Businessmirror may 27, 2018

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‘BOTTOM FEEDER’

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Can overhaul of fiscal perks under TRAIN 2 boost PHL business, cut revenue loss?

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By Cai U. Ordinario

HE Philippines has been deemed a “bottom feeder” when it comes to attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The level of the country’s FDIs as of 2015, according to the Department of Finance (DOF), reached only 2 percent of the country’s GDP. This means FDIs could be P266.44 billion in 2015 using current prices. Full-year GDP in 2015 was at P13.32 trillion.

This may look impressive since DOF cited Bangko Sentral ng Pili-

pinas (BSP) data which showed net FDI has been steadily increasing and reached $8 billion in 2018 from only $1.7 billion in 2005.

And yet, compared to the rest of the 10-member Asean, the country is a laggard in terms of FDI. Its closest neighbors are Thailand and Indonesia with FDIs reaching 2.3 percent of their GDP.

The smaller Asean countries such as Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam were the leaders in terms of attracting FDIs with 9.4 percent, 8.7 percent and 6.1 percent of GDP being accounted for by FDIs, respectively.

This situation has led the Philippines to extend so many concessions over the years in the hope

that foreign businesses would be more attracted to invest in the country and to stay and give Filipinos decent employment.

The DOF said these “deal sweeteners” are enshrined in 123 laws and even 192 noninvestment tax incentives. These incentives have been in existence for Continued on A2

Entry of 5 TNCs can’t nudge Grab from granite throne

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By Lorenz S. Marasigan

OMPETITION is always seen as good for the market, as this drives prices down and service levels up, but without capitalizing on existing market forces, new entrants will only see themselves on the fringe and not on the battlefield. mission Commissioner Stella Luz A. Quimbo said new transport network companies (TNCs) should grab the opportunity of the network effects to ensure the viability of their businesses.

“How the market would look like with new providers depends on how quickly the new players can take advantage of network effects, particularly how well they are able to get drivers on board so that riders are willing to try them out,” she told the BusinessMirror.

A market study conducted by research firm Statista showed about 2.96 million users of ridehailing apps in the Philippines.

This is expected to increase this year to 3.5 million and balloon to 5.4 million by 2022.

Current supply shows there are more or less 35,000 private cars in

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.5330

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This is particularly true for the ride-hailing market in the Philippines, where virtually, the sector is dominated by one single player who, by chance and by choice, achieved its status by buying out its only competitor.

Grab, a ride-booking application that originated from Malaysia and is now headquartered in Singapore, continues to enjoy the lion’s share of the market, even after new players began servicing local commuters.

It may take some time before new entrants—five of them—gain traction, as their services were just recently launched after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) awarded them their franchises last month.

Philippine Competition Com-

QUIMBO: “How the market would look like with new providers depends on how quickly the new players can take advantage of network effects, particularly how well they are able to get drivers on board so that riders are willing to try them out.”

the system—at least for Grab. The regulator has allowed the supply of transport network-vehicle services (TNVS) providers—or drivers enrolled in a TNC—to be capped at 66,750 units from 45,700 units

previously.

Broken down, the new allocations are as follows: 65,000 for Metro Manila (from 45,000); 2,500 for Cebu (from 500); and 250 for Pampanga (from 200).

LTFRB Director Aileen B. Lizada said these figures are subject for review every three months. This was first implemented in February.

Grab Philippines Country Head Brian Cu has repeatedly

claimed there is a gap between supply and demand in the ride-hailing market, as the company receives about 600,000 passenger booking requests each day with only 35,000 vehicles to serve them.

These days, booking for a ride—according to consumers— has been harder than ever. One user even claimed she had to wait for an hour and a half before a driver accepted her request for a 4-kilometer ride.

“With more riders, even more drivers are attracted to the platform, and so on,” Quimbo said.

Network effect, she explained, is an event when “as more consumers, in this case, drivers, join one side of the market, the platform becomes more attractive for consumers/passengers on the other side.”

There are five new TNCs in the market today, namely, Hype, Hirna, Owto, Golag and Micab.

Hype, which will offer five products, is set to launch on June 10. It allows users to book for a taxi, a pooled ride, a sedan, an Asian utility vehicle that is suitable for six persons, and a sportutility vehicle for a more premium ride. It promises riders to as much as 30-percent savings in rides versus Grab, while providing a “fair” Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4809 n UK 70.3049 n HK 6.6941 n CHINA 8.2379 n SINGAPORE 39.2330 n AUSTRALIA 39.7885 n EU 61.5687 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.0077

Source: BSP (May 25, 2018 )

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‘BOTTOM FEEDER’ Continued from A1

the past 50 years.

“We have been granting incentives for 50 years and I think it is high time that we revisit and see if they are coming back in the form of better jobs and welfare for our people,” Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said in the first hearing on the second package of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP).

Lost revenues, perks ‘forever’

THE 123 investment-led fiscal incentives have protected many firms across at least 25 major industries.

There are also incentives extended for various sectors under the Board of Investments (BOI); enshrined in the Local Government Code of 1991; the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC); and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

The most number of incentives are given to communication and postal services with as much as 42 investment-led fiscal incentives followed by a far second, the energy/oil industry with 14 fiscal incentives.

Other industries that have more than two fiscal incentives are agrarian reform/agriculture, 8 incentives; games and amusement and banks/financial industry, 5 incentives each; air transport services and BOI-registered firms, 4 incentives each; and environment/ pollution control and shipping industry, 3 incentives each.

“Many of them are in communication through franchises which grants 2, 3 or 5 percent in lieu of all taxes, to the energy sector, to the economic zones, and so on,” Chua said.

Further, compared to Asean, the country grants longer-term incentives to investors. Some of these incentives are given forever.

Singapore, the pack leader in Asia in terms of Net FDI flows at $61.6 billion, grants the shortest income-tax holiday at only three short years. An emerging powerhouse in the Asean, Vietnam, grants an income-tax holiday of only two to four years.

Thailand and Cambodia extend fixed income-tax holidays of eight years and nine years. Malaysia grants a five-year income-tax holiday which can be extended for another five years, while Myanmar grants an income-tax holiday of

five to seven years.

Chua said, however, that in the Philippines, income-tax holidays can last for four years and extended to as long as eight years.

Further, the country allows Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) locators to pay only a tax of 5 percent of gross income earned (GIE) in lieu of all taxes and this lasts forever.

Firms in the country also receive other tax perks such as tax investment allowances, higher deductions for research and development, training, labor, etc.; accelerated depreciation; net operating loss carryover; customs duty exemption; and export subsidies.

Currently, there are 13 firms receiving incentives as long as 26 to 29 years; 131 firms getting incentives for 21 to 25 years; and 510 firms getting incentives for 15 to 20 years.

As a result, Chua said granting tax incentives has cost the country some P301 billion in lost revenues.

This estimate is a conservative one that does not yet account for the leakage in taxes as well as local business taxes.

The biggest bulk of these lost revenues are due to import VAT (gross) losses worth P159.8 billion.

This is followed by income taxes, P86.3 billion; local VAT (gross), P37 billion; and customs duties, P18.1 billion.

After the passage of the Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act (Timta) in 2015, the government lost P104.4 billion in income-tax holidays worth P86.3 billion and customs duties worth P18.1 billion.

Largest losses in Peza

THE largest losses because of tax incentives were reported by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) with P66.6 billion and the Board of Investments (BOI) with P29.4 billion.

The main beneficiaries of these tax perks are mostly manufacturing firms or those engaged in the production of industrial goods, machines, electronics and electrical products, among others, as well as call center and/or business-process outsourcing (BPO) firms.

Total tax expenditure on income and duty granted to manufacturing reached P30.8 billion while for BPOs, it reached P14 bil-

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OMPARED to other Asean countries, the PHL grants longer-term—some are forever—incentives to investors. The perks have cost the country some P301B in lost revenue, a conservative one that does not yet account for the leakage in taxes.

—Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua

lion in 2015.

“We have to rationalize the incentives. Now the details are something we can discuss if there’s a better suggestion, how long, what rate, what industry so that is really the meat of the form,” Chua recently told reporters.

The proposal

THE rationalization of fiscal incentives, under the proposal of TRAIN 2, also includes the creation of the Fiscal Incentives Regulatory Board (FIRB), which will be headed by the Finance Secretary, and will approve incentives moving forward.

The primary criteria proposed by the DOF in granting tax incentives include performance-based indicators such as actual investment, job creation, exports, country- side development, and research and development.

The criteria also include granting only targeted incentives to minimize leakages and distortions; ensuring they are time-bound; and transparency, which means these are regularly monitored by the government.

Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said that for every P1 tax incentive that BOI grants, the country generates P2.3 additional tax during the period of incometax holiday (ITH) availment. But as BOI incentives are time-bound, the taxes being paid continue for every year of the whole life of the project—even after the ITH availment period.

Lopez said projecting over a 10-year period using 2015 data, total ITH is estimated to amount to P52 billion, while additional tax revenues will be P300 billion—or a P6 additional tax revenue for every P1 of tax incentive granted.

“Some of the incentives granted, however, were entirely unnecessary given the inherent attractiveness of our market size, our natural and human advantages and our

freshly gained competitiveness.

Whatever incentives are granted should be performance-based, tightly targeted, time-bound and transparent,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said in his opening statement.

Lower corporate income tax

UNDER TRAIN 2, the DOF proposes to lower the CIT rate to 25 percent by 2022 from the current 30 percent while expanding the tax base by 0.75 percent of GDP. Th DOF said that by January 1, 2020, the CIT rate will decline by a percentage point for every 0.15-percent reduction of investment tax incentives two years prior.

In terms of incentives, the DOF has a longer list of proposed reforms. Apart from those mentioned above, these include the creation of a single menu of incentives applicable to all Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs).

The country has 10 IPAs— Peza, BOI, Clark Development Corp. (CDC), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (Afab), Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), Poro Point Management Corporation (PPMC), Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority (ZCSEZA), and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

The DOF also proposes: • banning the double registration of activities; • granting income-tax incentives only to new investments and not expansions; • limiting expansions only to availment of customs duty exemptions; • defining exporters as those who have at least 90 percent of their sales shipped abroad; • one-year relocation for firms

moving out of Metro Manila; and • higher incentives for those locating to lagging regions, among others.

Impact on jobs, welfare

ECONOMISTS believe rationalizing incentives and passing the second package of the CTRP will help level the playing field for both Filipino and foreign firms.

Former Finance Undersecretary Romeo Bernardo told the BusinessMirror that lower corporate tax rates will benefit small, medium enterprises (SMEs) the most because they comprise the majority of the country’s firms.

Bernardo also said those who enjoy incentives also comprise a small portion of the firms in the country and many of them are already established corporations.

“It is not pro rich. Ninety-five percent of firms, mostly SMEs, pay the regular corporate income tax rate of 30 percent. That is the highest rate in Asean and among our competitors. Larger, richer companies who enjoy incentives pay around 6 to 13 percent. We need to make the system more equitable, especially for SMEs, and investors who take risks for the good of the country,” Bernardo said.

Nonprofit think tank Action for Economic Reform (AER) said incentives were also mainly enjoyed by a few firms and do not need incentives to invest in the Philippines. These firms are involved in the aviation, mining, housing and gambling industries.

However, Lopez stressed that rationalizing tax incentives does not mean that the country will no longer grant tax perks.

Lopez said this will be done with the crafting of the Strategic Investment Priorities Plan (SIPP) which will be crafted by the Board of Investments and recommended to the President.

He said the SIPP will state the preferred areas of investment

activities which will be identified by the BOI after interagency and stakeholder consultations.

AER said firms who are qualified under the SIPP will still be able to avail themselves of incentives while those firms with current incentives will enjoy a transition period if they are not qualified to apply for new incentives.

“Incentives are not being removed. They will be retained for those who create good jobs, develop the countryside, and/or integrate new technology. Second, the reform is designed to encourage and support companies to create jobs where they are needed most,” Bernardo said.

AER also said the proposed bills in the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means specifically provide double tax deductions for firms that invest in training current workers to upgrade their skills and in hiring new marginal labor on an annual basis.

This means, AER said, more Filipinos can look forward to finding regular employment once the government modernizes the fiscal incentives it currently gives to firms and investors in priority sectors that are needed by the economy.

“The government’s push to reform the fiscal incentive regime will encourage businesses to hire more people and upgrade the skills of existing workers by building backward and forward industry linkage as among the criteria to qualify for fiscal incentives,” said Jo-Ann Diosana, senior economist at AER. “The rationalization actually intends to have a clear set of criteria as a condition to receiving incentives and one of the criteria is the generation of full-time, regular employment,” she added.

The first hearing on the second package of the CTRP last week left more questions than answers. Tax incentives and the decline in corporate income-tax rates are not the only aspects of the bill that are crucial in the discussions.

But succeeding hearings and deeper discussions, which even the President’s economic team admits are necessary, would greatly benefit the new bill. One can only hope that all these proposals can finally take the Philippines out of the bottom of the pack when it comes to FDIs while ensuring that the jobs and welfare of Filipinos will not be jeopardized in the end.

Entry of 5 TNCs can’t nudge Grab from granite throne Continued from A1

revenue share with its peers.

Hirna is a taxi-hailing app developed in Davao Ciy. It is currently available in the area, and “will soon expand to reach the whole Philippines.” It is set to launch services in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City next month.

Owto offers riders with a choice of hatchbacks, sedans, subcompacts and seven-seater cars. It is currently available in Metro Manila, Camanava, Bulacan, Rizal and Cavite.

Go Lag is a private car-hailing app that will operate in Laguna, Metro Manila, Bulacan and Rizal.

It vowed to have lower fares versus its competitors.

And lastly, Micab is a Cebubased ride-hailing platform that offers taxi services in Metro Manila, Cebu and Iloilo. It will offer its services in Davao “very soon.”

Quimbo explained that the entry of these players could result in better services and more affordable prices.

Fares for private car rides are typically computed using the socalled dynamic pricing scheme which, in a nutshell, takes into account the supply-demand ratio.

Companies may put in “surge prices” in areas where there is huge demand. It is currently capped at double.

So, if a commuter tries to book for a ride in an area with a lot of drivers and fewer riders, he may be able to book for a more affordable ride. However, if he is in an area with fewer drivers and a lot of riders, he may have to pay more than the original price.

The system also takes into account factors such as the length of the ride in kilometers and hours.

“With more players viably competing—e.g., taking advantage of network effects—prices should be lower and services should improve, for example, in terms of availability and rider incentives,” she said.

But without taking advantage of these network effects, new entrants will only see themselves “competing” on the sidelines, and not on the actual field.

“If a monopoly situation will arise, it will likely be a situation with a dominant firm and some small competitors on the fringe,” Quimbo said.

The new players came just in time—by a strike of coincidence, for the sake of argument—when Grab acquired its only competitor, Uber, at least in its Southeast Asian operations.

Uber sold its Southeast Asian operations last March, raising funds to expand in the US.

Grab signed last month a contract with Uber for the acquisition

of its Asean assets, including operations in the Philippines.

This prompted the PCC to conduct a motu propio review on the matter, as this might pose a threat on the market by giving Grab a “virtual monopoly.”

Initially, the competition watchdog ordered Uber to continue its operations in the Philippines until after the regulator finishes its evaluation of the offer.

Heated discussions ensued during meetings between the regulator and the two other parties, but in the end, Uber retaliated, saying that it no longer has money flowing into Southeast Asia, thus operating in the Philippines would be impossible.

“The review by the mergers office is ongoing. Data collection and rigorous analysis are being conducted. Testimonies from the public are being collated,” Quimbo said.

Normally, a motu propio review—an evaluation set by the agency itself—has two phases.

The first phase of review can go up to 75 days. The second phase can go for as much as 120 days. Hence, the review can take up to 195 days.

But due to the nature of the deal, the regulator intends to fasttrack the review, which can be done if parties involved in the evaluation will be cooperative in producing documents required by the an-

titrust body.

It will also evaluate how well the parties followed the interim measures set by the regulator. Penalties and fines may be imposed if parties failed to follow the government-issued orders.

“The commission is also evaluating compliance with interim measures,” Quimbo said.

Despite all the hullabaloo in the market, Grab Philippines Country Marketing Head Cindy Toh vowed to up the ante of its services offered in the country, saying it is now implementing a 100-day program to improve driver behavior and welfare, provide better ride experience, and upgrade customer support.

“We are directly addressing rider complaints on booking cancellations, driver behavior and pricing, and will make our drivers undergo intensive transformation programs to make them models of road courtesy and public service,” she said.

Grab was a hot item in headlines of late, as a slew of complaints online surfaced after its acquisition of Uber. Riders complained of rude drivers, overpricing, and mediocre services.

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Sunday, May 27, 2018

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It took 11 years, 23 survey cruises over ‘blank canvas’ for scientists to win case for PHL Rise

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ANILA—Did you know that the country’s first validated claim under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), or the additional 118-nautical-mile extended continental shelf (ECS) of the Philippines Rise took more than a decade for the country to hold?

The stor y of the countr y’s claim on Philippine Rise, known as Benham Rise, began with a workshop in 2001 to assist the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’s (DENR) National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (Namria) on the implementation of then freshly ratified Unclos.

Namria Deputy Administrator Efren Carandang told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that the plateau, much more the potential

ECS, during those times was a relatively unknown area of the Pacific Ocean east of Luzon, “a blank canvas.”

From 2004 to 2010, Namr ia conducted a tota l of 23 sur vey cr uises in t he area, where it was able to d iscover sadd les or connection in t he natura l prolongation of Lu zon.

Carandang shared that experts who were studying the area back then warned Namria the survey may be a lost cause.

“Sabi nila wala [nang makikita] because of the Philippine

trench. What Namria did is to survey every corner in the seabed,” he said. “Then we saw a saddle— a connection. It was deep, but it was a connection. At the Palanan saddle, it was the same, we established there was a connection.”

“So dati para lang siyang blank canvas, you can’t imagine how it looked. It’s through our surveys that we were able to figure out the configuration of Benham Rise.”

The Philippine Rise region, comprised of the 200-nauticalmile continental shelf from the baselines of Luzon, extends 118 NM beyond the legal continental shelf limits.

Its main body is like a plateau with its broad crest and steep slopes toward the deep ocean floor of the West Philippine Basin. Meanwhile, it’s comprised of the Namria-discovered Palanan saddle and the Bicol saddle.

It has also two prominent spurs: the Narra Spur in the northeast and the Molave Spur in the southeast.

Submission on Benham Rise

After establishing the connection on the natural promulgation of Luzon, the next step was

to mark the ECS. To claim this, the Philippines had to make its Submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), the deadline of which was on May 13, 2009.

A few months after it made the submission, on April 8, 2009, the country made its first presentation to the CLCS en banc on August 15, 2009.

According to a Benham R ise primer written by Carandang and Dr. Jay Batongbacal, the Ph i l ippi ne present at ion, led

by A mbassador Miner va Fa lcon, concluded the meeting on a “ver y optimistic note.”

At first, the team thought the Philippines would have to wait five more years before the CLCS would begin its consideration on the Submission. To their elation, a notification in January 2011 came saying the CLCS Subcommission had began validating the claim, and that it had already sent technical questions.

From the period of August 2011 to April 2012, the Philippines engaged the CLCS Subcommission for Benham Rise with several meetings. At least eight written responses and six presentations

from the Philippine delegation were submitted. The Subcommission provided four written responses and four presentations.

On April 12, 2012, the Philippine delegation made its final presentation to the CLCS en banc, which subsequently deliberated on the Philippine Submission.

It was on the same day that the CLCS of the United Nations confirmed that Philippine Rise is part of the country’s continental shelf and the ECS. According to the primer, the outer limits of the ECS now, as established on the basis of the CLCS recommendations, are defined by 226 points, covering a seabed area of 135,506 square kilometers.

Through the process of validating the claims, Carandang shared that the challenging part was really collecting a substantial amount of data to craft a solid submission.

“We had to collect a lot of data, before it was like a blank canvass, we didn’t have an idea what is the configuration of the area so we really had to do a very detailed study,” he said. “We had to prove there was no cut, that there is a connection.”

“We’re happy that when we faced the CLCS, while there were many questions, all were answered satisfactorily.”

On April 12, 2012, the UN, through recommendations of the CLCS, awarded the ECS to the Philippines.

On May 16, 2017, President Duterte signed Executive Order 25 renaming Benham Rise to Philippine Rise.

Six years since the region fell under the Philippine maritime jurisdiction, on May 16 this year, experts and government officials led an expedition to visit the area off Aurora province.

“We are visiting it now to mark the first anniversary of [Philippine] Rise. On this occasion, we are deploying 70 scientists aboard three research ships of the Navy, DENR and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

We will also deploy the two biggest ships of the Philippine Navy and several others from Philippine Coast Guard, BFAR and Philippine National Police. Air assets will also be patrolling the area,” National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said in an earlier interview. PNA

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Sunday, May 27, 2018

The World BusinessMirror

Saudi Arabia, Russia discuss scaling back global oil cuts

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AUDI Arabia and Russia, the oil producers who led the effort to shrink a global glut, said they are discussing easing output curbs for the first time.

While scaling back the supply caps is “on the table,” no decision has been made, Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said in an interview early Friday morning in Saint Petersburg.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and its partners will discuss in June loosening the curbs that began in 2017, Russian counterpart Alexander Novak said at the same interview after a meeting between the two officials.

Speculation is swirling over when a nd by how muc h t he producers will scale back cuts after they eliminated an inventory surplus that had sparked a price crash about four years ago.

Market uncertainty has risen fol low i ng rene wed US s a nctions on Iran that may curb the Islamic Republic’s exports, and as economic turmoil in Venezuela drives a collapse of the Opec member’s oil industry. Crude’s rebound is also spurring concern that demand may falter.

Russia and Saudi Arabia share a common view on “consuming countries’ anxiety and concerns over potential supply shortages,” Al-Falih said. “We will ensure that the market remains in its trajectory toward rebalancing but, at the same time, we will not overcorrect.” The two nations will meet at least two more times before Opec and its partners gather in Vienna next month, he said.

While Saudi Arabia has shown a desire for higher prices to bankroll domestic economic reforms and underpin the valuation of its state oil company in a planned initial public offering, the top Opec member and its allies are facing pressure from consuming nations, as well as crude producing companies.

Indian Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said earlier this month he expressed concern about rising crude and its impact on consumers to Al-Falih. He added that the Saudi energy minister

had assured him that the Middle East nation and other producers would ensure that adequate supplies are available and that prices remain reasonable. In developing countries from Brazil to the Philippines, drivers are complaining about high fuel costs.

In Russia some of the largest oi l pro duce r s c a l le d for more f lexibilit y after almost 17 months of output curbs. The cuts have achieved their goal and crude prices near $80 a barrel are high enough, according to the bosses of Lukoil PJSC and Gazprom Neft PJSC. Novak said that he will hold talks with the nation’s crude producers next week or the week after to discuss the deal with Opec.

“Earlier we said that we will monitor the market situation, now we can say that we are looking into the issue” of a smooth recovery in output to meet growing demand, Novak said in the interview on Friday. He added that he and Al-Falih discussed prices and the market situation, including Venezuelan production and risks related to Iran.

The Saudi minister said he’ll meet Novak again in Moscow on June 14, adding that another meeting between the two is possible before that.

In Washington Democrats are using high gasoline prices, approaching $3 a gallon for the first

time since 2014, as a political tool, accusing the White House of not doing enough to shield consumers.

Recent price gains have been d r iven b y A mer ic a n ac t ion s suc h as President Dona ld J. Trump’s withdrawal from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that had eased sanctions on the Persian Gulf state in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Earlier this month, A l-Falih and United Arab Emirates Energ y Minister Suhail A l Mazrouei said recent moves in oil prices have been driven by geopolitics and that global supply remains ample.

Additionally, record production in the US, which is not part of the deal among global producers to cut output, is a key issue that’s complicating strategy for Opec and its allies.

Brent crude, the benchmark for more than half the world’s oil, was down 0.4 percent at $78.49 a barrel at 7:31 a.m. in London. Earlier this month, prices had traded above $80 a barrel for the first time since November 2014. US West Texas Intermediate futures were at $70.49 a barrel in New York. “ We w i l l b e co ord i n at i n g closely, monitoring the market almost on a daily basis,” Al-Falih said on Friday. “We’ll consult with other countries. Each of them has a voice and their voices matter to us.” Bloomberg News

Trump pardons late boxer Jack Johnson a century later

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ASHINGTON—President Donald J. Trump has granted a rare posthumous pardon to boxing’s first black heav y weight champion, clearing Jack Johnson’s name more than 100 years after what many see as his racially charged conviction.

“I am taking this very righteous step, I believe, to correct a wrong that occurred in our history and to honor a truly legendary boxing champion,” Trump said on Thursday during an Oval Office ceremony. He was joined by WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, retired heavyweight titleholder Lennox Lewis and actor Sylvester Stallone, whom Trump credited with championing the pardon.

Trump said Johnson had served 10 months in prison “for what many view as a racially motivated injustice.”

“It’s my honor to do it. It’s about time,” the president said.

Johnson, a prominent athlete who crossed over into popular culture decades ago with biographies, dramas and documentaries, was convicted in 1913 by an all-white jury for violating the Mann Act for traveling with his white girlfriend.

That law made it illegal to transport women across state lines for “immoral” purposes.”

Trump had tweeted in late April that Stallone, a longtime friend, had brought Johnson’s story to his attention in a phone call.

“His trials and tribulations were great, his life complex and controversial. Others have looked at this over the years, most thought it would be done, but yes, I am considering a Full Pardon!”

Trump wrote then.

The Oval Office ceremony was a celebratory scene, bringing together boxing greats past, present and fictional. The guests brought with them a colorful boxing championship belt, which sat front and center on the president’s Resolute Desk as he spoke. At one point, Trump jokingly asked Lewis whether he could “take Deontay in a fight” if he really started working out.

IN this February 10, 1943, file photo, former boxer Jack Johnson looks through a scrapbook of newspaper clippings in Los Angeles. President Donald J. Trump on Thursday, May 24, 2018, granted a rare posthumous pardon to boxing’s first black heavyweight champion, clearing Jack Johnson’s name more than 100 years after a racially-charged conviction. AP/John T. Burns, File

Lewis said Johnson had been an inspiration to him personally, while Stallone said Johnson had served as the basis of the character Apollo Creed in his Rocky films.

“This has been a long time coming,” he said.

Trump has a personal history with the sport, and hosted matches in the 1990s at his hotels.

After Johnson’s conviction, he spent seven years as a fugitive, but eventually returned to the US and turned himself in. He served about a year in federal prison and was released in 1921. He died in 1946 in an auto crash.

His great-great niece, Linda E. Haywood, had pressed Trump for a posthumous pardon, and Sen. John McCain, Republican-Arizona, and former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, DemocratNevada, had promoted Johnson’s case for years.

The son of former slaves, John-

son defeated Tommy Burns for the heavyweight title in 1908 at a time when blacks and whites rarely entered the same ring. He then beat a series of “great white hopes,” culminating in 1910 with the undefeated former champion, James J. Jeffries.

McCain previously told The Associated Press that Johnson “was a boxing legend and pioneer whose career and reputation were ruined by a racially charged conviction more than a century ago.”

McCain, who is often at odds with Trump, praised him late Thursday for the pardon.

“I applaud President Trump for issuing a posthumous pardon of boxing legend Jack Johnson, whose reputation was ruined by a racially charged conviction over a century ago,” he said in a tweet.

“For years, Congress has overwhelmingly supported legislation calling on multiple US presidents

to right this historical wrong and restore this great athlete’s legacy.

President Trump’s action today finally closes a shameful chapter in our nation’s history and marks a milestone that the American people can and should be proud of.”

Haywood, who joined Trump in the Oval Office, said her greatgreat uncle’s conviction had led her family members to live in shame of his legacy. “For so long, my family was deeply ashamed that my uncle went to prison,” she told Trump, adding that she didn’t find they were related until she was 12 years old.

“By this pardon being issued, that would help to rewrite history and erase the shame and the humiliation that my family felt for my uncle, a great hero,” she said.

Posthumous pardons are rare, but not unprecedented.

President Bill Clinton pardoned Henry O. Flipper, the first AfricanAmerican officer to lead the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Regiment during the Civil War. President George W. Bush pardoned Charles Winters, an American volunteer in the Arab-Israeli War convicted of violating the US Neutrality Acts in 1949.

Haywood had wanted Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president, to pardon Johnson, but Justice Department policy says “processing posthumous pardon petitions is grounded in the belief that the time of the officials involved in the clemency process is better spent on the pardon and commutation requests of living persons.”

The Justice Department makes decisions on potential pardons through an application process and typically makes recommendations to the president. The Justice Department’s general policy is to not accept applications for posthumous pardons for federal convictions, according to the department’s web site. But Trump has shown a willingness to work around the DOJ process in the past. AP

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Trump levies would hit other Asia economies harder than China’s

O

THER Asian economies would suffer more than China’s if Donald Trump does deliver on his threats to slap $150 billion of tariffs on shipments from the world’s biggest trading nation.

That’s according to Bloomberg economists Fielding Chen and Tom Orlik, who estimate that for every 10-percent drop in China’s exports, the gross domestic product growth rate of Asian economies would fall 1.1 percentage points on average.

China’s would decrease by just 0.3 percentage point.

While such a drop in shipments by the world’s biggest trading nation is an extreme scenario, it’s not an impossible one if Trump delivers on his tariffs threat, they said in a note on Friday.

Other Asian economies would be hit hard if China exports fall 10 percent and it scales back imports of components. Taiwan, Malaysia and South Korea would suffer most, with GDP growth down 1.9 percentage points, 1.3 percentage points, and 0.9 percentage point, respectively, the

economists estimate. Indonesia and India would likely be more resilient because they have more limited manufacturing capacity, they said.

The damage would be compounded should China cut imports for domestic demand. With that factored in, Taiwan, Malaysia and Hong Kong GDP growth would fall 3 percentage points, 2.1 percentage points and 1.8 percentage points, respectively. Japan would see a 0.4-percentage-point drop, a significant blow relative to expectations for GDP expansion fractionally above 1 percent.

China would suffer less than many neighbors because it’s become less dependent on exports.

The impact looks easy to manage given estimates of 6.5 percent growth this year, they said.

The effects on other regions wou ld genera l ly be modest , though Chile, Germany, South Africa, Peru, Russia and Saudi Arabia have higher exposure to China’s demand, they said, citing estimates based on Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data. Bloomberg News

Israel calls on EU to cease funding pro-boycott groups

J

ERUSALEM—Israel called on the European Union (EU) on Friday to halt funding to more than a dozen European and Palestinian non-government organizations (NGOs) that it said promote boycotts against Israel, saying the financial support violates the EU’s stated policy that it opposes boycotts against the Jewish state.

Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry published a report with a list of groups that it said receive EU funding and call for boycotts against Israel. It said some of the groups had links to militant groups while receiving EU money.

The report was the latest salvo by Israel in its fight against a global movement calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions over its treatment of the Palestinians. The movement, known as BDS, has urged businesses, artists and universities to sever ties with Israel and it includes thousands of volunteers around the world.

Supporters of the movement said the tactics are a nonviolent way to promote the Palestinian cause. Israel said the campaign goes beyond fighting its occupation of territory Palestinians claim for their state and often masks a more far-reaching aim to delegitimize or destroy the Jewish state. “ The state of Israel expects the EU to act with full transparency and reveal the scope of its financial aid to organizations that have ties to terror and promote boycotts against Israel,” the report said. “Israel strongly urges the EU to fully implement in practice its declared policy of rejecting boycotts against Israel, and to immediately halt funding to organizations which promote ant i-Israel boycotts and de-legitimization.”

The EU said it hadn’t received any “communication from the government of Israel” on Friday’s report and that the bloc is confident its “financing does not go to support terrorism” or boycott efforts.

“We are, of course, happy to review any relevant information received concerning EU funded activities. Money from the EU budget may only be spent for the purpose for which it was contracted, under strict transparency rules and is subject to extensive monitoring requirements,” the EU statement said.

Israel said the NGOs received a total of €5 million ($5.9 million) in 2016, the last year for which

data was available, according to the ministry report.

It accused some of the NGOs of having links to Palestinian militant groups, listing among others Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), which received more than €1.7 million ($2 million) in 2016 and claiming the group had links to Palestinian militant groups.

The US Justice Department announced in Apr i l that the g roup re ac he d a s e t t le me nt with the United States over accusations that it had provided “training and expert advice or assistance” to the Islamic militant Hamas group that rules the Gaza Strip, as well as other Palestinian militant groups and Iran. As part of the settlement, NPA “admitted to and accepted responsibility for its conduct” and agreed to pay more than $2 million. The US, along with the EU, considers Hamas a terror group. NPA said it wanted to see the list before commenting.

Other groups singled out in Friday’s report included the British organization War on Want, the Dutch anti-war group PA X, as well as a number of Palestinian groups, including PNGO Net, an umbrella organization that works to coordinate Palestinian civil society.

Munjid Abu Jaish of PNGO Net called Friday’s report “another Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and their institutions.”

“We will continue our legal nonviolent struggle according to the international law, regardless of the results, because we believe in this path,” he said.

The call to the EU follows other steps Israel has taken to ratchet up its fight against the boycott movement. Earlier this year, Israel identified 20 activist groups from around the world whose members would be banned from entering the country over their calls to boycott the Jewish state.

For its part, the EU has recommended that its member states put special labels on exports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It has stopped short of banning settlement products, but they do not receive the same tax emptions that products made in Israel receive.

The EU has upheld the free expression rights of its citizens to call for a boycott of Israel but has stressed that the body opposed any boycott of Israel. AP

Science

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BusinessMirror

Sunday

Sunday, May 27, 2018

A5

Scientists and researchers, including DOST-NRCP personnel representing the stars on the Philippine flag, participated in the human flag formation during the singing of the national anthem “Lupang Hinirang” onboard the BRP Davao del Sur deck. With them are members of the Philippine Navy, Department of National Defense and National Security Office, other government agencies and volunteers. Maria Elena A. Talingdan/DOST-NRCP

Scientists, researchers hail Duterte support in exploring Philippine Rise

‘We could find sources for new drugs’

I

t was a proud Filipino moment, especially for Filipino scientists and researchers, when President Duterte, aboard the BRP Davao del Sur on May 15, assured total support to the all-Filipino team of marine scientists and researchers, who will conduct biological investigation and assessment of the vast natural bounties and rich resources of the Philippine Rise.

President Duterte signs Proclamation 489, series of 2018, declaring a portion of the Philippines within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippine Sea, northeastern coast of Luzon Island, as Marine Resource Reserve pursuant to Republic Act 7586, or the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992, to be known as the Philippine Rise Marine Resource Reserve. Maria Elena A. Talingdan/DOST-NRCP

Sc ient ists e x pressed opt imism on new discoveries during the research in the rich vast marine area.

Dr. Doralyn Dalisay, a member the Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOSTNRCP), said in a news interview that the vast resources underneath can be a source of new drugs, new antibiotics, new anticancer compounds, anti-dengue and anti-malaria.

“We could find something new here that we could exploit for drug discovery,” Dalisay, a DOST Balik Scientist and a marine scientist from the University of San Agustin, Iloilo, said in a news release from the DOST-NRCP. She was part of the DOST-NRCP contingent to the Philippine Rise commemoration.

Dalisay is currently conducting a research on marine sediments in the NRCP-funded project, titled “Marine Sediment-Derived Actinobacteria: New Vista for Natural Products Discovered in the Philippines,” a three-year program.

In its first year, Dalisay has already discovered antimicrobial actinobacteria from marine sediments in the islands of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Occidental and Panay, which are essential in discovering new antibiotics.

Dr. Gil Jacinto, representing the University of the PhilippinesMarine Science Institute (UPMSI), said that besides the rich

marine biodiversity, the importance of Philippine Rise is seen in fisheries, oceanography and meteorology. He hoped for the continued support of the government in their research activities.

“Research will not only be done in two years, but decades, for the future generation,” he added. Jacinto is a member of the Division V Biological Sciences of the NRCP.

World-class scientists

In his speech aboard BRP Davao del Sur, Duterte said: “Today, we send off our team of talented and competent Filipino scientists who will undertake the Coordinated National Marine Scientific Research Initiatives and Related Activities in the waters above the Philippine Rise.

“I join the Filipino people in wishing you all the best as you embark on your mission to conduct mapping, surveys, biological investigations and assessment of the coral reef and fisheries stock in the area until November. These activities will be vital [in] the protection and management of the Philippine Rise and its vast resources. I have complete faith in the capabilities of our worldclass scientists and I recognize the need to provide them with the necessary means to fulfill their mandate,” Duterte was quoted by in the DOST-NRCP news release.

The President led the one-year commemoration of the renaming

present and future generations of Filipinos.

“As we send off our experts to explore and discover what our seas have to offer, may we all have a renewed sense of commitment to promote the welfare of our people, safeguard our national interest, [and] assert our sovereign rights over our waters and all other areas within our jurisdiction.”

Oceana: ‘Much-awaited’ move

Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña (in black jacket) poses with government officials, scientists and researchers showing their support for the all-Filipino team that will explore the bounties of Philippine Rise. (From left) Dr. Mari-Ann M. Acedera, director of the Marine Resources Research Division, PCAARRD; Dr. Melvin B. Carlos, deputy executive director for administration, Resource Management and Support Services, PCAARRD; Dr. Richard N. Mualil, MSU Tawi-Tawi; Dr. Fernando P. Siringan, UP-MSI director and academician, National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST); Dr. Perry S. Ong, professor, College of Science, UP Diliman; Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, chancellor, UPLB; Atty. Harry L. Roque Jr., presidential spokesman; Dr. Doralyn S. Dalisay, NRCP; and Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development, UP Diliman. Maria Elena A. Talingdan/DOST-NRCP

of Benham Rise to Philippine Rise under Executive Order 25, which was signed on May 16, 2017.

He d e c l a re d t h at a rou nd “50,000 hectares of the Philippine Rise shall become a Strict Protection Zone limited to scientif ic studies—at this time only Filipinos, while more than [300,000] hectares shall be designated as a Special Fisheries Management Area.”

50 marine scientists and researchers

About 50 marine scientists and researchers from government agencies and universities who will be part of the marine scientific research initiatives were welcomed

by Lt. Gen. Emmanuel B. Salamat, commander of the Northern Luzon Command, while Director General and National Security Adv iser Hermogenes Esperon presented them to Duterte.

The DOST, through its councils—the DOST-NRCP and Philip pi ne C ou nc i l for A g r ic u l ture and Aquatic Resources Research and Development (DOSTPC A A R R D)—was par t of the contingent.

T he ot hers were f rom t he UP-MSI, UP-Los Baños, UP-Visayas, Mindanao State University (MSU) Tawi-Tawi, Ateneo de Manila University, De LaSalle University and University of Santo Tomas.

Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña, one of the honored guests, congratulated the scientists and researchers in the allFilipino team to conduct research in Philippine Rise.

Historic buoy casting, flag marker laying

On the second day of the event, BRP Davao del Sur sailed to the shallowest part of the Philippine Rise bank. Defense Undersecretary Cardozo Luna led the activities and reiterated the ownership of the resource-rich 13-million hectare underwater plateau by the Philippine government.

At the singing of the national anthem with a human flag formation at the BRP Davao del Sur deck, the first buoy was cast, followed by the laying of a flag marker underneath the Philippine Rise.

This was accompanied by the sailing of ships of the Philippine Navy, Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources nearby, as Philippine Air Force FA50 fighter jets also made a fly-by.

Accordingly, this was the single largest coordinated mobilization of the Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force in recent years, possibly its first major operation in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Dr. Clarita Carlos, a member of the NRCP Governing Board and Governmental, Educational

I join the Filipino people in wishing you all the best as you embark on your mission to conduct mapping, surveys, biological investigations and assessment of the coral reef and fisheries stock in the area until November.”—Duterte

and International Policies Division, was also among the honored guest at the event.

DOST-NRCP staff also participated in the two-day activity and were part of the human flag formation, representing the four stars of the Philippine flag. They were Dalisay, Maria Elena A. Talingdan, Beverly Mae de la Cruz and Cecilia Baquireza.

The National Security Council, through Director Renia Corocoto, invited marine scientists who are members of the DOST-NRCP.

Philippine Rise: ‘Atin ito!

[It’s Ours!]’

In 2012 t he United Nat ions awarded the then-Benham Rise, and now Philippine Rise, to the Philippines as an extension of its continental shelf. With the ruling, the country was granted “sovereign rights” over Benham Rise, which means the Philippines has the exclusive rights to explore and exploit resources here.

“Philippine Rise: Atin Ito!” were written in the banners, messages, exhibits and in the minds and hearts of all the scientists, researchers, representatives and volunteers during the two-day event.

Duterte said: “Indeed, these developments would not have been possible without the efforts of our dedicated public servants, scientists and legal experts who worked together to bolster our claim over the Philippine Rise.

“W hen the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved our claim to the Philippine Rise a few years ago, we were not just granted access to the vast resources.

We were also entrusted with the responsibility to protect it from abuse and misuse.

“Let us, therefore, ex plore this [new frontier], fully aware of our responsibility to [properly manage] and conserve its natural resources for the benefit of

Environmental group Oceana Philippines, which has been campaigning for the protection of Philippine Rise, commended the President and government officials and partners from the civil society and private sectors who worked tirelessly to protect the Philippine Rise.

Law yer Gloria Estenzo R amos, vice president of Oceana in the Philippines, said in a news release, “The presidential proclamation is much awaited as it paves the way for the conservation, management and protection of corals, fisheries and the rich biodiversity in the iconic place. It is now subject to the governance structure and requirements under the National Integrated Protected Areas System.”

She added this is much needed to protect fragile marine habitats, address food security and increase the resiliency of our marine ecosystems to the impacts of climate change.

Ramos also noted that the proclamation is highly significant as it has happened this year, which was declared as the International Year of the Reef and the month of May as the Month of the Ocean.

Marianne Pan Saniano, marine scientist for Oceana Philippines, said the protection of the Philippine Rise was achieved through the pooled efforts of government agencies and advocates who supported the urgent call to protect the Philippine Rise, and especially declare the Benham Bank as a strict protection zone.

Oceana and Filipino scientists have been doing research in Philippine Rise.

“When we went to Benham Bank in 2016 with our government scientists, Navy and Coast Guards, we saw terraces of corals, as far as the eye could see. We still have such a vast and pristine coral reef ecosystem within Philippine territory, which we still need to protect,” Saniano said in an Ocean news release.

In 2016 government scientists reported 100-percent coral cover in several sampling sites during an expedition in Benham Bank, and documented diverse species of reef fishes, Oceana said. Scientists said the Philippine Rise is also the spawning site of the Pacific Bluefin tuna, one of the most expensive fish in the world. Lyn Resurreccion

Faith A6 Sunday, May 27, 2018

Sunday

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

LGBT communities cheer Francis’s statement

The Call of Discipleship: ‘Matthew 28:16-20’

Pope: ‘God made you like this’

V

ATICAN CITY—Pope Francis’s reported comments to a gay man that “God made you like this” have been embraced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community as another sign of his desire to make gay people feel welcomed and loved in the Catholic Church.

Juan Carlos Cruz, the main whistle-blower in Chile’s clerical sex-abuse and cover-up scandal, said on Monday he spoke to Francis about his homosexuality during their recent meetings at the Vatican. The pope invited Cruz and other victims of a Chilean predator priest to discuss their cases last month.

Cruz said he told Francis how Chile’s bishops used his sexual orientation as a weapon to try to discredit him, and of the pain the personal attacks had caused him.

“He said, ‘Look Juan Carlos, the pope loves you this way. God made you like this and He loves you,’” Cruz told The Associated Press.

The Vatican declined to confirm or deny the remarks in keeping with its policy not to comment on the pope’s private conversations.

The comments first were reported

by Spain’s El Pais newspaper.

Church teaching says gays should be respected, loved and not discriminated against, but considers homosexual activity “intrinsically disordered.”

Francis, though, has sought to make the Church more welcoming to gays, most famously with his 2013 comment “W ho am I to judge?”

He also has spoken of his own ministry to gay and transgender people, insisting they are children of God, loved by God and deserving of accompaniment by the church.

As a result, some commentators downplayed the significance of the comments to Cruz, saying they merely were in line with Francis’s pastoral-minded attitude and not in any way a challenge to current doctrine.

“What the pope was saying is, ‘God loves you and made you just as you are, and therefore you should accept yourself as you are while struggling to live according to the Gospel,’” said the Rev. Robert Gahl, a moral theologian at Rome’s Pontifical Holy Cross University.

Whether the pope intended to break ground, there was a time when the Catholic Church taught that sexual orientation was not something people choose.

Pope Francis asperges holy water as he celebrates a Pentecost Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on May 20. AP/Gregorio Borgia

The first edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the dense summary of Catholic teaching published by Saint John Paul II in 1992, said gay individuals “do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial.”

The updated edition, which is the only ed ition avai lable online and on the Vatican web site, removed the reference. The revised edition says: “ This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial.”

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for equality for LGBT Catholics, said the pope’s comments were “tremendous” and would do a lot of good.

“It would do a lot better if he would make these statements publicly, because LGBT people need to

He said, ‘Look Juan Carlos, the pope loves you this way. God made you like this and He loves you.’”

—Cruz

hear that message from religious leaders, from Catholic leaders,” he said.

Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit whose book Building a Bridge called for the Church to find new pastora l ways of ministering to gays, noted that the pope’s comments were in a private conversation, not a public pronouncement or document.

But Martin said they were nevertheless significant, particularly given the original version of the Catechism.

“The pope is saying what every reputable biologist and psychologist will tell you, which is that people do not choose their sexual orientation,” Martin said in a telephone interview.

A great failing of the church, he said, is that many Catholics have been reluctant to say so, which then “makes people feel guilty about something they have no control over.”

Martin’s book is being published this week in Italian, with a preface by the Francis-appointed bishop of Bologna, Monsignor Matteo Zuppi, a sign that the message of acceptance is being embraced even in traditionally conservative Italy. AP

France pilgrimage sites aim for Filipino Catholics

F

Story & photo

by Stephanie Tumampos

r a n c e , one of the top tourist destinations in Europe, has received over 90,000 Filipino travelers in 2017 alone. While some went to famous landmarks around Paris, such as the iconic Eiffel Tower, and shopped at the beautiful Galeries Lafayette mall, 80 percent of Filipino tourists went on a religious pilgrimage outside the busy city.

“We started promoting the theme of religious tourism here in the Philippines because France has a lot of assets and destinations for Filipino [pilgrims],” said Morad Tayebi, Asean regional director of Atout France. There are more or less 23 destinations for religious pilgrims in France.

The Northwest side of the country has eight destinations: Paris, Alençon, Lisieux, Abbeys of Normandy, Mont Saint-Michel, Sainte Anne D’Auray, Tours and Chartres.

Starting in Paris as the main entry point of most airlines and after going around the city churches, which inspired movies and plays, such as the Notre-Dame de Paris for the Hunchback of Notre Dame cartoon, pilgrims can travel next to Alençon in Normandy, where one can follow the footsteps of Saint Therese and her parents, Saints Louis and Zélie. Saint Therese was born in the place where the family had lived. Alençon also has notable churches, such as the Church of Notre-Dame.

On to the next stop, in Lisieux, is the second sanctuary in France after Lourdes with 1 million visitors every year.

Filipinos can also enjoy French gastronomy in side tours. Of course, the Norman Abbeys should not to be missed.

The famous Mont Saint Michel, called the “Wonder of the West,” is one of the most important places of pilgrimage of Medieval west, garnering 2 million visitors every year.

Throughout the next stop is the spiritual capital of Brittany with Sainte Anne d’Auray,

Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris, France, a medieval Catholic cathedral, is one of the top pilgrimage sites in the city.

where the relics of Saint John Paul II are stored. Along the way are famous castles of Tours and Saint Martin’s tomb.

On the trip back to Paris is Chartres, where the famous Gothic Cathedral NotreDame de Chartres is found. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It holds a unique light show called Chartres en Lumières from April to October. In the Northeast of France, four unique sites can be visited: Guebwiller, Vézelay, Nevers and Paray-Le-Monial.

This region boasts of beautiful cathedrals and churches like Paray-Le-Monial’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the site of apparitions of Jesus to Saint Marguerite.

Vézelay holds the relics of Maria Magdalene in a crypt. It is one of the starting points of Saint James Way. The pilgrimage place dedicated to Virgin Mary can be visited in the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Thierenbach in Guebwiller.

The place is also known for its Christmas markets. Nevers was where Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the saint of Lourdes, spent her last 13 years. Her body was stored in a glass-window coffin.

The Southwest side of France could be the most popular among Filipino pilgrims. It is where Lourdes is located.

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrating its 160 anniversary this year and devotees are expected to flock there.

Lourdes offers many activities—torch light procession every 9 p.m. from April to October; visit to the Grotto of Apparitions; and a new musical in 2019 about the story of Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the girl who witnessed the apparitions.

The Southeast of France has nine pilgrimage sites: the Notre-Dame de La Salette, Isére, Ars-Sur-Formans, Le Puy-en-Velay, Mende, Montpellier, Palace of the Popes in Avignon, Saint Maximin and Cotignac.

Starting at the cathedral Notre-Dame De La Salette, it could be followed by the Ars-Sur-Formans, which is dedicated to the patron saint of priests, Saint John Vianney.

Le Puy-en-Velay is also the starting route of the Saint James Way in the Auvergne region. In Avignon one can see the Cité des Papes.

In Provence one can visit the Basilica of Saint-Maximin, Saint Baume Basilica, where Maria Magdalena’s relics are kept, and Cotignac, where the apparition of Saint Joseph occurred.

As the Asean regional director for Atout France, Tayebi said there are many agencies in the country that offer packages for the pilgrimage tour. “ This year we’ll definitely reach 100,000 Filipino travelers, even 110,000 or maybe 120,000,” Tayebi said the recent news briefing. In 2017 the number of Filipino tourists visiting Franch increased by 35 percent.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Msgr. Josefino S. Ramirez SUNDAY GOSPEL IN OUR LIFE

W

hen the 11 disciples went to the mountain in Galilee and saw Jesus, they worshipped Him yet had their doubts. It is encouraging to know that they had predispositions about what they were called to do but were willing to overcome it so they may follow Jesus’ orders.

We have all been there or for some, are still in that moment of doubt.

Learning something can do that to us but as we go through the process and gain knowledge and understanding, we somehow forget why we had doubts and fears in the first place.

So if Jesus has called us to “make disciples of all nations,” the first thing we must do is to be a disciple ourselves. God has already chosen us and filled us with the Holy Spirit when we were baptized, and He will always remain in us.

As followers of Christ, we are all called to spread the Word of God as part of His plan for us. We may choose to do it as a profession like the path I have chosen, be a part of community and church projects, teaching your children at home about God and many other initiatives that allow us

to be a great example of the power of God’s love.

It can be any action that aims to encourage those with little faith to seek a connection with God and experience the healing powers of His love. Encouraging nonbelievers to seek a connection and experience God and the healing powers of His love. However way we choose to share our faith, we always do it with love and respect.

As you get up in the morning, strive to ask: “What good [thoughts and actions] will I do today?”

Go through the day learning about God through those around you. Be a living example of God’s love through acts of kindness that reflect your commitment.

And as you prepare for bedtime, find time to ponder on “What good did I do today?”

There will be insurmountable circumstances, doubts and weaknesses along the way that may impede us to ser ve. Keep moving for ward. Always remember that the power of the Holy Spirit dwells in us.

Let us always keep in our hearts these words: “I am with you always, until the end of age.”

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, virgin

By Corazon Damo-Santiago

M

agdalene is an “ecstatic saint.”

She desired a “hidden life,” but her mystical experiences or religious ecstasies lasted for years.

Religious ecstasy, according to Wikipedia, is an altered state of consciousness characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior mental and spiritual consciousness.

The mystics of the Catholic Church consider the “sacraments and mysteries of faith as a point of appui [support or prop] in ecstasies, according to Evelyn Underhill in Mysticism, Part VIII Ecstasy and Rapture.

While others saints are in a state of euphoria during ecstasies, Magdalene felt embarrassed. Once when told by “Jesus to walk barefoot as part of her penance, she simply cut the soles of her shoes so no one would see her different,” according to Saints and Angels Catholic.Org.

Unique profession of vows

Magdalene is the only daughter of Camillo di Geri de Pazzi and Maria Buondelmonti, one of the most distinguished and richest families in Renaissance Florence, Italy.

Born on April 2, 1566, she was christened Caterina, but was called Lucrezia in honor of her paternal grandmother.

At a young age, she was inclined to pray in solitude. She learned how to meditate on the passion of Christ at 9, had her first communion and took a vow of virginity, a month after.

At 14, she was sent to the monastery of nuns, Order of Malta, but later was recalled for marriage to a nobleman.

When she informed her father about her vow of chastity, she was allowed to enter a monastic life.

In 1583 she entered the Carmelite Monastery of Saint Mary of the Angels in Florence, Italy. She became “critically and mystically ill” that her profession of vows on May 27, 1584, was held in a private ceremony while laying on a cot in the chapel. At the end of the rites, she fell into ecstasy that continued for two hours, Placido Fabrini said in The Life and Work of Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi.

The spiritual experience lasted for 40 days of ecstasies and joy, mixed with agonies, which lasted for two hours after the holy communion. Saints and Angels Catholic.Org narrated that Jesus hid Magdalene’s heart and “hid it in His own” and told her He “would not return it until it is wholly pure and filled with pure love.”

As a religious, Magdalene did her daily assignments with great love. She cooked, washed clothes and cared for the sick and the aged with devotion.

When she was mistress of the novices, she did not hesitate to correct them bluntly to grow in spirituality. She practiced the most difficult penance—pretending to like what she didn’t.

With a strong common sense and

ability to read minds, she was loved for her “intense charity” which balanced her strict code of conduct.

In 1585 her ecstasies became frequent that a nun recorded: “We can hardly find a free moment to speak to her, as she is constantly in a state of elevation of mind,” said in the Carmelites.info.museum.

Lion’s den

In The Probation, Magdalene wrote of interior purification—“her spouse, the Word, takes away the sentiment of grace”— when she was 19 years old.

Like Daniel, who was left in a lion’s den amid unimaginable trials and temptations, she ought to overcome through prayers and penance the ordeals from June 16, 1585, Trinity Sunday to June 10, 1590, Feast of The Pentecost.

Jesus, in a feed forward of what she would experience, said: “I will take away not the grace but the feeling of grace.

Though I would seem to leave you, I will be closer to you,” according to Saints and Angels, Catholic.org.

Within these five years, the joy she felt in God’s presence was gone. She described her heart as a “pitch-black room” with a thin light that made the darkness so distinct.

“Severely tested against chastity,” she also had doubts about her vocation and was tempted to leave the monastery and commit suicide.

Although the Council of Trent was concluded in 1563 during the reign of Pope Pius IV, the church was still struggling to fully implement the “doctrinal statements” due to internal and external challenges (Joachim Smet O. Carm, The Carmelites.

Post Tridentino Period 1550-1600).

From July 25 to September 4, 1856, she wrote on the urgent need for the renewal of the church and religious.”

At the cusp of death

In 1904 Magdalene suffered from violent headaches, fever, coughing spells and was paralyzed. Her nerves were so sensitive that they could not be touched without agonizing pain.

“To suffer and not to die,” was attributed for her endurance, resignation and expression of total surrender to the will of God. The Anointing of the Sick was administered on her on May 13, 1607. On May 25 she died with the words Benedictus Deus (Blessed Be God) on her lips. She was 41.

Following her death, 41 miracles happened to people who visited her grave. A year after, her incorrupt body was transferred to the cloister. She was beatified in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII and canonized on April 28, 1669, by Pope Clement IX. Her feast day is May 25.

Damo-Santiago is a former regional director of the Depar tment of Education National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris Collegium in Calauan, Laguna, and of Mater Redemptoris College in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.

Sports BusinessMirror

Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Sunday, May 27, 2018

A7

ONE LAST SHOT AT CUP GLORY

M

ADRID—The elegance and precise passes of Andres Iniesta. The personality and stout defense of Sergio Ramos. The intelligence and scoring touch of David Silva.

It will all be on display at the World Cup, but most likely for the last time.

The remaining members of Spain’s golden generation, who helped La Roja go on a dominant run that began nearly a decade ago, are set to make one final appearance at soccer’s showcase event in Russia.

“It’s a generation that remains very much present,” Spain Coach Julen Lopetegui said. “It remains undoubtedly present.

These players are still contributing with their experience and their desire to succeed, because this desire doesn’t go away with age, I’m certain of that.”

Iniesta, Ramos and Silva were integral components when Spain won the 2008 European Championship to begin its domination of world soccer. The only other member of that squad who is also likely going to Russia is Pepe Reina, a reserve goalkeeper then and now.

Two years after that title-winning run in Austria and Switzerland, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets were added to the squad that gave Spain the title at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. All of them were in the team that repeated as European champions in 2012, and they will be there again when this year’s World Cup kicks off next month.

“They are important for us,” Lopetegui said. “They will be sharing their experience with the younger players who are now getting a chance to play in the World Cup.” But it will likely be the last time this group of players are together at a major tournament. Although not all of them have officially announced their retirement from the national team, most have hinted the World Cup will be their last tournament with La Roja, especially Pique and Iniesta.

“If nothing strange happens, this World Cup will be my last participation with the Spanish national team,” said the 34-year-old Iniesta, a symbol of the golden generation that was filled with gifted players and enchanted the world with its “tiki-taka” style of quick passing and ball possession.

Lopetegui said lack of motivation will never be a problem when it comes to veterans like Iniesta.

“He remains in full force,” Lopetegui said. “He remains with the maximum motivation possible to be in the World Cup.” Iniesta, Pique, Ramos, Busquets and Silva are at the core of a team which will be trying to return to Spain its glory days after disappointing eliminations in the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 European Championship. Spain didn’t get past the group stage in the World Cup in Brazil and was eliminated by Italy in the round of 16 at Euro 2016 in France.

Spain’s revamping process began after the last World Cup, when it lost the likes of Raul Albiol, Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso, players who were key to La Roja’s dominant ball-possession style.

The renewing process got under way with Coach Vicente del Bosque and continued with Lopetegui, who took over after Euro 2016 and brought in a group of talented youngsters who have helped Spain reestablish itself as a title contender.

Lopetegui struck the right balance mixing veterans with youngsters such as Francisco Alarcon, Marco Asensio and Thiago Alcantara, leading Spain to an 18-match unbeaten run and comfortably qualifying the team to the World Cup—its 11th straight—in a European qualifying group that included Italy.

“I’m in love with all of my players,” Lopetegui said. “We need each player to contribute all they can to the team because we know we can only win as a group. It’s the only way it can happen.” AP

SPAIN’S Andres Iniesta controls the ball during a training session at the Sports Complex Marcel Gaillard in Saint Martin de Re in France in June 2016. AP

BOYS play during a children’s tournament at the Start Stadium in Saransk, Russia. AP

RUSSIA’S NEXT GENERATION S

By James Ellingworth The Associated Press

ARANSK, Russia—A large white banner hangs above a stand covered in peeled paint flakes and discarded sunflower seeds: “The Best Start Here.”

The Start Stadium in Saransk may not look like much, but it’s the jumping-off point for hundreds of young Russians’ dreams of football stardom.

Few will make it, and the world’s largest country has struggled for years to develop enough world-class players.

Russia stormed to the European Championship semifinals in 2008 but International Football Federation now ranks it 66th, the second-lowest at the World Cup. As Saransk prepares to host World Cup games next month, teams of nineyear-old boys battle it out on the field.

There was a mouthwatering prize for the top 3 teams in last week’s regional tournament—a trip to the national finals on the Black Sea coast, where they can impress scouts and maybe take another step to a professional career.

They’re not short on confidence.

“The World Cup is a huge event for us,” said Alexei Fedyunin, who coached the winning team. His players have been mascots for test games at Saransk’s gleaming World Cup stadium just down the road, and Fedyunin says they’re inspired.

“They went out there holding the players’ hands, their eyes were blazing, they’re happy,” and when Portugal plays Iran in Saransk on June 25 “if they see [Cristiano] Ronaldo, then they’ll be in seventh heaven with happiness.”

Fedyunin’s kids are part of a vast system of state sports schools which churn out thousands of young footballers a year. However, the transition into the pro game is harder than elsewhere in Europe, says Alexander Zotov, the CEO of Russia’s largest players’ union.

“Basically none of the clubs have a long-term strategy” because of chronic financial instability,” Zotov said, so they prefer to sign proven veterans. “The way they’re managed and run is always one-year thinking, or game to game.”

There are many reasons for Russia’s youth soccer woes, Zotov added. Russia’s economic collapse in the 1990s put it far behind major football nations. Some youth coaches favor friends’ children. The punishing travel across eight time zones in the Russian second-tier leaves promising youngsters tired and injury-prone.

Of the 19-strong Russia squad which won the

European under-17 title in 2013, just six played at least 10 games of top-flight club football this season. Of those, one has switched allegiance to Azerbaijan.

The new generation’s standout star is Alexander Golovin, a creative, energetic midfielder who looks guaranteed to start for Russia at the World Cup, but several others from that 2013 team have sunk without trace.

Russia Coach Stanislav Cherchesov has also picked the 20-year-old forward Fyodor Chalov and 22-year-old twins Anton and Alexei Miranchuk for his preliminary World Cup squad, though it appears unlikely they’ll all make the final 23.

Russia’s efforts to help young players sometimes appear to make the situation worse.

The Russian Premier League limits clubs to six foreign players on the field at one time. The idea is to keep spots open for young local talent. It also makes Russian players more valuable, sending their wages and transfer values soaring far beyond what foreign clubs will pay.

Over the last 10 years, an entire generation of Russian players has stayed at home with virtually guaranteed places in their clubs’ starting lineups. Russia was the only country at the 2014 World Cup without a single player who played in a foreign league.

The only two foreign-based players in the 2018 squad, Fenerbahce’s Roman Neustaedter and Villarreal’s Denis Cheryshev, grew up in Germany and Spain, respectively.

Even Zotov, the union official,

says big wage packets breed complacency.

“Some players, I have to say, maybe don’t deserve to earn so much money because it’s bad for them, I would say.

It doesn’t wake you up to fight. It relaxes you,” he said. “We see it in a lot of cases.”

Successive Russian national coaches including Fabio Capello and Leonid Slutsky have urged their players to go abroad and experience new styles, but it’s risky.

Russian players have a reputation for struggling to adapt to life abroad after Andrei Arshavin, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Alexander Kerzhakov’s patchy performances for English and Spanish clubs a decade ago.

Slutsky, who coached Russia from 2015 to 2016, may have failed to persuade talented young Russians to leave home.

However, in a time when Russia often seems better at computer soccer than the real thing, he’s hopeful the World Cup can revitalize Russian football.

“I think we will have a lot of new boys who dream football and exchange their gadgets and iPads to play football,” he told The Associated Press earlier this month.

“I hope the World Cup is a great opportunity not only to show our maximum level as a country, the political situation, but will be a serious motivation for the future.”

A

NN ARBOR, Michigan—Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn play golf and live life differently.

The sisters from Thailand do have the same goal on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, hoping their shot-to-shot focus leads to titles.

The Jutanugarns are two of six women with a shot at the Volvik Championship to become the circuit’s first two-time winner this year. The first round begins on Thursday at Travis Pointe Country Club, a course six winners are skipping to prepare elsewhere for next week’s US Open at Shoal Creek in Alabama.

“Everybody has a chance to win every weekend,” Moriya said. “That’s how hard it is on tour right now.”

Ariya competes with a grip-it-and-rip-it approach, usually hammering a 3-wood off the tee.

Moriya takes a more calculated approach, analyzing each shot patiently.

That’s perhaps fitting because she’s 16 months older than her sister.

“It’s funny because when we think about something, it’s always the different,” she said. “But we pretty much end up with the same idea.”

Off the course, they’re also different.

The 22-year-old Ariya appears careful and guarded when having conversations with people she doesn’t know well. The 23-year-old Moriya, meanwhile, enjoys engaging in interesting discussions with those who cross her path.

Their mother, Narumon, was with her daughters on Wednesday and the three of them always stay together as a family. They don’t cook during tournament weeks and opt to

Ariya Jutanugarn competes with a grip-it-and-rip-it approach, usually hammering a 3-wood off the tee, while Moriya takes a more calculated approach, analyzing each shot patiently. AP

Jutanugarn sisters shoot for same goal differently in LPGA eat out, searching for good places like the sushi restaurant they’ve discovered near Travis Pointe.

Their father, Somboon, does not watch them play in person. They sisters say he has retired from owning a golf shop in Thailand.

“He doesn’t travel anymore,” Moriya Jutanugarn said.

Even if he is relegating to watching from the other side of the world, Somboon Jutanugarn must be proud of the way his daughters are playing.

Ariya became the first Thai winner in LPGA Tour history in 2016, the same year she went on to win the inaugural Volvik Championship. She earned her eighth career victory last week in Virginia and is one of two players, along with Brooke Henderson, to have LPGA victories this year and the previous two years.

Moriya won for the first time in six years on the circuit last month in Los Angeles, joining Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam as the two pairs of sisters to have LPGA Tour victories.

On the money list, Ariya is No. 1 and her sister is third.

In terms of playing regularly, no one is ahead of them.

Ariya is the only LPGA player to start and make the cut in all 12 events this year. Moriya Jutanugarn has also appeared in each tournament this year and failed to make the cut only once.

Instead of working in breaks to practice without competing or simply relax, they have entered every tournament so far and shrug their shoulders at the feat.

“It’s not that bad, like 10 week in a row,” Moriya said.

The LPGA is hosting an event about 5 miles from Michigan Stadium for a third straight year and hopes to keep coming back even though it doesn’t have a title sponsor secured for 2019. LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan told reporters he’s confident Ann Arbor will be a long-term home for the circuit.

“I can’t tell you the specifics about how we’re going to do that,” Whan acknowledged.

LPGA Tour and tournament officials are hosting some prospective sponsors this week, trying to convince them to put their name on the tournament.

Volvik, which makes golf balls, is preparing to scale back its support of the tournament.

“We’re coming back,” said Don Shin, president of Volvik USA. “We just don’t know in what capacity.” AP

A8

BusinessMirror

Sunday, May 27, 2018

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Requiem for R

By Erwin Cabucos

EY SQUINTS AS he looks at the long stretch of Marcos Highway, glinting in the midsummer sun. He pulls a handkerchief from his jeans pocket and sweeps the sweat off his forehead, face and neck. He twists the lid of his water bottle before gulping the last of the liquid. He looks around, seeing pilgrims hiking like ants up the hill, drawn to the sweetness of the mountain’s prize— the blessed shrine of Our Lady of Antipolo, where miracles are said to happen. Rey hears the clacking and brushing sound of shoes on stone, the rubbing of legs on jeans, and the panting and quiet prayers of people as they labor alongside him.

Jeepneys and cars tend to hibernate on Good Friday. Rey smiles at the difference it makes, the peace it brings to people when God is dead.

He swivels his straw hat and bites his lower lip. “Lola,” he whispers, remembering his grandmother with every step of his climb. He smiles at the thought that if his Lola Reyna were still alive today, the old lady’s walking stick would be thudding on the concrete with each step as she made her uncomplaining way to the shrine. Rey recalls the first time he went on the pilgrimage with his Lola Reyna, not long after his parents passed away.

He was in grade six and as they trudged the sweltering road, he collapsed. When he opened his eyes Lola Reyna was opening a bottle, offering him cool water.

He still remembered the way the sun’s piercing rays had permeated through the Ipil-Ipil tree leaves above him. For the next six years, right up to her death a year ago, Lola Reyna’s strength had never abated. Now, as he huffs with the crowd, Rey knows he has nothing to complain about. The exhaustion and discomfort he feels are nothing compared to the sacrifice and devotion his grandmother showed.

Lola Reyna was nicknamed The Queen of Tondo, not only because she had queen for a name, but also because she had the stamina and dedication to engage in physically draining activities such as the twenty-kilometre hike to the mountain during Holy Week.

For many years she had served as the ferry lady who moved the people of Tondo across the Pasig River to the heart of Manila. As

the boat’s captain, she spun the control wheel and used her commanding voice to scare those who tried to evade the fare. The locals respected her, especially her softer side: the people of Tondo knew well her dedication to the then beauty of the Pasig River and her regret as she watched its slow demise.

Rey recalls the time he and his Lola printed the sign Ilog ko, ilog mo. Mahalin natin ito, which translates to ‘My river, your river. Let’s love it’, on a big tarpaulin. They picked rubbish from the water, standing at either end of the ferry using long sticks with hooks on the end.

They dumped it on the bank for the rubbish collector to take. His Lola would do this with a serious but relieved face, shaking her head, muttering: ‘People who kill this river should be tried and given the death penalty.

Nak ak abagbag- damdamin, it ’s heart-wrenching.’ He’d seen her lips tighten and her eyes water.

“I used to swim and fish here,” she’d said. There was no answer he could give. He’d simply nod his head and continue to find ways to enjoy his summer vacation while spending time with her. He remembers arguing with his parents over the principles h i s g r a nd mot he r s t o o d for.

One afternoon, when they were walking along Pateros Bridge, his parents f licked some peanut shells and ice candy wrappers into the river. Rey told them to stop and his father got upset

BusinessMirror

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Sunday, May 27 , 2018

A9

Pasig River “Leave it to the authorities,” says a lady, stepping out of a jeepney. “It’s too much for a high school kid.” about it. He misses his parents now but not in the same way he misses his grandmother.

R ichard Clayderman’s instr umental music reverberates from the houses he passes; FM st at ions h ave been play ing his works since the start of the day. Rey’s phone says ha lf past one and his aim is to be at the site before three, the exact time the Lord breathed his last. People then pray the rosary while kneeling on the sloping ground. Others sit or lie quietly on their mats, read ing book s about the life of saints or painting and w riting any thing related to faith. T he most awaited activ ity is the dramatisation of the Crucifi xion of Christ, where one may volunteer to be actua l ly cr ucified—w ith a team of nurses on standby in a nearby tent. Rey taps the breaking news app on his smart phone. Live crucifixion pictures of people in Pampanga fil l the screen, w ith plenty of shots focused on the grimacing face of the person, ju xtaposed w ith the tearing of f lesh as nails pierce palms.

In nearby tow ns young men wa l k the streets, whipping their ow n backs prev iously slit w ith a razor blade. T heir blood splatters on the road as they parade like f lagellation of the Middle Ages. A Time Magazine reporter asks the crucified man. He answers, “I’m sharing with the sacrifice of Christ and pray ing for the healing of my daughter who has leukemia.”

Rey breathes the little feeling of achievement as he reaches the half-way mark. He turns around again and fans himself with his hat. He sighs at the vast view of Metro Manila. Tall buildings tower in some areas while in others houses of different sizes and construction show the contrast between the lucky and not-so-lucky in life.

Through it all the Pasig River sna kes bet ween t he dwel lings and structures, skirting the base of the mountain. He remembers as a young child f l ic k ing t hrough t he pages of his Lola Reyna’s photo album, where in black and white happy-faced people swam in the river, somersaulting and doings l aps across sha l low reaches. Others were fishing on its banks and little banca, the Philippine boats with bamboo pole extensions on either side for balance, crisscrossed from one side to the other.

Rey also remembers the last big photo his mother developed for his Lola’s funeral: the one of her with a happy face

while throwing an anchor in the water.

Suddenly Rey’s petty milestone, t he ha lf-way mark, is forgot te n . H i s e yes w ide n as he t hin k s of somet hing t h at w i l l m a ke h i s g ra nd mot her far more proud t han h i s complet ion of t he a n nua l pi lg r image. It is somet hing d if ferent, memorable.

Abandoning his slog up t he mountain he stands straight, ta kes a g iant breat h and beg ins to r un bac k to t he cit y. ‘ It s hou l d b e d o ne b e fore dusk. T his w i l l be good,’ he cries to nobody in particular.

His cheek s bounce as he f lies like an eagle towards Manila.

Rey’s eyes glow with the realization that distance disappears like a breeze when one is totally focused. He begs the tricycle driver to hurry and pays him extra in order to get to his Lola’s place in Tondo in time. He arrives at last and closes his eyes brief ly to settle himself from the exhaustion and heat. He takes the life vest from his grandmother’s wooden chest and asks the neighbors if he can use the driftwood raft that is moored to the river bank. He asks the neighbors if they can do him a big favor; he is going to do something special in memory of his grandmother. They demand two hundred pesos for the use of the raft. Rey says it won’t be a problem, thinking that he’ll use the money he would have used for offering at the pilgrimage. He grabs some sacks from the back of the general store next door before dashing to the river bank.

Water laps over his feet as he tries to stand firmly on the uneven wooden shapes tied together with nylon string.

He nea rly t ips of f ba l a nce when his toes get caught bet ween t wo planks. T he big rope that connects the raft to both banks of the river gives him some stability. It holds the f limsy raft against the tide and he pulls it in close to the bank where most of the rubbish is gathering. He lifts the pick-up stick and begins hooking food wrappers, plastic containers, pieces of St y rofoam, chi ldren’s toys, a lu m i nu m c a ns a nd empt y s h a mp o o b ot t le s . R u bb i s h drips as he places it in a sack.

He pinches his nose closed as he tries to block the stench of the river; he feels like vomiting. He shakes his head, realizing this murky water can no longer sustain life. He remembers the perfect ecosystem for fish and crustaceans displayed in his science class. This water

is nothing like it. As he fills sack after sack with rubbish Rey feels a warmth inside him, as if his Lola Reyna is giving him a pat on the back. “Lola,” he mutters.

Rey has not noticed the bystanders, street vendors and even police officers standing along the bank shaking their heads.

“What are you doing that for?” yells one.

“Have you lost your mind?” asks another.

“Drop it, you’re only wasting your time. You can’t make Pasig River clean again. You’re stupid,” says a third man.

“Leave it to the authorities,” says a lady, stepping out of a jeepney. “It’s too much for a high school kid.”

Rey shouts his need for more sacks as somebody takes a photo of him and posts it on Facebook.

In ten minutes it garners a thousand likes. After an hour, the banks are crowded with onlookers, taking more photos of him, throwing him sacks. He hears them clapping and cheering.

He does not notice the number of bundles he has made. A TV reporter in a little boat comes near him, asking why he’s collecting the garbage, why he’s doing it. He mumbles things about his grandma and about the plight of the River amidst the struggle of the people to live and survive, purging out his litany of thought fragments about the causes and the consequences of the death of Pasig River. He places a sack of rubbish on his head and begins walking barefoot towards the church of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila. The scorching concrete burns his soles and the pebbles on the road bruise him but he whispers his Lola Reyna’s name and it seems to soothe his pain.

Dirty water drips on his head.

He closes his eyes and promises himself a long shower after this.

He pictures his Lola Reyna smiling and approving of his actions from the distance.

Rey unloads the sacks and lines them up like rosary beads in the courtyard of the church.

Gradually, as he goes back and forth along the three-hundredmeter jour ney bet ween the river and the church, the road becomes lined with onlookers.

One man helps him hook rubbish out of the river. A couple of younger students carry bundles on their heads. Rey comes and goes, and his helpers show the same seriousness and reverence.

His rosar y display slowly takes shape. The sacks of rubbish become beads. Some ladies help tie plastic bags to represent the string that connects the beads. Others pick up the fallen Talisay leaves that destroy the look of the display.

The priest comes out with his white alb and black collar.

“What are you doing?”

“Hi, Father.” Rey smiles. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Are you putting rubbish in our front yard? You’ve got the wrong place, son. This is not a rubbish tip. This is the church and our church should be free of rubbish.”

The priest clasps his hands as he bends towards Rey. Rey continues to arrange the giant rosary, now looking like a big heart. “Sorry, Father.”

“What do you mean, sorry? Have you lost your mind? Go on, take this rubbish away and put it elsewhere! None of this trash belongs in our church!”

A middle-aged man blurts: “The church is dirty inside anyway, Father. It needs cleaning, real cleaning.” He keeps his hands in his pockets while he speaks.

Gradually the crowd steps closer, holding hands, forming a barricade between Rey and the priest. Rey feels a leap of joy in his heart.

The priest’s eyes widen. “I’ll call the police.” He dashes off. His sandals brush along the ground, flicking dust onto the hem of his alb.

Rey’s once-white shirt glints in the afternoon sun as he lays his tired body at the center of his design. He spreads his arms so that he forms a crucifix at the start of the Rosary. He tries to ignore the chattering crowd as he feels pebbles prick his scalp and his back. “Lola,” he whispers. He ignores the sweat and tears that meet and roll together down to the back of his neck.

He cannot wipe them now, while his hands complete the display to which people pay reverence. The TV reporter stands near him, peering through the lens of his camera as he twists the focus.

A young man comes to him and wipes his head, face and neck, with a red cloth. He leaves the cloth on Rey’s chest.

In unison, the crowd begins: “I believe in God, the Father Almight y, creator of heaven and earth…” People come out of the church. Rey breathes deeply as the red cloth is moved from sack to sack as the Hail Marys are said.

Rey closes his eyes and listens to the repeated prayers, thinking of their buzzing as people’s yearning for the living God. As he dozes, the prayers become music to him, making sense of the prayers he wishes to share with his grandmother and for the thoughts he wishes to impart to everyone on the day when God dies.

“What do you feel now?” asks the CNN Philippines reporter.

“Peace and Justice,” Rey mutters. A sigh of relief has engulfed his tired heart. “A-a-and respect for our River.”

About the author: Erwin Cabucos is the author of ‘Does It Matter What the Dead Think’. His short stories appear in Verandah, FourW, Quarterly Literary Review Singapore and the Philippines Graphic Magazine. ‘Requiem for Pasig River’ received High Commendation Award from Queensland Independent Education Union Short Story Award and Roly Sussex Literary Prize in 2016.

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

A10 Sunday, May 27, 2018

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Lost in Yazd’s Old Town Tommie Hotel Hollywood is next to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in downtown Los Angeles.

Harvey Law Group offers investment opportunity with launch of Tommie Hotel Hollywood

A

The rugged landscape from Shiraz to Yazd makes the bus ride worth it.

I

Story & photos by Joshua Berida

left Shiraz wanting to see more of Iran, and yet I was unsure of visiting Yazd, but the consideration of time and the distance made the decision easier.

I took the day bus that traveled between both cities, the night option would’ve been cheaper, but I would’ve missed out on Yazd’s spectacular views of the desert landscape. The towering rock formations and the barren arid region replaced the semi-concrete jungle of the city. The rocks and mountains turned golden as the last rays of the sun shone on them.

As the jagged mountains receded behind us, Yazd beckoned and welcomed us.

Time traveling in the old town

I didn’t have much time on my first day because of my evening arrival. I was too tired to venture far out of the hostel. “I guess time traveling would have to wait for at least a night.”

I woke up to an unassuming and laid-back city; I saw hints of its past as I entered its alleys and narrow streets, its distinct color, a fleshy hue, and the design of the houses and buildings; its mishmash of concrete and adobe, its attempt to

make new something old or at least give it a semblance of what it once was. Locals went about their business of moving products, and going to school or work. Amid this every day, normal existence, I entered one of the city’s relics of the past, the Dowlat Abad Garden.

The historic, Unesco Heritagelisted Persian Garden seemed stuck in time. Instead of royalty walking its pathways and admiring its beautiful flowers, local and foreign tourists take their photos and hear stories of its famed past. Its wind tower, the highest in the city at more than 33 meters high, is a reminder of the former. Inside the building are stained glass windows and an elaborate ceiling design reminiscent of the mosques and mansions in other parts of the country.

I stepped outside the garden back into the limbo of past and present. I like long walks as it reveals the city to me bit by bit, but I didn’t want to walk too far to get to the old town.

In this slow, laid-back place, I wanted to go hyperdrive to get out of the

time warp I was in; I took a taxi.

I followed where my feet led me as I explored the old town. I imagined what Marco Polo must’ve seen when he visited the same city centuries ago; the hustle and bustle of locals carrying silk products, carpets and other items for barter while beasts of burden tethered or wandered about. The Yazd before my eyes may have retained some of its charms; in a ruined, nostalgic state or in various states of repair and reconstruction.

The shopkeepers displayed their wares by hanging them on the façade of their stores or a makeshift stand, while others carefully organized their items inside their premises, with the most expensive, midpriced and the cheap ones grouped separately. I walked into the wormhole-like side alleys, where the bazaars connected to the main streets and nondescript corners and roads, where unused badgirs (wind catchers) and blue domes jutted out of the urban chaos, and the old, adobe houses mingled with cafes and hotels that tried to mimic the former’s ancient charm.

As I went in and out the alleys lined with adobe homes and structures, and crisscrossed main streets, I found my way into another vestige of the city’s glorious past, the Jameh Mosque. The latter’s blue tile work, elaborate façade and towering minarets stood out in the sea of flesh-hued structures. This 12thcentury mosque has withstood the test of time with many reconstructions and maintenance work since

then. As I walked inside the hall, I couldn’t help but admire its beauty.

The ceiling, Mihrab, and the walls were showcases of Islamic and Persian art with their colors, details and patterns.

I left the mosque in search of another road that could lead me to a different perspective of the old town. My feet led me to the Amir Chakhmag Complex, one of the prominent structures in Yazd. Its most striking feature is the symmetrical, sunken alcoves of its façade. Locals gathered in the square to shop, dine, and take pictures and rest. It was a place where people stopped; as the confluence of past and present zigzagged its way through the narrow alleys and corners and main thoroughfares.

Before the day ended, I wanted to see the sunset; a momentary respite before I leave Yazd for another city. I looked for the highest possible and best view point; I found one at a hotel’s rooftop café. I sipped my tea as the last rays of the sun turned the townscape into an orange hue and then into a faint brown.

The sun sunk behind the adobe skyline for the nth time as it had always done even before Marco Polo’s arrival. I took a last sip of tea and made my way back to the hostel. The old town receded behind me as I passed neon signs, shop owners looking to make a final sale, cars zipping by and strangers on their way home. As the night unfolded, I was eager to experience what Iran still has in store for me in the coming days.

vibrant eight-story fullservice boutique hotel has situated itself onto one of America’s busiest tourist district.

The brand-new micro-lifestyle development is within walking distance to commercial and leisure destinations, such as the Hollywood Highland Entertainment Center, and Los Angeles nightlife scene. The vibes are relaxing and the energetic community fuels the imagination.

Here is the Philippines’s first exclusive insight into Hollywood’s latest real-estate development qualified for the EB-5 program—Meet Tommie Hotel Hollywood.

Exciting opportunities lie ahead for Southeast-Asian investors who are looking to invest in prime properties across in the United States and to be able to provide the “American Drea” to families and their loved ones. To stimulate the US economy through job creation and foreign capital investment, the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program allows foreign investors and their spouses to apply for a green card (permanent residence) through a $500,000 investment in commercial enterprise or plan to create or preserve 10 permanent fulltime jobs for US citizens.

The 212-room Tommie Hotel Hollywood has started construction in the first quarter of 2018, constructed by The Relevant Group, one of LA’s largest independent real-estate developer, known for its renown developments along the famous Hollywood strip, such Thompson Hotel, Tommie Hotel, TAO Group (Hotel & Restaurant), Avenue Club, Beaty & Essex Hollywood and Dream Hotel. The hotel boasts a scenic rooftop pool and lounge, a restaurant, state-of-theart fitness center, indoor sauna and ground-floor retail commercial space equipped with underground parking garage. The project is expected to create at least 1,127 jobs.

“By investing $500,000 in Tommie Hotel Hollywood, investors can expect to receive their US green card and settle anywhere in the US in less than two years to pursue business, financial, and personal opportunities in a country where politics and the economy may be more stable than their country of origin.” comments Bastien Trelcat, managing partner (South-East Asia) for Harvey Law Group.

Bastien Trelcat of Harvey Law Group

Harvey Law Group (HLG) is Asia’s pioneer in investment immigration and was recently appointed as the exclusive immigration law firm for Tommie Hotel Hollywood for the Asia-Pacific region.

“This is a unique opportunity to invest in a boutique hotel in a prime location of Hollywood, the entertainment capital of the world,” Bastien Trelcat said. “Tommie was among the dozen of EB-5 projects Harvey Law Group reviews every year from a legal and final point of view. We decided to go for Tommie based on the sound business model and the track records of Relevant Group in LA, which should allow our clients to obtain a safe return and exit of their investment.”

“Investors willing to settle to the US under the EB-5 Program should consider Tommie Hotel now since the EB-5 program at $500,000 should end on September 30 this year following which the minimum investment amount is expected to double” Trelcat concluded.

HLG is a leading multinational law firm specializing in corporate law and investment immigration with a worldwide reputation for representing high-profile clients and corporations, with over 19 offices worldwide.

As the top immigration consulting law firm, HLG offers most comprehensive residency and citizenship programs available to date.

HLG was awarded for Best Immigration Firm at the 13th annual Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2014 and 2017. HLG is duly licensed by most CIPs to promote and submit applications on behalf of investors.

Penang Rendezvous 2018 to launch in July

T The structure inside Dowlat Abad Garden shows the creativity of ancient Persians.

The Amir Chakhmaq Complex is a place where both locals and visitors can go to enjoy the city.

Persian rugs, carpets and other similar items are available in bazaars like this one.

There are many adobe structures and homes inside Yazd’s old town.

Jameh Mosque’s façade is simply beautiful and stands out amid the adobe skyline.

he Penang Rendezvous will be transformed into a bustling hub to showcase all things luxury, including yachts, supercars, classic cars, sea planes, helicopters, private aviation operators, properties, art and more.

Organized by Asia Rendez Vous Pte. Ltd., The Penang Rendezvous 2018 is a must-attend event for those who embrace the finer things in life. The four-day event, taking place from July 26 to 29, will focus on a comprehensive showcase of yachts, classic cars, supercars, sea planes, helicopters, watches, properties, fine cognac and art for aficionados, existing clients and prospects.

Alongside the yachting showcase, professionals from all aspects of the marine and luxury lifestyle sectors can explore opportunities through mingling in a relaxed atmosphere, with plenty of time to

network, exchange ideas and information with fellow attendees.

After successfully hosting the Phuket Rendezvous and Singapore Rendez Vous, the experienced and passionate team at Asia Rendez Vous Pte. Ltd. is ready to bring its own touch of luxury to the Penang Rendezvous.

Senior General Manager of Eastern & Oriental Emily Teh shared what Straits Quay Marina has to offer, ahead of the coming Penang Rendezvous 2018: “It gives us a great pleasure to extend a warm welcome and appreciation to Asia Rendez Vous Pte. Ltd. for bringing Penang Rendezvous to Strait Quay Marina. We look forward to a gathering of the region’s premier and international brand names that this exceptional event is set to draw. Make a date with us at this event of the year in Straits Quay Marina.”