of Battle for Manila Bay, albeit some are skeptical and highly suspicious of the motive behind the ambitious program, which requires a hefty sum of P47 billion for a period of seven years.

However, DENR officials are confident that rehabilitating Manila Bay is not an impossible mission with the help of various stakeholders.

No less than Env ironment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu believes that w ith the var ious stakeholders working together, the so-called Battle for Manila Bay will be won.

Sound science

Leon Dulce, national coordinator of K alikasan-People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE), said the rehabilitation of Manila Bay can be done through sound science, democratic consultation and mobilization, and political will against big business interests.

Responding through e-mail to the BusinessMirror’s questions, Dulce said the program should aim to address the longst a nd ing c ha l lenges in sol id and liquid waste management, ecosystem and natural resources management, disaster risk management and climate adaptation, and urban development regulation.

“A science-based analysis of these issues should be conducted, particularly in disaggregating

the sources of pollution along its pathway, investigating conflicting land and water uses, projecting long-term climate trends, and studying the carrying capacity of the ecosystems integrated to Manila Bay,” Dulce explained.

Inclusive program

According to Dulce, grassroots communities—such as the fisherfolk and the urban poor—must be seen and engaged as highly motivated partners in rehabilitation, as they are the most affected by the ecological crisis and stand to benefit the most from environmental rehabilitation.

“The biggest stumbling blocks to Manila Bay’s rehabilitation are the powerful economic interests—such as reclamation and infrastructure companies—that have weaponized rehabilitation to clear away marginalized and vulnerable communities and pave the way for their business projects,” he said.

Dulce noted that project proponents have always failed to put the needs and rights of the poor and vulnerable communities themselves as the core motive of Manila Bay’s rehabilitation.

“They must take painstaking effort in encouraging the meaningful participation and genuine consent of the fisherfolk, urban poor and other grassroots sectors in the analysis, planning, management and evaluation of the bay’s rehabilitation program. The local government units [LGUs] must also be held responsible to the directives of the Mandamus decision, as some LGUs are proactive proponents of unregulated reclamation projects,” he said.

Rehabilitation or reclamation?

An immediate and obvious policy of the rehabilitation program should be the imposition of a moratorium on reclamation projects to prevent its direct threat of habitat destruction, urban sprawl and consequent pollution, and heightened coastal flood and other disaster risks, Dulce posits.

Rodne Galicha, country director of the Climate Reality ProjectPhilippines, said the physical rehabilitation of Manila Bay is not possible if political, social and psychological rehabilitation of human beings within and around the area is not done.

“Furthermore, no serious rehabilitation is possible if new reclamation projects are implemented.

We need to understand and accept the fact that the primary concern of the Supreme Court mandamus is environmental,” Galicha added.

Galicha said given the economic significance of Manila Bay in which a sensitive and strategic environmental intervention is necessary, a law may be needed to strengthen the interagency body and the implementation of its plans with penal provisions.

But first and foremost, Galicha explained, all the LGUs w it h i n t he Ma n i l a B ay a rea should work for independent Disaster R isk Reduction and Management Plans, Local Climate Change Action Plans, Ecological Solid Waste Management Plans, Comprehensive Land Use Plans, all of which should be harmonized toward protecting and conserving Manila Bay. “This is a huge challenge to har monize respective plans,”

The biggest stumbling blocks to Manila Bay’s rehabilitation are the powerful economic interests— such as reclamation and infrastructure companies—that have weaponized rehabilitation to clear away marginalized and vulnerable communities and pave the way for their business projects.”

—Dulce

he said.

“Ultimately, authorities must be asked: rehabilitation or reclamation? Seriously, reclamation is pollution in itself. Manila Bay rehabilitation is idiocy if new reclamation projects are allowed because this is not consistent to the very onus of the Mandamus which is environmental protection,” he explained.

Laudable effort

Nancy Bermas-Atrigenio, senior country program manager of Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (Pemsea), said the Duterte administration’s move to rehabilitate Manila Bay following the Boracay example is laudable.

She said despite the huge investment in cleaning up Manila Bay, all effort seemed to have failed because of the pollution loading that tends to overcome efforts to clean up and rehabilitate Manila Bay. “It’s like Boracay. After many yea rs, it h appened ,” B er m a s Atrigenio said.

But she said there is hope in rehabi litating Boracay, especially given the Duterte administration’s “political will” to fix problems.

A pollution hot spot

Pemsea’s work on Manila Bay can be traced back to a regional project it implemented way before the SC continuing mandamus was won for a group of environmental law students by environmental lawyer Tony Oposa.

“Manila Bay has many problems. We [Pemsea] started [in Manila Bay] as a regional project. The focus was on pollution-prevention management. Manila Bay was a demonstration site in addition to other sites in Southeast Asia. Obviously, the problem is pollution.

Manila Bay is a pollution hot spot,” she told the BusinessMirror in a recent interview.

Risk management

Bermas-Atrigenio said Pemsea then introduced risk assessment as a strategy in identifying the problems and solutions for Manila Bay. The risk-management framework aims to address the problem

Bermas-Atrigenio said Pemsea’s role is to conduct scientific studies to aid decision-making.

Last year, Pemsea finished a project with United Nations Environment Program on Nutrient Loading, which confirmed earlier studies that the main source of pollution besetting Manila Bay was domestic waste, with that from industries in a far second.

Citing a 2015 study by the UP Marine Science Institute (UPMSI), she said the NCR, with its huge population of over 12 million, is the biggest contributor to nutrient or waste loading in Manila Bay.

Hypoxia, eutrophication

Bermas-Atrigenio cited an initial study by Dr. Gil Jacinto on hypoxia, or the oxygen deficiency in the abiotic environment, which identifies domestic waste as the biggest contributor to water pollution in the bay.

“Given the magnitude of the problem and scope of the job needed to be done, it is ambitious. Most likely, experts may say this is where to start. But the fact remains that the major problem is domestic sources of pollution,” she said.

T his is ag g ravated by t he fact that less than 20 percent of households around Manila Bay are connected to sewage lines.

Based on the UP-MSI study, because of population growth, despite connecting households in Metro Manila to proper sewage for wastewater treatment, it may not suffice to arrest the pol lut ion problem beset t i ng Manila Bay. The authors of the study, led

by Jacinto, are Lara Patricia A. Sotto, Arthur H. W. Beusen, Cesa L. Villanoy and Lex F. Bouwman.

They concluded that the current pollution and eutrophication problem—or excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen, in Manila Bay—will not decrease with better sewage connection and treatment mainly because of the expected high population growth.

In the end, the study suggested that “there may be a need to d istr ibute t he popu l at ion growth centers. For example, making living in the provinces more attractive in addition to measures that address the poor sewage system in Metro Manila and the surrounding areas of Manila Bay.”

Biodiversity Monday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Monday, March 18, 2019

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion • www.businessmirror.com.ph

Asean discuss conservation of key biodiversity areas

‘W

hile there is much to celebrate about Asean’s rich biodiversity, it is important to recognize that the region’s natural resources are fast depleting and face a wide range of threats leading to biodiversity loss,” said Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, executive director of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).

Lim made the statement as she discussed about the series of or ientation workshops on key biodiversity areas conservation reporting held in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 11 to 15, in partnership with the Key Biodiversity Areas Community and NatureServe.

To combat biodiversity loss, Asean Member States signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other multilateral environmental agreements, such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Citing the importance of implementing activities to comply with commitments to these agreements, Lim said such action will help governments increase the number of protected areas, improve management effectiveness of such areas, and monitor progress on their conservation activities.

To support the efforts, Lim said the workshops will help the participants identify sites critical to the global persistence of biodiversity, and develop visualization tools to aid reporting processes to multilateral environmental agreements. The workshops presented tools to promote the conservation

of sites critical to the global persistence of biodiversity in the Asean region; demonstrate how these tools can guide the strategic expansion of protected area networks; inform environmental safeguards and report progress in the achievement of CBD targets and the SDGs. “The workshops also introduced the Biodiversity Indicators Dashboard, an interactive, customizable, online platform for visualizing trends and geographic variation in biodiversity indicators; provided an overview of trends in biodiversity and conservation actions through the BID; and identified gaps to tailor-fit the BID, and tools to identify areas critical to the persistence of biodiversity to the requirements of the Asean Member States,” said Dr. Sheila Vergara, director of the ACB Biodiversity Information Management Unit.

T he AC B -Eu rope a n Un ion project called, Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in Asean, discussed alternative conservation measures, such as Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas, Community Managed Areas, and other effective area-based conservation measures.

Participants at the workshops included managers of protected areas and Asean Heritage Parks, officers handling collection and analysis of biodiversity data, and conservation staff involved in the preparation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and reports to multilateral environmental agreements.

Vietnam, ACB ink partnership on sustainable livelihood

ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim (front, left) and Dr. Nguyen van Tai (front, right), director of Vietnam Environment Association, show the memorandum of understanding documents they signed.

F

ollowing the success of the project’s first phase, the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Vietnam Environment Association (VEA) for the Second Phase of Small Grants Programme (SGP II) in the Office of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in Hanoi, Vietnam, last month.

The MOU was a big step toward SGP II’s aim to contribute to biodiversity protection and management of natural resources in Vietnam.

It was in line with the basic needs of the local population by strengthening the ACB in its role to promote biodiversity protection.

It was signed by ACB Executive Director Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim and Dr. Nguyen van Tai, director of VEA. “We commit our financial and human resource contribution, as well as effective coordination with relevant stakeholders in four provinces, consultant agencies, and management agencies to achieve SGP II targets of conservation and sustainable development in Vietnam,” said Dr. Nguyen van Tai, speaking on behalf of VEA. “I also take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to ACB and KfW Vietnam for your active cooperation with VEA in promoting SGP II to contribute to the preservation of precious natural heritages for Vietnamese people. We hope to continue receiving your support and assistance and other partners in implementing SGP II in Vietnam in the coming time,” he added.

Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim said, “The signing of the MoU for the Small Grants Programme, or SGP II, provides us with a renewed opportunity to work together in improving and strengthening the Asean Heritage Parks [AHP] Programme.“ She added: “With the generous support and trust from KfW, the program will allow us to combine the conservation of resources in the

Asean Heritage Parks with support for alternative and sustainable livelihoods for the communities dependent on the natural resources in these protected areas in Vietnam.”

Lim said continuing the project will greatly contribute to achieving global biodiversity goals.

She explained: “It is expected that the implementation of SGP II will result in best practices involving biodiversity conservation and livelihood development among communities surrounding the Asean Heritage Parks in Vietnam. ”They will also contribute to the attainment of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets through the effective management of ecosystems and through sustainable livelihood activities to provide multiple benefits to people and nature.

Eventually, these experiences and practices from conservation, community outreach and livelihood support in the four AHP sites in Vietnam.”

Funded by Germany through the KfW, the Small Grants Programme started in 2014 with its first phase being implemented in two of Indonesia’s AHP—Gunung Leuser National Park and Way Kambas National Park—and Myanmar’s Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park; Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary; Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary; and Nat Ma Taung National Park, which are also AHPs. The second phase will be implemented in four of Vietnam’s AHPs: Ba Be National Park, Chu Mom Ray National Park, Hoang Lien National Park and Kon Ka Kinh National Park.

Among those present to witness the event were Clarissa C. Arida, director of the Programme Development and Implementation Unit of the ACB; Corazon A. de Jesus Jr., Capacity Development specialist from ACB and coordinator of the SGP; Dr. Pham Anh Cuong, director of the Biodiversity Conservation Agency; Günther Meyer, SGP International chief technical adviser; and Simone Wunsch, head of KfW Hanoi.

B5

PHL island women lead in peatland restoration

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LANGALANG, Leyte— Eluminada Roca has lived all her life next to the Leyte Sab-a Basin peatlands in this municipality.

The grandmother from San Isidro village in this Leyte Island grew up looking at the green hills that feed water to the peatland, she harvested tikog—a peatland grass to weave mats—and ate the delicious fish that was once in abundant in the waters.

But today, the land is losing its water, the grass is disappearing and the fish stock has drastically decreased.

The community is mainly subsistence food growers and dependent on the catching and selling of fish both for consumption and sale.

So, at the age of 70, Roca has joined hands with women of her village to restore the peatland to its previous health.

In the 1970s, the Philippine government encouraged its people to clear the peatland forests and start farming.

In Leyte Sab-a Basin, it resulted in destroying some hills to build roads and canals. However after decades, the canals are draining the peatland water, making them go dry. Fortunately, there is now a new effort to undo the damage.

In a hot, March afternoon, Roca sits with the members of San Isidro Village Women’s Association, discussing why they must restore the peatland.

“We need to make the peatland whole again, so we can resume our life as it used to be,” Roca is heard saying.

Everyone nods in agreement, including Janeline Garcia who, at 32, is the youngest woman in the group.

Peatland: Crucial to combat climate change

Peatlands are wetland ecosystems where the soil is composed of 65 percent or more organic matter derived from dead and decaying plant materials submerged under high water saturation.

They preserve global biodiversity, provide safe drinking water, minimize f lood risk and help address climate change.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), peatlands store as much as 30 percent of the global carbon.

But, damaged peatlands are also a major source of greenhou s e - g a s e m i s s ion s . W he n d r a i ne d a nd d a m a ge d , t he y worsen climate change, emitting 2 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year, which accounts for almost 6 percent of all global greenhouse-gas emissions.

Peatland restoration can, therefore, bring significant emissions reductions. Countries have been urged to include peatland restoration in their commitments to global international agreements, including the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Peatland in the Philippines

According to the data published by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the total area of identified peatlands in the Philippines is 20,000 hectares, including Leyte Sab-a Basin peatland. Spread over four villages, including San Isidro, this is one of the two major peatlands in the country.

In 2013, when Philippines was hit by the devastating Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code

Eluminada Roca (left), 70, and Janeline Garcia, 32, with her son (9 months)—the oldest and the youngest members of San Isidro village women’s association— are engaged in restoring Leyte Sab-a Basin peatland. Stella Paul/IPS

name Haiyan), everything in Leyte and its capital city Tacloban was razed to the ground.

According to an Oxfam report, the natural disaster had “brought out the greater vulnerabilities of women, children, persons with disabilities, elderly people and the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] individuals in already poor communities.”

As they struggled to get their lives back in track, the locals who live near the peatland areas began to notice the changes around them.

They started identifying them one by one. The trees, including lanipao (Terminalia copelandii) and syzygium flowering plants, were destroyed; and the bats, birds and tarsiers that inhabited the peatlands were almost gone.

The loss of the wildlife concerned the local communities, with many feeling that the peatland was becoming unhabitable.

In 2017, Weaver—a women’sled nongovernment organizat ion i n Tac loba n— st a r ted a project to restore 1,180 hectares of Leyte Sab-a Basin peatland by roping in local women with support from the local government, the Visayas State University and International Institute for Rural Reconstr uction, an international NGO. “It is a project where the local women will be the main actors.

The different partners will con-

We need to make the peatland whole again, so we can resume our life as it used to be.”—Roca

tribute by doing research on what alternative crops the locals can grow, what alternative livelihood they can have because they cannot just be taken out of the place.

We will help them organize, give them training and help them have an income through peatland restoration,” Paulina Lawsin Nayra, founder of Weaver, tells Inter Press Service (IPS).

According to Nayra, training of the women will begin after April.

It will include deepening their knowledge of peatland, its link to climate change, its vulnerability to fire and the various ways to restore it.

The training will include collecting seeds and planting the trees that only grow on peatland, vigilance against fire and keeping nurseries.

While they are yet to be trained in the restoration work, the women of San Isidro already are looking at the future.

“If we plant enough trees, birds will be back and we can start a bird sanctuary, which can be a tourist attraction,” Maria Cabella, 52, who heads the village women’s group, tells IPS. “We can also start a ropeway cable car for the tourists to enjoy the view of the peatland below,” Estilita Cabella, 42, tells IPS. “We can restart making tikog mats,” reminds Roca.

But for Janeline Garcia, a young mother, the future health of the peatlands is related closely to the future of 9-month-old son.

“Once we restore the peatland, my husband can catch enough fish to support our child,” she tells IPS with a smile. Stella Paul/IPS

Dozens of species moved north during marine heat waves

S

AN FRANCISCO—Dozens of species of sea slugs, jellyfish and other marine life from toastier southern waters migrated into the Northern California region over an unusually long two-year period of severe heat waves, says a new scientific report.

The 67 species identified in the report include a carnivorous sea slug that preys on other sea slugs and a sea snail “butterfly” usually spotted hundreds of miles away off the coast of Mexico. The study by the University of California, Davis, was published last week in Scientific Reports.

Not all the species stuck around, but the abundance of migration provides a glimpse of what the Northern California coast might look like in the future, said Eric Sanford, lead author and UC Davis professor.

“I’ve been working here for 14 years and before our very eyes we are seeing a shift in the local marine communities,” he said.

The 2014-2016 period studied by researchers began in the Gulf of Alaska as a persistently warm patch in 2013 known as the “warm-water Blob” that spread south. Later, an El Niño event along the equator moved north, and the two factors led to unusually warm waters.

Temperatures in Nor thern California

An image of a violet sea snail in Bodega Bay, California. Jacqueline Sones via AP waters, which normally range from 50 degrees Fahrenheit to 55 degrees F (10 degrees Celsius to 13 degrees˚C), increased 3.5 degrees˚F to 7 degrees˚F. Larry Crowder, a professor at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station who is not affiliated with the study, said the report is impressive in documenting how species

respond to change differently and, in some cases, dramatically.

He said the report could help studies in fisheries management.

“We’re not sure what it means in terms of positive or negative consequences,” Crowder said, but he says “the system is changing under our feet.”

Of the 67 species, researchers documented 37 had set new records in traveling north.

Sanford said the first species they noticed was a purple striped jellyfish that washed up by their research laboratory in Bodega Bay, about 112 kilometers north of San Francisco. That was in July 2014.

“That was the first indication that we were starting to see unusual things,” he said.

From there, researchers catalogued chocolate porcelain crabs, a species that has been in Northern California for about a decade but which boomed in population in warmer temperatures.

They found violet sea snails, only the fourth known record of the species north of Santa Barbara County, and a type of sea slug called the Janolus Nudibranch, usually found south of Monterey County.

Sanford doesn’t necessarily view the changes as negative, but migration will affect the ecosystem. Researchers, for example, discovered that a species of sea slug that eats other sea slugs has moved north—and appears to be sticking around.

“There’s potential for that species to change the community by eating other species,” he said. AP

B6 Monday, March 18, 2019

ENTER ‘A WORLD BUILT BOLDER’ AT WORLDBEX 2019

F

OR its 24th year the World Building and Construction Expo (Worldbex) 2019 is setting the benchmarks higher with another groundbreaking trade presentation. Armed with the grit to usher in “A World Built Bolder”, this year’s show pays tribute to industry leaders who have boldly dedicated their craft in improving communities throughout the country.

In attendance at the grand opening ceremony were representatives of guests of honor Public Works Undersecretary Catalina Cabral, Trade Assistant Secretary Angelo Taningco and HLURB Chief Executive Officer lawyer Lloyd Christopher Lao, together with Worldbex Services International’s (WSI) founding chairman Joseph Ang, cofounder Levi Ang, executive director Arch. Francisco Flameño Jr., managing director Jill Ang, and directors Rene Ramos and Tessie Roque.

Bringing together only the finest and most influential players in the field, from architects, engineers, interior designers and key decision makers to construction companies, design firms, manufacturers and stakeholders, this year’s Worldbex presses on with its mission to contribute to the continuous

development of the industry. With this, visitors can definitely expect a wide range of features and event highlights that are all aimed at improving the quality of life of Filipino communities.

Simultaneously held at the World Trade Center and the SMX Convention Center, this year’s show boasts of a 33,000-square-meter exhibition space that houses the widest array of construction and design products, as well as services from over 700 local and international exhibitors. There are exeactly 1,500 booths, along with various associations and embassies that are present at this year’s Worldbex.

For insights into the future of design, visitors are invited to explore the interior designer’s gallery, the architect’s gallery, City of Tomorrow and the Mañosa exhibits; and watch out for the the Projéto Manila interschool design competition.

Visitors will, likewise, be thrilled to know that the Worldbex app has been updated with the latest technology, to enable them to navigate through the expo with efficiency and comfort.

For more information, visit www.worldbex.com.

J.E.T.R.O. HOLDS LIFESTYLE EXHIBIT IN MANILA

O

VER 40 Japanese exhibitors recently showcased a variety of Japanese sports health-care, healthy food and elderly-care products via a healthy lifestyle exhibit in Manila, organized by the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro).

Held on March 9 and 10 at the TriNoma Activity Center, the event introduced and highlighted to Filipino consumers the different variation of Japanese health products focusing on sports (sportswear and strength training equipment), health (hemadynamometer and toothbrush), healthy food (mushroom, garlic and supplement), elderly-care products (wheelchair and caring bed) and beauty products (beauty appliance and cosmetics).

This exhibition was held for the first time in 2015 in Yangon and has been held in Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Hanoi and Jakarta since then. This is Jetro’s sixth time to conduct this event in Manila that definitely gave a good opportunity to both exhibitors and Filipino consumers.

Asean countries are aging at a speed faster than what Japan had experienced. Benefits are shown in the increase of income and development of their lifestyle, on the other hand, people are facing new health problems represented by lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, heart diseases and cancer.

Each of their government is strengthening the prevention and early discovery of diseases by measures, for example, reducing costs for medical treatments and promoting healthy life styles to citizen. In Japan, other than systems to support medical treatment and nursing, development has been made in the commodities and services industry to maintain and promote health from the young to old.

Moreover, awareness of each citizen and lifestyle has made Japan to become the representing country of as health and longevity in the world. There are enough experience and technology in Japan to tell the Asean nation of how to counteract health problems, like aging and lifestyle diseases, that can be avoided.

JUDGING FOR INTERNATIONAL I.C.T. AWARDS PHILIPPINES 2019 COMPLETED

J

UDGING for the International ICT Awards Philippines 2019 is completed and the mostawaited award event in the IC T industry is next. The three finalists and the winner in each categor y will be announced as the highlight of the International ICT Awards Ph i l ippi nes 2019 ga l a n ig ht on March 28 at the Marr iott Hotel grand ba l lroom. T he prestig ious event has been honored in 2019 with endorsements by the secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the president of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines.

A forecast of 500 V IP g uests, including prominent personalities and business leaders in the ICT industry, are expected to attend.

The high-profile annual event is organized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Phi lippines (C a nC h a m) to s up p or t t he IC T industry in the Philippines. Julian Pa y n e , p r e s i d e nt o f C a n C h a m , clarified that, “CanCham has no role in the judging. Nominees are submitted with a required fee and a re eva lu ated aga inst publ ished

criteria for each award. CanCham’s r o l e i s t o o r g a n i z e t h e e v e nt , including appointing judges who have a professional knowledge of the ICT Industr y in the Philippines and no real or perceived conf licts of interest. T he nomination and judging process is widely recognized within the industr y as being open, ob j e c t i v e a nd r i gorou s , w it h a degree of credibility second to none in the Philippines.”

T he 2019 event is w idely supported by the Philippine business community, including the Federation of Fi l ipino - Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industr y Inc., Federat ion of I nd i a n C h a mbers of Commerce Philippines Inc. and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industr y Inc., as well as by other associations, including Anvil Business Club, Ad Astra Business Consulting, and members of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce.

The two leading telcos in the country, Globe Telecom and PLDT Enterprise, are the title sponsors of t he event. C ategor y awa rd s pon sors i nc lude BDO, Col l iers International, and Meralco. Major

sponsors include Air Juan Aviation Inc. and Avolution. Patron sponsors inc lude Converge IC T Solutions, Globa lt ron ic s, L ive Me d i a , a nd Payoneer. Media partners include BusinessMirror, Business World and Malaya Business Insight.

Fol low i ng t rad it ion at t h is annual event, a Filipina winner from an International pageant will attend to assist in handing out the awards a nd b e av a i l a ble for photo - ops with participants at the evening’s conclusion. Pre-event cocktails with networking opportunities will be followed by a gourmet dinner with live entertainment.

T here w i l l be t wo ser ies of electronic grand raff les for registered attendees, with prizes inc lud ing inter nationa l and domestic f light tickets, packages for vacations at an exotic Philippine island and stays at luxur y hotels in Manila, as well as great gadgets. A special prize will also be given at the for the Most Glamorous-Dressed Individuals of the Night.

To register your seat or for more details, visit www.ictawards.org.ph or e-mail at info@ictawards.org.ph.

Rahm storms into lead at Players Championship P

ONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida—Jon Rahm can’t think of a shot he missed on Saturday in his round of 8-under 64 that took him from five shots behind to one shot ahead of Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in The Players Championship (TPC).

The one bogey he made stood out for two reasons.

It was nearly perfect, of course, a sand wedge into No. 6 that tracked the flag and landed next to the pin, except that it took a hard bounce and rolled over the back of the green. And his reaction to a potential birdie turning into bogey spoke to the calm Rahm feels, even on a course designed to fray nerves.

There was no visible frustration, only more great golf.

“I’ve been working so hard on the mental aspect of my game, trying to keep myself in check a little more,” said Rahm, the 24-year-old Spaniard so full of passion. “And I think that has been the key this week. I’ve been so balanced— nothing like I used to be, nothing like before. I’ve been really proud of how I’ve been handling myself.

“And hopefully tomorrow, it shows how different it has been.”

Rahm surged ahead with a 30 on the back nine of the TPC Sawgrass, sparked by a 4-iron into 3 feet for eagle and a wedge that stopped 2 feet behind the hole to a front pin on the par-3 17th for a tap-in birdie.

He was at 15-under 201, enough for his first 54-hole lead on the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour, enough to keep McIlroy and Fleetwood from catching him.

“Didn’t miss many shots out there,” Rahm said. “Really, really confident with my irons. Every time I stepped up, I felt like I was going to hit a good shot.”

McIlroy and Fleetwood struggled from the start and both eventually recovered, McIlroy sooner than Fleetwood, both finishing with a 70 that left them in excellent shape to capture the PGA Tour’s biggest event.

McIlroy muffed a chip and had to scramble for bogey on the opening hole, hit a chip over the green on the par-5 second hole and turned potential birdie into bogey, and that was as bad as it got. He still was under par at the turn by running off three birdies, including a 4-iron to a foot on the hardest par three on the course at No. 8.

But after a two-putt birdie on the par-five 11th, McIlroy’s chances dried up. Even on the par-five 16th, he tried a low runner out of the pine trees and it came out so hot that it ran through the green and into the water.

Even so, he was bogey-free over the last 16 holes and shot 70.

And he can at least avoid questions about winning from the final group, something McIlroy hasn’t done in his last nine occasions dating to the start of 2018.

“I just need to hit fairways and greens. If I can do that, and take the opportunities I give myself, hopefully I can turn tomorrow into the best Sunday of the year so far,” McIlroy said.

Fleetwood missed a 30-inch putt on the opening hole and took double bogey, and he fell three shots behind through seven holes. He holed a 30foot birdie putt on No. 8 after McIlroy tapped in for his birdie, and then picked up four birdies where they were available.

“Didn’t have my swing today like I’ve had for the first two days, and really struggled with that early on,” Fleetwood said. “The good thing about it was how good I was mentally, the character I showed. I was stuck in there on one of the toughest golf courses we play and managed to get an under par round out of it when I didn’t really feel comfortable all day.”

Jason Day had a 68 and was three shots behind. AP

Sports BusinessMirror

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| Monday, March 18, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

TIGER WOODS is tied for 43rd, 12 shots behind leader Jon Rahm (left). AP

A TIME TO LAUGH

NADAL WITHDRAWS AFTER HURTING KNEE I

NDIAN WELLS, California—Dominic Thiem outlasted Milos Raonic, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-4, on Saturday to reach the BNP Paribas Open final after Roger Federer advanced when Rafael Nadal withdrew because of a knee injury.

A somber Nadal announced his withdrawal a couple hours before he was scheduled to take the court at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“I warm up today in the morning, and I felt that my knee was not enough good to compete at the level that I need to compete,” he said.

Federer was warming up on another court at the same time as Nadal and figured the match was on. However, Nadal soon texted him it wasn’t going to happen.

“It’s a big letdown,” said Federer, who came on court in khaki shorts and a gray cardigan to address fans. “I know the anticipation is there from the crowd and also us players. I’m excited to be in the finals but not this way.”

The 32-year-old Spaniard’s right knee flared up in the second set of his 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) victory over Karen Khachanov on Friday in the quarterfinals. He twice called for a trainer, who applied tape just below Nadal’s knee. It was obvious that Nadal’s movement was hampered.

Nadal said he won’t play again until the Monte-Carlo Masters on clay in mid-April.

“I don’t have doubts today that I will be ready for Monte Carlo,” he said.

It would have been the 39th career meeting between Nadal and Federer, who seeks a record sixth title at Indian Wells and the 101st in his career on Sunday.

“I know every one we have now could be our last,” Federer said. “It’s a special rivalry, maybe the most special with Rafa and Novak [Djokovic].”

Sunday’s women’s final features 18-year-old Canadian wild-card Bianca Andreescu against two-time major champion Angelique Kerber.

Thiem reached the semifinals via walkover after Gael Monfils withdrew from their quarterfinal with a strained left Achilles.

Against Raonic, Thiem earned the only break of the third set in the fifth game. He led 5-3 and served it out, winning on his second match point with a backhand volley.

“The only break point I had to save was in the last game, and that was what I wanted to do, to play my service games well and not let him have too many chances,” Thiem said.

Thiem and Federer have split their four previous meetings, with only one going three sets.

Federer won the last time they played at the Association of Tennis Professionals Finals in London in November.

“It’s always something special to play him,” he said.

Thiem has never won a Masters 1000 title, losing in two previous finals.

Knee problems have dogged Nadal for years, and they cut short his 2018 season after the US Open in September. He was forced to quit two sets into his semifinal against Juan Martin del Potro.

Nadal choked up discussing his withdrawal last fall, and he appeared near tears on Saturday.

He admitted that he sometimes is sad because he feels at a disadvantage against his opponents due to his continued knee issues that force him to limit his practice and playing time.

Then he gathered himself, saying, “It’s not the moment to complain much. With all this stuff, I still where I am today.”

The year began promisingly enough.

Nadal didn’t drop a set in reaching his fifth Australian Open final, where he lost to Djokovic. He’s ranked No. 2 in the world and has a match record of 11-2.

“Still tough because I felt more or less OK during this beginning of the season in terms of my knee,” he said. “Now it starts the process that I have to decide what direction we have to take to recover well and to recover as soon as possible.”

Even with all of his injuries, Nadal indicated he has no intention of giving up playing on hard courts, the surface for two of the four Grand Slam events.

“My goal is to play on all the surfaces,” he said.

With time to fill before the women’s and men’s doubles finals, Djokovic and Pete Sampras teamed for a one-set doubles match against John McEnroe and tournament director Tommy Haas. Comedian Jon Lovitz served as chair umpire. AP

RAFAEL NADAL gets his knee wrapped by a trainer. AP

By Mark Long The Associated Press

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ONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida— Tiger Woods had a much more enjoyable experience at the 17th hole of The Players Championship (TPC) on Saturday.

A day after carding a quadruplebogey 7 at the famed island green, Woods made a birdie and had a lengthy laugh with playing partner Kevin Na in the third round.

Na hit his tee shot to 4 1/2 feet. Woods followed with one even closer, getting his ball to stop inside 3 feet.

Na, considered one of the slower players on tour, putted first and raced to his get his ball out of the cup. Woods took notice of the speedy move and then mocked Na by doing the same with his birdie putt.

“He almost picked the ball out of the hole before it even got there,” Woods said. “And I had pretty much a kick-in, so I tried to emulate him as best I possibly could, meanwhile still trying to make the putt.”

It was the last of three birdies for Woods on the back nine and got him back to even par for the third round. He remained three-under for the tournament, falling even further out of contention at TPC Sawgrass.

“We kind of fought back a little bit,” Woods said. “I got it back to even par. I thought that was a good goal after being three over through eight [holes] and just fought hard. I fought to the very end and I was able to post even par for the day.”

Woods was tied for 43rd, 12 shots behind leader Jon Rahm.

Winning is out of the question, even with rain, steady wind and cooler temperatures in the Sunday forecast.

“Just try and shoot something under par and move up just a little bit,” he said. “I fought hard on the back nine and just wish I was able to put that same score on the front nine I would have got myself near that lead.... It’s definitely gettable. It’s definitely doable. The golf

course is, it’s different, but it’s still soft....

You have some birdie opportunities out there for sure.”

Woods will take next week off before returning for the Match Play Championships in Austin, Texas, likely meaning he has one tournament before the PGA Tour’s first major, the Masters.

“Well, I’m guaranteed to play three rounds in a couple weeks and so that’s basically like a tournament and we’ll see from there,” he said. “As I told you guys end of last year, I’m not going to play as much as I did last year. That was an awful lot, and plus I kept qualifying for events last year.”

ANOTHER ACE THEE days, three aces—and at three holes.

Seamus Power made a hole-in-one at the par-3 third in the third round on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Irishman found the front of the green with an 8-iron from 155 yards away. The ball bounced twice and gently rolled into the cup.

Power’s first career ace on the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour came on the eve of Saint Patrick’s Day and was the fourth at No. 3 in tournament history. Jim Gallagher Jr. (1986), Russ Cochran (1994) and Chris DiMarco (2001) also aced No. 3.

“It was obviously fantastic,” Power said.

“I haven’t had one for a while. First one actually on the PGA Tour, so that’s kind of a nice feeling. It looked good all the way and hit the green—it seemed to take a while to fall in—but it was a great feeling, just such a surprise.”

Power’s marked the third time The Players has had three aces in the same year.

There were three in 2000 and four in 2006.

Ryan Moore aced the par-3 17th in the opening round on Thursday, and Sungjae Im did the same on Friday at No. 13.

Moore followed his first-round highlight with a hole-out for eagle on the par-4 fifth on Saturday. His approach shot from 190 yards out found the cup.

Harris English also carded an albatross 2 on Thursday.

“It’s one of those weeks,” Power said.

“It’s nice to be a part of.”

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JAPAN OLYMPIC HEAD EXPECTED TO RESIGN

SUNEKAZU TAKEDA is set to resign as president of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) following bribery allegations linked to the successful bid from Tokyo 2020.

Japanese agency Kyodo News reported that he could step down as early as next Tuesday when the JOC hold a board meeting.

They cited as a source “person close to him,” who said, “he wants to quit.”

The Asahi Shimbun reported that he could announce his decision not to seek another term as JOC president when elections take place in June.

Takeda would also be expected to quit as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a position he has held since 2012.

Among the key roles he holds at the IOC is

chairman of its powerful Marketing Commission.

Kyodo News reported that Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzō Abe held a private meeting with Yoshirō Mori, a predecessor of Abe and now president of Tokyo 2020.

The catalyst for Takeda’s decision to step down reportedly came after IOC President Thomas Bach turned down an invitation to attend one-year to go celebrations for Tokyo 2020 on July 24 for fears of being associated with Takeda.

Takeda has been president of the JOC since 2001 and is currently serving his 10th time.

Considered a well-respected and influential IOC member, Takeda was indicted on corruption charges in France in December. He is suspected of authorizing the payment of bribes in order to help the Japanese capital secure the hosting

rights for the Games.

Takeda denies wrongdoing and claimed he was “never involved in any decision-making process” relating to payments worth $2 million made to Black Tidings.

But Takeda, who serves on Tokyo 2020’s Executive Committee, has seen his positions come under scrutiny following the allegations.

Unlike other IOC members involved in corruption cases, Takeda has so far not selfsuspended himself. Kyodo News had reported last month that replacements were already being lined up for Takeda.

They included Yasuhiro Yamashita and Seiko Hashimoto, the current presidents of the Japan Judo Federation and Japan Skating Federation, respectively.

In January, shortly before the bribery allegations emerged, it reported that the JOC were preparing to extend its age-limit so Takeda could stay on as president for Tokyo 2020. The JOC limits the maximum age of its executives to less than 70 years old at the time of election but had decided not to apply the rule to 71-year-old Takeda.

Such a decision would be in line, they claimed, with the initiative of the IOC, who in September 2017 announced they were extending the 70-year-old age limit for Takeda until the end of Tokyo 2020.

Takeda is the 13th IOC member from Japan.

His father, Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda, was an IOC member from 1967 to 1981 and served on the organization’s executive board for five years.

Insidethegames

FIBA WORLD CUP CHINA 2019 Group A: Venezuela, Poland, China and Ivory Coast Group B: Argentina, Russia, South Korea and Nigeria Group C: Spain, Puerto Rico, Iran and Tunisia Group D: Serbia, Italy, Philippines and Angola Group E: USA, Turkey, Czech Republic, Japan

US knows Chin Cup grou bu

Group F: Greece, Brazil, Montenegro, New Zealand Group G: France, Dominican Republic, Germany, Jordan Group H: Lithuania, Australia, Canada, Senegal

AUSSIES SEEK IRONMAN REDEMPTION F

TIM REED brings his world championship act anew to Davao.

Knights take on McDavid cages

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ETRON-LETRAN shoots for back-to-back victories when it collides with winless McDavid in the Philippine Basketball Association D-League on Monday at Paco Arena.

The Knights are coming off a huge 108-91 victory over AMA Online Education on March 5, giving new Head Coach Bonnie Tan his first win at the helm.

And a big reason for that is the stellar showing of his front court—with Larry Muyang, Christian Fajarito, and Jeo Ambohot forming what’s possibly one of the fiercest frontline in college basketball today.

“Very talented these big man are,” the softspoken Tan said.

That bodes well for Petron-Letran, which is also expecting big numbers from super scorer Alvin Pasaol and recovering guard Jerrick Balanza.

Tip-off is at 2 p.m. in the Aspirants Group clash, which will be followed by surprise leader Saint Clare College Virtual Reality (2-0) looking for its third straight win against Batangas-Emilio Aguinaldo College (1-2) at 4 p.m.

McDavid, meanwhile, is just hell-bent on ending its two-game skid, losing to BatangasEAC, 79-57, on February 28.

Head Coach Allen Ricardo is hoping that the 18-day break worked in favor of his boys, with Rev Diputado and Michole Sorela showing promise for the veteran-laden squad.

OILED the last time out by unfancied rivals, the once mighty Australians go all out to regain their once lofty perch in triathlon ladder as they return for the second Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao presented by Petron unfolding March 24 at Azuela Cove.

Tim Reed, a former Asia-Pacific and world champion, lost by nearly two minutes to Mauricio Mendez in last year’s inaugural staging of the Davao event he was expected to dominate coming off a series of victories with the talented Aussie all primed up for payback against the Mexican star.

Sam Betten and Tim van Berkel provide the needed backup for the aces from Down Under along with David Mainwaring, Matt Lewis and Fraser Walsh, all aiming to get a crack at the coveted men’s pro crown in the upcoming 1.9-kilometer swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run even organized and conducted by Sunrise Events Inc. (SEI).

Dimity Lee Duke, also a former many

time winner in local triathlon from Australia now based in Phuket, Thailand, also aims for the top in the women’s pro side of the event along with compatriots Kirra Siedel and Lisa Tyack.

But Czech Radka Kahlefeldt is also coming into the event in top shape, ready to defend her crown also against the likes of regular Philippine campaigners Caroline Steffen of Switzerland and Guam’s Manami Iijima.

Over 2,200 triathletes have confirmed participation in the event, which features individual and relay competitions, with bets coming from the United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Hong

Kong, Mexico, Ukraine, India, Malaysia, Qatar, the US, Belgium, Spain, Italy, New Caledonia, Singapore, South Africa, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, Korea, Norway, Thailand, Switzerland, Greece, Kuwait, New Zealand, Turkey, China, Guam, Mexico, Panama and Taiwan.

Assured of the full support of the local officials, SEI Founder Wilfred Uytengsu sees another successful staging of the event, also held in conjunction with Davao’s 82nd anniversary celebrations. For details, visit the event’s web site at www.ironman.com/ davao703.

It also serves as the kick off of a series of SEI-organized and produced events, including the Sun Life 5150 Cebu on April 28, Century Ironman 70.3 Subic on June 2, Penong’s 5150 Davao on July 7, Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Philippines on August 11, Black Arrow Express 5150 Subic on October 27 and Sun Life Cycle PH in November.

Curry leads GSW against Thunder, still without KD O KLAHOMA CITY—One of Golden State’s former Most Valuable Players (MVPs) was out, so the other stepped forward.

Stephen Curry picked up the slack for the injured Kevin Durant, scoring 33 points to help Golden State roll past the Oklahoma City Thunder, 110-88, on Saturday night and clinch a playoff spot.

Many Oklahoma City fans hoped for the chance to boo Durant, but the league’s No. 4 scorer sat out his second straight game with a sprained right ankle.

Golden State also made up for Durant’s absence with defense. Oklahoma City shot 32 percent from the field, its worst percentage of the season, and made just 13 of 41 threepointers.

“Our intensity and our focus for 48 minutes—we were trying to force them into tough shots,” Curry said. “Over the course of the game—especially early in the first quarter— we imposed our will. We did our best to take care of the basketball so they didn’t have easy transition opportunities. And we rebounded the ball well. So all things considered, really solid effort, knowing that if you give them momentum in this building, they are tough.”

Klay Thompson scored 23 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Warriors.

Paul George had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and Dennis Schroder added 15 points for the Thunder.

Russell Westbrook scored just seven points on 2-for-16 shooting and missed all seven of his three-point attempts. He had nine assists and

eight rebounds, but Thompson’s defense largely took him out of the game.

“Trying to prevent him from getting downhill, beating you from the outside because when he’s getting to the rim, attacking, that’s when everybody’s getting the ball at their best,” Thompson said.

Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said the 6-foot-7 Thompson is a good matchup for the 6-foot-3 Westbrook.

“Klay always takes on the challenge,” Kerr said. “He’s got the size to stand up to Russ and does a good job of impeding his progress going to the rim and I thought our weak-side guys came over and helped.”

The Warriors shot 61 percent from the field in the first quarter and made seven of 11 threepointers to take a 40-27 lead and set the tone.

“I didn’t think we got off to a great start defensively in the first quarter,” Thunder Coach Billy Donovan said. “I actually thought we defended from that point forward fairly well in terms of contesting and getting out there. The first quarter, we gave up too many open threes.”

Curry scored 19 points in the first half to help the Warriors lead 64-46 at the break, and he scored 11 more in the third quarter to put the Warriors up 87-71 at the end of the period. They were never threatened after that.

“We missed shots that we’ve been making all season,” George said. “That’s it. That really was the game.” AP

S STEPHEN LOMAN retains his Brave Combat Federation bantamweight crown.

of Brave’s brightest star.

As the crowd started chanting “Loman, Loman, Loman!” with 10 seconds left in the fourth round, the 27-year-old Ifugao-native fighting out for Team Lakay floored Boudegzdame with a left hook to the chin.

The referee immediately stopped the fight with the official time of two minutes and 59 seconds of the three-minute round.

“I got him off guard. When I heard the final 10 seconds warning, I gave all I’ve got,” said Loman, who defended the title for the third time.

“I would like to dedicate this fight to my

T

EAM Pilipinas will try to take advantage of its underdog tag to the hilt when the country sees action for the second straight edition of the Fiba World Cup set from August 31 to September 15 in China.

The national team was bracketed with powerhouse Serbia, Italy and Angola in Group D after the draw in Shenzhen, China, on Saturday.

Serbia serves as the biggest hurdle with its No. 4 spot in the Fiba ranking. The Philippines is at No. 31, eight rungs better than No. 39 Angola. Italy, meanwhile, is no pushover at No. 13.

National Team Head Coach Yeng Guiao, who assembled and guided the team that earned the ticket to the World Cup capped by two crucial away victories, said the squad will be extra motivated as underdogs in the bracket.

Team Pilipinas, like in all brackets, must win two games to advance to the next round.

“There are no weak teams in the group and we are probably the weakest team,” Guiao told ESPN5.

“But we will go to the World Cup with a positive attitude and a mindset that we can win maybe two games which will enable us to go to the next round.”

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

NBA RESULTS Boston 129, Atlanta 120 Phoenix 138, New Orleans 136, OT Washington 135, Memphis 128 Dallas 121, Cleveland 116 Golden State 110, Oklahoma City 88 Denver 102, Indiana 100 Utah 114, Brooklyn 98

Loman almost sends ‘The Smile’ to sleep TEPHEN LOMAN pulled off a bell-beating knockout win against Elias “The Smile” Boudegzdame of Bahrain to retain his bantamweight title in the Brave 22: Storm of Warriors—Brave Combat Federation’s debut in Manila on Friday night at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

Fighting in front of highly partisan home crowd for the first time in more than a three-year professional career, Loman overcame mistakes in stand-up exchange in the first three rounds of the schedule five-round championship duel before pulling a performance that made him one

UNDERDOG IN CHINA The NLEX Road Warriors coach admitted that they need to move heaven and Earth to sneak a victory in basketball’s centerpiece considering that the best nations will gather in China.

“Those are tough teams. We will not get easy games,” Guiao said. “Maybe we can upset Angola, but Serbia is really a powerhouse, also Italy.”

Serbia has four active National Basketball Association players, making them one of the favorites to go deep in the competition. They are Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Philadelphia 76ers big man Boban Marjanovic, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, and the Sacramento Kings’ Nemanja Bjelica.

Unlike in 2014 in Spain where the team almost made huge upsets, Guiao noted that countries will be scouting the Filipinos with high respect.

“We are not going to surprise any team anymore. From what happened in 2014, we were able to stay close. Now we will be well scouted because we were taken for granted,” he said.

With the heads of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas returning from China today, top honchos are expected to sit down with Philippine Basketbtall Association officials and pencil the schedule of

Batang Pinoy Luzon leg unfurls in

San Antonio 108, Portland 103 STEPHEN CURRY scatters 33 points in the Warriors’ 110-88 victory. AP

FIBA Ambassador Kobe Bryant (left) passes the Naismith Trophy to former National Basketball Association pla Chinese Basketball Association President Yao Ming during the draw ceremony. AP

family and teammates. And also to my uncle, who passed away this month. This was for him, definitely,” said Loman, the only Filipino world champion in the Brave Combat Federation, a mixed martial arts promotions in the Middle East and Africa.

Loman established himself early on as the superior striker, investing in body shots and confusing Boudegzdame with his southpaw stance. The challenger was able to get the champ’s back briefly during the first round but wasn’t able to keep up with “The Sniper” in the stand-up.

LAGAN CITY—Not even sporadic rain could stop this bustling city from welcoming thousands of student-athletes from Luzon for the third and final leg of the Batang Pinoy regionals that kick off on Monday.

Accustomed to hosting large contingents, including the recent National Open, Southeast Asia Youth Athletics Championships and the Cagayan Valley Regional Athletic Association, the Isabela capital showed its exceptional hospitality yet again for the premier grassroots multisport of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

PSC Commissioner Celia Kiram applauded the determination of the local host to turn the once sleepy

town into an emerging sports and tourism hub.

“I am amazed with the improvement of the city.

This is a sign that sports could make a community progressive through sports,” Kiram said.

More than 6,000 in- and out-of-school athletes aged 15 and below from 119 local government units will vie for 1,260 medals staked in 20 sports.

As light to heavy downpour dampened the city over the weekend—a rarity at this time of the year in the region—athletes warmed up for the tough competition on Monday.

Fourteen of the 74 gold medals at skate in medal-rich swimming are up for grabs on the first day of action. Taekwondo and chess will also offer medals, while the rest will push through with their qualification rounds.

After using push kicks and straight lefts to the body throughout the first three frames, Loman stepped up and started connecting with uppercuts, and ending those up with overhands, one of which sent Boudegzdame to the canvas.

The champ swarmed in and the referee had no choice but to waive the bout.

In the co-main event, Rolando Dy, son of former boxing world champion Rolando Navarette, share the limelight with a ferocious knockout win over former undefeated Mehmosh Raza of Bharain.

“This is the first time I fought inform of my countrymen, that’s why I want them to witness a historic victory,” said the 26-year-old fighter out of General Santos City.

Jeremy Pacatiw dominated and submitted

fellow Pinoy Marc Alcoba, while New Zealand’s John Brewin booked a close decision win over Irishman Cian Cowley in the other main event of the ninematch card.

In preliminary card, Harold Banario defeated Ariel Oliveros by submission (armbar) in a bantamweight clash, as well as Jayson Margallo against Rex de Lara by unanimous decision; Abdul Hussein beat John Cris Corton by submission (ninja choke) in a featherweight action; Hussain Ayyad stopped Jason Vergara by submission (triangle choke) in a flyweight fight and Jomar Pa-ac dominated Sataya Behuria ng Bahrain via unanimous decision.

BRAVE 22 is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain.

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ayer and

GS TEAM Pilipinas Head Coach Yeng Guiao admits the competition will be very tough in the Fiba World Cup.

practices and a possible league break.

Guiao also wants to bring naturalized player Andray Blatche as early as possible to keep himself in prime condition.

He wants to assemble a team two to three months before the tournament.

Matches in Group D will be played at the Foshan International Sports and Cultural Center in Foshan, one of eight venues for the competition. The others are in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Wushan, Dongguang, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

n Ilagan City Also on the program are archery, arnis, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, futsal, karatedo, lawn tennis, pencak silat, sepak takraw, softball, table tennis and indoor and outdoor volleyball.

Athletics get going on Wednesday at the City of Ilagan Sports Complex, while dancesports will unwrap on Thursday.

Baguio City is favored to grab the overall championship, just like what it did in Vigan City last year, but a tough challenge is also expected from teams from Metro Manila.

Baguio City collected 49 gold, 45 silver and 44 bronze medals in the 2018 edition, while Laguna province (34-20-26) and Pangasinan (33-28-24) came in second and third, respectively.

SA Basketball still doesn’t know which players will be wearing the red, white and blue this summer in China.

Their first three opponents, however, are finally set.

The Americans’ quest for an unprecedented third consecutive Fiba World Cup championship will start against the Czech Republic, followed by games against Turkey and Japan later in the group stage. The draw for the 32-team tournament was held on Saturday in Shenzhen, China, which will be one of the sites for the event that starts on August 31.

“We are ready for the world,” said Yao Ming, the best Chinese player ever, the longtime Houston Rockets star and one of the global ambassadors for the World Cup. In basketball-crazed China, they will indeed be ready to host.

But it remains to be seen if anyone will be ready for the US, and the Americans know they will get everyone’s best shot.

“We know that everybody’s going to want to take out the USA, so we’ve got to come bring it,” said New Orleans star Anthony Davis, who plans to play for the US this summer.

The US is the top-ranked team in the world, and coach Gregg Popovich—taking over for Mike Krzyzewski, whose run as head coach ended with three Olympic gold medals and the last two World Cup championships as well—will head to China with a roster filled by National Basketball Association talent. Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player James Harden says he wants to play, and he’s among 15 current All-Stars who are in the US player pool for this national team.

“As a basketball player, that’s one of the highest points you can get for basketball,” Harden said. “Obviously, you’ve got the NBA, and you have winning a championship and all that good stuff, but with this, you’re not just playing for your respective cities or where you’re from, you’re playing for an entire country you represent. So, it’s pretty awesome to be a part of it.”

Popovich, the longtime San Antonio coach, acknowledged that the World Cup has been on his mind—even in the midst of an NBA playoff push.

“We’ll face three well-coached teams and a variety of playing styles,” Popovich said. “Selecting and preparing the USA team in a short amount of time will be a challenge and repeating as gold medalists for a third straight Fiba World Cup is something everyone associated with the USA team will embrace.”

Turkey is the second-ranked team in Group E, USA Basketball’s group. It was known on Friday, a day before the draw, that Turkey had to be in the same group as the Americans because of the way that other teams from the Americas were placed into pods. So Ersan Ilyasova, who plans to play for Turkey, knew long before the rest of the group was picked that his country will face a serious challenge.

“In my experience, the World Cup is not about the first round—it’s all about the second round,” Ilyasova said. “It’s not going to be easy.

But it’s going to be fun.”

Second-ranked Spain will meet Puerto Rico, Iran and Tunisia in the group stage. Thirdranked France drew the Dominican Republic, Germany and Jordan as its early opponents.

Spain won the World Cup in 2006, led by Pau Gasol—and he’s hoping to play for his country this summer, as well.

“That was probably one of the best moments of my career,” Gasol said. “So if we have a chance to go for it this summer, we will.”

Host China is in the easiest group, Group A— where no team is currently ranked higher than No. 20. The Chinese are paired with Venezuela, Poland and Ivory Coast.

The toughest group, on paper, looks to be Group H where No. 6 Lithuania, No. 11 Australia, No. 23 Canada and No. 37 Senegal will vie for two spots in the second round.

At stake for teams in the World Cup: The Naismith Trophy, which longtime NBA star Kobe Bryant brought onto the stage on Saturday and handed to Yao for safekeeping, as well as a berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. There will be 12 teams in the Olympic field—host Japan is one, and seven other nations will directly qualify from the World Cup. The other four will reach Tokyo through qualifying tournaments over the next year.

The US will be the favorites at the World Cup. Bryant said he expects competition to be stiff.

“It’s a greater sense of honor to be playing for your country,” Bryant said. “When you start out the game, you hear your national anthem being played, you see everybody in the arena with their flags representing their country and color, it’s just such a great honor to be a part of that. It’s extremely special.”

The group phase lasts through September 5, and all three US games in that round will be played in Shanghai.

Second-round games will be played from September 6 to 9, quarterfinal matchups are on September 10 and 11, the semifinals are on September 13 and the championship game is in Beijing on September 15.

PAGUNSAN EYES PHL OPEN CROWN M

ULTI-TITLED Juvic Pagunsan goes for the one missing in his trophy cabinet as he headlines the elite international field in the Solaire Philippine Open set from April 3 to 6 at The Country Club in Laguna.

Then an amateur, Pagunsan tied for second in 2004 at Riviera that saw the smooth-swinging shotmaker from Bacolod snatch the lead in the third round before yielding the crown to Edward Michaels of the US. He turned pro two years later, bagging The Country Club Invitational title, then started to nail victories abroad (Indonesia and Malaysia) the following year. He captured two more TCC titles, then became the first Filipino to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit trophy in 2011 even without winning a tournament.

But he never really contended for the country’s premier championship although he missed a number Philippine Open stints to campaign on the Japan Professional Golfers Association Tour. But with the lucrative circuit officially opening in the third week of April, the Bacolod ace, 40, has found time to play here, including the ICTSI Riviera Golf Challenge of the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) Asia in two weeks time where he is one of the top draws.

But Pagunsan, who actually marked his return on the local circuit by winning the Bacolod stop of last year’s PGT, expects a tough outing in the upcoming 101st Philippine Open, led by defending champion Miguel Tabuena, who edged Thai veteran Prom Meesawat of Thailand in a playoff to become the Centennial winner of Asia’s oldest National Open.

The 2017 Open was also disputed via sudden death with Englishman Steve Lewton edging American Johannes Veerman in a playoff, also at the well-kept Tom Weiskoph-designed layout, with the same windup likely to ensue in the upcoming event sponsored by Solaire Resort and Casino and sanctioned by the National Golf

Association of the Philippines (NGAP).

Colo Ventosa, general manager of Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc., said the cast will also feature new international players with 50 percent

THE Fiba World Cup draw saw a somewhat equitable distribution of the powerhouse nations amongst the good teams and rising ones.

After the draw, Argentinean Coach Sergio Hernandez summed up everything about the draw and the talent: “There are no easy opponents, and predictions serve for very little. You have to perform on the court. It’s like that.

There are no secrets.”

I agree. In my opinion, the closest one to a “Group of Death” is Group H with Canada, Senegal, Lithuania and Australia that will play its matches in the city of Dongguan.

One thing is for sure, the Philippines isn’t going to ambush other countries—although we can hope— such as the manner in which we did in 2014 in Spain.

The top two teams of each group will advance to the second round. Let’s see—off hand—if we can pick out who will progress to the next stage.

of last year’s field confirming their participation in the 72-hole championship.

Solaire Resort and Casino, also the chief backer of new women’s world No. 1 Sung-hyun Park of Korea, and the NGAP, now led by President Martin Lorenzo, have recently inked a pact to jointly stage the 2019 Open with Solaire bankrolling $500,000 to put up the four-day championship, which also serves as part of the PGT Asia.

Lorenzo and NGAP SecretaryGeneral Bones Floro have assured their full support and the smooth and successful staging of the Open, which also drew former champions and mainstays of the other regional tours seeking to join the elite circle of winners of the fabled event.

Group A: China and Poland Group B: Argentina and Korea Group C: Spain and Puerto Rico Group D: Serbia and…

Group E: USA and Turkey Group F: New Zealand and Greece Group G: France and Germany Group H: Australia and Canada

THE illustrious Juvic Pagunsan targets the trophy that is still missing from his collection.

U

Head Coach Kungfu Reyes said.

Last season, the Golden Tigresses finished the elimination round at 4-10, or just a spot better than the bottom team Lady Warriors.

UST showed no resemblance of that memory this year.

“We were badly beaten last year. We don’t have any excuse for that,” Reyes said. “But now we are in high spirits.”

Graduating spiker Sisi Rondina led UST with 17 points built on 16 attacks and an ace, while rookie Eya Laure was also impressive with 15 points on 11 spikes, two blocks and two aces.

BLEACHERS’ BREW

Tough Fiba draw

TIGRESSES MAKE EASY KILL NIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) barely broke a sweat in sweeping University of the East (UE), 25-18, 25-14, 25-20, in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines Season 81 women’s volleyball on Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Golden Tigresses hiked their record to 5-2 won-lost and tied the defending champion De La Salle Lady Spikers in second place behind solo-leader Ateneo Lady Eagles (6-1).

“This is a good motivation before the second round because we are in the top 3,” UST

RICK OLIVARES bleachersbrew@gmail.com

The cornerstone of the Golden Tigresses for the longest time, Rondina said they are finally seeing the fruits of their labor after years of disappointment.

“We really worked hard for this. We never let go of the opportunities,” she said.

UST started with a 10-2 run to easily pocket the first set. From there, it was an all Tigresses show as Rondina and Laure worked hand in hand to halt all of UE’s uprising.

Judith Abil took command for the Lady Warriors with 15 points on 13 attacks and two aces. UE dropped to the bottom with a 1-6 record. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

If you noticed, I didn’t pick a second team after Serbia to advance. It is too presumptuous for me to say “Philippines” because I am Filipino.

However, I figure it is either Italy or the Philippines.

Italy is such an unknown commodity. When we say that, we usually look for National Basketball Association or Euroleague players. As it is, no Italian on this squad—although this could change—is playing in this 2018-19 Euroleague as well.

All the players play at home. They have no one who matches up with either Andray Blatche, Japeth Aguilar, or June Mar Fajardo height-wise or in size. Of course, that doesn’t mean they cannot be taken lightly.

It is the same thing with Angola. They have the height and athleticism, but I feel they more often than not give more importance to these rather than court vision or game intelligence, if you will.

That is what, in my opinion, has really helped Philippine basketball take off. Since generally, we aren’t tall and able to take to the skies and dunk, we worked on other aspects of the game such as dribbling, shooting and finding the open man. Pretty much like the Koreans, Japanese and Chinese.

Of course, the success of these Angolan teams in recent memory will really help their grassroots movement.

No doubt, they will be a handful.

Serbia might be the fourth-ranked team in the world, but make no mistake, they have a young team that was inconsistent during the qualifying phase.

If you ask me, it is a most unpredictable group. Even for the Philippines. And that is good, don’t you think?

As the man said, there will be no easy games.

Everything will be earned.

If we do progress, now that would be something to crow about.

Heavy Bombers top ‘NC’ athletics

J THERE’S no way University of the East’s Mary Anne Mendrez (4) and Roselle Baliton (12) could stop this spike by University of Santo Tomas’s Kecelyn Galdones. NONOY LACZA

Aussie-USA duo tops PHL Hobie Challenge 19

T

HE tandem of Ray Cox of Australia and Heather Matthews of the United States beat nine other teams to bag the overall championship in the recent MDI Philippine Hobie Challenge, which raced from Donsol in Sorsogon to Sicogon Island in Iloilo.

The duo also topped the first leg from Donsol to Subic Beach in Matnog and clocked 29:30.20 to narrowly edge the Australian couple of Keli and Arli Corlett, who were four minutes slower, earning them second honors.

Aged 67, the Corletts known as Team Not Dead Yet, have been sailing together for more

than 35 years and was Hobie Grand Master world champion with his partner.

Rounding up the winning circle was Team Incubus of Australian veteran Bruce Tardrew and Filipino Eric Tomacruz with a time of 29:49.07.

Organized by the Philippine Inter-Island Sailing Foundation (Phinsaf), the 19th edition of the awardwinning sports tourism event used the Hobie Cat 16, a 16-foot, twin-hulled wind-powered sailboat capable of negotiating waves and open seas.

The five-day sailing tournament made stops at Subic Beach in Matnog, Balingingue Island in Pio V. Corpuz in Masbate, Carnasa Island in

PARTICIPANTS in the MDI Philippine Hobie Challenge cover more than 200 nautical miles from Donsol in Sorsogon to Sicogon Island in Iloilo.

Daanbantayan in Cebu, Guintarcan Island in Santa Fe also in Cebu, and concluded at the posh Huni Resort in Sicogon Island in Carles in Iloilo, covering more than 200 nautical miles.

“The Philippine Hobie Challenge has been promoting eco-friendly sports tourism for almost two decades across the archipelago through sailing. It is a unique way of gathering sailing enthusiasts to sharpen their skills, make new friends from other countries, create environment awareness, discover hidden islands and support the communities through outreach programs,” event Chairman Ed Gallego said.

OSE Rizal University (JRU) celebrated its 100th founding anniversary by regaining the athletics championship of the 94th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Cavite.

The Bombers amassed 664 points to edge the Mapua University Cardinals, who end up second with 644 points, to seal their first track and field crown since accomplishing a rare five-peat feat from 2010 to 2014.

Arellano University finished third with 633.

“This is a fitting triumph because we’re celebrating Jose Rizal University’s 100th year,” JRU athletic director and NCAA Management Committee member Paul Supan said.

Adonis Cordero took the triple jump gold medal in 14.97 meters as well as the silver medals in high jump and long jump to capture the Most Valuable Player trophy.

Edcarlo Sabellano delivered the 800m and 1500m golf medals for the Heavy Bombers.

Also delivering the mints for the Kalentong-based school were Jomar Abila (long jump), Ronmols Andaya (shotput) and the 4x400-m relay team of Frederick Ramirez, Kim Socorin, Jerald Banas and Mark Reklamo, who clocked three minutes and 19 seconds to set a new NCAA record.

JRU Coach Jojo Posadas dedicated their triumph to the school’s founders.

“We dedicate this to the whole Fabella family, especially the JRU founder, Don Vicente Fabella, because this is the 100th anniversary,” said Posadas, who is assisted by his wife and athletics legend Elma MurosPosadas, Melbert Diones and Raul Abangan.

SPENCE: IT’S AN HONOR

TO FIGHT PACQUIAO

By Stephen Hawkins

A

The Associated Press

RLINGTON, Texas—Errol Spence Jr. had to go the distance to defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title for the third time. Still, the outcome was never in doubt for one of the world’s best poundfor-pound boxers.

Spence unanimously outpointed previously undefeated challenger Mikey Garcia, a skilled boxer who moved up two weight classes for what he considered a legacy fight on Saturday night.

“Throughout training camp, a lot of commentators thought he was too smart and I couldn’t box as well as him. I showed I can box and I can move my head if I want to,” Spence said. “The game is to be smart. It’s the sweet science. I had the size and reach advantage, so why not use it to take away the jab? It’s a weapon for me, and it takes away one of his weapons.”

Spence improved to 25-0 after all three judges awarded him every round. One card was 120-107, and the other two were 120-108.

Garcia took a pounding but never went down.

Obviously worn out, he spent the later rounds blocking punches instead of throwing them and was never able to find the opening for a fight-changing response.

“My brother [trainer Robert Garcia] wanted to maybe stop the fight in the later rounds. He didn’t want to let me get hit more, but I told him I was fine, and I tried to go out there and pull it off,” Garcia said. “I thought I could have landed one good shot to change everything, but I wasn’t able to land it.”

It was the first time Spence had to go the distance in his last 12 fights.

Garcia, who moved up from 135 to 147 pounds in his attempt to become a five-division champion, lost for the first time in 40 pro fights.

The hard-punching Spence landed 345 of the 1,082 punches (32 percent) he threw—both of those career highs. That included 237 of 464 (51 percent) of his power punches in his second title defense at home in North Texas in nine months.

During one portion of the ninth round, Spence walked Garcia in a full circle around the ring while continually delivering blows.

“The motivation fighting in front of my hometown crowd made me feel great,” Spence said. “These people have supported me since day one, and I wanted to put on a good performance for all of them.”

Garcia threw 406 total punches, and landed only 75 (18.5 percent). After landing 43 percent of his power punches his previous five fights, he was only 25 percent (54 of 218) on those against Spence.

Garcia was fighting for the first time since unifying the IBF and World Boxing Council lightweight titles with a unanimous decision last July over Robert Easter in Los Angeles.

“I was able to hold my own,” Garcia said. “We just went 12 rounds with a great welterweight champion.

That’s a feat no one has done recently. I’m proud of

Sports BusinessMirror

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| Monday, March 18, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

ERROL SPENCE JR. lands one on Mikey Garcia’s head during the 10th round of their welterweight championship bout, which boxing icon Manny Pacquiao watched on Saturday. AP

massive billion-dollar home stadium of the favorite National Football League (NFL) team for both fighters.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was there along with several players, including quarterback Dak Prescott, as part of an announced crowd of 47,525.

Jones and Prescott even stepped into the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. before the main event.

Exactly nine months earlier, Jones and the Cowboys were also there when Spence won his second title

what I was able to do. I have to go back and think about it. I will probably go back to lighter divisions, but we’ll have to think about it.”

Both fighters entered the arena to loud cheers and different kinds of music, with Spence following a local high-school marching band. Garcia got plenty of support from the large number of Mexican fans at the fight.

Chants of “Mikey! Mikey!” broke out in the second and third rounds, but those faded away as Spence kept punching and the crowd instead responded to hard shots—many more for the champion than the challenger.

The fight was at midfield of AT&T Stadium, the

Argentina makes milestone decision of professionalizing women’s soccer B

UENOS AIRES, Argentina—Argentina’s soccer association announced on Saturday that the national women’s league will be granted professional status, marking a milestone in a country that is home to Lionel Messi and some of the world’s greatest players but still views soccer as largely a men’s game.

At a press conference on the outskirts of the capital of Buenos Aires, the association said that each of the 16 clubs of the women’s top division must now have at least eight professional contracts with female players. The contracts must also mirror those of the professional men’s league.

“When we assumed responsibility, we said we were going to oversee inclusive soccer that is gender equal, and we are demonstrating that,” Argentina Football Association President Claudio Tapia said.

Tapia said that the association will contribute 120,000 pesos (about $3,000) per month to each club to finance the contracts.

Up until now, the women’s game has been played by amateur athletes who have gotten little to no money for their work on the field. The national team’s female players have also struggled financially and went on strike in 2017 after their stipends of about $10 went unpaid.

With Saturday’s announcement, professional female players will now receive a monthly minimum salary of about 15,000 pesos, or $365, which is equivalent to that earned by male players in the fourth division of Argentine soccer.

Sergio Marchi, leader of the soccer players’ union, held up a copy of a contract and said, “With this we are generating a legal framework and a way to be able to advance professionally. This is the base, it is the beginning. It is in each of us to develop it.”

The professionalization of the sport gained momentum this year when soccer player Macarena Sanchez was dismissed by the UAI Urquiza team, which is the current league champion in Argentina.

She then decided to launch a legal complaint seeking compensation and professional status.

Female soccer players around the world have recently embarked on similar quests.

Earlier this month, the US women’s national soccer team sued the US Soccer Federation for “institutionalized gender discrimination” that includes unequal pay with

their counterparts on the men’s national team.

Tapia said that professional recognition in Argentina is just the tip of the iceberg, but some advances will largely depend on the commitment of clubs and their ability to generate sponsorships and television rights.

Mariana Frambati, a forward for Banfield, called it a “historic day.”

“This will affect those who are younger, who can take this activity more seriously as a future, a job. So that generations to come can develop and play starting from when they are young,” she said. AP

FEMALE referees attend a press conference to announce the early implementation of a plan to professionalize women’s soccer in Buenos Aires, Argentina. AP

defense in the 147-pound division. Spence stopped previously undefeated challenger Carlos Ocampo with a first-round knockout at the NFL team’s practice facility in Frisco, not far from his home in Desoto.

Garcia grew up around Oxnard, California, where the Cowboys hold part of their preseason training camp each year.

World Boxing Association welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao was in the building and could be a future opponent for Spence. Pacquiao won two title bouts at the Cowboys’ stadium in 2010, when he beat Joshua Clottey for the World Boxing Organization welterweight crown and later Antonio Margarito for vacant WBO super welterweight title.

“He’s broken records here before. He’s a legend in the sport, and it’d be my honor to fight him next,” Spence said of the 40-year-old Pacquiao, who wants to return to the ring in July.

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN’S 40th career victory in World Cup slaloms ties her with Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark’s record for wins in the discipline. AP

S

OLDEU, Andorra—Citius, altius, 40th.

Embodying the Olympic motto in a World Cup slalom on Saturday, Mikaela Shiffrin went faster in her second slalom run and higher in the World Cup all-time lists by being stronger than Wendy Holdener to win an intense duel.

Shiffrin’s 40th career victory in World Cup slaloms tied her with Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark’s record for wins in the discipline.

“It was just a really amazing day to be racing,” Shiffrin said in the sun-bathed finish area in Andorra, one hour after Alexis Pinturault also set a record winning the final men’s giant slalom of the season.

Pinturault became the most prolific French skier on the 52-year World Cup circuit with his 23rd career victory.

Shiffrin had trailing 0.28 seconds behind first-run leader Holdener and won by just 0.07 after both racers visibly pushed their limits slicing through the gates.

Holdener’s unlucky defeat extended her own unwanted World Cup record with a 22nd career podium finish in slalom without a victory.

That’s the most top-three placings in a single discipline without winning for any man or woman in World Cup history.

“I can see the frustration in her eyes,” Shiffrin said. “I have a lot of respect for Wendy. She is so strong.”

Shiffrin, the 2014 Sochi Olympics gold medalist, earned 100 race points to lift her season-long total in the slalom standings to a remarkable 1,160—more than every woman skier’s total over all disciplines, except for overall standings runner-up Petra Vlhova.

SHIFFRIN GETS FASTER, HIGHER IN WORLD CUP Shiffrin’s mammoth 2,104 points overall—the secondhighest total ever—is more than 800 ahead of Vlhova.

Holdener is third.

Vlhova placed third on Saturday but trailed more than a second behind the standout leading pair.

Frida Hansdotter, the 2018 Olympic slalom champion competing in her final World Cup race, placed fifth, 1.89 behind Shiffrin.

Pinturault retained his first-run lead to finish 0.44 seconds ahead of Swiss prospect Marco Odermatt, who earned a career-best result.

Zan Kranjec was third, trailing 1.03 behind Pinturault, who broke a tie with Carole Merle for the all-time record by a French racer. Merle got her 22 wins in giant slalom and super-G from 1988-93. Alpine great Jean-Claude Killy won 18 times.

Marcel Hirscher placed sixth, 1.74 back, having already clinched his fifth straight title in the season-long giant slalom standings.

“It’s really cool to have this globe,” Hirscher said, holding the crystal trophy he also won in 2012. “It’s surreal to have it for six years now.”

The Austrian star has also secured a record eighth straight overall World Cup title, though had his lead cut to 415 points by Pinturault ahead of the season-ending slalom on Sunday.

The World Cup finals meeting ends on Sunday with overall champions Shiffrin and Hirscher favored for victory in, respectively, a giant slalom and slalom. AP

D

Righteous God

EAR God, You are just and full of wisdom in every way and loving in every deed. In faith and hope we pray: Turn our minds and hearts to You, oh God. For missionaries and catechists who live in solidarity with those living under conditions of war or oppression, for medical professionals and volunteers who serve those living in poverty, for artists and educators who offer their talents for the benefit of those in need, for those who are faithful in different fields pursuing for their mission for the good of others. May God bless us and give success to the work of our hands and minds, through Jesus the Son of God. Amen.

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

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

Life

ALL ACCESS: STILL ON TOP OF HER GAME D3

BusinessMirror

Monday, March 18, 2019

D1

‘Build a Legacy, Be the Boss’ TOTA PULCHRA MISS CHARLIZE

@misscharlize

F

RANCHISE Asia Philippines (FAPhl), the biggest franchise event in Asia and emerging as one of the world’s biggest franchise shows, will be held from March 26 to 31 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

On its 27th edition, the event features a 14,330 sqm exhibit area for more than 700 homegrown and global brands in the food, retail and service industries, and a food park showcasing trendsetting culinary concepts.

The FAPhl is organized by the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA), “a voluntary and self-regulating governing body for the Philippine franchising sector with members ranging from small to large, both homegrown and international. Its members are considered the country’s leading franchise brands, many of which are already expanding globally with the support of PFA.” “From the moment PFA was founded, we have implemented a two-pronged approach of endorsing franchising as a strategy for growth for micro and small businesses, and in encouraging ordinary Filipinos to take the path of entrepreneurship via franchising,” said PFA President Richard Sanz. “And since the Philippine franchise industry is now more than two decades, many of the country’s franchise players—whether franchisors or franchisees—are already preparing the next generation to take the helm. In other words, franchising has not only shown itself to be a catalyst in growing businesses but also a creator of legacies.”

The international conference on March 27 and 28 will have the theme “Growing Businesses, Building Legacies” to underscore the role of franchising not only in creating businesses but also in ensuring their longevity. The international expo’s theme, from March 29 to 31, is “Be the Boss” to highlight the role of franchising in realizing the entrepreneurial dreams of many Filipinos.

Overall cochairman Chris Lim said: “We are also happy to announce that our expo this year will showcase country pavilions from Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. This is proof positive that the Philippines has indeed become the Franchise Hub of Asia.”

Event overall Chairman Sherill Quintana also noted that the show has become bigger: “This is in response to the growing interest in franchising among Filipinos. The international franchise conference of Franchise Asia Philippines 2019 will feature 70 subject-matter experts who will present or facilitate in six plenary sessions, 14 breakout sessions and 30 roundtable discussions.”

One of the six plenary super session topic is

PFA Chairman emeritus and the universally acknowledged “Father of Philippine Franchising” Samie Lim of Blims Lifestyle Group (third from right), PFA Chairman Dr. Alan Escalona of Fruit Magic (third from left), PFA President Richard Sanz of Bibingkinitan (second from right), Franchise Asia Philippines 2019 overall Chairman Sherill Quintana of OrySpa (second from left), Franchise Asia Philippines 2019 overall cochairman Chris Lim of La-Z-Boy (right), Franchise Asia Philippines 2019 international expo Chairman Dom Hernandez of Potato Corner, and Franchise Asia Philippines 2019 Marketing and Promotions Chairman Fred Moreno of Xcess Salon (left).

“Lights, Camera, Business: A Journey of Celebrity Entrepreneurs,” with a panel of experts composed of athlete-actor Enchong Dee, a franchisee of Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar; model/ businesswoman Rissa Mananquil-Trillo, cofounder and chief brand officer of Happy Skin; and It Girl/ entrepreneur Bea Soriano-Dee, operations director of Sunnies Studios and Sunnies Face.

This session will provide valuable insights from the experiences of celebrities not merely as the endorsers of brands but as the ones handling their own businesses. “I did not expect that I will be alongside these successful businessmen and women.

I saw this yesterday and I instantly got nervous,” Enchong shared on his Instagram when he saw a poster of the event splashed on this newspaper, “though Promise to share as much as I can. See you if ever you wanna learn a thing or 2 about the franchise culture in the Philippines.”

Bea, meanwhile, keeps her Instagram bubbly and ebullient, mostly of her and her family wearing Sunnies shades.

“The participation of celebrities in Franchise Asia Philippines has been a tradition as we strengthen our efforts to promote entrepreneurship via franchising.

This is also our way of luring more celebrities to franchising,” explained Fred Moreno, the event marketing and promotions chairman who is also CEO of Xcess Salon and son of the late German “Kuya Germs” Moreno. “When I accepted the position of chairman, that is what I wanted to do: utilize my showbiz connection. I’m contacting celebrities to help in the promotions and do interviews.”

Rissa, a recent graduate at the Asian Institute of Management with an Executive MBA degree, wrote on her Instagram: “Transforming passion into

Tools to reveal your inner sparkle AMOREPACIFIC, South Korea’s largest cosmetics company, brings back to the Philippines the beloved K-beauty brand Laneige.

Recently opened at SM Makati, the Laneige store offers a wider range of easy-to-use skin-care and makeup products for vibrant skin that will bring out your inner charm and confidence. The store now makes it easier for everyone to get the cult favorites Water Sleeping Mask and BB Cushion Pore Control. Together with the launch, Laneige also kicks off its #ISparkleWithLaneige campaign, encouraging Filipinos to take better care of their skin and find their inner beauty.

Here are some day-to-night Laneige essentials that you can use in discovering your inner sparkle: ■ WATER BANK GEL CREAM. A cooling, non-oily gel cream that helps your skin have longer-lasting moisture.

Cooling and lightweight, its silky texture makes it the ideal choice for people with oily skin who live in areas with warm climates, absorbing quickly and delivering essential hydration.

■ BB CUSHION PORE CONTROL. A pore-perfecting version of Laneige’s global award-winning BB Cushion, this ultra-light, oil-absorbing formula targets shine, delivering a flawless, semi-matte, soft-focus finish. It blurs pores and imperfections for instant flawlessness, and features an exclusive Skin Fit air cushion and dense antimicrobial applicator for a thin, even layer of coverage every time. Apply whenever and wherever you want, with no buildup or bother.

■ TWO TONE LIP BAR. A split-bullet, high-gloss, semimatte lipstick that combines two complementary shades for a trendy ombré effect. A cult K-beauty favorite for creating an effortless ombré lip, this fashionable high gloss and semimatte formula combines two makeup artist-curated shades in one sleek tube. Available in 12 fun, trendy color duos, it features a custom oblique cut that delivers a youthful, fuller pout and a perfect gradation with every swipe.

■ LIP SLEEPING MASK. A leave-on lip mask that soothes and moisturizes for smoother, more supple lips. It has a softening balm texture that closely adheres to lips for quick absorption. A generous layer of this soothing mask at bedtime helps reduce flakiness.

■ WATER SLEEPING MASK. An overnight, moisturerecharging gel mask that quickly absorbs while you sleep to deeply hydrate skin. This innovative mask is formulated with highly concentrated Hydro Ionized Mineral Water to deliver intense doses of moisture to stressed, parched skin. The result: skin looks and feels radiant, refreshed and soft.

“Laneige’s goal has always been to help bring out one’s inner beauty by having vibrant and glowing skin through our skin-care and makeup lines. With this new store, we are sharing with the Filipino public our secret water recipe and skin-care routine to achieve the sparkling look they’ve always wanted,” said Laneige Philippines General Manager Kun Hee Claro Lee.

business always needs more than just heart. But it’s heart that separates those who persevere to make it from those who give up. As Ben Horowitz said, ‘In my experience as CEO, I found that the most important decisions tested my courage far more than my intelligence.’”

The former president of the Professional Models Association of the Philippines also posted a salute “to all the passionate and courageous women in and out of the home” for March Women’s Month: “I’ve been privileged to be surrounded by so many amazing women growing up, so I never thought that I wouldn’t

be able to accomplish something because I was ‘just a woman.’ There is so much women can do. We can really be more than what is expected of us, and our roles definitely go beyond the home. If anything, what being a woman in business has taught me is that we need to be supportive of fellow women leaders and entrepreneurs, because women can be very harsh on themselves. We can be our own biggest critics. But it’s important to keep pressing on. The more women leaders there are in different industries, the more the younger generation of women can see that there is no limit to what they can do.” ■

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Today’s Horoscope

ELIE SAAB’S visions for the Fall-Winter 2019 season.

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Lily Collins, 30; Adam Levine, 40; Queen Latifah, 49; Vanessa Williams, 56.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The possibilities are endless this year. Embrace change and do your best to expand your interests and knowledge. Altering your personal life or the way you live will help you stabilize your life and your relationships with the people you care about most.

Much can be accomplished if you use your energy to make updates and take care of business. Your lucky numbers are 9, 15, 19, 22, 27, 36, 48.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Being understanding will help you avoid a standoff with someone who can jeopardize your position, reputation or chance to advance. You will obtain valuable information if you network. ★★★★★

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Consider your objective and get the ball rolling. Focus on what you can do. Refuse to let an emotional matter throw you off schedule. If you are intent on making progress, you will get good results. ★★

Hermès dreams of stars in Paris; c Elie Saab channels ’70s

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Make changes at home or to the way you handle responsibilities.

Stick to the rules and regulations in order to dodge criticism and complaints. A chance to improve a partnership is possible if you are straightforward and willing to compromise. ★★★★

BY THOMAS ADAMSON

P

The Associated Press

ARIS—At the recent Paris Fashion Week, Hermès dreamt of the stars but failed to light a spark, while Elie Saab let its hair down and channeled the 1970s in their respective the fall and winter ready-to-wear shows.

An infectious, retro soundtrack had fashion editors smiling as they tapped their feet at Elie Saab’s fun collection that channeled this season’s top trend: The 1970s.

Bright lighting banished any gray mood caused by the French capital’s overcast weather and angry demonstrations.

It illuminated a typically feminine array of colorrich gowns.

Charlie’s Angels-style jabot collars and high necks

led the eye down to tight-fitting dresses with floppy ruffles across the bust or down the side. Later, sparkly disco gowns dazzled.

Thigh-high leather boots—another big Paris trend—were delivered in eye-popping colors, such as vivid blue, carmine red and cadmium green. They matched the hues of the gowns in a “total look” effect.

The collection, the house said, was filled with “a little bit of romance and a whole lot of love.” That mantra translated as an overly busy heart print on skirts and gowns that diverged from the retro musing and fared less well.

At Hermès, tiny light bulbs twinkled away from chic wood-paneled walls, creating the effect of a room filled with sparkling stars.

French designer Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski’s display for Hermès was one framed in poetical language: “The late afternoon light has given away to a constellation

in the sky...the air is electric,” read the program notes.

A black sheath with a fine geometric cross opened the show, glimmering with delicate studs.

It was a nice design that introduced a star detail leitmotif that pervaded the 55 looks.

But as the collection progressed—via some slightly ill-fitting black leather jackets, bold distracting stripes at coat hems and high-neck silk chemises with an awkwardly shaped print at the bust—it became clear this season Hermès’s electricity had failed to light up.

As ever with a brand synonymous with luxury, there were some sumptuous pieces: only Hermès can make thigh-high suede boots look this classy, for instance.

But items such as a coat in white coffee with geometric stripes—not quite nipped enough at the waist, and too baggy at the shoulder—revealed a slight issue in proportion. ■

THE iconic Coca-Cola colors of red and white in the Bata Hotshot.

BATA and Coca-Cola’s collaboration features the Coca-Cola red dot logo all over the front upper of the white canvas shoes with matching red piping and lace.

THE Bata Tennis style spells the Coca-Cola logo in white over red canvas on the whole upper shoe.

children to wear for their Physical Education classes, and continues today to be one of the brand’s best-selling shoe. For this collaboration, the spelled-out Coca-Cola logo is applied in white on red canvas on the whole upper shoe and matches the piping and laces. Another Tennis model features the Coca-Cola red dot logo all over the front upper of the white canvas shoe, with matching red piping and laces. The same style is available with white dot logo (and white piping and laces) on red canvas. All styles feature white rubber outsole and toe cap.

First introduced in 1972 as a basketball

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t let the changes others make disturb you.

Concentrate on the things you enjoy doing and develop a better emotional rapport with someone you’d like to get to know better. Refuse to let your emotions interfere with your responsibilities or reputation. ★★★

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Get in the game. Refuse to let anyone sideline you by promising the impossible and winning over your support. Be upfront about what you can offer, and throw in an incentive to those who stand by you. ★★★

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Your actions will be what prompt others to pitch in and help. Personal improvements, both emotionally and physically, will lead to an unexpected opportunity. ★★★

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Traveling, communicating and networking will spark ideas that will encourage you to make personal changes you’ve been considering for some time. Watch your spending habits to avoid problems with someone you share expenses with. ★★★★

i

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Observing will help you avoid being taken advantage of by someone who tends to exaggerate. Walk away from gossip and those who play mind games with you. Personal gains will come your way if you are cautious and rely on yourself. ★★★★★

j

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): An unexpected change at home will make you consider your options. A closer look will reveal that you can actually benefit from what transpired. Slow down and make changes that will protect your finances and your possessions. ★★★

BATA HERITAGE, COCA-COLA LAUNCH CAPSULE COLLECTION GLOBAL brand Bata’s Bata Heritage partners with Coca-Cola for an iconic capsule collection that puts a fresh spin on the legendary Bata Tennis and Hotshot styles. Coca-Cola—the second best-known word around the globe after “OK”—shares with Bata Heritage its distinctive red and white colors, as well as values of authenticity, community and trust.

The two family brands join their DNA to unveil an array of fun and graphic styles, which are available at the Bata store in SM Megamall.

The Bata Tennis shoe has been manufactured since 1936 in India for school

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Forge into the future with greater optimism. Consider new ways to solve old problems, and discuss your ideas with someone who can help you make your dreams come true. ★★★

shoe, Hotshot gained traction after music legend Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain was spotted rocking the sneakers on several occasions during the band’s heyday. There are different styles and color variations that make Bata’s basketball shoe rock with Coca-Cola. There is a graphic off-white version that features red stitching, laces, side and back logo, as well as a thick piping going all around the shoe. A variation has the same style in off-white side and laces, with Coke’s famous tagline “the real thing” embossed in statement black on the side of the sole.

k

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Be careful; mishaps are possible if you are reckless or let your emotions interfere with your common sense. Explore new ways to be helpful, and channel your energy into doing something constructive.

Give-and-take will be fortuitous. ★★★

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Stick to the basics and the truth. Too much information or exaggerating a situation or circumstance will not help you fix a problem. Say less and do more.

The action you take will make a lasting impression on someone important. ★★★ BIRTHDAY BABY: You are intelligent, demonstrative and flirtatious.

You are popular and proactive.

‘out-of-towners’ BY MARK MCCLAIN The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Pepsi, e.g.

5 Today weatherman Al 10 Hershey toffee bar 14 Similar 15 Emcee’s bit 16 Sagacious 17 “I ___ the fool” 18 Awards ceremony category for stunt doubles?

20 Funny Meyers 21 Toothpaste form 22 “You are so!” retort 23 Mooed 25 Inside Politics channel 26 Worried anxiously 28 “Whoa there!”

33 Amtrak unit 34 Poison shrub 36 Daisy’s cousin 37 Soothing succulent 39 Middle Eastern rice dish 41 Put on staff 42 Shaving woes 44 Cool and distant

46 47 49 51 52 53 57 58 61

Half a trumpet duet?

Pay after deductions Place to plug in Slugger’s stat “Ban plastic” movement target Boeing competitor Nod’s meaning ___-duck session Dessert wine at a card game gathering?

63 List shortener 64 ___ fide 65 Smooth transition 66 Basketball court pair 67 Tennis star Murray 68 “Forever” stick-on 69 Tire swing site DOWN 1 Mushroom tops 2 “The Grapes of Wrath” figure 3 Radio format with mostly pop and rap?

4 “As I was saying...”

5 Cobbled together 6 No turn ___ (road sign)

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 19 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 35 38 40 43 45 48 50

“Disco Nights” record label Chapter of history Twisty pasta Went for a dip Potter’s firing spot Scandinavian capital “Don’t play,” in music Colorful soda brand Horror director Craven Chocolate source Barely sufficient She played Adrian in Rocky Pixar robot film ___ Wednesday Terse comment when miraculous wine-making fails?

Spine-chilling Moved furtively City near Hialeah ___ out a living Sound of walking “Beats me” gesture It may fly in a fight Dwell constantly (on) Special gift

52 53 54 55 56 57 59 60 62

Syringe contents “Take a Chance on Me” group It’s pumped at the gym Watermelon leftover Brief celebration?

Meditative discipline Deck officer If not Teacher’s favorite

Solution to Friday’s puzzle:

Show BusinessMirror

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Monday, March 18, 2019

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Still on top of her game LANI MISALUCHA

ALL ACCESS RICKY GALLARDO

rickygallardoTFI@gmail.com

BIANCA UMALI and Miguel Tanfelix headline Sahaya

GMA’S NEWEST PRIME-TIME OFFERING ‘SAHAYA’ DEBUTS TONIGHT IN a world that is constantly changing, there is something to be said about celebrating our true identity and heritage. Tonight, March 18, the Entertainment Group of GMA Network fulfills its commitment to bring viewers world-class entertainment with its newest prime-time spectacle, Sahaya.

This extraordinary epic-drama series is top-billed by one of this generation’s brightest and hottest love teams, Bianca Umali andMiguel Tanfelix, together with sought-after GMA leading man Migo Adecer.

Sahaya is the inspiring story of a determined and special Badjao who rises above all difficult circumstances in life that will challenge her resiliency as she maps her path toward self-acceptance, success and admiration.

In the title role, Bianca breathes life into a beautiful Badjao lady blessed with extraordinary abilities which will lead her to inspire her family and her people, including Ahmad (Miguel Tanfelix), her simple childhood friend who has always been in love with her. Adding a twist to their story is Jordan, played

by Migo Adecer, the wealthy Manilenyo who will compete with Ahmad for Sahaya’s love.

Joining them in this intriguing series are Eric Quizon, Zoren Legaspi, Mylene Dizon, Pen Medina, Debra Liz, Juan Rodrigo, Ana Roces, Ashley Ortega and Snooky Serna. Playing very special roles in the pilot week are Benjamin Alves, Gil Cuerva, Karl Medina and Jasmine Curtis-Smith.

To shed light on the culture of our Badjao brothers and sisters, GMA hired consultants and recreated an entire set reminiscent of a real Badjao village in Calatagan, Batangas, that will bring viewers a realistic vision of their community. Moreover, the network sets the bar even higher as it uses for the first time a high-end cinema camera to create clean, sharp and cinematic images.

An original series shepherded by the GMA Drama group, headed by the Senior Vice President for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, Sahaya is created by writers Marlon Miguel and Jonathan Cruz, with the esteemed Zig Dulay directing. It airs beginning after Kara Mia on the network’s prime-time programming block.

QCINEMA 2019: GRANTEES REVEALED FOR ASIAN NEXT WAVE COMPETITION

QCINEMA International Film Festival (QCinema, www. facebook.com/QCinemaPH) brings success for filmmakers another notch higher as it announces that its list of grantees will now be entered in the competition in its segment, the Asian Next Wave (ANW).

For the past six years, QCinema provided grants to new and seasoned filmmakers entering its Circle Competition, a category for local independent features. The grantees this year will have to be in the contest in ANW, which brings in select films from all over Asia.

Among the films by the grantees under ANW are Arnel Barbarona’s Kaaway sa Sulod, Rae Red’s Babae at Baril and Glenn Barit’s Cleaners. The filmmakers will each be given a production grant of P1.5 million while retaining the rights to their films. The filmmakers will compete for the Pylon Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Artistic Achievement, as well as NETPAC Jury Prize and Gender Sensitivity.

Kaaway sa Sulod tells the story of two women, an army officer and a guerrilla fighter, who cross paths in a mission and find out they are mirror images of each other. They uncover a dark past that unites them more in the midst of conflict.

In Babae at Baril, a department store saleslady has had enough of being an underdog. One night, she discovers a peculiar-looking gun right on her doorstep. Her life drastically changes as she discovers how much power owning a gun can give her.

Cleaners by Glenn Barit is a story of different students from a high-school cleaners group each dealing with different pressures of being clean and pure while also slowly discovering how the world is dirty and superficial.

QCinema will showcase ANW from October 13 to 22.

S

INGER Lani Misalucha has faced countless tough challenges throughout her life and career, but she has remained steadfast, resilient, and focused, hurdling each and every test, heartbreak and trial with head held up high, taking each bout at a time.

Misalucha was at the peak of her popularity as a much sought-after singer when she decided to try out a life overseas. “I recall that in 2003, after a show in Manila, I spoke to my husband Noli and we both decided to give our plans of migrating to the United States a go. It was definitely not an easy decision. We had to turn down a lot of meaty offers, we had to plan everything—what to take along and what to leave behind. But such is life, I had to weigh everything and find my balance. Family always comes first. No question about that.”

Dubbed as Asia’s Nightingale in her home country, she admitted that the adjustments she encountered during the first few months settling in a foreign land were not easy. “It wasn’t my territory anymore, I am only one of many migrants. There were things I needed to get used to, there were compromises I had to give in to, there were situations I didn’t have control over with. It was not easy,” she shared.

But her passion as a singer never diminished, even if she thought she was officially “semiretired” and had become a full-pledged homemaker. One by one, inquiries and offers for her to perform came in again—intimate shows, guest appearances and full-on concerts. Eventually, Misalucha hit it big one more time and even landed high-profile gigs along the famous Las Vegas strip.

“I guess the fire was always there. There were days when it was not as raging, but it was never diminished. A new song, a performance I see on YouTube, a hopeful singer who takes a chance at a talent search—anything can just ignite the flames again, and inspire and reassure me that this is my calling. It has always been and it always will be my calling.”

We remember the good old days when we first met Misalucha. She wasn’t married yet and still carried the surname Bayot. She would sing three sets on weekends at a place called Regine’s Bar in Makati.

Then she became the multiplex queen of her era, at a time when minus-one cassettes were the trend of music-loving Filipinos.

Then she started to get noticed, her vocals started to soar higher and higher, but success did not come on a silver platter. One time, I vividly remember, Misalucha was invited to sing at the launch of a resort

not far from southern Manila. The official guest was an actor-politician who was then newly elected to a national position and had to take the chopper even if land travel was only around an hour from the big city.

The politician had front row seats but after the first song of Misalucha, he snored his way to dreamland.

Naturally witty, the lady chanteuse walked up to the dozing politician, tapped him, and said, “You might have gotten tired from your flight, sir, but I am sure that you will be recharged by my next number.” The politician clapped loudly after her final song.

Misalucha has had all kinds of audiences in her many performances around the world. “There are appreciative crowds, there are a few isolated rude patrons, “ she said, adding, “But over the years, I have learned to take everything in stride. You can’t please

everyone every time. They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do, and I’ve got to perform and give them a good show. Sometimes, the rude ones just need too much attention to themselves, and I ain’t giving them that.”

Misalucha will be back in Las Vegas early next month but not after she performs at the Araneta Coliseum on March 30 alongside two wonderful singers: Jona Viray and Darren Espanto. Billed as The Aces, the concert is produced by Calvin Chua’s CCC Productions with Jimmy Antiporda as musical director and Marvin Caldito directing the live event.

“It’s three times the power, and three times the fun. It’s wonderful to share the stage with two of the most promising concert artists in the Philippines!” gushed Misalucha, who remains on top of her game as a brilliant singer for all seasons. ■

Hold the cake! Fans honor Ginsburg’s birthday with exercise

BY JESSICA GRESKO The Associated Press WASHINGTON—Wearing workout gear and carrying water bottles, fans of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg celebrated her 86th birthday on Friday by exercising in front of the high court.

The court’s oldest justice has become known for her workouts, which include push-ups and planks. The justice has worked out on camera with Late Show host Stephen Colbert, and footage of her workout routine was also part of the 2018 documentary RBG. A book about her workout by her longtime trainer came out in 2017.

On Friday evening, fans dropped to the ground on the sidewalk outside the court and sang “Happy Birthday” while doing the plank. Ginsburg’s

trainer, Bryant Johnson, led the exercise. He said Ginsburg had worked out on Thursday night, and she told him to tell the crowd that for the first time since she underwent surgery for lung cancer in December, she has “been able to do the planks the correct way and the push-ups.”

Ginsburg’s son James joined the crowd. He said the justice’s plans for the evening included dinner out with family.

Earlier, the justice was treated to “lots of desserts,” made from recipes by her late husband, Martin Ginsburg, he said.

Ginsburg’s workouts have helped her regain her strength after two previous bouts with cancer—colorectal cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. She was absent from the court in January as she recovered from her most recent surgery. Doctors have said there is no evidence of any remaining disease.

There were Ginsburg-linked celebrations elsewhere, too. In Brooklyn, where the justice was born, Democratic Borough President Eric Adams marked Ginsburg’s birthday with a cake and a rally as part of his campaign to get the city to rename the Brooklyn Municipal Building for the justice. And in Missouri, a rehabilitated bald eagle named RBG was released back into the wild.

Ginsburg was at the high court on Friday for a regular private conference of the justices and was likely serenaded by her colleagues. Chief Justice Warren Burger, who led the court in the 1970s and ‘80s, began a tradition of having wine, a toast and the singing of “Happy Birthday” on justices’ birthdays.

“Truth be told, most of them can’t carry a tune,” Ginsburg has said of the singing.

ALICE WISBISKI, dressed as Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is joined by others as a group do exercises on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington on March 15, to celebrate Ginsburg’s upcoming 86th birthday. AP

Jussie Smollett pleads not guilty to lying about attack CHICAGO—Empire actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges accusing him of lying to the police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in downtown Chicago a few weeks ago.

Lawyer Tina Glandian entered the plea on behalf of the 36-year-old actor during a hearing in Cook County Circuit Court after Judge Steven Watkins was assigned to oversee the case, including the trial.

Watkins granted Smollett’s request to be allowed to meet with lawyers in New York and California, but said the actor must give the court at least 48

hours’ prior notice. He scheduled the next hearing for April 17. Smollett, who left the courthouse without speaking to reporters, is charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct.

Prosecutors allege that Smollett, who is black and gay, and plays the gay character Jamal Lyon on the hit Fox TV show, hired two friends to help him stage the attack on him in downtown Chicago early on the morning of January 29. They say Smollett was unhappy about his salary and wanted to drum up publicity to help his career.

Smollett has denied that he staged the attack and

maintains he is innocent. His attorneys have called the charges against him “prosecutorial overkill.”

There were several supporters outside the courthouse doors as Smollett arrived for the hearing, including some who waved signs. Activist Wisdom Cole led a few chants in support of the actor, the black community and the LGBT community.

“Jussie has been a person of high caliber and character. He comes from an activist family. He has a consistent track record and history of supporting marginalized people...and so his track record is not on par with the idea of a hoax,” she said. AP

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3 nights in Bangkok: Part II AND THEN SOME DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

A

SIDE from searching for beauty finds, we took in the sights and ate our way through Bangkok.

Practically every meal came from a buffet.

We had Tod Mun Pla or fish cakes everyday, sometimes twice in a day. We also had lots of the stirfried noodle dish Pad Thai and Khao Neeo Mamuang, Thai sweet sticky rice and mango, which are both better when purchased from street vendors.

We had dinner on a river cruise and visited Iconsiam, Bangkok’s biggest commercial complex to date. Iconsiam’s total floor space of about 520,000 square meters surpasses Central Group’s CentralWorld mall. Coincidentally, we stayed at a hotel in front of CentralWorld.

Anyway, Iconsiam, which sits on the bank of the Chao Praya River, is home to global brands like Takashimaya, Hermes, Gucci, Dior, Bottega Veneta and many others. But we were in Bangkok for a cosmetic tour and that’s what we did.

We visited a small skin-care manufacturing facility in Bangkok that makes products that you can relabel. They had everything from collagen creams to sunscreens. We weren’t allowed into the area where they mixed the creams and serums, just in the packaging and packing departments. They gave us small samples to try and I was fascinated with the charcoal face cleanser, which I haven’t used because I have so many cleansers opened that I have yet to finish.

Like most Filipinos, the women of Thailand love whitening products. Even their makeup has skin whitening properties. The women there have lovely porcelain-like skin.

SnailWhite, which we have here, is everywhere in Thailand, including the international airport. Research firm Nielsen said whitening creams account for half of the $320-million Thai market for facial creams. That is a lot of money.

I would seriously visit Bangkok again to stock up on beauty products. So what would I get if I returned?

■ MILK PLUS PRODUCTS. At the airport, I saw Korean men carrying bottles of the Milk Plus Whitening Body Lotion. I asked one of them and he said his girlfriend asked him to buy for her. Okay, so I bought a bottle out of curiosity. The smell is indeed milky. I’m not into whitening but I’d buy it for the smell. I think this has a body wash, too.

■ ORIENTAL PRINCESS HAIR COLOGNE SPRAY. I have a Chanel cologne spray for the hair and I love it, but I can’t use that everyday. This one is OK for that purpose. I bought a bottle but gave it to a friend as pasalubong. I want to get it back. (Joke.)

■ POND’S BB MAGIC POWDER. This is so popular that it is sold at the airport. This cult favorite is not available in the Philippines. I tried this on the back of my hand. It has a bit of shimmer, which would account for reviews saying the powder gave them a glow. It’s inexpensive and would make a good pasalubong for friends who are beauty-conscious.

■ BSC COSMETOLOGY SKIN CARE. I mentioned that we had visited BSC’s counter at a department store and I was seriously intrigued by their skin-care products more than the makeup. I wished I had picked up a bottle or two of the skin-care products.

Oh, I won’t number this as it’s not a beauty product but I wish I had bought a NaRaYa bag. I went to their stores and I loved the bags but I was in such a hurry that I didn’t get to get one. The bags are made from fabric and they’re great for schlepping around.

To be continued...

Kenneth Cole’s spring 2019 collections IN the modern work force, we are encouraged to “think outside the cubicle” and embrace a more flexible approach to our work day. With our office in our pocket and the world at our fingertips, we have the freedom to work from anywhere at any time, so we now demand more from our day-to-day outfits. They need to work harder and smarter, so that we can.

This season, Kenneth Cole (www.facebook.com/ KennethCole) has created effortless, versatile and functional options with comfort and performance that look as good as they feel.

The brand has updated classic silhouettes, styles and materials and “re-tailored” the styles of the Modern Dress, Modern Sport and Modern Casual, applying unexpected elements of ease, comfort and tech to create city-inspired modern classics.

For Modern Dress, animal prints and bold colors update toe-to-head suiting and monochromatic dressing with clean aesthetics in trench coats and slip dresses. Drapey workwear-inspired pieces feature volume, top stitching, concealed zippers and reflective details.

For Modern Sport, you’ll find hybrids in nylon, high shine and metallic materials. For Modern Casual, you’ll see sun-washed finishes and colors alongside camo prints and reflective details.

For women’s footwear, the key silhouettes include ballerina flats with feminine elements and sport detailing, knit heels, ankle boots, trainers and textile sneakers. For men’s, the key footwear silhouettes are the sockless loafer, oxfords, weather sneakers and sandals.

BusinessMirror

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Monday, March 18, 2019 E1

THE STRATEGY QUESTION AT THE CENTER OF LYFT’S IPO

L

By Walter Frick

YFT released the filing for its public offering recently, and though many of the headlines focus on how quickly it’s growing (18.6 million active riders), how much money it’s losing (nearly $1 billion last year) or its dual-class share structure, it raises an important question about competitive strategy.

Network effects occur when the addition of a new user increases the value of the offering for other users, and the success of companies like Google, Facebook and WhatsApp have cemented network effects as an essential element of Internet strategy. They’re one of the reasons venture-backed start-ups emphasize growth; the more users you add, the better the product or service gets.

But there are different types of network effects and different types of networks. And the properties of ride-sharing networks aren’t as advantageous as the ones in search and social media.

In their recent HBR article “Why Some Platforms Thrive and Others Don’t,” Feng Zhu and Marco Iansiti of Harvard Business School describe five properties of networks that determine platforms’ success. I’ll mention just two.

The first is clustering: “The more a network is fragmented into local clusters—and the more isolated those clusters are from one another—the more vulnerable a business is to challenges.”

Lyft’s localized network is more vulnerable to competition than a global network like the one that powers Google’s search business.

The second network property relevant to ride-sharing is multi-homing.

Here’s how Zhu and Iansiti describe it: “Multi-homing happens when users or service providers [network ‘nodes’] form ties with multiple platforms [or ‘hubs’] at the same time. This generally occurs when the cost of adopting an additional platform is low. In the ride-hailing industry, many drivers and riders use both, say, Lyft and Uber—riders to compare prices and wait times, and drivers to reduce their idle time.”

Catherine Tucker of MIT makes this point, as well: “Ride-hailing is characterized by fierce competition and firms burning through obscene amounts of venture capital in an effort to reach scale. However, users can easily install both Lyft and Uber apps on their phone and judge in the moment which is cheaper. Likewise, on the driver side, many drivers have both Lyft and Uber installed, and choose to operate on whichever platform is offering them the more profitable ride.”

Lyft and its main competitor Uber are left to compete fiercely with little hope of ever locking in impenetrable network effects. All the while they have to find the money and the talent to compete in self-driving vehicles, which is more likely to exhibit winner-takeall dynamics.

Walter Frick is deputy editor at Harvard Business Review.

As long as we associate leadership with masculinity, women will be overlooked

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By Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

IX years ago, I wrote an article arguing that women were unrepresented in the leadership ranks not because of their unwillingness or inability to lead, but because of our failure to effectively weed out incompetent men.

In that article, which has become one of HBR’s most-read pieces, I argued that instead of lowering our standards for women, we had to raise the bar for men. That article

touched a nerve, and it continues to do so.

In an ideal world, leaders would follow science-based practices and prioritize engaging with and inspir-

BETTER-MANAGED COMPANIES PAY EMPLOYEES MORE EQUALLY

By Nicholas Bloom, Scott Ohlmacher, Cristina Tello-Trillo & Melanie Wallskog

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OMPANIES that implement more structured management practices pay their employees more equally. Our research is preliminary and ongoing, but the finding is striking. To be honest, it surprised us.

For 2010 and 2015, the US Census Bureau fielded the Management and Organizational Practices Survey in partnership with a research team.

The survey collects information on the use of management practices related to monitoring (collecting and analyzing performance data), targets (setting tough, but achievable, goals) and incentives (rewarding high performers) at a representative sample of

approximately 50,000 US manufacturing plants per survey wave. We refer to practices that are more explicit, formal, frequent or specific as “more structured practices.”

We had hypothesized that more structured management would lead to rewarding high-performers over others, therefore leading to a rise in inequality inside of the firm. The reality is exactly the reverse, and that remains true even after controlling for employment, capital usage, firm age, industry, state and employee education.

What’s going on here? We have a few hypotheses.

Previous research shows that firms with more structured management practices are more profitable on average, and there’s long been evidence that when companies make extra

© 2019 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp. (Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate)

profits they share some of them with workers. The relationship could also result from increased efficiency. Finally, it could also be that firms with more structured practices are more focused on specific tasks and rely more on outsourcing.

Setting goals, aligning people to achieve those goals and monitoring their progress toward those goals are hallmarks of successful companies.

And, whatever the reason, those practices also seem to go hand-in-hand with more equal pay.

Nicholas Bloom is a professor at Stanford University. Scott Ohlmacher and Cristina Tello-Trillo are economists at the US Census Bureau. Melanie Wallskog is a doctoral student at Stanford University.

ing their employees, and providing them with a sense of meaning and purpose. Instead, we continue to see that the average performance of leaders and managers is pretty disappointing.

So long as we continue to associate leadership with masculine features, we can expect female leaders to be evaluated more negatively even when their performance is better than that of their male counterparts, and even when those who evaluate them are women. While overall gender differences in leadership effectiveness are generally nonexistent, meta-analytic studies show that men tend to perform better when the focus is on managing tasks, while women tend to perform better when the focus is on managing people, which includes attend-

ing to people’s attitudes, values and motivation.

Yet, even though women don’t demonstrate motivation or ability deficits that inhibit their capacity for leadership, we still have a lot of work to do if we want to see a bigger proportion of talented women reach positions of leadership.

Indeed, as much as we understand the theoretical importance of leadership as a key driver of organizational, business and societal success, we are still living in a world where most leaders are not evaluated objectively, and where discussions around the performance of leaders tend to be diluted to a matter of preferences, politics or ideology. Subjective evaluations rule, and perceptions trump reality.

Until this is fixed, there is not

much benefit in improving our leader selection process. Even if we were using a data-driven system that objectively selected leaders based on their actual potential— paying attention to competence, humility and integrity rather than confidence, charisma and narcissism—it wouldn’t do much good if we proceeded to judge the performance of those same leaders via subjective, prejudiced or biased human opinions.

In sum, too many leadership roles are given to incompetent men when there are better women, as well as men, who continue to be overlooked.

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is the chief talent scientist at ManpowerGroup and a professor at University College London and Columbia University.

The Marriott breach shows just how inadequate cyber risk disclosures are

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By Shivaram Rajgopal

ECENTLY, Marriott waited 11 weeks to reveal that 383 million customer records had been compromised, exposing at least 25 million passport numbers and 8 million payment cards. The Marriott breach offers four take-aways that can be useful to both senior managers and regulators:

Inadequate disclosure: The only

way to make companies take cyber risk seriously is to impose tough disclosure requirements and actively enforce those rules. In our view, unless the penalty is significant, senior officers of most companies will simply ignore cyber risk.

We looked at the public filings and associated cyber risk disclosures of Marriott.

The data breach was noticed on September 8, 2018. Marriott filed the 10-Q covering the

period ending September 30, 2018, on November 6, 2018. Although Marriott devoted two full paragraphs to the threat of cyber attacks in this filing, there is no mention of the massive data breach nor any disclosure of any economic impact to the company. Marriott then filed a form 8-K on November 30, 2018, disclosing the cyber attack. A form 8-K is supposed to be filed within three days of the relevant event and in other cases when the company is capable of acting quickly.

Fallout of cost cutting from mergers: When we examined the Marriott data breach in detail, we discovered that the breach occurred in Starwood’s systems and not in Marriott’s. Somewhat predictably, most, if not all the staff at Starwood Corporate, including those working in information technology and cyber security, were let go as part of the cost savings

stemming from the merger.

Systemic cyber risk: The systemic risk related to cyber breaches is building with every major breach. Once the hacker has managed to get into the computer systems of a company, the hacker can potentially access that company’s whole supply chain.

Better expertise: As with many other companies, there is a noticeable absence of expertise in cyber-risk management at the board level and at the executive management level of Marriott.

Many companies could learn from Marriott’s story, and should consider in detail how they would handle such a major data breach.

Shivaram Rajgopal is a professor and vice dean of research at Columbia Business School.

E2 Monday, March 18, 2019 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

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UP coed turns Baguio street walls into colorful murals Story and photos by Suzanne June G. Perante

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Special to the BusinessMirror

HE natural beauty of Baguio City and its semi-temperate climate entice thousands of tourists to visit the “Summer Capital” and “The City of Pines” all year round, making it a must-see tourism hub.

The upland city is also a melting pot of cultures and home to creative folks.

In 2017, the city received a recognition of being a “Creative City” from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). The recognition sought to encourage the promotion of people’s arts and crafts.

Aside from the iconic woodcraft and weaving tradition of the city, street-wall painting has also emerged from the creative minds living in the city. Certain colorful ethnic-designed walls in Baguio created a buzz in the Internet lately. It fascinated a lot of tourists and pedestrians along the JollibeeCaltex road in front of the Victory Liner terminal and in the military cut-off road.

The person behind these murals, known as “Hila-bana,” is 21-year-old street artist Venazir “Vena” Hannah Martinez.

To help preserve what is known as the cultural foundation of the original Baguio, this budding artist conceptualized a mural depict-

ing the process of an Igorot on foot figuratively looking for his identity. These murals are intentionally placed where visitors usually arrive and leave to visually introduce the fundamental identity of the people of Baguio City.

Vena was born and raised in Tarlac and is the youngest of three.

She has an older brother and a sister who was also a fine-arts graduate from the University of the Philippines Baguio. As she grew up, Vena used to draw a lot and has always been the representative in poster making and editorial cartooning contests, but she never actually had fine arts as her first choice as a career. She was initially planning to take up either architecture or engineering, but when she was informed of passing the UPCAT, she finally pursued fine arts at University of the Philippines Baguio, just like her older sister did, and finished cum laude.

It took her some time to identify her style as an artist. In her second year in college, she did a lot of paintings on canvass. While working on

VENAZIR HANNAH MARTINEZ conceptualizes an ethnic human figure in full color for her next mural project (inset) while a student passing by her “Hila-bana” mural takes pictures along a street wall in Baguio City.

paintings, she realized she was into the combination of abstract and realism.

“An artist should be and identified by her artwork and innovative creations,” she explained. She defines her style as detailed yet spontaneous with a particular focus on human figures because she loves the anthropological side of art focused on human figures.

She sustained her human-interest style in her artwork, but in her third year, she tried to do it through street art for her thesis.

“For me, street art is the strongest medium of all. It’s a true form of art,” she claimed. Her love for street-wall painting started with a Gayaman tattoo art along Trancoville area in Baguio City, which extends near the area of Saint Louis University.

Vena’s fine-arts teacher and thesis adviser Professor Liza Ila-

gan said the idea was inspired by a mural thesis in UP Diliman. They conceptualized an art that would test the consciousness of the people of Baguio in indigenous art form.

Up until the present, Vena still keeps in touch with her adviser.

Ilagan witnessed Vena’s growth and considers her among the top performers in class.

Vena is now a freelance artist and has already created different projects with the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, San Miguel Pale Pilsen and Figaro Coffee Baguio, among many others. She got invited to exhibit at an art fair in Makati and just recently to perform at Wonderland Music Festival, which she both considered as a dream come true.

But she also considers the majority of her works as “pro bono” projects.

“It is my advocacy. It is a form of bringing back to the community, just like how UP taught us,” she said.

PwC PHL mounts first-ever award for accountancy teachers

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SLA Lipana & Co. the Philippine member-firm of the PwC global network, is set to recognize exceptionally dedicated and highly skilled accounting teachers through its PwC National Accounting Teacher Award (PwC’s NATA).

Launched this month, PwC’s NATA is in cooperation with the National Association of CPAs in Education (nACPAE). The award is a nationwide search for the accounting teacher who is a distinguished model of excellence and who has helped uplift the standards of the

teaching profession.

PwC’s NATA nominees must be certified public accountants (CPAs) currently teaching accountancy subjects (i.e., auditing, management advisory services, taxation, regulatory framework for business transactions, financial accounting and reporting, and advanced financial accounting and reporting) in a university or college at the time of nomination. Relevant teaching experience should be at least three units and/or five months.

“We believe that it’s high time we

put the spotlight on those who have sacrificed a lot just so they can share their knowledge and help hone more CPAs,” said Alex Cabrera, a lawyer and chairman and senior partner of Isla Lipana & Co. “They could have chosen to engage in more profitable ventures, but they selflessly provided their time and wisdom to do greater deeds. With this, we hope to make a difference to the lives of accounting teachers through PwC’s NATA.” A panel of judges from PwC Philippines and the nACPAE will select the winner based on qualities that

demonstrate effective, efficient and innovative teaching through practical yet aspirational methods. The panel will also look for someone who commands respect from colleagues, students and community, and actively participates in initiatives that help the community and country.

The grand winner and two runners-up will all receive cash prizes, trophies and certificates.

For more information, visit www.pwc.com/ph/en/nata.html.

Nomination deadline is on March 20, 2019.

PADC ADVOCATES FOR ORAL-CANCER AWARENESS WITH LAUNCH OF CAMPAIGN RIBBON

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HE Philippine Association of Dental Colleges (PADC), an aggrupation of 32 dental colleges throughout the country, is advocating for oral-cancer awareness and prevention as part of the general drive of the national government and private organizations to curb the global threat of cancer in general.

As a vital tool in propagating the drive, PADC, with the concurrence of the majority of the dental schools, was obtained the support of an international organization, Disabled-World.Com, to have a campaign ribbon that will be used specifically for oral cancer entirely distinct from the one used for head and neck cancer. It was designed and initiated by a Filipino dental practitioner as a guide towards a deeper appreciation of oral cancer as an actual and pandemic health risk.

DisabledWorld.Com is an independent Health and Disability news source that offers subject areas covering seniors and disability news, assistive device reviews, and articles on everything from helpful tips to disability sports articles.

Dean Arturo P. de Leon, president of PADC who designed the ribbon,

said the oral-cancer awareness ribbon consists of three colors: Lilac, which is the universal color of dentistry or oral stomatology, and the red and white strips to represent the erythroplakia and leukoplakia (red and white lesions, respectively), which are predominantly considered as tissue manifestation seen in most of the oral premalignance (cancer) conditions in oral cancer screening for early detection and management. The association has coined an acronym similar to its name in support of its drive: PADC— Public Awareness Defeats Cancer.

“Undoubtedly, having a campaign ribbon cutout for oral cancer will significantly boost the efforts of dental practitioners in raising both the public and professional awareness with regards to oral cancer as a distinct global health issue,” de Leon said.

Mouth cancer is a general term that applies to cancers that occur in a person’s lips and throughout his mouth. Terms for these forms of cancer that are more specific include cancer of the lip, gum, tongue, hard palate, salivary gland, floor of the mouth and cancer affecting the inside portion of the cheek. Accord-

ing to statistics, cancer of the oral cavity (oral cancer) is the 11th-most common malignancy in the world.

Globally, oral cancers accounted for 300,373 new cancer cases and 145,353 cancer deaths in 2012.

More than half of oral cancers in the world occur in Asia where an estimated 168,850 new cases were diagnosed in this geographical region alone. Of these, approximately 11 percent were from Southeast Asia.

Despite the general global trend of

a slight decrease in the incidence of oral cancer, tongue-cancer incidence is increasing. The incidence and mortality caused by this tumor show variability according to the geographic location in which it is diagnosed. However, in the last decade, an increase was observed in the percentage of young patients, especially patients with tongue cancer.

The risk factors that can increase a person’s chance of getting mouth cancer include heavy alcohol use, excessive sun exposure to the person’s lips, a sexually transmitted virus known as human papillomavirus (HPV) and tobacco use of any kind, such as cigars, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, pipes or snuff.

The oral-cancer awareness campaign of PADC is in keeping with efforts “to repackage the image and service capability of dentists.” It is therefore incumbent for the general dental practitioners to have the professional competence to perform a routine cancer-screening examination, to detect early signs of cancer growth, to do behavioral modification for disease prevention and, if needed, comanage the removal of the cancer tissue through surgery, chemotherapy, etc.

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Mano Amiga sponsors computer science program for underprivileged students

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N 2018, the World Economic Forum ranked the Philippines 53rd among 63 countries in terms of digital competitiveness. A report from the Department of Education (DepEd) further stated that only 26 percent of public schools in the country have Internet access.

Add to this picture the fact that the current school curriculum only offers computer programming in senior high school for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) strand of the Technical Vocational Track. There is also a lack of ICT devices in many schools nationwide as computer laboratories are still being built.

The quality of ICT education in the Philippines is definitely a pressing concern, with education stakeholders repeatedly calling for capacity-building for teachers, allocating sufficient resources, and partnering with the private sector to accelerate ICT education.

One learning institution taking concrete steps in making this change happen is a small nonprofit K-to-12 school for students from low-income families, Mano Amiga Academy, which offers international quality education to help marginalized youth cope with and even become globally competitive in today’s digital environment.

Mano Amiga Academy’s teaching philosophy takes an innovative approach to fulfilling the educational needs of today’s youth.

This includes project-based learning (PBL), a method that develops critical thinking, communication and collaboration in students as they work together to solve the problems relevant to their communities.

“PBL is just one of the many means by which we are life-proofing our students so that they are equipped to deal with real problems,” said Lynn Pinugu, executive director and founder of Mano Amiga. “Nevertheless, bridging technological gaps still requires external support. For instance, our school still lacks a computer laboratory, a stable Internet connection and other tech tools.”

In spite of these limitations, Mano Amiga Academy made a decision to equip their students with digital competence. They collaborated with Developers Connect Philippines (DevCon), an organization dedicated to promoting information technology in the country, by bringing tech professionals together to actively provide digital opportunities to more Filipinos.

Mano Amiga Academy and DevCon piloted a program called DevCon Kids that seeks to impart technology skills to students at an early age. The program led to the formation of a DevCon Club, which now counts 30 members selected from Grades 7 to 9 who possess a certain level of aptitude and knowledge in science and math. Every week, DevCon Kids mentors discuss lessons, such as coding and design thinking, specifically developed for the program.

One of these mentors is Joel Bautista, a full-time computer science teacher at the Philippine Science High School. A lead instructor for DevCon Kids, Joel joined the program’s core team because he believed in their advocacy of

teaching kids life skills that are beyond the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic.

“We are in the 21st century, and we want to instill computer science skills, problem solving, creativity and collaboration in today’s kids,” Joel said. “Our goals and those of Mano Amiga are parallel—we’re both serving the underserved. We are aware that they don’t have computer labs like other schools do, and it's DevCon’s way of extending help by teaching these new topics.”

Mano Amiga Academy students and DevCon Club members JC Gorgonio and Cheska Andes share their excitement about the program.

Cheska has always enjoyed language classes the most, getting her best grades in English and Filipino, but after joining DevCon Club, her grades in math and science started improving.

“I signed up for DevCon Club because we don't have a computer at home, and I wanted to know more about how computers and the Internet worked,” she said.

A highlight in the DevCon Kids program is a full-day lesson in robotics. The students were paired up and provided an mBot each. mBots are educational robot kits designed for kids who are just starting to learn about robot software. The students learned how to program their robots and create codes to make them move, transmit a sound if it senses light, navigate and follow a track, and even wrestle against another robot.

“Honestly, our first few lessons in DevCon Club were really hard. My friends and I almost quit, but we kept going because of our cheerful mentors and our supportive student affairs coordinator,” said JC, a Grade 7 student. “We’re also excited for our next lesson on making mobile apps.”

Seeing the success of their pilot program and the positive feedback from the students, Mano Amiga Academy and DevCon plan to continue what they have started to reach more children and expose them to computer science and information technology.

Mano Amiga Academy will continue running DevCon Club, and encourage the older students to transmit their learning to incoming grades seven to nine students.

“We are very thankful for DevCon’s commitment to make computer science accessible to more of our young people. They’ve provided all the requirements for our students, easing their worries over having to acquire the laptops and other equipment themselves,” Lynn said.

“We will replicate DevCon Kids one school at a time, applying insights from the pioneer batch in developing a hybrid program that we will use for future beneficiaries. We hope to work with donors as well, as running the program requires a lot of resources—laptops, high-speed Wi-fi and a facility conducive to the learning,” said Shumate Royo, managing director of DevCon Philippines.

With programs like DevCon Kids, ICT education becomes available to more children from all social strata, paving their way to digital competitiveness.

Seminar on the 2019 Revised Corporation Code

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HE 2019 Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines that took effect on February 21 will have tremendous impact on all corporations in the Philippines.

To educate corporations about this, the Center for Global Best Practices (CGBP) will host a special program, entitled “2019 Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines” to be held on Thursday, April 11, 2019, at the Edsa ShangriLa Hotel, Mandaluyong City. This program is designed to help you in your compliance, in structuring your deals and to avoid the legal pitfalls when making decisions in board and management meetings or when doing business and investing in the Philippines.

The new legal framework introduces fresh concepts aligned with international best practices aimed at improving ease of doing business in the country. This program is Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)-accredited for corporate governance. Board directors and top management attending this training will greatly benefit from this learning event.

This one-day training will comprehensively discuss not only the new law and its interpretation but will also cover updates on all the essential SEC regulations issued from 2017 up to the present. Participants will learn what are still relevant or have become irrelevant, and the recent jurisprudence affecting different corporations. It is your business to know the significant changes in the new laws given its effect to all corporations across industries including GOCCs. This program will feature former SEC

Chairperson Teresita J. Herbosa, who championed the cause for the passage of the Revised Corporation of the Philippines, which is now signed into law as Republic Act 11232.

Registration is open to the general public and is a must for chairmen and board directors, corporate secretaries, compliance officers, lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs, investors, business consultants and decision makers in all corporations. CGBP is also an accredited training provider of the Civil Service Commission. Attendees from the government can earn points for their career advancement and are exempted from the P2,000 limit when attending training conducted by the private sector based on DBM circular 563 dated April 22, 2016. Interested participants are encouraged to avail themselves of the early payment savings and group discounts for three or more attendees. Seats are limited and preregistration is required.

For details, check www.cgbp.org. You will also find in the web site the complete list of best practices programs including “Corporate Governance Board Effectiveness Best Practices,” “Masterclass on writing Minutes of Meetings,” “Best Practices in Managing Cost and Profit,” “Best Practices in Setting Up an Internal Audit System,” “How to Really Read Financial Statements,” “How to Structure Salaries,” “Wages and Benefits” and many more! For inquiries, you may call landlines in Manila (+632)842-7148/ 59 and (+632)556-8968/ 69, in Baguio (+63 74) 4232914 and in Cebu (+63 32) 512-3106 or 07.

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Marketing BusinessMirror

Editor: Efleda P. Campos • Monday, March 18, 2019 E3

Dear Client: Here are some ways you can get the best out of your creative team W

PR Matters

By Joy Lumawig-Buensalido

HEN I first visited “The Last Bookstore” in Los Angeles early this year, I was overwhelmed by the grandeur of this multilevel bookstore on Spring Street. It was an old building the owners had transformed into a haven for book lovers, with floor-to-ceiling shelves that seemed to go on endlessly and stocked with books of all genres that one day was simply not enough for leisurely browsing.

In the limited time we spent there, one particular book with its colorful and captivating title seemed to leap out enticingly so I picked it up. The author, Bonnie Siegler, voted among the 50 most influential designers by Graphic Design, USA, founded a graphic design company that had Oprah Winfrey as one of their early clients. They were daunted at first. After all, Oprah had a reputation as a demanding perfectionist—and the money and clout to get what she wanted.

To their pleasant surprise, however, Oprah signed them up for a book project and personally worked with them, listening to their ideas and creative choices as their work progressed. That turned out to be just one of their many memorable creative collaborations.

In her book, Dear Client, This Book Will Teach You How To Get What You Want From Creative People. Sincerely, Bonnie Siegler, the author came up with 66 compact, but well-defined chapters that cover practical tips and experiences she shared with readers.

And Siegler nailed it, recounting and describing some real-life experiences she had with a number of diverse clients.

Siegler may have been a designer with her own graphic design company, but much of what she laid down in the book certainly applies to any company, agency, or individual who deals with all manner of creative communication, including and especially those in advertising and PR agencies, digital agencies, marketing and events management, and anything that requires client approval, inputs and collaboration.

In short, this book is for everyone who works in creative-driven companies.

Out of the 66 tips, I selected five that, I believe, encapsulates most of the basic guidelines that count. These tips are intended not only for creative pitches or speculative presentations— where you don’t know anything about clients yet—but also for existing agency-client relationships where the client has appointed the creative team and, therefore, needs to work closely with them.

In fact, these five tips will help any kind of business that deals with client servicing.

Working with creatives can be productive if you can try to be all of the following:

1. Be honest

EVERY good relationship must be based on honesty. Tell the truth at all costs. Don’t say you love the presentation and then change your mind the next day.

You should be straightforward about the following: budget, schedules, the company’s peculiar policies, your personal quirks if any, likes and dislikes, when you want to schedule regular meetings, what you want to accomplish, and what you hope this project will do for you and the company.

Be candid in your criticism or opinions, but try to be fair, considerate, professional, and respectful in expressing what you really think and how you feel.

2. Know thyself

BEFORE you start working with a creative team, strive for clarity. Identify what you like and don’t like. What pleases you? What draws you in? Your taste and your personal preferences will definitely play a huge part in your decision-making.

When you provide clear directions for your agency or creative team, give them at least a working knowledge of what campaigns or sample products have impressed you and why. What to you are successful representations

of a brand, and share with them what you think have worked for others, especially your competition.

3. Decide who will decide

SIEGLER recounted their experience when they were commissioned to help create a new identity for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center in New York.

Because there were many important stakeholders, including the families of those who died, government officials, and museum directors, years went by without decisions being made until then-NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he would take on the role of decider. From then on, the branding process moved forward smoothly and efficiently.

This should work as well for the decision-making or approval process for ideas, concepts, and other new communications materials that agencies go through with clients. Siegler said: “The plague of groupthink is not limited to creative work. Decisions around design, copy, video and the like are subjective; people with little expertise tend to feel more confident sharing an opinion. And because each person will naturally have unique preferences, any decision made by committee will necessitate compromise and, therefore, lack singular vision.”

I agree with Siegler when she said that “vision is not a group activity.” It is better for the group to pre-decide who the final decision-maker will be before they face the agency or the creative team. If this person—or maybe two of them—is empowered to decide, they will have more time to evaluate the process and ensure it runs smoothly. That one person (or two) will take their role much more seriously than 10 people who only have 1/10 each of the responsibility.

4. Be upfront about money

HERE in the Philippines, clients are often inclined to start off negotiations with “we don’t have a very big budget,” which may be interpreted to mean: “Don’t charge us ‘exorbitant’ fees.”

Siegler said, “Creative people are at a little bit of a disadvantage, weirdly because we love what we do. We feel lucky to get paid for it and we would probably do it for free, but there are realities of life and while we are privileged to earn a living this way, earn money we must.”

Taking off from our local experience, our best advice to clients is this: If you have a specific budget or range for your project in mind, please tell us.

It will not only make us feel that we’re on same page and that you trust us; it will also save us precious time.

I always tell new clients that if you tell us at the onset what your budget is, we can try to draw a plan or proposal to fit that budget. Personally, I like to aim higher or submit a bigger or more ambitious proposal so that the client can simply trim it down. When clients are not yet comfortable with the agency or are meeting them for the first time, they either say they have no budget in mind or they withhold their budget parameters, hoping that we will bid lower than they have to spend.

However, most seasoned professionals (including myself) don’t even aspire to be the cheapest bidder. They would rather work with an honest and straightforward client who will trust them to do their work right.

I have also learned that when clients make their choice on the basis of the lowest bid, the relationship may get into a nebulous footing because both parties may feel they have been shortchanged. Not exactly an ideal work relationship, is it?

5. Don’t say that, say this

SOMETIMES it’s not what you say, but how you say it that derails a collaboration. Bluntness, specificity, vagueness—all of these can get in the way.

So Siegler suggested this list of some do’s and don’ts when critiquing or commenting on your supplier’s work.

Don’t say: Make it red.

Do say: I wish it were bolder and stronger.

Don’t say: Make it bigger Do say: I wonder what this image would look like if it were more prominent.

a logo?

Do say: Here is what we are looking for and here’s our ideal timeline. Please come back to us with a proposal.

Don’t say: I hate it.

Do say: Can you explain this to me?

Don’t say: It’s just a little job; there’s no need for a contract.

Do say: Would you like us to supply the contract or would you like to?

Don’t say: What I’m looking at makes no sense.

Do say: Can you explain why you decided on this direction?

Don’t say: Can you try again and make it different?

Do say: I wish it were...(whatever you wish was different).

Don’t say: I love it (if you don’t actually love it) Do say: I think I really like it, but I need some time to gather my thoughts.

Don’t say: Here are the changes we want you to make.

Do say: Great effort, but there are some concerns that need to be addressed.

Don’t say: We need you to do it like this.

Do say: We are hiring you to do what you do, so please tell us how you’d like this to work.

Don’t say: What do you charge for

Don’t say: We want it to look like this.

Do say: Here are a few examples of work that we like and consider relevant.

Don’t say: I’m not a fan of this typeface.

Do say: Can you show us some different type treatments?

Don’t say: We can’t pay you much, but we’ll get you great exposure.

Do say: This is how much we can pay. We hope that works for you.

Don’t say: This isn’t what I pictured, so I don’t think it works.

Do say: Let me live with this for a day or two.

Don’t say: I showed your work to my friends last night at dinner, and they didn’t like it.

Do say: I was talking to some colleagues and they brought up some issues I’d like to discuss with you.

Don’t say: We need this project to accomplish these eight goals.

Do say: This is our most important goal, but there are secondary goals we’d love to achieve as well.

Don’t say: Can you combine this version with that version?

Do say : This is what I like about this version and this is what I like about that one. What can you do with that information?

Don’t say: Have you designed aseptic baby food packaging before?

Do say: Can you share other jobs you’ve had that are relevant to this project?

To all our present and future clients, I hope these snippets from Siegler’s book will help you get the best results.

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior communications professionals around the world.

Joy Lumawig-Buensalido is the president and CEO of Buensalido and Associates Public Relations.

PR Matters is devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations. Please send your questions or comments to askipraphil@gmail.com.

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E4 Monday, March 18, 2019

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Why do so many believe Hillary Clinton is inauthentic?

IN this November 9, 2016, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in New York, where she conceded her defeat to Republican Donald Trump after the hard-fought presidential election. AP/MATT ROURKE

I

By Shawn Parry-Giles | University of Maryland & David Kaufer | Carnegie Mellon University

N the national spotlight for nearly 25 years, Hillary Clinton remains the candidate voters still struggle to know. Labels like “guarded,” “secretive,” “evasive,” even mysterious have dogged her since she first introduced herself to the American public during Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.

The labels and the charges of inauthenticity always seem to crescendo when she bids for elective office. In 1998, only months after she won the nation’s sympathy as a cheated-on wife and her popularity as first lady soared, that popularity took a dive the moment rumors spread that she planned to pursue a US Senate seat from New York.

Earning high marks as a loyal secretary of state to President Obama, her popularity again dipped when she announced her second presidential bid.

At every turn, when Clinton has tried to break glass ceilings in politics, she is condemned as a political opportunist. What is behind these perceptions of inauthenticity—the perception that she lacks a genuineness of character and is

hiding her true self from the American public?

In this article, we offer four explanations, grounded in our research on her speeches and writings and how the news has covered her for the last 25 years.

1. Gender politics

Clinton’s unique career trajectory has doubtless been a contributing factor to her authenticity problems. No other American in US history has shared Hillary Clinton’s career arc: first lady, senator, secretary of state, presidential candidate. Her arc flagrantly trespasses conventional gender boundaries.

First ladies are supposed to support their husbands without destiny of their own. The way Bill put Hillary in a virtual “co-

president” role at the helm of the health-care task force in his first term made her impossible to classify for much of the American electorate. After the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal broke and the public embraced Hillary as the “scorned wife,” Hillary might have soared to celebrity status had she milked the role, divorced her husband, written a “tell-all” memoir about her marriage or hosted a reality show. But Hillary rejected that path and became Bill’s staunchest legal counsel and helped save his presidency.

Hillary’s refusal to cave to gender expectations made some journalists and political pundits dismiss her as Bill’s political partner in arms in an “unfathomable” marriage.

leon willing to say or do anything to further her political interests or her husband’s.

Opponents say that her own “arrogance” and carelessness have contributed to never-ending rounds of Republican investigations into Whitewater, Bill Clinton’s impeachment, Benghazi.

Smoking guns have yet to be found as of this writing, but allegations about the Clinton Foundation and her 33,000 emails persist, raising new questions about her character. The cloud that hangs over her only intensified as word spread of new emails, plus those associated with Huma Abedin—her close aide—whose husband Anthony Weiner is being investigated for a sexting scandal.

2. Partisan politics

3. Press politics

Since the country’s founding, politics has often descended into a rancorous, partisan affair that fronts character interrogation over policy.

In times of heightened partisanship, campaigns focus on attacking the opposition’s basic decency and fitness to serve. Hillary Clinton has been a Republican target since Bill’s first presidential run, which means she had to face one character “double bind” after another.

When she speaks her mind about issues, Hillary is painted a brash and unlikable “feminist.” When she maneuvers to soften those stereotypes, she is portrayed a chame-

As part of an echo-chamber effect, the news media often emphasize Clinton’s alleged “inauthenticity” as a journalistic shorthand to describe any political headwinds she faces. Over the course of her time in Washington, articles either presuming or exploring her “inauthenticity” number in the thousands.

Unlike media coverage of Bernie Sanders, which focused on how his policies inspire millennials, Clinton’s policies have been treated more as political calculation than conviction. Even before Clinton announced her run for president in 2016, news articles made clear that

authenticity, not policy, would be her biggest challenge.

4. Clinton’s politics

Finally, Clinton’s years of scrutiny have produced a guardedness that ironically feeds the “inauthenticity” machine. Clinton seems most comfortable when she is the policy wonk who can keep her private life private. A political campaign, however, is largely about disclosure of the person behind the public deeds and words. Defying these expectations, Clinton has gone to great lengths to guard her privacy— even leading to decisions that have harmed her political career like setting up an email server in her own home.

Her Living History memoir illustrates that, even as she understands that voters expect candidates to bare themselves, she always defaults to reserve over confessionals. In the book, she explores her anger and hurt following the news of her husband’s affair in only the briefest of terms. She then quickly pivots to her comfort zone as a woman in charge. Hillary refused to be the scorned wife, weak, out of control and needing to blab her story to salve the pain. She instead stepped directly into the litigator role, chastising her husband for his misbehavior but then aligning with him to take on special prosecutor Kenneth Starr and salvage her husband’s presidency.

Clinton’s public guardedness leaves her chronically vulnerable to the charge, fair or not, that she must have something more “sinister” to hide.

5. Authenticity politics

We see these debates over Hillary Clinton’s authenticity as being less about the “true” Hillary Clinton and more of a Rorschach test about gender politics, partisan politics, and press politics in the early 21st century.

The “inauthenticity” argument seems to reveal more about the electoral process than about Clinton herself. Of course, character matters and questions about a candidate’s character are fair game. Yet, campaigns in the current environment have devolved into toxic character inquisitions that leave much of the electorate disaffected, disheartened, and, worst of all, cynical.

The 25 years spent interrogating Clinton’s character have not resolved anything. And if the interrogations were meant to block her elective aspirations, they were not well-designed for that purpose either.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/ why-do-so-many-believe-hillary-clinton-is-inauthentic-67302.