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Saturday 2014 Vol. No. 40 Sunday,18, October 11,102015 Vol. 11 No. 3
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Fitch sees recovery from decrease in growth of workers’ remittances By Bianca Cuaresma
week ahead
ECONOMIC DATA PREVIEW Foreign Exchange
n Previous week: The local currency has displayed significant strides toward the appreciation side in the previous week. The peso started its value at 46.48 to a dollar on Monday, to slightly appreciate on Tuesday at 46.47 to a dollar. The biggest change seen in the local currency was on Wednesday when the peso hit 46.14 to a dollar. The appreciating trend continued on Thursday at 46.11 to a dollar and ended the week back to the 45 territory at 45.87 to a dollar. The average trading value of the peso was at 46.214 to a dollar. The total traded volume was also significantly larger at $5.098 billion from the $3.424 billion seen in the previous week. n Week ahead: While the peso is expected to still display strength against the dollar in the coming week, ING Bank economist Joey Cuyegkeng earlier warned that risks still surround the local currency. Cuyegkeng particularly said that speculation about the looming US rate hike causes risks against currencies in emerging markets, such as the Philippines, and thus, the strength “may be temporary.”
Remittances (August)
Thursday, October 15 n July remittances: Money from Filipino migrant workers stumbled in July this year and posted a growth of 0.5 percent from the same month last year. The barely improved remittance growth is the slowest growth since January this year when remittance growth also slowed to 0.5 percent. In absolute terms, the total remittances hit $2.08 billion during the month. n August remittances: The slowdown seen in July is seen to be a “one-off” thing and is seen to recover in the months ahead. In Fitch’s recent assessment on the Philippine economic dynamics, the credit watcher said that remittances will continue to provide and offsetting factor to weaker trade numbers going forward. (See related story)
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N international credit watcher expressed confidence that the slowdown in the Philippines’s remittance inflow is temporary and will recover from the recent below 1-percent monthly growth performance in July. In its latest overall assessment on the Philippines, Fitch Ratings said that cash from Filipino workers abroad will continue to drive the current account to a surplus level this year and will offset the weakness seen in the country’s trade numbers owing to the slowing global economy. This confidence comes amid the unusually low growth seen in January and, more recently, in July. Earlier data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that the remittances from Filipino workers abroad stumbled in July to register a growth of mere 0.5 percent. This is far from the average trend growth of remittances at around 5 percent a month. This below 1-percent growth in remittances was also seen in January, when the money sent by migrant workers also hit a growth of 0.5 percent. This, Fitch said, should not be
Development banks boost funding vs climate change
a cause for worry on the country’s balance of payments position going forward. “Fitch expects the trade deficit to widen and reduce the current account surplus to 3.5 percent of GDP, but still allow the Philippines to continue accumulating next external assets and reserves. Fitch’s view assumes remittances will continue to grow steadily,” the international bank said. Remittances sent by Filipino workers abroad provide about $24 billion to $25 billion worth of fresh fuel for the Philippine economy, helping accelerate consumer spending and economic activity in the local scene. This makes money sent by Filipino migrant workers one of the pillars of the Philippine economic growth story. Fitch, however, warned that, while strength is still expected of the See “Fitch,” A2
Digitization pushed by software providers By Lorenz S. Marasigan
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HE $15.5-billion sof t ware industry could outpace the growth of the international labor market, should the Philippines continue to develop information and communications technology (ICT)-driven sectors and establish a favorable cloud-computing environment. The forecast was made by Philippine Software Industry Association President Jonathan Defensor de Luzuriaga, who spoke about the process of transforming the Philippines into a digital economy through enterprise cloud applications during the Philippine Cloud Summit last week. He said the key areas to focus on developing include the leveraging of the ICT sector to enhance the country’s competitiveness, the expansion of access to high-speed
PESO exchange rates n US 46.1250
and affordable Internet services, and the deployment of cloud services for disaster resiliency. “We have to educate our people on the digital economy,” he said. “We also have to bring Philippine talent home.” These, Luzuriaga said, could result in the industry being the “next ‘overseas Filipino worker’ phenomenon.” He did not provide a time frame, however, but said these requirements should be met “to be able to reach this status.” IP Converge Data Services Inc. (IPC) President Reynaldo R. Huergas noted that ,while the Philippines has witnessed increased cloud adoption through the years, there is a lot of room for progress. “Through the years, we witnessed an upward trend in terms of cloud adoption as more and more enterprises are beginning to See “Digitization,” A2
Ban Ki-moon (right), secretary-general of the United Nations, looks at Peru’s President Ollanta Humala on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings in Lima, Peru, on Friday. AP/Rodrigo Abd
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IMA, Peru—The world’s top development banks pledged on Friday to boost their funding to lessen climate-change impact, aiming for the goal of $100 billion a year that rich countries have pledged to transfer to developing countries by 2020.
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n japan 0.3847 n UK 70.8019 n HK 5.9517 n CHINA 7.2596 n singapore 32.8456 n australia 33.2744 n EU 52.0106 n SAUDI arabia 12.3000 Source: BSP (9
October 2015)
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Sunday, October 11, 2015
Development banks boost funding vs climate change Continued from A1
The pledges were made as finance ministers met in Lima less than two months ahead of a climate conference in Paris considered pivotal if the brakes are to be put on global warming. “This is a positive outcome and I think we can say with some certainty that we will reach the $100-billion commitment” made at 2009 climate talks in Copenhagen, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters. “It is the beginning of what you need, because if the international community doesn’t roll up it sleeves and get to work this thing is just too big for us,” said Rachel Kyte, the World Bankvicepresidentforclimatechange. For the World Bank alone, that will mean boosting climate financing by a third, potentially making $29 billion a year in additional funding available by 2020. Pledging to essentially double their lending were the smaller Asian, European, African and European multilateral development banks, French finance officials said. The African Development Bank said it would triple its climate financing to nearly $5 billion a year by 2020. Countries including Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United States, Sweden and Britain have recently announced increase climate finance. A report issued this week by the 29-country Organiza-
tion for Economic Co-operation and Development estimated $62 billion was spent last year, up from $52 billion the previous year. Multilateral development banks account for about 40 percent of the total. The charity Oxfam estimates that only about 16 percent of the total— or $2 billion—is directly invested in helping poor countries hit hardest by global warming cope with extreme weather it is already causing. “The poorest countries are still being short-changed,” Oxfam climate-policy expert Isabel Kreisler said. Most of the money is going to green-energy investments for reducing the burning of fossil fuels that cause global warming. The finance ministers of 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change’s impact held their inaugural meeting in Lima and called on developed countries to boost by 50 percent the financing for adaptation, which includes everything from building sea walls to more heatresistant highways to relocating low-lying communities where sea levels are rising. The countries include the Philippines, Bangladesh, Costa Rica and island nations and are home to nearly 700 million people. The Vulnerable Twenty (V-20) ministers also proposed an international financial-transaction tax to raise more money for fighting climate change and said they would create a climate risk-pooling mechanism
to “improve recovery from climateinduced extreme weather events and disasters” through insurance. “Climate finance is going to be a deal-maker or deal-breaker in Paris, so unless there is a credible road map on the table on how these imbal ances are going to be addressed, we do see developing countries putting a Paris agreement potentially at risk,” Kreisler said. “The $100 billion is a very important political commitment that developed countries made in Copenhagen but it’s really the tip of the iceberg,” said Jennifer Morgan of the World Resources Institute. “The real question is about the shifting of the trillions.” T he I nter n at ion a l Energ y Agency has estimated an additional $1.1 trillion will be needed annually through mid-century to keep the global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius, the goal of international climate negotiations of which Paris will be the 21st round. “The $100 billion is a political number,” Christiana Figueres, the executive secretary of the UN-run talks. “It was pulled out of a hat. But it must be respected.” During the annual gathering of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) at which the finance ministers met, the heads of both lenders called for an end to subsidies on fossil fuels, which the IMF says amount to more than $5 trillion a year. AP
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Fortune Life Insurance Co. opens in Puerto Princesa City
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eading life-insurance provider Fortune Life Insurance Co. celebrated on Friday the blessing and inauguration of its building at Lot 9, Fernandez Street, Barangay Tanglaw, Puerto Princesa City. Puerto Princesa City Vice Mayor Luis D. Marcaida III and Brookes Point Mayor Mary Jean D. Feliciano led the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the inauguration of the Fortune Life Building, which is currently the most beautiful structure and a new landmark in the city. The three-story building houses Fortune Life’s Palawan branch office, as well as the branch offices of
Fitch…
Fortune General Insurance Corp., Fortune Medicare Inc. (FortuneCare), Health Protect Medical Clinic and Eternal Plans Inc., its sister companies under the ALC Group, which was founded by Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua. Shown in the photo are (from left) D. Adrian C. Cabangon, president of Brown Madonna Press Inc.; Dominique Lorenzo S. Chua of Citystate Asturias Hotel Palawan; Evelyn T. Carada, executive vice president and general manager of Fortune Life; Marcaida; Feliciano; D. Arnold A. Cabangon, president of Fortune Life; and Councilor Eleutherius L. Edualino.
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remittances in the coming months, uncertainty still looms over the effect of the continuously falling oil prices across the globe. “The Middle East has been the main contributor to growth of overseas worker remittances since 2013, helping to offset slowing
growth of remittances from the US. There is limited evidence from data so far, falling oil prices affecting remittances from the Middle East,” Fitch said. “However, this could change if low oil prices were to persist, slowing investments that weaken demand
Digitization… appreciate its benefits. As CEOs and CIOs [chief information officers] embrace digitization through software-as-a-service, employees stand to experience the ease and benefits of automation and real-time collaboration, instigating a significant boost in workplace productivity and operational efficiency,” he said. His group encourages companies to take advantage of the opportunities presented by cloud technology and data analytics in order to reap the harvest of a growing digital economy. “We believe that no business should be left behind. Leaders must be able to make calculated and well-informed business decisions on the fly. Cloud technology and data analytics go hand in hand to ensure that they are equipped in this area. And we at IPC are ready to make that shift as effortless as possible,” Huer-
for foreign construction workers,” the ratings agency added. Remittance data as of August this year will be released by the BSP on Thursday. The government’s target for the year is for remittances to grow at an average of 5 percent for the entire 2015.
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gas said. He added: “With the trends we’re seeing now, we can only believe that cloud computing is the future for every enterprise, and will soon be considered the industry standard moving forward.” The Philippine Cloud Summit was spearheaded by IPC, a unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. The annual industry event highlighted “The Enterprise Cloud Journey” that businesses must take to bolster success in light of the upcoming Asean Economic Community. Aside from Luzuriaga and Huergas, CloudSigma CEO Robert Jenkins and Adatos Managing Director Drew Perez also shared their insights to the business community during the forum. Jenkins discussed the business benefits of cost-efficient and on-demand technology and
touched on understanding supply and demand from an informationtechnology capacity standpoint, and how infrastructure-as-aservice can significantly improve a company’s financial health. He also addressed the issue of security in the use of cloud computing. “There is no one golden setting that is going to protect a company from security threats. Security is tackled on a requirement-basis and a layered approach, including physical data centers and encryption, among others,” he said. Perez, on the other hand, discussed how data science can help open-growth opportunities. He further shared how real-time information “can be used to make sound business decisions faster, and how to unlock the business potential of stagnant data archives.”
Color blind Officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), led by its Vice Chairman and General Manager lawyer Jose Ferdinand Rojas II (standing, third from right), with Directors lawyers Mabel Mamba and Francisco Joaquin III, join Agusan del Sur Vice Gov. Santi Cane Jr., (standing, fourth from right) and local government executives of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte in flashing their political signs during the turnover of 11 brand-new ambulances from the PCSO Ambulance Donation Program to the three provinces held at the Almont Inland Resort in Butuan City on Wednesday. JOSEPH MUEGO
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Gordon chairs discussion on IFRC fundamental principles in Vienna
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HILIPPINE Red Cross (PRC) Chairman Richard J. Gordon flew to Austria last week to chair discussions on the 50th anniversary of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Fundamental Principles. During the weeklong talks in Vienna, Gordon pushed partnerships for a PRC program to aid overseas Filipinos in need through the 189-strong network of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide. Gordon also thanked the member-societies of the IFRC continuing to support the PRC in its health, welfare and disaster-relief programs for the country. Gordon chaired discussions on “Independence for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,” one of the seven fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. He also chaired discussions on how Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world can work effectively with governments while still maintaining independence and impartiality in assessing and deploying aid resources to the people. Founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1863, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement has some 100 million volunteers worldwide who protect the life and dignity of all human beings. The PRC has consistently been cited for its health and relief efforts, both here and abroad, as one of the most active member-societies in the system.
Because of its independent and respected status in all countries, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies will act as an additional safety net for Filipinos overseas, under a program to be launched shortly by the PRC, Gordon said. “We met with our counterparts and threshed out final details on the launch of our program for overseas Filipinos in need. We also conveyed our gratitude for their untiring support for the PRC and pledged to continue being there for them in their time of need.” Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
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Govt sets P1.08-B budget to stop spread of HIV-AIDS
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ORE than P1 billion has been budgeted by the government to stop the spread of HIV-AIDS and treat those who are already afflicted by the disease next year.
This is “the price that the Philippines has to pay for reportedly having one of fastest-growing HIV epidemics in the world,” a Senate leader said on Saturday. Senate President Pro Tempore
Ralph G. Recto said the budget for combating HIV-AIDS is pegged at P1.08 billion for 2016, almost double the amount allocated this year. It will fund treatment and testing of 35,000 confirmed and sus-
pected cases, Recto said, citing a Senate briefer on next year’s public health spending. Half, or P500 million, of the HIVAIDS fund will be used to buy antiretroviral drugs. The rest will go to test kits and reagents (P250 million), surveillance (P50 million) and local prevention programs (P200 million). “I have been told that this budget might not be enough, if taken against the growing patient base,” Recto said. Recto added that this “budgetary item may have to be increased because other diseases, like dengue, are also included in the fund
to combat infectious diseases.” Despite global decline in new HIV infections, the Philippines is one of few countries posting monthly increases of new reported cases, Recto said. There were 772 new cases in June, the highest on record, bringing to 26,456 the number of cases recorded in the national HIV registry since the tally was made in 1984. “Many health experts who have appeared before congressional hearings are one in saying that this could just be the tip of the iceberg,” Recto said. Recto Mercene
Albayanos mark Salceda’s birthday By Johnny C. Nunez Philippines News Agency
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new store
Accent Micro Product Inc. recently opened a branch at the Cyberzone, fourth level, SM Megamall B, Mandaluyong City. Present during the ribbon-cutting ceremony are (from left) Eva Ablaza, area manager; Sharlene Go-Yu, assistant managing director; Martin Gaw, president; and Stephen Yu, managing director.
EGAZPI CITY—Various groups here have lined up a monthlong series of activities designed to highlight the development gains and successful programs that helped transform once prostrate Albay into a bustling, multiawarded province. The activities were initiated, put together and sponsored by various civic groups; local governments and agencies; academic, professional and youth organizations as their “tribute and gift” to Albay Gov. Joey S. Salceda who marks his 54th birthday on October 26. A spokesman for the group said their initiatives constitute their manner of conveying their appreciation and gratitude to Salceda for his successful and “game-changing lead-
ership, and remind Albayanos of their contribution to these achievements and heighten the need to recommit themselves to their goals and sustain their common efforts.” Salceda has repeatedly stressed and reminded everyone that the “issue is not about being the best, but about what they can do together.” He is now in his third and last term as governor and will run unopposed for congressman of the province’s Second District in the 2016 elections. Rodel Alzaga, head of the barangay facilities department at the Provincial Capitol, said the Albayanos’ celebration of Salceda’s birthday consists of a monthlong calendar of activities focused on environment protection, and climate change and disaster risk reduction which are galvanizing and winning programs of the province.
A4 Sunday, October 11, 2015
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House approves 2016 national government budget
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By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
HE House of Representatives has approved the P3.002-trillion 2016 national government budget with a vote of 230 to 20.
Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon of Kabataan said lower chamber passed the “lump-sum loaded” House Bill (HB) 6132, or the General Appropriations Act for 2016. “The P3.002-trillion national budget that the House passed on Friday is a budget loaded with lump sums and billions of funds designed to serve as the ruling part y’s campaign war chest,” Ridon said. He said that the P3.002-trillion
RIDON: “The P3.002-trillion national budget that the House passed on Friday is a budget loaded with lump sums and billions of funds designed to serve as the ruling party’s campaign war chest.”
national budget for 2016 is almost double the P1.54-trillion national budget in 2010, saying the budget will be financed by P2.7 billion in projected government revenues, leaving an estimated P308.7-billion deficit. “Compared year-on-year, programmed appropriations increased by 19 percent, from P1.7 trillion in the 2015 budget to P2.07 trillion, while unprogrammed appropriations decreased by 47.2 percent to P67.5 billion. Automatic appropriations increased by 7.4 percent, from the current P866.2 billion to P930.7 billion, while SPFs increased by 75.2 percent, from P245.7 billion to P430.4 billion, Ridon said. He said that almost 37 percent, or P1.1 trillion, of the national budget is appropriated for social services;
while 17.25 percent, or P517.9 billion, is for general public services; 27.6 percent, or P829.6 billion, is for economic services; 13.9 percent, or P419.3 billion, is for debt servicing; and 4.3 percent, or P129.1 billion, is for defense. Ridon also said that the 2016 budget is called the “legacy budget” that was clearly “designed for corruption.” In 2016 debt service is still top priority, with the total national government debt service expenditure amounting to P740.5 billion (P392.79 billion for interest payments, P347.7 billion for principal amortization). In contrast, the education budget is only P504.6 billion, he said. For his part, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who presided over the session prior to the Friday vot-
ing, declared, “With this nominal voting and subject to such amendments as may be approved by the small committee earlier created, HB 6132 is approved on third and final reading.” HB 6132 topped the vital bills approved by the House, that the Speaker said proved the lawmakers’ firm commitment to pursue reform measures for sustained and inclusive growth of the economy. Belmonte said the 2016 national budget is the country’s best weapon to combat the possibly harsh El Niño occurrence and persistent global economic slowdown threatening the country. For fiscal year 2016, the prop os e d bud ge t a mou nt i n g to P3.002 trillion nearly doubles the 2010 national budget. It is also 15.2 percent more than the
2015 appropriations and represents the highest budget increase in the last six years. Moreover, it is 19.5 percent of the GDP, which is much bigger than the share in 2010 of 16.4 percent, the Speaker said. The top 10 departments that have bigger allocation next year are the departments of Education, 435.9 billion; Public Works and Highways, P394.5 billion; National Defense, P172.7 billion; the Interior and Local Government, P154.5 billion; Health, P128.4 billion; Social Welfare and Development, P104.2 billion; Agriculture, P93.4 billion; Finance, P55.3 billion; Transportation and Communications, P49.3 billion; Environment and Natural Resources, P25.8 billion; and Science and Technology, P18.6 billion.
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Sunday, October 11, 2015 A5
Negative trend persists for PHL online hiring
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By Roderick L. Abad
ECRUITMENT via online continues to be on the downside in the Philippines, registering -31 percent year-over-year (YOY) growth between August 2014 and August 2015, according to the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI) by Monster.com.
While this remains in a negative trend, it is an increase from the -36-percent decline YOY reported for the month of July. The MEI is a gauge of online job-posting activity in accordance to real-time review of millions of
employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career web sites and online job listings across the nation. “This is based on an aggregate measure of the change in the online job listings across industries in the
Philippines,” Monster.com Managing Director for India, Middle East, Southeast Asia and Hong Kong Sanjay Modi told the BusinessMirror in an e-mail interview. Although there has been a negative growth in both periods in review, he said that online postings still remain the largest repository of available job opportunities and are an indirect reflection of employment or hiring trends. Among the 10 industries monitored, the information technology (IT), telecom and Internet service provider sector recorded the most significant growth at 10 percent YOY. This is a leap from last month’s 7-percent growth over the periods in review, and is also the sector’s third positive growth reported since June 2015.
Coming in just next to it was finance services and insurance at 2 percent after registering consecutive yearly declines since March 2015. Meanwhile, the business-process outsourcing and IT-enabled services industry remained flat at 0 percent. The production/manufacturing, automotive and ancillary sector continued registering the worst at -62 percent YOY. It, likewise, registered its lowest activity since January 2015. “The Philippine Statistics Authority saw continual contractions in Philippines’s manufacturing sectors due to weakening global demands. This has likely played a role in the decline in hiring across the production/manufacturing, automotive and ancillary sector, as seen in the Index,” Modi noted.
Puregold slates 2nd KAINdustriya Convention
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etail giant Puregold is set to hold its second KAINdustriya Convention this month to help the country’s neighborhood chefs move their business forward, and cook up their own recipe for success. Slated on October 20 and 21 at the World Trade Center, the Puregold KAINdustriya Food Biz Convention 2015 is expected to draw at least 10,000 “KAINtrepreneurs” from small- to mediumsized food enterprises across the country for two packed days of entertaining and informative activities. “We were very much inspired by the attendance that our inaugural KAINdustriya event attracted last year, and so we really made sure that we will be offering something new and something better this year,” Puregold President Vincent Co said. “This is one of those events where we
hope to give back to those who drive our business,” he said. The KAINdustriya Convention targets a rising market segment—from neighborhood karinderya, canteens and food stalls to caterers, restaurants and hotels—who are members of Puregold’s flagship loyalty program, the Tindahan ni Aling Puring. Co said the event has been tailormade for the KAINtrepreneurs, giving them the opportunity to mingle with their peers, share best practices and learn about innovations in food preparation and the business side of the industry. “At KAINdustriya, our neighborhood chefs will learn about modern trends in the food business, including new products available at Puregold that will boost their enterprise. Altogether, we hope to help them take their business to a new level,” Co said.
A6 Sunday, October 11, 2015 • Editor: Angel R. Calso
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editorial
No need to rush into TPPA
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NDER normal circumstances, we do not hesitate to push for free-trade relations with other countries for the simple reason that free trade yields superior results to participants than restricted trade. The freer the exchange of commodities and services between countries, the faster the growth of the productive sectors of the countries involved, the more employment opportunities created for their labor forces, and the faster the improvement of the standards of living of their populations. The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), signed by 12 countries on October 5 after some five years of negotiations, is a treaty that would lower trade barriers, establish a common framework for intellectual property, enforce standards for labor law and environmental law, and establish an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism. The 12 signatory countries are Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the United States and Vietnam. The Philippines is one of several countries that have signified their intention to join, the others being Taiwan, Thailand, Lao PDR and Indonesia. Further down the line, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India would want to join in the future Why are we hesitating to push for membership in the TPPA? Because of the implications of certain provisions of the TPPA on the sovereignty of our country and its freedom to pursue policies it deems in the country’s interest. For a beginning, the ISDS mechanism of the TPPA gives a foreign investor the right to sue the government of the country, where it is operating when it deems its rights, have been violated. Our Constitution stipulates that our government cannot be sued without its consent. Other issues involve intellectual property rights that give, for instance, power to pharmaceutical producers to sue the government for patent infringement, for failure to prolong copyright protection, etc. These can result in the curtailment of circulation and the unreasonable increase in the price of medicines vital to the health of the people. The TPPA is strong in corporate protection and weak in social security. But it is not anywhere in its final form. Many provisions of the agreement are still being debated in several of the concurring governments. For us in the Philippines, we will need to carefully weigh the benefits-costs of participation in the TPPA. For all practical purposes, we already have freetrade relations with the US and with respect to Japan, we are, in fact, seeking to amend our free-trade agreement in order to increase access for our export products. We are also getting ready for active participation in the emerging integration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In other words, we do not need to plunge headlong into TPPA. At this point, we will benefit from the opinions of our distinguished citizens, including legal scholars, justices, academics (not the starstruck free marketers whose opinions we already know) on how to navigate around hazardous shoals of international treaties. We want to be sure that we do not sell ourselves short as we try to find the best deal for our country.
‘Sanitation, water and hygiene for all’ cannot wait for 2030 By Geeta Rao Gupta Inter Press Service
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NITED NATIONS—The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed upon recently by the member-states of the United Nations (UN), are all interconnected, as has been reiterated time and again. However, it is in the new Goal 6—“Ensure access to water and sanitation for all”—for which this interconnectedness is most apparent. Water flows throughout the 2030 Development Agenda. And sanitation and hygiene underpin any possible gains from access to water. If we do not reach Goal 6, the other goals and targets will not be reached. Progress in the areas of education, health, inequality and extreme poverty all depends on how well we do on water and sanitation. The UN, some years ago, declared that access to water and sanitation is a basic human right. However, today, 663 million people are without access to adequate drinking water and 2.4 billion lack adequate toilets. We, at United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), are particularly concerned about the children, who are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to these basic needs. It affects their health. Waterand sanitation-related diseases are one of the leading causes of death in children under 5. Without access to sanitation, hundreds of them fall ill and die every single day from preventable causes, particularly diarrhea and other fecal-oral diseases.
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It affects their education. In many communities, girls stay out of school because they need to fetch water; because they do not have a safe space to use when they menstruate; because they must help their mothers care for those who are sick—often from water-borne diseases. It affects their nutritional status and their development. There is emerging evidence of direct linkages between lack of access to water and sanitation, and chronic malnutrition. Around 159 million children worldwide are stunted (short height for age), a condition which causes irreversible physical and cognitive damage. The repercussions of stunting can be felt beyond the individual child. It can significantly diminish the learning and future earning potential of entire generations, and thus, negatively affect the local and national economy. It affects equality and equity. One important aim in the new SDGs is the goal to reduce inequalities. New evidence from the World Bank shows that investing in water and sanitation for the poorest 20 percent of a population yields greater economic returns than investing in the other quintiles, and, thus, has the potential to reduce societal inequalities. Our data from 45 developing countries show that in seven out of 10 households, the burden of collecting water falls to women and girls, so access would also aid gender equity. A side event in the margins of the UN General Assembly, hosted by the governments of the Netherlands, South Africa, Hungary and
ND as Jesus was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to Him, “Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.” And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God!” And the disciples
Bangladesh, concluded that targeting the poorest and the most marginalized will require an immense mind-shift for governments. But it must be done. It cannot be done without strengthening institutions and improving the accountability of governments and service providers. And it will not be done without involving those who have the most at stake— the poor, women and adolescents —in planning and in monitoring of services. Their influence has already been brought to bear in the drafting of Goal 6, the fastest agreedupon goal. It is no coincidence that impressive results are achieved by working closely with those directly affected. Partnership with them is not a “niceto-have” but a must-have. In short, access to water and sanitation is not only a matter of dignity and human rights, but fundamental to our ability to attain any of the goals the governments of the world have just adopted. We must start right away on working on Goal 6, and it can’t be business as usual: we need to start with the most disadvantaged, or we risk losing the gains we have so painstakingly made in the last 15 years, and we endanger the future. There is no time to waste. Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, deputy executive director (programmes), joined Unicef in June 2011, and brings over 20 years of experience in international development programming, advocacy and research to the UN children’s agency.
were amazed at His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to Him, “Lord, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.— Mark 10:17-30
Opinion BusinessMirror
opinion@businessmirror.com.ph
Sunday, October 11, 2015 A7
Promise A
Free Fire
By Teddy Locsin Jr.
FTER the publishers and politicians were released from detention, leaving Ninoy and Pepe Diokno behind, the opposition met to plan opposition to martial law. By an odd coincidence, the oppositionists spoke exactly the way they stood—in a circle. Joker Arroyo said, as he pulled me away, “They are deaf, you know. You will not waste your time going around in circles. You are going to law school.” Joker Arroyo and Johnny Quijano were the lawyers of the Free Press, the most powerful newspaper in the country. My father being a busy man more or less made it understood that Joker would keep an eye on me. So whatever I did in life had his approval in choices of careers; his disapproval in personal matters, where he picked up the pieces; and his direct intervention when it looked like he’d have to make up the job that suited me at the
moment. And so it went. He told me many wise things. “When you are introduced to a much older woman, look at her breasts with a measure of longing. They miss that kind of attention.” “Always be very early for a wedding, so you can see the principal parties arrive and look at your watch to make them feel guilty. Shake everyone’s hand until the marching music starts; then sneak out. They will think you stayed until the end.” “Never be an asshole except with the rich, and never be discourteous to the poor. The first won’t notice and the second cannot forget.” “Never accept the chairmanship of the committee on ethics. A man who turns on his colleague, however valid the reason, is contemptible.” Joker hated snitches. “Never be holier than thou because, holy as thou art, that is only
because you have not been tempted.” “If someone asks you to do something improper, smile and say yes and that’s all. If they persist, make yourself scarce. But never ever say never. Rejection remembers.” In one case, he gave in, but picked a Palace party to come in with his eyeglasses slipping down his nose (he worked late into the night, but insisted everyone else go home by nightfall so that they couldn’t conspire after working hours). He was waving a piece of paper and shouting,“Ting [not his name], that dishonest contract you’re pestering me for? Here it is.” Ting sheepishly took the paper and slipped out. There’s a story going around that Joker passed away. Well, seeing is believing and I haven’t seen it. I had drinks with him last month before I left for a 240-kilometer pilgrimage to the shrine of James the Slayer of
Muslims, the patron saint of the Spanish Army. We talked about the people we’d known. Neither us could depend on the other’s memory about who was dead or alive because we did the same things at funerals as at weddings: in and out in a flash regardless. Some people believe the story. And I have read the fine things said about him. But it seems to me there is as much sorrow as relief that he won’t turn up again to kick their ass for speaking out of turn. Because Joker objected less to bad things and a lot more to how they were justified as good for their victims, like International Monetary Fund and American policies. He believed that there is a time to stick it out, like with Cory in the coups, and a time to let it go. But when you let go, take along your enemies. When no one is left, no one laughs last. He’d done a lot. He must’ve wished
he’d done more but he never talked about such things. He never thought public office was a sacrifice but the greatest honor for which no price was too much to pay. But if you ever said out loud that it was a sacrifice, he’d take you down. We put out an administrative order forbidding the hire of businessmen who offered to serve the country for a peso. Anyone willing to make that kind of sacrifice has worked out how he will steal a hell of a lot more. Indeed, get as much done with no regrets at not having done more, then to sneak out as at a wedding so everyone thinks you stayed till the end. And whether he is here or no more, he will always be around. But only the assholes will feel his presence when they get a kick in the ass, if not from Joker, then from someone else doing it in his honor. For them, Joker will always be around. Promise.
International tax cooperation crucial for development By Jomo Kwame Sundaram InterPress Service
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OME—It has become clear that the South, including the least developed countries, has little reason to expect any real progress to the almost half-centuryold commitment to transfer 0.7 percent of developed countries’ income to developing countries. But to add insult to injury, developing countries have, once again, been denied full participation in intergovernmental discussions to enhance overall, as well as national tax capacities. The ability to pursue development policies depends crucially on available fiscal space, which relies mostly on domestic revenues, especially taxes. However, tax revenues in most low- and lower middle-income developing countries are low. The average tax-GDP ratios in low-income and lower-middle income countries are around 15 percent and 19 percent, respectively, compared to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of around 34 percent. Although nontax revenues may add significantly to total revenues in some countries, these ratios are typically low even in countries with considerable nonpetroleum mineral resource extraction activity. Therefore, low- and lower-middle-income
countries should take steps to increase their revenues after considering various options for doing so. This is necessary because the main approach in recent decades has been to increase tax rates only if unavoidable. It was presumed that lower rates would ensure better compliance with tax laws, and, thus, raise revenue. The prevailing tax wisdom also favored broadening the tax base, even when taxation capacities are modest. Thus, indirect taxation has tended to increase while direct taxation of corporations and individuals has tended to decline. The latter was supposed to be good for investment and growth although the empirical support for this presumption is dubious. In the vast majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, the tax to GDP ratio has actually stagnated or declined, as international trade taxes accounted for the largest share of tax revenue. As tariffs and export duties declined with trade liberalization, the share of trade taxes has fallen. Unfortunately, other taxes have not grown to compensate for the lower trade taxes. There is an urgent need to reverse this trend, with greater commitment to revenue generation in order to improve social protection, create employment and, otherwise, contribute to sustained
economic recovery. For many developing countries, total tax revenues were mainly from three sources: domestic taxes on goods and services (general sales tax, excises), foreign trade taxes (mostly import duties) and direct taxes (mostly from corporations, rather than individuals). Wealth and property taxes, as well as social security contributions continue to make modest contributions. For rich countries, however, income taxes (mostly from individuals) make the largest contribution (around 34 percent), with consumption taxes at the around the same level, with social insurance contributions accounting for 26 percent of total tax revenue and trade taxes quite insignificant. With their different economic circumstances, it does not make sense for developing countries to simply emulate developed economies in trying to generate revenue. Even among developing countries, no one size fits all. And certainly not for all time, as tax systems must evolve with changing economic circumstances. A key question is: which taxes are most likely to meet the requirements of effective collection, buoyancy and stability? Revenue losses due to globalization need to be addressed. There are three main reasons for
revenue losses: First, capital movements increase opportunities for tax evasion because of the limited capacity that any tax authority has to check the overseas incomes of its residents; evasion is easier, as some governments and financial institutions systematically facilitate the concealment of relevant tax information from home tax authorities. Where dividends, interest, royalties and management fees are not taxed in the country in which they are paid, they more easily escape notice in the countries where the beneficiaries live. There have been large nonresident aliens’ bank deposits in some countries like the US that impose no taxes on interest from such deposits. Second, avoidance (not evasion) may increase, given international differences in tax rules and rates, because of the choice of tax regime that international tax treatment of enterprise income commonly offers. This is more likely for taxation of profits from corporations’ international operations. Transfer pricing for goods, services and resources —moving among branches or subsidiaries of a company—provides opportunities for shifting income to minimize tax liability. Third, international competition for inward foreign direct investment
may lead governments to reduce tax rates and increase concessions for foreign investors. Income-tax rates have fallen sharply since the 1980s. The tax rates that governments can impose are, thus, constrained by international competition. They are reluctant to raise rates or to tax dividend and interest income for fear of capital flight. Yet, it has long been known that direct-tax concessions have little or no effect in diverting international investment, let alone in attracting such flows. Hence, such tax concessions constitute an unnecessary loss of revenue. Beggar-thy-neighbor policies have led to revenue losses for many developing countries in a race-tothe-bottom also involving labor and environmental standards, which, in turn, erodes the prospects for balanced, inclusive and sustainable development. Finance ministries and tax authorities in developing countries need to cooperate among themselves and with their developed economies counterparts in the OECD to learn from one another and to close existing loopholes in their mutual interest. With the huge and growing size of public debts and the real and imagined fiscal constraints to sustained global economic recovery, inclusive international tax cooperation is more urgent than ever.
Terrorists’ love of Toyotas is no mystery By Edward Niedermeyer Bloomberg View
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VERY time an insurgency threatens US interests in the Middle East, a familiar question always seems to follow: Where do they get their Toyota pickup trucks? Since the mid-1970s, from Saharan Africa to Central Asia, “technicals”—light pickup trucks with heavy weaponry mounted in the bed —have been a game-changer for irregular forces. And just as insurgents display a consistent preference for Russian AK-type assault rifles, their brand of choice for technicals is the similarly-rugged Toyota Hilux pickup. With Islamic State (IS) becoming the latest group to display an affinity for the Hilux, US officials want to know: Why do terrorists love Toyotas, and how are they getting them? The former question is considerably easier to answer than the
latter: Hiluxes are among the most rugged and reliable vehicles on the global market. Tougher and more off-road oriented than the related Tacoma sold in the US, the Hilux is as popular with humanitarian groups and businesses operating in rugged corners of the world as with terrorist groups. Though other carmakers sell competing models—Nissan Navara, Suzuki Equator, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado—none has the same name-brand recognition for bulletproof reliability. An infamous episode of BBC’s Top Gear, the world’s most-watched car program, once demonstrated the truck’s legendary toughness by unsuccessfully attempting to destroy it in spectacular fashion, flooding it in an ocean tide and placing it atop a condemned building that was blown up. The use of Toyota pickup technicals was pioneered by the Sahrawi People’s Liberation Army in its
conflict with Morocco and Mauritania in the 1970s. In the 1980s, a similar conflict between Libya and Chad such heavy use of the trucks that it became known as the “Toyota War.” From the civil wars in Somalia to the Taliban’s Hiluxbased blitzkrieg in Afghanistan, the 1990s cemented the Toyota pickup’s role as an icon of a new generation of insurgents. Such are the Hilux’s charms that even American and allied special forces have used them in conflicts, which has led to more than a few strange passes. After the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, Taliban fighters were found with maple leaf tattoos: a tribute, it turned out, to a stolen shipment of Hilux pickups from the Canadian government. A more recent set of 43 Hiluxes, sent as nonlethal aid to Syrian rebels, now seems to have fallen into the hands of IS. It’s not just Toyotas: A Ford F-250 that was traded in by a Texas plumber ended
up in Syria, shown transporting Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members in a propaganda video with his plumbing business phone number still advertised on the truck’s side. Toyota’s response to the latest round of inquiry, from Iraqi officials, as well as American, is the same as always: Insist it has a policy not to sell vehicles to potential paramilitary buyers, and explain its supply-chain safeguards to curious officials. “We briefed Treasury on Toyota’s supply chains in the Middle East and the procedures that Toyota has in place to protect supply-chain integrity,” Toyota’s Ed Lewis told ABC News. In the past, however, Toyota had been less guarded about the issue, with one spokesman telling the New York Times in 2001: “It is not our proudest product placement, but it shows that the Taliban are looking for the same qualities as any truck buyer: durability and reliability.” Decades of questions about
Toyota’s role in these sales have failed to turn up any evidence of the firm’s involvement. IS’s trucks appear to have been stolen from American-backed Syrian rebels and the Iraqi army itself, as well as off the streets in the US and elsewhere. In Australia, where the Hilux is a best-selling pickup, thefts of the vehicles have been rising, raising suspicions that they are being shipped to Syria and Iran through organized crime channels. With no evidence that Toyota is actively trying to sell trucks to terror groups, any US or Iraqi investigation will probably be a waste of time. And as long as pickups aren’t controlled as military goods, keeping Hiluxes out of the hands of America’s enemies will be all, but impossible. If the fighters who most need rugged reliability from their pickups choose Hiluxes, well, that’s more of a matter of concern for Toyota’s competitors than the government.
Life
BusinessMirror
Editor: Gerard S.October Ramos •11, lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com 2015 a8 Sunday,
October 11, 2015 A7 Editor: Gerard S. Ramos | Sunday, lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com
Dimples returns to ‘Shine’ once more gab fab jet valle
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imples Romana is such a chatterbox. She can talk a million miles a minute. If an average person utters about 124 million words in a lifetime, Dimples must have already spoken 200 million and she’s not done yet. Because of her gift of gab, it’s no surprise that Dimples was tapped to again host the Promil Pre-School I-Shine show. For its fourth season, Promil PreSchool and ABS-CBN are bringing the talent search closer to more parents and their children by launching the first online talent camp (www.ishine.abs-cbn.com) to encourage and help mothers to nurture and develop their children’s gifts through comprehensive workshops. This year the talent camp expands as workshops will now include lessons in both performing arts (singing, dancing, acting, music), and visual arts (painting, drawing, crafting). “What’s great about this season is that we can reach out to more people now. We’ve been getting feedback that some are having a hard time to go to our on-ground auditions, so what better way for the kids to audition for the show than via online—in the comfort of their homes,” Dimples says. To join the online talent camp, moms need to register and choose where to enroll their
NORA AUNOR and Eddie Garcia share a moment during a recent meet-and-greet with the entertainment media at GMA.
Showbiz titans Nora Aunor, Eddie Garcia join GMA’s upcoming prime-time series ‘Little Mommy’
kids, whether performing arts or visual arts, in the web site (www.ishine.abs-cbn.com). “Once enrolled in the online course, moms and kids will have the chance to watch and learn from video lessons each week taught by celebrity mentors. Nandiyan si Karylle Tatlonghari-Yuzon, John Prats and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo for the performing arts. And then we also have Xian Lim, who is returning to the show as a mentor naman this time for visual arts. Alam niyo ba na he paints—and he’s very good at it. Kasama rin niya si Agot Isidro and Christina Dy for visual arts,” Dimples adds. The Promil Pre-School I-Shine Talent Camp will have weekly video challenges for students in line with the workshop, which will serve as their audition videos. The students who will emerge as the Promil Pre-School I-Shine online talent camp champions (one winner per category), as chosen by the mentors, win a cash prize, a roster of TV guest appearances, and a contract with ABS-CBN’s Chicken Pork
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DIMPLES ROMANA
Adobo, among others. The Promil Pre-School I-Shine Talent Camp aims to help exceptionally talented preschoolers develop their full potential. It is the product of Promil Pre-School’s advocacy in developing talented Filipino children with the help of their parents, proper care and proper nutrition.
Dimples is understandably excited for this season. “I can’t wait to meet the kidcontestants and be a witness to their journey to something great in their lives. Iba talaga ang feeling na kasama ka dun from the start—na napanood mo kung paano na-nurture ’yung gifts nila, ’yung talents nila. Walang makakapantay nun.”
Five reasons ‘MacGyver’ will be the reboot that saves television (and one reason it won’t) By Libby Hill Los Angeles Times
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Richard Dean Anderson in an episode of MacGyver
ccording to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS is rebooting MacGyver. Though typically we’d be skeptical of yet another take on an existing Hollywood property, it’s entirely possible that MacGyver will be just the thing to break out of the rehash slump. Here’s why: 1. James Wan, the brilliant Hollywood horror director who successfully helmed the most recent entry in the Fast and the Furious series, is attached to executive produce the project and direct the potential pilot, should the series development progress that far. Wan’s distinct visual style would inevitably be a stark departure from the CBS house style, an absolutely necessity for the network to lure a young audience. 2. For all the reboots on previously successful television products that Hollywood has attempted over the last decade or so, CBS has one of the few unmitigated successes in Hawaii Five-0. The show’s sixth-season
premiere last month drew more than 8 million viewers and also boasts one of the most effortlessly diverse casts on television, particularly significant on a network that sometimes faces criticism for being too white. If a reboot on a previous TV property is going to be successful, CBS is as good a place as any for it to be. 3. All you need is to find an undiscovered talent with the charisma of a young Richard Dean Anderson. We humbly submit Josh Holloway, since apparently, no one is going to cast him in a Rockford Files reboot any time soon. 4. If anyone is going to be capable of forcing America back into the 1980s model of television consumption, it’s going to be MacGyver. He’ll have all those pesky digital video recorders and streaming options dismantled in no time. 5. Science is super cool right now. With The Martian earning $55 million at the box office, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson with a whopping 4.3 million Twitter followers and original recipe CSI going off the
Gilas championship bid tops TV viewership T
HE gallant stand of Gilas Pilipinas against a taller Chinese team in the recently concluded 2015 International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Asia Championship finals in the Chinese’s own home court in Changsa, Hunan, drew the most number of viewers nationwide according to the National Urban Television Audience Measurement of AGB Nielsen Philippines. The championship game, which aired over TV5 on October 3, landed first in the 9 to 10 pm timeslot garnering 32.4-percent audience
share for National Urban Philippines overall; with 33.6-percent share for Mega Manila, 36 percent for Urban Metro Manila and 31.4 percent for Urban Luzon. The game, which was broadcast live via TV5 and carried throughout the country by Cignal, the country’s No. 1 pay-TV service provider, drew Pinoy fans from all walks of life throughout the hardcourt challenge, once again reaffirming our reputation as a “basketball country.” Millions of Pinoy basketball fanatics stayed tune to watch one of the most anticipated games
of this season’s Fiba Asia Championship finals, that between Gilas Pilipinas and China which would decide which team advances to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. According to AGB Nielsen’s average minute rating data, 4,277,944 households had their eyes glued on the Gilas-China game on TV5, making it the most watched show in its time slot and one of the most watched sporting events in recent times. Also bolstering Gilas Pilipinas’s huge followering among Pinoys is Sports5’s blanket
air, CBS has a readymade hit in science-friendly MacGyver. Pitched just the right way, MacGyver could reinvent the action-adventure genre, like CSI, reinvented the procedural. Although all of this may very well be true, it’s much more likely that MacGyver will not be the show that saves television, for one very simple reason. Reboots are not the future of television. Despite Netflix’s Fuller House and Fox’s Minority Report and NBC’s Heroes and ABC’s Uncle Buck and CBSs’ Rush Hour, reboots are the exception to television success, not the rule. For every Parenthood that modestly succeeds decades after successful film and failed television series, or Battlestar Galactica that reboots a schlocky television series with a dark, serious reimagining, there are dozens of failures. For every Hawaii Five-0 there is a Charlie’s Angels, a Bionic Woman, a Knight Rider, a Munsters. MacGyver won’t save television because television can’t be saved with rehashed content, no matter how hard Hollywood tries.
coverage of the team’s bravura performance in the 2015 Fiba Championship through its video streaming and minute-by-minute updates during each game. The livestream of the 2015 Fiba Asia Championship attracted 1.2 million total views on Sports5.ph and the Sports5 YouTube channel from September 23 to October 3. Sports5.ph hosts a wealth of content in the world of sports, from original content to livestreams and video-on-demand, plus exclusives of Gilas, Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Super Liga.
HE Ishmael Bernal masterpiece Himala is the Nora Aunor-starrer that swept nine of 11 awards available in the 1982 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). The film would go on to be cited as one of the top cinematic experiences in the world, and the best film to come out of Asia. Nora is, of course, the most decorated actor in the Philippines, having won a closet-full of plums from award-giving bodies here and abroad. Eddie Garcia, on the other hand, is equally a legend—a Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Hall of Famer, with over 300 films under his belt not only as an actor but as a director as well, one of these being 1978’s Atsay, where Eddie directed Nora and both went on to win the top awards (Best Director and Best Performer, respectively) in that year’s MMFF. Not only did their collaboration took home the lion’s share of the awards, but it also became a massive box-office hit. Now, two of the most formidable forces to reckon with in the Philippines, two legends who have helped shape showbiz around these parts...these two critically lauded artists come together once more for GMA’s upcoming prime-time offering, titled Little Mommy. Nora plays Lola Annie Batongbuhay (obviously a riff on one of her popular cinematic personas, Annie Batungbakal), the cool retro-musician grandma of special-needs young lady Tinay. For her, Tinay’s condition is not a disability, but a gift because Tinay will forever remain innocent. Eddie portrays Don Miguel Valle, Tinay’s long-lost maternal grandfather. For him, one is never too old to learn new things. Through his grandchildren, Tinay and Letlet, he will learn how to be a kid again. Little Mommy is a story about the poignant life journey of Lola Annie, Lolo Miguel, Tinay and Letlet. Tinay, to be portrayed by Kris Bernal, is a 25-year-old who has a mind of a child because of an intellectual disability. Her daughter Letlet (Chlaui Malayao) is a 6-year-old playing the role of Little Mommy to her own mother as she valiantly tries to compensate for her mother’s deficiencies. Little Mommy also stars Bembol Roco, Keempee De Leon, Gladys Reyes, Mark Herras, Hiro Peralta, Renz Fernandez, Juancho Trivino and Sunshine Dizon. Under the direction of Ricky Davao, the light and heartwarming story of Little Mommy unfolds this November on GMA’s prime-time block.
Sports BusinessMirror
United States’s Jordan Spieth reacts after sinking a putt on the 18th green to win their foursome match at the Presidents Cup. AP
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unday, October 11, 2015 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao
American rally keeps their slim lead in Presidents Cup
JORDAN’S TIME I NCHEON, South Korea—Jordan Spieth made 7-foot putts on the final two holes to complete the biggest comeback all week and allow the Americans to escape with a split of the foursomes matches on Saturday morning in the Presidents Cup. The Americans had a 7 1/2-6 1/2 lead going into the four matches of fourballs in the afternoon. The lead could easily have belonged to either team during a final hour at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea that featured clutch putts and big blunders. The only match that lacked any drama was Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace, the International juggernaut this week. They stayed undefeated for the week in a 3-and-2 victory over Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed. Spieth and Dustin Johnson were three
down at the turn to Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel and still two holes behind when Schwartzel came up short and into a creek with a wedge from the 14th fairway. It was the first of two big mistakes by Schwartzel. Johnson hit his tee shot to 7 feet on the par-3 17th, and Spieth poured in the putt to square the match. Both teams missed the fairway, and Schwartzel tried to reach the green from a bunker. He missed it so badly that the ball barely left the ground, smacked into the base of the lip and stayed in the bunker. The International team made bogey. Spieth, however, played overly cautious with a wedge that left Johnson a 30-foot putt that was extremely fast at the hole, and he ran it by 7 feet. Spieth had to make that par putt for the win, and one of golf’s best putters left little doubt.
“We could have made it a little easier from 90 yards out. I could have gotten us below the hole,” Spieth said. “But man, what a comeback we had there. That was a great fight. And it was a huge point in The Presidents Cup.” The Americans lost chances to pick up wins in the other two matches. Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes looked a like a sure winner when Watson hit the green on the par-5 18th shot with his second shot, while the International team had to lay up and Leishman’s third shot with a wedge was some 30 feet short. Holmes ran the long eagle putt about 5 feet by the hole, and Scott was furious with himself when his birdie putt—that seemed to be the best chance for a halve— ran about 8 feet by the hole. Leishman made his putt for par, and Watson missed
the 5-foot birdie putt for the win. The Americans had control of the other match, too, going 1 up on the par-3 17th when Bae Sang-moon’s touch chip failed to reach the green, allowing Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar to go 1 up heading to the 18th. Hideki Matsuyama hit his second shot to about 25 feet for a certain birdie. Haas went over the green with his second shot, and Kuchar’s chip wasn’t strong enough and failed to reach the green. The International team won with a birdie for a half point. For the fourballs session, US captain Jay Haas kept Watson and Holmes together for a fourth straight match, while Johnson sat out the session and Spieth was with Reed, his partner from the Ryder Cup. Scott had his fourth partner in four matches, this time going with Anirban Lahiri. AP
PLATINI RETAINS UEFA TITLE, WITH NO INTERIM LEADER IN PLACE
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ONDON—Still defiant, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is standing by its man. Although Michel Platini was handed a 90-day suspension by International Football Federation (Fifa), banning him from all soccer-related activity, the home page of UEFA’s corporate web site on Friday still had a smiling photo and statement from the man they continue to call president. “This is because the UEFA executive committee is aware that the UEFA president will immediately take all necessary
PLATINI
steps to appeal the decision of the Fifa ethics committee to clear his name,” European soccer’s governing body said in a statement posted on its web site shortly after
the 60-year-old Platini was suspended. UEFA does clearly state that Platini will not carry out any official duties during the suspension, but keeping the former France captain as the visible leader in name could end up earning a rebuke, or worse, from Fifa for failing to adhere to the ethics committee’s decision. On the other side of Switzerland at Fifa headquarters in Zurich, Sepp Blatter was stripped of his presidential duties on Thursday after also getting a 90day ban. The governing body soon issued an official communique to announce that the
79-year-old Blatter had been “relieved of all his duties.” Blatter’s job title was even wiped from his Twitter profile and the presidential page expunged, with a site for Acting President Issa Hayatou uploaded in its place. Both Platini and Blatter were suspended after becoming embroiled in a Swiss criminal investigation into financial wrongdoing at Fifa. If Platini does appeal and it is denied, it would effectively rule him out of the running to succeed Blatter as Fifa president in the election on February 26. AP
Sports
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unday, October 11, 2015 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao
S’WOODS REIGNS M ANILA Southwoods Masters rode on Abegail Arevalo’s 54 points to capture its fifth straight championship in the 10th Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub on Saturday at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club (NOGCC) course in Bacolod City. Arevalo, bouncing from a pedestrian 49 points on the opening round, sizzled with six birdies against two bogeys for a tournament best four-under par 68. “I was very disappointed with my play in the first round, but I knew I could play much better. Today, I proved it,” said Arevalo, who won two international tournaments this year. The final day charge also earned Arevalo the individual title, edging Lois Kaye Go via countback. Both finished with 107 points. Southwoods, two points ahead at the start of the day, again outscored Cebu Country Club (CCC) by two points in the final round to finish the event with 559
points, four points clear of CCC. The other scorers were Maria Sofia Chabon, 50; Loralie Roberto, 46; Annika Guangko, 44; Missy Legaspi, 43; and Ong 40. Go had 53 points as CCC scored 279 points. Other players who counted for CCC were Junia Gabasa, 52; Mary Kim Hong, 51; Crystal Faith Neri, 46; Josephine Siguan, 39; and Riko Nagai 38. Alabang Country Club (ACC) and Valley Golf Club won the Founders and Sportswriters divisions in overpowering fashions while Lady Eagles Australia topped the Friendship class. ACC put together rounds of 219 and 253 to finish with 472 points, 26 points clear of Camp Aguinaldo. Manila Golf settled for third place. Valley, on the other hand, posted a similar 26-point win over NOGCC after totalling 452 points. Bacolod placed third with 407.
The event was sponsored by the Mareco Broadcasting Network (Crossover), Travelife, the BusinessMirror, Airbus, Splash Philippines, Wealth Inc. and East Gate Publication. The final results: Championship: Manila Southwoods 559, 278-281 (A. Arevalo 58, M. Chabon 50, L. Roberto 46, A. Guangko 44, S. Legaspi 43, M. Ong 40); Cebu 555, 276- 279 (L. Go 53, J. Gabasa 52, M. Hong 51, C. Neri 46, J. Siguan 39, Riko Nagai 38) Founders: Alabang 472, 219-253 (M. Garcia 47, M. Gorres 46, R. Horan 44, E. Jang 41, C. Popp 38, M. Reyes 37) Camp Aguinaldo 446, 209-237 (J. Agripa 45, R. Alcantara 41, A. Lobangco 40, E. Robas 39, M. Salivio 37, J. Untal 35) Manila Golf 405, 197-208 (C. Crowdey 43, L. Lorenzo 43, C. Naidoo 35, L. Tabuena 33, K. Yang 29, M. Yuchengco 25) Del Monte 397, 189-208 (M. Aparilla 45, L. Coy 41, R. Langamin 36, A. Minoza 30, M. Minoza 30, M. San Miguel 21).
Lady Maroons turn back Lady Sailors
MARCIAL BY SPLIT U I N A battle of heavy hitters, 19-year-old Filipino Eumir Felix Marcial emerged victorious against tough Youba Sissokho of Spain, earning a split decision in the final day of preliminaries of the International Boxing Association (Aiba) World Championships at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Stadium in Doha, Qatar. The judges from Russia and Turkey gave two rounds for the Filipino, 29-28, while the Uzbek judge saw it the other way for the Senegal-born boxer by the same score. Marcial, buoyed by lusty cheers from a huge Filipino crowd (Friday is day-off in Muslim countries), unloaded heavy bombs from the start and withstood the challenge from the 23-year-old from Spain. “I threw combinations and heavy ones at Sissokho that I actually thought I won all the rounds. But it’s okay, the important thing is, we won and our Olympic dream is alive” the ever-smiling Zamboangueño in Filipino said. The quarterfinal round of the championships begins on Saturday, with Rogen Ladon taking on Dawid Jagodzinski of Poland in the afternoon session, while in the evening Marcial tries to take revenge on world No. 1 Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakhstan, who beat him in the finals of the Asian Championships in Bangkok early last month. Both Filipino boxers need to win their next two bouts in order to book a ticket to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next year.Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who came to Doha for a brief visit that lasted less than 24 hours on Thursday, promised the boxers a bonus of P500,000 each for a gold medal here. He also announced a P5-million windfall for any Filipino athlete who wins the coveted top plum in the Olympics.
NIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) battled back from a set down and a big deficit in the second frame and went on to hack out a 19-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23 victory over Philippine Navy to set in motion its bid in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12-Reinforced Conference at The Arena in San Juan City on Saturday. The Lady Maroons leaned on their solid blocking to offset the Lady Sailors’ power game, coming through with an impressive 13-block performance, including four from skipper Katherine Bersola and three from Sheena Chopitea, to fashion out the come-frombehind win in the opener of the season-ending conference of the league. The Lady Sailors jumped the gun on their Diliman-based rivals in the opener and in the second set, but blew a 21-15 lead as the Lady Maroons settled down with their reception and foiled a number of Navy attacks while hammering in kills of their own behind setter Jewel Lai. The Lady Maroons produced 49 attack points, six less than the Lady Sailors but more than made
up for the slack with their superb blocking while displaying grace under pressure in down-to-thewire finishes in the last three sets of the one-hour, 47-minute match. Isabel Molde fired 17 hits, Anne Tiamzon put in a 14-hit job, while Marian Buitre added 10 points for UP, which also drew a combined 25-hit output from Bersola, Chopitea, Diana Carlos, Justine Dorog and Rose Cailing. It was a sorry setback for the Lady Sailors, who got 15 hits from Hezzymie Acuña and a pair of 13-pointers from Pau Soriano and Lilet Mabbayad, but cracked at endgame in the last three sets. Meanwhile, a pair of explosive games marks the second playdate of the tournament, sponsored by Shakey’s, with PLDT Home Ultera hoping to buck the absence of ace hitter Alyssa Valdez as it faces Philippine Coast Guard at 12:45 p.m. Army, on the other hand, clashes with newcomer Kia Forte at 3 p.m., with both matches to be aired live on GMA News TV Channel 11 for a big weekly treat by the league, presented by PLDT Home Ultera.
STATE U SNAPS 5-GAME SLIDE
Agustin Amar of University of the Philippines hits a jumper against Papi Sarr of Adamson University. KEVIN DE LA CRUZ
U
NIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) snapped a five-game slide but had to weather the late-game rally of Adamson University, 89-84, at the start of the second round of Season 78 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Fighting Maroons relied on their steady hands
at the free-throw line to deny the Soaring Falcons of a possible comeback and avenged their 68-73 loss to the same team in the first round. The victory improved UP’s mark to 3-5, while Adamson fell down deeper in the standings with 1-7 slate. Henry Asilum led the Fighting Maroons’ balanced scoring with a career-high 19 points, while Jet Manuel added 16 markers and eight rebounds. Diego Dario and Agustini Amar contributed 14 and 13 points for the team of Head Coach Rensy Bajar. Papi Sarr had another solid performance for Adamson with 16 points and 17 rebounds, while Jerome Garcia, the hero in their first win against UP, contributed 12 markers. Garcia was responsible in putting his team back in the game with back-to-back triples, but the team of mentor Mike Fermin lost steam in the end to start the second round with a loss. The Fighting Maroons led by as much as 15 points in the game, 62-47, but the Soaring Falcons threatened at 74-78 on the three-point play of JD Tungcab with 3:21 left in the game. But Amar, Manuel and Dario hit crucial free throws to extend UP’s lead to 88-83 with 20.9 seconds remaining. The Fighting Maroons’ three wins matched their highest total wince since 2007 with six more games left to play. The Diliman-based team finished with 3-11 win-loss mark in Seasons 71 and 72.
LA SALLE IN FINALS
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Philippine Navy’s Hezzymie Acuna (9) reaches for a shot against the defense of Katherine Adrielle Bersola (8) and Jewel Hannah Lai (1) of University of the Philippines. NONOY LACZA
HD Spikers in thriller
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IÑAN CITY–Cignal HD Spikers fought their way back after a sluggish start to shock the defending champions Petron Blaze Spikers in thrilling five sets, 18-25, 17-25, 25-16, 25-18, 16-14, at the start of the Philippine SuperLiga (PSL) Grand Prix on Saturday at Alonte Sports Arena here. After losing the first two sets, Cignal imports Ariel Usher and Amanda Anderson, along with Fritz Joy Gallenero found their strides in the third set and propelled their team to comeback win. The Blaze Spikers were two points away of claiming the win, 13-11 advantage, but Usher equalized the game at 13-all, after two massive cross court kills. Dindin Santiago-Manabat answered with a quick attack to bring Petron to the matchpoint, 14-13. But the HD Spikers just won’t quit as Anderson nailed a crosscourt spike to tie the game at 14-apiece. Usher nailed the last two winning daggers, sealing the come-from-behind upset that ended Petron’s 16-game winning streak since 2014. Usher, a standout in the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association, had an impressive PSL debut with 31 points, including 29 attacks and two blocks while, Anderson chipped in 11 points. Gallenero also rose to the occasion with 14 hits, 12 from attacks and two blocks. “Actually they [Petron] are strong and experienced, pero siyempre as coach I believe in my players. Sinabi ko sa kanila na dapat yung patience mahaba, it doesn’t mean na nakuhaan kami ng dalawang sets, tapos na. Alam mo naman sanay ako sa mga fifth set at doon ako gumagawa ng paraan,” Cignal Head Coach Sammy Acaylar said. “We played with no pressure. I said they have to play as one team to contribute and they have to enjoy the game,” he added. Cignal’simports came out firing in the third set, leading their team to 23-16 spread after erasing a 7-11 deficit. The momentum shifted on HD Spikers’ side in the fourth set as they continue to deliver their stellar game with a precarious 21-17 lead. Petron committed a bunch of errors to make it easy for Cignal to forge a do-or-die set. Petron had a blazing start in the first two sets pulling away with a big margin in the opening set, 19-10, and in the second set, 24-15. Manabat led the charge for the Blaze Spikers with 16 points, while Abi Marano delivered 14 markers in a losing effort. Rachel Anne Daquis, Frances Molina and import Rupia Inck added nine hits each. Lance Agcaoili
E LA SALLE forged a men’s title rematch with powerhouse National University (NU) after an emphatic 3-0 victory over Ateneo on Saturday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) badminton tournament at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. Gerald Sibayan and Anton Cayanan clinched the second step-ladder semis tie for the second seed Green Archers with a 21-16, 21-16 victory over Hanz Bernardo and Carlo Remo. Despite fielding in a young roster, the rebuilding Blue Eagles have nothing to be ashamed of by finishing strong third. La Salle will face thrice-to-beat Bulldogs in the finals, which will be played either on Sunday or Wednesday, also at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. The Bulldogs are unbeaten in seven ties this season. “We prepared very well and the guys were determined to return in the finals,” La Salle Coach Owen Lopez said. “Going up against NU, which carries a thrice to beat advantage, all we have to do is to take one game at a time,” he added. Reigning women’s titlist University of the Philippines will have to wait another day to determine its championship foe as third seed Ateneo defeated La Salle, 3-1, in the second step-ladder to forge a semifinals decider on Saturday. The Lady Eagles banked on doubles pairs of Bianca Carlos and Cass Lim, as well as Java de Vera and Janel Dihiansan to live another day. Cayanan was tested in the opening singles, bouncing back from a narrow first set loss to beat Remo, 22-24, 21-11, 21-19. Kenneth Monterubio overcame a tough second set to turn back Clarence Filart, 21-19, 24-22, in the second singles.
ADU STILL PERFECT
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DAMSON UNIVERSITY went perfect on its two women’smorningsessionmatchestograbthe lead on Saturday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 78 beach volleyball tournament at the Sands SM By The Bay. Mylene Paat and Jessica Galanza made quick work of University of the East’s (UE) Judith Abil and Angelica Dacaymat, 21-8, 21-7, before returning 45 minutes later to beat De La Salle’s Cyd Demecillo and Kim Fajardo, 21-14, 21-18, to move up to 3-0 in the young season. AteneokeptwithinstrikingdistanceofAdamson as Alyssa Valdez and Bea Tan survived Far Eastern University’s (FEU) Bernadeth Pons and Kyla Atienza, 24-22, 21-17, for a 2-0 record. In the men’s division, the Blue Eagles’ Marck Espejo andYsay Marasigan tripped the Green Archers’ Carlo Sendo and Cris Dumago, 21-18, 21-16, for their third straight win. UniversityofSantoTomaslatertiedAteneoforthe lead as Kris Roy Guzman and Anthony Arbasto rallied past Adamson’s Michael Sudaria and Rence Melgar, 20-22, 21-16, 15-7. Defending champion National University (NU) improved to 2-1, as Bryan Bagunas and Madzlan Gampong nipped FEU’s Greg Dolor and Jude Garcia, 14-21, 21-11, 15-11, to rebound from its three-set loss to Ateneo on Friday night. The Tamaraws earlier beat the Archers in the morning session, 21-9, 18-21, 15-13, while University of the Philippines entered the win column after two straight losses with a 21-18, 21-15 win over UE.