Businessmirror october 01, 2016

Maynilad execs visit BM Maynilad executives visited the BusinessMirror and feted its editors, executives and reporters to a sumptuous dinner from Chef Gene Gonzalez’s Café Ysabel on Thursday evening. The meeting was highlighted by discussions on concerns on water and updates on Maynilad projects. The Maynilad team was led by its President and CEO Ramoncito Fernandez, Chief Finance Officer Randolph Estrellado and SVP for Commercial and Marketing John Patrick Gregorio. Also in the photo are BusinessMirror Publisher T. Anthony C. Cabangon (center) and former BusinessMirror Vice President for Marketing-now-Department of Tourism Assistant Secretary Frederick Alegre. ROy domingo

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Ephesus Haven at Sandari: Gift of love and caring to elderly priests S

By Lizzie Radam Lazo | Special to the BusinessMirror

ANDARI Batulao, an emerging mountainside community in Nasugbu, Batangas, has opened a rest and recreation shelter especially dedicated to elderly priests by the late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, founder of Citystate Properties and Management Corp. (CPMC), the company developing Sandari.

EPHESUS Haven, located in Sandari Batulao, Batangas, donated by the late Ambassador Antonio Cabangon Chua to elderly and retired priests. ROY DOMINGO

MSGR. Sabino A. Vengco, founder and president of the foundation, describes the ALC Ephesus Haven as a “legacy from the heart and mind” of the late Ambassador Antonio Cabangon Chua. ROY DOMINGO

Named ALC Ephesus Haven, the rest home for elderly priests is located in the Bamboo Enclave of Nalé, which is Phase 1 of Sandari. Consisting of two adjacent structures, its wide windows offer a sweeping view of the lush vegetation and rolling hills at the foot of Mounts Batulao and Talamitam, and crisp cool air that is good for the health.

The two buildings have a living room and dining room, a total of 20 bedrooms, each with its own toilet and bath and two beds, allowing the Haven to accommodate 40 priests at one time. A chapel, library and leisure rooms will also be built for the priests’ use.

Nine elderly and retired priests concelebrated a Holy Mass that highlighted the blessing and inau-

had many friends in the priesthood, and their friendship persisted “until they became old, like Bishop Cariño, who became very close to him because alam niyang i-karinyo [he was very affectionate to the ambassador].”

Vengco said, originally, the structure was supposed to be for the ambassador’s own use as a rest house.

“But a few months before he left us, he called me and asked how my project for elderly priests was doing.

Then he said he was giving what was to have been his rest house to the elderly priests…ang para sa akin ay para sa inyo na.”

Vengco added that “in his heart, Tony [the ambassador] believed he owed elderly priests a great debt of

support they need in their advanced years; Bahay-Pari, where senior and sick priests from the provinces are offered a transient home; and Kalusugang Pari, where medical assistance is given to senior priests in need of daily medications and supplements.

Because of his friendship with Vengco, the ambassador recognized how priests, like everybody else, inevitably slow down, but do not always have their family to take care of them.

“He had been helping priests for many years, and cared especially for priests who have grown old in service to the church,” Vengco said, explaining the ambassador’s concern to be of assistance to his project.

Vengco ended his remarks by in-

guration on September 24 of ALC Ephesus Haven, named after the Ephesus Ministry of the Kadiwa sa Pagkapari Foundation, a churchbased organization that cares for elderly and sickly priests.

Following the Mass led by Tarlac Bishop Emeritus Florentino Cinense, Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco, founder and president of the foundation, described the ALC Ephesus Haven as a “legacy from the heart and mind” of the late ambassador.

A friend for many years of the ambassador, Vengco thanked the children of the Ambassador for completing the project began by their father, praising their “fidelity to the generosity and Christian charity of your father.”

The ambassador, he recalled,

gratitude” for the friendship and close ties he enjoyed with them.

As far as six years ago, Vengco said, the ambassador had visited and been impressed by one of the Ephesus shelters the Kadiwa sa Pagkapari Foundation maintained.

The foundation was set up by Vengco in 1991 as a community of the faithful, lay, religious and ordained, who assist retired and elderly priests in their needs. His advocacy has grown through the Ephesus Ministry of volunteers in parishes nationwide who render service through the ministry’s various programs.

Among these are Dalaw-Pari, where volunteers reach out and visit elderly priests, providing them the warmth, joy, care and

viting those present to visit elderly priests who would be staying there.

“Sana dadalaw kayo ’pag may nakatira nang pari dito [We hope you will visit when some priests are already here],” he said.

In his own remarks, D. Edgard A. Cabangon, chairman of the ALC Group of Companies, expressed happiness that he and his siblings are continuing a project close to their father’s heart.

“If there is something else we can do to help the church, please let us know,” he said.

With him at the event were D. Rufina Cabangon, CPMC president; D. Michelle Cabangon, executive vice president; D. Michaela Cabangon; and other officers and staff of CPMC.

The projected digital-commerce market in the Philippines by 2025 Zoe Lawrence, who sits as the digital director for market-research company Kantar Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), said the Philippine digital market will even Continued on A2

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COMICS ILLUSTRATOR Comics illustrator Danny Acuña, 71, shows off his art work in comic-book form at the Book Ends Shop at Baguio

City’s Art Street. MAU VICTA

PhilHealth, DOH lead nationwide ‘Walk for Life’ for elderly on October 1 T

HE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), together with the Department of Health (DOH), will lead the kickoff activity of the Elderly Filipino Week celebration today, October 1, via the annual “Walk for Life” in Metro Manila and selected cities nationwide.

The activity will simultaneously begin at 6 a.m. “The activity aims to promote healthy lifestyle and wellness among the elderly,” PhilHealth Spokesman Dr. Israel Francis A. Pargas said.

Pargas said participants may also avail themselves of the services offered

in the sites, such as medical consultations, random blood-sugar screening, cholesterol screening, bone scanning, blood-pressure measurement and vaccination. “PhilHealth will also put up service desks to answer queries and accept membership enrollment and data amendment,” Pargas said.

He said other government agencies will also set up booths to provide services to elderly participants.

The activity sites are PFVR Gym in Baguio City; San Fernando City Plaza in La Union; Ayala Mall in Legazpi City; Almont Inland Resort in Butuan

City; SMRAA Sports Complex in City of Koronadal; and SM Malls in Pasay City, Cauayan, Isabela; Lucena, San Fernando, Pampanga; Batangas, Iloilo, Seaside-Cebu, Ecoland-Davao and Cagayan de Oro. Registration is free.

Presidential Proclamation 470 Series of 1994 declared the first week of October of every year as Elderly Filipino Week.

This year’s theme is “Pagmamahal at Respeto ng Nakababata, Nakapagpapaligaya sa mga Nakatatanda.”

The activity also aims to recognize

the role of the elderly in the society and in nation-building. It also highlights awareness and advocacy on prevention of elderly abuse.

Meanwhile, the kickoff activity was also announced by Civil Service Commission (CSC) under its CSC Announcement No. 16 Series of 2016 issued August 31, 2016.

“All government agencies are enjoined to extend full support by initiating related activities and participate in the opening salvo,” the announcement said, which was signed by CSC Chairman Alicia dela Rosa-Bala. PNA

available in the Philippines, specifically in the private sector.

The DOH is ensuring that there are enough resources and access to life-saving medicines and services, particularly to the Filipinos who need them most,” said Dr. Leonita Gorgolon, DOH cluster head for Central Luzon and the Visayas.

The vaccination consists of two doses: senior citizens aged 60 will be given the first dose and will receive the second dose after a five-year interval.

Senior citizens aged 65 will receive one dose.

Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan lauded the efforts of the DOH and vowed to continue the implementation of the city’s health programs designed for the elderly community.

“I dearly value our elders for they are an important component of the society. In fact, through the Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs, we are continuously

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implementing the ‘Lakas Sigla Para kay Lolo at Lola,’ a health and fitness program designed for the Angeleño elderlies,” Pamintuan said.

“We also assure that free medicines are distributed, and health consultations are being held regularly through our community health centers and through the conduct of Barangay Day.” Pneumococcal disease is a leading cause of serious illness throughout the world. It is caused by a common type of bacteria, the Streptococcus Pneumonia, which can attack different parts of the body. Illnesses caused by pneumococcus include pneumonia, meningitis, middle ear and sinus infections and a condition called sepsis, or infection of the bloodstream.

DOH urges senior citizens to avail of free antipneumonia vaccination in designated health centers in the city. PNA

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SELLING DURIAN

Aisa Cortis, 62, offers fresh durian fruits to interested buyers at only P30 a kilo in the San Vicente, Palawan, public market. MAU VICTA

miners asked to help address rural poverty Economy

Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon

Tribal group backs suspension of 20 mining firms

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HE tribesmen’s federation Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (Katribu) is backing the recommendation of Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez to suspend 20 mining companies following an audit of their operations.

Aside from Katribu, the Scrap Mining Act of 1995 Network also lauded Lopez, who had been going hammer and tongs against mining companies for many years. “We appreciate the fact that the list includes several companies that are responsible for the wanton destruction of tribal ancestral lands and pollution of rivers in Northern Luzon,” Katribu said.

“However, we urge Secretary Gina Lopez and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] to also suspend and immediately stop the operations of several more for the disasters caused by their mining activities,” the group added.

“Secretary Lopez and the DENR in their audit and decisions should highlight the violations of tribesmens’ collective rights and how large-scale mining endangered the lives and livelihood of farmers and indigenous peoples [IP]. Most of these mining companies violated and continue to violate the right to self-determination of indigenous peoples. Most of these mining companies were able to operate without securing the genuine consent of IP groups and communities,” Katribu added.

Scrap Mining Act of 1995 Network has been established in response to the growing call to repeal the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

It seeks the enactment of a new mining law that respects the rights of the indigenous peoples, protects the environment, upholds the national patrimony and aims to reorient the mining industry toward developing national industrialization.

“The present Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and government policies on mining follow a colonial pattern, where all our minerals are extracted and exported to industrialized and powerful countries instead of having a mining industry that supports the genuine industrialization, rural modernization and building a self-sufficient economy. Tribal rights are violated and lives lost with the kind of mining that the government continues to promote. Economic displacement and loss of livelihood occur whenever mining operations take place in indigenous communities. Legitimate opposition to large-scale mining operations face the brutality of company private guards and the state security forces,” Katribu said. Marvyn N. Benaning

BusinessMirror

Saturday, October 1, 2016 A3

Miners asked to help address rural poverty

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

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L opez made the call during a meeting with officials and representatives of mining companies at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Social Hall on Thursday, two days after an-

nouncing the mine audit results.

Thirty of the 41 mining operations have been recommended for suspension by the audit teams for various violations of environmental and mining laws based on a criteria that includes environmental, social and biodiversity considerations, on top of the physical or technical aspect in mining.

The DENR and mining companies agreed to work together to ensure that mining redounds to the common good and improves lives of Filipinos, especially in communities that host mining operations.

The DENR chief is introducing an integrated areadevelopment approach to create “mini economic zones” that can generate employment, livelihood and incomegenerating activities in communities where mining communities operate to address poverty.

To do this, Lopez wants mining companies to strengthen their partnership with civil-society organizations (CSO) and community-based groups to boost programs that would create jobs and livelihood opportunities.

“When you do that, we can get our people out of poverty,” Lopez said in a statement.

Addressing about 80 representatives of mining companies, Lopez explained the policies and thrusts of the department, stressing that the bottom line is “for the country’s natural resources to be used in a way that ben-

efits the most number of people.”

Lopez noted that in the case of mining, its benefits have been limited. Worse, she said, mining has been causing “social fissure” in communities.

“There are people who benefit, but [there are] many others who don’t and suffer. And they fight with each other. That’s the most painful—when the presence of a business interest creates social fissure,” she said.

According to Lopez, the meeting with mining officials or their representatives aims “to move forward and work together for the country’s good.”

“I reiterate sincerely and emphatically, I want to help you [the mining industry] make things right and be on the positive side,” she said. During the meeting, Lopez also presented the total economic valuation (TEV) framework, which she described as a “fair and scientific way to make decisions based on monetary evaluation.”

She encouraged them to use TEV to identify and quantify the major environmental impacts of mining and, from there, decide which programs to implement in their areas.

Lopez cited the social development and management program of mining companies as one that can make significant socioeconomic impact if the money is used to create economic activities for communities under the DENR’s area-development approach.

“What if in the areas where you are, we ensure an area-development approach, wherein your SDMP money is utilized in the best of ways with great social and economic value,” she said. “I can work with you there, in such a way that the entire area where you are becomes a huge economic success.” The development of the community will continue long after mining has stopped if the programs implemented by the government and the mining companies are economically viable, Lopez said.

She also presented programs on reef protection and preservation and the use of biochar to rehabilitate agricultural lands affected by mining, both of which the mining companies could be involved in.

Gordon assails neglect of Subic, Clark airports

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EN. Richard J. Gordon on Friday expressed dismay that the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) has become an asset whose usage cannot be optimized for commercial flights and, thus, help the development of the country’s economy—unlike in the past.

In a privileged speech, Gordon, while recounting how he and the volunteers worked day and night after the Americans left to protect and preserve the facilities to make it prosper, voiced his umbrage over the loss of the state-of-the-art equipment at SBIA, which used to be the country’s best airport under his leadership, and the fact that Clark International Airport (CIA) in Pampanga has not been fully optimized.

Subic was left by US forces almost 24 years ago, and Gordon, who was then Olongapo City mayor, was appointed founding chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

“After the US withdrawal, volunteers made Subic a thriving zone.

When I was still SBMA chairman, we turned Subic into a flourishing free port—SBIA was a big income earner, with chartered flights coming in daily. We made sure that Subic and Clark will not go the path taken

by Sangley Point. Thus, FedEx opened a hub for its Asian operation in Subic, with 18 flights coming in daily at SBIA. We also had Enron, Acer and other big companies in Subic. After I was removed as chairman of

SBMA, it was as if we let grass grew under our feet after FedEx left. There was no more promotions for SBIA, there were no more chartered planes coming in. Clark was never improved,” Gordon noted.

“They have become nonperforming assets. We let the wolf near the sheep or we allowed the snake to come near the chickens. Now, we only use GORDON the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which has come to a very sorry state that it brings constant reputational damage to our country. Flights are often delayed because of air and ground traffic, which cause frayed nerves and economic losses. When we hosted the Apec [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit] last year, it would have saved us traffic woes, trade and economic losses and other problems had the government used SBIA and the CIA,” he added.

Gordon pointed out that instead of spending much time investigating extrajudicial killings, and other prurient and salacious but trivial issues the country would be better off if its officials would focus more on legislation and policies that would result in job and investment generation.

“We spend time investigating the extrajudicial killings, scandalous issues and others. But surely, we can take time for other things.

Surely, we can find time for policies and laws that would result in labor generation, in investment generation. Surely, we can make time for opportunity-building. Poverty is an absence of choice. We are poor because we have no choice, we don’t have high-paying jobs to choose from because there are little or no investments,” he said.

The senator called for an investigation on how both SBIA and CIA, considered as two of the country’s crown jewels, have reached their present state of deterioration.

“We have a lot of lost opportunities in our country. We used to have the highest literacy rate in Asia, there was a time, too, when we were second only to Japan in terms of military power that our Air Force even had its Blue Diamonds [aerobatic team]. We also lost our railways. We cannot allow this to continue,” he added. Butch Fernandez

Lawmakers see drop in tourist arrivals with DOT budget cut

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

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@joveemarie

HE Department of Tourism (DOT) may not be able to meet its tourist arrivals target as it is facing 39.7-percent budget cut for 2017, lawmakers said on Friday.

Normally, House Minority Leader Danilo E. Suarez said the budgets of government offices increase every year, but “this is not case for the DOT.” “The increasing budget seems to be the trend, but not for the DOT next year,” Suarez said.

“There should be enhanced, better relations between Congress and the DOT for the latter to have better allocations in the future, given the projected hike of tourists coming to visit the Philippines every year,” Suarez added.

The DOT has a P3.61-billion budget this year and a proposed P2.457 billion in 2017 under House Bill 3408, or the 2017 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

This year’s budget is 44 percent higher than the DOT’s P2.5-billion budget in 2015, while its proposed budget for next year is 39.7 percent lower.

Nacionalista Party Rep. Michael Jack R. Duavit of Rizal, sponsored the DOT budget during the plenary deliberations on the 2017 GAB, said the budget for the office of the Tourism Secretary amounting to P800 million got the biggest slash in the 2017 proposed budget of the agency.

Earlier, the DOT said it is aiming to attract some 6.5 million in foreign visitor arrivals and 73.3 million domestic tourists in 2017 even as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has reduced the DOT’s next year appropriations.

The BusinessMirror earlier reported that the country’s tourism sector earned some P149 billion from foreign visitors in the period of January to July this year.

This represented a significant 14-percent gain from the same period last year, latest data from the DOT show.

On a monthly basis, the DOT said the month of February recorded the highest tourism receipts at P27.5 billion, as well as the biggest increase at 42.09 percent compared to February 2015.

See “Duterte,” A2

@jonlmayuga

NVIRONMENT Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez is urging mining companies to support the government’s antipoverty programs and implement programs that can generate employment, livelihood and spur economic activities in their host communities.

LOPEZ: “There are people who benefit, but [there are] many others who don’t and suffer. And they fight with each other. That’s the most painful— when the presence of a business interest creates social fissure.”

President Duterte talks with Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the party’s headquarters in Hanoi on Thursday. Kham/Pool Photo via AP

resident Duterte raised the rhetoric over his bloody anticrime war to a new level on Friday, comparing it to Hitler and the Holocaust, and saying he would be “happy to slaughter” 3 million addicts.

Mr. Duterte issued his latest threat against drug dealers and users early Friday upon returning to his hometown in Davao City after visiting Vietnam, where he discussed his antidrug campaign with Vietnamese leaders and ways for their governments to fight transnational crimes, including illegal drugs.

President Duterte has said his public death threats against drug suspects are designed to scare them into stop selling drugs and to discourage would-be users.

But his latest remarks took that crime-busting approach to a different level.

Angeleño elders get free antipneumonia vaccination NGELES CITY, Pampanga—As part of the Grandparents Day celebration, the city government here and the Department of Health in Central Luzon (DOH-R3) on Monday administered a pneumococcal disease immunization program to over 250 senior citizens here.

The program aims to prevent pneumonia among the elderly by intensifying DOH’s nationwide efforts in implementing the Expanded Immunization Program for Senior Citizens.

This is in cooperation with USbased pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD).

The program encourages senior citizens, aged 60 and 65, to avail themselves of free pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination, which will be administered in their community health centers.

“Vaccines have long been

DUTERTE ‘HAPPY TO SLAUGHTER’ DRUG SUSPECTS

$10B

@lorenzmarasigan

he digital-commerce industry in the Philippines is expected to balloon to more than $10 billion in less than a decade despite roadblocks, such as the relatively slow Internet speeds, the lack of trust in online purchasing and minimal engaging content from brands.

Ephesus haven at sandari: gift of love and caring to elderly priests B4 Saturday, October 1, 2016 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

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ARMM budget

A LAWMAKER from Mindanao, meanwhile, questioned the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional government, led by Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman, on unexplained appropriations, procurement, unfinished projects, contracts and liquidations amounting to billions of its allocated budget from 2013 to 2016.

Party-list Rep. Shernee Tan of Kusug Tausug, citing the autonomous region’s annual audit report by the Commission on Audit, said the ARMM leadership has yet to fully account for its annual allocations.

“Much over the P96-billion budget received by the ARMM regional government in the last four years remain unaccounted for,” Tan said.

Tan also noted the increase in poverty incidence in the ARMM, despite the tripling of its budget from P10.4 billion in 2010 to P29.4 billion this year. “This, in light of the ARMM’s bid to ask Congress for a hefty raise in its budget, from P29.4 billion in 2016 to P41.78 billion in 2017.”

PhilFida reports hike in abaca production

By Jasper Arcalas

Opec deal a bad surprise as Asians seen bearing brunt

@jearcalas

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HE country’s total abaca output from January to July this year inched to 35,538.625 metric tons (MT), from 35,148.5 MT recorded a year ago, latest data from the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFida) showed.

PhilFida data also showed that the Bicol region remained the top producer of abaca, accounting for 38 percent of the total output for the first seven months of the year.

Bicol region output grew by 5.5 percent to 13,489.25 MT, compared to 12,780.99 MT recorded a year ago.

The Davao region is still the second top abaca producer, accounting for 16.3 percent of the total output. Davao produced 5,803.4 MT, 2.7 percent higher than 5,648.11 MT during the same period last year.

Western Visayas posted the highest growth among all the regions, almost doubling its abaca output to 1,235.81 MT, from 619.94 MT last year.

Central Luzon recorded the highest output drop in the country.

Production in the area plunged 56.3 percent to 2.625 MT, from 6.01 MT last year.

Meanwhile, total abaca exports earning from January to May grew 39.4 percent to $51.38 million, from $36.85 million same time period last year.

Abaca pulp accounted for the lion’s share of the earnings during the period at 66.6 percent. Exports receipt from abaca pulp grew 62.3 percent to $34.21 million, from $21.10 million earned a year ago.

The United Kingdom (UK) and Germany were the top 2 importers of local abaca pulps, accounting for 38.1 percent and 29.7 percent of share, respectively. Abaca pulp exports to UK more than doubled to 3,265.885 MT, compared to 1,602.668 recorded a year ago.

The United States imported 964.615 MT of local abaca pulp, a whopping 841.4-percent increase from 102.5 MT recorded during the same period last year.

The UK was also the top importer of local abaca fiber, accounting for 52.6-percent share of the total exports. Local abaca, fiber exports to UK reached 2,791.75 MT, 10.8 percent higher than 2,520 MT last year. Japan was the second top importer of abaca fiber. Japan mported 1,851.25 MT, 233.5 MT less than 2,084.75 MT during the same period last year.

The Philippines produces 85 percent of the world abaca supply, which is globally known as Manila hemp.

House building 3rd-biggest construction activity

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HE construction of office spaces, as well as roads and railways accounted for more than half of total construction output in 2013, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In the final result of the Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry for the sector, data showed the total value of output generated by all construction establishments amounted to P344.7 billion.

Nonresidential building construction accounted for 38.4 percent, or P132.3 billion of the total, while roads and railways, 27 percent, or P93.1 billion.

“Three industries generated the bulk of the total value of output at P286.9 billion, or 83.2 percent of the total,” the PSA said.

The third industry that boosted total construction value in 2013 was residential (dwelling) building constructions with an output share of P93.1 billion, or 27 percent of the total.

The PSA said the value of output represented the sum of receipts from domestic construction activities, net income earned from construction abroad, contract and commission work done for others, and income from products manufactured and sold less cost of products sold.

It also includes goods sold in the same condition as purchased less the cost of goods sold and the value of tangible fixed assets produced on own account and change in inventories of finished products and work-in-progress.

Meanwhile, in terms of contribution to the country’s tangible fixed assets, the construction of roads and railways accounted for the bulk of the sector’s contribution.

Data showed the construction of roads and railways contributed a total of P3.6 billion to the country’s tangible fixed assets.

The PSA said this accounted for almost half, or 46.5 percent of the total gross addition to tangible fixed assets.

“Gross addition to tangible fixed assets is equal to capital expenditures less sale of fixed assets, including land,” the PSA said.

The survey was conducted nationwide in 2014, with the year 2013 as the reference period of data, except for employment, which is as of November 15, 2013.

The data collected from the survey provide information on the levels, structure, performance and trends of economic activities of the formal sector in the entire country for the year 2013. Cai U. Ordinario

economy

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superal shines collegiate influence students from Saint Paul’s University, a Roman Catholic university, display placards as they come out from their campus to protest the killings being perpetrated in the unrelenting “war on drugs” campaign of President Duterte, on Friday in Manila.

AP/Bullit Marquez

France new tourism-growth driver

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

@Pulitika2010 Special to the BusinessMirror

sports

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ITH their penchant for outdoor activities and new cultures, French citizens are fast becoming a high-growth market for visitors in the Philippines.

In a news statement, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported that France

PESO exchange rates n US 48.2570

is now one of top 20 emerging tourist markets of the Philippines, with 35,378 visitor arrivals in the seven months to July, up almost 22 percent from the same period last year.

In a news statement, Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo said the DOT will be tapping social media and partnering with key travel influencers to market the Philippines to French citizens.

“We should capitalize on the power of social media to reach millions of users all over the world who are potential travelers. The 21st-century travelers are highly reliant on their smartphones for information. But, ultimately, their perennial objective is to stay connected.

And this gift of social media that almost everyone has warmly embraced can be a game changer for tourism,” she added.

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efiners in the world’s biggest oil market, already struggling with a profit-sucking glut of refined fuel, face another hindrance if members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) would cut supplies of crude.

The Opec on September 28 agreed to its first production cut in eight years, trying to support oil prices that are still down more than 50 percent from the highs of 2014. Pricier crude will be passed on to consumers in the form of more expensive gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, and that will dampen demand growth, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts, including Nikhil Bhandari, wrote in a September 30

research note.

Asian fuel-makers are already making about 40 percent less profit than a year ago from converting crude oil into gasoline and diesel.

Fuel stockpiles in developed Asian economies rose to 174 million barrels in June, the highest level for the month since 2007.

“Good times for Asian buyers are long over since earlier this year, and this Opec decision is exacerbating the bad news,” said Wang Pei, a trading analyst at Unipec, the trading arm of Asia’s largest refiner, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. “An Opec deal will be bullish” for Dubai crude prices, “which is bearish for

n japan 0.4777 n UK 62.5990 n HK 6.2221 n CHINA 7.2355 n singapore 35.3764 n australia 36.8346 n EU 54.1685 n SAUDI arabia 12.8531

Continued on A2

Source: BSP (30 September 2016 )

A2 Saturday, October 1, 2016

RCBC tops ‘ASIAMONEY’ Summer Awards 2016

News BusinessMirror

PHL to beat regional peers in e-commerce Continued from A1

Chet Luy (center), senior executive vice president and head of treasury, accepts the awards on behalf of RCBC Treasury Group from Asiamoney, represented by Lorraine Cushnie, managing editor, Asia, Capital Markets Group, Global Capital Asia; and Andreas Klimsa, publisher of Asiamoney.

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he Treasury Group of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

(RCBC) was recognized for the second year in a row in the recently concluded Forex (FX) the poll conducted by Asiamoney magazine, one of the leading financial publications in the region.

RCBC Treasury was cited as the Best Domestic Provider of FX Services, Best for FX Options, Best for FX Research & Market Coverage as voted by corporates. RCBC Treasury was also voted as the Best Domestic Provider by financial institutions. Chet Luy, senior executive vice president and head of Treasury, received the four awards in the Asiamoney Summer Awards 2016 held on September 21 at JW Marriott, Hong Kong.

“We are humbled by the recognition accorded to us by our clients. Having been selected by clients from a field of other good Philippine banks, these awards mean a lot to us. It inspires us to work harder and to always strive to do the best for our clients,” Luy said.

In its 2015 Asiamoney Forex (FX) poll, RCBC Treasury received two awards as Best Domestic Provider for Overall FX Services in the Philippines and Best Domestic Provider for FX Options in the Philippines, both as voted by corporates.

Duterte. . .

Continued from A1

“Hitler massacred 3 million Jews ...there’s 3 million drug addicts. There are. I’d be happy to slaughter them,” Mr. Duterte said, referring to a Philippine government estimate of the number of drug addicts in the country. Historians say that 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis under Hitler before and during World War II. During the presidential-election campaign earlier this year and during the three months he had held office, the tough-talking Duterte has threatened to drown drug suspects to fatten the fish in Manila Bay. He also threatened to execute drug traffickers by hanging —because he didn’t want to waste

electricity on them—until their heads were severed from their bodies.

While Hitler victims were innocent people, President Duterte said his targets are “all criminals” and that getting rid of them would “finish the [drug] problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition.”

His campaign promise to end corruption and crimes, especially illegal drugs, within six months of taking office on June 30 carried Mr. Duterte to an overwhelming victory in the presidential election.

And since he won the election in May, more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed and nearly 700,000 others have surrendered in his crackdown, but he has asked for a six-month extension to finish the job. AP

www.businessmirror.com.ph

surpass its peers in Asia and the Pacific, all of which are expected to have an e-commerce market value of $5 billion each.

“One of our colleagues from Kantar Retail shared that by 2025 e-commerce will be a $5-billion business in every market in Asia Pacific, but the estimates show that the number will more likely be $10 billion in the Philippines by 2025,” she said in a media briefing on Friday.

Documents from Kantar Retail showed that in 2015, the e-commerce industry in the Philippines booked $1.32 billion in revenues. This is expected to double to $3 billion in the next four years.

There are certain barriers to achieving such a surge, however, and these must be addressed to fully harness the huge potential the industry currently holds.

“What is clear is that there are certain consistent barriers to e-com-

merce adoption, and the first is access, and not just access to the Internet, but access to the whole ecosystem around e-commerce that should be working effectively,” Lawrence explained.

She listed the requirements as efficient logistics networks, reliable payments systems and userfriendly applications.

“You need to have logistics network, and the payments network in place and, of course, you need to have the sites and the ability to access the sites that are delivering or offering you product in a clear and compelling way,” the official said.

And once access to all these is there, there remains barriers around trust.

“People don’t necessarily feel secure when they get started on shopping online—that what they’re buying will arrive, be of good quality, or be genuine,” she said.

During the same briefing, Lawrence also emphasized the need for businesses to rethink how they connect with consumers online, as Filipi-

nos become averse to intrusive brand advertising.

Citing the findings from Kantar TNS’s Connected Life 2016 study, she said brands should embrace disruptive approaches to leverage the full impact of digital and mobile technologies, creating marketing strategies that engage consumers and power businesses toward success.

“Today it’s all about engaging consumers in new ways. Brands must understand their market and develop content that is of value to them,” she said. And, with the rise of socialmedia platforms, brands should be mindful of evolving consumer attitudes, as they look to take advantage of the diversifying social-media landscape, Kantar Media and Digital Effectiveness CEO Gonzalo Fuentes said separately.

The Connected Life results further revealed that a quarter—about 23 percent—of connected consumers in the Philippines “actively ignore” social posts or content from brands.

Businesses need to avoid being invasive as a third already feel “constantly followed” by online advertising.

“With so many tools available for their use, brands must be strategic in developing campaigns that cater to the needs and wants of their consumers. Their marketing campaigns don’t necessarily need to be viral all the time. What they always need to be is memorable,” he said.

The Philippines is touted as the social-media capital of the world. It was also the texting capital of the world, back when basic mobile phones were first introduced.

Today smartphone penetration in the country is around 40 percent, and data from research agency Ericsson showed that more than 30 percent of Filipinos use their smartphones for social networking, 40 percent for instant messaging, and around 30 percent for online videos on a daily basis.

Smartphone penetration is expected to increase to 50 percent by year-end.

Opec deal a bad surprise as Asians seen bearing brunt Continued from a1

refiners,” she said.

Opec will reduce production to a range of 32.5 million to 33 million barrels a day, from 33.7 million in August. Members still have to sort out how the cuts will be implemented at their November meeting in Vienna. Doubts remain about whether the accord will actually be implemented, Kim Woo-kyung, a spokesman at SK Innovation Co., South Korea’s biggest refiner, said by phone on Friday.

Brent oil futures rose 5.9 percent the day the deal was announced. They fell 0.6 percent on Friday to $48.93 a barrel.

Higher oil prices will initially provide a boost for refiners, as it

will increase the value of oil and refined products sitting in storage tanks, Hong Sung Ki, a Seoul-based commodities analyst at Samsung Futures Inc., said by phone.

The longer-term impact will be determined by how a price hike will affect refiners’ profit margins. Fuel exports from Chinese refiners this year have lowered prices of gasoline and diesel relative to crude, reducing margins to as little as $2 a barrel in August, compared with almost $10 a year ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The margin, reflecting the profit from processing Dubai crude in a complex refinery in Singapore, was

$5.40 a barrel on Thursday.

“Given the oversupply in the fuels market currently and slowing demand patterns in many developed markets plus China, the amount to which products prices increase alongside oil prices over the coming quarters could be much softer than previous times,” Peter Lee, a Singapore-based analyst with BMI Research, said by phone.

Asian refiners also should be concerned that Opec members may reverse discounts they have been offering as they fought to maintain market share in the region that buys the most oil in the world, Goldman’s Bhandari said in the report. Saudi

France new tourism-growth driver

The DOT said French tourists spent an aggregate $34 million (P1.64 billion) in the country in 2015, or an average of $1,011 (P48,780) per person. They are also one of the longer-staying visitors in the country, spending an average of 16 hotel nights per

person. Their current favorite destinations are Camiguin, an island off the coast of Northern Mindanao, Boracay Island in Aklan and Siargao in Surigao del Norte.

While there are no direct flights between France and the Philippines, French citizens

have the option of traveling to Manila via Hong Kong, Bangkok and Bahrain, or via Singapore to Kalibo, or to Cebu if going to Siargao and Camiguin.

The DOT also conducted familiarization tours in 2015 for French tourists to the

Arabia offered a discount of $1.10 a barrel for its Arab Light crude to Asian buyers in September, compared with a premium of $3.75 in January 2014 before prices started to crash. Iran’s benchmark light oil, which was at a $3.96 premium in January 2014, was at an 85-cent discount this month.

“In the event an Opec production cut materializes, we think it could be negative for Asian refiners due to the potential reversal of crude discounts they enjoyed as Opec producers fought for market share,” Bhandari wrote. “Higher oil prices eventually put sustained pressure on product demand while costs to run the refinery escalate.” Bloomberg News

Continued from a1 Banaue Rice Terraces, going via land transport from Manila.

Teo attended the IFTM Top Resa in Paris, France, from September 20 to 23, which featured the Philippines to leisure, business travel and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) market. It is France’s largest business-to-business tourism exhibition attended by over 31,000 trade professionals.

Teo gave interviews to All About Travel and L’Echo Touristique, two of the biggest French travel publications, selling the unique features of the Philippines that make it an attractive destination.

“The French travel market is prominently figuring on our radar, as more and more tourists from that side of the world consider the Philippines as their choice destination. And it is our goal to double these numbers in the next four years,”she added. She also met with Philippine private-sector representatives and several French tour operators selling Philippine destinations at Top Resa.

During her visit to Paris, Teo had a meeting with France’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, the promotion of Tourism and French Nationals Abroad Matthias Fekl, where shehighlighted that country’s long history of friendship with the Philippines.

“The strong diplomatic relations between the Philippines and France should encourage for a more eloquent tourism related activities and exchanges between our people, and consequently bring our two distant nations much closer together,” she said.

She also discussed with Philippine Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa Lazaro plans to pursue a tourism cooperation agreement with the French Embassy in Manila.

Economy

Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon

Tribal group backs suspension of 20 mining firms

T

HE tribesmen’s federation Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (Katribu) is backing the recommendation of Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez to suspend 20 mining companies following an audit of their operations.

Aside from Katribu, the Scrap Mining Act of 1995 Network also lauded Lopez, who had been going hammer and tongs against mining companies for many years. “We appreciate the fact that the list includes several companies that are responsible for the wanton destruction of tribal ancestral lands and pollution of rivers in Northern Luzon,” Katribu said.

“However, we urge Secretary Gina Lopez and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] to also suspend and immediately stop the operations of several more for the disasters caused by their mining activities,” the group added.

“Secretary Lopez and the DENR in their audit and decisions should highlight the violations of tribesmens’ collective rights and how large-scale mining endangered the lives and livelihood of farmers and indigenous peoples [IP]. Most of these mining companies violated and continue to violate the right to self-determination of indigenous peoples. Most of these mining companies were able to operate without securing the genuine consent of IP groups and communities,” Katribu added.

Scrap Mining Act of 1995 Network has been established in response to the growing call to repeal the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

It seeks the enactment of a new mining law that respects the rights of the indigenous peoples, protects the environment, upholds the national patrimony and aims to reorient the mining industry toward developing national industrialization.

“The present Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and government policies on mining follow a colonial pattern, where all our minerals are extracted and exported to industrialized and powerful countries instead of having a mining industry that supports the genuine industrialization, rural modernization and building a self-sufficient economy. Tribal rights are violated and lives lost with the kind of mining that the government continues to promote. Economic displacement and loss of livelihood occur whenever mining operations take place in indigenous communities. Legitimate opposition to large-scale mining operations face the brutality of company private guards and the state security forces,” Katribu said. Marvyn N. Benaning

BusinessMirror

Saturday, October 1, 2016 A3

Miners asked to help address rural poverty

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

E

@jonlmayuga

NVIRONMENT Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez is urging mining companies to support the government’s antipoverty programs and implement programs that can generate employment, livelihood and spur economic activities in their host communities.

LOPEZ: “There are people who benefit, but [there are] many others who don’t and suffer. And they fight with each other. That’s the most painful— when the presence of a business interest creates social fissure.”

L opez made the call during a meeting with officials and representatives of mining companies at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Social Hall on Thursday, two days after an-

nouncing the mine audit results.

Thirty of the 41 mining operations have been recommended for suspension by the audit teams for various violations of environmental and mining laws based on a criteria that includes environmental, social and biodiversity considerations, on top of the physical or technical aspect in mining.

The DENR and mining companies agreed to work together to ensure that mining redounds to the common good and improves lives of Filipinos, especially in communities that host mining operations.

The DENR chief is introducing an integrated areadevelopment approach to create “mini economic zones” that can generate employment, livelihood and incomegenerating activities in communities where mining communities operate to address poverty.

To do this, Lopez wants mining companies to strengthen their partnership with civil-society organizations (CSO) and community-based groups to boost programs that would create jobs and livelihood opportunities.

“When you do that, we can get our people out of poverty,” Lopez said in a statement.

Addressing about 80 representatives of mining companies, Lopez explained the policies and thrusts of the department, stressing that the bottom line is “for the country’s natural resources to be used in a way that ben-

efits the most number of people.”

Lopez noted that in the case of mining, its benefits have been limited. Worse, she said, mining has been causing “social fissure” in communities.

“There are people who benefit, but [there are] many others who don’t and suffer. And they fight with each other. That’s the most painful—when the presence of a business interest creates social fissure,” she said.

According to Lopez, the meeting with mining officials or their representatives aims “to move forward and work together for the country’s good.”

“I reiterate sincerely and emphatically, I want to help you [the mining industry] make things right and be on the positive side,” she said. During the meeting, Lopez also presented the total economic valuation (TEV) framework, which she described as a “fair and scientific way to make decisions based on monetary evaluation.”

She encouraged them to use TEV to identify and quantify the major environmental impacts of mining and, from there, decide which programs to implement in their areas.

Lopez cited the social development and management program of mining companies as one that can make significant socioeconomic impact if the money is used to create economic activities for communities under the DENR’s area-development approach.

“What if in the areas where you are, we ensure an area-development approach, wherein your SDMP money is utilized in the best of ways with great social and economic value,” she said. “I can work with you there, in such a way that the entire area where you are becomes a huge economic success.” The development of the community will continue long after mining has stopped if the programs implemented by the government and the mining companies are economically viable, Lopez said.

She also presented programs on reef protection and preservation and the use of biochar to rehabilitate agricultural lands affected by mining, both of which the mining companies could be involved in.

Gordon assails neglect of Subic, Clark airports

S

EN. Richard J. Gordon on Friday expressed dismay that the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) has become an asset whose usage cannot be optimized for commercial flights and, thus, help the development of the country’s economy—unlike in the past.

In a privileged speech, Gordon, while recounting how he and the volunteers worked day and night after the Americans left to protect and preserve the facilities to make it prosper, voiced his umbrage over the loss of the state-of-the-art equipment at SBIA, which used to be the country’s best airport under his leadership, and the fact that Clark International Airport (CIA) in Pampanga has not been fully optimized.

Subic was left by US forces almost 24 years ago, and Gordon, who was then Olongapo City mayor, was appointed founding chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

“After the US withdrawal, volunteers made Subic a thriving zone.

When I was still SBMA chairman, we turned Subic into a flourishing free port—SBIA was a big income earner, with chartered flights coming in daily. We made sure that Subic and Clark will not go the path taken

by Sangley Point. Thus, FedEx opened a hub for its Asian operation in Subic, with 18 flights coming in daily at SBIA. We also had Enron, Acer and other big companies in Subic. After I was removed as chairman of

SBMA, it was as if we let grass grew under our feet after FedEx left. There was no more promotions for SBIA, there were no more chartered planes coming in. Clark was never improved,” Gordon noted.

“They have become nonperforming assets. We let the wolf near the sheep or we allowed the snake to come near the chickens. Now, we only use gordon the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which has come to a very sorry state that it brings constant reputational damage to our country. Flights are often delayed because of air and ground traffic, which cause frayed nerves and economic losses. When we hosted the Apec [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit] last year, it would have saved us traffic woes, trade and economic losses and other problems had the government used SBIA and the CIA,” he added.

Gordon pointed out that instead of spending much time investigating extrajudicial killings, and other prurient and salacious but trivial issues the country would be better off if its officials would focus more on legislation and policies that would result in job and investment generation.

“We spend time investigating the extrajudicial killings, scandalous issues and others. But surely, we can take time for other things.

Surely, we can find time for policies and laws that would result in labor generation, in investment generation. Surely, we can make time for opportunity-building. Poverty is an absence of choice. We are poor because we have no choice, we don’t have high-paying jobs to choose from because there are little or no investments,” he said.

The senator called for an investigation on how both SBIA and CIA, considered as two of the country’s crown jewels, have reached their present state of deterioration.

“We have a lot of lost opportunities in our country. We used to have the highest literacy rate in Asia, there was a time, too, when we were second only to Japan in terms of military power that our Air Force even had its Blue Diamonds [aerobatic team]. We also lost our railways. We cannot allow this to continue,” he added. Butch Fernandez

Lawmakers see drop in tourist arrivals with DOT budget cut

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

T

@joveemarie

HE Department of Tourism (DOT) may not be able to meet its tourist arrivals target as it is facing 39.7-percent budget cut for 2017, lawmakers said on Friday.

Normally, House Minority Leader Danilo E. Suarez said the budgets of government offices increase every year, but “this is not case for the DOT.” “The increasing budget seems to be the trend, but not for the DOT next year,” Suarez said.

“There should be enhanced, better relations between Congress and the DOT for the latter to have better allocations in the future, given the projected hike of tourists coming to visit the Philippines every year,” Suarez added.

The DOT has a P3.61-billion budget this year and a proposed P2.457 billion in 2017 under House Bill 3408, or the 2017 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

This year’s budget is 44 percent higher than the DOT’s P2.5-billion budget in 2015, while its proposed budget for next year is 39.7 percent lower.

Nacionalista Party Rep. Michael Jack R. Duavit of Rizal, sponsored the DOT budget during the plenary deliberations on the 2017 GAB, said the budget for the office of the Tourism Secretary amounting to P800 million got the biggest slash in the 2017 proposed budget of the agency.

Earlier, the DOT said it is aiming to attract some 6.5 million in foreign visitor arrivals and 73.3 million domestic tourists in 2017 even as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has reduced the DOT’s next year appropriations.

The BusinessMirror earlier reported that the country’s tourism sector earned some P149 billion from foreign visitors in the period of January to July this year.

This represented a significant 14-percent gain from the same period last year, latest data from the DOT show.

On a monthly basis, the DOT said the month of February recorded the highest tourism receipts at P27.5 billion, as well as the biggest increase at 42.09 percent compared to February 2015.

ARMM budget

A LAWMAKER from Mindanao, meanwhile, questioned the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional government, led by Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman, on unexplained appropriations, procurement, unfinished projects, contracts and liquidations amounting to billions of its allocated budget from 2013 to 2016.

Party-list Rep. Shernee Tan of Kusug Tausug, citing the autonomous region’s annual audit report by the Commission on Audit, said the ARMM leadership has yet to fully account for its annual allocations.

“Much over the P96-billion budget received by the ARMM regional government in the last four years remain unaccounted for,” Tan said.

Tan also noted the increase in poverty incidence in the ARMM, despite the tripling of its budget from P10.4 billion in 2010 to P29.4 billion this year. “This, in light of the ARMM’s bid to ask Congress for a hefty raise in its budget, from P29.4 billion in 2016 to P41.78 billion in 2017.”

PhilFida reports hike in abaca production

By Jasper Arcalas

@jearcalas

T

HE country’s total abaca output from January to July this year inched to 35,538.625 metric tons (MT), from 35,148.5 MT recorded a year ago, latest data from the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFida) showed.

PhilFida data also showed that the Bicol region remained the top producer of abaca, accounting for 38 percent of the total output for the first seven months of the year.

Bicol region output grew by 5.5 percent to 13,489.25 MT, compared to 12,780.99 MT recorded a year ago.

The Davao region is still the second top abaca producer, accounting for 16.3 percent of the total output. Davao produced 5,803.4 MT, 2.7 percent higher than 5,648.11 MT during the same period last year.

Western Visayas posted the highest growth among all the regions, almost doubling its abaca output to 1,235.81 MT, from 619.94 MT last year.

Central Luzon recorded the highest output drop in the country.

Production in the area plunged 56.3 percent to 2.625 MT, from 6.01 MT last year.

Meanwhile, total abaca exports earning from January to May grew 39.4 percent to $51.38 million, from $36.85 million same time period last year.

Abaca pulp accounted for the lion’s share of the earnings during the period at 66.6 percent. Exports receipt from abaca pulp grew 62.3 percent to $34.21 million, from $21.10 million earned a year ago.

The United Kingdom (UK) and Germany were the top 2 importers of local abaca pulps, accounting for 38.1 percent and 29.7 percent of share, respectively. Abaca pulp exports to UK more than doubled to 3,265.885 MT, compared to 1,602.668 recorded a year ago.

The United States imported 964.615 MT of local abaca pulp, a whopping 841.4-percent increase from 102.5 MT recorded during the same period last year.

The UK was also the top importer of local abaca fiber, accounting for 52.6-percent share of the total exports. Local abaca, fiber exports to UK reached 2,791.75 MT, 10.8 percent higher than 2,520 MT last year. Japan was the second top importer of abaca fiber. Japan mported 1,851.25 MT, 233.5 MT less than 2,084.75 MT during the same period last year.

The Philippines produces 85 percent of the world abaca supply, which is globally known as Manila hemp.

House building 3rd-biggest construction activity

T

HE construction of office spaces, as well as roads and railways accounted for more than half of total construction output in 2013, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In the final result of the Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry for the sector, data showed the total value of output generated by all construction establishments amounted to P344.7 billion.

Nonresidential building construction accounted for 38.4 percent, or P132.3 billion of the total, while roads and railways, 27 percent, or P93.1 billion.

“Three industries generated the bulk of the total value of output at P286.9 billion, or 83.2 percent of the total,” the PSA said.

The third industry that boosted total construction value in 2013 was residential (dwelling) building constructions with an output share of P93.1 billion, or 27 percent of the total.

The PSA said the value of output represented the sum of receipts from domestic construction activities, net income earned from construction abroad, contract and commission work done for others, and income from products manufactured and sold less cost of products sold.

It also includes goods sold in the same condition as purchased less the cost of goods sold and the value of tangible fixed assets produced on own account and change in inventories of finished products and work-in-progress.

Meanwhile, in terms of contribution to the country’s tangible fixed assets, the construction of roads and railways accounted for the bulk of the sector’s contribution.

Data showed the construction of roads and railways contributed a total of P3.6 billion to the country’s tangible fixed assets.

The PSA said this accounted for almost half, or 46.5 percent of the total gross addition to tangible fixed assets.

“Gross addition to tangible fixed assets is equal to capital expenditures less sale of fixed assets, including land,” the PSA said.

The survey was conducted nationwide in 2014, with the year 2013 as the reference period of data, except for employment, which is as of November 15, 2013.

The data collected from the survey provide information on the levels, structure, performance and trends of economic activities of the formal sector in the entire country for the year 2013. Cai U. Ordinario

A4 Saturday, October 1, 2016 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

editorial

What will discredit

T

HE war on drugs will not be discredited.

On its own terms, it is a roaring success.

As the ongoing United Nations Summit on Drugs shows, and a US State Department report argues: Thaksin’s similar, indeed, the original war on drugs—just as peremptory, so to speak—succeeded.

Not a total victory to be sure, but repeatedly successful campaigns. His overthrow by the junta, which initially wanted to investigate him for human-rights violations (strong irony there), has had to swallow its words: drugs have made a big comeback in Thailand as General Khumchaya bewailed at the UN Summit.

What will discredit the war on drugs is the failure or the unwillingness of the Duterte administration to find the killers of innocent bystanders, like that 5-year-old girl and the young working woman shot three times dead riding a jeepney on the way to work.

These tragedies put deep in doubt the accuracy of blacklists and the rationality of the antidrug campaign. Who cares if politicians are mistakenly included? Why clear them at all? But the killing of innocent bystanders, not to mention those mistakenly tagged in so-called blacklists?

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) dismissed the killing of innocent bystanders as mere collateral damage. But the PCCI notwithstanding, there cannot be collateral damage in a democracy where one man means one vote—and one dead innocent chalked up as “collateral damage” and merely charged to experience—is tantamount to a dead democracy.

The essence of democracy is not majority vote, far from it; it is the assertion of individual right, dignity and life over any other consideration. The essence of democracy is not found in the constitutional chapter on executive power acquired by majority vote, but in the Bill of Rights.

One dead innocent citizen is one too many for a democracy to accept. (A drug pusher or drug addict is not included in the democratic equation by virtue of the part they play in destroying the rationality that defines humanity).

President Duterte must find the truth about the killing of that girl and of that woman, among others. Pushers and users are not included in this concern.

Nonetheless, the solution—even to this problem of democratic credibility—is even more of the summary solution already adopted: And that is to find and take out the errant killers of innocent bystanders, while going on killing more pushers—who resist arrest, of course.

Since 2005

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business ✝ Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua

Keeping the Philippines in perspective John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

A

ll of us have the desire to feel important, if not actually be important. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as we are realistic in our expectations of where we fit in the great scheme of the universe. The same is true of countries.

There is no question that, in large part, due to President Duterte—for good or not—world consciousness has been raised about these 7,000 rocks sticking out of the Philippine Sea Tectonic Plate. However, in the larger scheme of things, the Philippines is nothing more than a pimple on the bottom of the world.

Of course, we hang on every incident that happens in the country as we should. From the alleged sex tape to our foreign relations, everything is high drama in large measure colored with politics.

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Regionally, though, the Philippines could increasingly become an important player. Southeast Asia holds nearly 1 billion people and has the highest economic growth of any region in the world with no reason to believe that fact will change any time soon.

In 2015 China had $11 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) to the Asean countries, including $1 billion to Vietnam.

The US, on the other hand $13 billion in FDI. But China put $1.3 billion into manufacturing against the US’s $51 million.

Further, US investment also included $3 billion buying ownership of local companies, not “new” investment.

These are serious times that call for serious ref lection. We need to keep focus on what is important and what is not important for the nation.

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

Suburbs will soar on wings of technology

By Tyler Cowen

Founder

Publisher

But it is just fine because that is part of Filipino culture and society. Many things are spoken about in too loud a voice with a bit of overacting thrown in for dramatic effect.

The problem in taking yourself too seriously—whether an individual or a nation—is that you may lose sight of the big picture and we are all part of that bigger picture.

T he situation in the West Philippine Sea and our relations with China are great topics for discussion and they should be.

While President Duterte seeks greater flexibility in Philippine foreign relations, others demand the status quo of focusing primarily, if not only on the United States. However, the world is not black-and-white and everything is interconnected. Some would like to think that this is a China-US issue. But a more realistic and greater concern should be China/Japan.

The US has not fired water cannons at a sovereign vessel of any country in the region. Both China and Japan have done so at each other. These two nations are in reality longtime bitter enemies.

In AD 663 the Battle of Baekgang took place, the first Chinese-Japanese conflict in recorded history.

The question, therefore, may be not Philippine-US relations, but how do we balance our large and greatly important economic relations with Japan against the need to figure things out with China? Further, how does the Philippines accomplish this without the US making the decisions that might not be in our best interest?

Bloomberg View

F

or a few years, it seemed that Americans were moving to the cities, but now the trends are toward the suburbs once again. Long-turn trends favor suburbs even more.

One reason is the rise of Uber and other ride-sharing services.

Uber helps users virtually everywhere, but in cities there are subways and buses and walking might be an option. Uber, therefore, is swinging the advantage to the suburbs, or to spread out suburb-like cities, such as Los Angeles.

Self-driving vehicles are also likely to help the suburbs most.

One of the worst things about the suburbs is the commute to the city or to other parts of the suburbs. But what if you could read, text or watch TV—safely—during that commuting time? What if you could tackle your day’s work just as you do on a train or plane? Commuting would seem a lot less painful. As driverless vehicles evolve to accommodate work and leisure uses of the automobile space, pleasure will replace commuting stress.

What about drones? They, too, would seem to favor remote areas where it is harder to access useful goods and services. Drones may do more for exurbs and rural areas

than for the suburbs, but it seems cities will gain least. Walking or biking to nearby shops is a potential substitute for drone delivery. Rolling sidewalk drones might find it harder to negotiate crowded cities, and cities with a dense network of tall buildings may be less friendly to flying drones. Population density may increase the risk of a drone falling on someone.

Now think about virtual reality. Its advocates claim that it will be used for sex, to simulate travel and to watch sporting events and concerts with an intense 3D accompaniment. You will be able to do all that in the comfort of your living room or basement. So you won’t need a city for vivid cultural experiences.

Or consider the advent of the “smart home” and the Internet of things. Wouldn’t it be nice to just talk to your stove/computer/3-D printer/robot and say, “Make me some pureed squash”? Any forecast on this topic seems speculative.

Still, the suburbs often have more

Suburbs are sometimes portrayed as ignoble compared to cities, and media centers like New York and Washington attract young, pro-urban writers who trumpet their hometown virtues. But let’s not forget that it is the suburban sprawl of Silicon Valley that has produced many of the biggest recent tech breakthroughs.

new homes and more new appliances because it’s harder to rebuild or to reequip older city apartments.

So I suspect the arrival of the smart home will favor the suburbs, too.

Suburbs are sometimes portrayed as ignoble compared to cities, and media centers like New York and Washington attract young, pro-urban writers who trumpet their hometown virtues. But let’s not forget that it is the suburban sprawl of Silicon Valley that has produced many of the biggest recent tech breakthroughs.

Suburbs are also the part of the US that’s leading the way when it comes to the racial integration of school systems. The more densely

populated areas are seeing increases in segregation by income and, often, by race. Therefore, the suburbs are probably where America’s melting-pot dream is strongest.

Cities are more environmentally efficient than suburbs. Still, a lot of cities are less green than they look once you see them as dependent on a surrounding belt of manufacturing and energy transmission. It’s not really in Manhattan’s moral favor that it exports many dirty activities to China or northern New Jersey, even if doing so makes New York City statistically greener.

I, therefore, suggest that America’s new and glorious suburban future won’t be so painful or tedious or immoral. Suburbanization is continuing, most of all, because people want it. This trend will become stronger if southern cities, such as Atlanta, Dallas and Houston implement the building restrictions that already are keeping lower-income and middle-class people out of San Francisco and Manhattan.

I should confess a bias in writing this article. In my 54 years, I have not once lived in a major US city, although always right outside of one. Thus, I can assure city dwellers that their new suburban overlords will be benevolent ones.

Opinion BusinessMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph

Is the honeymoon almost over?

Jemain Tinio Diaz de Rivera

Forward Moving

A

T the beginning of a marriage, partners get to know what makes each other tick. The honeymoon is an exhilarating time when the unknown makes everything seem possible.

This stage may last for weeks, months or, if lucky, even a year or two. Perhaps, the biggest obstacle to a relationship is the end of the honeymoon period.

Traditionally, a newly elected president is given a 100-day honeymoon period. For 92 days the Philippines has been in this mode.

W hen President Duterte was sworn into office, Filipinos hoped they would have safer streets, better infrastructure, more foreign investments, and the freedom to travel and work along the West Philippine Sea. nnn

The information technology and business-processing management (IT-BPM) industry remains bullish. Recently, the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines (Himap), Animation Council of the Philippines and the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) held annual gatherings of stakeholders, and each sector seeing robust growth for the next few years. Looking forward to investing outside of Metro Manila, such as Clark, Bacolod, Iloilo, Davao and Cebu.

Cagayan de Oro was also mentioned by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Deputy Executive Director Monchito B. Ibrahim as an area where t wo large IT-BPM f ir ms w i l l soon operate.

CCAP chairman Benedict Hernandez highlighted the improving Internet connectivity in the countryside as a key factor in facilitating the spread of IT-BPMs outside Metro Manila. nnn

Giving recognition to outstanding leaders and organizations as business ambassadors of the Philippines and role models of the young, the Asia CEO Awards chairman, Richard Mills, noted the increase in success stories in the local business world and the rising number of companies that attest to these achievements.

The Asia CEO Awards was established seven years ago to recognize leaders and achievers, make the Philippines the premier business destination in Asia, and help the country become a first-world nation.

Asia CEO Awards finalists are being judged in these categories: Executive Leadership Team of the Year; Top Employer of the Year; Global Filipino Executive of the Year; Expatriate Executive of the Year; Service Excellence Company of the Year; Most Innovative Company of the Year; Young Leader of the Year; Green Company; CSR Company; Heart for Overseas Filipino Workers; Asean Company of the Year; Small- and Medium-

sized Enterprises Company of the Year; Technology Company of the Year; and Entrepreneur of the Year.

Winners will be announced during the gala night on October 18. nnn

One of the most respected opponents of President Duterte during the elections was former Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

She was named one of The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 1997 by The Australian magazine. In 1988 she was named laureate of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government ser vice, with a citation for cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency.

In 2012 Santiago became the first Filipina and the first Asian from a developing country to be elected a judge of the International Criminal Court. Santiago was known as the Dragon Lady, the Platinum Lady, the Incorruptible Lady, the Tiger Lady and, most popularly, the Iron Lady of Asia.

She would have been the best adversary or adviser of President Duterte, who would have matched his repartee with candor. She would not have thought twice about letting the President know what she thought of his impulsiveness with her scathing, but bold, eloquence. nnn

Economists and investors view favorably the 3-percent to 5-percent yearly increase in remittances to the country, the IT-BPM revenue growth of 15 percent to 18 percent, and various public-private partnership projects pursued by the current administration.

Some businessmen have rising concerns about political stability because of President Dutere’s statements on t he European Union, the United Nations, the United States and China.

Unfortunately, Santiago is no longer with us to share her unique point of view and intelligent sense of humor, who would have been a worthy adversary worth watching intellectually duel with the administration. nnn

Filipinos are patient and will bend over backward hoping that things will work out, believing in a God that loves and protects them, respecting and, at times, hero-worshiping their parents, a movie star, or the President of the Republic. President Duterte is a fortunate man and most believe he will enjoy an extended honeymoon with his constituents.

Concert to support the youth scholars of Caritas Manila Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual

SERVANT LEADER

‘L

ove in Abundance: An Outpouring Blessings” a special fund-raising concert and raffle will be presented on October 26 for the benefit of Caritas Manila’s Youth Servant Leadership and Education Program (YSLEP) scholars.

In celebration of its 63rd founding anniversary and in support to almost 5,000 YSLEP scholars of Caritas Manila, Smart Infinity, together with D Source Inc., Ayala Corp., Ayala Land Inc.; BPI Foundation, with the support of PLDT-Smart Foundation; and One Meralco Foundation will hold a benefit dinner concert that will feature the inspirational music of renowned composer and musician, maestro Ryan Cayabyab, to be held at the Grand Ball-

room, Shangri-La Fort Bonifacio Global City.

Directed by Floy Quintos, the benefit concert will feature the performances of the Philippine Harmonic Orchestra, singers Basil Valdez, Bituin Escalante, Celeste Legaspi, Bo Cerrudo and Esang de Torres.

The event will not just be a night of musical entertainment, fortunate members of the audience will have a chance to be given special gifts, such as expensive

BloombergView

T

here’s a bank run happening in Dallas. The funny thing is, it’s not happening at a bank.

The city’s pension for firefighters and the police is disastrously underfunded. Start with the normal problem that virtually all public pension plans are facing (overpromising benefits, underinvesting in the fund). Add in an attempt to make good on promises by investing in “nontraditional” assets, like timber and real estate, which didn’t pan out as the investors had hoped. Add

in a deferred retirement program which allows people to accumulate assets in the fund long after their retirement date—and to withdraw that money in a lump sum whenever they want. And what you get is a big mess.

Alarmed by the state of its pension fund, city officials have started talking about fixes. Folks with money in the fund have become justifiably suspicious that those fixes might include cuts. They are hastening to withdraw their money. At the moment, those withdrawals actually help the fund, because it’s required to pay out a fixed rate of interest that is below the cur-

jewelry and other collectible items donated by generous benefactors spurred by mercy and compassion to help the poor and the needy that Caritas Manila supports.

We encourage ever yone to support this meaningful concert.

Through this musical event, we aim to sustain the needs of Caritas Manila’s YSLEP scholars and to be able to send more youth to school to help and guide them to have a better future. These scholars need all the help that they could get, especially now that some of them are dependents of drug-rehabilitated offenders who are also being assisted by Caritas Restorative Justice Ministry.

YSLEP is the f lagship program of Caritas Manila, which e x tend s f ina nc i a l a ssist a nce to poor, but deserving, youth, and trains and hones the youth not only for academic excellence, but also to become servant leaders and good members of the community.

To date, Caritas Manila has

produced over 10,000 graduates and continues to provide educational assistance, values formation workshops and leadership trainings to almost 5,000 students nationwide with an average of 300 college and technical/vocational graduates yearly.

Caritas Manila is the Archdiocese of Manila’s lead social services and development ministry.

Apart from YSLEP, Caritas Manila runs diverse projects that help the poor fulfill their human potential, such as the Caritas Damayan and Restorative Justice Ministry, as well social entrepreneurship programs Caritas Margins and Segunda Mana.

To know more about Caritas Manila, visit www.caritasmanila.org.ph. For your donations, please call our DonorCare lines 563-9311, 564-0205, 0999-7943455, 09054285001 and 0929-8343857.

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

Overturning Obama, Congress puts the US in danger

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t took nearly eight years for Congress to override a veto by President Barack Obama. It could hardly have chosen a worse measure on which to do so—or a more stark way of exposing its most craven impulses.

Obama was right to reject the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which would allow US citizens to sue foreign nations for abetting terrorist acts, even if they are not included on the State Department’s official list of sponsor states.

While the law names no names, it is obviously intended to allow the families of those killed in the September 11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged involvement.

The problem is that law clearly violates the principle of sovereign immunity, which bars people from using their nation’s court system to

sue a foreign government. If sovereign immunity is weakened, no country is more vulnerable than the US. In his veto message last week, Obama warned that the law undermines “longstanding principles that protect the United States, our forces and our personnel.”

In addition, in cases brought by US citizens, defense lawyers could potentially force Washington to release sensitive or even classified information. Saudi Arabia could also respond by canceling contracts with US businesses and urging its Gulf Arab neighbors to reassess their cooperation with Washington on counterterrorism.

It’s not as if the Senate, which voted 97-1 to approve the override, was unaware of these concerns. Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Foreign

Relations Committee, said he had “tremendous concerns” about the law, while Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein confessed that the law is “the wrong thing to do.” Both of these senators, to repeat, voted in support of the legislation. All elected officials have made votes they regret, but rarely do they express their regrets on the same day as the vote.

Now 28 senators of both parties have issued a letter saying they hope to mitigate any negative consequences of the bill.

Some cautious legislators had already added a provision allowing the administration to stay any suit so long as it is engaged in “good faith discussions” with the foreign state. On Wednesday there was talk of limiting the law’s application solely to the September 11

attacks or to Saudi Arabia.

Neither of these ameliorate the fact the US. Congress has undermined a fundamental tenet of international law. The only way to ensure US soldiers, spies and diplomats remain protected is for Congress to repeal this measure it never should have passed.

Doing so may upset the September 11 families, many of whom say the issue is not financial compensation but justice.

Congress can better address their concerns by creating a new investigatory body, along the lines of the 9/11 Commission, to look into the narrower question of Saudi connections to the bombers. That would be far more helpful to the victims than making the US a legal target for its enemies around the globe. Bloomberg View

Skylab redux: Watch out for China’s falling space debris

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emember when we fretted about space junk from Skylab raining from the sky?

Well, spacecraft flotsam is all set for a return engagement. Only this time, blame the Chinese.

Chinese officials acknowledge that they have lost control over their first space laboratory, a 34foot, 9-ton craft that’s now orbiting the earth 200 miles overhead. Scientists expect the lab, Tiangong-1, to plummet to Earth sometime in late 2017. Much of it will burn up in the atmosphere’s upper strata, but larger pieces, jagged shards weighing more than 200 pounds, could survive reentry. Exactly when this volley from the heavens will happen—and where—no one knows.

So, will Earth’s inhabitants again find themselves nervously craning necks upward now and then, watching for hunks of fiery steel? Not us.

We’ve always been a nation of worriers. And we’ve always had something seemingly cataclysmic to stoke our anxieties: killer bees in the 1970s, mad-cow disease in

the 1990s, Y2K chaos at the turn of the century. Skylab exposed our preoccupation with one of our most innate worries: something big and heavy conking our heads.

As the day of landfall grew closer (July 11, 1979) scientists regularly put out forecasts on what swath of territory was in peril. The Justice Department set aside two lawyers who were prepared to jet to any spot on the planet to size up whatever damage Skylab inflicted. Maryland and Virginia’s emergency preparedness officials worked up Skylab disaster plans. Washington, D.C., set up a command center.

T he people w ith the right preparedness plan were the ones who had none at all. Instead of running for cover, they riffed. One company sold paper Skylab helmets at $2 a pop. There were T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase, “Skylab missed me.” Stores sold Skylab Repellent and Skylab Impact Balm.

People threw Skylab crash parties and painted huge bull’s eyes on their streets.

Where did Skylab finally land?

Pensions fly only if you believe they can

By Megan McArdle

Saturday, October 1, 2016 A5

rent investment returns. But if the withdrawals continue, the fund will soon be in a parlous state. Naturally, this makes people want to withdraw their money, in order to get it out before the thing collapses.

As an example of what can happen to a pension fund, this is interesting, but not particularly representative.

Pension funds do not have to allow lump-sum distributions, though many do. But it is, nonetheless, useful to look at what’s happening in Dallas, because it illustrates why bank runs happen, and why they’re so hard to stop once they’ve started.

The ultimate source of a bank run— the original sin of the financial system, if you will—is the conflict between what we want as borrowers and what we want as savers. As savers, we want a vehicle that will guarantee that we will not lose money and that we can get that money out before we need it. As borrowers, we want a predictable, fixed payment, preferably for a long time at a low interest rate. In economic terms, savers have a very high preference for liquidity (the ability to easily turn your investment back into cash), while borrowers have a very high preference for illiquidity.

That translates into the price of in-

Space junk falls all the time, without any consequence.

The European Space Agency estimates that there are 170 million pieces of man-made space debris a millimeter or larger orbiting the Earth, and 29,000 pieces 10 centimeters or larger. Bit by bit, that stuff falls—quietly and harmlessly.

A bit of it plopped into the Indian Ocean, but most of the wreckage fell onto a deserted stretch of Australia, where the population density was less than one person per square kilometer. No one got clobbered. Buildings and cars suffered nary a dent.

Space junk falls all the time, without any consequence. The European Space Agency estimates that there are 170 million pieces of man-made space debris a millimeter or larger orbiting the Earth, and 29,000 pieces 10 centimeters or

larger. Bit by bit, that stuff falls— quietly and harmlessly.

The odds of a human getting struck by a piece of the Tiangong-1 or any other space debris are about one in 3,200, according to space.com.

What are the odds that you will be that person? One in several trillion.

So the Chinese shouldn’t necessarily wring hands over the possibility of hunks of cosmic trash felling bystanders out for their morning jogs. Losing a grip on their first space laboratory is a bit embarrassing, but overall their space program has made considerable headway since its inception in the early 1990s. China launched its first astronaut in 2003, and in 2013 it put a rover on the moon.

If nothing else, they can take solace in the meager price the US was asked to pay for Skylab’s fall from the sky. The Australian town that Skylab shards fell near slapped a $400 fine on the US for littering. If Tiangong falls somewhere between Bangor and Fresno, we can send the summons to the Communist Party’s Central Committee in Beijing. TNS

vestments: the more illiquid it is, the more the investors are willing to pay for the privilege in the form of higher interest rates or other investment returns. This is why 30-year mortgages, have higher interest rates than 15-year mortgages—and 30-year mortgages, nonetheless, dominate the market.

The same sort of logic applies to assets, like stocks, that are generally relatively liquid, but are also volatile—meaning that their value can move around a lot over short periods, so that while you can usually liquidate, you might have to do so at a loss.

The good news is that while people

want to have the option to liquidate their investments, they don’t necessarily use that option very often. So if you pool a lot of savers together, and a lot of borrowers, you can make a sort of simulated asset that is both liquid and not volatile, even though it’s made out of assets that are actually fairly illiquid and/or volatile. This has real benefits to savers, who get a better return on their money than they would by lending it out short term or leaving it in a stack of bills; and to investors, who get lower rates than they would if they had to persuade an individual to give them a 30-year mortgage.

The Nation

A6 Saturday, October 1, 2016 • Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo

BusinessMirror

Duterte won’t talk with Bilibid drug lord

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By Manuel T. Cayon

@awimailbox

AVAO CITY—President Duterte shot down on Friday the request of high-profile drug lord imprisoned in the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City to talk to him on the drugs situation in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

“I do not talk to criminals. They can go to the fiscal if they want [to confess wrongdoing]. Or maybe write a letter to [Justice] Secretary [Vitaliano N. Aguirre II],” he said at dawn on Friday here, shortly after reading

his arrival statement from his twoday working visit to Vietnam.

Jaybee Sebastian, one of the drug lords who appeared in a foreign documentary on the drugs trade in the Philippines, was

wounded in a brawl on September 28 at the NBP, where a convicted Chinese drug lord was killed.

The brawl brought the spotlight anew to the ongoing spat between Duterte and Sen. Leila M. de Lima, who has been hounding Duterte on the issue of extrajudicial killing since the time Duterte was the mayor of this city and de Lima was the chairman of the Commission on Human Rights and later secretary of Justice.

“Why, has he a problem now? Sinasabi ko hiningi ninyo iyan lahat. I’m telling everybody, iyang drugs na iyan, hiningi ninyo sa buhay ninyo, dadating iyan,” Duterte said, when asked if he would allow Sebastian to confide to him the illegal-drugs operations in the prison camp.

“I said be careful with what you wish for, for what you want, for you

might get it. What’s money at the expense of your fellow human being?

It will come. It’s the law of karma. I assure you, that is a very universal statement,” he said.

Aguirre, who accompanied Duterte in the Vietnam visit, said he may or may not talk to Sebastian’s lawyer following Duterte’s reaction. But he said he may accede to a conversation, but only with Sebastian’s lawyer.

“There would be no parameter, if his lawyer talks to me...just talk about the whole truth and nothing else,” he said.

He believes, however, that even without Sebastian’s supposed explosive revelation, “we have presented more than sufficient data already” to the congressional hearing on the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the NBP.

Pineda tells Pampanga barangay execs to resign if they can’t fight drug menace

By Joel P. Mapiles Correspondent

M

AGALANG, Pampanga— “Resign now!”

This is the advise of Pampanga Gov. Lilia G. Pineda to barangay officials if they do not have what it takes to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs in their areas.

The governor said barangay officials should not take for granted the huge problem on illegal drugs. “Hindi sila dapat tatamad-tamad at papataypatay sa kanilang tungkulin na protektahan ang kanilang mga kabarangay laban sa illegal na droga,” Pineda said.

The provincial government has spent millions of pesos for the almost semiannual seminars and summit on illegal drugs in the province, but the governor said she is disappointed with the performance of local officials when it comes to fighting illegal drugs.

Hence, Pineda urged the Department of the Interior and Local Government to issue a memorandum to all barangay officials from barangay chairmen to members of the barangay councils stating that they will be held liable in court and will be charged administratively if drug pushers, drug lords or drug laboratories will be found in their villages.

She said barangay officials should not be afraid in solving the drug problem in their communities.

“We should fight illegal drugs even if it would cost us our lives.

Itataya ko ang buhay ko. Kung mamatay man tayo at least may ka-

PAMPANGA Gov. Lilia G. Pineda leads the ribbon-cutting ceremony during the blessing and inauguration of Bale Pamagbayu at the Central Luzon Drug Rehabilitation Center (CLDRC) in Magalang, Pampanga. Assisting the governor are DILG Provincial Director Myrvie Fabia (from left), Department of Health Regional Director Leonita Gorgolon, CLDRC Director Conrado Briton, Magalang Mayor Malou Lacson and Board Member Fritzie David-Dizon. Jun Jaso

buluhan ang naging buhay natin,” the governor added.

The governor made the statement during the blessing and inauguration of the Pampanga Drug Rehabilitation Center, called “Bale Pamagbayu,” which will occupy two dormitories at the Central Luzon Drug Rehabilitation Center in this town.

Since Pineda assumed office, she

regularly met with all local officials, including mayors, vice mayors, Sangguniang Bayan members, barangay officials, bantay-bayan and barangay health workers, to make them aware of the province’s all-out war against illegal drugs.

“The fight against illegal drugs is everybody’s responsibility. Let us act now,” the governor said.

To empower the Philippine Drug

Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Pampanga provincial government provided P7 million for the construction of PDEA Regional Office in Central Luzon.

“This is to make them more convenient and focus in arresting drug lords, pushers and finding shabu laboratories in Pampanga and even in Central Luzon,” she added.

Batak tribe members graduate from basic literacy program

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ITIO Kalakwasan is 6 kilometers off the national highway in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

There are no paved roads leading to the mountain-forest community, and getting there requires 11 river crossings. Home to the Batak ethnic tribe, the village is completely inaccessible during the rainy season.

Recently, a very important milestone in the education of the tribal community was celebrated. Aside from the children in kindergarten and elementary school graduating from Heaven’s Eyes

Tribal Missions’ School, 37 Batak men and women, most of whom are parents and elders, graduated from the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Alternative Learning System (ALS) program.

This is the first ALS graduation in Kalakwasan, which is conducted by Heaven’s Eyes Tribal Missions, with principal sponsorship from Integrated Support to Indigenous People program of the Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI). This partnership is one of Shell’s innovative methods in promoting sustainable development in

the country, especially in communities where it operates business.

“Masaya ako kasi tapos na ang pagaaral namin [I am happy because our studies are completed],” shared 29-yearold Maritess Villanueva, who is also an ALS first-place merit awardee.

Many Filipinos do not have the opportunity to attend and complete formal basic education due to different reasons, such as the immediate need to work to survive, cost of schooling and inaccessibility of schools. Indigenous peoples, such as the Batak, are often at

a greater disadvantage when it comes to receiving education because of these circumstances. Consequently, many Batak men and women do not know how to read, write and do basic math.

Given that every Filipino has the right to basic education, the DepEd established the ALS program to provide all Filipinos, especially those who are underprivileged, such as the Batak indigenous people, the opportunity to complete basic education in a way that fits their and their communities’ needs. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

news@businessmirror.com.ph

‘New penalty means worst convicts would die of natural causes in prison’

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OMMIT any of these 13 serious crimes and you could be imprisoned for 40 years or until you reach 70 years old, without the benefit of possible early release: drug felonies, murder, rape, robbery, carnapping, kidnapping, bribery, plunder, parricide, infanticide, destructive arson, piracy and treason.

This sums up the proposal of House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Lito Atienza, as contained in House Bill 3652, for the worst criminal offenders to receive a new sentence called “qualified reclusion perpetua.”

“Once enacted, our bill basically means that hardened convicts are bound to die of natural causes while in prison, considering that 59 years is the expected life expectancy of a long-term Filipino male detainee, while that of a female is 66 years,” Atienza said.

The average natural life expectancy of a Filipino male is 65 years, while that of a Filipino female is 72 years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, Atienza said studies have demonstrated that the stressors—violence and disease associated with long-term incarceration— tend to diminish the natural life expectancy of convicts by an average of six years.

Every day from January to June this year, an average of 24 murder cases and 26 rape cases were reported to the authorities, the National Police Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management reported to the Congress.

In the six-month period, carjacking cases averaged 30 every day, while robbery cases averaged 65.

Meanwhile, theft cases averaged 152 every day, while homicide cases averaged five and physical-injury cases averaged 98.

The figures exclude unreported cases.

“We are offering our bill as a superior alternative to the state-spon-

sored execution of convicts, which has absolutely no place in a modern and highly civilized society,” said Atienza, a prolife crusader.

Despite his proposal, Atienza maintained that “the certainty of capture and punishment of offenders is still our best deterrence to other would-be criminals.”

“Prolonged prison terms are meaningless if our criminal justice system, largely on account of rampant corruption, is unable to successfully apprehend, prosecute, sentence and lock away criminals, or if some long-term convicts continue to enjoy lavish lives in detention,” he said.

T he ongoing congressional inquiry into the proliferation of illegal drugs at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City has uncovered the opulent lives enjoyed by maximum-security detainees, mainly due to sleaze at the Bureau of Corrections and the Department of Justice.

Atienza’s bill seeks to impose an extreme version of long-term imprisonment.

At present, the Revised Penal Code and special penal laws provide for two modes of long-term incarceration—“reclusion perpetua” and “life imprisonment.”

Reclusion perpetua means that after 30 years, the convict becomes eligible for pardon, while “life imprisonment” under special laws is an “indeterminate” sentence with no details on pardon.

In both cases of long-term imprisonment, the convict may benefit from parole or possible conditional pardon early release due to good behavior. The convict may also benefit from a reduced prison term for time spent in detention prior to sentencing.

These benefits would not be enjoyed by convicts sentenced to qualified reclusion perpetua, which is proposed by Atienza’s bill.

Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

CA upholds DOLE order against recruitment agency

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HE Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) imposition of penalties against Bison Management Corp.

(BMC), a recruitment agency that was found guilty of breaching recruitment laws.

In an 11-page decision sent to the Legal Representation Division (LRD) of Dole-Legal Service, the appellate court’s Fifth Division upheld the order and resolution of the department finding the recruitment agency liable for violation of Section 2 (e) and (I), Rule I, Part VI of the 2002 Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) rules.

“The Court sustained the order and resolution of the Dole, stating that, as found by the POEA and affirmed by the labor secretary, there is ample evidence to prove the breach of recruitment laws [by Bison],” Dole Legal Service Director Romeo Montefalco said.

The case stemmed from a complaint for recruitment violations filed by Reynaldo and Rodelio Lapuz upon their return to the Philippines on May 22,

2009, against the BMC, on the grounds of misrepresentation and for substitution or alteration of their employment contracts without the approval of the POEA. On August 7, 2009, the POEA administrator found the BMC guilty for the imputed violations and meted out the penalty of suspension of license for four months, or in lieu thereof, pay a fine of P40,000 for each of the two charges.

Consequently, the recruitment agency filed its notice of appeal, contending that the POEA erred in suspending its license, considering that the complainants have already executed an affidavit of desistance, release, waiver and recantation in its favor.

The DOLE, in its order dated January 9, 2012, denied the BMC’s appeal and affirmed the POEA’s order based on the POEA rules that explicitly allows the POEA administrator to proceed with the investigation on the imputed violation and resolve the case based on the merits despite the execution of an affidavit of desistance by the respondents. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Philippines, Vietnam renew call for peaceful resolution of WPS dispute

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AVAO CITY—The Philippines and Vietnam renewed their call for peaceful resolution of the maritime conflict at the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as China remained entrenched in its reclaimed islands and fishermen from other claimant countries continue to ply the contested waters.

“We call for the peaceful resolution of disputes, including full re-

spect for legal and diplomatic processes,” President Duterte said in his arrival statement here at dawn on Friday. Duterte arrived from a twoday working visit to Vietnam.

Rating his Vietnam visit “satisfactory,” Duterte said the two countries would call for “self-restraint in the conduct of activities [in the contested Spratly’s and Scarborough Shoal group of islets] without resorting to

a threat of use of force.”

He said he and Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang also affirmed their commitment “to maintain and promote peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as the unimpeded commerce in the region, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.” He said the conduct of claimant countries in the WPS should be

hinged on the universally recognized principles of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).

“We are nations of peace,” he said, and both countries vowed to pursue “a peaceful region is what we owe as a legacy to the succeeding generation.”

Duterte met with Quang on the second day of his visit on Thursday and agreed on several economic and de-

fense cooperations, “We will adapt measures to ensure the safety and security of fishermen from both countries,” he said, as both leaders agreed to explore ways “to intensify law-enforcement cooperation against transnational crimes, including the illegal-drugs trade.”

He said he and Quang “recognize that to sustain economic growth and development drives on the back of a

stable and secure environment”.

Duterte also issued the same appeal to other heads of state of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations during its Leaders’ Summit in Lao PDR. “My trip to Hanoi was another step forward to further solidify valuable ties between our nations and peoples,” Duterte said.

Manuel T. Cayon

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

SPORTS PLUS

FEU, NU seek share of No. 2 DEFENDING champion Far Eastern University (FEU) and National University (NU) hope to join Ateneo de Manila at second spot as they battle separate foes in Season 79 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Bulldogs face University of the Philippines (UP) in the opener at 2 p.m., while the Tamaraws clash University of Santo Tomas (UST) at 4 p.m. in their first meeting since last season’s finals.

FEU and NU are tied for third spot with a 3-2 win-loss mark behind the secondrunning Blue Eagles (4-2). De La Salle (6-0) continues to lead the tournament.

The Bulldogs are coming off an ugly 75-68 win over the Growling Tigers, while The Fighting Maroons have dropped their second straight game, the last at the hands of Ateneo, 64-79, to drop to seventh spot with a 1-5 win-loss mark.

NU Head Coach Eric Altamirano will again lean on Matt Salem, Alfred Aroga and Jay Alejandro as they search for their fourth win.

The Tamaraws of Head Coach Nash Racela are also eyeing for their win No. 4 as they face the dangerous Growling Tigers.

FEU escaped the upset ax of UP in its previous match, 51-49, but the Tamaraws will be playing minus Ron Dennison, who was suspended one game by the league after getting ejected in the match against the Fighting Maroons. Joel Orellana

La Salle begins title-retention bid DE LA SALLE begins its quest for a second straight women’s championship in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 79 beach volleyball tournament on Saturday at the Sands SM By The Bay. The Lady Spikers’ Desiree Cheng and Tin Tiamzon will cross paths with Far Eastern University’s Bernadeth Pons and Kyla Atienza in a rematch of last season’s Finals at 8 a.m., and University of the Philippines’s Diana Carlos and Arielle Estrañero in a midday duel at 12 noon.

Cheng and Tiamzon hope to followup the feat of their teammates Kim Fajardo and Cyd Demecillo, who powered De La Salle it to its first-ever women’s title in the sand court last season.

Fajardo, who also won the Season 78 Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors, will be the third player (alternate) this season.

The Lady Spikers’ biggest threat in the throne are the Lady Tamaraws pair of Pons and Atienza, who have shown their readiness by winning last weekend’s oneday league at the Cantada Sports Center.

Hoping to regain the title it won two years ago, University of Santo Tomas (UST) will rely again on battle-tested Cherry Rondina and her new partner Jem Gutierrez, while Ateneo will turn to comebacking Michelle Morente and Ria Lo as it vies for the elusive championship.

The Tigresses failed to make it to the Final Four last season, while the Lady Eagles could only muster third place despite having superstar Alyssa Valdez at the helm.

Ateneo and UST will face off at 8:30 a.m, followed by the University of the Philippines-Adamson University match at 9 a.m. and the National UniversityUniversity of the East tussle at 9:30 a.m.

Sports BusinessMirror

CHIEFS BACK IN FINALS A

RELLANO University marched to its second finals appearance in three years as it dismantled Mapùa, 92-80, while University of Perpetual Help stayed alive by escaping top seed San Beda, 87-83, in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 92 Final Four action on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay CIty. The Chiefs booked the first ticket to the championship round by disposing the hapless Cardinals through their solid second-half performance, thanks to the on-court brilliance of Jio Jalalon and Lervin Flores, who both tallied 22 points with the latter, adding 10 rebounds and three blocks to power Arellano to another title shot after losing to San Beda in the Finals 2014.

“Nahirapan kami sa unang three quarters. Ang lakas ng Mapúa at nahirapan kaming i-contain si Allwell [Oraeme]. Good thing our big men really stepped up to give support to the team,” Arellano Head Coach Jerry Codiñera said.

The Chiefs built an early lead and slowly pulled away in the second half through the impressive showing of Flores and the consistent sniping of Jalalon.

Oraeme had a monster game of 20 points and 22 rebounds for the Cardinals, who fell short again in their championship dream after failing to secure the crown last season with painful semis loss to eventual champion Letran.

Earlier, Gab Dagangon fired 27 points, including a gameleading basket with 19.7 seconds remaining, to lift Perpetual in a thrilling win over the Red Lions.

The veteran wingman unloaded 11 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Altas to the victory against the former five-peat titlist, the team that sent the Las Piñas-based dribblers to threeconsecutive Final Four heartbreaks from Season 88 to 90.

Bright Akhuetie added 15 markers, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Daryl Singontiko, who hit two booming triples early in the fourth canto, also finished with 15 markers with a five-of-eight shooting from the beyond the arc.

The victory gave Perpetual another day to live as the Altas negated the twice-to-beat advantage of No. 1 seed San Beda in the Final Four round and forced a winner-take-all match on Tuesday.

“Nag-struggle kami pero masaya. But we need to prepare for Game

Two,” Altas Head Coach Jimwell Gican said. “Sabi ko lang sa kanila ay magtiwala sa sistema at gawin ‘yung game plan. Ang sabi ko lang ay maniwalang kaya namin ‘yung game.”

San Beda gained momentum entering the fourth period after trailing much of the first three quarters, enjoying a slim 62-60 advantage coming from the inside scoring of Arnaud Noah and consistent bombarding of AC Soberano from the three-point line.

But the Altas found their lost rhythm as Dagangon triggered a 7-0 blitz with three minutes remaining to reclaim the lead, 81-76.

With the game tied at 83-all, Dagangon reverted his blunder after his pass, intended for Akhuetie, was intercepted underneath the basket, going for the loose ball and pulling up for a jumper to make it 85-83 with under 20 seconds to play.

In the next possession, Soberano missed his triple from the left corner and Perpetual’s Kieth Pido sealed the match with two free throws.

“Lagi lang sinasabi ni coach na kaya naming talunin ‘yung kalaban. Kaya inaayos namin ‘yung laro namin sa court,” Dagangon said.

The Altas started strong, leaning on the combined 12 points of Akhuetie and Singontiko for a 21-9 burst in the first quarter.

The Red Lions quickly found the antidote as Robert Bolick waxed hot from all corners, tallying 17 of his 21 points in the second quarter to slice the lead to five at the half, 36-41.

Soberano finished with 16 markers, while Noah and Davon Potts added 14 and 12 points, respectively.

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Robins enter finals; Braves force KO tiff

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Ramon Rafael Bonilla

Perpetual Help’s Genmar Ilagan (right) stretches for a lay-up against San Beda’s Arnaud Noah during their Final Four encounter. ALYSA SALEN

BELO, GUEVARRA LEAD PHL TEAM IN FIBA 3X3 WORLD A

COMBINED professional-amateur selection will banner the Philippines’s bid in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) 3x3 World Championship from October 11 to 15 in Guangzhou, China.

Comprising the Philippine team are Rey Guevarra of Meralco, Karl Dehesa of GlobalPort, and Gilas 5.0 stalwarts Mark Belo and Russel Escoto, both products of Far Eastern University.

The Philippines is bracketed in the Men’s Pool C with Poland, Romania, Spain and Hungary.

“We are upbeat with the opportunity to play in the 2016 Fiba 3x3 World Championship, the equivalent of 5x5’s Fiba World Cup,” Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Executive Director Sonny Barrios. “We have made great strides at the 3x3 game since we started playing at the Fiba international level in 2013, when Kobe Paras even won the slamdunk contest in Singapore.”

Barrios added that the 3x3 format has helped Filipino players further sharpen their overall playing skills.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Sonny Barrios (third from left) leads the photo opportunity of the Philippine team, which will compete in the International Basketball Federation 3x3 World Championship in China.

“This is clearly evident even with the PBA players who got exposed to 3x3 at the global level, from Terrence Romeo and Calvin Abueva to Vic Manuel, Troy Rosario and Karl Dehesa, etc.,” the SBP official said. “Their 5x5 game in

the pro league obviously benefited from such 3x3 international exposure.”

In Pool A are silver medalist Serbia, No. 3 Russia, Italy, defending champion Qatar and New Zealand. Pool B has Slovenia, Uruguay, Andorra, Indonesia and Egypt. Pool D features the United, States, the Netherlands, Japan, Turkey and host China.

Teams from each group play one round robin.

The top 2 advance to the knockout quarterfinal stage with the winners moving to the crossover semifinals and eventually the final.

The Fiba 3x3 Federation Ranking was used as basis to determine the participating Fiba member-associations. China as host automatically qualifies in both men’s and women’s tournaments, while Qatar and the United States, winners of the 2014 edition in the men’s and women’s tournaments, respectively, are also seeded.

The pools for the tournaments were unveiled on September 20. The Philippine team departs for China on October 9.

APUA turned back La SalleGreenhills, 88-81, to clinch the first finals berth, even as Arellano University pulled the rug from under reigning seven-peat champion San Beda, 89-84, to force a sudden death for the other berth in the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association juniors basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Friday.

Will Gozum, a transferee from University of Philippines Intergrated School, stepped up big in the absence of Sherwin Concepcion, who suffered a seasonending right-shoulder injury late in the second round, by powering his way to 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks to lead the Cardinals to their second finals stint in the last three seasons.

“We’ve made some adjustments since he [Concepcion] got injured and I’m happy that Gozum has taken the responsibility,” said Mapua Coach Randy Alcantara, who lost to San Beda in the 2014 Finals before failing to make it that far last year after a loss to Arellano in the Final Four.

Mapua will face the winner between San Beda and Arellano in the finals, set to start on October 6.

Facing elimination, the Braves battled their way back from a 17-point deficit and went to Jayson Danas in the stretch as they forced a knockout duel on Tuesday for a spot in the bestof-three championships.

Danas, 19, scored six of his 10 points in the final 1.19 minutes to deal the biggest blows.

It was Arellano’s second win in three games against San Beda this season.

Interestingly, it was also the Braves who dealt the Cubs their only loss a year go.

“We’re the only team that can beat San Beda, all the other teams have given up finding a way to beat them,” Arellano Coach Tylon Darjuan said.

“And since we’re here, we might as well go for it.”

Lars Sunga led the team with 16 points, while Guilmer de la Torre, Aaron Fermin and Carlo Abadeza chipped in 15, 15 and 14, respectively.

Abadeza gave Arellano the lead for good when he scored on a driving lay up, while de la Torre, a leading Most Valuable Player candidate, played decoy most of the game.

In the end, it was Danas who hit the biggest shots of the game.

V-League Reinforced Conference unwraps

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The imports of the coming Shakey’s V-League Reinforced Conference—Bureau of Customs imports (from left) Kanjana Kuathasong and Nathanicha Jaisen; Andrea Kacsits and Breanna Mackie of Pocari Sweat; and KayCee Manns and Kate Morrell of BaliPure import—pose for a group photo at the media launch of the tournament. NONOY LACZA

Brafe charity golf event set IRST held in 2006, Brafe Golf is an annual fund-raising event that benefits the Foundation for Sharing LaSallian Education (FSLE), which provides scholarships to financially handicapped but intellectually qualified students at De La Salle University Lipa.

In 1998 FSLE extended its scholarship assistance to top-ranking students from barangay high schools (national high schools) in the province of Batangas.

It has since been providing free tuition and fees so that qualified candidates can earn a university degree from La Salle Lipa.

Brafe Golf is held in memory of Br. Rafael “Brafe” S. Donato, FSC, who, with his high-school classmates, established and actively promoted FSLE. It is staged every first Monday of October by friends, classmates, students and family of Bro. Rafael.

For the past 10 years, golfing enthusiasts have been getting together to enjoy a friendly round of

Saturday, October 1, 2016 A7

golf while rallying behind a common cause. Aside from individual participants, corporate sponsors have also extended valuable support that has made Brafe Golf a long-running, successful endeavor.

All proceeds earned in each tournament go directly to FSLE. As of school year 2014-2015, FSLE has a total of 95 alumni. Of the 95 FSLE scholars who have graduated since 2003 and who are all now gainfully employed, 12 were Brafe Golf beneficiaries.

And of the 31 current scholars, 17 are Brafe Golf beneficiaries. Leading up to the 10th edition, Brafe Golf has donated more than P6 million to the FSLE. According to Albert M.G. Garcia, Brafe Golf is one of the largest nonclub sponsored tournaments in the country—another testament to its success.

Garcia heads an all-La Sallian core group that provides voluntary time and effort in organizing and staging Brafe Golf year after year. Others include Ting Yupangco, George Elazegui, Edmond

Datuin, Roy Peña, Ben Jacinto, Bong Africa, Albert V. de los Santos and Gene Garcia (who passed away early last year). “Each year, when Brafe Golf is staged and we manage to raise funds, we feel accomplished that we are able to again educate more deserving scholars who otherwise would not be able to afford a proper education.

“When our scholars graduate top of their class as magna cum laude and cum laude, and pass the CPA exams and garner sixth place over 13,000 accounting graduates, these motivate us to keep golfing for education,” Garcia reveals. Dubbed as “Golfing for Education”, Brafe Golf has done exactly this for the last 10 years and counting.

On October 3, when it tees off at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in General Trias, Cavite City, to get Brafe 11 Golf underway, participants will again turn to their love for the sport in a concerted effort to help provide a brighter future with better opportunities to more young people.

EIGNING National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Gretchel Soltones leads Laoag when it faces Philippine Coast Guard at the start of Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Reinforced Conference on Saturday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

Soltones is one of the four new recruits who will debut for the Power Smashers in their 4 p.m. encounter against the Lady Dolphins, while Philippine Air Force takes on University of Santo Tomas at 6 p.m.

Soltones, who suited up for BaliPure in the previous tournament, teams up with fellow newcomers Alyssa Eroa, her teammate at San Sebastian College, and Aiko Urdas and Jorelle Singh, who helped National University in its successful title repeat in the collegiate conference.

Laoag is not fielding any import and the four new acquisitions are expected to provide firepower for Head Coach Nes Pamilar’s team, also bannered by mainstays Jema Galanza, Jovielyn Prado and Chie Saet, as the squad is eyeing to improve their

fourth-place finish in the Open Conference.

“Unang-una, kung kukuha ako ng import, kulang na sa panahon. Tapos paano mag-je-jell?

Mas malaking problema,” the seasoned mentor said.

“Sa ngayon hindi ko pa masabi kasi late na rin kami nakapag-start [ng training]. Pero ‘yung mga player sa Team Laoag ngayon, puro seasoned players so hindi ganoon kahirap.”

The Jet Spikers, meanwhile, will also lean on an all-Filipino roster led by the core that finished second in the first conference, led by Wendy Semana, Joy Cases and Judy Caballejo.

They will face the young UST team, which is also fielding an all-Filipino crew led by Cherry Rondina and EJ Laure, whose experience in the 2016 Asian Volleyball Confederation Asian Women’s Club Championship gives them the edge.

Tigresses Head Coach KungFu Reyes will also lean on Chloe Cortez and Ria Meneses.

Other teams seeing action are the Alyssa Valdez-led Bureau of Customs, which brings in

Thai reinforcements Kanjana Kuthaisong and Natthanicha Jaisaen; reigning Open Conference champion Pocari Sweat, which parades FilipinaAmerican setter Iris Tolenada and American imports Andrea Kacsits and Breanna Mackie; BaliPure, which boasts Kaylee Manns and Katharine Morelle, as well as its recent recruitment in former V-League MVP Sue Roces; and University of the Philippines (UP) to be powered by Thai imports Sirintra Mhoobin and Paweenut Rueangrum.

Sports Vision President Ricky Palou, Tournament Director Tony Boy Liao and Head of ABS-CBN Integrated Sports Dino Laurena are all excited for the coming tournament.

“We are looking forward to an exciting third conference,” Palou said.

ABS-CBN Sports, the official broadcast partner of V-League, will air all the matches on Sports + Action Channel 23 on free TV, Sports + Action HD on cable and offer livestreaming on sports.abs-cbn.com.

Lance Agcaoili

Six squads vie in tough Super Liga Grand Prix

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IX squads parade their stronger and more intact rosters as they vie for the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix that begins on October 8 at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan City.

The last year’s Grand Prix finals, reigning Grand Prix titlist Foton and runner-up Petron, clash for a rematch right in the opening day at 3 p.m., while the All Filipino champion F2 Logistics battles Generika at 12:30 p.m. to formally kick-off the import-laden conference.

Fresh from their seventh-place finish in the 2016 AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship early this month, the Tornadoes led by American imports Lindsay Stalzer, the Grand Prix Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Ariel Usher, together with the locals starred by 6-foot-5 Jaja Santiago, EJ Laure, Cherry

Rondina, Rhea Dimaculangan, and Maika Ortiz are expected to draw from their rousing experience.

They also acquired the elder sister of Jaja, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, the 6-foot-3 former star of Petron, returning to action after her pregnancy.

Italian Coach Fabio Menta, who called the shots for Foton in the AVC, was already replaced by the seasoned Serbian Coach Moro Branislav, who is also the head coach of PSL Manila in FIVB Women’s Club World Championship. Despite having his hands full, Branislav vows to be hands on in coaching both squads.

“I already prepared a program for Foton,” said Branislav, who already attended several team practices of the Tornadoes.

Petron, on a different note, boasts of Stephanie Niemer, one of the imports of the PSL Manila, and

6-foot-5 middle blocker Serena Warner, as well as the local Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Frances Molina, Jen Reyes and Bang Pineda.

However, Cignal, which had a disappointing sixth place finish in the All Filipino, is ready for vengeance looming as one of the pre-season favorites as the HD Spikers bring in a new look bannered by the return of first-ever PSL MVP Venus Bernal joining newly acquired spikers Janine Marciano, Stephanie Mercado, Mylene Paat, Lourdes Patillano and Filipino-American setter Shawna-Lei Santos. All eyes will be on their imports Lynda Morales, who saw action in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics for Puerto Rico, and 6-foot-5 open spiker Laura Schaudt of the United States.

Lance Agcaoili

Sports

PHL golfers near World Jr sweep

BusinessMirror

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A8 | S

aturday,

October 1, 2016 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao Asst. Editor: Joel Orellana

SUPERAL SHINES P

RINCESS Superal put on another brilliant windup to go two-for-two as pro on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, knocking down late birdies to edge amateur Pauline del Rosario by one on a solid five-under 67 and capture the International Container Terminal Services Inc. Eastridge Ladies Invitational crown at the Eastridge Golf Club on Friday in Binangonan, Rizal.

Superal banged in a 5-footer on the par-3 16th and tapped in after her eagle-putt bid from 25 feet on the par-5 closing hole lipped out then watched former The Country Club (TCC) teammate Del Rosario crack under pressure, completing her rally from one down with three holes to go to a one-shot victory on a bogey-free 34-33 card.

Del Rosario, who led Superal by two after 36 holes on a fiery 69 Thursday, also closed out with a flawless 70 but just couldn’t pull it off in the end, including a sorry miss on the 54th hole when she misread a side-hiller from just around 3 feet, missing forcing a playoff and enabling the former US Girls Junior champion to escape another wringer of a win.

Superal also nipped del Rosario and Thais Aunchisa Utama and Ajira Nualraksa in a four-way playoff to snare the Sherwood Ladies Classic title at Sherwood where she launched her pro career three weeks ago.

“I’m super happy to win but I didn’t expect it, given Pau’s equally solid game. But I really did my best and thank God I did it again,” said Superal, who banked another P150,000 after topping the eighth leg of this year’s 10-stage circuit with a seven-under 209 aggregate.

It was a sorry loss indeed for the young del Rosario, the reigning Thailand Ladies Amateur Open champion who even went 3-up over Superal with a birdie on No. 4 then held sway majority of the way until she faltered on her last putt.

“My ball-striking is quite solid and I think that’s the key to my victory. I also made two late good shots and made the putts,” added Superal, the F Siblings and PB Farms-backed pro who finally hit back-to-back birdies from No. 6 to move behind del Rosario, matched the latter’s birdie on the par-5 13th then pulled even with that clutch 5-footer on No. 16.

Del Rosario, who also missed a couple of birdie chances before sinking her second birdie on No. 13, wound up with a 210 for second and took the low amateur honors, while Cyna Rodriguez blew a scorching start with a sputtering finish and ended up third with a 71 and a 215. She took the runner-up prize of P95,000.

“She had a hard time gaining her rhythm but I knew it’s just a matter of time before she’d get going and hit those birdies,” said TCC Coach Bong Lopez, who also handles the pros who vied for the crown, including Superal, Rodriguez and Chihiro Ikeda.

Superal fell by three with a run of pars in the early going as del Rosario birdied No. 4 with Rodriguez, in a flight ahead, battling back from four down to within one with four birdies in the first six holes.

But the two-time Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) Order of Merit winner failed to sustain her charge and made three bogeys in the next five holes then settled for pars the rest of the way.

Amateur Bernice Olivarez-Ilas tied TCC teammate del Rosario with a birdie on No. 1 but the Olivarez College student and winner of the LPGT Beverly Place leg in April wavered with four bogeys in the last 11 holes, finishing with a 75 for joint fourth with Ikeda at 216.

Ikeda, who broke a long title spell with a victory at LPGT Orchard Classic in June, also stayed in contention with a birdie on No. 2 but like majority of the rest, sputtered midway through another tough day at the mountaintop layout. She fumbled with six bogeys against a birdie but made a lasthole eagle to pocket the P60,000 third prize.

Mikha Fortuna and Kayla Nocum, both mainstays of Team TCC, took the next two spots at sixth and seventh with 218 and 222 after a 71 and 77, respectively, while last year’s Sherwood leg winner Sarah Ababa carded a 74 for eighth at 230.

Lovelyn Guioguio turned in a 73, while Apple Fudolin skied to an 82 as the duo finished tied at ninth at 231 in the event backed

by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Sharp, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Champion, TaylorMade, Ping, Yamaha and Pacsports.

THE United States’s Phil Mickelson talks to US’s Rickie Fowler during a practice round for the Ryder Cup. AP

TIME FOR NEW START C

Princess Superal hoists her second LPGT trophy after another escape at Eastridge Invitational.

HASKA, Minnesota—The American Ryder Cup team could use what might be Dustin Johnson’s greatest asset in golf.

Not his power off the tee.

His short memory.

“Or no memory,” Johnson said with a smile.

Johnson remarkably managed to shake off one disappointment after another in the majors—the 82 at Pebble Beach, the bunker blunder at Whistling Straits, the 2-iron outof-bounds at Royal Saint George’s, the three-putt at Chambers Bay— until he won the US Open this summer at Oakmont.

The Americans have accrued little more than scar tissue against Europe. That’s why US captain Davis Love III has preached all week at Hazeltine that this team, which only has two rookies, has never played together. That it’s time for a new start.

No need to bring up that Europe has won six of the last seven times, and eight of the last 10 dating to 1995. No need to stew over the last time the Ryder Cup was held at home and the Americans blew a 10-6 lead on the final day at Medinah, the most crushing loss in two decades filled with defeats.

“In golf, it’s one sport—and maybe being a defensive back in the NFL—you need to have a short memory,” Johnson said on Thursday. “So we haven’t talked about Medinah at all. We’re looking forward to this week and these matches and this first session we have coming up tomorrow morning.

No talk about Medinah.”

The 41st Ryder Cup gets started on Friday with foursomes matches, and the opening game might set the tone: Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose and British Open champion Henrik Stenson against Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Neither partnership has lost a Ryder Cup match.

They will be followed by Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan against Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler; Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer against Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) champion Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson; and Lee Westwood and Thomas Pieters against Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. That will be followed by fourballs on Friday afternoon.

The Americans have not lost the opening session since 2006, when Europe had the better team at home in Ireland and sailed to a nine-point victory. It’s sustaining the momentum over three days of nonstop action that has been the problem. AP

UKA Saso sprang back from a second-round meltdown with a gutsy one-over 73 in severe condition as she regained the solo lead in individual competition and helped pad the Philippines lead to eight in team play in the third round of the World Junior Girls Championship in Mississaugua, Ontario, Canada, on Thursday.

Diminutive Harmie Constantino also bucked howling wind and heavy rain at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club and turned in a second straight 75, as Team Philippines pooled a 148 for a 433, eight strokes ahead of defending champion South Korea, which had a 441 after a 149, heading to the final 18 holes of the third staging of the event conducted by Golf Canada and supported by the International Golf Federation and R&A. The US limped with a 153 and slid to third at 445, while erstwhile joint second running China struggled with a 154 for a 446 and Germany shot a 150 to tie Italy, who groped for a 154, at 448 as the field failed to match the Filipinas’ grit and big, fighting heart under demanding condition.

“I am happy and honored to have retaken the lead,” said Saso, who bounced back from a 77 that didn’t count in the second round with a two-birdie, three-bogey effort to regain the solo lead at even 216. “I wasn’t expecting it though.”

Neither did her fellow 15-year-old Constantino, who actually blew a two-under card after five holes with five bogeys the rest of the way. Still, her 219 put her back in joint second with Korean Hee-jung Lim and Chinese Du Mohan, who shot 75 and 76, respectively.

“It wasn’t anybody’s expectation for us to be on top at the moment,” Constantino said. “It was a challenge being an underdog coming into the tournament and proving that you are more than that.”

Sofia Legapsi, whose 75 counted for the team in the second round, faltered with an 85 and didn’t figure this time for Team Philippines, whose campaign is sanctioned by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

But Saso and Constantino took care of business with the duo keeping their poise under heavy rain and howling wind that stymied the bids of the rest of the field. Saso bogeyed the opening hole but fought back with a birdie on the fifth, then rebounded from bogey mishaps on Nos. 9 and 11 with a closing birdie from 6 feet to regain a three-stroke lead.

While team competitions offer a different dynamic in golf tournaments, Constantino appreciates the chance to not only play with teammates but also a familiar friend.