Businessmirror october 04, 2015

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U.N. Media Award 2008

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A broader look at today’s business

n Sunday, October 4, 2015 Vol. 10 No. 360

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Power outages during 2016 polls still possible–senator

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week ahead

ECONOMIC DATA PREVIEW Peso data

n Previous week: The

local currency weakened anew in the previous week, nearing trade to the 47 territory. The week started with peso value at 46.785 to a dollar. On Tuesday an abrupt depreciation hit the market, allowing the peso to close the market at 46.93 to a dollar—the lowest value of the peso for the week. The peso then traded at 46.74 to a dollar on Wednesday and 46.76 to a dollar on Thursday. The peso ended the week at 46.77 to a dollar. The total traded volume is at $3.42 billion, while the average value of the peso was at 46.797 to a dollar.

n Week ahead: The local currency is still expected to continue to depreciate, although not in a drastic manner, as economic data from the United States favor a strong dollar.

Inflation (September)

Tuesday, October 6

n August inflation: Consumer prices increased by an average of 0.6 percent in August, a further deceleration from the 0.8 percent registered in July this year. The August figure brought the average inflation for the country in the first eight months of the year at 1.7 percent, still below the floor of the government’s target range for the year at 2 percent to 4 percent. It is also the sixth consecutive month that inflation decelerated.

n September inflation: The Bangko Sentral governor said that inflation likely hit 0.2 percent to 1 percent in September this year, and hinted that a rise in inflation will be more solid in the coming months. Economists also said that inflation may have risen in September but at a minimal rate (see related story). Bianca Cuaresma

BusinessMirror media partner

By Lenie Lectura

UZON is assured of more than 500 megawatts (MW) of additional power-generation capacity during the summer months of 2016. But the risk of power outage is always present.

“It’s not as bad as what we expected last summer, because we added new plants,” said Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, when asked to comment on an earlier pronouncement of Department of Energy (DOE) officials, who said that power supply could be tight next year.

During last week’s budget hearing, DOE Officer in Charge Zenaida Y. Monsada mentioned a possible tight power-supply situation in Luzon next year, based on assumptions. However, she said, this assumption could change, as power producers assured that more capacity will be added to the grid.

Osmeña agreed.

He said that the additional capacity would come from the following power plants that will be switched on this year: the 97-MW Avion open-cycle natural-gas-fired power plant of First Gen Corp. of the Lopez group; the 135-MW coal power plant of South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp.; and the 150-MW coal plant of

Ailing global economy starts to weigh on U.S. job market

OSMEÑA: “We will be a little bit better than we were this year, but not by much.

We will be more comfortable in 2017; but we will really be comfortable by 2018.”

Semirara Mining and Power Corp. of the Consunji Group.

Osmeña cited another 150 MW of additional capacity on top of the three power projects he mentioned.

“We’re adding about 530 MW of additional power, not counting the small renewable energy. Our demand will increase by about 400 MW from March 2015 to March 2016. So, we will be a little bit better than we were this year, but not by much. We will be more comfortable in 2017; but we will really be comfortable by 2018,” Osmeña said.

See “Power,” A6

Economists see ‘slightly higher’ inflation in Sept

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By Bianca Cuaresma

CONOMISTS forecast inflation to be a little bit higher in September this year, as some effects of the El Niño are starting to kick in.

In separate responses to the BusinessMirror’s queries, local banking giant Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) economist Nicholas Antonio Mapa, British multinational bank Standard Chartered economist Jeff Ng and University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) economist Victor Abola are of the consensus that September inflation will slightly rise after six consecutive months of decline.

Their forecasts, however, all do not exceed the 1-percent mark. The inflation of the country has been below 1 percent since July this year.

In particular, both the professor and the global bank economist forecast a 0.8-percent inflation rate for September this year, while BPI’s Mapa sees a smaller increment of 0.7 percent for the month. August’s inflation print was at 0.6 percent.

UA&P’s Abola explained that the expected rise in inflation toward the end of the year will “not be drastic,” and that average inflation will likely stay on the bottom end of the target range of the government, at 2 percent to 4 percent up until the first half of 2016.

Mapa, meanwhile, said that the rise

PESO exchange rates n US 46.7050

in inflation in September will be brought about by the rise in heavily weighted food prices, but will be minimized owing to utilities and other sectors affected by the decrease in crude-oil prices, like fuel and transport.

“We may start to feel at least some of the heat from El Niño on the food basket, although the government seems to have been very prudent in front-loading its importation of foodstuff, which will mitigate this. Also, base effects are seen to kick in, given the higher base last year,” Mapa said.

Security Bank economist Patrick Ella, meanwhile, bucks the view, saying that inflation could have slowed down further to 0.42 percent in September.

Bangko Sentral Gov. Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said in late September that the growth of consumer prices may have expanded between 0.2 percent and 1 percent.

He also announced in the Monetary Board’s latest policy meeting that the central bank has lowered its forecast for the 2015 inflation average anew. Inflation in the country is now expected to average at 1.6 percent for this year—indicating that any increase in inflation for the year in the next months will be minimal.

The current inflation average of the country as of August this year is at 1.7 percent.

The Philippine Statistics Authority will announce the September inflation rate on Tuesday.

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ASHINGTON—A sagging global economy has finally caught up with the United States. Nervous employers pulled back on hiring in August and September, as China’s economy slowed, global markets sank and foreigners bought fewer US goods. See “Global Economy,” A6

n japan 0.3895 n UK 70.6693 n HK 6.0266 n CHINA 7.3394 n singapore 32.6494 n australia 32.9558 n EU 52.2395 n SAUDI arabia 12.4547 Source: BSP (2 October 2015)

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, October 4, 2015 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Group: Higher electricity rates loom with new DOE guidelines T

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DENR, partners shift ‘greening’ focus from Slex to Marikina River basin

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By Lenie Lectura

ITIZENWATCH, an independent network of citizen-rights advocates, has criticized key guidelines of a Department of Energy (DOE) initiative regarding the sale of electricity in the market, saying it will result in higher electricity prices instead of lowering them.

“An unintended effect of this new process is burdening the already overburdened consumers with additional power costs,” said Wilford Wong, CitizenWatch secretary-general, in a statement.

The new process—issued via Department Circular (DC) 201506 - 0008—mandates competitive bidding between distribution utilities and generation companies in the sale of electricity via the

mediation of a third party expert.

This setup, Wong said, will not work in an env ironment where there are not enough power-generation players and will be prone to abuse resulting in higher cost of electricity, especially with the recently released implementing guidelines.

“To lower power prices, the mechanism that we envision needs to put the consumers primary concern

Aytas assail land-grabbing by farmers

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ORAC, Pampanga—Members of an Ayta community in Sitio Pidpid, Barangay Sapang Uwak, here have filed a formal complaint seeking the intervention of the government against nontribal organized groups encroaching on their rightful ancestral domain.

In a letter to the regional office of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples signed by Paramay Sibal, the designated representative of the said Ayta community, several members of the Aniban ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan ng Hacienda Dolores and Alyansa ng Magbubukid at Residente ng Hacienda Dolores were accused of having invaded Sitio Pidpid as early as last year without permission from Ayta elders or leaders.

The members of the two groups proceeded to establish residence and fenced off portions of land within the property despite notice from the Aytas, Sibal complained.

Sibal also complained that the group has been instigating unfair trade in the community, selling overpriced goods, such as coffee, rice and sugar. Produce by the Aytas were also being bought at below-market prices, affecting their livelihood.

Sibal identified some of the individuals who entered the Ayta community as Catalino David, Omar Franco, Cornelio Pineda, Rafael Ignacio, Ignacio Ignacio, Bodoy David, Poloy Tolentino, Bonjing Pineda, Alan Ayson, Elizabeth Salunga and Oling Ayson.

Some were identified as residents of Sitio Maniubag in Barangay Sapang Uwak, while others were identified as coming from nearby Barangay Hacienda Dolores.

Section 10, Chapter III of the Republic Act (RA) 8731, or The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997, states that unauthorized and unlawful intrusion upon or use of any portion of ancestral domain is punishable by law.

In addition the law provides that the “government shall take measures to prevent nonindigenous people from taking advantage of indigenous customs or indigenous peoples’ lack of understanding of the law to secure ownership or possession of ancestral domain.”

Sibal was assisted by lawyer Rolando B. Arellano in filing the formal complaint. Sibal is seeking ejection of the said occupiers, as well as a declaration of violation of the said RA. Furthermore, Sibal is seeking damages of at least P50,000 from each of the trespassing individuals. Ashley Manabat

above anything else by not adding another pass on charge to the consumers,” said lawyer Tim Abejo, CitizenWatch convener.

Power cost in the Philippines is one of the highest in the region, owing to perennially low supply and what many perceive as a prohibitive investment climate in the power industry.

Instances of market manipulation by big generation companies had also been identified, which the competitive selection process is meant to address.

However, CitizenWatch believes the new process itself is full of loopholes.

Wong explained: “We’re very suspicious of the provision on the selection of the third-party experts.

It’s so specific that it can restrict the participation of experts that may have experience in other forms of competitive selection.”

Compensating the appointed expert will also be at the consumers’ expense, he said.

There is also no provision in the

guidelines for public stakeholder input in the selection of the thirdparty experts, Abejo said.

“Without this safeguard, we fear that ordinary consumers will ultimately suffer from the additional burden of higher power prices,” he added.

The group cited similar efforts in the past, such as by the Central Luzon Electric Cooperative Association-First Luzon Aggregation Group, that has only resulted to failure in the bidding process instead of lower electricity prices.

Any type of competitive bidding will not work because there is not enough power-generation players in the market, which results to limited supply, Wong pointed out.

In a position paper submitted to the DOE and the Energy Regulatory Board, CitizenWatch has called for the suspension of the implementation of DC 2015-060008, urging the regulators to further study the repercussions of its implementation.

HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and its partners are shifting the focus, from “reforesting” the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) to portions of the Marikina River basin.

The DENR, together with the Career Executive Service Board (CESB), DENR-Career Executive Service officers and the Rotary Club of Makati-Rockwell (RCMR) started on Saturday a tree-planting activity within the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) in Barangay San Jose in Antipolo City.

The DENR-CESB-RCMR partnership covered over 40 kilometers of the Slex during previous tree-planting activities before deciding to shift to the UMRBPL, considered one of the most important protected areas being supervised by the DENR, as the watershed is a major source of water for Metro Manila and nearby areas.

In a statement, the DENR said that around 100 members of CESB, RCMR and DENR have planted some 1,000 eight-month-old narra seedlings and 600 kakawate seedlings provided by the DENR during the activity.

The DENR-CESB-RCMR partnership was also responsible for the planting of 18,423 native seedlings along a 40-kilometer portion, or almost 67 percent of 60-kilometer Slex from 2010 to 2014.

For the UMRBPL, the DENR has designated for this partnership 7 hectares of the 250-hectare forest area already covered by the National Greening

Program (NGP). The area has an elevation of 350 meters above sea level.

Former Environment Undersecretary and RCMR officer Rolando Metin said the transfer of the tree-planting activity from Slex to UMRBPL was in response to the DENR’s effort to secure the integrity of Mega Manila’s water supply by enhancing the vegetation cover of important watersheds like the UMRBPL. Metin said the tripartite partnership is working on a three-year timetable to reforest all of the 7 hectares with the first 2 hectares already covered during the October 3 activity.

Anchored on the theme, “Preventing Disasters, Providing Livelihood,” the planting project will benefit some 20 families living in the area in terms of employment for the upkeep of the planted seedlings.

Metin said the RCMR will spend for maintenance activities like ring weeding, watering, seedling replanting and forest fire monitoring.

The UMRBPL spans 29 kilometers covering Antipolo City and Rodriguez, San Mateo, Baras and Tanay towns in Rizal. It is surrounded by significant water bodies such as the Boso-Boso River, Sapang Bute-Bute, Tayabasan River, Montalban River and the Wawa Dam. Being a protected area, certain activities are not allowed to be done in UMRBPL, such as logging and factory operations. It also means that lands within the watershed are not to be sold and settled. Jonathan L. Mayuga

Revisions on traffic study Independent freight forwarders told: Innovate irk Angeles advocacy group with technologies to remain competitive

By Roderick L. Abad

By Ashley Manabat

Correspondent

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NGELES CITY—The Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) said here that it now doubts the Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) made by the University of the Philippines’s National Center for Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS).

The Clark Development Corp. (CDC) earlier commissioned the UP-NCTS to make a study on the projected traffic congestion at the main gate of the Clark free port as a condition for the establishment of the Capilion Corp. Pte. Ltd. project at the site.

But on T hu rsd ay t he CDC ad m itted t hat t he T I A is st i l l u ndergoing rev isions by three off ices and beg ged for u nderst a nd ing.

“Please understand that there are still revisions that go through three offices [CDC, UP-NCTS, Capilion]. We ask for your understanding,” said a text message from CDC Communications Manager Noel Tulabut when asked on the status of the TIA. The PGKM has expressed impatience in the long-delayed presentation of the TIA, saying it has been two months since CDC officials promised to present the study.

A month ago Liberal Party Rep. Joseller Guiao of Pampanga vowed to call a summit “in two weeks’ time” to resolve the Capilion project located at the main gate of the Clark free port.

In a later text message, however, Guiao said he is still in Bahrain and will set the meeting as soon as he gets back on October 5.

“I’m still in Bahrain. As soon as I get back on Monday, I will arrange things,” he said.

PGKM Chairman Ruperto Cruz expressed anger and disappointment upon learning that the TIA is undergoing revisions.

Las Piñas voc-tech graduates to gain employment–mayor

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AS Piñas Mayor Vergel Nene Aguilar expressed confidence that the 850 new graduates from various vocational and technical courses at the Las Piñas City Manpower Training Center will soon find gainful employment locally and abroad.

The new graduates, members of Batch 131, attended daily sessions from July to September this year.

Aguilar said the graduates who enjoyed free training in various courses, may also start their own home-based or backyard business to augment their families’ income.

He said many local industries and companies are offering employment to graduates with special technical vocational skills.

Noting bigger demand for skilled workers overseas, Aguilar said graduates of the center will also have the opportunity to apply for work abroad.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

GUIAO: “I’m still in Bahrain. As soon as I get back on Monday, I will arrange things.”

“Is the CDC doctoring the UP traffic study to suit Capilion’s needs?” he asked. “Why still go through a study if CDC and Capilion have the power to revise the findings?”

Cruz demanded that the CDC should immediately present to the public the traffic study made by the UP-NCTS “as is” otherwise the study will “lose its credibility.”

But Cruz said there are solutions for all this to end and among them are the immediate relocation of the Capilion project from the main gate to somewhere inside the Clark free port or the construction of skyways linking the Clark main gate to the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic- ClarkTarlac Expressway.

“But the CDC and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority should be ready to pay for right-of-way,” Cruz said.

He said the delay in the presentation of the traffic study to the public is tantamount to “cheating” and even “deceit.”

Cruz noted that even before the traffic study is finished, the CDC has allowed excavation at the 3-hectare site at the Clark main gate. “Now, even the supposed Capilion summit is delayed. Pinapaikutan tayo dito [We are being given the roundaround],” Cruz lamented.

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MALL- and midsized freight forwarders should evolve to stay in competition, said a new white paper, titled The Future of Logistics—What Does the Future Hold for Freight Forwarders published by global logistics research provider Transport Intelligence (Ti) in association with technology provider Kewill.

The report said small- and midsized freight forwarders need to tap into the potential of innovative new technologies since their big counterparts are scaling up to strengthen their buying power and reach, as well as develop their range of services, especially those that add value and increase margin.

Not only will they have to become smarter and more efficient—in an environment where manual data entry is still widely use—but also they will have to improve their commoditized offerings.

For some, this means developing their levels of expertise in niche markets so as to make a difference with their services.

Others see it as a way for them to transform from pure forwarders to fully developed logistics providers, thus, increasingly serving customers with integrated logistics services.

The new white paper, likewise, highlighted that the market leaders ought to be more agile and fast moving in order to maximize the many opportunities that exist and cope up with the problem of legacy systems.

K e w i l l C h ie f M a r k e t i n g O f f ice r Evan Puzey said the pathway to profitability for today’s forwarders depends on automated process and value-added services.

“The best way to achieve those goals simultaneously is through technology.

Cloud computing gives freight forwarders, particularly the small and mediumsized companies, the logistics toolkit they need to remain nimble in a highly

competitive market with thin margins,” he noted.

Looking forward, highly functional systems that operate as a single application— covering each aspect of operations from pricing to order management, shipping, warehousing and transportation management—will emerge, Ken Lyon, one of the white paper’s authors, said.

“These will be available as subscription services in the public ‘Cloud,’ accessible via a variety of computing platforms,” Lyon said.

At the small- and medium-sized enterprise forwarder level, technology solutions have to be fast and easy to implement, providing much higher levels of end-to-end visibility.

For logistics giants, on the other hand, they must embrace cloud solutions that they don’t need huge internal support functions anymore.

These solutions will require the capability of adding wider logistics services if needed.

While scale can be a help for both players, it is also an obstacle when it comes to agility and the implementation of innovative technology solutions.

For “independents” to prosper, they have to become smarter to succeed, grow and lock in customers.

This means that they must take advantage of the opportunities that the democratization of technology has brought about, as well as using the experience, expertise and decision-making capabilities of their greatest assets—their employees.

Ti is one of the world’s leading providers of expert research and analysis dedicated to the global logistics industry.

A Francisco Partners portfolio company Kewill is a global leader in multimodal transportation-management software, providing organizations with a comprehensive end-to-end platform for managing the complexities of transportations, logistics and trade compliance.

Slex gets ISO certification

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ANILA Toll Expressway Systems Inc. (Mates), operator of the 36-kilometer South Luzon Expressway (Slex), recently achieved an ISOcertified status.

After months of rigorous audit and review of Mates operations, certification board TÜV Rheinland Philippines Inc. granted Mates the Integrated Management System certification for the triple standards of ISO 9001:2008 for quality management system, ISO 14001:2004 + cor. 1:2009 for environmental management system

and OHSAS 18001:2007 for occupational health and safety.

Photo shows (from left), Mates overall Head for Management Services Joel Rayos, TÜV Business Field Manager Marineth Pulido, Mates ISO Manager Noel Sumague, TÜV COO Tristan Loveres, MATES President Manuel Bonoan, CFO Melvin Nazareno, HR AD Head Jessica Zeta, Legal Head Ruby

Alonte-Sy and Information-Technology Department Head Gerry Tiongco.

With the implementation of the QEHS management system, Mates is deemed capable of protecting the environment within its area of jurisdiction; of ensuring the health and safety of its employees, contractors, motorists and other stakeholders; and raising the level of customer satisfaction.

NewsSunday

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

BusinessMirror

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Legislators, group urged Ombudsman to include Aquino in DAP investigation

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By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

WO lawmakers and a group on Saturday asked the Ombudsman to include President Aquino in its ongoing investigation on the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

AmCham welcomes LBC as newest member LBC Express, the country’s leading payments, remittance, courier

products, mail, parcels and cargo logistics provider, was recently inducted as one of the newest members of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). As a member of the AmCham, LBC is poised to gain more exposure in the US corporate market. Photo shows (from left), LBC Business Solutions Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Charlie Villasenor; Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Brokers Inc. President and CEO Graham Edwards; HBO+EMTB Director George Fitzgerald; GHD Pty Ltd. Operating Center Manager Carl Willis; Development Finance International Inc. Vice President Christine Purka; RCG Global Services President and Managing Director and AmCham Director Richard McGonegal; Bo Le Associates Philippines Inc. Director Rubi Benitez; Quezon Power Managing Director and AmCham Director Frank Thiel; The People at Work President and AmCham Membership Chairman Roland de la Cruz; and CB Richard Ellis Philippines Inc. Chairman and CEO and AmCham President Rick Santos at the General Membership Meeting at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati.

Party-list Reps. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna, Terry Ridon of Kabataan and Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes Jr. said that the President remains principally liable for the implementation of DAP. Last week the Ombudsman said Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad and Undersecretary Mario L. Relampagos are now facing preliminary investigation for technical malversation and administrative charges in connection with DAP funds.

However, Abad later said that all disbursements under DAP were personnally approved by President Aquino. Abad did not say if Mr. Aquino should also be investigated.

“We believe Abad when he says that President Aquino had the final say regarding the DAP. That is why [Mr.] Aquino cannot be spared from any investigation. That would be untenable. The President remains principally liable for DAP because he signed and approved the release of billions of pesos from 2011 to 2013. At least seven memoranda were signed by President Aquino,” Reyes said.

Zarate, on the other hand, said that, while President Aquino is immune from prosecution, he should be included in the investigation being conducted by the Ombudsman.

Zarate said Abad and others who are responsible for the DAP mess should be prosecuted.

“If Abad and company should be prosecuted for the highly anomalous, illegal and unconstitutional DAP, then President Aquino, all the more, should be investigated because his signatures are all over the DAP documents,” Zarate added.

Ridon, who led the filing of malversation charges against Abad back in July 2014, said that it is not enough to investigate the two budget officials, as the “buck stops at Malacañang” when it comes to the creation and execution of DAP. “However, we emphasize that the DAP paper trail leads to [President] Aquino, who signed all the papers that led to the illegal and unconstitutional disbursement of funds under DAP. He should not be exempted from the Ombudsman’s investigation,” Ridon added.

Ridon said Mr. Aquino was not included in the Ombudsman complaint against Abad, as the proper forum

to charge the President at that time was in the House of Representatives, through an impeachment complaint.

He said that the case against Abad is strong, especially in light of the Supreme Court (SC) decision against DAP. “Ombudsman [Conchita Carpio] Morales should take the cue from the DAP decision of the SC, as it clearly challenges the public to hold Abad, and even [Mr.] Aquino, accountable for creating DAP,” Ridon said, referring to the 27-page final decision on DAP promulgated by the SC in February this year.

In the said ruling, the SC upheld the unconstitutionality of several acts

under DAP, particularly the “withdrawal of unobligated allotments from the implementing agencies, and the declaration of the withdrawn unobligated allotments and unreleased appropriations as savings,” and the “cross-border transfer of savings.”

The SC also emphasized that “only DAP projects found in the appropriate GAA [General Appropriations Act] may be the subject of augmentation by legally accumulated savings. “Whether the 116 DAPfunded projects had appropriation cover and were validly augmented require factual determination that is not within the scope of the present consolidated petitions.”

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Going after the DAP perpetrators

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HOUGH we are truly shocked by her exemption of President Aquino from culpability, we are elated that the Ombudsman has decided to conduct a preliminary investigation of officials of the Aquino administration involved in the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

As somebody has noted, the DAP has to be the grossest and boldest of crimes ever committed by any sitting government in our country’s history.

To recall, the DAP was put together from so-called savings of various departments from completed or slow-moving projects in order to accelerate the government’s spending program.

Highfallutin name and all, the program was really a concoction of Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad, with the blessings of his superior, the President, to fill up gaps in the expenditure budget.

Before long, the DAP was struck down by the Supreme Court (SC) as unconstitutional, with the SC calling on appropriate authorities to investigate those involved in its administration.

As it turned out, the DAP had a more sinister and treacherous objective—to bribe the senators then sitting in judgment on SC Chief Justice Renato C. Corona, accused of unexplained wealth.

Except for three senators who voted to acquit the Chief Justice, all senator-judges were each paid by Malacañang anywhere from P50 million to P100 million to convict the Chief Magistrate.

The following senators and the amounts of money they received as bribes must be mentioned at this point, because they are shameless enough to run for public office in the 2016 elections without so much as explaining to the public their participation in the sordid act: Franklin M. Drilon, P100 million; Francis F. Escudero, P98 million; Alan Peter S. Cayetano, P50 million; and Antonio Trillanes IV, P50 million. Let’s hope the electorate consigns them to the dustbin of history for the rottenness of their souls.

The DAP Fund was a staggering P147 billion, but the Ombudsman will investigate only P393.7 million worth of projects. Counting in the funds Malacañang used for bribery will add approximately P1.1 billion to the Ombudsman’s investigation. .

The Ombudsman pinpointed Abad and his deputy Mario Relampagos as the persons responsible for the irregular release of P393.7 million from the DAP between 2011 and 2012. However, the Ombudsman explicitly excluded President Aquino from the investigation, justifying the exemption on the ground that the specific charges of malversation and administrative charges are not impeachable offenses, and that the President cannot be indicted on other charges while he is in office.

Abad is crafty. While saying that he is ready to accept responsibility for approving disbursements from the DAP Fund, he is quick to add that these disbursements had the President’s approval.

He takes the occasion to proclaim his innocence, saying that there was no graft and corruption involved in the implementation of the DAP. We have doubts about the seriousness of the Ombudsman, but we are ready to suspend judgment. In fact, we hope in our heart of hearts that she succeeds. As part of the 100 million Filipinos who populate our land, we hope that wrongdoers are made to account before the bars of justice.

Pope Francis not the dreamboat liberals fell in love with

By Christine M. Flowers Philadelphia Daily News/TNS Forum

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NEVER really appreciated the whole online dating scene. The closest I ever got was filling out the free online profile, answering the questions as vaguely as possible and then waiting as the “we’re almost finished uploading your page” message kept blinking, along with a desperate request for a photo—because as the company kindly counseled, “your chances will be much greater”— which translated as “Seriously, cow, do you think anyone is going to buy your milk sight unseen?”

When I saw what was available to me before I signed up for a threemonth deluxe package that sounded like a Chinese buffet, only without the MSG, I decided that my little noontime lark was over. You know the products you can choose from in the “day old” section at your local bakery?

Yes. I came away from the experience realizing that people, myself included, will always be choosier than we initially think we are, and far less tolerant. Forget that feminist feel-good mantra of “He’s lucky to get you, so hold out for the best.”

In life, we need to compromise even though it feels like settling. The fact that I was unwilling to compromise to the tune of $600 for three funfilled months is beside the point.

We all have our idea of what is perfect, and we idealize people even though there are very few breathing specimens that will ever respond to all of our needs. And yet we keep trying. I thought about my nanosecond in the online dating world this past week with the arrival of Pope Francis. I know it might seem a bit sacrilegious to compare the head of one of the world’s greatest religions to a participant on Match.com, and get your mind out of the gutter because that’s not what I’m doing. It simply occurred to me that between the conservatives and the liberals, both groups had the perfect pontiff profile all prepared in their minds, and were

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unwilling to consider that, perhaps, Francis couldn’t comfortably accommodate those demands.

From the moment he was selected by his peers in March 2013, the liberals seemed to think that they’d struck papal gold. He was much more charismatic than his scholarly predecessor and a bit of a loose cannon when it came to impromptu news conferences.

One of the first signs that this was not your grandfather’s pope was when Francis said, rather offhandedly during a flight, “Who am I to judge?” This was in response to a question about gay priests. The liberal world went gaga (including, I’m assuming, Lady Gaga). Here was the head of a church that had historically said homosexual acts were a grave sin, acting as if he was willing to adopt a gay priest. It was one of those “aha” moments for the guys on late-night TV who love to attack Christians, and Catholic Christians, in particular, as being intolerant monsters. Here, at last, was a reason to hope that the answer was blowing in the tail winds of Shepherd One. Of course, this rankled conservatives, who were a bit shocked to see church teaching on homosexuality being radically altered. Except, of course, it wasn’t being altered in the least.

The only thing that was happening was that the pope was using kinder words to say what had always been the policy of the Church: Hate the sin, not the sinner. In other words, being homosexual was not a sin. Acting on homosexual urges was the problem.

Same message, different messenger.

Still, social progressives conveniently blocked out the substantive message and clung to the sweet tones in which it was now being delivered.

And then the pope issued his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si. It was as if the Vatican had decided to add Al Gore’s face to one of the murals on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

It was complete validation for those who truly believed that human beings were negatively impacting the

T that time, Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was Thy Gracious Will.”

“All things have been delivered to Me

by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the

environment and endangering the quality and number of our natural resources. Francis made a lot of Sierra Club folks extremely happy with his pronouncements and sent more than a few conservatives to Internet search engines with queries like “impeachment” and “Roman Catholic Pontiff.”

And then came the announcement that women who’d had abortions would not automatically be excommunicated and could, in fact, be absolved from sin without recourse to a bishop. This was not a radical change in policy, especially here in Philadelphia, where parish priests already had the authority to grant absolution to postabortive mothers. But for certain people, this writer included, it seemed as if the Church were taking some serious steps backward on the evil and sinful nature of abortion.

So you can imagine how excited liberals were that Francis was coming to the US. They were finally going to have that first date with the fellow they’d been courting over the past couple of years. They were going to get a firsthand glimpse of the man who’d filled their dreams, fulfilled their desires, made them think of some perfect future union.

And the dream continued during his first few days in the country. He chastised Congress for its position on the death penalty (sure, he made some veiled reference to abortion, too, but since he never actually said the word “abortion” they were able to put that in the category of “negotiable annoyances,” like rooting for the Dallas Cowboys).

When he got to New York, he exhorted the United Nations to be more vigilant to the plight of refugees. He made a lot of statements about the poor, which always makes liberals smile because they are, of course, the only ones who actually know poor people. He got some liberals so excited they actually stole his utensils, dusted them for fingerprints, took DNA samples and essentially stalked him.

Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My Yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My Yoke is easy, and My Burden is light.”

—Matthew 11:25-30

Voices

essMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph • Sunday, October 4, 2015 A5

History as regret A

Free Fire

By Teddy Locsin Jr.

MBET Ocampo was right to be amused by the quarrel in social media over the movie Heneral Luna. To be sure, the movie was dead on arrival at the box office until social media brought it back to life again.

Emilio Aguinaldo may have betrayed Antonio Luna, but he never betrayed his country. After Luna was murdered, Aguinaldo fought the United States for—what?—two or three more years? And he wouldn’t stop until he was kidnapped by the usual suspects from Central Luzon; from where come our worst traitors after during foreign occupations and our best champions the rest of the time—like Taruc against the landed; Macapagal for the landless; and Ninoy and Cory Aquino for freedom against tyranny.

It is hard enough to tell the

future; what more the past? But this much is true: Praise for Luna first came from our enemies to discourage us from fighting some more. If our only real general was dead, why fight on with no direction and even less hope? Yet, Luna never won a battle. The movie is faithful to that.

The Americans withdrew from an encounter because the fight was not worth missing lunch. Pedro Paterno and Felipe Buencamino fought Spanish rule; Luna did not. He fought the Americans, but trusted only Filipino veterans of ex-Spanish Army to fight under him.

The two had early courage; Paterno and Buencamino figured in the political struggle for independence. Luna was a late bloomer in that regard. But he had the sense to know that fighting a declining Spain gave rising America the excuse to

grab Cuba and the Philippines.

Paterno and Buencamino had the belated sense to see an American protectorate as the least bad of all the worst outcomes: Germans wanted a colony and Americans offered to sell us to them. We would have been exterminated because that early, the Germans believed in, preached and practiced the superiority of the white race. After exterminating Maguindanaoans in Indonesia, so that the sultan fled to Mindanao and destroyed all spice plantations there so as not to compete with the Dutch East India Co., the Dutch wanted to finish the job by taking Mindanao, as well, and decimating the remaining tribe.

In Indonesia, the Dutch killed every man, woman and child because they might know how to grow spices; and then established population-

controlled plantations to supply the spice trade. No native knew more than one small part of the spice-production process. At least America despised colonialism, in principle, having been a colony itself. Manifest Destiny was not a call for colonies but empire. As early as George Washington, Americans expected an imperial republic, like Rome, from North to South Poles.

But they could not stomach that empire demands citizenship for all Americans—be they of Irish, German, Italian, Mexican, Colombian or Filipino descent, side by side with the English who invented America.

Far from betraying our cause, Aguinaldo took the fight farther and harder, thereby inviting the near genocide of the Filipino race at the hands of US veterans of the Indian Wars who exterminated the Indians.

The pragmatism of Paterno and Buencamino prevailed after Aguinaldo’s hopes of independence were dashed by regional enemies as Luna’s brains were dashed by the same.

The point of history is not to fix blame but to enjoy a rip-roaring story of courage on all sides, of bold convictions, as well, and inevitably, treachery. The Americans had Benedict Arnold. Remembering history will never ever keep us from repeating it. The French were keen students of history—a history of victory over Germany in 1918, but also early defeat by Germany in 1870 and betrayal throughout.

And yet the French betrayed France when the Germans invaded again.

History teaches nothing except that nothing is sure until it is history. Yet even about that, we are never certain.

The Fed and the disappointing jobs report W Bloomberg View

By Mohamed A. El-Erian

ITH weaker-than-expected payroll expansion, the jobs report for September suggests the US economy isn’t immune to the global economic slowdown. The disappointing performance reduces the probability the Federal Reserve (the Fed) will raise interest rates in October. Yet, the continued stimulative monetary policy of close-to-zero rates is, by itself, unlikely to do much to resolve what ails the United States and the rest of the world.

The addition of 142,000 jobs last

month reported by the Labor Department on Friday fell well short of the 200,000 expected by markets. That setback was accompanied by flat wage growth and indications of a contracting manufacturing sector, as well as downward revisions to the estimates of job growth for August and July—which also contradicted consensus market expectations. The gloom was further accentuated by a decline in the labor-participation rate, which has returned to levels last seen in 1977.

The mediocre data calls into

question the conventional wisdom that had taken hold in markets and among policy-makers. Until now, there was a general sense that even if robust US economic growth alone couldn’t pull the rest of the world, it was solid enough to protect the nation from weakness elsewhere.

This view will be challenged by the jobs report, which suggests the US economy could be vulnerable to the global economic slowdown.

Under such circumstances, it is hard to imagine how the Fed could decide to raise rates when it meets

this month. Yet, leaving in place the monetary-policy stimulus of recent years will do little to offset concerns about the weakening fundamentals.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the central bank’s commitment to continue to carry the bulk of the policy burden isn’t sufficient to generate high, inclusive and sustainable growth. Congress needs to step in, too, allowing the government to deploy a broader set of policy responses.

Alas, there is little to suggest that such a reaction will be forthcoming. This inertia will hold back

corporate enthusiasm for actively deploying large cash holdings into larger productive capabilities and employment.

Markets and the global economy are moving closer to an inflection point: Either the growing global economic malaise, accentuated by a structural increase in financial market volatility, will be a wake-up call to policy-makers, or the global economy will slip deeper into a selfreinforcing malaise, making it very hard for the central bank to contain financial volatility.

Enough with the pink–go green

By Michelle Kretzer

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals/ TNS Forum

I

T’S October, which means that every store we stroll into and every web site we visit is going to bombard us with pink tchotchkes “for the cure.”

Well, forgive me if my home décor isn’t in the style of Barbie’s Dreamhouse. It’s not that I don’t give a hoot about breast cancer—quite the contrary. My beloved grandmother lost her fight with breast cancer at just 64 years old, and other women in my family have battled the disease, too, so stopping breast cancer is a cause close to my heart.

But I know there are much better ways for me to help save women’s lives than by going to the mall—such

as by going to the farmer’s market.

The strong evidence linking meat and dairy products to cancer can’t be ignored. Animal-derived foods are full of saturated fat, excess protein, hormones and other harmful substances that can raise a person’s risk for breast cancer. According to Dr. Jane Plant, a British scientist, cancer survivor and author of The No-Dairy Breast Cancer Prevention Program, “Undoubtedly, the best anticancer diet would be to go completely vegan.” It’s telling that in countries such as the US, where people get a high percentage of their calories from meat and dairy products, there are a lot more cases of breast cancer.

By contrast, in Japan, people get far fewer calories from animal-derived foods, and breast-cancer rates are low. But when Japanese girls are

raised on Western diets, their breastcancer rates surge.

According to Dr. T. Colin Campbell, professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University and director of the China Project, the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted, “[No] chemical carcinogen is nearly so important in causing human cancer as animal protein.”

Large studies of vegetarians in Germany and England found that vegetarians were about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer than their meat-eating counterparts.

That’s why many nutritionists recommend what dietician and author Julieanna Hever calls The Vegiterranean Diet in her book of the same name: All the colorful, varied, whole, unprocessed fruits, vegetables,

legumes and grains, with none of the cancer-causing meat and dairy products. I’ve discovered that cancer prevention is just one of many benefits to going vegan.

Since I ditched all animal-derived foods, I don’t have to struggle so much to maintain my desired weight, my skin looks clearer and I have more energy. I’ve also learned that when you stop centering your meals on meat, you start incorporating a much-wider variety of foods and open yourself up to a whole new world of flavors. And there’s another reason to “go green” rather than pink this month. As the watchdog group Think Before You Pink points out, “If shopping could cure breast cancer, it would be cured by now.”

But many companies throw a pittance at a breast-cancer charity in

order to slap a pink ribbon on their products and rake in huge profits.

Worse, many of the organizations they support waste that money on antiquated experiments on animals that in more than four decades haven’t produced a cure. Funding patient services for poor families, education and vital research that does not rely on animal models would be a much better use of that money.

Because of my family history, I’m considered at high risk for breast cancer, and reducing that risk is important to me. So this October you’ll find me in the produce section, not strolling the mall looking like I washed a red towel with all my whites. I invite other women to join me in combating breast cancer by investing in effective cruelty-free charities and in their own health.

My brush with campus intolerance

By Cathy Young Newsday TNS Forum

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AST week I had a firsthand experience with campus intolerance when some Canadian college students decided they didn’t want me speaking at their school.

The Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE), a group that champions a balanced approach to gender issues, including those affecting men, invited me to give a talk on gender and victimhood at the University of Toronto and the University of Ottawa.

Shortly before the first event, a comment urging violence against feminists at the University of Toronto was posted on an online forum. Amid an intense reaction to the threat, university administrators felt it was inadvisable to hold

my event on campus; the venue was moved to a nearby hotel. One student activist wrote on a Tumblr blog that “chasing these misogynists off campus is a victory.”

In Ottawa, where the talk went forward at Saint Paul University, things were a bit more eventful.

About a dozen protesters in red-scarf masks gathered outside the building to chant slogans denouncing “rape apologist scum” (a slur hurled at people who talk such heresy as presumption of innocence).

An organizer’s invitation to the protesters to come in and attend the talk as long they promised to behave was scornfully rebuffed. As the event was about to start, the fire alarm went off—presumably pulled by a demonstrator—which forced a brief evacuation. In the end, the police made the

protesters move across the street and I was able to give my talk without further trouble. I fared better than some previous CAFE speakers, who were effectively shut down by students using a variety of methods—fire alarms, loud music and chants just outside auditoriums, verbal harassment of attendees—to fight what they regard as “hate speech.”

The United States has a much more robust free-speech tradition than Canada, which does not have an equivalent of the First Amendment and does have hate-speech laws. But “politically correct” campus intolerance in this country has emerged as a cause for serious concern as well, and not just among conservatives.

The Atlantic, a premier liberal magazine and web site, has published two major stories on the dangerous

trend of students demanding to be “safe” from ideas they consider not just offensive but emotionally damaging. President Barack Obama addressed the issue at a town-hall meeting last month when he warned against the notion that college students “have to be coddled and protected from different points of view.”

He said, “Anybody who comes to speak to you and you disagree with, you should have an argument with them. But you shouldn’t silence them by saying, ‘You can’t come because I’m too sensitive to hear what you have to say.’” How depressing that this even needs to be said.

Some left-wing commentators, such as Angus Johnston, a historian who teaches at City University of New York and champions student activism, think current concerns

about freedom of campus speech are a hypocritical attempt to silence campus protest. In a recent blog post, Johnston complains that speech defenders don’t support “the rights of left-liberal students to speak intemperately or aggressively.”

Yes, intemperate and unpleasant speech should be defended, whether it comes from left-wingers or, say, antiabortion demonstrators. But Johnston gives away his game when he mocks the notion that campus speakers should not be “subjected to challenge or disruption.” Challenge is good. But disruptions and protest tactics so aggressive as to cross the line into intimidation are not legitimate speech. They are ways to suppress speech, and they should be denounced by any liberal worthy of the name.

A6 Sunday, October 4, 2015

News BusinessMirror

Power…

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Continued from a1

Monsada said last week that the available generating capacity nationwide stands at 13,300 mW as against an anticipated demand of 12,000 mW.

She said Luzon has 9,800 mW with demand at 8,900 MW, while the Visayas has 1,800 mW as against a demand of 1,600 mW. Supply in Mindanao stands at 1,700 mW against an anticipated demand of 1,500 mW.

Monsada, who was also present during the recent budget hearing at the House of Representatives, told congressmen there is no assurance that there will not be any poweroutage incidents next year.

“We cannot predict a sudden plant breakdown,” she said, while adding that if it’s just one or two small power plants that will conk out, supply won’t be affected because there is a reserve power.

She said the DOE leads a government task force that would ensure that the nation would have enough and reliable electricity during the election period.

“We are working closely with all stakeholders so there would be no power outages,” she stressed.

For his part, Osmeña said there’s always a risk of brownout even if there is enough supply. “We don’t know when a power plant or power plants will go offline for unknown reasons. As they grow older, there is a possibility that they will break down and we don’t know when that will happen,” he explained.

A possible scenario, Osmeña predicted, could be an hour or two of brownout in a day. “If the expected 500-mW [excess] won’t happen this year, then we will be short.

And if that happens, there is almost a 100-percent chance that there may be a one hour or two hours of brownout because demand will grow by about 400 mW,” he said.

What worries the DOE more is the power situation in Mindanao given the extended El Niño.

“It would have minimal impact on electricity supply in Luzon and the Visayas. But it will be different in Mindanao,” Monsada said.

Based on the initial simulation of the DOE, “in the absence of any increase in forced outages in the power plants for Luzon and the Visayas, the power situation will be manageable.”

For Mindanao, however, the worst could be felt toward the end of 2015 up until the first quarter of 2016 since the island largely relies on hydroelectricity generated by several plants in the Agus river area in the Lanao provinces.

The DOE has already requested operators of hydropower plants to provide a weekly average available capacity since hydro plants will be the most affected by the impact of the El Niño.

The DOE will continue to provide an updated simulation of the power outlook with El Niño scenario once it has gathered the data and finalized the simulation.

Global economy…

Friday’s monthly jobs report from the government suggested that the US economy, which has been outshining others around the world, may be weakening.

Lackluster growth overseas has reduced exports of US factory goods and cut into the overseas profits of large companies. Canada, the largest US trading partner, is in recession. China, the secondlargest economy after the US, is growing far more slowly. Emerging economies, from Brazil to Tur-

Last week DOE Undersecretary Loreta Ayson released an action plan to mitigate the impact of El Niño.

Among the plans drawn up include intensified energy efficiency and conservation campaigns; implementation of the Interruptible Load Program; ensuring minimal forced outages of power plants; managing the maintenance schedules of power plants, transmission and distribution facilities; optimization of the dispatch protocol for power plants with hydropower plants serving as peaking requirement; and deployment of modular generator sets.

The agency has also created “Energy Task Force on El Niño” to better address the power-supply problem in Mindanao, which is largely dependent on hydroelectric power plants.

The members of the task force include the DOE, National Power Corp., Energy Regulatory Commission, power generators, private distribution utilities and electric cooperatives.

“For Mindanao, the power situation will be a challenge to the event of moderate to severe El Niño since the share of the hydropower plants in Mindanao accounts for 50 percent and 42 percent in the power-generation mix in 2014 and January to June 2015, respectively,” Ayson said.

Moreover, the DOE has coordinated with the National Renewable Energy Board to verify the capacity used for variable renewable-energy sources, such as solar, wind and biomass, from October 2015 to June 2016.

Continued from a1

key, are straining to grow at all.

A result is that economists now expect the Federal Reserve to delay a long-awaited increase in interest rates, possibly until next year.

Employers added just 142,000 jobs in September, and the government sharply lowered its estimate of gains in July and August by a combined 59,000.

Monthly job growth averaged a mediocre 167,000 in the JulySeptember quarter, down from

231,000 in the April-June period.

The unemployment rate remained a low 5.1 percent, but only because many Americans have stopped looking for work and are no longer counted as unemployed.

The proportion of adults who either have a job or are looking for one is at a 38-year low.

US stock prices have tumbled as fears of a global slowdown have intensified.

Volatile financial markets can make businesses too anxious to expand and hire.

“We’re back to a period of what I call corporate caution,” says Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS. “It’s wait and see. If things stabilize, we could see hiring come back.”

On Friday the Dow Jones industrial average fell about 200 points soon after the jobs report was issued before recovering to close up 200. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note dipped below 2 percent, a sign that investors anticipate sluggish growth and low inflation.

Over the past year, the dollar has risen about 15 percent against overseas currencies, making US goods costlier overseas and imports cheaper. Declining exports have led many analysts to slash their growth estimates for the July-September quarter to a subpar 1.5-percent annual rate or less.

Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar has said it will cut up to 5,000 jobs by year’s end.

Lower oil prices have hurt its sales of drilling equipment, and overseas sales of its construction machines have fallen.

Hershey has said it will shed 300 positions in the US this year after sales in China plunged.

A host of other companies have announced layoffs in recent weeks, including Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer; ConAgra Foods, which makes Chef Boyardee and Slim Jims; and Chesapeake Energy, which has been hurt by lower oil prices.

The tepid pace of hiring clouds the picture for the Fed, which is considering whether to raise rates from record lows. Fed Chairman Janet Yellen has said that the job market is nearly healed.

But she’s also said she wants to see further hiring and pay growth for reassurance that inflation is edging toward the Fed’s 2-percent target. Average hourly wages are up just 2.2 percent in the past year—far below the 3.5 percent or 4 percent considered healthy.

Many economists now expect no rate hike until 2016, though some still think the Fed will begin raising rates in December—a step that would eventually send consumer and business borrowing rates up.

Some analysts, like Michael Gapen, chief US economist at Barclays Capital, say they remain confident in the economy’s resilience. Gapen notes that the threats from overseas resemble earlier periods in the economic recovery when anxiety about Europe’s financial crisis slowed hiring and roiled US markets. AP

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

Life

BusinessMirror

Sunday, October 4, 2015

A7

Empowering the Filipina...one voice at a time

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By Vic Sevilla

elodies, the harmony of notes, and the ability of the human voice to communicate a spectrum of sentiments give music widespread appeal.

Recognizing the intrinsic power of music to inspire and the Filipino’s instinctive love for singing, Diageo Philippines recently launched Plan W Philippines 2015. This aims to hone the skills of music teachers and conductors in the proper organizing, sustaining and nurturing of choirs.

Why music? “We wanted to create a platform that we can sustainably invest in. I think that if we focus on one thing, the platform becomes a lot bigger and more powerful to make a lot of impact to the community. We chose singing and music for the Philippines because we believe in working according to the prevailing passion of the community—and Filipinos are just passionate about music and singing. In choosing music, I think we have been able to tap into the passion of many Filipinos,” Diageo Philippines General Manager Jon Good explains.

Growing up to the hymns of the island

Having been born in Wellington, New Zealand, Good has had early exposure to different types of music. He relates, “We have lot of diversity in our culture because the country has had cultural influences from Europeans, Maoris, Polynesians, Tongans, Samoans, and Cook Islanders — and all of these groups have their own languages and music. So I grew up listening to a variety of music. New Zealand is a very musical country. In fact it is the only country in the world whose national rugby team, the All Blacks, starts every game with a haka.” The haka is a traditional Maori war cry and dance.

Although he admits that choral music was not something

he has had a lot of exposure to before, he promptly fell in love with the music of the Philippine Madrigal Singers.

“When I first heard the Madz [the nickname given to the internationally-awarded choral group], I was amazed. I couldn’t believe how talented these people are. Every time I hear them, they sound better and better. So I am now a big choral music fan,” he adds.

Plan W Philippines and the empowering force of music

Sadly, despite the huge number of excellent Filipino singers and choral groups, the music industry offers limited formal music training. In far-flung communities, most especially, grassroots music teachers and conductors continue to struggle to raise the quality and standards of singing. This dilemma is further aggravated by inadequate employment opportunities and little prospect for artistic growth.

In light of the sorry plight of music teachers and choral conductors, Plan W Philippines aims to increase the competence, credibility, and long-term sustainable employment of 35 women choir conductors and teachers in all regions of the country. Its target participants must possess the potential and ability to teach music, but have limited opportunity, resources,

and access to formal training and education.

Good says, “We, at Diageo Philippines, think that the community can only benefit in many positive ways when we give women the means to earn money, to have confidence, and to have leadership skills.”

Partnering with Sing Philippines

Realizing that choosing the 35 participants from tens of thousands of church-, school- and community-based choral groups from all over the country presents an enormous challenge, Diageo partnered with Sing Philippines to fulfill the vision of Plan W Philippines. “The program is something that Diageo wanted to do but couldn’t do by itself. We approached the Madz originally because they are the best in the world. We were very happy to hear that they’ve already set up Sing Philippines. We saw that we could collaborate together, so we’re very excited to be working with Sing Philippines,” Good tells.

A pet project of the late Andrea O. Veneracion, Philippine National Artist for Music and founder of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Sing Philippines remains a valuable skills development program. “When I became a member of the Madz in 1992, Professor Veneracion was already conducting the outreach programs. We trained, and continue to train, mostly the choir conductors. That also gave us the opportunity to work with local choirs, so we get to train the singers as well,” says Mark Anthony Carpio, former Madz member and current artistic director of Sing Philippines.

To select the 35 women participants for Plan W Philippines, the organization released an application form requiring a potential candidate to write something about the choir.

This, says Carpio, will help them determine the number of people that will benefit from the program. Obviously Sing Philippines will put a considerable weight on the talent and skill of the conductor. “Since only 35 choir conductors will qualify, we want to get as many representatives as possible from the different regions of the country,” he adds.

The training program is a rigorous course divided into two stages. Initially the selected women teachers will fly to Manila

Mark Anthony Carpio and Jon Good flank Peachy Veneracion, daughter of the late National Artist for Music and Sing Philippines founder Prof. Andrea O. Veneracion.

to attend a weeklong immersion program that includes sessions on musicality and musicianship, choral conducting, teaching techniques and organizational management skills.

After that, participants will be sent back to their communities to form and develop their own singing groups.

In the second stage, workshop trainers will visit the participants to observe the application of their learning.

They will also guide the women as they work with their choirs in their respective localities. The culminating activity will be a concert that showcases the fruits of the program to the local community.

This reinforces the goal of empowering women to nurture Filipino culture in their communities through the inclusive nature of ensemble music. “Choral singing is a form of musical art that’s most accessible to everyone, especially in this country.

For example, a church in a single locality will have more than one choir that need skilled choral conductors and singers. So Plan W Philippines is important because there are so many

people who can benefit from this,” Carpio emphasizes. Plan W is part of Diageo’s new 2020 sustainability and responsibility targets which aims to build thriving communities. To realize this vision, it recognizes the need to empower women across all socioeconomic profiles. In Asia Pacific the goal is to reach two million women across all socioeconomic demographic profiles by 2017. “When we empower women, when we hone their abilities and use these to their fullest potential, a lot of positive things can happen in their families, their communities and their countries,” Good says.

A global leader in beverage alcohol, Diageo’s outstanding collection of premium brands include Johnnie Walker, VAT69, J&B, Smirnoff, Baileys, Tanqueray, Gilbey’s and Guinness, among many others. It is the first beverage alcohol company to sign the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles globally. To date the company’s Plan W program has empowered more than 115,000 women and trained more than 43,000 men across 16 countries, impacting more than 575,000 people.

Sports BusinessMirror

THE National University Pep Squad runs away with the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 78 Cheerdance Competition crown for a thirdstraight year, pushing University of Santo Tomas and University of the Philippines to second and third places, respectively, on Saturday. ALYSA SALEN

A8 | S

unday, October 4, 2015 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

‘3-PEAT’ FOR N.U. PEP

A

CAVEMAN’s theme worked wonders as the National University (NU) Pep Squad ran away with its third consecutive University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Cheerdance Competition crown at a jampacked Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.

Performing in an arena that NU calls its home, and against strong challenges from perennial contenders and former champions University of Santo Tomas

(UST) and Season 78 host University of the Philippines (UP), the NU Pep Squad were relentless in pulling off the “three-peat” that is slowly building a dynasty for

the formerly also-ran school.

Before a record crowd of 25,388, the NU Pep Squad performed a scintillating routine in tumbling, stunts, tosses and pyramids for 658 points. They beat the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe, who recorded 651.5 points for second place and the UP Pep Squad, which booked 610.5 points for third place.

“The theme is caveman, and we call it an NU era,” said coach Ghicka Bernabe, whose wards pocketed the P340,000 top prize in the competition that was introduced in the league 20 years ago.

NU, UST and UP also placed 1-23 last season.

“We changed our theme only a month ago. Of course, we don’t

want to be similar to the others in the competition. And the result turned out just excellent and the crowd enjoyed it,” Bernabe added.

The NU Pep Squad, which had 15 rookies this season, became the third team after UST and UP to win three cheerdance crown.

The Bulldogs, however, teetered before the announcement of the winner. They fumbled in their difficult pyramid routine which cost them six points. But they were able to regroup late in the six-minute performance with their superb

SPONSORS TO BLATTER: QUIT NOW! Z URICH—Sepp Blatter defied calls from Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) sponsors Budweiser, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Visa to quit immediately as president of world soccer’s governing body on Friday rather than cling on until the emergency election in February.

The seemingly coordinated interventions from the long-standing corporate backers came a week after the Blatter was interrogated by Swiss investigators and placed under criminal investigation for alleged financial wrongdoing at Fifa, which he has led since 1998.

It marked an escalation in the dual American and Swiss soccer corruption investigations, which burst into public view with the arrest of seven Fifa officials at a Zurich hotel two days before the presidential election in May. They are among 14 officials indicted in the US on bribery and racketeering charges.

SEPP BLATTER clings on to the presidency. AP

The 79-year-old Blatter gained a fifth term only to announce resignation plans four days later in the face of private pressure from sponsors and the fear of a criminal investigation.

But Blatter is determined to remain in power until his successor is elected on February 26 and “respectfully disagrees” with the sponsors who demand his immediate departure, the president’s lawyer, Richard Cullen, said. “[He] believes firmly that his leaving office now would not be in the best interest of Fifa nor would it advance the process of reform and, therefore, he will not resign,” Cullen said in a statement.

Coca-Cola, which has advertised in stadiums at every World Cup since 1950, was the first of the sponsors to demand Blatter’s resignation, having previously just called for reforms at the scandal-battered governing body. “For the benefit of the game, The Coca-Cola Co. is calling for Fifa President Joseph Blatter to step down immediately so that a credible and sustainable reform process can begin in earnest,” Coca-Cola said in a statement. AP

NO TOMORROW FOR LADY EAGLES, LADY BULLDOGS

A

TENEO and National University (NU) clash in a no-tomorrow Game Three of the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Collegiate Conference championship series at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

The match, seen as a prelude for how Season 78 volleyball action would go in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, is set at 12:45 p.m.

Ateneo will again play without its Head Coach Tai Bundit, who is still in Thailand on a coaching seminar. But his assistant, Parley Tupaz, is confident the Lady Eagles—powered

by Most Valuable Player Alyssa Valdez—would bring the trophy to Katipunan.

“Magandang laban kasi lahat ng players gusto mag-champion,” Tupaz said. On the NU side, Head Coach Roger Gorayeb would be leaning on the Lady Bulldogs’ hunger for their second V-League championship with towering sisters, Jaja and Dindin Santiago-Manabat, leading the charge.

“Syempre going all out, gusto namin magchampion. The players will give all their best to get this championship,” Gorayeb said who coached the national yeam.

The Lady Eagles drew first blood, 25-22, 25-17, 25-17, but couldn’t complete a sweep against a vicious NU team, 25-19, 25-13, 25-23, to force the rubber match.

Interestingly, NU won the Season 10 championship against a Gorayeb-coached Ateneo side, 2-1.

Ateneo is eyeing its third championship. The Lady Eagles also won Season 8 against Adamson University and Season 9 against University of Santo Tomas.

The match will be aired live on GMA News TV Channel 11 and via streaming on www.v-league.ph, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

Valdez and company are expected to rebound strong from their Game Two setback, but expect NU to also step up its attack even more, guarantee-

ing a slambang duel for the hotly contested Season 12 crown in the league, sponsored by Shakey’s and presented by PLDT Home Ultera.

“They jumped the gun on us early in Game Two and we never recovered,” said Tupaz, referring to their loss last week that saw Valdez struggle for just nine hits. “We need to play with more energy.”

The Lady Bulldogs virtually silenced the predominantly pro-Ateneo crowd the last time out, dishing out a superb all-around game anchored on the Santiago sisters, Myla Pablo, Jorelle Singh, Aiko Urdas and veteran playmaker Rubie de Leon to fashion out the straight-set win.

Manabat, who missed the opener of the title series, backed by Mikasa and Accel, provided not only the firepower and poise, but also the defensive might, coming through with five blocks that stymied the vaunted Ateneo attack anchored on Valdez. Lance Agcaoili

tosses and high-flying stunts.

“The rookies are lucky. They are blessed with the opportunity as three-peat champions,” NU team Manager Jun Gaw said.

The Tigers topped their specialty, the dance routine, but faltered in the tumbling and stunts category which caused them to miss the crown they last won in 2006.

“We were still blessed. We didn’t expect this year [to place second].

We were able to maximize the skills of our cheerdancers,” UST Coach Ramon Pagaduan said.

The Maroons capped an also near-flawless performance with a heart-shaped pyramid they built with a rock instrumental of their school hymn. But that wasn’t

enough for the Diliman-based squad to stand atop the podium.

The Far Eastern University Pep Squad finished in fourth with 583.5, followed by University of the East Pep Squad (583), La Salle Animo Squad (538.5), Adamson University Pep Squad (513.5) and Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion (412).

As a consolation for UST, the Salinggawi dancers ruled the group stunts and grabbed the P25,000 prize, beating the Bulldogs and dethroning the Tamaraws in the process. The cheerdance competition is a part of a heavy UAAP weekend, which also features Sunday’s men’s basketball showdown between fierce rivals Ateneo and La Salle also at the Mall of Asia Arena.

DONDON HURTS JAPAN Dondon Hontiveros, ageless at 38, delivers the goods

that matters most—sinking six three-pointers for a total 18 points—to help Gilas Pilipinas beat Japan, 81-70, in the International Basketball Federation Asia Men’s Championship on Friday night in Changsa in Hunan, China. The Philippines battled host China in the goldmedal play on Saturday night. FIBA.COM

Ateneo-De La Salle showdown

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TENEO and De La Salle rekindle their rivalry on Sunday, hoping to end the first round of Season 78 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball action with a bang at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Blue Eagles and Green Archers clash at 4 p.m. Season host University of the Philippines (UP) and Adamson University square off at 11 in the morning.

Ateneo is coming off a 56-43 victory over the Fighting Maroons to seize solo second spot with a 4-2 win-loss record, while De La Salle absorbed a 61-77 loss to University of Santo Tomas to drop to 3-3 and join National University (NU) at fourth place. Blue Eagles Head Coach Bo Perasol said more than their rivalry with the Green Archers, the game is crucial for them to keep pace with the leaders— Far Eastern University (FEU) (51) and University of Santo Tomas (4-2).

“It’s just one game. It’s a matter of getting the win,” said Perasol, who will again rely on his veterans Kiefer Ravena and Von Pessumal. Perasol is 3-1 in his head-to-head duel with the Taftbased team.

Ravena said he needs to help the rookies prepare mentally for the encounter with De La Salle.

“We have to make sure the rookies won’t be carried away by their emotions,” said Ravena, who has led Ateneo to six wins in his team’s nine match-ups with the Green Archers since he played for the Loyola-based school in 2011.

The game is very critical for De La Salle because a loss would pull the Green Archers down deeper in the standings and will need a strong second-round campaign to boost their Final Four aspirations.

The Juno Sauler-coached squad has yet to draw consistent performance from the veterans led by Jason Perkins, Thomas Torres and Jeron Teng—although rookie Andrei Caracut has been solid for De La Salle.

UP and Adamson University, meanwhile, try to arrest their own losing streaks to gain confidence entering the next round.

After a promising 2-0 start, the Fighting Maroons dropped their last four assignments, while the Soaring Falcons of rookie Coach Mike Fermin have yet to win this season.

Adamson University, however, is expected to wield the form when they made FEU struggle to a 64-60 win in their last outing.

Standings: FEU 5-1, UST 5-1, Ateneo 4-2, NU 3-3, La Salle 3-3, University of the East 2-4, UP 2-4, Adamson 0-6. Joel Orellana