BusinessMirror October 19, 2018

S.R.P. SET FOR METRO MARKETS By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

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@jearcalas

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) has come up with the suggested retail price (SRP) on rice for Metro Manila markets after industry stakeholders approved the price matrix set for implementation on October 23. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said starting in the last week of October rice sold in the retail market would be priced the lowest at P37 per kilogram and highest at P47 per kilogram. Piñol said the following SRPs were agreed upon by rice industry stakeholders at their Thursday meeting: P37 per kilogram or lower for imported regular-milled rice (RMR) with 25 percent brokens; and P40 per kilogram or lower for imported rice with 5 percent brokens.

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BOI-listed investments for 9 months up 19.3%

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By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

@alyasjah

NVESTMENTS registered with the Board of Investments (BOI) rebounded heavily in September, and the agency is now back on track to hit its P680-billion target this year. The BOI on Thursday reported a 19.3-percent increase on investment pledges after three quarters. Commitments to the BOI now amount to P454.8 billion, from P381.2 billion during the same period last year.

Power projects topped registration performance at P168 billion from January to September, followed by manufacturing at P104 billion, and transport and logistics at P102 billion. The latter registered a whopping 569-percent

growth from P15 billion during the same stretch last year. Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo Jr. said the agency is confident it will hit its P680-billion objective this year. He explained the BOI

“The agency is still pretty confident of hitting its investment target of P680 billion for this year. As of September, we are already surpassing expectations with already two-thirds of our year-end target and the rest of the year should be pretty exciting and challenging due to the deluge of big projects in the pipeline.”—Rodolfo

is just exercising due diligence to ensure that projects comply with necessary requirements. “After the record-breaking investment approval figures, of P617 billion in 2017, the agency is still pretty confident of hitting its Continued on A2

Neda wants to review bid to suspend oil excise tax

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N light of the recent slowdown in the increase in international oil prices, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) is reconsidering its recommendation to halt the increase in oil excise taxes next year. At the sidelines of the Philippine Business Conference held in Manila on Thursday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia told reporters that the economic team will meet to discuss the suspension of the hike in oil excise taxes.

The five-coach prototype Hybrid Electric Train of the Department of Science and Technology, entirely locally made, makes a demo run from Dela Rosa Street in Makati City to Edsa in Pasay City in this file photo. The DOST aims, with its monorail project, to maximize the capabilities of local industries in metals and engineering, enabling the country to generate its own technology to address transportation needs. The DOST said it will be dismantling another monorail it built at the University of the Philippines before the year ends, and will transfer the monorail to another university next year. Story on A4. NONIE REYES

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Are political dynasties permanent fixtures in PHL politics? Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza

Make Sense

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T’S interesting, if not amusing, times again. The October 11 to 17 window for the filing of certificate of candidacy for those vying for elective posts in the 2019 midterm election saw familiar faces filing their respective certificate of candidacy once again. A usual scenario everytime Philippine elections are held. Continued on A10

PHL seals $34-M oil exploration deal with Israeli firm in Palawan

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As for locally produced rice, they would have an SRP of P39 per kilogram or lower for RMR and P44 per kilogram or lower for WMR. The SRP for premium rice will be set by the National Food Authority Council on Tuesday. However, the recommended price has been set at P47 per kilogram. “Special Rice, which includes Cordillera Heirloom Rice, Dinorado, Malido, Hinumay, Milagrosa, Organic Brown, Red and Black Rice and Malagkit will be exempt from the SRP,” he said. The NFA will also require rice retailers to properly label their rice sold in the market accordingly: imported or locally produced only, according to Piñol. Imported rice sold in the market must have a label showing its source country, he added.

@BNicolasBM

ACING against time to find newer energy sources when the Malampaya gas field runs out in a decade and amid rising oil prices, the Philippines has finally sealed a $34.35-million oil exploration deal with an Israeli firm to look for petroleum in the East Palawan Basin. President Duterte signed on Wednesday an initial seven-year Petroleum Service Contract (PSC) for Area 4 (East Palawan Basin) of the Fifth Philippine Energy Contracting Round (PECR 5) with Itay Raphael Tabibzada, president and chief executive officer of Ratio Petroleum Ltd. This was the first petroleum service contract signed under the Duterte administration, according to Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo.

“If you remember, the President made statements that our country needs to attain energy security and sustainability at the soonest possible time,” Panelo said. “Our problem is we don’t have oil, so that’s why it’s very difficult for us if we are compared to other countries that have oil. We’ve been dependent on oil-producing countries for oil so we need to boost the exploration and development of our own energy resources.” Panelo confirmed to the BusinessMirror that the Israeli firm will shoulder the projected minimum total expenditure of $34.35 million for exploring an area of 416,000 hectares across East Palawan Basin for potential oil and gas resources. The amount will be derived from studies, data gathering and drilling activities. “So, hopefully, we could look for oil and it will definitely help our country,” he said.

n JAPAN 0.4784 n UK 70.6888 n HK 6.8747 n CHINA 7.7838 n SINGAPORE 39.1081 n AUSTRALIA 38.3057 n EU 61.9908 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.3652

Continued on A2

Source: BSP (18 October 2018 )

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DOF: Big, profitable firms got ₧86-B tax perks By Rea Cu

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@ReaCuBM

HE Department of Finance (DOF) has determined that the government gave away P86.3 billion worth of income-tax incentives to firms that paid out a total of P141.8 billion combined in dividends to their respective shareholders for 2015 alone. Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said data from t he Secur it ies and Exchange Commission and those report-

ed by investment promot ion agencies under the Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act show that these

dec lared d iv idends were 164 percent of the income-tax incentives received by firms from various sectors. He said that such data showing that certain enterprises declared dividends that are way above the incentives they receive from the government prove that many of them are inherently profitable and no longer need such perks for their businesses to prosper here in the Philippines. About 90,000 small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in the country pay the regular corporate income-tax rate of 30 percent, and some of the country’s micro-enterprises pay the higher CIT rate. Favored and highly profitable firms in the manufacturing sec-

tor that had received a total of P37.3 billion in income-tax incentives handed out P63.9 billion in dividends to their shareholders in 2015. This grossly unfair system for SMEs continued in the services sector, which received P31 billion in income-tax incentives but paid out P47 billion in dividends to their shareholders during the same period. A total of P16.6 billion of income-tax incentives were granted to the nonmanufacturing sector, which declared P30.5 billion in dividends. In the agriculture sector, companies received P500 million of such incentives and paid out P400 million in dividends, while an unspecified number of firms that

Belgium asks PHL to lift ban on pork imports after ASF By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

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@jearcalas

RUSSELS asked Manila to lift the import ban it imposed on pork products from Belgium after it confirmed that African swine fever (ASF) struck wild boars in a forest. A government official told the BusinessMirror that Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) officials met with a delegation from Belgium, led by its ambassador to the Philippines, to discuss the import ban. According to the official who was privy to the meeting, Brussels requested the lifting of the import ban as other countries, such as India and Malaysia, have allowed the reentr y of Belgian pork. The BAI officials told the Bel-

gium delegate to submit their three-year surveillance program on ASF to ensure that it is safe from the dreaded swine virus, according to the source. The requirement was based on the standards set by World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), according to the source. Belgium was not given a deadline to submit the documents required by the BAI, so it could review the ban it imposed on its pork products, according to the source. However, the source said the least measure that the BAI could recommend is to impose a regionalized ban on Belgium instead of a total ban if Brussels would comply with Philippine rules. The official also noted that the final decision regarding Belgium’s request would come from

SRP set for Metro markets

The initial SRP on rice will only be implemented for Metro Ma n i l a, i nc lud i ng nea rby provinces of Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. “The agreed SRPs will be submitted to the NFA Council when it meets for the third time in less than a month since the NFA was transferred back to the DA,” he said. “With the confirmation of the NFA Council, the NFA will prepare the guidelines to be distributed and circulated or published in the newspapers for general information. Posters and billboards will also be displayed in the rice-retailing areas of the public markets,” he added.

Piñol said a rice SRP matrix for Supermarkets nationwide, and dry markets in Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Bicol, the Visayas and Mindanao will be discussed by the NFAC on Tuesday, as well. Piñol said all the members of the rice industry stakeholders threw their support behind the proposed SRP scheme. “Everybody understands that the stakeholders of the rice industry will have to unite in the face of [high prices]. The consumers are complaining in the market,” he said in an interview with reporters after the his meeting with rice stakeholders on Thursday. “There is no order in the market. Everybody is selling fake

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol. Belgium reported its first ASF case on September 14, when the virus struck wild boars in the southern part of the country. Brussels submitted its latest update on the ASF outbreak to the OIE on October 15, which indicated that there 12 new cases across Belgium. The new outbreaks, however, also affected wild boars in the forest. Belgium is one of the country’s top suppliers of meat products, as it exports over 10,000 metric tons (MT) of pork annually to the Philippines. In 2017, Belgium exported 15,103.634 MT of pork products to the Philippines, 7.57 percent lower than the 16,340.017 MT it shipped in 2016. Piñol issued Memorandum Order 31 banning pork products

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Denorado. There is no uniformity in the market [in terms of prices]. We really have to rationalize the whole thing,” Piñol added. Piñol said the SRP would be reviewed as needed depending on the prevailing market prices both globally and locally. Piñol added that an interagency body would be formed to conduct the periodical review of the SRP. “Each sector will be represented in the monitoring of the prices in the world market for imported rice and local price for local rice,” he said. “The SRP will be determined by the prevailing market prices. It is not a constant number,” he added.

BOI-listed investments for 9 months up 19.3% Continued from A1

investment target of P680 billion for this year. As of September, we are already surpassing expectations with already two-thirds of our year-end target, and the rest of the year should be pretty exciting and challenging due to the deluge of big projects in the pipeline,” Rodolfo said. “We are just exercising due diligence to ensure that these projects comply with the necessary requirements,” he added. Pulangi Hydro Power Corp.’s P38 -billion project sustained the strong showing of the energy industry, as it is putting up a 250-megawatt hydroelectric power plant in Bukidnon. Manufacturing was improved by the approval of Petron Corp.’s P82-billion commitment in the condensateprocessing complex project in its refinery in Limay, Bataan. The BOI also gave its nod to

the P62.6-billion liquefied natural gas terminal project by First Gen Corp. in Batangas City with a capacity of 5 million tons per year. Other manufacturing projects include Bio Renewable Energy Ventures’s P1.8-billion investment in producing coconut methyl ester and glycerin in Misamis Oriental; Biotech Farms Inc.’s P151-million project for the production of fiber egg trays in South Cotabato; and Conibo Organics Inc.’s P60-million export producer of coconut coir in Camarines Sur. Philippine Airlines Inc.’s acquisition of six Airbus A321neo amounting to P19 billion to service international routes propelled the transportation and logistics industry. It was also complemented by Cebu Air Inc.’s P11.8-billion purchase of five Airbus A321ceo to make domestic and international flights. “Investor confidence in the

country remains high. The Philippines continues to attract more investments because the economy is strong enough to withstand challenges on both the domestic and international fronts,” Trade Secretary and BOI Chairman Ramon M. Lopez said. He also expects investment pledges to grow further when the implementing rules and regulations of the Ease of Doing Business law is issued and the road shows of the Strategic Investment Priorities Plan now in full swing. On the other hand, approved foreign direct investments also accelerated to P37 billion as of September, up by 196 percent from the P12.5 billion during the same period last year. The British Virgin Islands is the top source of FDI at P15.2 billion, followed by Indonesia (P6.4 billion), Malaysia (P2.9 billion), Japan (P2.6 billion) and China (P1 billion).

from Belgium last week. MO 31 authorized the blanket ban on the importation of domestic and wild pigs and their products, including meat and semen from Belgium.

No impact

MEAT Importers and Traders Association President Jesus C. Cham said the prices of pork imports arriving this Christmas season will not be affected by the import ban. Cham said pork imports set to arrive in December have already been paid and contracted by importers months ago. However, Cham said the import ban on Belgian pork products may affect prices of pork products next year, depending on how the situation develops in the succeeding months.

Neda. . .

Continued from A1

“Maybe it’s better [if] we don’t suspend it [excise taxes],” Pernia said. “[But] I have not talked with them, I have not talked with Sonny [Carlos G. Dominguez III], so I don’t know yet what they are going to do.” When asked how the retention of the excise taxes will impact on inflation given the fare hike, Pernia said this is part of the reason the economic team “really [has] to study it seriously.” Earlier this week, Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Joselito G. Lambino II said the recommendation to suspend the excise taxes by January stands as far as the agency is concerned. Lambino said the DOF is just waiting for a formal announcement from the Office of the President. He added that the review of the decision to suspend will be done next year. On Sunday Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence T. Go said the Duterte administration is open to putting on hold the increase in excise taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TR AIN) law. Go cited the provision in the TRAIN law stating that, if the monthly Dubai crude oil prices average $80 per barrel for three consecutive months, the government can suspend the excise tax. The DOF, Neda, Department of Energ y and the Office of the President are closely monitoring the trend in oil pr ices in the world market in the next three months. In September Dubai crude price averaged $77 per barrel. If this increases in the next three months to more than $80 per barrel, the government can consider suspending the excise tax by January 2019.

reported no dividends were given income-tax incentives amounting to P900 million. “This means that while SMEs, which employ about 65 percent of Filipino workers in the country, have to pay the steep CIT of 30 percent, the favored big corporations get sizeable tax breaks that enable them to award huge dividends to their stockholders. Filipino taxpayers are, in effect, subsidizing a lion’s share of the profits earned by a select group of corporations that enjoy already redundant incentives under our convoluted CIT system,” Chua said. In August, the DOF identified a total of 645 registered enterprises that continue to receive tax incentives even after 15 years in the

business, adding that the government gave away P86 billion worth of income-tax incentives to firms that paid out a total of P83 billion combined in dividends. The DOF is pushing for the approval in Congress of reforms that seek to lower the CIT rate and reorient the complicated fiscal incentives system under Package 2 of the Duterte administration’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, which is also known as the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and HigherQuality Opportunities bill. The Senate is still deliberating at the committee level its version of the measure, which was filed by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III and dubbed the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Reform Act.

DOTr: Swiss challenge process for Bulacan airport done by year-end

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HE New Manila International Airport (NMIA) proposed by San Miguel Corp. (SMC) in Bulacan may replace the Ninoy Aquino International Airport once the concession period granted to the Naia Consortium expires, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr). Transportation Undersecretary for Planning and Project Development Ruben S. Reinoso Jr. told the BusinessMirror that the Naia will continue operating in the next 15 years, based on the concession period given to the Naia Consortium or until a new international airport becomes operational. Reinoso said the concession agreement may be extended, depending on the“policy and economic”decision of the government. This decision can only be reached after “extensive discussions and analysis.” “The Naia will continue to operate for at least 15 years. Any decision thereafter will be made once a new international airport becomes operational,” Reinoso said. However, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia maintained that the Bulacan airport will only complement and not replace the Naia. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade assured the public that the government can complete the Swiss challenge process for the Bulacan airport before the year ends. Tugade told reporters that once the Swiss challenge is completed, the DOTr will issue a certificate of successful negotiation and turn over the review of the concession agreement to the

National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). He said Ramon S. Ang, the president of SMC, has recently offered to shoulder the cost of the right-of-way for the Bulacan airport. Ang said this was the conclusion of his five-hour meeting with the agency. Tugade said while this will result in savings for the government, the amount of savings cannot yet be determined at the moment. “Hindi pa natin makikita [kung magkanong savings], hindi pa natin makikita. Pero ang importante diyan, nagtutulungan ang gobyerno at ’yung pribado. Kaya napadali ’yun, kasi nawala yung isang layer at nandun na mismo, nag-uusap na [decision-makers] [We still cannot determine (the savings). But the important thing here is the government and private sector are working together. The reason this was fast-tracked is, there was no other layer. Decision-makers were in talks],” Tugade said. Prior to the Neda Board’s approval of the Bulacan airport, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Center expressed its reservations, given the assumption of SMC’s passenger forecast for the NMIA, i.e., the estimates assume a 100-percent transfer of the Naia’s passengers to NMIA, thus a closure of the airport. The PPP Center said, however, that this remains a policy decision of the government. The agency said this could cause potential economic harm given that the financial assumptions for the NMIA hinge on this assumption. Cai U. Ordinario

PHL seals $34-M oil exploration deal with Israeli firm in Palawan Continued from A1

Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said in a statement that the awarding of the petroleum service contract to Ratio Petroleum “is a step in the right direction” as the country is currently experiencing how its dependence on importation has left it at the mercy of price movements in the global oil markets. Cusi said the event bodes well for Philippine-Israel economic relations, as well as the country’s petroleum industry. According to the Department of Energy, the awarded PSC is a part of PECR5, which was launched in May 2014. The PECR was established as a transparent and a competitive system of awarding service or operating contracts for prospective petroleum or coal areas within the country. Established in 1992, Ratio Petroleum has a number of largescale operations at the Levant Basin in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Israel, as well as offshore operations in the Republic of Malta and the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. In December 2013 the last service contract under the fourth PECR was awarded to PXP Energy Corp., operator of PSC No. 75 in North Western Palawan. The economic managers had

earlier recommended the suspension of the next tranche of oil excise taxes by January 2019, since the average Dubai crude oil price based on the Mean of Platts Singapore will more likely exceed the $80-per-barrel threshold in the coming months. However, Malacañang said there was no decision from the President as of yet. Panelo pointed out that the conditions will still have to be met before the suspension mechanism can be activated, since that is what the law stipulates. Section 5 of Revenue Regulation 2-2018, which provides implementing guidelines for petroleum products under the TRAIN law, states that: “For the period covering 2018 to 2020, the scheduled increase in the excise tax on fuel as imposed, shall be suspended when the average Dubai crude based on Mean of Platts Singapore for three months prior to the scheduled increase of the month reaches or exceeds eighty dollars [$80] per barrel.” The Development Budget Coordination Committee also revised upward its projection this week on the average Dubai crude oil price for this year to $70 to $75 per barrel. For 2019, the price range is projected to increase to $75 to $85, while in 2020, this is forecast to drop to $70 to $80, and as low as $65 to $75 for 2021 and 2022.

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Sanctions eyed vs nuisance bets By Butch Fernandez

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@butchfBM

en. Sherwin T. Gatchalian moved on Thursday to amend the Election Code and impose sanctions to keep out “nuisance” candidates in future elections. Gatchalian was prompted to push early enactment of the remedial legislation after noting “the numerous nuisance candidates who filed certificates of candidacy for senator” in the upcoming 2019 midterm elections. The lawmaker prodded Congress to front-load passage of Senate Bill 911 to “institutionalize the definition of nuisance candidates and hold them liable for election offenses.” Once enacted into law, Gatchalian said SB 911 will amend pertinent provisions of the Omnibus Election Code, noting that, while the Commission on Elections is mandated by law to receive certificates of candidacy (COCs) as its ministerial duty, “the onslaught of candidates who do not intend to launch a viable campaign is wasting the precious time and resources of [the] Comelec [Commission on Elections].” The senator cited, for instance, recent events that prompted filing the remedial legislation. “We may have all witnessed in the past the influx of some half-serious candidates, like a candidate from Cebu who calls himself Jesus Christ, or even the exes of Kris Aquino and Mocha Uson. There was even a candidate who called himself King of Nobility. We all hope to end all these antics and cleanse the political process right from the very beginning,” he said. Gatchalian clarified that, while the

1987 Constitution guarantees equal access to opportunities for public service, he recalled the Supreme Court ruled that running for public office is a privilege and “not a right.” “We are glad that there are a lot of people who want to be involved in nationbuilding by offering themselves to be public servants,” the senator said, even as he pointed out that aspiring to be elected to public office is subject to the limitations imposed by law and must take into account practical considerations. Gatchalian’s bill, once enacted into law will “penalize people who do not take this privilege seriously and merely use the certificate of candidacy filing period as a platform to disrespect our electoral process.” As provided in SB 911, he explained, the Comelec may cancel a COC if, after affording due process to the filing party, it finds that said certificate was filed “to obtain money, profit or any other consideration.” Moreover, “any person who is found by the Comelec to have filed a COC to put the election process in mockery or disrepute; cause confusion among voters by similarity of the names of the registered candidates; obtain money, profit or any other consideration; or under any other circumstances or acts clearly demonstrate that the candidate has no bona fide intention to run for office, shall be guilty of an election offense and shall face a P50,000 fine,” Gatchalian added. He voiced hopes that urgent passage of the remedial legislation can be frontloaded by both chambers of Congress, so it can be quickly enacted into law to keep out nuisance candidates planning to file COCs in the coming elections.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Friday, October 19, 2018 A3

NPA rebels ambush FDA chief’s convoy in CamSur, 3 cops dead, 3 others wounded

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By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM & Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco | Correspondent

uspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels ambushed on Thursday a security team assigned to the visiting team of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Nela Charade Puno in Camarines Sur, killing three policemen and wounding three others. A report sent by the Camarines Sur Provincial Police Office to Camp Crame said a team of policemen on board a marked police vehicle serving as security escort to Puno’s team was waylaid by some 20 rebels. The ambush reportedly occurred at around 9:10 a.m. along the national highway in Barangay Napolidan, Camarines Sur. The report identified the fatalities as SPO1 Percival Rafael, PO3 Carlito Navarroza and PO1 Ralph Jason Vida, all members of the Camarines Sur Provincial Police Office. Wounded were PO1 Jonathan Perillo, PO1 Ruby Buena and PO1 Rodolfo Gonzaga, who were all brought to the Bicol Medical Center in Naga City. The report said the security escort and the team of Puno were on their way to Daet, Camarines Norte, when it was fired upon. “Route security personnel from [the] 1st Camarines Sur PPSC [Provincial Public Safety Company] were able to immediately respond to the area and

retaliate, thereby, suppressing the enemy and preventing further damages/casualties,” the Camarines Sur police said in its initial report. The report added that coordination has been made with Army units who are now conducting pursuit operations in tandem with the policemen. “Also, upon receipt of the said report, city and municipal police stations in adjacent municipalities conducted checkpoints in all strategic locations in their respective areas of jurisdiction,” it added. Hours after the ambush, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III condemned the attack against the FDA chief’s “in no uncertain terms.” “The DOH [Department of Health] leadership is currently coordinating with the authorities for a full investigation,” Duque said. “The safety of DG [Director General] Puno and FDA employees is our top priority at the moment. They have the full backing of the department,” the health chief said. The FDA is an attached office under the DOH.

DND seeks to boost capacity in dealing with Congress

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he Department of National Defense (DND) held its first-ever seminarworkshop to capacitate its officers and staff in standardizing the agency’s policy formulation and drafting of proposed legislative measures on defense. The event held from Tuesday until Wednesday, spearheaded by the Office of the Undersecretary for Defense Policy, also equipped the participants with the necessary knowledge, skills and mindset to strengthen the strategies in pursuing the DND’s legislative agenda. The legislative agenda includes the National Defense Act of 2018, the Philippine Defense Industry Development Act of 2018, AntiTerrorism Act, Reinstatement of Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Act, and the Special Economic Defense Zone Authority Act which are the key pieces of legislation being pushed by the DND in Congress. Undersecretary for Defense Policy Ricardo David Jr. highlighted the need for the DND and its bureaus to “harmonize” legislative efforts and align them with existing policies. “This year, we are including policy formulation and development in order to come up with standard procedures within the department and its bureaus,” David said. Rene Acosta

A4 Friday, October 19, 2018 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

PHL aerospace industry export grew 42% from 2012 to 2016–DTI chief By Recto Mercene @rectomercene

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HE country pioneered the first commercial flights in Asia 70 years ago and it comes as no surprise that today, “the Philippines is supplying the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers various aerospace parts.” Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez issued the claim during the European Union (EU)-Philippines Business Summit 2018, with the theme “EU Philippines: Jointly Pursuing Competitiveness for Inclusive Growth.” EU Ambassador Franz Jessen said the “EU remains the largest investor in the country, amounting to over P246 billion.” “However, EU-Philippines trade today is far from its full potential and there is ample margin to do more,” the envoy said. The Philippines, Jessen said, is EU’s 42nd-largest trading partner and trade figures show there are no more than 35 percent of the trade flows between the EU and other countries in the region, such as Thailand and Malaysia. At its headquarters at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, Lufthansa Tecknik provides maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for various types of aircraft. It also manufactures various parts for the

Airbus planes. Lopez said, “The aerospace industry in the Philippines is one of the fastest-growing industries in the Asia-Pacific region, with exports growing by 42 percent from 2012 to 2016.” The trade chief added that Europe and the Americas are the biggest export destinations, at 45.80 percent and 40.79 percent in 2016, respectively. “Asia Pacific accounts for 12.82 percent share,” he added. The exported aerospace parts include original equipment manufacturing (OEM), flight control actuation systems, interiors, galleys and equipment, panels and lavatories for the global commercial aircraft industry and interior fit-outs. Tier 1 OEM manufacturers in the Philippines include Moog Controls Corp. (flight control actuation systems), B/E Aerospace (interiors, galleys and equipment, lavatories) and JAMCO (honeycomb panels for interior fit-outs).

Aerospace: MRO capabilities

ACCORDING to Lopez, the Philippines’s MRO companies “can service various models of aircraft from different manufacturers, and the country’s large value of importation of aircraft and aerospace parts is a good indication of a growing MRO

segment in the country.” “MRO companies in the country also offer a wide range of services from maintenance, fleet management, engineering support, inventory support and cabin reconfiguration,” he pointed out. This include servicing the largest commercial plane in the world, the Airbus A380. He said the country’s MRO companies have official approvals from the US, Europe, Cayman and Australia.

Capabilities in aviation training

LOPEZ said there are 39 active aviation schools in the country that can support the growing demand in aerospace and aviation in the region. “These schools offer programs ranging from pilot training, aviation/aeronautical engineering, avionics and aircraft technician,” he said. Lopez added the Philippines has more than 6,000 licensed pilots and 4,000 student-license holders. “As with any industry, the prospects of Philippine aerospace industry will also be defined by the ability of the educational and training institutions to equip their students with job-ready students,” he said. Lopez said that with the strong competencies these schools have developed, “the Philippines can serve as Asia’s hub for aviation training.”

Global demand

ACCORDING to Lopez, the world will need 255,000 new airline pilots by 2027 to offset retirement and industry growth. “By 2027, global commercial fleet is expected to grow by 12,000 to roughly 37,000 aircraft —a total of 440,000 active pilots will be needed.” Currently, there are 290,000 active pilots, “85,000 of which are in the Asia-Pacific region.” “Leveraging on the strengths and capabilities of allied industries such as automotive, electronics and IT-BPM, the Philippines can further grow the country’s capabilities in aerospace,” he said.

Growth drivers

LOPEZ said the strong growth of Philippine aerospace industry “is not foreseen to taper off any sooner,” as the country’s economic condition will set a higher trajectory for better take off for the local aerospace industry.” He said passenger traffic has grown by 31 percent from 2013 to 2017. This robust growth, he said, would help the country double the current number of tourists from 50 million to 101.2 million by 2022. On the other hand, strong growth in air freight, projected at 35 percent in 2020, is also seen to provide a boost to the country’s aerospace industry.

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Marina puts finishing touches on ten-year maritime devt agenda By Lorenz S. Marasigan

“As part of it, we have to commit and adhere by its mandate pursuant to the objectives of its creation, which is to prepare and annually update a 10-year maritime industry development program that contains a rational and integrated development of the maritime industry,” he noted. The blueprint for all maritime industry-related activities, both promotional and developmental, is expected to be done within the year, according to Marina Administrator Leonardo B. Guerrero. It covers four sectors in the industry—domestic shipping, overseas shipping, maritime manpower, and shipbuilding and repair. It also includes emerging subsectors, such as maritime tourism, fishing and logistics. The Japan International Cooperation Agency has extended its assistance to Marina in drafting the said road map. Roughly, the road map, which is required of Marina under Presidential Decree 474 of 1974, is expected to include globally proven strategies on how to further grow each sector and subsector under the maritime industry. It shall also contain revitalized and reengineered strategic directions and action plans responsive to existing conditions, in anticipation of future challenges in the maritime industry, both in the domestic and global arena.

@lorenzmarasigan

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HE government is close to completing its decadelong maritime industry development program, an initiative that will serve as a blueprint to achieving higher growth across different sectors of the country’s maritime industry. Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Planning and Policy Service Director Emmanuel Carpio said his group has reviewed and finalized the priority programs and projects with detailed result frameworks of the agenda “highlighting the impacts, indicators and target outcomes relative to: the planned establishment of the maritime industrial hub, the Marina’s role in the development of the Philippine nautical system, as well as the country’s coastal and inland waterways, fishing, maritime tourism, maritime safety, maritime security, and maritime information and communication.” He added his group will submit the primer for the program to the Marina top management next week for further refinement. “While it may be true that we do have plans in the past, those are either short or indefinite plans that do not sufficiently reflect the mandate of the Marina as maritime administration,” he admitted.

Delay in Marawi City DOST says it rehabilitation ‘exasperates’ will dismantle Duterte–Malacañang own monorail By Bernadette D. Nicolas

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@BNicolasBM

RESIDENT Duterte is “exasperated” over the delays in the implementation of the Marawi City rehabilitation project, Malacañang said on Thursday. Ironically, the groundbreaking for the Marawi rehabilitation was supposed to take place on October 17, but was moved back again at the end of the month because President Duterte cannot attend the event due to prior commitments. Duterte had a series of events to attend on that day. Both Japanese Special Adviser for Foreign Affairs Katsuyuki Kawai and United Arab Emirates Chief of Federal Authority for Identity Ali Mohammad Al Shamsi also paid courtesy calls on the President. The President also signed an oil exploration deal with an Israeli firm on Wednesday. Nonetheless, Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo said the President’s nonattendance doesn’t mean that he was not interested. “In fact, he has been doing a lot of things for the rehabilitation of that place,” Panelo said. He added that the President shares the sentiment because he just wants the full implementation of the rehabilitation. “Yes, he was exasperated but then again, the red tape was already done. It is getting started already,” he said. “As I said, sometimes you cannot also avoid delays. Our problem in Marawi is too big. What is important is it will start at the end of the month and that will continue,” he said. Panelo is also hopeful that the administration will not be criticized with the way it handled the Marawi rehabilitation, like how the former Aquino administration handled the rehabilitation of Tacloban City after Supertyphoon Yolanda. “Hopefully not, because the President hates bureaucratic red tape. That is precisely why he said, he appoints [former] military men because they don’t ask questions—they just follow orders. Unlike civilians who are prone to meetings before they can act,” Panelo said. The extension of martial law in Mindanao, he said, will depend on the advice of the military. The President has declared martial law in the entire Mindanao island in the aftermath of the Marawi siege. Congress has granted the President’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2018 to address the terrorism threat and was also upheld by the Supreme Court.

system in UP By Cai U. Ordinario

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@cuo_bm

HE Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will dismantle the monorail commuter system it built inside the campus of the University of the Philippines (UP) before the year ends. In an interview, Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña told the BusinessMirror that the agency has secured around P13 million to dismantle the 465-meter single-track train. The UP monorail has not been made operational since it was constructed in 2012. The single-track train has two coaches that can each carry 60 passengers. “The agreement of [former DOST] Secretary [Mario G.] Montejo and UP at that time was that they will put it up for the research part so we need a place to run and UP accepted with the understanding that when it’s done, UP has the right to decide whether they will use it or not,” de la Peña said. “So the administration now concluded that UP is going to be a walking community and so they have not actually planned for that. But we will do something, make it more a learning facility,” he added. Once dismantled, de la Peña said the DOST will transfer the monorail to another university next year. The DOST is currently in talks with the Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU). If an agreement with the BPSU is not reached, de la Peña said, other universities will be considered. “Madaling humanap kasi ibibigay lang namin sa kanila wala silang gastos [It’s easy to look for interested universities because we will give the facility to them for free],” de la Peña said. In 2017 the Philippine Information Agency said the DOST was looking for investors for the monorail which was developed by the Metal Industry Research and Development Center. Called the Automated Guideway Transit, monorail runs from Emilio Jacinto Street in the UP campus, curving on a 25 radius as it reaches C.P. Garcia Avenue.

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LGUs told: Secure ECC first before project implementation By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

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HE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has reminded local government units (LGUs) to secure an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) before implementing projects, particularly in so-called environmentally critical areas. In Memorandum Circular 2018152, DILG Officer in Charge Secretary Eduardo M. Año said projects that pose possible environmental risk or impact are required to secure an ECC from the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). Among such projects are mining, agriculture projects and golf course construction. “Sometimes there is a flip side to development, as unchecked development takes its toll on the environment. While we, therefore, encourage the influx of new businesses, local governments should always consider the potential impact of new projects on the environment and to nearby residents,” said Año. T he DILG chief noted t he tragic environmental degradation of Boracay Island is a classic example of how unregulated development transformed the famous white-sand holiday destination into a “cesspool.” “Let us not allow Boracay to

happen again. Let us not take the short cut in the name of business. We should have an ECC first before starting any project that may adversely affect the environment,” he said. Presidential Decree 1586 dated June 11, 1978 (Establishing an Environmental Impact Statement System including other Environmental Management-Related Measures) states that “no person, partnership, or corporation shall undertake or operate any declared environmentally critical project or area without securing first an ECC.” Applications for ECCs are reviewed and granted by the DENR through the EMB, as stated in Malacañang’s Administrative Order 42 issued on November 2, 2002. An ECC is issued after a positive review of the project’s application by the DENR-EMB. It indicates that a proposed undertaking will not cause a significant negative impact on the environment. The project proponent must then fulfill the specific measures and conditions indicated in the ECC before and during the operation of the project and even after the project completion. An ECC also certifies that the proponent has complied with all the requirements of the Environmental Impact Statement System and has committed to implement its approved environmental management plan.

Friday, October 19, 2018 A5

LTFRB approves jeepney, bus fare hike beginning November By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

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OMMUTERS riding jeepneys and buses should brace for a round of fare hike come November, as transport regulators on Thursday provisionally approved the petitions for fare adjustments due to the continuing increases in fuel prices. Based on separate documents sent to the media, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has given the go signal—pending a 15-day period after publication— to jeepney operators to increase their base fares to P10, from the provisional P9. The base fare for a jeepney ride was P8 before a provisional increase of P1 was granted in July. With the new order, the permanent base fare—or the charge for the first 4 kilometers—is now at P9, with an additional provisional P1 increase. Commuters, Malacañang said, will have to “take the brunt” of the approved fare hikes for both buses and jeepneys for now. The petitioners, composed of several transport groups, originally sought for a P2 provisional increase to P11 for the base fare, and a P1 increase for every succeeding kilome-

ter. These were denied due to “lack of factual and legal basis.” The base fare for ordinary buses in Metro Manila was also increased to P11 from P10, but was not given an increase for the succeeding kilometers, while that of the air-conditioned bus was increased from P12 to P13 and its per-kilometer charge of P2.30 remained. The Associated Labor UnionTrade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) said a higher transportation fare should translate to a higher pay for minimumwage earners. ALU-TUCP Spokesman Alan Tanjusay said his group will raise the issue at the forthcoming consultation with the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region on Monday. Meanwhile, the base fare for ordinary provincial buses was maintained at P9, but was given a perkilometer-charge increase of 15 centavos to P1.55. For regular air-conditioned provincial buses, the per-kilometer charge was increased by 15 centavos to P1.75; same with the de luxe provincial buses with P1.85; the super deluxe with 1.95; and the luxury bus with P2.40. 
The regulator approved the pro-

visional increases in view of the increasing fuel prices in the Philippines, noting that it is “more cautious” in granting fare increases due to the inflation print in September, which hit 6.7 percent. Based on a year-to-date basis, prices of gasoline posted a net increase of P10.55 per liter, P11.5 per liter for diesel and P10.50 per liter for kerosene, data from the Department of Energy showed. The adjusted fares will take effect after 15 days. The P2 increase in fare prices for PUVs will not be inflationary, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). On Thursday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia told reporters that this is the case even if Neda’s recommendation for the fare hike is only P0.50. However, he said, it’s difficult to speculate how much the fare hikes will increase inflation. He said the increase in fares will not force the economic team to exceed its inflation targets for the year. He said this is because the fare hike has been factored in the government’s inflation forecast for 2018. On Tuesday the Development Budget Coordination Committee

(DBCC) revised its inflation expectations to around 4.8 to 5.2 percent this year and 3 to 4 percent in 2019. The DBCC said its inflation forecasts from 2020 to 2022 have been retained at 2 to 4 percent, which is consistent with the government’s assessment that inflation will go back to the target level by next year. The DBCC is composed of the secretary of budget as chairman; the director general of the Neda Secretariat, as cochairman; and the executive secretary, secretary of finance and the governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines as members. The DBCC recommends to the President the level of annual government expenditures and the ceiling of government spending for economic and social development, national defense and government debt service. It also recommends the proper allocation of expenditures for each development activity between current operating expenditures and capital outlays and amount set to be allocated for capital outlays broken down into the various capital or infrastructure projects. With Bernadette D. Nicolas, Samuel P. Medenilla and Cai U. Ordinario

A SALUTE TO MARKETING EXCELLENCE AT

39TH

AWA

A BusinessMirror Sp

A6 Friday, October 19, 2018 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

THE PMA AND THE BIRTH OF

MARKETING IN THE P

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HE years prior to the inception of the Philippines Marketing Association (PMA) might well be referred to as “the dark ages “of marketing as a profession in this country.

Back then, the term “Marketing “solely meant the selling or distributions of products. Likewise, the term “Marketers” often conjured images of fast-talking salesmen making misleading sales pitches for poor quality products. As such, Marketing Practitioners were not able to come forward and present themselves as professionals who are instrumental in allowing consumers to make informed choices.

But that all changed in 1954 when 15 brave pioneers pooled their efforts and private funds to create the PMA. Guided by its long-term goal, notably “To promote Marketing as a noble profession and provide highlevels standards,” this new nonstock, non- profit organization provided high-level guidance to the government, particularly in marketing related issues. Since its inception, the PMA was committed to the belief that

BOARD OF

economic and social progress is intricately linked to the free enterprise system. These beliefs are embodied in the PMA credo: “Our country’s economic progress can be the best achieved in a climate of free enterprise, and business community is valued to economic progress.” With its credo and objectives, the PMA represented something totally new in the country: an organization firmly grounded in integrity and honesty, and committed to marketing as a professional enterprise. The PMA also believed that Marketing should be recognized and appreciated as both an art and science. It is also espoused that Marketing was, in truth, a profession in the finest sense of the word. Members were expected to contribute to the profession and to their communities, and to show consumers that profit was not to sole motivation for business. The PMA has always strived to do all that it can improve the quality of life of the Filipinos.

MR. LUCIEN DY TIOCO

Executive Vice President–Sales and Marketing | PhilStar Media Group 2016 Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Communications

MR. JOSEPH CHARLES “CHAY” CRUEL

Managing Director | Wellmade Manufacturing Corporation | 2016 Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Management

MR. ENRIQUE "ERIC"

Independent Director | Distillers | 2013 Outsta in Marketing E

SCREENING

DR. NARDS GARCIA CEO/CSO GLOBERA

VINCE REYES

MANAGING DIRECTOR EXECUTIVE DECISIONS

THE TRADITIONAL AND FUTURE PROMISE

S

INCE their inception in1979, the Agora Awards have honored many distinguished individuals and companies who have made significant contributions to the Marketing Profession. Over the years, new categories were added. These included Export Marketing and Marketing Company of the Year in 1986. To further recognize the role of Entrepreneurs and their contribution to economic growth, the Entrepreneurship category was segmented into Large-Scale, Medium Scale and Small Scale in 1989. In 1997, an international dimension was added to the Awards with the Asia Pacific Agora Awards for Marketing Excellence. This was logical outgrowth of PMA becoming a founding member of the Asia Pacific Marketing Federa-

tion in 1992, along with 12 National Marketing Associations from the region. Significantly, it was during the Centennial Celebration of the Philippine nation that the PMA “exported” the Agora Awards to members of the Asia Pacific Marketing Federation, who have enthusiastically adopted this Filipino originated award of marketing excellence. In 2003, another category –Advocacy Marketing-was added. This recognized companies with a strong sense of corporate social responsibility and actively gave back to the communities where they operate. As the media landscape changed, the awards continued adapt to the industry. To recognize Marketing Professionals from the non-client side. The Outstanding

Achievement in Marketing Communications was introduced in 2014. It was first awarded to Dr. Donald Patrick L. Lim of ABSCBN Corporation. Now, on its 37th year, the PMA proudly welcomes The Agora Awardees of 2016 into illustrious company of previous winners. Each year, the torch is passed, and flames of excellence showing the way for current and future Marketing Professionals. Then and now, The Agora Awards constantly highlights and rewards Filipino ingenuity and innovation in the field of Marketing. And on its 62nd year, The PMA, looks forward to continuing to champion The Agora Awards as a platform for serving the marketing profession and the Filipino people.

ARDS

pecial Feature

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Friday, October 19, 2018 A7

PROFESSIONAL

PHILIPPINES

F JUDGES

" SORIANO III | AGSB/Emperador anding Achievement Education

MR. ANICETO “CHITO” SOBREPEÑA President | Metrobank Foundation, Inc. 2003 Outstanding Achievement in Advocacy Marketing

MR. WILLIAM TIU LIM

CEO | Mega Global Corporation 2015 Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship (Large)

G COUNCIL

MS. PINKY T. YEE

NEW BUSINESS GROUP |DIRECTOR/ PRESIDENT GOLDILOCKS BAKESHOP INC. / DOMINOS PIZZA PHILIPPINES

ALPHA GRACIAS ALLANIGUI

CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER UN MEDIA GROUP | (United Neon Advertising, Inc.)

WINNERS

MR. EDGAR ALLAN L. CAPER

MR. MELVIN MANGADA

MR. RENE “RJ” LEDESMA, JR.

MR. RENE “RJ” LEDESMA, JR.

MR. KERWIN TANSIEKO

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE & SEARCH TEAM

A8

Friday, October 19, 2018

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

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IC issues guidelines for insurance Web aggregators

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By Rea Cu

@ReaCuBM

HE Insurance Commission (IC) has issued a circular letter enumerating the rules in line with licensing for insurance Web aggregators, adding that the issuance will enable the commission to supervise and monitor the sector. Under Circular Letter 2018-51 issued on Monday, an insurance Web aggregator is an Internet-based platform that accumulates and provides insurance-policy quotations from various insurance companies based on a predetermined set of needs specified by the prospective client from which it can choose from. Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa said the new rules on insurance Web aggregators will now place them under the regulation of the IC. “And now, with the development and existence of Web aggregators for insurance products, we saw the need to require them to register with us and to put in place regulatory requirements aimed at protecting the insuring public,” Funa said. The IC pointed out that the objective of the regulation is to supervise and monitor an aggregator as an insurance

intermediary that maintains a web site for providing insurance prospects for price comparison and information of products of different insurers and other related matters. The circular letter requires applicants to submit their respective business model and system framework or module of operation and copies of their agreement with insurance providers, among others. “In 2014, and in view of the gaining popularity of electronic commerce [ecommerce], the commission promulgated the Guidelines on Electronic Commerce of Insurance Products, which is the uniform framework governing the online solicitation of insurance products by industry players. Thus, placing online selling of insurance products within the regulation and supervision of the IC,” he added. T he new r u les requ ire bot h t he

insurance aggregator and the insurance company to incorporate in their agreement several provisions mandated by the IC aimed at protecting the interest of the public. In order to clearly identify and distinguish an insurance Web aggregator, the IC prohibits an aggregator from engaging in any business other than the objective of Web-based aggregation. The new regulation, likewise, prohibits an insurance aggregator from engaging in acts similar to that of an insurance agent or insurance broker. Insurance Web aggregators can only display authentic product information, which shall be based solely on information received from insurance companies. In addition, insurance aggregators can only use factual and unbiased data in its web site and are required to ensure that the information displayed are up to date and reflect the true features of the products. “We recognize the increasing number of insurance comparison web sites and the important role they play in boosting the online market for insurance products. Corollary to this, we likewise recognize the need to regulate this platform to ensure that both the insuring public and the insurance industry are protected,” he said. At present, existing Web-based insurance aggregators include: MoneyMax.ph; eCompareMo.com; DirectLink; iChoose.ph; GoBear; MoneyMonster.ph; and Citinsure, among others.

Learning from associations in China US spares China from

yuan manipulator label amid trade war

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WAS in Beijing last week as a panelist in the first China Congress for Associations and Chambers of Commerce. This was upon the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Commercial Sub-Council, also known as the CCOIC Commercial Chamber of Commerce, and in collaboration with the China Economic Information Service of Xinhua News Agency, the China Social Organization magazine, the China Business Event Federation and the IME Consulting Co. Ltd. About 250 delegates, mostly from China, and around 15 guests from overseas who served as speakers and resource persons, including myself, attended the one-day gathering. As CEO and founder of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE), the “association of associations” in the country, I was invited to share my experience of setting up a platform for associations and other membership organizations here. The conference, themed “Globalization, Cooperation and Mutual Benefit,” put together in one forum the associations and chambers of commerce to exchange ideas, strategies, and initiatives in line with the new thrust of the Chinese government to open and transform the so-called social organizations in the country. I have learned that associations in China are categorized as “social organizations,” which also includes chambers of commerce, foundations and nongovernment organizations. There are over 800,000 such organizations under the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China. According to the China Development Brief, the General Offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and that of the State Council published a “General Plan to Decouple Industry Association, Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Authorities.” As such, industry associations and chambers of commerce would be separated from the executive authorities or their professional supervisory units in five different aspects: mechanism, functions, financial assets, management and “Party building.” The hope was that the success of such transformation will lead to national economic development, as well. This development in China provides opportunities for associations and chambers of commerce in Asia and the Pacific to learn

Association World Octavio Peralta from each other, collaborate and undertake programs and activities of mutual benefit. During the panel discussion in the event, entitled “Cross-Boundary Cooperation among Associations and Chambers of Commerce,” I shared with six other panelists from different countries the following ideas for associations and chambers of commerce to undertake: n Knowledge Hub: Cooperate and collaborate in one common platform to contribute to human talent development through joint research and educational programs—The so-called soft infrastructure—under the “Belt and Road” initiative, which at this point focuses mostly on “hard infrastructure.” n Policy Advocates: Prepare position papers and policy recommendations toward the betterment of cross-border trade of goods and services, specifically on areas such as industry standards and ease of doing business. n Facilitators: Organize dialogues and forums to develop association governance and management best practices, codes of conduct and ethical behavior that can be universally applicable. n Incubators: Develop markets for products and services that can be traded across borders. The column contributor, Octavio “Bobby” Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (Adfiap) and CEO and founder of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives. PCAAE is holding its Sixth Associations Summit on November 23 and 24, 2018, at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center. The event is hosted by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and supported by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB). PCAAE enjoys the support of Adfiap, TPB and the Philippine International Convention Center. E-mail: obp@adfiap.org.

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HE Treasury Department stopped short of declaring China a currency manipulator in its semiannual report on foreign-exchange rates, averting an escalation of a trade war while serving notice that the United States will be closely watching the yuan after its recent slide. “Of particular concern are China’s lack of currency transparency and the recent weakness in its currency,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor and review China’s currency practices, including through ongoing discussions with the People’s Bank of China.” While Treasury said in the report that direct intervention by China’s central bank has recently been “limited,” the US is “deeply disappointed” that the nation doesn’t disclose its foreign-exchange intervention. No major trade partner was designated a currency manipulator, according to the report, which was released on Wednesday by the Treasury. Still, the department dialed up criticism of China’s state-driven economic model. “Real exchange-rate movements in 2018—particularly the strengthening of the dollar and the decline in China’s currency—would, if sustained, exacerbate persistent trade and current account imbalances,” according to the report. The Treasury said China’s economic model, “which continues to rely significantly on nonmarket mechanisms, is posing growing risks to the long-term global growth outlook.” The decision not to label China a manipulator stands in contrast with public comments made by President Donald J. Trump, who has repeatedly accused China of gaming the value of the yuan to gain an advantage in trade. While formally declaring China a manipulator wouldn’t have triggered sanctions or other US penalties, it would have worsened an already tense relationship between the world’s two biggest economies. Bloomberg News

Top bankers quietly prep for Saudi while their bosses skip forum

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N public, finance industry leaders have bailed on a key Saudi Arabian investment conference next week. Behind the scenes, dealmakers bringing in the hard cash are fretting—and still going. Senior investment bankers from HSBC Holdings Plc., Societe Generale SA and Credit Suisse Group AG are planning to attend the Future Investment Initiative (FII)—dubbed “Davos in the Desert”—even though their chief executives have told the world they’ve canceled appearances there. Wall Street firms, such as Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc., which have yet to publicly signal their intentions, are also expecting

to send executives, people familiar with the companies said, asking not to be identified because the details are private. However, the situation remains fluid, they said. The conference, expected to be the stage for announcing new ventures and billion-dollar contracts, has been overshadowed by the disappearance of a dissident Saudi journalist. At stake are hundreds of millions in fees up for grabs over coming years as the kingdom reorganizes the economy away from its dependence on oil. In the meantime, international lenders have been seeking licenses in what is the largest economy in the Middle East, as well as managing money for its ultra-wealthy families.

Spokespeople for the banks declined to comment. “The banks clearly think the potential deals on offer outweigh any reputational risk that is associated with attending the FII in light of the Khashoggi affair,” said Jason Tuvey, senior emerging-markets economist at Capital Economics. “Many will be keen to ensure that they maintain close ties with the government.” Privately, dealmakers in the region are anxious that pulling out will damage lucrative client relations in a region where loyalty during difficult times is rewarded, according to people who work in the Middle East. Bloomberg News

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Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Friday, October 19, 2018

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Manila to hold another auction for rice imports By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

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@jearcalas

HE National Food Authority (NFA) will hold another tender for the supply of the remaining 203,000 metric tons (MT) of rice as the majority of the offers during Thursday’s bidding was above the agency’s price ceiling. The NFA said only 47,000 MT out of the 250,000 MT was approved for supply by foreign traders, as most offers were higher by $29.20 to $50.30 per MT than the agency’s reference price of $428.18 per MT. “We have to report to the council to address this. We need rice, and we need to act immediately,” NFA Deputy Administrator Judy Carol Dansal said in an interview with reporters after the open tender. “We will have to rebid for the remaining volume. It is not a failed bidding. It is just that not all the volume were taken,” Dansal added. Dansal did not disclose more

details as to when and where the next tender would be held. She said the NFA Council would decide on the matter. The NFAC is the grains agency’s highest policy-making body that oversees the guidelines for rice importation undertaken by the government. Thai Capital Crops Co. Ltd. made the lowest offer for Lot 3 in Batangas with a volume of 18,000 MT at $426.30 per MT. G over n ment - r u n V iet n a m Southern Food Corp. is set to supply LOT 4 in Tabaco port with 15,000 MT after it offered $427.68 per MT. Vietnam Northern Food Corp.

was also declared as the lowest bidder for the supply of 14,000 MT in Iloilo and Bacolod at $427.50 per MT. The NFA allotted P5.833 billion for the importation of the 250,000 MT of 25-percent brokens, wellmilled long grain white rice. Winning bidders should deliver rice not later than November 30 as stipulated under the terms of reference approved by the NFAC. The NFAC approved on September 25 the purchase of an additional 500,000 MT of imported rice, on top of the 250,000 MT it greenlighted on September 4. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, chairman of the NFAC, said the 500,000 MT will arrive in the Philippines before the end of the year. The additional volume would bring the total imports of the NFA in the fourth quarter to 750,000 MT. Manila is racing to fill state warehouses with imported rice to cut the retail price of the staple and discourage unscrupulous traders from hoarding their stocks. Piñol said the NFAC has also approved a standby import authority of 1 million metric tons for next year.

2018 milk imports to hit 2.7 MMT–report

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H E A PER i nte r n at ion a l dairy products would encourage traders to import more milk this year, with shipments seen reaching 2.7 million metric tons (MMT) liquid milk equivalent, 8 percent higher than last year’s 2.5 MMT. This was according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila. The report noted that milk traders would “take advantage of low global dairy prices” this year, driving total import volume to increase by 200,000 metric tons (MT). “Dairy products are currently the country’s third-largest agricultural import after wheat and soybean meal,” the report read. The GAIN report projected that the country’s total milk imports next year would remain flat at 2.7 MMT. “Dairy imports in 2019 are forecast to remain at about the same level as prices begin to improve,” it said. In terms of production, the GAIN report expects local milk output to go up by 5.44 percent and by 4.17 percent this year and next year, respectively. “Local milk production is projected to reach 24,000 MT in 2018 and will likely hit 25,000 MT in 2019 due to increasing consumer preference for fresh milk and growing local dairying capabilities,” the report read. “Around 63 percent of total milk produced is cow’s milk while the rest is carabao milk [34 percent] and goat milk [3 percent],” it added.

The Philippines virtually imports all of its milk supply as local output only accounts for less than a percent of the total annual requirement. “The average Philippine milk production per animal [8 liters/ day] remains low mainly due to poor feed and management practices, as well as high production costs and a lack of adequate dairy infrastructure,” the report read. “According to various sources, the average daily milk yield in the United States is around 30 liters/ day and about 20 liters/day in the United Kingdom,” it added. The country’s expanding economy would drive and sustain the Filipinos’ increasing consumption of milk and dairy products, accord-

ing to the report. The GAIN report noted that the country’s annual per-capita milk consumption is estimated at 22 kilograms, compared with Thailand’s 26 kg, Malaysia’s 52 kg and the 287 kg of the US. “With a strong economy, an expanding middle class and a growing population of roughly 104 million in 2017, the Philippines is a large and rapidly expanding market for milk and dairy products,” it said. “Other factors contributing to the long-term trend of strong growth in dairy consumption are expanding cold chain capacity, an increasing number of supermarkets and a blossoming food-processing industry,” it added. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

BLOOMBERG NEWS

NFA must be stripped of regulatory powers after rice QR is lifted–study

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AINTAINING the status quo at the National Food Authority (NFA) would be “untenable” once Manila converts its quantitative restriction (QR) on rice into tariffs, according to a study conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). In a Policy Note, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Roehlano M. Briones said retaining the regulatory powers of the NFA, particularly the power to issue import licenses, will be “problematic.” Briones said the import licenses could be deemed a nontariff barrier under international trading rules. “While this is technically permitted even under tariffication, the involvement of state trading enterprises [STEs] in trade falls under a stringent set of international trading rules to ensure that STE trade is not used to circumvent WTO [World Trade Organization] obligations,” he said. One option, Briones said, is to repeal the NFA’s mandate to regulate imports. However, under this option, NFA maintains its status as STE and its mandate to maintain its food security stocks. The NFA will only participate in the market as part of its buffer stocking

functions. Regulating the rice trade will be left to other government agencies. The other option is to “decouple” government-controlled stocks. Under this option, the country’s rice stocks will not be held by the government but by the private sector. However, the private sector will be contracted to sell to the NFA during emergencies at market price. Nonetheless, this option will require the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to strictly enforce fair competition in the market. “[This] option assumes the presence of a strong private sector with vigorous competition among diverse players. This assumption may not hold during episodes of supply scarcity, when the large traders can manipulate the market price,” Briones said. He said that in the long run, the ideal setup is to rely on the private sector in all provinces. Transitioning this option requires greater private-sector development thrust. Earlier, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia confirmed that the Economic Development Cluster (EDC) wants to strip the NFA of all its regulatory functions and limit its function to buffer stocking.

1,000 unfilled jobs force meat-packers to sweeten benefits

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N a ny g iven Mond ay, America’s biggest supplier of ground beef has 1,000 jobs unfilled, pushing Cargill Inc. to aggressively sweeten the pot on benefits to retain existing workers and hire new ones. The openings, largely at the meat-packer level, are the result of the Trump administration’s tough stand on immigration and a United States unemployment rate reaching decade lows. While the number

represents less than 1 percent of Cargill’s work force, the shortage is slowing output and hindering production of new higher-margin products, executives say. With global demand for meat rising in a robust economy, Cargill and other industry leaders say the need to expand gives them little choice but to boost worker benefits—with added pay in some cases, as well as new housing, health care and busing incentives.

Companies are adding plants, but “whether or not they can run those plants efficiently is kind of a jump ball,” Christine McCracken, New York-based analyst for Rabobank International, said by telephone. “What we’re seeing today doesn’t indicate that they’ll be able to fully ramp up production.” “Recruiting and retaining qualified workers in the meat- and poultry-processing industries was always difficult,” she wrote in a note

in July. “But it is now a perpetual grind.” In its August earnings call, Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., the secondlargest US chicken company, said it expects tight labor conditions “will govern the pace of industry capacity additions in the near to midterm.” Meat processing is tough work, with frigid temperatures, sharp equipment, bloody meat, fastmoving conveyor belts and hours on your feet. In the past, the plants

have offered go-to-jobs for new immigrants, but with immigration rules drastically tightened under President Donald J. Trump, that well is running dry. At the same time, the September unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, the lowest since 1969. “Incredible number just out,” Tr u mp t weeted on Tuesd ay, “7,036,000 job openings. Astonishing—it’s all working!” While consumers haven’t yet

Pernia confirmed this to the BusinessMirror after the EDC meeting late Tuesday. The tarification of the country’s QR was the primary agenda discussed by the EDC. This will essentially expand the changes in the NFA’s functions under the proposed bill to convert the rice QR. The House of Representatives has already approved the bill on third reading but did not change the NFA’s functions, while the Senate version is still pending but it contains the removal of the NFA’s function to issue import permits. Pernia previously said the passage of the amendments to Republic Act 8178, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act, is a “crucial step” in reforming the agriculture sector. This proposed bill, once signed into law and fully implemented, is expected to help bring down the prices of rice and provide farmers better access to farming technologies and high-yielding variety crops. Briones said measures that are being undertaken by the government, such as the tariffication of the country’s quantitative restriction on rice, are sufficient to bring down rice prices, the country’s food staple. Cai U. Ordinario

been affected with a glut of meat still available, the unfilled jobs are preventing Cargill from producing higher-margin meat products, according to Brian Sikes, the agribusiness giant’s head of protein. The unfilled jobs mean “we can’t do some value-added activities that we might get paid more for at the end of the line because we don’t have the staff,” Sikes said in an interview at his Wichita, Kansas, office. Bloomberg News

A10 Friday, October 19, 2018 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Jeepney: If not now, when?

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HERE are often many issues that warrant examination and discussion for this section of the BusinessMirror. It is difficult sometimes to know which topics should be prioritized. We would like to believe that the news “writes itself ” but that is not true. There is always a human judgment call. The headlines for the past two days focused on the proposed—or already implemented; we are not sure—hike in jeepney fares that may be followed by an increase in bus fares, as well. Further, even as we all know that road transportation in the country is a national disgrace, and congestion in Metro Manila a catastrophe, the issues never seem to leave the newspapers. By some inspiration, we decided to look back at our BusinessMirror editorial on October 20, 2017. The title was “Jeepneys: Out with the old.” And that could be the same title today, one year later. We accept the fact that replacing some 270,000 old jeepneys is not an easy task and must be done carefully and with caution. But who in their right mind would say that the current jeepney vehicles that ply our roads and highways are the best that we can do? Sen. Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate Public Services Committee, was quoted on December 5, 2017, as saying on a local radio station, “Ibig sabihin, kahit kami sa gobyerno, hindi pa rin kami handa pagdating dito sa roll out ng ganito kalaking programa [This means that we in the government are not yet ready for the roll out of such a massive program].” At the time, that was a sensible and realistic assessment of the jeepney phase out. But here we are one year later and the good senator is saying the government is still not ready for the phase out. Two thoughts. If not now, when? And wasn’t the Senate through the Public Services Committee in fact working this past year to prod the government to get ready? There are two ways to insure that positive change never happens. One is to simply ignore the problem. But that is difficult to do when it comes to Philippine transportation. The other way is to study the problem forever. We do not want to single out Senator Poe for any blame, but she has said repeatedly that she favors the phase-out if it is done properly. Our suggestion then is for her to marshal the resources necessary and get the job done and done now. The private sector has stepped up, including our sister company Isuzu Gencars as well as Hyundai Motor, to provide the proper replacement vehicles. These “jeepneys” are more efficient, comfortable, and safe and should be on the road. Allow us to quote from our editorial one year ago: “But to even consider upgrading this form of transportation is apparently ‘anti-poor.’ It seems that every effort and plan to modernize is anti-poor. We heard the same argument when dilapidated and broken old taxis were taken off the road. Maybe shopping malls and convenience stores are antipoor since they compete with sari-sari stores. Certainly fast-food restaurants are anti-poor because they have probably put some carinderias out of business.” “There are legitimate complaints against the proposed jeepney phase-out program that the government needs to address. Changes to the plan are necessary. However, many of the arguments raised to justify the recent transport strike are hollow. Let’s hear a better alternative than ‘the government should own and operate transportation.’ That is truly anti-poor.” Since 2005

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business ✝ Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Founder Publisher Editor in Chief Associate Editor News Editor Senior Editors

BETTER DAYS

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EVERAL studies have shown that there are real mentalhealth benefits to having greener cities. One published in the Journal of the American Medical Association detailed a case of how the conversion of abandoned lots in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into community parks and gardens actually led to a 68-percent decrease in residents’ feelings of depression, particularly among those living below the poverty line. Interestingly, a recent Aarhus University, Denmark study related satellite maps of Denmark’s greenery with incidences of schizophrenia and found that those who did not have access to green spaces within 210 square meters (sq m) of their homes were 50 percent more likely to succumb to the mental illness. The Greek philosopher Socrates once said: “By far, the greatest and most admirable form of wisdom is that needed to plan and to beautify cities and human communities.” Yet, data would show that even if we have our own share of “wise” urban planners and designers, their

wisdom hasn’t been really put to good use, especially in terms of greening our cities. For instance, in the 2012 Asian Green City Index—a study of 22 major, often high-density Asian cities across certain criteria— Metro Manila registered very low in terms of the amount of green spaces available per inhabitant. Where residents in Singapore had access to 66 sq m of green space; 50 in Taipei; 44 in Kuala Lumpur; 27 in London; 23 in New York City; 19 in Shanghai; and 17 in Hanoi; those in Metro Manila had only 4.5 sq m. Only those in Bangkok,

Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug

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Jakarta and Kolkata had access to fewer green spaces. Congestion due to poor planning has also led to an urban landscape that favors cars and other motor vehicles, making it inconvenient— sometimes dangerous—for people to travel around as pedestrians. It’s no wonder then that a 2017 Stanford University survey of 111 countries determined that Filipinos were the fourth most lethargic or physically inactive people in the world, walking only 4,008 steps or 4.6 kilometers a day. In contrast, the most active—those from Hong Kong—walk close to 7,000 steps or 6 kilometers a day. The Philippines may be a country endowed with so much natural beauty. But clearly, we have not done such a good job with building up our cityscapes and ensuring that our urban spaces truly nurture life and promote productivity. This is why the Department of Budget and Management’s new program called “Green, Green, Green” is auspicious, as it marks a decisive step toward unleashing the wisdom of our urban design and planning experts across the country in tandem with our local government units, particularly cities. Under this year’s budget, up to P2.6 billion has been set aside—as

the assistance to cities component of the Local Government Support Fund)—for grants and support for projects that involve enriching open spaces; establishing forest parks and botanical gardens; installing benches and proper shading to streetscapes; setting up bikeways and walking lanes; and constructing other “green” infrastructure. While such projects are definitely about making our cities beautiful and greener, they’re also about making them more resilient, especially in the face of the devastating effects of climate change. Out of the country’s 145 cities, 143 expressed interest when the DBM launched the program earlier this year. And out of that number, 65 cities recently comprised the first batch of recipients of assistance of various amounts depending on the project scope, population size and land area covered. Ours is such a beautiful country. It’s only right that we build up our cities to amplify, not diminish, that beauty. Sen. Sonny M. Angara was elected in 2013, and is now the chairman of the Senate Committees on Local Government, and Ways and Means. Email: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara.

Are political dynasties permanent fixtures in PHL politics?

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Ruben M. Cruz Jr. Angel R. Calso

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Toward a ‘Green, Green, Green’ Philippines

Continued from A1

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ITH some elected government officials practically passing on their office to family members by letting them run during elections for the office they would vacate, these politicians, perhaps, think that they have an inherent right to their position in the government. Like an inheritance, we have seen politicians pass on their office to their wife, children and even grandchildren through an electoral process. Should we not charge these politicians then with inheritance tax? Are political positions being treated as a franchise that dynasties just pass on the right to electoral seats to their chosen franchisees? If that is the case, should we not collect franchise fees from them? Moreover, do we have a shallow bench of political leaders in the Philippines that we see mostly the same faces during elections? I can’t

help asking the same question once more, seeing the same political scenario repeated all over again. I have a new question, though, to ask this time: Is this the reason why the anti-dynasty bill cannot get through Congress? For obvious reasons, many congressmen will not even engage, much more support, the anti-dynasty bill as it would be like sharpening the sword that would kill their political ambitions. And with federalism being strongly pushed by the Duterte administration, will this not worsen the problem

on political dynasties in the country? Even in the current unitary form of government where the state is governed by a single power and the central government is supreme, political monopoly by some families can hardly be stopped. And the moment they are given the power and authority to govern themselves as a federal region, things could get worse. The various federated regions would most likely have their respective political dynasties. Thus, before the shift to federalism, the anti-dynasty law should already be in place. Otherwise, more political dynasties would be created in the federated regions, which the federal government would no longer be able to handle. Philippine politics is entirely unique. We have a political system where its rules against vote-buying during elections, for instance, are ignored. It’s sad to note, though, that a significant number of Filipino voters allow their inherent right to vote to be bought. Morality in Philippine politics must have already gone down the drain, that Philippine politics is characterized with guns, gold and goons. This explains why some monied

political families can hang on to various elective posts at the same time and for a long time. Thus, a sustained education campaign for Filipino voters should be undertaken, if only to enlighten them of the ill effects of irresponsible voting. The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI), which I chair, has been doing this program, and we remain committed to continue doing it. But I challenge Filipinos, government officials, and the youth, including the civic and religious group, to help in the important task of transforming Philippine elections into a political exercise marked with responsible and well-informed voters. And I appeal to civic, religious and business organizations to help in educating voters continuously, not just during elections. As the saying goes, in every forest there are snakes and birds. Similarly, in political dynasties, there are also the good and the opportunists. Dr. Arranza is the chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries and Fight Illicit Trade, a broad-based, multisectoral movement intended to protect consumers, safeguard government revenues and shield legitimate industries from the ill effects of smuggling.

Opinion BusinessMirror

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Partly bad luck, mostly mismanagement

Friday, October 19, 2018 A11

High on highways Tito Genova Valiente

ANNOTATIONS

Luis F. Dumlao, Ph.D.

EAGLE WATCH

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Y this time, most are aware by now that September’s inflation of 6.7 percent is the highest in almost 10 years. The last time it was higher was 7 percent in February 2009 in the midst of the Global Financial Crisis caused by the US Financial Crisis. With respect to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’s targets, 6.7 percent overshoots the midpoint target of 3 percent by 3.7 percent and breaches the target range of 2 to 4 percent by 2.7 percent. As to the causes of the spike in inflation, many attribute this to The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act or TRAIN, bad luck due to the spike in the global price of oil and operational mismanagement. The TRAIN is believed to be the first cause, but is a minor contributor. The TRAIN is notorious for taxing sugar sweetened products. However, goods categorized under (1) Non-Alcoholic Beverages and (2) Sugar, Jam, Honey, Chocolate and Confectionery contributed 0.26 and .07 percent, respectively, totaling 0.33. In other words, the tax on sugar-sweetened products caused inflation to hit 3.33 percent, missing the midpoint target of 3 percent by only 0.33 percent. The TRAIN is also notorious for taxing “sin” products. Indeed, Tobacco has the highest inflation among all categories at close to 30 percent. However, because it is not a “good,” in fact it is a “bad,” hence a sin product; it has minimal weight contributing only 0.25 percent on top of target. In other words, the tax on Tobacco caused inflation to hit 3.25 percent, missing the midpoint target of 3 percent by only 0.25 percent. Combining the effects of the TRAIN, inflation would become 3.58 percent, overshooting the midpoint target of 3 percent but not enough the target range of 2 to 4 percent. The second cause is bad luck due to the spike in the global price of oil. From 2000 to 2018, every 1-percent increase in annual average of the global price of oil (or simply oil) is correlated with approximately 0.05 percent increase in inflation. From September 2017 to September 2018, the price of oil increased by roughly 45 percent. If the correlation holds, an additional 2.25-percent inflation is expected. What actually happened? The goods categorized under (1) Operation of Personal Transport Equipment and (2) Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels contributed 0.56 and 0.45 percent respectively, totaling 1.01. This is just the direct effect. The indirect effect includes some increase in the price of transported goods like food. But counting only the direct effect, the increase in the price of oil caused inflation to hit 4.01 percent, overshooting the midpoint target of 3 percent and just enough to breach the target range of 2 to 4 percent. The third cause is operational mismanagement. The goods categorized under (1) Rice, (2) Fish, (3) Vegetables and (4) Meat contrib-

uted 0.7, 0.6, 0.47 and 0.34 percent respectively, totaling 2.11. The increase in the price of food caused inflation to hit 5.11 percent, overshooting the midpoint target of 3 percent and more than enough to breach the target range of 2 to 4 percent. Adding the minor effect of the TRAIN of 0.58, the big effect of oil of 1.01 and the biggest effect of food of 2.11 makes what would have been a 3-percent inflation become 6.69 percent. That explains the actual 6.7-percent inflation. It is partly due to bad luck. By November 2017, multilateral institution World Bank, intergovernmental organization Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the futures market predicted the average oil price in 2018 to hit around $55. By September 2018, the three project the oil price to $65, $70 and $70, respectively. Hence a year ago, nobody was able to predict oil price to spike by about 50 percent. But it is mostly operational mismanagement. To be clear, it is not an economic mismanagement; rather, it is an operational mismanagement. As far as available data is concerned, the present administration has had eight quarters of evidence to show for. In these eight quarters, the agriculture and fishery sector produced seven growths and one contraction (a negative growth), registering a total growth of 6.5 percent. The previous administrators’ last eight quarters produced two growths and six contractions, registering a total of 2-percent contraction (negative growth). Surely, there must have been an improvement in economic management. But the resultant expected stable price in food turned out to be the biggest contributor to inflation. In the case of rice, the National Food Authority was not able to secure enough supply, only to import when prices has already gone up. As for the rest, something went wrong operationally in the supply chain from when fishes, vegetables and meat were harvested to when they go on sale to consumers. Luis F. Dumlao, PhD, dean, John Gokongwei School of Management at Ateneo de Manila University.

A blessed heart of charity Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual

SERVANT LEADER

“She opens her arms to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy” —Proverbs 31:20

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S we pray for those who are suffering through the heart relic of Saint Padre Pio, we should also help and act for those who are suffering, as we are the Lamb of God who praise and glorify the Almighty Father. Recognizing the value of humility and heart of charity, Caritas Manila second Celebrity Bazaar

new event ambassador, Ms. Heart Evangelista, professes her faith to God by means of charity, as she

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HE moon was cut in half on the horizon. It is rare that we see the moon setting, but it is rare that we are on the road, awake at midnight. It is also rarer, for me, to be awake at that time when the bus has lurched and swayed on roads that curve and seem to swing back and forth along waves. The engineers who created these roads and ways have truly respected the curves of nature. Where there were huge mountains, they built the route around them; where there were giant trees, they cut around shrubs. I should be passing the highway by now but, as the designs of these camineros show, these are still roads manually constructed and following the growth of soil and listening to the sound of grounds. My night bus consorts, it seems, forever, with the devil moon. The closer we are to the eternal pallor on the sky, the more frustratingly remote the possibility that we can hit the moon and challenge its place in the night. But I can feel something is going to happen. I know this in my years of traveling through these towns of diminishing light and imagined love. We pass by a grove of medium-tall trees and hardy bushes, the bus takes a quick glance at the visible darkness behind us and the bridge that is no more a bridge appears before us. We are circling and circling, but we are not being pushed by this powerful architecture; the technology of our transport understands the circle and radius of this artificial byway. These were made by machines with no love nor hate for the surroundings, just an embedded information that they should make this route into a turnpike or an expressway. We are entering a road that, by definition, is a private road. This is certainly not a free road. We are going to pay just to pass this highway. If these expressways were not

built, my bus would be passing through more towns. But that is not the case. Soon the curves and billows that are, it seems, natural to the human body, vanished. In front of us was the widest road ever—flat and straight. It would be the horizon, but one that has been created. If I were a developer, I would certainly celebrate the human endeavor to progress. I would, in fact, following the ideas of those who wish to change the shape of this world, continue to build more ways that will expressly fly me away from the bends and blights. I would see no more the rivers and streams; I will just aviate and dart through open spaces: Here factories are built closer to transportation, and homes are isolated, as the exits to them are few and far in between. How did this happen that now we have this long kilometer of thoroughfare that has banished the towns and trees? What are under these highways and freeways? Beneath the speed of our journey are ancient trees and their roots. Under the cars that are in a hurry to reach the destination so that they could go back again to their origin are worlds that used to dominate the landscape and mindscape of the land. Tales about the mighty creatures seducing young women are all there buried now. The tricksters—the

elves of promises and wealth—are entombed beneath tollgates. Oceans of treasures—gold, diamond, emeralds, gifts of wise men—are interred without benediction, unless one calls progress a sacred trust. One doubts it because, as our night bus leaves the night and goes into the day, the markers at the highway are starting to make no sense anymore. No lanes ahead. Uneven roads. Barriers ahead. Was a forest decimated when in the name of progress these mighty freeways were built? Perhaps, one should add more markers along the highway. What about “Great Forest Buried Under?” Or, please drive gently, “Living Dwarfs May Still Be Breathing Under Your Wheels!” To make for the absence of magic —for that which they killed—highways have pavement markers. Some of these are “astro optics,” the new enchanted potion for those small lights that blink brighter when hit by the lights of vehicles. They gratify and beguile us. They are, without the knowledge of engineers and road scientists, subversive products.

They remind us what are obscured by these grand passageways: the spell of nature; the magic of a slow life, as life should be; and the sorcery of what life is all about—that travel through space and time that is not intervened by cash. Indeed, one marker that is amusing along the expressway is that which says, “Cash here.” For those, therefore, who ask where life’s magic has gone? The answer is in highways that have disturbed the magic of the Earth. I know, you are smiling as you read this. That is expected. Anyone who believes me belongs to those who will be declared insane. We shall be subjected to rituals of appeasement and, worse, exorcism. My dear Sylvia M., you say to Kristian C., alchemy is alive in Prague. Well, we are killing much of alchemy in our land as we build more roads that allow us to speed through nights of brave moons and days that remain as soft as early evenings.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com.

China’s machine makers look for a scapegoat By Anjani Trivedi Bloomberg Opinion

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OR all the talk of China’s industrial ambitions and trappings of dominance, the truth is its companies can’t keep up with the competition. This week, China’s Ministry of Commerce opened an antidumping investigation into Japanese and Taiwanese exporters of vertical-machine centers—core-equipment manufacturing facilities for autos and other high-tech processes—after complaints by a group of Chinese companies. The probe is expected to close in a year. In their application to the government, the Chinese firms allege that the number of imports of Japanese and Taiwanese machines rose more than 70 percent last year, along with their market share. While prices have fluctuated, competition has intensified,

believes that “the LORD our God will bless us in all our work and in everything to which we put our hand” (Deuteronomy 15:10). With the grace and guidance of our Lord Jesus Christ, we successfully launched our second Celebrity Bazaar on October 18, from 1 to 10 p.m., at the second level of the Mega Atrium of SM Megamall. The bazaar featured pre-loved luxury items up for sale from generous celebrity donors, which include Heart Evangelista, Alden Richards, Ruffa Gutierrez, Dr. Vicki Bello, Scarlet Snow Bello, Cristalle Bello, Bang Pineda, Teacher Georcelle, Toni Gonzaga, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Vice Ganda, Iza Calzado, Divine Lee, Jinkee Pacquiao, Manny Pacquiao, and premier designers Michael Cinco

the complaint notes. Much of this is a case of playing spoilsport. The numbers, at least, show as much. Last year, China imported $1.22 billion of such machinery from Japan, 30 percent less than in 2014. Meanwhile, the price per unit only fell 5 percent over that period. What’s most likely rankled Chinese companies are 2016 and 2017, when the value of imports rose more than 50 percent while the unit price dropped 14 percent. Does one big year—from an unusually low base in 2016—warrant a complaint and an investigation? Meanwhile, in Taiwan’s case, not much has changed: Between 2014 and 2017, total value fell and unit prices rose. From 2016 to last year, value rose 13 percent, and prices fell 0.05 percent. Here’s the reality: Machinery orders in China have been slowing, though absolute levels still remain high. Machine-tool production has

broadly edged lower and shipments of bearings, considered a proxy for the industry, have dropped. Orders from the mainland for Japan’s Yaskawa Electric Corp. have fallen sharply in recent months. Capital expenditure in the Chinese private sector has also dipped amid the trade war. That usually hits bigticket items like factory automation and other machinery-related investments: Growth in China’s robot demand, as measured by volume, has slowed to 30 percent to 40 percent in the first half of this year, from 70 percent last year. Other subsets of less-complicated machinery like excavators, bulldozers, tractors and combines have fared a bit better. That’s likely because manufacturers are hoping for some form of infrastructure-related fiscal stimulus. For companies like Sany Heavy Industry Co., which has weathered foreign competition, unit sales have risen.

Chinese makers’ excavator volumes, for instance, are growing much faster than their Japanese peers. Meanwhile, along with rising material prices, labor costs in China are up almost 10 percent a year, according to Nomura Holdings Inc. analysts. The Japanese have tried to leverage this trend by exporting automation. If anything, a crackdown on their machinery will only hurt Chinese productivity. It isn’t all that bad for Japanese companies: Machine tool orders in Europe, the United States and at home have been rising. Demand from sectors like autos remains high, as we have written about here. Investors flinched and the beaten-down Japanese machinery stocks dropped even more on Thursday. With “Made in China 2025” on the horizon, the real losers are mainland industrial firms: They’re shutting out Japanese know-how just when they need it most.

Proceeds from this year’s bazaar will benefit the Youth Servant Leadership and Education Program of Caritas Manila. The program sends and supports less-fortunate but deserving students nationwide to their college or university of choice.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we at Caritas Manila are extending our sincere gratitude for your generosity and enthusiasm to help YSLEP scholars. Your assistance will go a long way in providing education and support that can help realize the potentials of our future leaders who come from the ranks of the poor. Let us always remember that “each of us should give what we have decided in our heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). May the heart relic of Saint Padre Pio and the heart of charity of these celebrities inspire us to give more for our brothers and sisters who are suffering and in need. And may the Almighty God bless

our heart of charity. To date, more than 10,000 YSLEP scholars have graduated from college and vocational schools nationwide, especially from the poorest provinces. Caritas Manila is one of the biggest nonprofit organizations in the country led by its chairman, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.

and Cary Santiago. Proceeds from this year’s bazaar will benefit the Youth Servant Leadership and Education Program (YSLEP) of Caritas Manila. The program sends and supports lessfortunate but deserving students nationwide to their college or university of choice.

To know more about Caritas Manila, visit or follow us on Facebook: CaritasManilaInc. For your donations, please call our DonorCare lines 563-9311, 564-0205, 0999-7943455, 0905-4285001 and 0929-8343857. Make it a habit to listen to Radio Veritas 846 in the AM band, or through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph and follow its Twitter and Instragram accounts @veritasph and YouTube at veritas846.ph. For comments, e-mail veritas846pr@gmail.com.

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Friday, October 19, 2018

B1

Petron can sell gas to PNOC at discount

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By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

ETRON Corp., the country’s largest oil company, said on Thursday that it could extend to the Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC) as much as P17 discount per liter in diesel or gasoline prices instead of importing the finished products from Singapore. As such, Petron President Ramon S. Ang strongly encourages the government to purchase from

them instead of importing from Singapore an initial 50,000 metric tons (MT) worth P1.3 billion.

PNOC President Pedro Aquino said the Philippines received an offer of “above $500 per metric ton,” lower than the current price of “around $725 per metric ton.” If the sale happened now, Aquino said the other day that motorists could buy diesel that is cheaper by as much as P5 per liter than the current pump price. This is more than three times higher the discount that Petron can extend to PNOC-EC. Based on current retail prices, diesel is sold anywhere between P48 and P50 per liter. When sought for comment, Ang provided four reasons PNOC-EC should reconsider its plan to import from Singapore. First, Petron is already export-

ing gasoline and diesel. Ang said this is what makes Petron prices “very competitive.” Should government buy from Petron, Ang said PNOC-EC would no longer have to pay for freight cost. Second, PNOC-EC would no longer have to pay for excise tax and value-added service tax. Third, Ang said Petron’s petroleum products are already Euro 5 and 6 compliant. PNOC-EC’s specification for the fuel is a sulfur content of 50 parts per million, or the standard for Euro 4. Fourth, PNOC would not have to worry about logistics. “Definitely, our price is very competitive. Why do they have to import? That’s dollar outflow. Petron

is already exporting gasoline and diesel. If their reason is that they won’t pay excise tax and VAT [valueadded tax], then why not buy from us? We can say we sold it to PNOC, and they will get a certification from BIR [Bureau of Internal Revenue], then there won’t be VAT and excise tax anymore,” said Ang on the sidelines of the 44th Philippine Business Conference and Expositions. Minus the freight cost, impact of currency fluctuation and world price movements, Ang said Petron could extend a P5 discount per liter. On top of this, an P11 to P12 discount per liter can still be added with the exemption of the imposition of excise tax and VAT. In all, Petron could be able to

provide very cheap diesel, P12 less than the current prices. This is much bigger than the P5 discount per liter if PNOC-EC buys diesel from Singaporean oil traders who earlier made offers. When sought for comment, Aquino said late Thursday that the PNOC-EC will study Petron’s offer. “Yes, it is worth considering,” he said in a text message reply. Based on PNOC-EC’s published letter of intent, it has set the quantity at 50,000 MT for the trial shipment. Aquino said this would cost roughly P1.3 billion. Subsequent shipments of up to four shipments per month and up to one year are to be mutually agreed upon by the seller and the buyer.

Meralco vying to supply power to BCDA Cemex invests $235M in Solid’s

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HE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is one of two shortlisted entities vying for a contact to supply power to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). “I think there are two. Very stringent ang requirements nila,” said Meralco President Oscar Reyes, who was referring to BCDA. He did not identify the other shortlisted firm. It had been reported though that AboitizPower earlier submitted a bid to provide electricity to New Clark City, en-

visioned to be Asia’s premiere economic hub. Reyes did not reveal the supply requirement of BCDA, saying “Meralco is still studying what the potential is,” nor did he say how much investment Meralco will shell out if it is chosen by BCDA. BCDA said last month it would soon award the maintenance and operating contracts to the water and power-distribution utilities in New Clark City. It earlier identified Maynilad, Manila Water and Prime Water

FLI inaugurates Amarilyo Crest facility in Eastern Metro Manila

Systems review to put Felcris Group up front anew in Mindanao retail sector

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OTIANUN-LED Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) on Thursday said it inaugurated the amenity area of Amarilyo Crest, one of the seven residential communities in the 300-hectare Havila townscape, the largest development east of Metro Manila bordering the municipalities of Taytay, Antipolo and Angono in Rizal. Amarilyo Crest offers a community using a contemporary Asian architecture in an 8.8-hectare property that has panoramic views of the mountains. This residential development has four Asian-inspired house models to choose from, with livable floor areas ranging from 60 square meters to as large as 13 sq m. “The residents can now enjoy the wide variety of fine amenities. Family bonding activities are made easy without having the need to travel far. Families can take a dip at the pools with the majestic view of the mountains. Children can enjoy playing in open spaces, gazebo and pocket parks. Special occasions and milestones can be celebrated at the exclusive clubhouse,” said Francis V. Ceballos, FLI senior vice president for the Northeast Cluster. Amarilyo Crest can be accessed via the three major access points from Ortigas Avenue Extension, Marcos Highway and the Manila East Road. Its accessibility allows the residents to come home to their very own sanctuary that is close to nature and yet still close to the city, he said. “With Metro Manila being heavily congested, people can now escape from this overcrowded and polluted area and enjoy fresh air and clean surroundings in a community like Amarilyo Crest,” he said. VG Cabuag

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

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AVAO CITY—Owners of a chain of superstores and convenience outlets in Mindanao were bent on keeping the Felcris brand name upfront anew in the retail industry here, saying its internal deep systems review have brought to the surface what ails the operation that was first practiced since four decades ago. Stephen Y. Yap, vice president of the Felcris Group of Cos., said the systems review was conducted at the beginning of the year and continued to be undertaken. “Outlets including convenience stores have poor lighting, are dirty. These have been identified already, and we are addressing them,” he said on Thursday at the Felcris office along Quirino Avenue in downtown Davao. Yap said the Felcris group was not threatened by the sprouting of the international brands of convenience stores and the operation of the big shopping malls across Mindanao. “Our convenience stores still offer the cheapest rate, at between

as the three qualified bidders for the water- and wastewater-distribution facilities, while at least four companies have expressed interest back then to bid for the electric-power distribution system. The 9,450-hectare New Clark City, located within the Clark special economic zone that spans Angeles City in Pampanga and the towns of Capas and Bamban in Tarlac, is the country’s first smart, disaster-resilient and sustainable city.

10 percent and 20 percent cheaper than prevailing in these new convenience stores,” he said. Besides, he added, “many people just go there to taste what these stores have to offer, and they are willing to spend a little bit more to do it.” He said many consumers still go back to their convenience stores “because we also offer other nonfood grocery items.” The Felcris Group operates 24 big stores and 120 convenience stores here and as far as Surigao City to the north, and as far as Kidapawan City to the southwest from here. Its biggest property development was the high-rise Felcris Centrale where it operates a grocery store at the ground floor to cater to the building occupants, many of them call-center agents. While the review would continue, the owners would already apply the necessary changes in management and operation styles, “which was used 40 years ago when we started to operate here.” “The old management styles have to be modernized, and we have already started training our management people late last year to improve their skills,” he said.

The first phase of the development covering 60 hectares features the National Government Administrative Center that will house backup offices of various government agencies and a worldclass sports complex now being constructed in time for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. The new metropolis will also have mixed-use residential, commercial, agro-industrial, educational institutions and information-technology developments. Lenie Lectura

Yap said he personally led the review and disclosed that it would not require a huge capital outlay to implement the changes. “It’s mostly facelift changes, and no infrastructure construction. It’s about changing management styles to fit the demand of the times.” He said he was confident of reasserting the presence of the Felcris Group in the retail scene in the cities, “much less in the major capital towns as consumer spending continues to be on the way up.” “You see that, while prices are going up, people are spending. And they are discriminating now than ever, and they would be willing to spend a little more to find the quality that they seek in an item,” he said. The spending pattern could be seen in the rural areas, too, “and there is much economic potential and activity in countryside.” “Our only drawback is when people lose their source of income, such as when they lose their chance to harvest because of a typhoon or heavy rains, or when there is a drought,” he said. “That’s the only time that the retail industry would feel dry up, but that’s only occasional.” “People are really spending nowadays,” he said.

AirSWIFT mounts direct flights to Manila-Sicogon

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NVISIONED as an island paradise for both global and local tourists, Sicogon Island Tourism Estate by Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is now easily accessible from Manila following AirSWIFT’s inaugural flight to the Northern Iloilo island destination last October 10. AirSWIFT operates the ManilaSicogon-Manila route every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday departing from Manila early morning and returning by mid-morning via the 48-seater ATR 42-600. Once the playground of the rich and famous in the 1980s, the 1,100-hectare

Sicogon Island Tourism Estate is master planned to be a self-contained resort community ringed by pristine beaches and emerald seas. It is also a convenient jumpoff point to other destinations like the Gigantes Group of Islands and the heritage homes of Silay, Negros Occidental. Joey Bernardino, group director of sales and marketing, said the island’s remote location has helped preserve its natural attractions, such as ivory coves, clear waters and a bounty of shellfish and other seafood. Also, only 200

hectares or just over 20 percent of the island’s area will be developed to ensure sustainable growth and limited impact on its natural surroundings. He added Sicogon now also has a range of accommodations for travelers wishing for off-the-beaten track experiences. Current establishments include the 26-room bed and breakfast Balay Kogon, which has garnered warm reviews for its personable service; and the 52-room Huni, a homegrown ALI boutique resort brand named after “the hum of the sea” (huni ng dagat).

Antipolo plant expansion By VG Cabuag

@villygc

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UBLICLY listed Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. (CHP) on Thursday said it has invested $235 million (about P12.7 billion) for the expansion of the facilities of its unit Solid Cement Corp. in Antipolo. The company said the investments it made for the unit was for the expanded and new integrated cement-production line. The company said it has entered a project agreement with CBMI Construction Co. Ltd. of China for the procurement, construction and installation of the 1.5 million met-

ric tons per year for the integrated cement production line at Solid’s cement plant. “Upon completion, it is expected this new line will represent a 26-percent increase in CHP’s cement capacity in the Philippines,” the company said. The company said the new line will start operations by the fourth quarter of 2020. The investment for the new line may be sourced from either its free cash flow, debt from any subsidiary of Cemex SAB de CV, the ultimate parent company, debt from one or more financial institutions and proceeds from one or more capital market transactions.

NPC directs FB to provide insurance to 700K Pinoys whose accounts were breached in Sept By Elijah Felice E. Rosales @alyasjah

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H E Ph i l ip pi ne go v ernment has directed Facebook to provide insurance to more than 700,000 Filipinos whose social-media accounts were compromised in a large-scale data breach in September. The National Privacy Commission (NPC) ordered Facebook to provide identity theft and phishing insurance for Fi l ipi no d at a subjec t s a f fected by the September data breach. The attack reportedly compromised the accounts of more than 30 million users worldwide. If Facebook cannot do so, it can instead establish a help desk for Filipino data subjects on privacy-related matters, located in the country and with a local number, within six months from receipt of the order. It is also instructed to submit a more comprehensive data breach notification report to the NPC, as well as inform its affected users. Facebook, too, is directed to roll out a program intended to raise the awareness of Filipino users on identity theft and phishing. Last, it is told to provide evidence of compliance with the aforementioned measures. Identity theft is the fraudulent manipulation and use of a person’s private identifying information frequently utilized in financial scams. Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending e-mails from ostensibly reputable firms in order to induce individuals to reveal

private details, such as creditcard numbers and passwords. The data breach took place in September and threatened the accounts of more than 30 million Facebook users. The social-media network addressed the attack by forcibly logging out the affected data subjects. However, in spite of the response, millions of accounts were still compromised one way or the other. The NPC said an estimated 387,322 Filipino data subjects had their basic profile information compromised. T his includes full name, e-mail address and phone number, if it is attached to the account. Additional basic information of 361,227 Filipino users are potentially obtained by the attackers. Aside from full name, e-mail address and phone number, their recent search queries and accounts they follow, among others, could have been acquired, too. The third and last bracket of compromised accounts were hit most, as their posts, list of friends, groups they are members of and the names of who they recently talked to might have been obtained, on top of basic profile information. This was the case for about 7,424 Filipino accounts. “Be that as it may, Facebook contends in its letter dated October 13, 2018, there is no material risk of more extensive harm occurring,” the order read. “This commission does not agree; the risk of serious harm to Filipino data subjects is more than palpable. The conditions for individual notification are present,” it added.

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Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Govt urged to allow firms to test emerging tech

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By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

HE government must look into emerging technologies and allow companies that test them to flourish, an advocate said on Thursday, to help improve the quality of Internet connectivity in the Philippines.

Better Broadband Alliance (BBA) lead convener Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos said the government must revisit old regulations and policies, particularly those implemented during the analog era, and amend them to suit the demands of the times. Today, she said, there are a number of emerging technologies all around the world, and companies are brave enough to test whether they prove to be economically sound or not—so long as it will help improve the quality of the Internet. “Given the different challenges and issues on quality and affordability and access, we look at other technologies out there that are being used to improve access, reliability, thereby making the cost of broadband much cheaper,” Santos said. For example, some foreign companies are testing technologies that use radio frequencies to produce connectivity, some are building fiber-optic cables directly in their

premises, and some use satellites and fixed wireless innovations. “We look at emerging technologies because they are known to disrupt the market. Having a disruptive technology can introduce competition to the market, and entice unexpected market entry,” she said. So what needs to be done, Santos said, is for the government to review, amend, and upgrade the policies, regulations, and even laws that are barring or may bar the development of new technologies. She cited the proposed amendments to the Public Service Act and to the Philippine Telecommunications Act as examples. She also cited the initiatives in both houses of Congress to pass the open access in data transmission Bill. “We are aware there are other ways of doing things. We just need to allow them to happen,” Santos said. “We do have hope and it can be done. We can bring our policies and regulation to the digital age.”

NEA, Toshiba explore building H2One system By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

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HE National Electrification Administration (NEA) and Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corp. will explore the possibility of constructing H2One, an autonomous energy supply system that uses renewable energy to produce hydrogen and generate electricity. NEA and Toshiba signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the development of the first self-sufficient hydrogen energy system in the country. The project includes grant funding from the Japanese government to conduct a feasibility study for the potential installation of the system in selected off-grid areas not connected to the main power grid covered by the electric cooperatives (ECs). Ernesto Silvano Jr., acting department manager of the NEA Office of Renewable Energy and Development, said beneficiaries for the feasibility study will be chosen from a shortlist of off-grid areas or those belonging to the small power utilities group. “The project’s main objective is to help in the power supply, increase the power supply in isolated areas, and serve the un-

energized areas. This will help the ECs have their own renewable-energy power source and not be dependent on fossil fuel anymore,” Silvano said. Based on the NEA data, there are 1,702 off-grid areas still without any access to electricity. These are located mainly in Mindanao with 1,003, followed by the Visayas with 557, and Luzon with 142 off-grid areas. Silvano said some off-grid areas in the country are currently powered by diesel generator sets. He said Toshiba’s hydrogenbased energy system will help bring down electricity rates in an off-grid area. The MOU was signed on October 15. Signatories to the memorandum were NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong and Toshiba’s Corporate Senior Vice President Fumio Otani. “Piloting this technology here in the Philippines, in electric cooperative areas in the countryside, is a welcome development. I hope this pushes through in a larger scale here as ECs increasingly shift their energy mix from traditional energy sources to more sustainable modes of generation to supply their electricity-for-distribution requirements,” Masongsong said.

Thales appoints new talents to drive growth in Southeast Asia

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OUTHEAST Asia is a region ripe for development. The region’s combined GDP per capita increased multifold from $122 in 1976 to $4,021 in 2017. With the amount of natural and human capital that Southeast Asia possesses, expectations for further growth is high. This plan for growth was mapped out in the Asean 2018 development initiative, where technology adoption was one of the two focus areas for the region. Innovation is flourishing as the region readies itself for a smart future. To continue supporting the long-term development and big ambitions of the Southeast Asian economies, Thales announced several new appointments across the region, as it continues to expand its footprint and bolster the region’s burgeoning economic development. Benoit Nalin, current country director for Thales in Bangladesh, Philippines and Sri Lanka will expand his leadership portfolio to include Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Maldives and Nepal. Prior to joining Thales in 2013, Benoit brought extensive experience in business development from companies including Nokia and Blackberry. In his role as country director for Thales in Bangladesh, Thales gained entry into the space industry by winning the contract to supply the Bangabandhu telecommunications satellite in 2015. The satellite, developed by Thales Alenia Space, was delivered in April this year. Benoit will now be spearheading Thales’s business in these countries to complement and accelerate their rapid growth efforts

across the civilian and defense industries. Nicolas Bernardin is appointed as country director, Thales in Vietnam. With more than 12 years of experience in the organization, Nicolas is well versed with the value that Thales offers to its clients. In his new role, Nicolas will lead and drive Thales’s growth in Vietnam to support the government’s initiatives and to further develop strategic industrial partnerships. He will also continue to sustain the Group’s extensive efforts in the country, which involves projects in aerospace, space, defense, transportation and security. Prior to his current role, Nicolas was a key account manager for Thales’s land defense and security business in Indonesia, where he built his business expertise on the region. Nicolas takes over from Massimo Marinzi, who is now tasked to lead the Thales business in Thailand and Myanmar. Massimo Marinzi, formerly country director for Thales in Vietnam assumed his new role to spearhead the growth and development of the Group in Thailand and Myanmar. He brings close to two decades of experience in developing businesses and strategic partnerships to the table. Over the last five years in Vietnam, Massimo worked closely with the government and private organizations as he drove the growth of the Thales Group across its five business areas. In his tenure, Thales gained its first foothold into the transportation business with the contract to supply the telecommunications system for the Hanoi Metro Line 3.

Editor: Angel R. Calso

World Companies BusinessMirror

Huawei using lawsuit to seek China dominance, says former employee B

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BOEING’S NEW BUSINESS UNIT TARGETS COMPUTERS MODELED ON HUMAN BRAINS

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FORMER employee of Huawei Technologies Co. accused the mobile giant of using a lawsuit against his Silicon Valley start-up to steal intellectual property and help China achieve technological dominance over the US. The former employee, Yiren “Ronnie” Huang, said in a court filing the litigation was “the latest in a long line of underhanded tactics” by China’s biggest maker of smartphones and telecommunications equipment. Huawei and its FutureWei unit sued Huang and his start-up— CNEX Labs Inc.—in December, accusing him of making off with sensitive trade secrets related to technology that uses integrated circuits as memory to store data. Huang was hired as an engineer by FutureWei in Santa Clara, California, in January 2011 and left two years later to form CNEX, where he’s chief technology officer. Huang said in an 80-page response filed on Tuesday that Huawei got it backward. He said he was hired so the Chinese company could take control of his inventions for solid state disk non-volatile memory and then, after he left, sought to obtain proprietary information from his start-up. Huawei, which overtook Apple Inc. to become the world’s secondlargest smartphone maker a few months ago, has become a symbol of China’s growing technological prowess but also a target of US scrutiny. While it will be up to a federal court in eastern Texas to

determine who owns the technology, Huang’s filing seeks to capitalize on criticisms that Huawei isn’t playing fair, including corporate espionage allegations filed by other American companies and a congressional report that said the use of Huawei equipment “could undermine core US national-security interests.” “Huawei and FutureWei have served as critical participants in a corporate espionage campaign orchestrated to steal intellectual property from American technology companies, like CNEX, in hopes of surpassing the United States as the world’s predominant technological superpower by 2025,” Huang said in his filing. Huawei has defended its actions and struck back at accusers, saying it invests billions of dollars in research to attain a technological edge. In 2017 Huawei was awarded 1,472 US patents, putting it No. 22 on the list of top recipients, according to the Intellectual Property Owners Association. “Huawei strongly denies the allegations in CNEX’s and Mr. Huang’s counterclaims. Those counterclaims simply mimic the claims that Huawei first filed against CNEX and Mr. Huang,” the Chinese company said in an

e-mailed statement on Thursday. “Huawei looks forward to protecting its intellectual property in court.” China President Xi Jinping has promoted his Made in China 2025 campaign to heighten the Asian nation’s technological know-how in key areas, like computers and biotechnology. The program has been the source of tensions with the US, and is a key factor in the trade conflict between Washington and Beijing. According to Huawei’s original complaint, Huang and CNEX began filing patent applications less than a month after he left FutureWei. “Huang used information he obtained through his employment at FutureWei along with FutureWei’s resources and technology in drafting these patent applications,” the company said. It also accused him of luring other FutureWei employees to CNEX, one of whom, the company added, was caught downloading thousands of confidential documents. Huang, who had worked for companies including Cisco Sys-

Ebay sues Amazon, saying it tried to poach its sellers

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EW YORK—Ebay filed a lawsuit against Amazon on Wednesday, saying the online retail giant used eBay’s messaging system to steal its sellers. In the lawsuit, eBay said Amazon representatives signed up for eBay accounts and messaged sellers to get them to sell their goods on Amazon.com, which eBay said violated its user

agreement. According to the complaint, Amazon representatives spelled out their e-mail addresses and asked eBay sellers to talk on the phone in order to evade detection. Ebay called it an “orchestrated, coordinated, worldwide campaign” to “illegally lure eBay sellers to sell on Amazon.” Seattle-based Amazon declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Both eBay and Amazon rely on independent sellers to boost their revenue, but it’s become a big part of Amazon’s growth: Last year for the first time, more than half the items sold on Amazon were from third-party sellers. Ebay, based in San Jose, California, said it wants Amazon to stop misusing its messaging platform and to pay it an unspecified amount. AP

Start-up plans to launch small satellites from Virginia coast

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ORFOLK, Virginia—A California-based start-up said on Wednesday that it will rocket small satellites into orbit from Virginia, an endeavor that reflects increasing demand from companies and governments alike to monitor ships, crops and the weather from space. Rocket Lab said it will build its launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on the Eastern Shore. It’s at National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Wallops Flight Facility where unmanned cargo missions already are dispatched to the International Space Station. Rocket Lab, which recently built its first launch pad in New Zealand, is setting up in Virginia at a time of unprecedented growth in the use of smaller and relatively inexpensive satellites. As small as a loaf of bread, the devices circle the Earth for a few years before burning up in the atmosphere. Atlanta-based consulting firm SpaceWorks predicted in January that up to 2,600 of these will need to be launched into orbit over the next five years. The industry is attracting venture capitalists, while firms in China and companies such as Virgin have built launch systems dedicated to the smaller devices. Dozens more are under development. Rocket Lab has sent up two rockets so

far, humorously calling those missions “It’s a test” and “Still testing.” The second rocket successfully reached orbit in January. Rocket Lab’s next commercial mission, known as “It’s Business Time,” is scheduled to lift off from New Zealand in November. Launches from Virginia are set to begin as early as summer 2019. “We’re not focused on the next flight, we’re focused on the next 100 flights,” Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck, a New Zealander, said at a news conference in Virginia. Small satellites have often hitched rides on rockets carrying bigger satellites into orbit or with supplies to the space station. But more firms are offering small satellites their own launches, providing more control over their schedules and the orbits to which they’re delivered. Headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, Rocket Lab plans to keep costs low by using lightweight, expendable rockets with 3D-printed engines. It’s a different plan than some other space companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which uses larger rockets to carry bigger payloads. Rocket Lab said its cargo in January included an earth-imaging satellite for Planet, a company that offers clients information on anything from flooding to deforestation.

Rocket Lab said future launches will serve Luxembourg-based firm Kleos Space. That company says it can help law-enforcement officials detect illegal activity, such as human trafficking or illegal fishing, by pinpointing maritime radio transmissions. Nasa also has a contract with Rocket Lab to deliver small satellites. But the firm’s most famous cargo was perhaps the “Humanity Star,” a geodesic sphere designed to reflect the sun’s light back to Earth. Beck said he hoped it would remind people to look past daily concerns and face larger challenges like climate change. The Humanity Star fell out of orbit a couple months after the January launch. Its life span was up to nine months. Rocket Lab chose Virginia’s state-owned spaceport over US finalists that included Alaska’s Pacific Spaceport Complex and Cape Canaveral in Florida. Virginia officials said it could create 100 jobs as flights increase to once a month. Currently, there are four companies that have developed six vehicles dedicated to launching small satellites, and dozens more are under development, according to Carlos Niederstrasser, an engineer with Northrop Grumman who tracks the industry. His company also launches small satellites. AP

tems Inc. and SandForce Inc., said he was hired for his expertise in networking and solid-state storage drive systems. He said that FutureWei declined to purchase his research and instead sought to obtain it by hiring him. “This practice is part of a greater Chinese government campaign, of which Huawei is a major participant, to steal technological know-how from the US and surpass the US as the world’s technology leader by 2025,” Huang said in the filing. The case is Huawei Technologies Co. v. Huang, 17-893, US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Sherman). Bloomberg News

OEING Co. is creating a new unit to focus on technology that’s seemingly straight out of science fiction, including superfast computing that mimics the synapses of the human brain and hack-proof communications links based on applied quantum physics. So-called neuromorphic processing and quantum communications, two of the futuristic technologies Boeing wants to explore, may seem an odd fit for the world’s largest planemaker. But such concepts increasingly form the core of aerospace innovation, like the networks that may one day manage millions of airborne drones, said Greg Hyslop, Boeing’s chief technology officer. The technology being developed around advanced computing and sensors is going to have a “profound impact” on Boeing, Hyslop said in an interview on Wednesday. “We thought it’s time to do this.” The rapid advances in computers and communications are under study by other industrial titans, as well. Billionaire Elon Musk’s secretive Neuralink business is developing “brainmachine interfaces to connect humans and computers,” according to its web site. Defense contractors Harris Corp. and L3 Technologies Inc. are forming a $33.5-billion behemoth focused on the increasingly complex communications systems embedded in military systems. Chicago-based Boeing is betting that its new unit, known as Disruptive Computing and Networks, will help develop breakthroughs in secure communications and artificial intelligence that bolster its manufacturing— while also honing products for the commercial market.

Venture capital

THE operation will be based in Southern California, and supported with internal funding by the planemaker, as well as investments made

through Boeing HorizonX, the company’s venture capital arm. Hyslop declined to say how much Boeing plans to spend on the advanced computing initiative. As an example of the new technology on the horizon, Hyslop points to the neuromorphic chips that are being developed by HRL Laboratories, the Malibu, California-based research center created by Howard Hughes in 1948. The gains to be reaped in processing speed under traditional computer architecture are slowing as researchers reach the physical limits of how many transistors can be squeezed onto a single silicon chip. HRL is working with Darpa, the Pentagon’s research arm, and others to develop computer architecture that operates like a part of a brain and forgoes transistors. HRL, which is jointly controlled by Boeing and General Motors Co., is creating silicon chips that are “wired much like a human brain,” Hyslop said. “It’s trying to mimic how our neurons are connected and interconnected in silicon hardware, and reduce the circuits on this.”

Autonomous flight

EVENTUALLY, such chips may be able to perform machine learning instantaneously. Hyslop thinks they could wind up incorporated into Boeing aircraft about a decade from now to support autonomous flying. The new business will be headed by Charles Toups, who was general manager of Boeing Research & Technology, the company’s central research and development organization. He is a director at HRL, according to the lab’s web site, along with Larry Schneider, the chief project engineer for Boeing’s 777 program. Naveed Hussain, who leads the research and technology facility in Southern California, will replace Toups as head of the group of 4,000 engineers, scientists, technicians and technologists, Boeing said. Bloomberg News

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LAS CASAS FILIPINAS DE ACUZAR IS 2018 VIRTUS AWARDS’OUTSTANDING MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

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AS Casas Filipinas de Acuzar’s “Vanguard of Filipino Heritage” triumphs as Marketing Campaign of the Year at Virtus Awards spearheaded by Hotel Sales and Marketing Association. Proud and loud for its advocacy in nurturing Philippine culture, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar’s Vanguard of Filipino Heritage won big as Marketing Campaign of the Year at the 2018 Virtus Awards held on October 8 at the Manila Marriott Hotel. Now on their fourth consecutive year, the Virtus Awards, spearheaded by Hotel Sales and Marketing Association International Inc. (HSMA), continues to recognize outstanding sales and marketing individuals and best practices as they share their stories of excellence fueled by hard work and love for the craft. The association aims to raise the flag for sales and marketing, and intensify the beautifully crafted campaigns to contribute to the robust growth of Philippine tourism. Four major awards—three individual and one team award—were given in a glittering awards ceremony to deserving sales and marketing practitioners who showed exemplary efforts in helping the hospitality industry to achieve greater heights. A fine showcase of Filipino’s best, Las Casas’s campaign, led by Director for Marketing Erwin M. Dona III with team members Cezca Coligado, Jane Andres, Angelique Sampayan

and Bryan Hosingco, centers on owner Jose Acuzar’s advocacy and vision to showcase the country’s colorful past through bringing in majestic architectural pieces from the bygone era of 18th-century Philippines. This campaign features casas from the elite and notable accesorias as the centerpieces of the heritage community. More than the taste of luxury, the Vanguard of Filipino Heritage banks on the timeless experience that awaits each and every guest. Aside from period-themed accommodation, the guest’s journey through time is completed by heritage tours, theatrical pocket performances, signature dining experience and traditional recreational activities, which are all very distinct to the Las Casas brand. “More than the recognition, Las Casas takes pride in its advocacy and core mission to protect Philippine culture that features jaw-dropping masterpieces while championing Filipino craftsmanship well represented by a community of 148 artisans,” Dona says in an interview. Virtus Awards Chairman Rose Libongco proudly said in her speech at the ceremony, “Each Virtus winner is a champion and the confirmatory award raises expectations of better performance from the recipient. Bringing home the Virtus trophy is not the goal—it is the opportunity to do better and prove oneself to be equal to the consistency and commitment to the Virtus ideals.” This year’s board of judges in the Marketing campaign category includes the country’s foremost tourism leaders: Jos Ortega, Maeyeth Cadungog and Alpha Allanigui. Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar joins former winners of this prestigious Marketing Campaign of the Year award, including Edsa Shangri-La Manila’s “Move. Refuel. Recover” wellness concept (2015), Radisson Blu Cebu’s “Something Blu, A Wedding of a Kind” campaign (2016) and Acua Verde Beach Resort for their “A Pet Friendly Gem in Laiya” campaign (2017).

MOUNT MALARAYAT GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB CELEBRATES 20TH YEAR WITH TOURNAMENT, FAMILY FAIR

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OUNT Malarayat Golf and Country Club celebrates 20th year with tournament and family fair since its opening 20 years ago. Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club, the entire Mount Malarayat project has been—and continues to be—unique in land development, combining features of a world-class golf course, the amenities of a deluxe resort hotel and the exclusivity of an upscale-gated community. The centerpiece of Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club is its well-loved 27-hole all-weather championship golf course. Laid out by the internationally-renowed J. Michael Poellet Design Group, Mount Malarayat Golf Club has been named the country’s “most photogenic course.” Its Par 5 Hole 7 has been voted as one of the Top 500 Best Holes in the World. The club was named the Best Golf Course in the Philippines in 2009, plus a host of other accolades. Complementing the dream golf course is a driving range, and putting greens. Once again, golf aficionados will gather in this worldclass golf and country club in this

side of Lipa, Batangas, for the club's 20th anniversary, with two days of festivities on October 19 and 20. Teeing off the celebration is a member-guest tournament on October 19. Format will be a twoperson team competition using the net-aggregate stroke play and stableford scoring system. It is open to the first 120 amateur teams of Malarayat club members and guests to register. Hole-in-one prizes are as follows: A Peugeot car, Texas Eagle golf cart, trip to Guam for two, a gift certificate worth P200,000 and two golf sets. For the raffle prizes, there will be 40 country club associate memberships and a rolex watch to be given away. There are 340 players registered for the tournament. No one is most excited about the anniversary celebration than the visionary behind the gigantic project himself, Architect Antonio Turalba Sr. who, to these days, rave about the perfect haven for golf enthusiasts. A family-loving man himself, he made sure that there is a carnival fair for families in attendance to be held on October 20 at the country club lawn area from 3 to 6 p.m. with lots

of entertainment, games and food carts. A highlight of the fair will be the raffle draw where 20 countryclub associate memberships will be given away. Tickets for the fair are priced at P500 per person. Capping the festivities will be a dinner on October 20 to be held at the club’s main ballroom, the Laurel Hall. Tickets for the dinner are priced at P650 per person. Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club is only about an hour’s drive from Makati, via the South Luzon Expressway and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road. The club’s hotel has well-appointed guest rooms and suites for those who want to stay overnight. The country club also has a fully equipped gym, as well as sports pavilions for basketball, tennis and badminton for the sports and fitness buffs. Or they can opt for more leisurely activities, like biking or fishing. Also available are an openair heated swimming pool complex, which includes a children’s pool, an adult lap pool, outdoor Jacuzzis, man-made waterfall and perimeter fountain jets. For more information, call at 0917-6269278 or (043) 756-7008.

WOMAN ON A MISSION N Sports By Melissa Murphy

BusinessMirror

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| Friday, October 19, 2018 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

The Associated Press

EW YORK—South African track star Caster Semenya can add LeBron James to the list of admirers ahead of her showdown with the international track and field governing body. James watched the world and Olympic 800-meter champion win a race last month in Berlin. She’s his fan, and they’re both Nikesponsored athletes. “You know, in American language they say ‘you’re dope,’” said a smiling Semenya, who wore James’s white and gold Nike shoes with a lion head on the back. “He told me to keep on working hard, I’m a special kid. I was deeply touched.” James is just one of Semenya’s global fans, supporting a fight against world track officials that’s dragged on nearly a decade. The International Alliance of Athletics Federations (IAAF) wants to limit the eligibility of female middle-distance runners who have naturally high levels of testosterone. Semenya— who has not often spoken openly about the challenges—is taking control of her message, joining Nike sponsored-athletes like James, Colin Kaepernick and Simone Biles in a series of ads. In the video “I was Born to Do This,”

TOMMIE SMITH (left) and John Carlos pose in front of a statue that honors their iconic, blackgloved protest at the 1968 Olympics at the San Jose State University campus on Wednesday in San Jose, California. AP

‘THEY CAN NEVER TAKE STATEMENT AWAY’ T OMMIE SMITH and John Carlos insist fear was not a factor in their thinking when they reached the medals stand at the Mexico City Olympics. The sprinters, discussing their black-gloved protest at the 1968 Games, said the threats they had received in the lead-up to the Olympics, to say nothing of what they’d experienced growing up in segregated America, left them numb to the possibility of something else happening when they raised their fists after finishing first and third in the 200 meters on October 16, 1968. “My thoughts were, once you make the statement, whether you live or die, they can never take the statement away,” Carlos said. Smith and Carlos were part of a panel discussion on Wednesday at their alma mater, San Jose State, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their iconic protest at the Mexico City Games. “When they got on the victory stand, we were wondering, what are they going to do?” said panelist Wyomia Tyus, the twotime women’s 100-meter Olympic champion, who dedicated her 1968 relay gold medal to Smith and Carlos. “When the national anthem started and they did this, the stadium got completely quiet. It was eerie. No one was saying anything. You could hear people talking, hear people booing, hear people whistling, hear people cheering. “I thought, I hope nothing happens to them.’” While there was no violence, Smith and Carlos were sent home by the US Olympic Committee the

next day, not to be fully welcomed back into the fold until only a few years ago. “The real fear was that there was no room for expression,” said Paul Hoffman, a rower who was part of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, the movement led by sociologist Harry Edwards that sparked the Mexico City protest. Smith said by the time he arrived in Mexico City, the issue had “gone beyond fear for me.” “My interest was the quietness,” he said. “And, I’ve said this before, but it was very sad, nationally, that two young black athletes had to do what they were doing to bring attention to the [issues] in our country. We had to sacrifice to prove a point. We were vilified because we had to do this.” Though neither runner had publicly previewed what he was going to do after winning his medal in the 200 meters, Carlos said he anticipated the stunned silence that did, in fact, envelop the stadium. In a year in which two American leaders—Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy—had already been assassinated, Carlos had some bone-chilling words of advice for his friend before they walked out for the national anthem. “I said, ‘We’re trained to listen to the gun,’” Carlos said. “When we go out and do what we do, everyone’s going to be in shock. Everyone became deadly silent. I said: ‘Tommie, if they’re going to shoot, they’re going to shoot in that void. Listen to the gun. We’ve been trained.’ Fortunately, God got us through that.” AP

JAKE TOBIN (left) helps Fairport High School senior Luke Fortner (center) during a cross-country race in Auburn, New York. Jerry Thompson is Fortner’s running aide. AP

Youngster shows sportsmanship, kindness in race

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UBURN, New York—A New York high school cross-country athlete is being praised for stopping to help a vision-impaired runner who fell as they neared the finish line. Syracuse.com reports that Cazenovia High School sophomore Jake Tobin only had about 290 meters to go in the boys junior varsity race during Saturday’s race when Fairport High School senior Luke Fortner passed him. Fortner is legally blind. He slipped and fell on a hill. Tobin stopped, put his arms around Fortner and lifted him up as Jerry Thompson, the aide who accompanied Fortner during the race, also provided help. Fortner and Thompson crossed the finish line two seconds ahead of Tobin. Photos taken by a spectator show Tobin and the aide helping Fortner up the hill. Fortner’s coach described Tobin’s actions “an awesome display of sportsmanship and kindness.” AP

Semenya asks: “Will it be easier for you if I wasn’t so fast? Will it be simpler for you if I stopped winning? Would you be more comfortable if I was less proud?” Semenya says her audience is not her critics or competitors. “It’s just to inspire the youth, to be honest,” she said. “They see light in me. So they can see a better future.” Semenya received the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award on Wednesday night from the Women’s Sports Foundation and Billie Jean King. Semenya flew 23 hours from Johannesburg, via Dubai, for her first trip to New York. “Caster is a woman on a mission,” King told The Associated Press. King and the Women’s Sports Foundation are supporting Semenya in her latest fight against the IAAF. Females would be required to take hormones to lower their testosterone to compete in international events and the Olympics. Semenya and Athletics South Africa are challenging the proposal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. On Tuesday her hearing got pushed back to February, with the possible start of the IAAF’s rule on March 26. Early in Semenya’s career, her improved times and what some competitors considered a masculine appearance drew the attention of the IAAF. Before the 2009 world championships in Berlin, the IAAF made her undergo gender tests and the results were not released. But on the day of the final, it became public she’d been tested. The 18-yearold Semenya won the 800 title despite the distractions. Then the IAAF stopped Semenya from competing for 11 months while conducting more tests. She was allowed to return in 2010, with no explanation from the governing body. Semenya says her family deals with the critics based on how she responds. “You cannot control what other people say. I’m the one who can control that by being me,” she said. “By being that kid that they raised. That kid with respect and a sense of humor.” The IAAF wants to lower natural testosterone in female middle-distance runners to a maximum of 5 nanomoles per liter of blood. The governing body argues that naturally high testosterone provides a “competitive advantage.” There is no equivalent rule for male athletes. The previous IAAF maximum of 10 nanos for all females was enacted in 2011 and struck down in 2015 by CAS after Indian sprinter Dutee Chand challenged the rule. The current IAAF attempt seeks to narrow the rule to females who run the 400, 800 and 1,500. “It is always concerning, as a matter of law, when policies appear to be targeted to limit the participation of a small group of individuals,” said Suzanne Goldberg, director

of the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law at Columbia University. Semenya’s legal firm Norton Rose Fulbright said in statement in June it is necessary to challenge the IAAF’s proposal to “protect the rights of all women.” Her lawyers say it violates the IAAF constitution, the Olympic charter and universally recognized human rights. Growing up playing soccer with the boys in the province of Northern Limpopo, Semenya drew strength from meeting Nelson Mandela on several occasions after winning the 2009 world title. “The wisdom words he has shared with me—it was about educate yourself to be better,” she said. “Education is the key to success. Sports does unite people. It changed other people’s lives. “Treat other people with love and respect. If you can learn that, life is just simple.” A sports science major at the University of Pretoria, she went on to win 800 world titles in 2011 and 2017 and gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Russian runner Mariya Savinova—one of the competitors who publicly criticized Semenya’s times and physique—was banned from the sport for doping in 2017. Her 800 gold medal from the 2012 London Olympics was handed to second-place finisher Semenya. King joined more than 60 athletes who wrote an open letter to the IAAF in July, urging it to rescind the proposed standard. US soccer star Megan Rapinoe called out sports federations for policing female bodies but “never our male counterparts.” She pointed to the competitive advantage of the wingspan of Michael Phelps, not to mention the long legs of Usain Bolt. Competitive advantages may include the age an athlete starts training, the quality of coaches and facilities, nutrition and other factors. “Singling out women’s testosterone levels from all possible factors that influence athletes’ success is not a sensible or just answer,” Goldberg said. The 27-year-old Semenya is married to Violet Raseboya, her longtime partner and former runner, who is setting up a foundation to benefit youth in South Africa. Semenya plans to defend her 800 world title in September in Doha, Qatar, and her Olympic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games. The long-term goal is to break the 800 world record of 1:53.28 set in 1983. She’s about one second off the mark. In the meantime, she’ll keep training until her future is decided by the court. “South Africa is a rainbow nation for me,” said Semenya, who carried the flag at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. “I stand for my country, I stand for my people, I stand for people who love and support me. They appreciate me for who I am. It’s fantastic.” CASTER SEMENYA: You cannot control what other people say. I’m the one who can control that by being me. AP

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RED LIONS

‘Special’ treatment for bike riders

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ICYCLE brand Specialized opened its first store at the Mall of Asia’s SM By the Bay in Pasay City on Wednesday hoping to give bike enthusiasts easy access to top-of-the-line bikes and accessories. “We want to serve the riders where they are and, at the same time, make it convenient for them to get that one-stop bike shop experience,” Gruppo Innovare Corp. Customer Development Director Ritchie Santayana said. Specialized will also open concept stores in Pasig City and Maginhawa Street in Quezon City. The store offers a wide range of products

TRIUMPH By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

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AN Beda University beat Lyceum of the Philippines University, 75-68, on Thursday, a victory that reared the Red Lions’ sharp fangs against the title-pretender Pirates in National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 94 seniors basketball action at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan CIty. The defending champion Red Lions, however, almost blew away a 20-point lead when the Pirates charged back in the fourth quarter. Good thing, luck was on San Beda’s side and the Red Lions made key defensive stops and pounced on a costly Pirates turnover with 16.3 seconds left to post their 16th win in 17 games. “We’re happy we got this one. Everybody’s saying that we can’t beat Lyceum. That was really our motivation,” San Beda Head Coach Boyet Fernandez said. “I’m just happy the guys stepped up today. But it was really our defense that made us win,” he added. True enough, the Red Lions limited their opponents to way below their season average of 87.6 points. After norming 19.2 points in the past 17 games, reigning Most Valuable Player CJ Perez was a marked man as San Beda shackled him to just nine points—his free-throw shooting also going down to a woeful 1 of 6. More important, the Mendiola-based squad flexed its muscle in a display of resiliency after a 66-73 setback to the Pirates in the first round. Robert Bolick scored 18 points and had five rebounds for San Beda. Rookie revelation James Canlas poured in a career-high 18 points that went with six boards. The Pirates were in complete disarray in the second quarter with lengthy stretches of missed opportunities. The Red Lions capitalized on those duds by their foes to lead in double figures in several occasions with Bolick in command. The lead ballooned to 59-39 on a 20-8 blitz

by San Beda to start the second half. Showing its own resilient form, Lyceum embarked on a huge comeback to trim the deficit to five, 68-73, with less than a minute to play. With a chance to make it a one-possession game, Spencer Pretta turned the ball over after losing his balance from a Reymar Caduyac pass from the corner. That proved to be the fatal blow as Bolick sank his charities for his team’s thrilling escape. Mike Nzeusseu led Lyceum with 16 points and six rebounds, while Jaycee Marcelino, the spark in Lyceum’s fourth-quarter assault, added 14 points and nine rebounds. After a sweep of last season’s elimination rounds, the Pirates ended this year’s regular season with a 15-3 record. San Beda closes out its regular season against University of Perpetual on Tuesday.

from trail to road, race bikes and triathlon bikes. Filipino riders can expect smooth transactions from the store’s services, such as a bike test program, servicing and advanced bike fitting system of Retül Match and Vantage. Specialized introduced the all-new 2019 Shiv Disc, a triathlon bike that promises unprecedented aero design and storage of fuel and hydration to last the whole race. “There’s also the fastest road bike, the Venge, and the lightest race bike ever made, the Tarmac,” Santayana said. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

Carlos, Bayking lead PHL campaign in WTA Future Stars in Singapore

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SAN Beda University’s Javee Mocon tries to score against Lyceum of the Philippines University’s MJ Ayaay. ALYSA SALEN

ACIE CARLOS and Bliss Bayking hope to dish out top form as they slug it out with 46 of the best and rising junior players in Asia-Pacific in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Future Stars at the Kallang Tennis Center this week in Singapore. Carlos and Bayking gained spots in the top-level event featuring the girls’ under-14 and under-16 categories by topping the grueling Cebuana Lhuillier Girls’ Tennis Challenge at the Makati Sports Club recently. “I’m confident Carlos and Bayking will perform well in the tournament. I have seen how they play in the Cebuana Tennis Challenge and I am convinced that they have what it takes to go head to head with some of the region’s elite players,” said Unified Tennis

Philippines (UTP) President Jean Henri Lhuillier, who also stressed the importance of grassroots programs and tournaments made available nationwide as a means to further hone the skills of Filipino junior players. In representing the Philippines in the elite junior event, which serves as a prelude to the WTA Finals featuring the world’s top eight women pros, Carlos and Bayking also received comprehensive travel insurance from Malayan Insurance. On their way to the WTA Future Stars tilt, Carlos beat Mica Emana, 6-1, 6-2, to capture the 14-under crown, while Bayking held off Justine Maneja, 6-4, 6-1, in the 16-under finals of the UTP-sanctioned event that drew the country’s top junior players.

MAGNOLIA TRIES TO EXTEND STREAK

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AGNOLIA looks to extend its winning run to six to further solidify its hold of the top spot when it tackles Meralco in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. A victory in the 7 p.m. game would push the Hotshots (7-1 won-lost) closer to a twiceto-beat bonus in the playoffs. But they are in a precarious situation with four other teams having the potential to steal the show in the crucial stretch of the elimination round. Trailing closely behind are Barangay

Ginebra (7-2), Alaska and Blackwater (6-2), and Phoenix (6-3). One wrong step and Magnolia could lose its chance for the bonus. Up to challenge Magnolia is Meralco, which, at 2-6, is in dire need to pile more wins to advance further in the conference. “Right now, our record is quite good but that’s not our goal. It’s really the big picture,” Hotshots Head Coach Chito Victolero said as the franchise targets its first title since 2014. “We still have three games—against Meralco, TNT and Ginebra. We’re just taking it one game at a time,” Victolero added.

Jio Jalalon came up big against Alaska with his 18 points that complimented Romeo Travis’s 19 points in an 83-73 victory last Sunday. On the same night, Meralco escaped past NLEX, 108-105, to remain in contention for the playoffs. Import Allen Durham listed monstrous numbers of 36 points and 18 rebounds, while Baser Amer added 22 points, including clutch baskets in the final minute. In the first game, Rain or Shine (2-4) battles already eliminated Columbian Dyip (0-9) at 4:30 p.m. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

BLISS BAYKING and Macie Carlos (second and third, respectively) pose with (from left) United Tennis Philippines (UTP) board member Gerard Madronilla, Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier and UTP General Manager Jackie Tomacruz after topping the Women’s Tennis Association Futures qualifier.

Velez, Milliam bring act to El Kapitan-Argao netfest

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OHN DAVID VELEZ and Alexa Milliam set out for another dominant campaign but against a new set of rivals in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala (PPSPEPP) El Kapitan-Argao national age-group tennis tournament beginning on Friday at the El KapitanLGU Outdoor Tennis Courts in Argao, Cebu. Velez and Milliam, both 14, matched threetitle romps in the circuit’s last stop in Dumaguete with the PPS-PEPP Mac Crankit aces seeking to duplicate their romps in this week’s Group 2 tournament, presented by Dunlop and sponsored

by El Kapitan Resort and Wilfredo Albarracin. But Velez, one of the rising stars from Davao, expects a tougher challenge from a slew of talented rivals, including Hans Cabellon, Gerald Gemida, Ian Lim and Gio Manito in the 32-player draw in 14-under, and Cedric Bravo and Venz Alforque in 16- and 18-under categories. Milliam, from Pontevedra, Negros, will be as much tested as she gears up for a showdown with the likes of Mia Gemida and Riza Coderos in the girls’ 14-under, and Bless Coderos and Faye Lim in the 16- and 18-under divisions of the event put

up by Palawan Pawnshop, headed by President and CEO Bobby Castro. More than 160 entries are clashing for top honors in nine divisions in the five-day event sanctioned by Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-MEG. Aaron Tabura, Louise Paliwag, Renante Bravo and David Sepulveda are tipped to dispute the 10-unisex diadem with Paliwag also set to compete in the girls’ 12-U side along with Riza Coderos, Sheynna Yu and Amygray Olao.

SUPERLIGA AMONG ASIA’S BEST LEAGUES

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HE Philippine Superliga (PSL) rolled out the All-Filipino Conference (AFC) and Collegiate Grand Slam (CGS) with promising news. SPIA Asia, an international award-giving body that recognizes excellence and celebrates milestones in the sports industry, named the league as one of the 10 finalists in the Best Women Sports Event Category. Past winners of the award included the Australian Open, HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore, Red Bull Air Race World Championships in the United Arab Emirates and Standard Chartered KL Marathon in Malaysia. The glittery Awards Gala Night and Convention will be held on November 19 and 20 at the Centara Grand and Bangkok

Convention Centre in Bangkok with more than 400 guests and VIPs from the world of sports expected to be in attendance. Juico said being one of the finalists is already a major honor for the women’s club league backed by Isuzu, Sogo, Senoh, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller, UCPB Gen, Bizooku, ESPN5, Hyper HD and AksyonTV in cooperation with the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc. “SPIA Asia recognizes organizations that influence and make a big difference in all aspects of sporting life in Asia,” said Juico during the press launch on Thursday at the Club Filipino in San Juan. “It is the Oscar Award of Sports in Asia.” He said the league appreciates the gesture of SPIA Asia organizer MMC Sportz.

“In honoring our women’s volleyball league, you have validated our years of honest hard work and sincere advocacy,” Juico said. “This honor strengthens our resolve to face the many challenges before us.” “The fact that the PSL is the only organization from the Philippines that was named as one of the finalists in this category brings not only added joy, but greater responsibility.” The All-Filipino Conference will kick off on October 30 at the Filoil Flying V Centre with three explosive matches featuring Smart against Sta. Lucia Realty, Petron against Cocolife and F2 Logistics against Cignal. Also seeing action are powerhouse clubs GenerikaAyala and Foton.

PHILIPPINE Superliga coaches (front row) and players (back row) join league Chairman Philip Ella Juico (fourth from left, middle row) in launching the All-Filipino Conference and Collegiate Grand Slam on Thursday.

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Friday, October 19, 2018

MACEDONIAN IN COMMAND P

ETER STOJANOVSKI moved in the threshold of a breakthrough on the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT), shooting a solid four-under 68 in scorching condition then pouncing on Jay Bayron and Clyde Mondilla’s miscues on the treacherous No. 17 to seize a one-stroke lead in the third round of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Luisita Invitational on Thursday in Tarlac. Relegated to the background in a threeplayer battle the majority of the way, the Macedonian struck with long birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 of Luisita Golf and Country Club then watched Bayron and Mondilla crumble at the water-laced par-3, 214-yard 17th to rally from three down after 36 holes to one-up at

14-under 202 heading to the final 18 holes of the P4-million event put up by ICTSI. “I had a solid game and played pretty well even though it’s very hot,” said Stojanovski, whose best finish in his three-year local stint was joint third in the PGT Asia Aboitiz Invitational at The Orchard last month. “A win is very important, since I am playing here for quite sometime now. I think it’s long overdue,” said Stojanovski, who hopes to shoot a 68 or 69 in today’s final round to nail that elusive win. But expect Bayron and Mondilla to bounce back strong and extend Stojanovski’s winless campaign while snapping their respective slumps on the circuit. Bayron, who took charge by two with

a 66 halfway through, blew a two-stroke edge as Mondilla regained the lead with early birdies but surged ahead again with birdies on Nos. 10 and 15, only to tumble with a double-bogey on No. 17 when he dumped his 4-iron tee-shot into the water. He ended up with a 72 and slipped to joint second with Mondilla at 203. “My game is okay, and I was playing relatively good until No. 17,” Bayron said. “I think I need to shoot five-under tomorrow [today] to win.” Mondilla, who fired a lead-grabbing, record setting 64 on Tuesday, charged back to the lead with a 33 start but bogeyed No. 10, tied Bayron again with a birdie on No. 15 but fell behind after missing the 17th green for

Asian Para Games medalists to be feted

T PETER STOJANOVSKI (left) zeroes in on a breakthrough victory as Clyde Mondilla commits miscues in the third round. ROY DOMINGO

RIPLE gold medalist Ernie Gawilan lead 17 other medalists in the recent 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta who will be feted in Malacañang next month. Gawilan, who won his gold medals in swimming, and co. will also be the first recipients of cash bonuses from the government through Republic Act 10699 or the “National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act of 2001.” Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)

Commissioners Arnold Agustin, Celia Kiram and Charles Maxey welcomed the medalists during a simple thanksgiving celebration at the sports agency’s offices at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila. Joining them were Philippine Paralympic Committee President Michael Barredo, Chef de Mission Francisco Diaz and Deputy Chef de Mission Dennis Esta. “Our medalists will be the first recipients of bonuses through RA 10699 in the Asian Para

Games level. We express our sincerest gratitude to the government and the PSC for its intensive support for our para athletes,” Barredo said. Agustin, the oversight commissioner for para athletes, congratulated the delegation and said “their success has inspired many Filipinos to reach for their best.” Under Section 8 of the said law, a gold medalist will receive P1,000,000, silver medalist P500,000 and bronze medalist P200,000. Gawilan will also receive a special

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bogey that typified the Filipino ace’s shaky finish in sweltering heat. He finished with a 70, missing joining Stojanovski at the helm with a flubbed birdie putt from 6 feet on the final hole. “I misread my line of putt. I could’ve tied for the lead,” rued Mondilla, winless in the season after scoring four victories last year to clinch the Order of Merit (OOM) title. Aussie Tim Stewart also holed out with a bogey for a 69 and fell five shots off Stojanovski at 207, while Tony Lascuña pressed his bid with three straight birdies from No. 2 but made three bogeys against the same number of birdies in the last 14 holes. He wound up with a 69 for a 208. Zanieboy Gialon settled for a 72 and a 210, Arnold Villacencio shot a 71 to tie Reymon Jaraula, who hobbled with a 73, at 211, while Gerald Rosales and Mhark Fernando fired identical 70s to join six others at 212, including American Lexus Keoninh (71), Joenard Rates (73), Nilo Salahog (73), Japanese Issei Mori (74), Jhonnel Ababa (76) and this year’s OOM winner Jobim Carlos (71) in the final leg of the PGT organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Champion, Summit Mineral Water, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT and M.Y. Shokai Technology Inc. incentive—also through RA 106990—for breaking two Games records in the men’s 400-meter freestyle. “More than the amount of incentives, it is the deeper inclusion of our para athletes in the Philippine sports landscape that we are all thankful for,” Barredo said. “They are now recognized as a true national athlete and are afforded proper training and exposure.” Team Philippines surpassed its 2014 Incheon Asian Para Games medal haul of five silver and five bronze medals and won a historic 10 gold, eight silver and 11 bronze medals for an 11th-place finish in the 43-nation Games early this month.

WELCOME, ROOKS! O

Sports BusinessMirror

FANS interfere with Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts as he tries to catch a hit by the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve during the first inning of Game Four on Wednesday. AP

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OUSTON—Andrew Benintendi charged in hard and left his feet. Make the catch, Boston wins. If not...no telling. On this night, though, even a ball the Red Sox couldn’t grab went their way. Benintendi made a diving play in left field with the bases loaded for the final out, and Boston held off the Houston Astros 8-6 on Wednesday to take a 3-1 lead in the AL Championship Series. “I thought I could catch it and timed it up well,” Benintendi said. “At that point, it was either do or die.” Boosted by a questionable fan interference call and another home run from Jackie Bradley Jr. in a gripping, back-and-forth game, the Red Sox moved within one victory of their first World Series trip since winning the 2013 title. Craig Kimbrel earned a shaky six-out save, helped by a rocket throw from right fielder Mookie Betts and Benintendi’s daring grab of Alex Bregman’s sinking liner. Had the ball scooted past Benintendi, it easily could have scored three runs and won the game for Houston. “Beni took a shot. Had a great jump. And he got it,” Boston Manager Alex Cora said.

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| Friday, October 19, 2018 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Benintendi, Red Sox nip Astros for 3-1 ALCS lead With that, the Red Sox improved to 4-0 on the road in these playoffs and inched closer to eliminating the defending World Series champions. “This game was incredibly good on both sides— great at-bats, great plays,” Astros Manager AJ Hinch said. “The difference in that game literally was a couple inches.” Game Five is on Thursday night in Houston, where ace Justin Verlander will pitch for the Astros with their season on the line. David Price, who was warming up in the bullpen late in Game Four, will start for Boston on three days’ rest after Chris Sale was ruled out on Wednesday while recovering from a stomach illness. Bradley hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning, his latest huge swing for a Red Sox team that was knocked out of the postseason by Houston in the Division Series last year. Boston has won three straight after a Game One loss, and this one came with some controversy. Jose Altuve was denied a potential two-run homer

in the first inning for Houston and called out after fans reaching for the ball interfered with Betts’s attempt at a leaping catch. “Jose pays the biggest price because the trajectory of the ball looked like it was going to leave the ballpark,” Hinch said. “Changed that whole inning.” Boston trailed by one with two outs in the sixth when Christian Vazquez doubled to deep right-center. Center fielder George Springer nearly made a leaping catch, but the ball glanced off his glove. Bradley, who hit a grand slam in Game Three and a three-run double in Game Two, put the Red Sox on top 6-5 with his soaring shot to right field on the next pitch from rookie Josh James. “I’m very proud of him, what he’s done in the second part of the season and what he’s done tonight and in this series. It’s amazing,” Cora said. Boston got some insurance in the seventh when Lance McCullers walked in a run after taking over for Ryan Pressly

with the bases loaded and two outs. J.D. Martinez padded the lead further with an RBI single in the eighth. Houston cut the lead to two on an RBI groundout by Altuve in the eighth. Right fielder Josh Reddick made a diving catch of Betts’s sinking liner with the bases loaded to end the top of the ninth. Red Sox starter Rick Porcello allowed seven hits and four runs over four innings in a wild game that took four hours and 33 minutes. Joe Kelly was the winner after giving up a run in the fifth. Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts had two RBIs apiece for the Red Sox, who have outscored their opponents 36-12 on the road this postseason. AP

SURVEILLANCE, NOT SPYING C

LEVELAND—The Houston Astros didn’t cheat. They didn’t want to get cheated. That’s their story, and Major League Baseball (MLB) agrees. Following an investigation into two incidents this postseason, MLB said that the defending World Series champions were conducting surveillance—not spying—when a credentialed Astros employee was pointing his cell phone into the opposing dugouts during playoff games in Cleveland and Boston. The Indians filed a complaint following Game Three of the AL Division Series after the employee was observed aiming his phone into their dugout and taking pictures or video. A few days later, the same man was ejected from an area in Fenway Park during Game One of the American League Conference Series. According to a person familiar with the situation, the Red Sox had been warned ahead of the series about the Astros employee, who was near Cleveland’s dugout for several innings on October 8 before he was removed by security. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. On Wednesday MLB issued a two-paragraph statement saying its department of investigations did a thorough probe and determined “that an Astros employee was monitoring the field to ensure that the opposing club was not violating any rules.” MLB

WORLD CUP-BOUND USA midfielder Rose

Lavelle takes a shot at the goal in the first half of the Concacafwomen’s championship match on Wednesday in Frisco, Texas. The US won, 2-0, to advance to the World Cup. AP

has instructed all clubs still in the playoffs “to refrain from these types of efforts.” MLB went on to say it considers “the matter closed.” But while the Astros feel absolved of any wrongdoing, the incidents taking place during baseball’s greatest month have raised questions about sign-stealing and ethics in the age of highspeed, high-definition cameras. Speaking in Boston’s dugout before Game Four in Houston, Red Sox General Manager Dave Dombrowski said there are more layers to unravel. “I do not think that person in the camera well was stealing signs and so I understand that it was resolved,” Dombrowski said. “First of all, there was a violation, a person was in the credentialed box that shouldn’t have been there, he wasn’t supposed to be there. Second, I don’t like the implication that the Boston Red Sox were doing anything illegal, and I don’t think that the issue is actually closed from Major League Baseball, from what I’ve been advised from the commissioner’s office, so there’s a lot more steps that are attached to this.” Prior to the postseason, MLB said “a number of clubs” called Commissioner Rob Manfred to express concerns about video equipment being used to steal signs. To address those worries, the commissioner instituted a new prohibition on the use of certain in-stadium cameras, beefing up MLB security at games and monitoring video rooms. After the Astros employee was removed from

By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press

RLANDO, Florida—Mo Bamba heard his name over Orlando’s public address system for the first time during introductions, and waved his arms to the crowd asking for their cheers. Then the game started. He didn’t have to solicit noise anymore. Welcome to the National Basketball Association (NBA), rookie class of 2018-2019. There were 31 newcomers who got their first official playing time on Wednesday, the initial hectic night on this season’s schedule. Some of those debuts were forgettable, some barely noticeable, but a few—like No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton in Phoenix, the No. 6 overall pick in Bamba and even undrafted rookie Allonzo Trier in New York—stood out. “Felt pretty good,” Bamba said. “It was everything I expected it to be.” He wasn’t the only rookie smiling on Wednesday. Ayton made his first three shots and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as Phoenix eased past Dallas. Bamba was clutch for Orlando, putting together a 13-point, seven-rebound, two-block effort in the Magic win over Miami. And maybe it was fitting—Ayton and Trier had plenty of big nights together at Arizona as collegians last season, and they had another one on Wednesday, albeit about 2,400 miles apart. Trier had 15 points for the Knicks in their easy win over Atlanta, two of those points coming on a down-thelane dunk where he went either past or over four Hawks players, a play that even had New York Coach David Fizdale celebrating. “Some things happen in a game sometimes and you just go, ‘Whoa,’” Fizdale said. After two nights of this season, 35 players have made their NBA debuts. That’s just the first of many waves; 119 rookies got into at least one game last season, a figure helped mightily by the emergence of two-way contracts. Last season’s newcomer total was the league’s highest since 1949-1950 when 120 debuted—in large part because what was the 12-team BAA the year before became the 17-team NBA that season. Atlanta’s Trae Young, the No. 5 pick in the draft, made his first NBA shot. The make was a notable event for Young, who said that he airballed his first shot attempt in high school, in college and at the NBA Summer League in July. Progress, indeed. “This is just one of many,” Young said, not sounding worried about the Hawks’ rocky opener. None of the rookies so far have had monster numbers, but then again, those are rare in debuts. The record for points by someone in his first game is held by Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 43 for the Philadelphia Warriors at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks on October 24, 1959. A year later, Oscar Robertson’s first NBA game resulted in his first triple-double—21 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists. LeBron James had 25 in 2003, two months shy of his 19th birthday. Those were the start of great careers. But bad first games don’t doom anyone to a life of mediocrity, either. Steve Nash, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and Dennis Rodman combined for zero points in their debuts. Kobe Bryant went scoreless his first time out, as well, and he’ll be joining that foursome in the Basketball Hall of Fame soon anyway. Michael Jordan shot 5 for 16 to start his career. Kevin Durant went 7 for 22 in his opening game with Seattle. “You never forget the first game,” said Miami’s Dwyane Wade, who scored 18 points in his debut in 2003 and still recalls how he spent some of that night being guarded by Allen Iverson. “You’re going to get better. You’re nervous. You can’t change that. It’s going to be a big moment in your life, and you’re going to grow from that moment. And then you’re going to have a lot of other moments.” Some of the openers on Wednesday were statistically nonexistent—three debuts were logged officially at lasting less than one minute, seven of the rookies on the floor didn’t attempt any shots and the average per-rook was less than five points per game. Ayton and Bamba dazzled. No. 3 pick Luka Doncic had 10 points and eight rebounds, but misfired on 11 of his 16 shots. No. 11 pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points for the Clippers. It wasn’t just lottery guys who stood out—secondround pick Bruce Brown started for Detroit, and Trier made MSG take notice. The challenge now for Trier, Bamba, Ayton and every other rookie? Getting ready for the rest of the season. “Now it’s just a matter of doing that 81 more times,” Bamba said. MO BAMBA: It was everything I expected it to be.

the game at Progressive Field in Cleveland, the team tried to get a second person next to the dugout, two people familiar with the matter told the AP. The Astros employee had been issued a support pass that day. Following MLB’s ruling, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said the team has been proactive in policing other ballparks for “suspicious activity” and the team has uncovered some “multiple” times. Luhnow said the club will abide by MLB’s guidelines and that any prior monitoring was done as protection. “We were playing defense, we were not playing offense,” Luhnow said before Game Four. Dombrowski, whose team was fined last year for using an Apple Watch to try to steal signs from the rival New York Yankees, isn’t convinced Houston wasn’t using the employee to gain an advantage. AP

NBA RESULTS Detroit 103, Brooklyn 100 Indiana 111, Memphis 83 Milwaukee 113, Charlotte 112 Orlando 104, Miami 101 New York 126, Atlanta 107 Toronto 116, Cleveland 104 New Orleans 131, Houston 112 San Antonio 112, Minnesota 108 Utah 123, Sacramento 117 Denver 107, LA Clippers 98 Phoenix 121, Dallas 100

D

Graces

EAR God, We wish to thank Mother Mary for these graces: “1. I will grant peace for their families; 2. They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries; 3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work; 4. I will give them as much as they ask as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls; 5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.” May we be filled with deep faith and graces from Mary all the days of our lives. Amen. GIVE US THIS DAY SHARED LUISA M. LACSON, HFL Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com

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

Life BusinessMirror

SOMETHING LIKE LIFE: CLEAN IT UP! D3

Friday, October 19, 2018

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Yes,

Sally Field, you have a voice SALLY FIELD, whose new memoir In Pieces is out soon, at home in Pacific Palisades, California. Though the book does delve into some of Field’s famous roles and relationships, it is no traditional showbiz autobiography, illuminating a life darkened by abuses and cruelties that are frustratingly commonplace for women, in Hollywood and out. BRINSON+BANKS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

L

BY DAVE ITZKOFF New York Times News Service

OS ANGELES—Even now, just a few days before the release of her memoir, In Pieces, Sally Field wasn’t sure she wanted it published. She felt a similar ambivalence throughout the six or so years she spent working on it and wasn’t confident, from the moment she composed its first words, that anyone would want to read what she wrote. “I didn’t know I had a voice,” she said gently, in a recent conversation. Still, Field felt compelled to say something when, in 2012, she addressed the Women and Power conference at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. Rather than make some anodyne opening remarks, she shared a complicated reflection about her pursuit of the Mary Todd Lincoln role in the Steven Spielberg film Lincoln and about her mother, who had died of cancer in 2011. Soon after she learned the Lincoln part was hers, she made dinner for her mother. Then Field opened up to her about how she had been sexually abused as a child by her stepfather. It had been difficult for her mother to hear that it was not a single act but actually a series of offenses throughout Field’s adolescence. But that next

morning, her mother, even in her declining health, assured her that she would not be alone any longer in her pain. Recalling the experience of giving this speech, Field said: “I was shaking all over to do it. But I felt strengthened by that faceless mass of unknown people. When I laid it out there, I felt them giving me something back.” Seated here in her airy Pacific Palisades home one afternoon in late-August, Field, 71, carried herself with quiet poise. She is not by nature a confessional person; despite the visibility she has gained from a decades-long acting career—she has won three Emmys and two Oscars, and starred in films like Norma Rae, Steel Magnolias and Forrest Gump—she finds it easier to speak through her outspoken characters than put herself on display. In Pieces, which Grand Central Publishing released on September 18, is hardly a traditional showbiz autobiography, though it does delve into some of Field’s famous roles and relationships with celebrity costars like Burt Reynolds (who died this month), and it recounts how she raised three sons through two marriages that ended in divorce. The life Field reveals over the course of In Pieces has been darkened by abuses and cruelties that are frustratingly commonplace for women, both inside and out of the entertainment industry.

The book also tells a story illuminated by its author’s abundant grace and dignity, and her authentic desire to plumb the depths of her feelings, a yearning that she said overwhelmed her reticent tendencies. “Something was growing in me, this urgency that felt gangrenous, and I couldn’t locate it,” Field said. “I could hardly breathe and I couldn’t settle down.” Field said that compulsion became more acute after the death of her mother, Margaret, who raised the Field family in Southern California and acted in movies like The Man From Planet X. After Margaret Field filed for divorce from Sally’s father, Richard, in 1951, she remarried in 1952 to Jock Mahoney, a stuntman and actor (Tarzan Goes to India) known by the nickname Jocko. As Sally Field writes of Mahoney in her memoir, “It would have been so much easier if I’d only felt one thing, if Jocko had been nothing but cruel and frightening. But he wasn’t. He could be magical, the Pied Piper with our family as his entranced followers.” He also frequently summoned Field to his bedroom alone. “I knew,” Field writes. “I felt both a child, helpless and not a child. Powerful. This was power. And I owned it. But I wanted to be a child—and yet.” Field said her stepfather’s abuse of her stopped after she turned 14. Her mother divorced Mahoney in 1968, and he died in 1989.

Field’s sexual awakening in her late teens, a period in which she said she felt she was “breaking out of my own brain,” included an abortion in Tijuana when she was 17. Then came her astonishing professional ascent on TV’s Gidget and The Flying Nun, and the end of any sense of normalcy in her life. “I was no longer a member of the club anymore,” Field writes. “The Human Club. I was a celebrity.” Feeling unable to fully share her experiences with others, Field sought an outlet in her acting, and in roles like Sybil (the 1976 TV miniseries that cast her as a woman with multiple-personality disorder) and Norma Rae (the 1979 feature in which she played a budding labor activist in a cotton mill), which allowed her to negotiate long-held frustrations. Playing parts like these, Field told me, “I was able to feel something I didn’t feel before. I heard my voice. And I wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t. How long would it have taken me to feel that I had a right to be outraged?” Field devotes several pages of In Pieces to Reynolds, her former lover and costar in films like Smokey and the Bandit and Hooper. Though celebrity periodicals often portrayed them as a blissful, well-matched pair, Field told me their time together was “confusing and complicated, and not without loving and caring, but

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Society BusinessMirror

Friday, October 19, 2018

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z

Today’s Horoscope

A CEREMONIAL toast was held to formally open the boutique. From left: Wil Dasovich, Coach’s Emmanuel Ruelland, SSI’s Anton Huang, Lovi Poe, Tim Yap, Gabbi Garcia and Richard Juan

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Gillian Jacobs, 36; Chris Kattan, 48; Jon Favreau, 52; John Lithgow, 73. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Doors will open and opportunities will prevail if you set your sights on what you do best and you enlist trustworthy people to help you reach your goals. Turn this into a year of personal accomplishments that will make you feel better about who you are and what you have to offer. Don’t let the past haunt you or hold you back. Your lucky numbers are 7, 18, 21, 24, 30, 36, 42.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Spice things up. Get involved in activities that require an energetic approach on your part and offer a platform for you to show off. Personal change is overdue, and putting the preliminary pieces in place will encourage you to follow through. HHH

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t worry about what others are doing; stay focused on what makes you tick and how to use your attributes to get ahead. Interacting with people you find mentally stimulating will encourage you to follow your heart and your dreams. HHHH

c

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Finish what you start and take care of your responsibilities before you call it a day and move on. How you handle your chores will be noticed and can affect the way others view you. HH NIKKI HUANG

COACH Philippines Merchandising Group Manager April Reyes (from left), Ruelland, RUELLAND and Ambassador of Italy H.E. Giorgio Huang, SSI Head of Marketing Communications Mitch Suarez, SSI Group Executive Guglielmino Vice President Elizabeth Quiambao and Coach Director of Accounts Christopher Koh

Coach comes to ‘Power’ L EADING New York design house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle collections, Coach recently opened its new boutique at the first level of The Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati, near the Lopez Drive entrance. The nearly 120-square-meter space was designed by Coach Creative Director Stuart Vevers in partnership with William Sofield, designer and president Studio Sofield. Featuring the brand’s distinctive modern luxury concept, the store environment is warm and inviting, with leather and natural wood finishes that reflect the sophisticated yet playful refinement of New York—the city Coach has always called home. Gracing the opening party were celebrities

who arrived dressed in Coach—Gabbi Garcia, Lovi Poe, Rhian Ramos, TV host/ VJ Richard Juan, event host Tim Yap and YouTuber Wil Dasovich. A ceremonial toast led by Coach Vice President and General Manager for Tapestry Southeast Asia and Oceania Emmanuel Ruelland and SSI Group Inc. President Anton Huang, together with the celebrities in attendance, was held to formally open the boutique. The store houses Coach’s signature pieces and its Fall 2018 collection, which features soft hues and block colors—seen on soft leather Dreamer bags—and the stronger appearance of American heritage sportswear as shown on cross body bags, rucksacks and signature print bomber and varsity jackets for both men and women. n

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Do something you find engaging. Sharing ideas with people who are unique and can offer insight into future trends will help you come up with an idea that is productive and prosperous. Personal relationships are highlighted. HHHHH

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t expect others to do things for you or to look out for your interests. Put your energy where it counts the most. You’ll find a way to avoid getting into a stressful situation with someone who tends to push you. HHH

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Plan to attend a gathering of old friends. What you learn will be informative, as well as help you decide how best to move forward. Love and romance are on the rise, and a change at home can be put into play. HHH

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Mingle, ask questions and find out where others stand before sharing your opinions. Keeping the peace will help you gain access to information that is instrumental to reaching your goal. Listen, observe and engage in activities that support health, wealth and happiness. HHHHH COACH Vice President and General Manager for Tapestry Southeast Asia and Oceania Emmanuel Ruelland and SSI Group Inc. President Anton Huang

For some ‘Earthly’ comforts

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t look for the easy route. Plan your actions and make every move count. Changes can be made, but only if you are fully prepared. A personal relationship may need an adjustment moving forward. Self-improvement begins within. HH

i

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Keep your life simple, doable and affordable. Don’t get involved in situations that are risky. Trust in firsthand information. Don’t let anger overcome you when getting things done. HHHH

DIAMOND Hotel Philippines has signed partnership with Carousel Productions Inc. as one of the official residences of the lovely candidates from all over the world who are competing for the Miss Earth International 2018 title. The coronation night will be on November 3. Vanessa Suatengco, the hotel’s general manager, said “We always look forward to hosting the stay of candidates from all over the globe. These women should be heard and admired for they are determined to promote environmental awareness and protection of Mother Earth. To be part of this prestigious celebration of beauty with a cause brings honor to the hotel.” Diamond Hotel (www.diamondhotel.com) is along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. In the photo from left are: (front row) Diamond Hotel Philippines Director of Sales and Marketing Sunshine Robles and General Manager Vanessa Suatengco, together with Carousel Productions Executive Vice President Lorraine Schuck and Vice President Peachy Veneracion who are also joined by the Miss Earth Philippines 2018 winners (standing) Miss Air Philippines Zahra Bianca Saldua, Miss Earth Philippines Silvia Celeste Cortesi, Miss Water Philippines Berjayneth Chee and Miss Eco-Tourism Philippines Halimatu Yushawu.

j

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Knowing is believing, and following through is what you do best. Anger is a waste of time, and anyone who provokes you should be ignored. You have more important prospects to pursue. HHH

k

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t overreact, but bring about necessary change. Look at whatever is going on carefully and make sure you have your facts straight before you get involved in something that can disrupt your life. Keep the peace. HHH

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Set your goal and proceed to the finish line. You have everything to gain by putting your heart and soul into whatever you do. A promise will turn into an opportunity. HHHHH BIRTHDAY BABY: You are caring, kind and adaptable. You are generous and possessive.

‘rat patrol’ BY TIMOTHY E. PARKER The Universal Crossword/Edited by Timothy E. Parker

ACROSS 1 An account payable 5 Just Getting Started star 10 Type of teen king 14 “Brava!” evoker 15 Bailey and Baldwin 16 Congressional underling 17 Mentally zeroing in 20 Show obeisance, in a way 21 Like baseball’s summer team 22 “I call it!” 25 Wriggly fish 26 Passing Newton 29 Python shape 31 Recycles 35 Mysterious craft 36 Bar worth lots 38 Thing checked off 39 Like left-out food 43 Shot measurement 44 Fables guy 45 Zero 46 Removes wrinkles, in a way 49 Tart fruit

0 Understand, as a gag 5 51 Tentative drinks 53 Beyonce hairstyle, sometimes 55 Pass along wisdom 58 Riding accessories 62 Common business expense 65 Angelic? No, no, no 66 GMC SUV 67 Marine bird 68 Cruised through, as an exam 69 Digital communication company 70 Doc’s advice DOWN 1 How returners will be right? 2 Liver mineral 3 QB’s protectors 4 Like tied shoes 5 Executed, as a program 6 Apicultural center? 7 “Buona ___” (good night) 8 “How much have I lost” device 9 Stable person 10 Hillary Clinton wear 11 Latvia’s capital

2 Feature of garbage 1 13 Sherwood’s merry group 18 Obtain via interrogation 19 Isolated spot of land 23 Fillet’s lack 24 Greek “s” 26 Miss Muffet had some 27 Active, per Holmes 28 Long-faced creature 30 Canters 32 Like one slower than a wasp 33 Chillingly weird 34 Silver fish 37 Musk-y company? 40 Ready to be cut? 41 Play fiddler’s spot 42 First glance 47 Laminated mineral 48 Sudden outpourings 52 Perform lousily 54 Waiter’s want 55 Grandiose, filmwise 56 Proofreader’s notation 57 Green sin?

9 Beastly creature 5 60 Office staples 61 Leave in, editorially 62 Avis output 63 Republican abbr. 64 Top seed’s reward

Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Relationships BusinessMirror

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Friday, October 19, 2018

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Clean it up! A PLASTIC bottle left in the main beach of Boracay on September 28, while the island was still closed to tourists. STELLA ARNALDO

SOMETHING LIKE LIFE

MA. STELLA F. ARNALDO

@akosistellaBM

I

WENT down this morning to open the gate for the househelp who comes in weekly for basic chores around the house, and I see partly smoked cigarette butts on the ground right in front of the gate. This annoyed me to no end because this happens every so often. There is a ledge of some sort beside the gate, which used to be a plant box without plants, and which none of my neighbors cared about planting with anything. So our landlady cemented it over, and now that is where we put out our garbage bags every other day for pickup by the local government trash takers. But after the garbage is taken away, or on days when there are no trash bags there, it becomes a convenient sitting stoop for drivers of the vehicles owned by the dwellers of the condominium beside us, or of job applicants who fill up forms, or wait for their turn to be called in for interviews at a placement office in the same building. These people don’t throw just cigarette butts; they leave their empty juice doypacks, snack food packs, plastic cups, food in styro containers they no longer have a taste for and what not. I tell the condo’s guards fairly regularly to kindly remind those job applicants and drivers not to leave anything on that ledge, or stop littering our street with their cigarette butts. You see, this is a perpetual bad habit of most of us Filipinos. We are always praised as a people for being clean in our households, of taking baths once or twice a day and making sure our immediate surroundings are just spic and span with every furniture and doodad in place. Yet you will often see people flicking their cigarette butts out of moving cars, leaving their food wrappers and other leftovers on the tables in fast-food centers and not even sweeping up fallen leaves right outside their gates. On Monday I was sent some photos of plastic cups and spoons left at the base of coconut trees supposedly by tourists in Boracay, which is undergoing a dry run until October 25. I asked the woman who sent those photos to me if she actually saw who threw them. She admitted that she did not, and acknowledged that the trash could very well have been thrown by the locals as there was an ice-cream company handing out free products to celebrate the partial reopening of the island. Most media outlets, however, had already run with the story and blamed tourists, and spread the photos without actually double-checking with the government authorities that have been overseeing the dry run. But guess what? On Monday there were only 19 tourists allowed to enter the island; the rest were residents (1,043) and workers (3,156), according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The local population is about 50,000. So the likelihood of tourists creating the mess on Boracay’s first-day dry run is practically nil. And while I don’t want this to sound like a locals versus tourists situation, let me just say that when I visited the island at end of September for a press coverage,

FROM left: Art Relief Mobile Kitchen Vice President Al Benavente and Cofounder Precious Leano with Discovery Suites Manila General Manager Leeds Trompeta

DISCOVERY PROPERTIES SUPPORT RELIEF EFFORTS FOR LANDSLIDE VICTIMS IN ITOGON, BENGUET

THE Discovery Leisure Co. Inc. (TDLCI) partners with Art Relief Mobile Kitchen (ARMK), a nongovernment organization whose mission is to feed the hungry through community kitchens. The collaboration provided food aid to the rescuers, evacuees and volunteers in Barangay Ucab, Itogon, Benguet, where Typhoon Ompong triggered a state of calamity. Discovery Shores Boracay, Discovery Suites Manila and Discovery Primea, all part of the Preferred Hotels and Resorts family, including sister properties Club Paradise Palawan and Discovery Country Suites, have donated food items ranging from rice, cooking oil, condiments and other basic necessities which can make approximately 11,000 meals. A substantial monetary donation from TDLCI and its sister company Discovery World Corp. (DWC) is also being used to mobilize food relief in Barangay Ucab to support the families in this critical period of transition. A majority have lost their livelihood from the typhoon. “We are devastated by the situation in Itogon, Benguet,” said TDLCI Chief Operating Officer Jun Parreño. “To ease the adversity being faced by the Barangay Ucab community, we feel that providing emergency food relief is a meaningful and impactful way of reaching out. This is why we chose to partner with ARMK.” Art Relief Mobile Kitchen has been preparing and serving nutritious emergency food aid since 2013 through their mobile kitchens, which can be deployed at a moment’s notice. Alex Baluyut, founder of ARMK, said, “Our volunteers are highly motivated and believe in our advocacy in feeding the hungry in times of distress, and we are honored to partner with an organization such as TDLCI that understands the value of serving satisfying meals to help our people in need.” To learn more about this relief effort or for more details on how you can support the cause, visit www.discoveryhotelsresorts.com.

I saw plastic bottles strewn on the beach, and food waste along the beach path. Tourists had been strictly prohibited for the last six months until Monday’s lucky 19. It’s pretty clear to me who has been responsible for the mess on the island these past few days. And while people can always blame the lack of trash bins as the reason they throw their waste wherever they want, a well-disciplined person and someone who has the heart for the environment, will likely hold on to it until they get to a place with receptacles where they can dispose their trash. Again, it is quite a Pinoy trait—we keep ourselves clean but throw everything away and anywhere we want. It is a cultural quirk that needs to be addressed urgently through education and constant reminders. I recently saw an PSA on a news channel showing how elementary schoolchildren were sticking waste wrappers and stuffing them into empty water gallons

for turning over to a company that makes eco-bricks. I hope this isn’t a one-time thing, and that all schools should keep teaching its students to pick up after themselves and dispose of waste they see anywhere in the proper trash bins. Our local government has scored a modicum of success in disciplining our neighborhood to segregate our trash between food waste, recyclables and biodegradables and plastics. Biodegradables are picked up on Mondays and Fridays, while plastics are picked up on Wednesdays. (I don’t get though why it only picks up glass bottles on plastics day, when it is a recyclable.) But if you mix the two types of trash in one bag, the trash guys will leave your garbage. If we must be clean up after ourselves, it should also follow that we make sure our immediate surroundings and our environment are neat, as well. Remember what Lola used to say: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” n

Japan city snubs San Francisco over ‘comfort women’ statue SAN FRANCISCO—The mayor of Osaka, Japan, says he’s ending a six-decade “sister city” relationship with San Francisco to protest a statue honoring women forced to have sex with Japanese soldiers during World War II. Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura this week sent a letter to San Francisco announcing he’s withdrawing from the largely ceremonial relationship, the San Francisco Examiner reported on

Wednesday. The statue was erected on city property last year by California’s Korean, Chinese and Filipino communities. Jeff Cretan, a spokesman for San Francisco Mayor London Breed, called Yoshimura’s decision unfortunate and says the cities will remain connected through “people-topeople ties.” The Japanese Consulate in San Francisco declined to comment. “Breaking the relationship over a

memorial is outrageous and absurd,” said Lillian Sing, cochairman of the Comfort Women Justice Coalition. “It shows how afraid the Osaka mayor and Japanese prime minister are of truth and are trying to deny history.” Historians say tens of thousands of women around Asia were sent to work in Japanese military brothels, often through coercion and deception. Japan apologized in 1993 but the issue has remained an open rift with its

neighbors, particularly South Korea which has strong memories of Japan’s colonization from 1910 to 1945. After a gradual pullback from the apology, Japan’s government now denies that the women, called “comfort women” in Japanese, were forced into sexual slavery, citing a lack of official documentary proof and says the statue in San Francisco and similar statues built in various countries wrongfully blame Japan. AP

Romania court: Same-sex couples should have legal protection BUCHAREST, Romania—Romania’s top court has ruled that gay couples should have the same family rights as heterosexuals, a judgment made before a national referendum seeking to ban same-sex marriage. The Constitutional Court ruled that samesex couples had the same rights to a private and family life as heterosexuals and should “benefit from...legal and juridical recognition of their rights and obligations.” The October 6 and 7 referendum sought to limit the constitutional definition of family to heterosexual, married couples. (The referendum failed to attract enough voters to validate the result, according to news reports.—Ed.)

Teodora Ion-Rotaru, of the gay rights group Accept, told The Associated Press the ruling was “extremely important.” “It says same-sex couples should have the same legal rights as heterosexuals,” she said. “The court says a same-sex family is worth as much as a heterosexual family.” The vote came after 3 million Romanians signed a petition demanding that the constitution be changed to explicitly state that marriage is between a man and a woman. The Romanian Constitution currently says marriage is between spouses. Critics said amending the constitution could

violate human rights and amounts to antigay discrimination. In July the European Court of Justice ruled in the case of a Romanian-American same-sex couple who wanted their marriage legally recognized in Romania. The European Union court ruled that membercountries “may not obstruct the freedom of residence” of EU citizens by refusing to grant residence for the same-sex spouse. EU members Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Latvia don’t recognize same-sex marriage or offer legal protection to same-sex couples. AP

IACOPO ROVERE (left) and Jose Angeilto Palma exchange pandas during contractsigning.

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICE JOINS WWF’S #AYOKONGPLASTIK MOVEMENT

AS the world continues to veer away from the use of plastics in exchange for more eco-friendly alternatives, foodpanda, the on-demand food delivery service in the Philippines, continues its #GoGreen initiative by partnering with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, the 26th national organization of the WWF network, for its #AyokoNgPlastik movement. The movement aims to combat the over usage of single-use plastics in the day-to-day lives of people by encouraging the use of more sustainable materials. Starting next month everyone has the option to join the movement when opting out for plastic cutlery and choosing to donate P1 or P5 per order to help WWF-Philippines in their battle against plastic waste. “We, at foodpanda, believe the partnership with the WWF-Philippines strengthens our vision for the #GoGreen campaign. I’m excited for this collaboration, as we are talking about two pandas joining forces to help decrease the use of plastic,” says foodpanda Philippines CEO Iacopo Rovere. To date, foodpanda (www.foodpanda.ph) has almost 10 percent of their restaurant partners participating in the opt in/ out cutlery across its three key cities: Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao. By partnering with WWF-Philippines, the service will be able to increase the reach and impact of its #GoGreen campaign—not just for the environment but for the businesses involved as well, as it allows restaurant partners to save money from cutlery costs. “This partnership with foodpanda against the use of single-use plastics makes it the first food delivery service to join us in protecting the environment. Together with foodpanda, we will continue to paint the world green [and pink],” says WWF-Philippines President Jose Angelito Palma. With this partnership, foodpanda hopes to make a difference in the way plastic waste is perceived and reduce the overall environmental impact of food packaging waste. If you already have easy access to cutlery or if you do not need it for your meal, foodpanda encourages you to consider opting-out from cutlery to help reduce plastic usage and help WWF-Philippines’s movement.

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Show BusinessMirror

Friday, October 19, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Hot about the hardcourt GAB FAB JET VALLE

Carmina Villarroel and her twins make for happier weekends PREPARE for fun-filled Saturday mornings with the whole family as GMA brings to Filipino homes its newest talk-variety show, Sarap, ’Di Ba?, beginning October 20 after Maynila. The program is hosted by no less than celebrity mom, actress and TV host Carmina Villarroel, together with her talented twins Mavy and Cassy Legaspi. Recognized as one of the country’s well-loved endorsers and most admired female personalities, Carmina returns to hosting—but this time, she will be joined by her children in this family-oriented program, which aims to be a bridge in the gaps between the parents and children. Sarap, ’Di Ba? will show how family members can strengthen their relationship with each other. Being a gen X mom, Carmina will keep viewers happily entertained as she tackles relatable and more dynamic topics about family, food and fun activities for everyone. The twins, being the gen Z teens, will join their mom in weekend morning chats about the latest trends in music, pop culture, fashion and technology. Carmina and her twins have been successfully making it work for almost 18 years now through their ability to relate with each other, making them the perfect hosts for this program. Carmina might not be a “millennial,” and she may not be readily aware of all the trends and lingo that kids these days use, but she knows how to observe, listen and be interested in what Mavy and Cassy are into. The twins will definitely be a breath of fresh air to GMA viewers as they help their mom entertain and bond with their guests. Viewers should look forward to their adventures and misadventures in their personal vlogs, or video blogs, as they share what teens and children actually care about. The program will also be a platform for sharing experiences, no matter what age group you belong to. The fun bonding will not be complete without the delicious and healthy meals you can prepare for your picky children, your hungry husband or to simply satisfy your own cravings. Learn new recipe ideas from Carmina and the twins while they share tips on parenting with their celebrity guests. Sarap, ’Di Ba? begins airing on October 20 at 10:45 am. GMA fans from across the globe can also catch their favorite shows via the network’s international channels: GMA Pinoy TV (www.gmapinoytv.com), GMA Life TV and GMA News TV International.

PPO FAMILY CONCERT AT THE CCP COME in your Halloween costumes, inspired by your favorite book characters, and enjoy a fun-filled afternoon at Tricks and Musical Treats: A PPO Family Concert on October 28, starting at 3 pm, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’s Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater). Now on its fourth year, Tricks and Musical Treats will take its audience to a “Journey to the Kingdom of Books,” featuring an afternoon concert with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), under the baton of Maestro Herminigildo Ranera. The Philippine orchestra, fresh from their international stint at the Asia Week 2018 in Japan, will perform a selection of popular classical masterpieces made for children’s ears including Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik [Third Movement],” Brahm’s “Hungarian Dances 5 and 6,” Chabrier’s “Spanish Rhapsody” and other surprise numbers. One of the highlights will be the Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, a “symphonic fairy tale for children” where the narrator tells a children’s story, while the orchestra illustrates it with different instruments, representing characters in the story. It is Prokofiev’s most frequently performed work, and one of the most frequently performed works in the entire classical repertoire all over the world. Preconcert activities will include the musical instruments petting zoo at the lobby of Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater), where children can try their hands in playing different musical instruments with a mini-tutorial from members of PPO. There will also be storytelling sessions by theater actress Liesl Batucan, with Blanche, as well as Trick or Treats at the Main Theater lobby. Tickets are priced at P500, with 50-percent discount for students and children below 13 years old. For tickets and other inquiries, contact 832-3704 or visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.

@jetvalle

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AST year I boldly declared my love for cager Enzo Joson. If you don’t know him, well, he’s the guard for the NU Bulldogs who has an adorable face and an impish smile. He also loves his German Shepherds so much that at one point, I wished I had the power to transform into a dog so he might notice me. Based on the opening paragraph and photo featured together with this column, you know that this will be about basketball. First things first: I’m not a basketball enthusiast and I have made peace with the fact that I never will be one. I don’t understand the difference between traveling and an illegal foul—the latter actually makes me think the referee may be calling a basketball player for his smell from all that running on the hardcourt. But whatever my lack of basketball knowledge, I make up for with my exquisite taste on basketball players. In fact, after reading my column on the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and my soliloquy about Enzo, one reader asked me on Twitter: How dare you write about the UAAP games based on just one afternoon—and after being focused on just one player when I clearly know nothing about basketball? Or as one devoted UAAP fan wrote in a postcard I have since turned over to the authorities: “Who died and made you the most obnoxious homosexual in Metro Manila abusing your writing power to flirt with a basketball player?” The answer is simple: I love boys and, above all, I love good-looking boys who are good in what they do. And that pretty much makes me enough an authority. People should realize basketball is more than the shots, the fouls, the points and the plays. It’s also about watching a handsome boy in the prime of his life soar and become someone great. And now the handsome boys I am now zeroing in on are the Ildefonso brothers: Dave and Shaun. I first met them when I crashed the UAAP media day in ABS-CBN, hoping to “bump” into Enzo. When I saw a guy in an NU shirt who turned out to be rising star Rey Diputado, I sweetly asked him where Enzo was. He said, “Wala po.” I almost fainted! “Huh?! Wala na si Enzo sa team n’yo?! Bakit!? Anong nangyari?! May ginawa ba siya?! Siguro may girlfriend s’ya at na-distract s’ya sa training kaya tsinugi ng coach!” “Ay wala po sya ngayon. Di po sya pwede,” said Rey, who at that point wanted to run away from the screaming and frenetic homosexual. “Ah, OK,” I muttered. I followed him to his other teammates—and that’s when I saw the Ildefonso brothers. It wasn’t like there was any hallelujiah moment when I laid eyes on them. But my friend Neth Ngo, who accompanied me to the media (stalking) day, whispered, “Magpa-picture ka sa mga yan! Magaling sila!” So I approached them and

said, “Huy, let’s take a picture tapos you pretend I’m your muse!” The brothers laughed and they gamely posed with me. Fast-forward to a few months later. It was the opening weekend of the UAAP and I chanced upon the NU team on TV and there they were, Dave and Shaun. In a sleeveless ensemble and tapered bottoms (basketball sando and shorts actually) that showed their fabulous physique and cute chinito features. They soared and scored.... The brothers were graceful on the court, the way they glided from one side to the other, shooting one point after the other...they were absolutely auteur athletes! They were magnificent! And most of all, they were hot! I actually don’t remember what team they demolished in that opening weekend. But one thing I remember: commentator Boom Gonzalez said Dave

had a team-high of 19 points with seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Shaun had 10 points, all in the third quarter and 11 boards. Unfortunately, after that game, the NU team has skidded down in the team standings. Before I was about to tear my hair in despair, Neth told me that the second round is coming up and the brothers have a fighting chance to keep the team afloat, to be a final four contender even! And that made me determined to spend all my energies to cheering Dave, Shaun, Enzo and another cutie I discovered that weekend, JV Gallego, so that the Bulldogs can bark their way to more victories in the UAAP league. That is, unless the NU team, particularly Daddy Danny Ildefonso, files a restraining order against me because of my stalking. n

Yes, Sally Field, you have a voice CONTINUED FROM D1 really complicated and hurtful to me.” She characterizes Reynolds in the book as swaggering and charismatic, and their connection as immediate and intense. She also portrays him as controlling of her, able to accept only certain aspects of her life and personality while uninterested in or disapproving of others. Field writes that Reynolds used Percodan, Valium and barbiturates while making Smokey, and sometimes received mysterious injections to his chest. She recounts how she organized a surreptitious examination for him at the Miami Heart Institute, which came back all clear, but that Reynolds refused her urging to seek therapy for his stress and anxiety, dismissing it as “self-delusional poppycock.” Field’s assessment now is that, in her romance with Reynolds, she was trying to recreate a version of her relationship with her stepfather. “I was somehow exorcising something that needed to be exorcised,” she told me. “I was trying to make it work this time.” Even as she committed herself emotionally to the idea of writing about her life, Field was not confident she had the literary ability to complete the task. “I know how hard it is to learn a new craft—it takes many a sore ride in the saddle,” she said. “You get thrown around and beat up and get back on that animal.” She added: “It was never a matter of making myself write. It was a matter of being terribly irritated when anything else got in the way.” Though some members of her family knew she was working on the book—in addition to her three grown

sons, Field has an older brother and a younger half sister—she did not start sharing its manuscript with them until earlier this year, and with apprehension. Sam Greisman, the youngest of Field’s sons, said

that he had been broadly aware that she had been abused by her stepfather, and that he knew she’d had “a childhood where no one was allowed to talk about anything.” Greisman, a 30-year-old filmmaker, said that when he was growing up, Field “was already a woman with a very established career.” He added: “I never felt like I saw her unsure how to handle something. She always seemed so together.” Reading In Pieces and seeing the full breadth of his mother’s life had given him a greater appreciation for her, he said. “To see her as someone who grew up confused and made mistakes and went through these traumas, it made me feel more connected to her.” Now comes the part when Field will share her stories with a mass audience, and she could hardly predict how her readership will receive them, or how she might receive her readership. Though the frankness of In Pieces might resonate in a #MeToo era, Field was reluctant to offer up her book as a paradigm for others who might want to disclose their survival narratives. “People should tell whatever story they want to tell,” she said. “This is just my story and it happened the way it happened.” Outrage at the abuses that others have suffered is warranted, she said, but it “is the first part of it, it’s not the fix. Outrage has to come first and it can’t just be quieted and go away.” What Field hears loudest right now, more persistently than any other reaction that In Pieces might elicit, is the voice in her head, still questioning herself over the book. “Can I just pull this back?” she said. “Can I change my mind? Can I say, never mind?” She exhaled a short breath and added, resolutely: “But I didn’t.” n

SHAUN and Dave, the Ildefonso brothers of the UAAP team NU Bulldogs. PHOTO COURTESY OF ABS-CBN SPORTS

Motoring BusinessMirror

Henry Ford Awards Best Motoring Section 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 2011 Hall of Fame

Editor: Tet Andolong

Friday, October 19, 2018 E1

FOTON LAUNCHES EC MOBILE TRUCK Story & Photos by Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes

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TRIKE anywhere” may now have a new meaning into it—especially since Foton Philippines unveiled its new “gamechanging” service program. In an attempt to further bolster the company’s after-sales service, United Asia Automotive Group Inc. (UAAGI), official distributor of Foton vehicles in the country, introduced their new Easy and Convenient (EC) Mobile Service Truck Program at a brief ceremony at their plant in Clark, Pampanga. The pioneering service program will allow authorized mechanics to attend to the customer’s vehicle using specialized Foton tools and genuine parts for those who are not located near dealerships. This simply just shows Foton’s objective of making it easier and more convenient for their customers to avail of their services. “We know how important the maintenance of commercial vehicles are that’s why we’re bringing

service right at your garage,” said UAAGI President Rommel Sytin. “We are aware that not all our customers are in close proximity to a dealership. That is a pain point we want to address with this new and timely service,” he added. The EC Mobile Truck, based on Foton Tornado light-duty truck, fitted with a customized body which accomodates a fully furnished make-shift service office features essential tools to be able to perform preventive maintenance schedule (PMS) and other minor to major repairs. Making it like a “full service right at your doorstep,” the EC Mobile Truck is fitted with a 3.5-kW generator, which supplies power to the tools, including a 1.5 HP air compressor, and impact wrenches.

THE Easy and Convenient Mobile Service Truck

There are also two large capacity oil pans to avoid spills, a built-in oil depository tank, a creeper and other essential hand tools. There are also spotlights to help mechanics work in dark areas or even at night. It is basically self-sufficient as this serves as a mobile casa which can go to anywhere the vehicles are needed to be serviced. Designed with a swing-up canopy and dropside panel which func-

tions as a working bench, the truck also showcases two sets of 220-volt outlets, anti-skid flooring and a first-aid cabinet. For individual dealerships, the EC Mobile Service Truck effectively extends their service range. “We believe that people needn’t be inconvenienced unneccesarily by having to bring their Foton vehicles to the shop for preventive maintenance work or repair,” shared Sytin.

For now, only select Foton dealerships are offering this new after-sales service. They are Foton A. Bonifacio (Autoperfection Inc.); Foton Mandaue, Cebu (Foton Cebu Inc.); Foton Matina, Davao (Gateway Motors Inc.); Foton Pasong Tamo (Cherub Auto Dealer Inc.); and Foton Quezon Avenue (Manindra Auto Corp.). However, Sytin doled out that the EC Mobile Service Program

will also be available at the rest of their dealership network nationwide in the future. More so, the mobile service program is not just for commercial vehicles as passenger vehicle owners can also avail themselves of it. “We are confident that these services will help both our dealerpartners and our customers by positively enhancing their Foton brand experience,” said Sytin.

Moto

Business

E2 Friday, October 19, 2018

THE new MG RX5 compact sport-utility vehicle

SAIC Motor Deputy Managing Director of International Business Department Matt Lei and TCCCI President and Managing Director Atty. Alberto B. Arcilla during the ceremonial handshake

THE RX5’s modern, comfortable and spacious cabin

oring

sMirror

Friday, October 19, 2018

THE RX5’s 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine

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Motoring BusinessMirror

E4 Friday, October 19, 2018

SMC’s unselfish support for infra work; commendable Tivoli spin

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STOP-AND-GO scheme that started on October 6 at the Nichols Toll Plaza to ease traffic in the skyway-laden area is on its impeccably seamless operation to the delight of motorists regularly traversing the iconic Pasay arteries there. The new system, in force from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. at C-5 grade level and the Skyway from Magallanes to Bicutan, will last up to November 15. As you might have already realized, the arrangement was forged under the initiative of SMC Tollways, the San Miguel Corp. (SMC) infrastructure unit in-charge of closely working with the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) on infrastructure projects. “We have offered assistance to MPTC to make sure the project gets delivered on time to minimize inconvenience and provide the full benefits of C-5 South Link to our motorists in the soonest possible time,” said SMC President and COO Ramon S. Ang. The Cavite Infrastructure Corp., a subsidiary of MPTC, is the con-

cession-holder for the 7.7-kilometers six-lane C-5 South Link Expressway that will connect C-5 to the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (Cavitex). Even before the Cavitex could start work on girders that will cross the at-grade portion of SMC’s Skyway and Slex, SMC said it expects higher traffic buildup on its expressways servicing mostly Bicolbound motorists. Be that as it may, SMC said it is taking things in stride if only to throw its full support behind the government’s “Build, Build, Build” platform that is designed to link the entire islands-laden archipelago through massive construction of roads, bridges and seaports. “We recognize and support the government’s objective to develop a

more expansive network of roads of which this new construction is part of,” Ang said of the MPTC project. As a result of this round-theclock infra work, it is imperative for motorists to plan their travels well, with the end in view of avoiding traffic hassles during the period when the project is in progress. Anyway, no pain no gain, right?

Tivoli club adventure

THE following is a report by Cherry

Villaester, the ever reliable chief lieutenant of Dave “Big Mac” Macasadia, SsangYong’s top gun in Manila. “SsangYong Tivoli owners recently joined a short drive to down South with their stylish crossovers for their initial meetup as a newly formed car club. SsangYong Berjaya Motors Philippines, the exclusive distributor of SsangYong vehicles and parts in the country, joined the group to show solidarity and sup-

port for its loyal customers. “The group gathered initially at the Shell Muntinlupa station along the South Luzon Expressway. The assembly of fun and colorful Tivolis transformed the parking lot into a small funky Korean town. They then enjoyed the drive up to Tagaytay and shared a hearty Korean lunch with SBMP executives. “At the gathering, SBMP President David Macasadia shared good news to the passionate Tivoli owners. Macasadia announced that Tivoli Club Philippines members are entitled to an exclusive offer for the newly introduced spare tire package. In addition, he revealed that SsangYong shall be adding more accredited service centers for its customers’ after-sales needs. “In addition to our unique three-year free PMS and five-year warranty,” said Macasadia, “we are also introducing more accredited service centers affiliated with the SBMP dealer network to provide easier access to quality SsangYong service.” “SsangYong owners are advised to coordinate with their respective dealers for PMS arrangements at the newly accredited service centers. “Mark Castro, Tivoli Club Philippines founder, was instrumental in convening the group. “We really wanted to meet more unique individuals who chose to ride different like us Tivoli owners,” said Mark. “I am personally eager to learn more about the car and the SsangYong brand. We reached out to SBMP to join us members in this meetup so we can share our notes and inputs on the Tivoli. We are

glad that SBMP listens to us and is open to customer feedback on how to make the Tivoli ownership experience standout from the rest.” “SBMP recently introduced new variants for its Tivoli and XLV models. With a fresh product line up for 2018, SsangYong Philippines is looking forward to the strong support not only from the Tivoli Club of the Philippines but also from customers who are looking for a fun, practical and stylish vehicles for their daily driving adventures.” Very touching. Very educational. Very global. PEE STOP I was so exceedingly happy and greatly relieved to learn that my dear friend Boyet Lim, the humble owner of multiple Toyota dealerships in Davao, survived a scuba accident off the waters of Davao last week. He was rescued by chopper-flown coast guards floating alone at sea after he was reported missing. I first got the scary news about Boyet gone missing from Danny “Sir John” Isla, who vibered me about it from his base in Auckland, New Zealand. Then came the viber from Vince Socco from TMAP Singapore. And then thank God came Jing Atienza’s viber that Boyet was found—ALIVE! The reports are sketchy as to how the accident happened. Initial reports say Boyet, who loves spear-fishing, dived alone—a dreadful habit as being alone underwater is a no-no bigtime. He reportedly left his “buddyguard” in his boat to go fishing alone in the depths. When he didn’t resurface at the appointed time, his buddyguard called the coast guards. Boyet buddy, Dear God still needs you to do more chores.

Future mobility begins with Toyota at 7th PIMS W ITNESS “Future Mobility” unfolds as Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP)—the country’s No. 1 car brand—joins the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) for its seventh rendition of the Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS). The five-day exposition, to be held from October 24 to 28 at the World Trade Center, will showcase Toyota’s vision of the countless possibilities we could achieve through modern mobility. Toyota’s booth is slated to draw in crowds of eager petrolheads and car enthusiasts with its extensive model lineup. At the forefront of the exhibit is the All-New Vios, followed by Toyota’s full-size spectrum of sport-utility vehicles: the new Rush, the best-selling Fortuner and the luxurious

Land Cruiser. The locally manufactured Innova Touring Sport makes an appearance for the Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) market, while the Prius C represents Toyota’s pursuit of Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) technology. Aside from these commercially-available models, the Toyota booth will also feature its waku-doki Vios One Make Race (OMR) pace car. Toyota lunges to embrace this year’s Future Mobility theme by choosing the TJ Cruiser as its powerful centerpiece. The TJ Cruiser is Toyota Motor Corp.’s latest concept car: a hybrid juggernaut that combines the luggage capacity of a cargo van with the imposing design of an off-road SUV. Besides the indoor display, visitors will be able to experience the equivalent models outside through a

number of Toyota test-drive units. There are booth activities where the whole family can try their luck in exciting games for exclusive Toyota prizes. Dedicated transaction areas with representatives from Toyota Genuine Parts and Accessories, Toyota Financial Services and Metro Manila dealerships are also available. Make sure to catch the premier expo and drop by the Toyota booth this coming October 24 to 28, Wednesday to Sunday, at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. www.toyota.com.ph.

GET THE BEST DEALS AT BLADE A

S we inch closer to Christmas, the country’s largest retail chain of automotive accessories with 60 stores nationwide, Blade has started its campaign of offering its line of car-care products and accessories at a low price. With stores strategically located in all SM, Robinsons and Ayala Malls around the country, car enthusiasts can now buy trusted and proven car-care products, such as Blade’s Carnuba car wax, microfiber cloths and special edition water containers. Famous as being a one-stop shop for anything related to cars and sport-utility vehicle’s, Blade also carries a complete line of automotive accessories and car-care products that ranges from car audio-video down to air fresheners. “The brands we carry are all licensed and Blade is an official distributor of the aforementioned brands. All branded merchandise that we carry are original and licensed,” explained Albert Go of Blade. Blade also offers globally recognized brands in its retail chain, such as Sparco, OMP, Goodyear, Polaroid, Blaupunkt, Pioneer, Wurth, Sonax, 3M tints and Chupa Chups. Blade Auto Center’s line of car accessories and gadgets are reasonably priced due to its high purchase volume. “Savings are passed on to the customers. With our network of 60 locations, Blade is able to negotiate for the lowest cost,” added Go.