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Friday, September 2, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 328

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C.A. INJUNCTION AGAINST PUBLIC INTEREST

PCC telco review to avert collusion

INSIDE

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GREATER INNOVATION AND LUXURY Motoring

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

Editor: Tet Andolong

Friday, September 2, 2016

E1

Greater innovation and luxury Story & photo by Randy S. Peregrino

W

HEN the all-new BMW 7 series was launched early this year, the overall design boasted of an absolute depiction of contemporary luxury.

No wonder, it is dubbed as the most innovative vehicle in its class.

It is built for those who seek nothing but the finest innovations and indulgence, whether from driving or being a passenger. Possessing one ta kes you beyond the motoring experience and gives you pleasure from the elite packages being offered. Asian Carmakers Corp.

(ACC), the exclusive distributor

of BMW vehicles in the country, recently introduced the BMW 7 Series Priv ileges Programme, (7PP). This exclusive program entitles owners of the all-new 7 Series to a premium selection of ser vices that complement their luxurious experience with the brand ’s f lagship vehicle.

Continued on E4

Motoring

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

he Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) needs to review the multibillion-peso acquisition by PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. of San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) telco assets to ensure competition and protect the welfare of Filipino consumers, the Philippine Internet Society (PIS) said on Thursday.

Continued on A2

BusinessMirror

ACC Vice Chairman Demosthenes Rosales (from left), Pontefino/1771 Group of Cos. CEO Ricky Gutierrez, Philippine Airlines Vice President for Ancillary Business Kevin Y. Hartigan-Go, Huma Island Resort Account Manager Dianna Joyce Lorenzo, ACC President Maricar Parco, Ayala Land Premier Marketing Head Eunice Asejo and Shangri-La at The Fort Director of Sales and Marketing Cecile Weber

What I think of Sen. de Lima Teddy Locsin Jr.

The transaction will leave a limited amount of spectrum to a potential third player.

The MAO has found cause to believe that the amount of available spectrum posttransaction may not be sufficient for a new player to exert competitive pressure on PLDT and Globe.”—Mergers and Acquisitions Office

W sex video.

free fire HAT do I think of Sen. Leila de Lima? First, the

Someone sent me via Twitter the link to the sex video of de Lima. The link had a photo of a stout woman on top of a big black man wearing a college ring. Not my school for sure.

I tweeted back. “Why did you let your mother impersonate de Lima naked? If she needed money, I would have sent a check. But I would have hoped she did not share the money with your father, who impersonated de Lima’s lover. Your dad does not fit the role. De Lima’s lover is good looking.”

1

OF ‘LIGHT’ AND LOVE

Continued on A11

FDC set to run at full capacity by end-Sept

LIFE

F

cial housing in 2017.

“That is the housing dilemma, the demand versus the affordability of each beneficiary, as well as the data that we have, because we don’t have the complete data,” said Armida Melendres, HUDCC policy development, legislation and special projects group project evaluation officer.

See “Shelter agencies,” A2

See “FDC,” A2

D1

NEW D-MAX The new Isuzu D-Max was launched on Thursday at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Newport City. Leading the ceremonial toast during the launching ceremony are (from left) Isuzu Motors International Operations Thailand Co. Ltd. President Yoichi Masuda, Isuzu Motor Co. Thailand President Takashi Kakuchi, Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) President Hajime Koso, Isuzu D-Max Brand Ambassador Derek Ramsay, IPC Executive Vice President Takashi Tomita and Mitsubishi Corp. Senior Vice President Shigeru Wakabayashi. ALYSA SALEN

‘Shelter agencies need ₧105B a year to roll out socialized-housing projects’

By Cai U. Ordinario

C1

@llectura

DC Misamis Power Corp.’s (FDC Misamis) 405-megawatt (MW) coal plant is expected to run at its full capacity by the end of this month, following the synchronization of the second unit to the Mindanao grid.

The synchronization of the second unit comes a month after the first unit went online.

“To date, FDC Misamis has a generating capacity of 270 MW and is currently supplying over 200 MW into the Mindanao grid. So far, the commissioning test has been running smoothly and we expect to attain the full capacity of 405 MW by this month,” said Mario Pangilinan, president and COO of FDC Utilities Inc. Pangilinan added, “Mindanao has been suffering from a perennial power crisis for decades, given its high dependence on hydropower compounded by the increasing frequency of El Niño. Our project will finally put an end to this recurring power crisis that has plagued the region and, hopefully, drive the much-needed economic development in Mindanao.”

The third unit is scheduled for synchronization by the first half of September. This is the first plant to be commissioned under the Duterte administration.

Upon commissioning of its third unit, FDC Misamis will be supplying a total of about 500 MW, with the inclusion of its 100-MW Apo Geothermal IPPA (Independent Power Producer Administrator) contract. Long-term contractual commitments have been secured for more than 85 percent of the project’s net capacity with various distribution utilities and large industrial customers in Mindanao.

seeds fall

sports

By Lenie Lectura

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@cuo_bm

he Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) said on Thursday that shelter agencies need to spend P105 billion a year if the country’s 1.4 million informal settler families (ISFs) were to be given their own homes.

PESO exchange rates n US 46.5520

In a housing forum and book launch sponsored by the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies and International IDEA in Quezon City, HUDCC officials said this is based on rough estimates using the ceiling cost of each socialized-housing unit pegged at P450,000. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) allocated a total budget of P21.73 billion for so-

₧448.56B

The value of FDC assets as of end-June

n japan 0.4501 n UK 61.1647 n HK 6.0017 n CHINA 6.9699 n singapore 34.1741 n australia 34.9792 n EU 51.9520 n SAUDI arabia 12.4169

Source: BSP (1 September 2016 )

News BusinessMirror

A2 Friday, September 2, 2016

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PCC telco review to avert collusion Continued from A1

PIS Chairman Winthrop Yu said it was “unfortunate” that the Court of Appeals has ordered the competition council to temporarily stop “conducting further proceedings for the pre-acquisition review and/or investigation of the subject acquisition.”

“We feel the injunction is unfortunate, as it stops the commission from carrying out its duties as clearly and specifically mandated under the law. Thus, this delay is not in the public interest,” Yu told the BusinessMirror.

Foundation for Media Alternatives, a nonprofit non-governmental organization in the Philippines seeking to democratize information and communication systems for citizens and commu-

nities, shared this view.

“The Foundation for Media Alternatives, and many civil-society organizations and independent observers believe that the PCC assessment of the transaction serves the public interest, and is against any move to prevent this assessment from happening,” the group said in a public statement.

A day before the appellate court issued the order, the competition regulator issued a preliminary statement of concerns on the transaction, claiming the P70-billion deal might have a negative impact on the telco industry as a whole.

For one, the Mergers and Acquisitions Office (MAO) of the competition commission said the transaction “will weaken any potential competitors to PLDT and Globe, such that they will impose less com-

Shelter agencies. . .

“Since we are here now, we are asking other agencies to have integration of information systems for us to have updated data,” Melendres added.

DBM said the social-housing program for the informal settlers will be funded through the National Housing Authority’s (NHA) P12.64-billion subsidy, which is lower than the 2016 level.

The agency also told the BusinessMirror that this is primarily due to the completion of the housing assistance program for the victims of Supertyphoon Yolanda (International code name: Haiyan) amounting to P25.6 billion.

Aside from the NHA budget, the proposed budget includes the Department of Transportation’s P7.34-billion budget

Continued from A1

for the resettlement of those to be displaced by the North-South Rail Project.

The national government also said the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC) will receive a P1.46-billion subsidy, while the Social Housing Finance Corp. will get P279 million.

Melendres added that, while the estimated 5.56 million housing backlog is based on a 2010 study of the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI), it is not the backlog that the government must address.

She said the 5.56 million includes Filipinos who may have the capability to buy their own home or are living with parents or relatives or living in “doubled up” housing, but do not have their own

petitive constraints than they would have done in the counterfactual.” “ T he M AO has considered whether the transaction will result in either or both PLDT and Globe having substantial advantages such that it will not be possible for other operators to match and effectively compete with the incumbent firms,” the document dated August 25 read.

The office identified two potential advantages that accrue in favor of the incumbents as a result of the deal.

One is the amount and type of spectrum that will be held by PLDT and Globe; and second is PLDT and Globe’s ownership of Vega Telecom Inc.’s telecommunications infrastructure and facilities.

Spectrum is the real estate on which telecommunication operators

develop their respective network to deliver services to customers.

The amount of spectrum assigned to a telco has an impact on the cost to build capacity, overall network performance, ability to offer new multimedia services and general customer experience of wireless services.

Before the transaction, PLDT has the rights to 285 megahertz (MHz) of frequencies across different spectrums and Globe, 210 MHz. After the transaction, PLDT ended with 400 MHz, while Globe with 325 MHz. What remains for prospective telecom players is a mere 140 MHz frequencies in the 700-MHz, 850MHz, 2100-MHz, 2500-MHz and 3500-MHz spectrums.

“The transaction will leave a limited amount of spectrum to a

home. The only backlog that the government needs to address, Melendres said, is the 3.4-percent annual increase in informal settler families.

“The instruction to us [at the HUDCC] is to clear the data so we [will] have a clear-cut policy implementation,”Melendres said. On Wednesday HUDCC Chairman and Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo said solving the housing problem is one way to make the Philippine economy “more inclusive.”

From 2011 to 2016, Robredo said the total housing backlog could reach 5.7 million. To eliminate the backlog, the government and property developers need to build 2,602 houses per day in the next six years.

“We must work fast, but never in the wrong direction. That is why a comprehensive road map is critical to

our success. The only way to succeed is to partner with the private sector, but we are not asking for your charity,” Robredo said.

She added that shelter agencies recently reduced the documentary requirements for socialized-housing projects under the High Density Housing and the Community Mortgage Program to nine from the previous 27 documents.

Robredo added that the agencies aim to cut processing time to 15 to 30 days, from two years. This will be done via a memorandum of agreement with the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

“If you’ve seen the list of requirements, you will understand me when I say it is not for the faint-hearted. There is no reason our people have to wait if we can deliver basic services faster,” she said.

potential third player. The MAO has found cause to believe that the amount of available spectrum posttransaction may not be sufficient for a new player to exert competitive pressure on PLDT and Globe,” the document read.

The limited spectrum that would be available significantly reduces a third player’s incentive to attract new customers. A competitor will have little incentive to reduce prices to attract customers as they will be capacity-constrained.

Giving the two players an open access to this opportunity, the regulator added, may result in collusion between the duopoly.

“The transaction may enhance the likelihood of coordination or strengthen existing coordination in a manner that harms competition significantly,” it said.

FDC. . .

Continued from A1

Once the 450-MW (3X135-MW) power facility starts operating at full capacity, it will be the biggest power plant in Mindanao.

“The entire Filinvest group is committed to Mindanao’s development. This is the biggest investment we have made among the numerous ventures we have undertaken in the region,” said Jonathan Gotianun, chairman of Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC).

Located in the Phividec Industrial Estate in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, the power plant is a multibillion-peso investment that uses the latest in clean coal technology: The circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler technology. Considered as the cleanest process to burning coal, the technology is also known

For his part, Smart Communications Inc. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said his group respects the decision of the court.

“It’s a court decision, at least on our part, we’ll respect that decision. So we’ll see. As far as we’re concerned, we’re doing what the court decision says,” he said on Wednesday in a chance interview.

The two largest telecommunications players in the Philippines coacquired the telco businesses of San Miguel in May for almost P70 billion. This gave them access to a swathe of spectrum holdings and infrastructure.

SMC was supposed to launch mobile services this year even after its talks with Telstra Corp.

Ltd. bogged down due to threats to the precious assets held by San Miguel. for having higher steam generator efficiency, thus lowering carbon emissions.

“The operation of the FDC Misamis power project will greatly boost the supply security in the Mindanao region. And this is not only because of its large capacity, but also due to its strategic connection to the grid. With this development, our system will be more reliable and the quality of service will be higher,” said Ambrocio Rosales, officer in charge head of Mindanao System Operations Department of NGCP. FDC, the holding company of the Gotianunled Filinvest Group, is one of the Philippines’s leading conglomerates with interests in property development, banking and financial services, hotel and resort management, power generation and the sugar industry. As of endJune, FDC had assets valued at P448.56 billion with stockholders’ equity at P100.54 billion.

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Friday, September 2, 2016 A3

DOT aims to double Philippine tourism revenues by 2022–Teo

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By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo Special to the BusinessMirror

HE Department of Tourism (DOT) is targeting to increase the total revenues of the tourism sector, from P2.08 trillion in 2015 to P4 trillion by 2022, when President Duterte steps down from Malacañang.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo made this disclosure in a media statement released on Thursday, as she welcomed news of a 15-percent jump in inbound visitor receipts to P127.4 billion in the first half of 2016. (See, “Asians are top visitors to PHL from January to June,” in the BusinessMirror, September 1, 2016.)

“We must shoot for the stars and maintain an upward trend in terms of visitor arrivals and revenues, for the benefit of all stakeholders,” she said.

The total revenue target in 2022 includes P922 billion in inbound visitor receipts, and P2.95 trillion in earnings from domestic travel-

₧4T

The amount of total revenue target for the tourism sector, from P2.08 trillion in 2015, set by the Duterte administration, according to Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo ers, according to Tourism Assistant Secretary for Tourism Development Planning Rolando Cañizal in a text message to the BusinessMirror.

The P2.08-trillion revenues in 2015 were accounted for by P307 billion in foreign visitors receipts, and P1.8 trillion in domestic tourists receipts, he explained.

Teo added that the DOT is targetting to attract 12 million foreign visitors by 2022, from 5.4 million in 2015, and encourage 89 million domestic tourists by 2022, from 68 million in 2015.

The agency is trying to encourage some 6 million foreign visitors to come to the Philippines, and some 71 million domestic tourists this year.

Teo stressed that the agency is now focused on developing a highly competitive tourism industry and an inclusive, and sustainable growth.

“From the current 8.2-percent share of the country’s GDP, [we’ll raise [the tourism sector’s share] to 10 percent by 2022,” she said. GDP refers to the amount of finished goods and services produced by a country for a specific period of time.

She noted that the Philippines continues to lag behind Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam, despite being gifted with premier and unparalleled tourism destinations, like fine white- sand

A horde of Asian tourists arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. NONIE REYES

beaches and abundant marine life, as well as a naturally hospitable people.

Local tourism stakeholders have consistently pressed the government to address the country’s infrastructure backlog, which prevents more tourists from traveling to many spectacular local destinations, and air-traffic congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. They also point out the safety and security challenges in

certain parts of the country, including Metro Manila, which is what foreign visitors usually see first before going to the tourist sites in the provinces.

Latest data from the DOT showed that some 2.98 million foreign tourists visited the country from January to June 2016, up 13 percent from the same period last year.

In June alone, there were 459,138 foreign visitors, a 17.6-percent jump from the arrivals in June 2015.

These visitors spent some P21 billion in the country, an increase of 21.2 percent from June 2015. Each foreign tourist spent P5,179.86 per day, or close to P50,000 in June.

They also stayed an average of 9.56 nights that month.

South Koreans were the biggest spenders in June, at P6.5 billion; followed by visitors from the United States, at P3.8 billion; China, at P3.53 billion; Japan, at P1.2 billion; and Australia at P870 million.

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Indonesia inflation slows to weakest in seven years

I

ndonesia’s inflation slowed to the weakest in almost seven years and fell below the central bank’s target, bolstering the case for further interest-rate cuts.

Consumer price gains eased to 2.79 percent last month from a year earlier, compared with economists’ 3.02-percent estimate. Prices fell 0.02 percent in August from the previous month, the statistics office said at a news conference in Jakarta on Thursday, adding that the annual rate was the lowest since December 2009.

Bank Indonesia still sees room to ease policy, considering the economy has a manageable inflation rate and current-account deficit, Senior Deputy Governor Mirza Adityaswara said last week. The authority set its 2016 inflation target at 3 percent to 5 percent and expects consumer-price gains to end the year at around 3.5 percent, he said. “Easing inflation, along with stability in both the current-account deficit and exchange rate, have created policy space for rate cuts,” said Weiwen Ng, an economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) in Singapore. “The degree of easing will be dependent on the size of tax-amnesty inflows.”

ANZ expects the central bank to lower its new benchmark rate by another 25 basis points to 5 percent as soon as its September meeting, Ng said. Bloomberg News

Singapore has first pregnant woman testing positive for Zika

S

ingapore said a pregnant woman tested positive for the Zika virus infection on Wednesday, as the number of reported cases reached more than 100 in less than a week since the first locally transmitted infection was identified.

There were 24 new cases identified on Wednesday with a potential cluster of virus infection in an area in the east of the island, according to a joint statement by the Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency. Nine additional infections were also detected from testing of previous cases. That brings the total number of cases announced so far to 115, according to the Straits Times newspaper.

The city-state has stepped up efforts to fight the Zika virus since reporting the first locally transmitted case on August 27. The country has had measures in place for years to contain dengue, which is spread by the same Aedes mosquito that transmits Zika.

“Over time, we expect Zika

Y

Annan was criticized on Monday on a page that appeared to be from Ma Ba Tha, a national group led by Buddhist monks that has been accused of helping to incite violence in the region that left hundreds of Muslims dead in 2012.

On Thursday, however, Wirathu, a monk who is among Ma Ba Tha’s most prominent leaders, said on his Facebook page the post was from a fake account. Many people in Myanmar social media pose as Buddhist nationalists and sometimes mock them. The owner of the account could not be reached.

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exceed the planned ratio of 4.95 percent of GDP, according to National Financial Supervisory Commission.

Vietnam’s plan to slash holdings in companies dates back to the 1990s as a way to spur economic growth.

The government’s privatization plan fell short of its target in 2015, with 289 state-owned companies selling stakes compared with a goal of 514.

The process is “slow and behind schedule” due partly to executives’ concerns about their positions at these companies after the sales, Deputy Finance Minister Tran Van Hieu told Bloomberg last year.

The government plans to sell its Sabeco and Habeco stakes in auctions, according to the government post. Vietnam will offer a 53.59-percent stake in Sabeco this year before its listing, and the remainder in 2017, according to the government posting. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on August 29 the listings of Sabeco and Habeco must be done prior to their state stake sales.

Vietnam’s beer-swilling culture has made Sabeco and Habeco among the government’s most-treasured assets. Beer consumption in the Southeast Asian country jumped about 40 percent in 2015 from 2010, according to the Vietnam Beer Alcohol Beverage Association. Vietnamese are expected to consume more than

Vietnam have reported cases that were either transmitted locally or brought into the country, according to the Singapore ministry.

TheZikavirushasbeendocumented in several Asian countries since it first emerged in 1951, including

Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan, prior to the Brazilian outbreak, according to Raina MacIntyre, head of the school of public health and community medicine at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Bloomberg News

The total number of Zika cases announced so far in Singapore

cases to emerge from more areas,” Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said in the statement. “We must work and plan on the basis that there is Zika transmission in other parts of Singapore and extend our vectorcontrol efforts beyond the current affected areas.”

The pregnant woman’s doctor

The post called Annan “a funnylooking and disrespectful person cannot talk about our own issues in the country.” It also called Annan, who is from Ghana, a kalar, a slur used in Myanmar against Muslims and Indians. The post, however, included a photo not of Annan but of Morgan Freeman, the Oscar-winning actor.

Freeman was marked with a red “X’’ next to the words “We no need Coffee Annan he go away.”

Freeman has been confused previously elsewhere not only with Annan but also with late South African President Nelson Mandela. AP

Vietnam announces plan to sell entire stakes in its prized beer companies

ietnam’s government is taking an unprecedented step in divesting all it owns in the nation’s two leading beer companies, as a growing budget deficit forces the leadership to accelerate a plan to reduce holdings in state-owned firms.

The government will sell its entire 89.59-percent stake in Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corp. for $1.8 billion and its 82-percent holding in Hanoi Beer Alcohol Beverage Corp. for $404 million, according to a post on a government news web site on Wednesday. Saigon Beer, known as Sabeco, will be sold in two tranches in 2016 and 2017, while Hanoi Beer, or Habeco, will be divested this year, it said.

“This is the first time the government is very clear cut in saying goodbye to major companies completely, without any stakes left,” said Dinh The Hien, a Ho Chi Minh-based economist. “The government’s clearcut determination matches its longplanned strategy to speed up state stake sales. But it also indicates how stressed the state budget is right now.”

Vietnam, which needs billions of dollars in infrastructure investments for highways to airports, has seen state revenue drop this year with plunging oil prices and a drought that has hurt agriculture production. The budget deficit for 2016 may

is following up closely with her to monitor her health and the development of her baby, according to the statement.

The recent spread in Singapore highlights the threat of infection across Asia. Indonesia, Thailand and

115

Myanmar Buddhist group clarifies post insulting Kofi Annan was fake ANGON, Myanmar—A Buddhist nationalist group in Myanmar says a Facebook post in which it appeared to criticize former United Nation SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan was fake.

Myanmar’s government announced last week that Annan will lead an advisory panel aimed at finding “lasting solutions” to the conflict in Rakhine state, where human-rights groups have documented widespread abuses against minority Rohingya Muslims.

Rakhine Buddhist nationalists have denounced the commission.

Editor: Max V. de Leon • Friday, September 2, 2016 A5

4.04 billion liters of beer this year, the most in the region and up from 3.88 billion liters in 2015, according to Euromonitor International. Its citizens of legal drinking age, 18 and above, is expected to increase to 72.4 million by 2021, from 68.7 million this year, according to Euromonitor.

The country’s thirst for beer has attracted interest from foreign companies. Thai Beverage Pcl., Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. and Heineken NV are among companies interested in Sabeco, according to Euromonitor analyst Andrea Lianto.

Heineken, which in July acquired a brewery in the port city of Vung Tau from Carlsberg A/S, has a 20-percent market share, similar to that of Habeco’s, according to Nguyen Van Viet, chairman of the Vietnam beer association. Sabeco, brewer of Saigon Beer and 333 Beer, was Vietnam’s largest beer company with 40 percent of the market share.

The decision to hold auctions is an effort by the government to be more transparent, said Tony Foster, a Vietnam managing partner for law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Llp. in Hanoi. It could also line up future sales, including that of Vietnam Dairy Products JSC, Foster said.

The company known as Vinamilk is one that foreign investors are most interested in, he said. Bloomberg News

IN this May 23 file photo, an Aedes aegypti mosquito sits inside a glass tube at the Fiocruz institute, where they have been screening for mosquitos naturally infected with the Zika virus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mosquitoborne Zika virus was recently found in Singapore. AP

Indonesia starts screening for Zika virus as Singapore infections mount

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AKARTA, Indonesia—Indonesia is screening travelers from neighboring Singapore for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, as the city-state reports a growing number of infections and its first case of a pregnant woman testing positive.

Indonesian Health Ministry Spokesman Oscar Primadi said on Thursday health officials are recommending that the Foreign Ministry issue an advisory against nonessential travel to Singapore, particularly for pregnant women.

Singapore issued a statement on Wednesday evening saying it had identified 22 new Zika cases in one particular area of the city and its first case involving a pregnant woman.

Zika has mild effects for most people, but doctors believe infection during pregnancy can result in babies with small heads, which is known as microcephaly, and other serious developmental disorders. Singapore had 155 cases as of Wednesday.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising travelers to Singapore to take precautions, such as protecting themselves against mosquito bites, and because the virus can also be sexually transmitted, to use condoms or not have sex.

Primadi said thermal-imaging equipment to detect abnormal body temperatures was installed at eight Indonesian ports with routes serving Singapore, including the capital Jakarta’s airport.

He said travelers will also be given a health questionnaire so they will recognize symptoms and know to immediately report to health authorities.

On Thursday Malaysia’s Health Ministry said a 58-year-old woman who traveled to Singapore had become that country’s first Zika case.

Health Minister S. Subramaniam said the woman and her husband visited Singapore for three days from

August 19. The woman developed a rash a week after her return and later tested positive for Zika in her urine, he said. Her daughter in Singapore tested positive for Zika on Tuesday.

“We can conclude that it is rather easy to get infected by the virus when visiting places that has outbreak, including Singapore,” he said. “Proactive action from the community can help stop the spread of Zika virus in Malaysia.”

Subramaniam said the virus was believed to be imported from Singapore, because the woman started experiencing symptoms on the same day as her daughter.

The ministry has started control activities, such as eliminating mosquito-breeding sites and fog spraying in her residential area and other places that the patient had visited.

Indonesia has not yet reported any local Zika infections but an Indonesian woman in Singapore is among those infected there. AP

Uniqlo makes biggest Southeast Asia bet

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asual clothing chain Uniqlo is taking its biggest chance in Southeast Asia.

The unit of Fast Retailing Co. is opening a store on Singapore’s iconic Orchard Road, which will have 2,700 square meters (29,000 square feet) of shopping space on three floors. The store will be Uniqlo’s largest in the region, as the brand looks for growth outside Japan to revive flagging profits at its parent.

Fast Retailing is busy opening stores in the US, London and across Asia to help reduce its dependency on a home market, where Japanese household spending is falling. Billionaire Chairman Tadashi Yanai wants to generate ¥5 trillion ($48 billion) in sales by 2020

to keep Fast Retailing competitive with Hennes & Mauritz AB and Zara-owner Inditex SA. “Southeast Asia expansion will help Yanai achieve his ¥5-trillion sales target,” said Dairo Murata, an analyst at JPMorgan Securities Japan Co. “But to achieve that goal in three years will be difficult.”

This will be the 25th store in Singapore for Asia’s largest clothing retailer, bringing its Southeast Asian presence to about 130 outlets. Yanai, Japan’s richest man with a net worth of $18.4 billion, will host a briefing in the citystate on Thursday, a day before the store opens.

Uniqlo in September opened a sixstory China flagship store in central

Shanghai, and Yanai reiterated plans to open 100 stores a year in China on its way to a potential 3,000. The brand’s Southeast Asia presence includes about 30 stores each in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

That overseas expansion has made Fast Retailing more vulnerable to a strengthening yen, which prompted a cut to its full-year net-income forecast in July. Yet, recent signs of recovery in the Uniqlo business lifted Fast Retailing’s shares 8.7 percent in August, paring the year-to-date slump in the stock to 15 percent through Wednesday. Shares dropped as much as 1.8 percent to ¥35,680 in Tokyo trading on Thursday.

Bloomberg News

A6

The World

Friday, September 2, 2016 • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

BusinessMirror

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AS The Republican presidential nominee remains committed to building a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico

Trump retreats from vow vs illegal migrants

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HOENIX—Donald Trump is retreating from his vow to deport the nation’s entire population of people living in the country illegally, even as he sticks with an aggressive tone on illegal immigration and remains committed to building a physical wall along the US border with Mexico.

The Republican nominee for president promised on Wednesday to remove millions of people living in the country illegally if elected president, warning that failure to do so would jeopardize the “well-being of the American people.”

“Anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation,” Trump said in a highly anticipated speech, which took place mere hours after his surprise meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in his first trip abroad as the GOP nominee. But the billionaire New Yorker also said the effort of a proposed immigration task force in a Trump administration would focus on removing criminals, people who have overstayed their visas and other immediate security threats.

Left unanswered by Trump: What would happen to those who have not committed crimes beyond their immigration offenses?

Aimed at ending weeks of confusion over just where he stands on immigration, Trump’s fiery speech was filled with applause lines for his loyal supporters.

Any person living in the country illegally who is arrested “for any crime whatsoever,” he said, will immediately be placed into deportation proceedings. “There will be no amnesty,” he added, saying immigrants in the country without permission who wish to seek legal status or citizenship must return to their home countries in order to do so.

But there was no direct mention of a core promise of his primary

campaign—to create a “deportation force” that would remove all of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally.

Trump instead repeated the standard Republican talking point that only after securing the border can a discussion begin to take place about all such immigrants, ducking the major question that has frustrated past congressional attempts at remaking the nation’s immigration laws.

That omission didn’t bother Dan Stein, who leads the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that pushes for stricter immigration policies. He called Trump’s speech the outline of “a coherent and workable strategy.”

“But even more important than the details of the plan itself,” Stein said, “Trump laid out the most fundamental principle for true immigration reform: The policy exists to protect and serve ‘the well-being of the American people,’ and ‘protect all aspects of American life.’”

Critics, meanwhile, said Trump’s glossing over the fate of people who are peacefully living in the US without permission doesn’t make up for his overall approach.

“It is still the most extreme position of any modern presidential candidate,” said Frank Sharry, a leading immigration advocate. “It is deeply unpopular with voters, and profoundly un-American.”

Even as he beat a retreat from his earlier pledge to deport all illegal immigrants from the country, Trump’s aggressive tone in Phoenix marked a

Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump shake hands after a joint statement at Los Pinos, the presidential official residence, in Mexico City, on Wednesday. Trump is calling his surprise visit to Mexico City on Wednesday a “great honor.” The Republican presidential nominee said after meeting with Peña Nieto that the pair had a substantive, direct and constructive exchange of ideas. AP

2,000 miles The length of the physical wall between the US southern border and Mexico that Donald Trump has been insisting on erecting shift from earlier in the day.

A much more measured Trump described Mexicans as “amazing people,” as he appeared alongside Peña Nieto in Mexico’s capital city.

The good feelings from his first meeting with a head of state as his party’s presidential nominee lasted only a short time, as a dispute arose

in the hours after he left Mexico City over the most contentious part of the billionaire’s plans to fight illegal immigration—his insistence that Mexico must pay to build a physical wall along the roughly 2,000-mile US southern border.

Trump told reporters during his afternoon appearance with Peña Nieto that the two men didn’t discuss who would pay for a cost of construction pegged in the billions. Silent at that moment, Peña Nieto later tweeted, “I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.”

With the meeting held behind closed doors, it was impossible to know who was telling the truth.

Trump told the rowdy Arizona crowd that he respects the Mexican

president. “We agreed on the importance of ending the illegal flow of drugs, cash, guns and people across our border and to put the cartels out of business,” he said.

Yet, standing on American soil, he addressed directly a question he sidestepped when asked in Mexico.

“Mexico will pay for the wall, 100 percent,” the New York businessman said. “They don’t know it yet, but they’re going to pay for the wall.”

The Mexican president, however, said on Twitter the subject was among the first things the men discussed. “From there, the conversation addressed other issues, and developed in a respectful manner,” Peña Nieto wrote.

Trump was cheered in Arizona,

but his appearance in Mexico sparked anger and protests. The candidate is deeply unpopular in Mexico due in large part to his deriding the country as a source of rapists and criminals as he kicked off his campaign. He piled on in the months to come, attacked the country over free trade, illegal immigration and border security.

Campaigning in Ohio, Democrat Hillary Clinton jabbed at Trump’s Mexican appearance as she promoted her own experience working with foreign leaders as the nation’s chief diplomat.

“People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you won’t say one thing one day and something totally different the next,” she told the American Legion in Cincinnati. AP

Brazil’s Temer inherits presidency on shaky ground Splintering factions add

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IO DE JANEIRO—The permanent ouster of deeply unpopular President Dilma Rousseff by Brazil’s Senate means that a man who is arguably just as unpopular is now faced with trying to ease the wounds of a divided nation mired in recession.

Long known as an uncharismatic backroom wheeler-dealer, Michel Temer inherits a shrinking economy, a Zika virus outbreak that has ravaged poor northeastern states and political instability fed by a sprawling corruption probe that has tarred much of the country’s political and business elite—himself included.

So far, he’s struggled in the nearly four months he’s served as interim president following Rousseff’s May impeachment, which suspended her from office while a final trial was prepared. The Senate’s 61-20 vote on Wednesday to permanently remove her means Temer, who had been her vice president, will now serve out her term, which ends in late 2018.

Just hours after Rousseff was removed, Temer assured the nation his administration was up to the task.

“From today on, the expectations are much higher for the government.

I hope that in these two years and four months, we do what we have declared—put Brazil back on track,” he said.

Temer also denied that the proceedings were a coup against Rousseff, which she repeatedly claimed throughout the process.

“Putschist is you,” he said, referring to Rousseff. “It’s you who is breaking the Constitution.”

Brazil’s newly sworn in President Michel Temer (left) shakes hands with Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, as Senate leader Renan Calheiros (center) looks on during Temer’s swearing in ceremony at the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, on Wednesday. Temer was sworn in as Brazil’s new leader following the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff. AP

Temer said he planned to attend the Group-of-20 (G-20) meetings in China this weekend, mentioning bilateral meetings that leaders from Spain, Japan, Italy and Saudi Arabia have already requested.

“We are traveling to show the world that we have political and legal stability,” he said. “We have to show that there is hope in the country.”

Whether Temer can convince Brazilians that he is worth a real shot is unclear. He appeared tone-deaf with his first move in May: appointing an entirely white, male Cabinet to oversee a nation of 200 million people where more than 50 percent identify as black or mixed-race.

Three of Temer’s ministers had

to quit within days of being named because of corruption allegations.

And so far, he has struggled to build consensus around key reforms, such as slimming the country’s pension system.

Government ministers are promising progress now that “interim” is no longer part of Temer’s title.

“With the end of the interim period and a vote of more than 60 senators, the investors will start bringing jobs again,” Cabinet chief Eliseu Padilha said.

So far, that message hasn’t resonated with most Brazilians, however. Just 14 percent said they approved of Temer’s performance in a July poll by Datafolha.

On the flip side, 62 percent said they wanted new elections to resolve the crisis. The poll interviewed 2,792 people on July 14 and 15, and had a 2 percentage point margin of error.

New elections would first require that Temer resign, which he has no intention of doing.

The son of Lebanese immigrants, the 75-year-old Temer quietly rose through Brazil’s political ranks, building a reputation as a negotiator who could forge deals among political rivals. His reserved manner earned him the nickname the “Butler.” The only thing flashy about him is his wife, 32-year-old Marcela Temer, an ex-beauty pageant contestant who tattooed Temer’s name on her neck.

As a leader of the country’s biggest party, the ideologically flexible Brazilian Democratic Party Movement, Temer won election as head of the lower house of Congress for nearly a decade.

A political marriage of convenience led the leftist Rousseff to choose the Sâo Paulo congressman as her vice-presidential running mate in 2010. Their formal if frosty relationship endured as the country continued a decade and a half-long boom. But by the time the pair was re-elected in 2014, the economy began to unravel and street protests erupted.

Prosecutors and judges uncovered a web of billions of dollars of kickbacks at the state oil giant Petrobras. The two-year probe has ensnared dozens of businessmen and politicians across the political spectrum. AP

uncertainty to HK election

H

ONG KONG—Two years after the end of chaotic prodemocracy protests in Hong Kong, a number of young activists who were politically awakened by the movement hope to keep its spirit alive by running for political office on Sunday.

The young radicals hope to ride a rising tide of anti-Beijing sentiment and win seats on the Legislative Council. They’re up against both formidable pro-Beijing parties and older pro-democracy ones.

At stake is the power to keep the city’s pro-Beijing leader and his government in check. The pro-democracy camp currently controls 27 of 70 seats, and must keep at least a third of the seats to retain to veto power.

The risk is that new candidates could split the prodemocracy vote, handing pro-Beijing parties more seats and allowing the government to enact controversial and unpopular laws, such as a long-stalled anti-subversion legislation or a Beijing-backed electoral reform package. That, in turn, could spark a new round of protests and exacerbate widening divisions in the especially administered Chinese city.

The teen protest leader

At 19, Joshua Wong is already a veteran of Hong Kong’s democracy battle. The slight, bespectacled activist shot to global prominence two years ago when his high-school group Scholarism helped lead massive protests against Beijing’s plan for restricted elections for the city’s top leader. The protests brought key districts to a standstill for 11 weeks but did not gain concessions.

Now Wong’s new political party, Demosisto, is joining the election fray by fielding 23-year-old Nathan Law, another Occupy protest veteran. A minimum age requirement of 21 prevents Wong himself from running.

Amid rising calls for Hong Kong’s independence, Demosisto proposes a referendum on self-determination for Hong Kong after a transition period to Chinese rule ends in 2047. The city became Chinese territory in 1997 after Britain’s departure, but retains wide autonomy. “We believe people should gain the right to determine their future,” Wong added.

Wong said recent incidents have added to fears Beijing is undermining Hong Kong’s rule of law and judicial independence. In the most prominent case, five booksellers were detained, including one suspected of being snatched by Chinese security agents and spirited across the border to the mainland.

“If Hong Kong does not have rule of law anymore, Hong Kong is not Hong Kong anymore,” Wong said. AP

The separatist

A new crop of activist groups has sought to use the election to channel growing frustration, especially among Hong Kong’s young, over Beijing’s uncompromising stance on Hong Kong. Many of these radical activist “localist” groups, which sprang up after the unresolved ending of the 2014 protests, espouse the view that Hong Kong’s interests come first. Some even demand independence for the city. AP

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Friday, September 2, 2016

A7

First commercial flight from US lands in Cuba G-20 governments endorse trade but tighten controls

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EIJING—Leaders of the United States, China and other Group-of-20 (G-20) major economies who meet this weekend say more trade would shore up sluggish global growth, but are tightening their own controls on imports.

China hopes its status as G-20 host will give it more sway in managing the global economy and has made trade a theme of the meeting in Hangzhou, a scenic lakeside city southwest of Shanghai. Chinese officials say Beijing will propose a plan to promote commerce through cooperation in finance, tax and energy.

Governments also have said they want to discuss climate change, efforts to reduce surplus-production capacity in steel and other industries and limits on use of tax havens, though no detailed agreements are expected.

US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders will speak out against protectionism, their governments say. But at the same time, G-20 governments are ratcheting up restraints on imports of steel and other goods, prompting concern support for global trade might be eroding.

The summit is the first global event for British Prime Minister Theresa May after her country’s June vote to leave the European Union (EU), a move seen by some political analysts as the start of a possible wave of nations pulling back from economic integration. In the US, France and elsewhere, politicians are calling for protection for local industry.

“Protectionism is resurfacing,” Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister, Li Baodong said. “In many parts of the world, we have seen calls for deglobalization.”

This year’s global trade growth is forecast by the World Trade Organization (WTO) at an anemic 2.8 percent—its fifth straight year below 3 percent. Global economic growth is forecast by the International Monetary Fund at an equally lackluster 3.4 percent.

Progress on initiatives, such as Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership and a WTO plan to help poor countries integrate into global markets has stalled. On Sunday German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said talks on a US-European trade deal “have de facto failed,” though EU officials denied that.

In Hangzhou Obama will call for an “open, integrated global economy,” according to a senior American official who described the government’s plans on condition of anonymity. “There are very real concerns about globalization and technology, but the answer cannot be to close ourselves off,” the official said in an e-mail.

Leaders, including South Korean President Park Geun-hye, say they will call for “inclusive growth”—a reference to spreading economic benefits to millions of people who have been left behind by wrenching change.

Yet, despite such endorsements, G-20 economies, including the United States, Japan and Canada, are tightening import controls in response to what they say are unfair foreign tactics—and the trend is accelerating.

The number of restrictions imposed by governments worldwide on imports from machine parts to sugar soared to 150 in the first quarter of this year, according to researchers Simon J. Evenett and Johannes Fritz of the Centre for Economic Policy Research in London. That was up 50 to 100 such measures imposed during the same periods of 2010-2015. AP

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx deplanes from the JetBlue Flight 387 at the airport in Santa Clara, Cuba, on Wednesday. The arrival of the flight opens a new era of US-Cuba travel with about 300 flights a week connecting the US with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban on US citizens engaging in tourism on the island.

Alejandro Ernesto, Pool via AP

S

ANTA CLARA, Cuba—The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than a half century landed in the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, reestablishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War.

Cheers broke out in the cabin of JetBlue flight 387 as the plane touched down. Passengers—mostly airline executives, US government officials and journalists, with a sprinkling of Cuban-American families and US travelers—were given gift bags with Cuban cookbooks, commemorative luggage tags and Cuban flags, which they were encouraged to wave.

The arrival of the flight out of Fort Lauderdale opens a new era of US-Cuba travel with about 300 flights a week connecting the US with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban

on US citizens engaging in tourism on the island.

“Seeing the American airlines landing routinely around the island will drive a sense of openness, integration and normality. That has a huge psychological impact,” said Richard Feinberg, author of the new book Open for Business: Building the New Cuban Economy.

Also on Wednesday, the US Department of Transportation announced the carriers selected to operate routes to Havana: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines.

300

The expected number of flights a week between US and Cuba with the reopening of flights between the two countries on Wednesday

The department said in a statement carriers would serve the Cuban capital from Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York City, Orlando and Tampa.

Airlines are obligated to begin flights within 90 days—right after Thanksgiving—but may begin earlier. Delta said it would launch daily service on December 1 from Atlanta, Miami and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, “subject to Cuban regulatory approval,” with flights going on sale on September 10.

Spirit also said it aims to run twice-a-day f lights to Havana beginning on December 1, from Fort Lauderdale.

The restart of commercial travel between the two countries is

one of the most important steps in President Barack Obama’s two-year-old policy of normalizing relations with the island.

Historians disagree on the exact date of the last commercial flight but it appears to have been after Cuba banned incoming flights during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Twitter the last commercial flight was in 1961.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes both addressed passengers onboard the 150-seat Airbus A320, which was staffed by an especially selected five-member crew of Cuban-Americans. Airline executives changed from American business attire into loose-fitting Cuban-style guayabera shirts before landing.

“This is one of the most visible examples of the president’s activities to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba,” Foxx said.

“It’s a positive step and a concrete contribution to the process of improving relations between the two countries,” Cuba’s Vice Minister of Transportation Eduardo Rodriguez told journalists on Monday.

Neta Rodriguez, a 62-year-old

Havana-born South Florida homemaker, checked in on Wednesday morning with her daughter, son-inlaw and three grandsons for a visit to family in Santa Clara and Havana.

More than the historic nature of the flight, she said she appreciated the $200 price and the ability to book online instead of visiting a charter office.

US travel to Cuba is on track to triple this year to more than 300,000 visitors in the wake of the 2014 declaration of detente. Cuba’s cashstarved centrally planned economy has been bolstered by the boom in US visitors, along with hundreds of thousands of travelers from other nations hoping to see Cuba before more Americans arrive.

Commercial flights are expected to significantly increase the number of American visitors, although it’s not clear by how much. Many of the air routes are currently used by expensive charter flights that are largely expected to go out of business with the advent of regularly scheduled service from the US. Hundreds of thousands of Cuban-born Americans fly to the island each year with the chaotic, understaffed charter companies, which require four-hour check-in waits and charge high rates for any luggage in excess of restrictive baggage allowances. Americans without ties to Cuba have found it hard to negotiate the charters, most of which don’t accept online bookings or help travelers navigate the federal affidavit still required for US travelers to Cuba.

Cuban officials insist the continuing US ban on tourism will limit the impact of commercial flights to Cuba, but some experts believe the drastic reduction in the difficulty of flying to Cuba could turn the surge in US visitors into a tidal wave. Americans are allowed to visit the island on “people-topeople” cultural and educational visits, among other reasons.

Americans who fit one of 12 categories will now be able to fill out a federal affidavit by clicking a box on an online form and, in many cases, buy their Cuban tourist visa near the check-in counters of US airports. Within weeks, Americans will be able to fly direct from cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia and Minneapolis, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, to eight Cuban cities and two beach resorts. AP

India knitwear town aims to overtake China in apparel export

I

ndian clothes maker T.R. Vijaya Kumar thinks it’s time for his country to take on Bangladesh, Vietnam and even China for leadership in the global apparel industry.

He’s a second-generation manufacturer, who’s transformed his small family undershirt business in southern India into an apparel exporter of 1,700 employees and aims to double its sales by 2020.

When it comes to his hometown of Tiruppur, which is often referred to as the knitwear capital of India, his ambitions are even greater: tripling exports and adding 500,000 jobs in the process.

“The next China will be Tiruppur,” Kumar said one August evening from the offices of his company, CBC Fashions Pvt., as he showcased a hardcover action plan for the city that he and other manufacturers sponsored.

“The cost of production has gone up in China, they are phasing out textile. Opportunities will go to other countries, so we are to grasp it.”

The trouble is that other Asian nations are way ahead. India’s $17 billion exports of apparel were about half as much as Bangladesh’s last year and its 3.7-percent global market share lagged behind Vietnam’s 5.1 percent. Closing the gap is crucial: Apparel is a labor-intensive industry, which has historically helped

developing economies transition out of agriculture. The Indian economy needs to generate 80 million new jobs by 2025 to keep up with its fastgrowing young population.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s biggest failure, so far, has been an inability to boost employment, according to a recent poll ahead of as many as seven state elections in 2017.

His government recently announced a nearly $1-billion package for textile and garment makers, including subsidies for hiring, tax refunds and relaxation of overtime rules with a goal to create 10 million jobs and boost exports by $30 billion in the next three years.

Icra Ltd., the local unit of Moody’s Investors Service, called the target challenging, as the demand slows in importing countries. “The window of opportunity is narrowing and India needs to act fast if it is to regain competitiveness and market share in apparels,” Arvind Subramanian, the Finance Ministry’s chief economic adviser and, Rashmi Verma, the Textiles secretary, wrote in a June op-ed explaining the measures.

Adding to the challenge, the textile industry suffered a reputation blow last month, when Target Corp. terminated $90 million of business with Welspun India Ltd. for labeling cheaper bedsheets as premium Egyptian cotton.

A production line in an India knitwear factory. Bloomberg News

Automation threat

A key weakness of the sector is worker productivity, which is almost three times lower than in China. That’s in part because Indian apparel manufacturers tend to be unregistered and smaller than in competing countries, limiting the use of modern production technologies and the capacity to take on large orders, according to a study to be published next year by the Asian Economic Policy Review, a biannual journal from the Japan Center for Economic Research.

That gap could widen as foreign garment and textile producers continue to embrace automation. “India needs to start climbing the ladder fast to take advantage of its young

population,” said Russell Green, an international economics fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy in Texas. “Automation is making the ladder shorter and shorter over time.”

About 78 percent of Indian companies employ less than 50 workers, compared with 15 percent in China, according to Subramanian. That also means a lot of them remain below the threshold of government taxes and regulation, known by economists as the “informal” economy.

A World Bank report released this year showed that Bangladesh had 15 times more garment workers formally employed than in the informal sector, while India has about seven times more informal garment

workers than formal.

Among them is Venkatachalam Babu, a small business owner who pays workers by the piece. In a workshop attached to his home, his staff of 12, including two family members, cut and stitch children’s underwear and pants from leftover fabric he buys from exporters. While foreign markets are out of reach, Babu can bank on a fast-expanding domestic market that smaller rivals don’t have. Once an employee himself, he started his company 20 years ago with four workers. He’ll register it, he said, when the headcount crosses 20 people. “We want to grow big,” he said, as his mother sat cross-legged on the floor sorting pieces, surrounded by bags of fabric. “A problem is labor shortage.”

Off-season

AS surprising as it may sound in a country of more than 1.2 billion people, Babu’s complaint was echoed by all four manufacturers interviewed

by Bloomberg in Tiruppur, a district of 2.5 million people where the housing capacity hasn’t kept up with a growing migrant population. Kumar’s action plan calls the shortage of skilled labor “the single major threat to the growth of textile industry,” and recommends building 100,000 houses and dormitories for 300,000 people. Bloomberg News

A8 Friday, September 2, 2016

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10,000 Syrian refugees find new home in US

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L CAJON, California—On Sunday Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh participated in a ceremony in Amman, Jordan, to mark the United States hitting its target of taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees in a year-old resettlement program.

On Wednesday the 47-year-old former construction worker and his family were walking grocery aisles, stocking up on roasted chicken, milk and lemons for their new home outside San Diego.

It didn’t take long for Jouriyeh, his 42-year-old wife and four children, ages 8 to 14, to feel welcome.

“America is a beautiful country,” he said through an Arabic translator at the office of the International Rescue Committee in El Cajon, a San Diego suburb that has been a magnet for Iraqis and, more recently, Syrians who are fleeing war.

“The way they treat people and the people of America are very nice....

When you go down the streets, everyone smiles at you. Even if they don’t know you, they just smile at you.”

San Diego, the nation’s eighthlargest city, has received 626 Syrian refugees since October 1, 2015, more than any other in the United States.

Many smaller cities have accepted outsized number of Syrians, including Erie, Pennsylvania (205), Toledo, Ohio (109), and Boise, Idaho (108).

California and Michigan are neck-

5 million The estimated number of Syrians who have fled war since 2011

and-neck among states for receiving the most Syrian refugees, followed by Arizona, Texas and Illinois. Cities with large numbers include Chicago (469), Glendale, Arizona (384), Troy, Michigan (325), and Dallas (293).

Refugees are typically assigned to cities where they have family and friends or, failing that, where there is an established community of immigrants who share their culture, said David Murphy, executive director in San Diego for the International Rescue Committee, one-of-nine organizations that helps refugee settle in the United States.

In El Cajon, population 100,000, some store signs on Main Street are in Arabic. Merchants, bank tellers and school teachers speak the language.

Three decades ago, an Iraqi Chal-

Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh, a Syrian refugee who arrived in the United States this week with his wife and four children, puts two bags of sugar in a shopping cart with his son, Farouq Nadim Jouriyeh, while shopping on Wednesday in El Cajon, California. Days after participating in a ceremony in Jordan to mark the United States hitting its target of taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees, the former construction worker and his family buy roasted chicken, milk and fruit for their new home outside San Diego. They tell The Associated Press they feel welcome in their new community of El Cajon, where many refugees are resettled where store signs are in Arabic and many speak their language. AP/Lenny Ignelzi

dean immigrant settled in El Cajon and the impact “snowballed” into a large Arabic-speaking community, Murphy said. Iraqis have been coming for years, but Syrians are relatively new.

“It’s really kind of tough to know how they’re going to do. They haven’t been here long enough to start businesses or anything like

that,” Murphy said.

Jouriyeh, who left school after ninth grade in his native Homs to work, fled his war-ravaged city for Jordan in 2014. Daily bombings frightened the children as the Syrian government retook the city. Jouriyeh had to stay indoors for three days straight because it was too dangerous to go to work.

A d r ive to t he Jord a n i a n border, which would normally take two hours, required three days as the family tried to avoid roadblocks, arrest and crossfire.

Jouriyeh said about 80 people were killed in his convoy.

Extensive vetting by the International Organization of Migration and the US State and Homeland Se-

curity departments in Jordan led him to San Diego.

The US said its target of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees in the 2016 fiscal year was reached on Monday, more than a month ahead of schedule and the night Jouriyeh reached San Diego. The US resettlement program focuses on the most vulnerable refugees, including those who were subjected to violence or torture or are sick.

Close to 5 million Syrians have fled civil war since 2011. Most struggle to survive in tough conditions in neighboring countries, including Jordan, which hosts close to 660,000 Syrian refugees.

The future of the US’s role may be tied to presidential politics. Republican nominee Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would suspend arrivals from Syria, portraying them as a potential security threat.

Jouriyeh said his top priorities are to find a job, enroll his children in school and find permanent housing. He wouldn’t say if he would ever return to Syria.

“We hope our children succeed in education and be able to have a good future here,” he said.

Their days are filled with chores like opening a bank account and getting a phone. International Rescue Committee offers classes on English, job-hunting and citizenship.

W hile grocery shopping on Wednesday, a Syrian vendor who came to the United States in 2010 introduced himself to Jouriyeh and asked about his journey. The strangers chatted pleasantly for a few minutes and said good-bye. AP

Amid threats of violence Venezuelan opposition tests resolve briefs

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ARACAS, Venezuela—Opponents of President Nicolas Maduro promise to flood the streets of Caracas in a major test of their strength and the government’s ability to tolerate growing dissent.

The Thursday march called the “taking of Caracas” aims to pressure electoral authorities to allow a recall referendum against Maduro this year.

The buildup to the protest has been tense with Maduro’s government jailing several prominent activists, deploying security forces across the city and warning of bloodshed.

Maduro said on Tuesday his opponents hope violence during the march will pave the way for a coup, such as the one that briefly toppled his late predecessor Hugo Chavez in 2002.

He said authorities had arrested people possessing military fatigues and C4 explosives, and who had plans to fire upon the crowds dressed as national guard members. He didn’t say who he believed was behind the alleged coup plan.

“If they’re coming with coups,

ambushes and political violence, the revolutionary will provide an uncommon and overwhelming response,” Maduro told supporters.

Rather than dampening Venezuelans’ enthusiasm, the “war-like” rhetoric appears to be energizing the opposition, said Dimitris Pantoulas, a political analyst from Caracas.

Had the government minimized the protest’s importance, it would have likely failed to garner much support, he said. Better-off Venezuelans who are the opposition’s political bedrock are on summer vacation and those less privileged are too busy standing in long lines for food and coping with the oil economy’s collapse to engage in the heady ideological street battles of the kind that marked the early days of Chavez’s rule 16 years ago.

“The government made a big mistake by throwing fuel onto the flames,” Pantoulas said.

Among those taking part in the march, which organizers are hoping will draw 1 million people, are some 100 members of the piaroa and jiwi indigenous tribes. They arrived in

Caracas on Wednesday for the protest, after travelling more than 600 kilometers—by foot, canoe and bus—from the Amazon rainforest.

“We came to see if they’ll free the political prisoners,” Miguelina Caballero said through an interpreter. She was referring to someone from her piaroa tribe who had been jailed for alleged fraud during December’s congressional elections, a case the government used to disqualify three indigenous leaders from taking seats in the opposition-controlled legislature.

But delivering on its big promises won’t be easy for Maduro’s opponents.

The opposition has staged a halfdozen or so marches this year, some of which ended in clouds of tear gas as hard-core activists clashed with riot police, but posed no major risk to Maduro’s grip on power.

Even the antigovernment protests in 2014 that were blamed for more than 40 deaths failed to rally the huge numbers now sought for Thursday’s march by the hard-to-keep together Demo-

cratic Unity alliance.

The opposition hopes to force electoral authorities widely seen as pro-government to allow a recall vote this year. If Maduro loses, new elections would be held and polls indicate the opposition would win.

But if a vote is delayed until after January 10, and Maduro loses, his vice president would finish his term ending in 2019.

Electoral authorities have yet to set the date for the next stage of the complex process, in which the opposition must collect 4 million signatures over three days, with a referendum vote scheduled only once the signatures are validated.

The government plans a counter protest on Thursday, but Pantoulas said authorities will have a tougher time rallying supporters among the poor amid 700-percent inflation blamed for growing hunger and a collapse in wages.

“I don’t know that the poor will join opposition march, but they’re not going to partake in the counterprotest,” Pantoulas said. “The fact that the poor barrios won’t be

supporting Chavismo is enough to damage the government.”

Also invigorating the opposition is a government crackdown.

Authorities over the weekend moved a prominent opposition leader, former San Cristobal Mayor Daniel Ceballos, from house arrest back to prison while he awaits trial on civil rebellion charges stemming from the 2014 protests. Authorities said he was plotting to flee and carry out violence during the protests.

Two other activists, Yon Goicoechea and Carlos Melo, were also detained this week, with a top socialist leader accusing Goicoechea of carrying explosives.

There have been more subtle threats, as well. Government workers say they’ve suffered retaliation for signing petitions seeking Maduro’s removal and the oppositionleaning newspaper El Nacional said thugs threw excrement and Molotov cocktails at its building on Tuesday.

The US State Department accused Maduro of trying to bully Venezuelans from taking part in the march. AP

Australia outlines tough new measures against IS

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ANBERRA, Australia—Australia’s prime minister on Thursday warned against fomenting distrust of Muslims as he outlined tougher measures against the threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) movement.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australian laws would soon be amended to give Australian F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet pilots the same legal standing as their coalition partners when conducting air strikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria.

The Australian legal definition of combatants will be expanded to include people supporting armed fighters and will become consistent with international norms. The tighter Australian definition has limited the potential targets that Australian war planes can attack

and has affected the timing of those attacks.

Turnbull, who is resisting pressure from lawmakers to ban Muslim immigration and to relax hate speech prohibitions, described the IS group as the most pressing national security threat that Australians face.

But he also warned there had been an increase in far-right extremism directed against Muslims in Australia. The latest alleged terrorist plot disrupted by police led to the arrest of an anti-immigration campaigner who was charged last month with preparing a terrorist attack in the city of Melbourne.

“We cannot be effective if we are creating division, whether by fomenting distrust within the Muslim community or inciting fear of Muslims in broader society,”

Turnbull told Parliament.

“Division begets division. It makes violence more likely, not less,” he said.

The government will introduce legislation to Parliament this month that would enable courts to keep prisoners convicted of terrorist offenses behind bars for indefinite periods after their sentences are completed if they continue to pose threats.

The new laws could apply to 13 prisoners serving lengthy sentences in Australian prisons and another 36 suspects who are awaiting trial on serious terrorism charges.

Legislation will be introduced in November that will create a new offense of “advocating genocide.” The crime will enable police to make an earlier arrest when someone is radicalizing others. It will carry a

seven-year sentence.

Control orders that can force suspects to wear tracking devises and obey curfews could apply to 14-year-olds. Currently the minimum age is 16.

The burden of evidence would also be reduced for a court to jail a suspect with a preventative detention order on the basis that a terrorist attack could occur within two weeks.

Turnbull is resisting demands from several senators to stop Muslim immigration, and also resisted pressure this week from lawmakers in his own conservative government to water down antidiscrimination laws. They want to remove a section of the Racial Discrimination Act that prohibits any act likely to offend or insult a person or group

because of their race, color, ethnicity or nationality.

Meanwhile, a 42-year-old Sydney man was sentenced on Thursday to eight years in prison for helping seven men travel to Syria to fight with Jabhat al-Nusra and other alQaeda affiliates.

At least two of the fighters have died. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told Parliament on Thursday that 110 Australians were fighting with the IS group and other militant groups in the Middle East and up to 65 Australians have been killed.

The passports of 213 suspected militants have been canceled, she said, while the government has refused to issue passports to another 24 people to prevent them from joining the fight in Syria and Iraq. AP

afghan official: 2 killed in taliban bomb attack

KABUL, Afghanistan—Two people were killed in a bomb attack in front of the district governor’s office in Logar province east of the capital, Kabul, on Thursday, Afghan officials said.

Salim Sallhe, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the Taliban were behind the massive explosion in front of the district governor’s compound in Charkh district, 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) east of Kabul, that shook buildings in the area.

The Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press. He said the attack was a truck bombing.

Abdul Wali Wakil, a member of the provincial council, said the bomber was on foot and wearing police uniform. The bomber detonated his explosives outside the main gate of the compound, after which a group of Taliban fighters began shooting at the building.

Sallhe also confirmed the bomber was on foot, and said that fighting broke out between Afghan police and the Taliban. Six militants were killed and eight were wounded, and two policemen were wounded in the firefight, Sallhe said. AP

gabon opposition: hq hit by presidential guard

LIBREVILLE, Gabon—Gabon’s presidential guard attacked the opposition party headquarters overnight, killing one person and injuring at least 20, opposition representatives said on Thursday, following protests against the reelection of the Central African country’s president.

President Ali Bongo Ondimba beat opposition candidate Jean Ping by a slim margin, setting the stage for unrest.

Around 1 a.m. on Thursday, soldiers in green berets, known as the presidential guard, shot live rounds during an attack on Ping’s opposition headquarters, injuring at least 20 people, according to Paul Marie Gondjout, an opposition electoral representative who was there. AP

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Africa’s elephants rapidly declining as poaching thrives

In this April 19 file photo, ivory carvings and elephant tusks are placed in a pyre just before the first Cameroon ivory burn, attended by US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power at the Palais des Congres in Yaounde, Cameroon, to highlight the need to halt the ivory trade in order to save Africa’s elephants. AP/Andrew Harnik

H

ONOLULU—The number of savanna elephants in Africa is rapidly declining and the animals are in danger of being wiped out as international and domestic ivory trades drive poaching across the continent, according to a study released on Wednesday.

Africa’s savanna elephant population plummeted by about 30 percent from 2007 to 2014 and is declining at about 8 percent a year, said a survey funded by Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Paul Allen.

“If we can’t save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africa’s wildlife?” elephant ecologist Mike Chase, the lead researcher, said in a statement. “I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come.”

The aerial survey covered 18 countries using dozens of airplanes to fly the equivalent of going to the moon and partway back. The study, known as the Great Elephant Census and involving 90 scientists, estimated a population of 352,271 savanna elephants.

Overall, researchers spotted about 12 carcasses for every 100 live elephants, indicating poaching at a high enough level to cause population decline. But the rates were much higher than that in some countries.

Angola, Mozambique and Tan-

zania experienced greater population declines than previously known, and elephants face local extinction in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Zambia, the study said.

It also says the numbers of elephants in South Africa, Uganda and parts of Malawi and Kenya were stable or partly increasing.

Results of the study were announced ahead of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Honolulu.

Allen, who provided $7 million for the effort, said he decided to launch the census, after hearing three years ago that there had not been a comprehensive count of African elephants in decades.

“I took my first trip to Africa in 2006 and have been fascinated by elephants ever since,” he said.

“They are intelligent, expressive and dignified—but not to be underestimated. So, as this latest poaching crisis began escalating, I felt compelled to do something about it.”

The research team used the limited existing data as a baseline for the study. But this survey is more

comprehensive and will serve as a more reliable baseline for future observations, the team said.

Its methodology involves manually counting animals, while maintaining a specific altitude and following calibrated strips of land below the plane. The method is widely used for surveying animals on large plots of land and was the most accurate method of three tested on a known population in Africa, Chase said. The team also used video surveillance when counting big herds.

Ivory trading that threatens elephants is banned internationally.

But the domestic trade of ivory within countries is legal nearly everywhere.

A motion being considered at the Hawaii conference seeks to change that by gaining international consensus to close all domestic ivory markets, noting that illegal killing of elephants for their tusks threatens national security, hinders economic development and endangers those tasked with protecting the animals.

US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced their commitment last year to combatting wildlife trafficking. The leaders promised to work toward a nearly complete ban on ivory imports and exports and an end to the domestic ivory trade.

The decline in savanna elephants, like the dwindling numbers of African forest elephants, is directly tied to criminal poaching activities, some with ties to terrorist groups, according to Washington’s nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency.

“Trade in ivory has been a driver of destabilization wherever it oc-

30%

The percentage of decline of Africa’s savanna elephant population from 2007 to 2014 and is declining at about 8 percent a year curs in Africa,” agency President Allan Thornton said.

Thornton said one-time auctions of stockpiled ivory to China and Japan in 2008 resulted in a spike in illegal poaching, and the rate of decline among Africa’s elephants has been accelerating since.

In areas with a high rate of population decline, the savanna turns into an overgrown thicket devoid of grasslands that sustain other wildlife and becomes overrun by disease-carrying tsetse flies, said James Deutsch, director of Allen’s Vulcan Inc. Wildlife Conservation.

Furthermore, that land becomes useless for tourism when the elephants are removed, he said.

“Once you remove elephants from parks, it becomes very hard to gain the political will to maintain those parks,” Deutsch said.

UN Environment Deputy Head Ibrahim Thiaw said African nations are realizing that wildlife is worth saving because it brings in tourist dollars to fund education, health care and infrastructure.

“As depressing as these numbers are, I hope they act as a further spark for action and change,” Thiaw said in a statement. “The Great Elephant Census tells us we must act, and now.” AP

Friday, September 2, 2016 A9

Britain’s May to assure China over nuke plant B EIJING—On her first visit to China as Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May will try to reassure Beijing that she wants to strengthen ties, despite her delay on a decision over whether to approve a Chinese-backed nuclear-power plant in southwestern England.

The visit marks a testing point for relations that seemed on the upswing just months ago. While the mood in Beijing is that a postBrexit Britain needs China more than ever, such assurances may be long in coming.

May’s predecessor David Cameron heralded a “golden decade” in bilateral ties, but he quit after Britain voted in June to separate from the European Union (EU).

In a perceived slight to China, May abruptly launched a review into the Hinkley Point C power plant project that Beijing is counting on to boost its nuclear technology exports.

Chinese leaders will be looking for signs that May is “going to go ahead with it like before,” an unlikely prospect given that the project is under review until this fall, said Steve Tsang, professor of contemporary Chinese studies at Britain’s University of Nottingham.

“I would expect that she would really want try to use this opportunity to reassure the Chinese that Hinkley Point C doesn’t mean that [Britain] does not want a good relationship with China,” Tsang said.

“It’s a very wide-ranging relationship; there are many different dimensions to it. It shouldn’t all hang on something like Hinkley Point.”

May, who will be attending this weekend ’s Group-of-20 (G-20) summit in the eastern Chinese resort city of Hangzhou, has already dispatched an envoy to assure Beijing that she looks forward to working more closely with China in economic, trade and global affairs.

The Hinkley Point C plant, to be built by French energy giant EDF with backing from China General Nuclear Power Corp., would be Britain’s first new nuclear facility in 20 years and would seek to address its future energy needs.

China’s government-run nuclear industry is based on foreign technology, but has spent two decades developing its own with help from Westinghouse Electric Co., France’s Areva and EDF and other partners.

A separate export initiative is based on an alliance between Westinghouse and a state-owned reactor developer.

Although the reason for the Hinkley Point C’s review hasn’t been revealed, critics say it’s a bad financial deal for Britain. The plant’s technology is untested, and serious concerns remain about a Chinese state-owned company investing in key infrastructure that could give Beijing major political leverage in the event of a conflict.

China General Nuclear Power Corp. would finance a third of the plant’s £18 billion ($23.6 billion) construction cost and take the lead on designing and building a second nuclear plant in southeast England.

British acceptance of Chinese technology will ease the way for it to be sold around the world, a po-

tential gold mine for China’s budding nuclear industry.

Security and commercial issues surrounding the plant extend even beyond Britain. In April the US government indicted China General Nuclear Power Corp. for allegedly conspiring to illegally produce nuclear material in China with the help of experts in the US without the government authorization required by US law.

The company has said it understands the new British government’s need to familiarize itself with the project given its importance to the country’s energy safety.

China’s state media, however, took a much harsher line.

“Apparently, London’s so-called national security concerns...could well endanger the bright new prospects the two nations’ leaderships have agreed to foster,” the official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary that labeled Britain’s actions as “China-phobia.”

“After divorcing the EU, Britain would be foolish to decline stronger trade ties with China, whose markets remain home to tremendous business opportunities,” Xinhua added.

It remains to be seen whether Beijing will gain by upping the political ante. Some British politicians were already wary of the Cameron government’s enthusiasm for courting Chinese investment, while soft pedaling human-rights issues that resonate with much of the British public.

That came after Cameron incurred Beijing’s wrath by meeting in 2012 with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, considered a separatist by Beijing. The meeting prompted China to suspend high-level diplomatic contacts for 14 months while imperiling a raft of trade deals.

Overall, Chinese observers say they don’t expect any fundamental change in relations under May. Since both countries are major powers, their strategic diplomacies won’t change much based on their leaders’ personal preferences, said Zhang Yao, a former director of the Center for European Studies at the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Studies.

The G-20 offers an opportunity for May and Chinese President Xi Jinping “to better understand each other” and agree on how they want to develop future relations, Zhang said.

Cameron’s departure was a disappointment for the Chinese government, which expected a lot from him because of his efforts to promote bilateral relations, whereas some ordinary Chinese and academics think differently, said Zhang Lihua, director of the Center of Sino-European Studies at Beijing’s elite Tsinghua University.

“I regard him as a political speculator because he risked the fortune of [Britain] for the benefit of his party and his personal political career,” Zhang said, referring to Cameron’s decision to hold the EU referendum.

“Although we are not familiar with Theresa May, she might be less speculative and more a person of principle than Cameron,” Zhang said. AP

Another Son in Japan trying to change the world, thinking of social responsibility

W

hen a massive tsunami swept away entire towns in northeastern Japan five years ago, Taizo Son filled three shipping containers with emergency supplies and sent them to aid relief efforts.

Later, he bet almost $100 million of his own money on startups seeking to transform everything from transportation and education to farming and medicine.

Now, he’s ready to talk more about Mistletoe, his project that’s aiming to

be a combination of early-stage venture firm, incubator and entrepreneur-inresidence program focused on making an impact on society.

But Son, 43, isn’t just the founder of GungHo Online Entertainment Inc., the developer of Puzzle and Dragons, which was once the world’s best-selling smartphone title. He’s also the youngest brother of Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group Corp.

Taizo is 15 years younger, worth about $12 billion less and generally

keeps a lower profile. There are two other brothers in the Korean immigrant family from the island of Kyushu.

With similar hairlines, the family resemblance is unmistakable. So is the confidence.

“We aren’t deciding to do something because it’s profitable, or not do something if it isn’t,” Taizo Son said in an interview at Mistletoe’s new office in Tokyo’s Aoyama district. “What’s needed are like-minded people getting together to give shape to things.”

When he launched Mistletoe three years ago, Son sought to emulate Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz’s ability to draw on the knowledge of a network of experts, as well as Google’s ambitious backing of long-term projects.

One of Mistletoe’s start-ups is Zipline, whose drones will be used in Rwanda to deliver blood and medicine to rural hospitals. By flying and parachuting supplies, the fixed-wing machines can bypass the African

country’s underdeveloped road network and get them to those who need it in time. He’s also backing Zoox, a fully autonomous car, microsatellite maker Astroscale and a toilet gadget that analyzes urine to detect diseases.

So far, Son has invested about ¥10 billion ($97 million) of his own money in 30 start-ups. That’s why he’s willing to wait 10 to 15 years—longer than most venture capitals—for the bets to pay off.

Proceeds from other investments—

Taizo has also backed 500 start-ups, Beyond Ventures, Grove Ventures and other funds—will help finance Mistletoe.

“Perhaps, I’ve gotten old, reaching the age when you start to think about social responsibility,” he said, weighing in on Silicon Valley’s angst over whether the brightest minds in technology are being wasted on getting people to click on ads. “I’m interested in more direct solutions to problems.” Bloomberg News

A10 Friday, September 2, 2016 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

editorial

On the wrong side of history

F

or more than two years and around the globe, there has been a constant progression of the people—through the ballot box— rejecting the political establishment time after time. Yet, there are still those who refuse to accept this wave of change and continue to be on the wrong side of history.

Jakarta Gov. Joko Widodo was the first nonmilitary president of Indonesia since independence. While political opinion polls in Indonesia are notoriously suspect as the polling methodology is never released, at no time did Widodo poll more than 40 percent. The final result was 53.15 percent of the votes.

The election in 2015 of Justin Trudeau as prime minister of Canada was not a surprise. Trudeau is a classic traditional politician. However, his election was a 180-degree turn away from the previous Conservative Party government, after nine years in power.

Less than two months before the election, the polls showed Sen. Grace Poe and then-Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte tied, with Poe having a slight lead. By the time the votes were counted, it was an election landslide for President Duterte.

In the United Kingdom, with less than three weeks before the Brexit vote, it was not even supposed to be close with “Remain” holding a strong lead. Here again the final tally was not close, with “Leave” garnering 52 percent.

The referendum in Thailand to cement the power of the military— and by extension the king—was 61 percent in the military’s favor. Of course, there are concerns as to the validity of the election process, but the Thai people have always supported their king and military over politicians since 1932.

But having been repeatedly on the wrong side of history for two years or more, certain people cannot give up their shock as to how the political establishment is falling. In spite of Widodo, Trudeau, Mr. Duterte, Brexit and Thailand, they have a difficult time seeing the writing on the wall.

One month ago, polling in the United States showed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ahead by 45 percent to Donald Trump at 33 percent. The latest running poll shows a statistical tie.

Former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy is considering running for reelection, which is driving both the UK and Germany a bit crazy. The far-right Freedom Party of Austria, which is anti-immigrant and was cheated in the last election, is leading the polls.

This is a trend and no matter how much a person wants to reject it, nothing is going to change. Being on the wrong side of history may seem unimportant.

But opportunities will be lost and bad decisions will be made.

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Heroes

t’s a good idea, of course, to have a day set apart for the commemoration of national heroes. But you know what would be great? It’d be great if we, the people, actually knew more about our heroes than we were taught in schools and indoctrinated by pop culture.

I

There’s some really good evidence that Aguinaldo was actually way better than the weak-willed ninny portrayed in that movie.

Sadly, how many Twitter/Facebook-happy netizen nowadays would actually prefer to pore through volumes of history text, rather than simply relying on the prechewed, regurgitated biases of a heavily fictionized flick-like Heneral Luna?

Recently, for instance, a massively successful Filipino movie essentially gave one specific hero—Emilio Aguinaldo—the stink eye. Considering the popularity of the movie, this jaundiced view of the first Philippine president was quickly embraced and magnified by everyone who felt like a historian after the movie. It’s gotten so bad that the name has been frequently used as a sarcastic reference by a popular morning radio talk-show host.

And yet, there’s some really good evidence that Aguinaldo was actually way better than the weak-willed ninny portrayed in that movie. Sadly, how many Twitter/Facebook-happy netizen nowadays would actually prefer to pore through volumes of

history text, rather than simply relying on the prechewed, regurgitated biases of a heavily fictionized, flicklike Heneral Luna?

To be fair, some independent web sites are doing a valiant job of trying to popularize knowledge about our war heroes via listicles. Looking at the bigger picture, however, bitesized information creates only bitesized knowledge. With luck, it’ll spur some people on to greater research and discovery, but—and this is the same problem with biopics—probably, not enough. Far more people will most likely be satisfied with knowing a bit of trivia and then just moving on to the next top-whateverlist they can find.

To change that, I suspect we need

to find ways to ensure that an appreciation for our historic past is restored among the vanguard of our population—the youth. With the increased emphasis on math and sciences, I don’t know how effectively that can be done through our school curricula, so I suppose the second-best way is to encourage historical societies and advocacy groups to step up their game.

But there’s an even better way.

Considering that media—film and the arts, specifically—seems to be the most effective means of capturing popular imagination of late, it would be nice if the government could take a more rigorous approach to vetting historically themed projects. Nothing wrong with inserting a bit of speculative fiction to fill in the gaps; nothing wrong with deliberately using a judicious bit of

James Jimenez

spox

anachronism to spice up the work; but kindly consider also requiring better research and a more balanced presentation of the facts that are known. It’s perfectly OK to set out with a rockstar-making agenda, but please, let’s not be doing that at the expense of accuracy.

Let’s also take a look at how we criticize works dealing with historical figures. Of course, it’s worth lauding how homegrown the hit is, or how technically superior it is to others that have gone before, or how well received it is by the public— let’s do all that, but let’s also call out what needs to called out. Let’s not be afraid or too timid to tell our beloved filmmakers and authors that they got something wrong, or that they fudged a detail or two or 20. In the end, criticism is the whetstone on which we hone the quality of our work, and it is not unpatriotic or un-Filipino to point out errors by our fellow Filipinos.

If we’re any sort of fortunate, we might see some future National Heroes’ Day, where the ordinary Filipino will be celebrating something more meaningful than receiving double pay for going to work on a holiday.

James Arthur B. Jimenez is director of the Commission on Elections’s Education and Information Department.

Opinion BusinessMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph

Making GDP growth inclusive

Friday, September 2, 2016 A11

This I consider an odd ode to youth Tito Genova Valiente

Alvin P. Ang

EAGLE WATCH

T

wo weeks ago, when the Philippine second quarter of 2016 GDP results were announced, the usual question—“Why is it that I did not feel the growth”—has again propped up. The GDP growth in the six years has been good, averaging at about 6 percent. This is at least 2 percent higher than the generational (40-year) average of just about 4 percent. Indeed, why is it that if GDP growth has been higher why is it that a number of people remain poor? I came across a Facebook post saying the reason people do not feel the growth is because they do not invest. It would seem that the issue is not just that people do not feel growth, but people have a misguided understanding of how GDP is computed.

I have always explained that the GDP can be likened to a person’s monthly budget. Every month, you earn an income (a salary) and within that same month you also spend.

When everyone’s income in a particular period is added then that approximately is the GDP for that period. The income comes from the sector where you derive it. Broadly, the grouping is agriculture, industry and services.

In the last decade, the sector that has been contributing the most to GDP is services. Agriculture is contributing the least. From here, we can already have an idea how people can participate in the growth. If someone is in a sector that has less contribution to GDP, it is likely that incomes are not growing in that sector and, therefore, they will not feel the growth. Apart from sectors, it is also important to know what part of the country is contributing to income growth.

Based on the recent data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), contribution of growth per region in the Philippines is concentrated among four regions, i.e., National Capital Region (36 percent), Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon or Calabarzon (17 percent), Central Luzon (9 percent) and Central Visayas (6 percent). The rest of the country contributes a little over 3 percent. It definitely shows that if you are not coming from these regions, there is a probability that you did not feel growth. Hence, to feel income growth, you must be in the sector and the area that are growing.

With such condition, the challenge of the government (and private sector) is how to distribute this growth into different sectors and different areas of the country.

These require different sets of approaches and will involve a number of processes and reforms to implement. In regard to improving growth impact by area, the government has already proposed to consider fiscal federalism. We will consider this in another column. In the meantime, we can look at how the government is currently responding to distributing growth via different sectors. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in particular, has been in the forefront of finding ways to connect the growing sectors, particularly manufacturing and services to agriculture. It has finalized a number

of roadmaps in specific industries, which can help identify backward support sector and forward receiving sectors in a complete value chains of jobs, resources and markets.

Within the framework of creating more jobs, the DTI is currently looking at inclusive business (IB) as a key strategy. IBs are strictly defined as businesses whose intention is to create opportunities to those belonging to the bottom of the pyramid or the poor. These are not social responsibility type of intervention, but for profit businesses that are commercially viable. According to a 2013 Asian Development Bank (ADB) study, IBs engage the poor “through provision of affordable and relevant goods and services, and through income and decent work opportunities” that could lead to a measurable improvement in their living standards. Key examples of IBs are mostly in the agricultural sector, such as the program of Jollibee’s Farmer Entrepreneurship Program and Gandang Kalikasan for Human Nature products. In both cases, large companies source their inputs from small farmers or communities, making them part of their value chain. The IB model effectively connects the poor by making them part of the productive sectors, which are contributing significantly to the economy. In effect, the poor who are connected to growing sectors will immediately feel the impact of growth.

In this context, the government’s role is minimal, primarily creating the environment for partnership and matching. It is private sector that needs to be proactive in sourcing their inputs from poor communities.

Beyond agriculture, there are a lot of opportunities, as well, to link it to tourism and small manufacturing.

These are sectors that have significant forward and backward linkages to human resources and basic skill dependents. The probabilities for job generation are high without need for huge capital resources.

Making GDP growth inclusive, therefore, requires not just a nurturing environment and support from the government but a significant capital participation by the private sector. When everyone works together and see the need from a broader perspective, economic growth will eventually be inclusive, aiming to not leave anyone behind.

annotations

I

f the State, as the great Greek philosophers put it, reflects the order of the cosmos and if, in that harmony, the State is supposed to take care of its citizens and its youth, then the government of that State in 1972 owes us a great deal of explanation.

We were 16 and 17 years of age when Ferdinand E. Marcos the dictator declared martial law in the dead of day. Or night. The time was of consequence. Time stopped that season we rented a space for our generation to grow.

We felt like adults when we moved out of the Jesuit high school.

The good priests and our teachers had trained us in the mind. The soul, or the spirit, was yet to confront the horizon that extended into infinity. But we were brave.

The old campus had no walls then, and behind the buildings were tall grasses and trees. The landscape gave us eternity, or a semblance of a wide, great world. The possibilities were endless. Except for the Sun that, given our knowledge of the myth, could burn our wings,

What’s in a name?

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

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y Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1987, which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary next year, is named “Hinirang.” Other names of PMA classes include “Magiting” or Valiant (1970); “Makabayan” or Patriotic (1975); “Maharlika” or Nobility (1984); “Makatao” or Humane (1989); the more recent “Baghawi” which stands for Bagong Halaw ng Lahi (2009) and “Pudang-Kalis” or Sacred Sword (2013). In Filipino, hinirang means the “chosen” or the “appointed one”. The Philippine National Anthem is titled “Lupang Hinirang” or the “Chosen Land.”

Some say your name dictates your destiny. Perhaps, this is the reason some parents name their children after great or famous people, so they will turn out to be great in one way or another. I guess this belief was prevalent during the colonial ages, as parents name their children after royalty—William, Peter, Edward, Victoria, Elena, to name a few.

My PMA Class 1987, or Hinirang, has produced three Medal of Valor awardees, the highest recognition that any soldier can get in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in the persons of Toto Parcon, SJ Sobejana and Bob Lucero (Posthumous). This is the most number of Valor awards any PMA class has ever received.

Some of my PMA classmates in the Philippine National Police have been hinirang or chosen to perform critical roles in the antidrug campaign of President Duterte in the National Capital Region (NCR). Bong Fajardo

What I think of Sen. de Lima Teddy Locsin Jr.

Free fire Continued from A1

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hat response sums up everything to be said about the value of that video—for any purpose: be it evidentiary to discredit de Lima’s brilliantly conducted investigation of extrajudicial killings or her moral fitness to head it.

Frankly, that video shows nothing about de Lima’s way of doing it that cannot be said about everyone else’s way, man or woman of that age

who’s lucky enough to find a lover even if she’s on the wrong side of the attractiveness imbalance, as New Yorker writer Rachel Aviv politely

the universe whispered to us how we could fly anywhere.

Then came that fateful month of September. On the second Saturday, while the icon of the Holy Mother, the Lady of Peñafrancia, was on her way back to her Shrine, the Colgante—the hanging bridge—came falling down, killing hundreds of devotees. Any odd event attending the festivities of the Virgin spelled doom or sad occurrences. A week after the tragedy, martial law was declared. The old people were right about omens.

The radio that day martial law was declared came to a stop. No morning news was broadcast; there was just the instrumental music, some solemn, some danceable. Politics is for clown: Music was played while democracy crumbled.

described ugly people.

And that assumes the video is genuine.

It’s been around. My friends and I have seen it over lunch. And while we pretended to lose our appetites, it is no different than what we would look like if that were still possible at our age. That goes, too, for the looks-challenged members of the ancient, or shall we say politely antique Duterte Cabinet.

Just the same, what does it say about the senatorial probe into extrajudicial killings?

Nothing.

There are killings for sure. They are morally, legally and philosophically indefensible, but in my view, necessary given the scale and nature of the problem: the problem

(Caloocan/Malabon/Navotas), Tom Apolinario (Makati/Taguig/Pasay), Guilor Eleazar (Quezon City) and Jigs Coronel (Manila) are now leading all police forces in their respective districts. While others did not finish the four-year course in PMA or have left the service like me, they (we) are still hinirang or considered chosen to do various significant things outside the AFP. Take the case of my PMA classmate Alexander Lacson, the chairman Emeritus of Kabayanihan Foundation (KF) and the current president and CEO of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA). These two entities aim to promote development, culling out solutions at individual and organizational levels, respectively.

KF encourages all Filipinos to do small acts of love as their contribution to nation building. These small acts or little things are included in Alex’s first book, entitled 12 Little

The only feature of the killings I object to is that, so far, only the poor have been killed. And while I defend this aspect on the ground that there are more poor people than rich—so expect the disproportionate number of poor killed—the casualty number has reached the point where a couple of dead rich addicts are needed to strike a tasteful balance. Otherwise, this looks like a war against the poor, rather than one against the rich and the poor into drugs. of people into drugs—for business, pleasure, or forgetting and, therefore, a problem that can only grow with the population. Unless you nip it in the “bod”—the bods

Our generation survived the rule, in general. But the brave ones among us fought the dictatorship.

They went underground where any kind of god could not find them.

One died even before we could go to college. One suffered torture. I saw him in the dark.

Homer, for this was his name, visited me in the old Jesuit school where I came back as a teacher. He was out of prison, but he was still afraid to face the sunlight. His captors had succeeded in making him fear the world. But something was left in him: Homer was interested to find out what happened to his classmates who tried to live under the tyrant. I looked at him. There was no youth there, just this old man.

He grew old in less than five years because to be young was dangerous.

It has been more than 40 years.

We of that September of 1972 era had all become senior citizens. We are bothered once more. There is news the tyrant is going to be buried as a hero.

At 6 p.m. of the last day of August, torches were lit and a throng of young people started to march to the center of the city. I stood on the stage and I could see below me youthful faces braver than my generation. They were shouting as I pleaded for them to continue the vigil so that there would be no martial law, and the tyrant be not buried in that hallowed spot.

It was good to be back in the city.

It was good to be young and full of courage again.

Judging by the first names of lawyer Lacson and President Duterte, Alexander (the great King of Ancient Greece) and Rodrigo (famous ruler or literally translated from its Portuguese origin to “he who is rich in glory”), our Philippines (named after King Philip II of Spain) might be destined for greatness, glory and royalty.

the power of actions, whether big or small. I think we are all “chosen” to do something significant in our lifetime, depending on one’s perspective.

When taken together, these little things produce big results!

ISA, on the other hand, aims to make organizations perform better by providing good governance mechanism, especially to local government units (LGUs). In the words of President and CEO Alex Lacson, ISA wants to make our country beautiful by creating progress in each government unit nationwide. Under the guidance and direction of former Finance Secretary Jess Estanislao and former Civil Service Commission Chairman Francisco Duque, ISA has come up with development plans in the Army, Air Force and numerous LGUs. ISA has also performed evaluation, coaching and auditing activities on such units. To sustain any transformation, the process must be deliberate, calculated and monitored.

Alex and the rest of ISA have been going around the country to do just this—slowly reform and transform one organization at a time.

Judging by the first names of lawyer Lacson and President Duterte, Alexander (the great King of Ancient Greece) and Rodrigo (famous ruler or literally translated from its Portuguese origin to “he who is rich in glory”), our Philippines (named after King Philip II of Spain) might be destined for greatness, glory and royalty. It is just a matter of having a leader like a Rodrigo and us, Filipinos, being like an Alexander.

Things That Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country. Alex said every Filipino can do his or her share in nation building simply by talking positively about our country, obeying traffic rules and paying correct taxes, among others. In his personal quest to help our country, I suppose Alex was chosen to come up with a series of books about 12 Little Things (Youth, Global Filipinos and others), which has now become one of the most commonly used books in our country when it comes to sharing the message of patriotism and nationalism.

Our citizens need to be more aware of these values to show patriotism through little things, random acts of kindness and small acts of love.

In the words of Adlai Stevenson II, “Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”

For all of us, being a hero or a patriot should mean doing little things each and every day for our country with whatever time, talent and resources God has given us. Some say only a few people were born or “chosen” to do great things, like what Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and Lee Kwan Yew have done in their lifetimes.

But one should never underestimate

of everyone involved.

The only feature of the killings I object to is that, so far, only the poor have been killed. And while I defend this aspect on the ground that there are more poor people than rich—so expect the disproportionate number of poor killed—the casualty number has reached the point where a couple of dead rich addicts are needed to strike a tasteful balance. Otherwise, this looks like a war against the poor, rather than one against the rich and the poor into drugs.

But did she conduct the probe properly? Did she dominate the proceedings?

No. She was even restrained in keeping witnesses on track rather than wandering off in every selfpitying direction—as Filipinos are

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com.

For questions and comments, e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com

wont to do when someone in the family dies, especially violently. Raised without emotional self-control.

But did she deny other senators their day in court?

No. They are not the subjects of the investigation. Their job is to probe extrajudicial killings and not to lick the President with passionate expressions of support.

We need the truth—both those who deplore what’s happening and those like me who do not. We need the truth about the real scale of the drug problem still unknown. And the real scale of the solution implemented. We need the truth because it will set us free— From the problem, And the necessary evil Of its solution.

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www.businessmirror.com.ph

Friday, September 2, 2016

Zubiri urges AMLC to step up drive vs drug money Saudi Arabia says it won’t flood oil market before Opec meet

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audi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, won’t boost output to capacity and flood the market, the kingdom’s Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said as Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) members plan to meet next month to discuss ways to stabilize crude prices.

Saudi Arabia isn’t concerned about global demand, in spite of a drop in prices and a slower economy, Al-Falih said in an interview with Al-Arabiya television. The country is able to pump as much as 12.5 million barrels a day of oil, he said in comments broadcast during an official visit to buyers in Asia, its biggest market, including China.

“The market is now saturated with stored crude at beyond usual levels and we don’t see in the near future a need for the kingdom to reach its maximum capacity,” Al-Falih said. Demand in China is “very healthy” and consumption in India is “very good,” he said. Saudi domestic use is rising due to two new refineries in Yanbu and Jubail, which have raised consumption by a combined 800,000 barrels a day, Al-Falih said.

Record output

Saudi Arabia is producing near record levels as it tries to preserve market share in the face of a worldwide glut. Increased oil supply, including from US shale drillers, triggered a drop in prices of more than 50 percent since their 2014 peak. Saudi Arabia plans to hold informal talks on stabilizing prices with other members of the Opec Countries in Algeria next month.

Al-Falih’s comments show that “Saudi Arabia is not interested for the time being in coming to terms with the impact of low oil prices on producers’ economies,” said Abdulsamad al-Awadhi, a London-based analyst, who served as Kuwait’s representative to Opec from 1980 to 2001. “To state that as long as we have requests from customers for crude, we will meet them at any price shows a total disregard for others.”

By Butch Fernandez

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@butchfBM

he Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) should step up its ongoing crackdown against big-time drug dealers believed to be using the Philippine banking system to launder money from illegal-drug deals, according to Sen. Juan Miguel F. Zubiri.

“We are counting on the AMLC, in particular, to quickly spot and seize suspected drug money flowing through our banks, and to forcefully prosecute cases of money laundering by traffickers,” Zubiri said on Thursday.

He aired the appeal as the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, chaired by Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson, opened hearings on Senate Bill 21 authorizing “wiretapping, interception, surveillance and recording of communications of pushers, manufacturers, cultivators, importers and financiers of dangerous drugs” authored by Sen. Gregorio Honasan.

This developed as Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara pressed for the

early passage of remedial legislation he filed to authorize wiretapping in drug cases for a more effective crackdown on the illegal-drugs trade.

Angara is one of the authors in the Senate of a bill seeking to relax the Anti-Wiretapping Law, or Republic Act (RA) 4200, and allow wiretapping in cases involving violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act (RA 9165).

Baffled by reports that some P500 million worth of checks were paid out by alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa Jr. without getting detected by regulators, Zubiri suggested that the AMLC and other law-enforcement agencies should “attack” the financial infrastructure of drugtrafficking syndicates to effectively

suppress their supply and distribution operations. “Regulators should disabuse the perception that they have been inadequate in thwarting the criminal use of banks by drug traffickers,” he added.

Citing the case of the fugitive drug lord, Zubiri recalled details of reports that Espinosa was supposedly able to pay out more than P500 million worth of checks from eight bank accounts between 2014 and June 2016, with the bulk of the money apparently going to his alleged “protectors” in the criminal justice system, according to the Philippine National Police.

“We are stumped that a ‘high risk’ individual can issue so many checks unobstructed, in amounts of up to P20 million per check, without the AMLC acting on suspicious transaction reports that should have been diligently filed by the banks involved,” Zubiri said.

He said the fact that Espinosa is the son of an incumbent mayor should have triggered a “red flag” or warning for the banks and the AMLC. “The instant Espinosa Jr. opened his bank accounts, he should have been correctly tagged as a ‘politically exposed person,’ or PEP, by the branch manager based on the know-yourcustomer rule,” the senator added.

Zubiri noted that, under the law, PEPs, including family members of politicians, are considered “high risk” due to their exposure to potential bribery and corruption, the senator said.

“Thus, the bank and other financial accounts of PEPs are supposed to be subject to stronger antimoneylaundering due diligence checks by banks and the AMLC,” the senator said, adding: “Our sense is, this is a glaring case of inadequate enforcement of controls by regulators begetting poor compliance by banks.”

Regulators should disabuse the perception that they have been inadequate in thwarting the criminal use of banks by drug traffickers.”

—Zubiri

‘Price war’

Brent crude was trading $1.24 lower on Wednesday at $47.13 a barrel in London at 4:11 p.m. local time. The international benchmark rose as high as $115.71 a barrel in June 2014.

“There is no price war,” Al-Falih said. Saudi Arabia isn’t threatened by competition in China, the world’s-largest energy consumer, and finds it “normal” for producers, including neighboring Russia, to try to maximize their sales there, he said.

Opec’s decision to hold talks on prices during an industry conference in Algiers has fed speculation that the group might revive an effort with nonmembers, such as Russia to cap output. Venezuela, one of the group’s members hit hardest by cheaper crude, has called for collective action to support prices. A previous attempt to freeze production collapsed in April amid political tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The kingdom pumped 10.43 million barrels a day in July, compared with a record 10.57 million in the same month of 2015, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

“Saudi Arabia will remain flexible in its petroleum policy,” Al-Falih said. “We will meet demand if it rises as was the case for this year and last year.”

Saudi Arabian Oil Co., known as Aramco, is negotiating for crude storage projects to help China import more Saudi oil, Al-Falih said. It’s also pursuing refinery ventures in China valued at more than $20 billion, he said. Aramco is in advanced talks with China National Petroleum Corp. for two refineries in Yunnan province and hopes to reach an agreement this year, he said.

Aramco also has a project with China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., known as Sinopec, for a refinery in Qingdao, he said. Bloomberg News

The market is now saturated with stored crude at beyond usual levels and we don’t see in the near future a need for the kingdom to reach its maximum capacity.”

—Al-Falih

HONORING GREATNESS Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo (sixth from left) and Ramon Magsaysay Board of Trustees Chairman Ramon del Rosario (fifth from left) pose with the recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards during the presentation ceremonies at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City. Awardees are (from left) Thodur Madabusi Krishna of India, Vientiane Rescue representatives Bounmy Khamvongsa and Sebastien Perret of Lao PDR, Dompet Duafa representatives Ahmad Juwaini and Ismail Agus Said of Indonesia, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales of the Philippines, Bezwada Wilson of India, and Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers representatives Kimichi Kubota and Shinichi Kitaoka. ALYSA SALEN

Manila most densely populated city–PSA

By Cai U. Ordinario

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@cuo_bm

anila was t he most densely populated city in 2015 with 42,628 persons residing in a square kilometer of land in the Philippines’s capital, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Mandaluyong City and Caloocan City followed with 41,580 persons per square kilometer and 28,387 persons per square kilometer, respectively. PSA data showed that the population density in Manila was higher than the 19,988 persons per square kilometer recorded in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“Five other highly urbanized cities [HUCs] in the NCR surpassed the regional population density of 19,988 persons per square kilometer,” the PSA said.

These were Makati City with a density of 27,010 persons per square

kilometer; Malabon, 23,267 persons per square kilometer; Pasay City, 23,038 persons per square kilometer; Navotas, 22,845 persons per square kilometer; and San Juan, 21,102 persons per square kilometer.

The municipality of Pateros had the least population density in the NCR with 6,138 persons per square kilometer of land.

“Among the country’s 18 administrative regions, the most densely populated was the NCR, with a population density of 19,988 persons per square kilometer,” the PSA said.

In contrast, the most sparsely populated region in 2015 was t he Cord i l lera Ad ministrat ive Region (C A R), w ith 84 persons per square k ilometer.

PSA data also showed that, among the country’s 81 provinces, Cavite was the most densely populated with 2,455 residents per square kilometer of land. It was followed by Rizal with 2,311 persons per square kilome-

42,628

The number of residents living in a square kilometer of land in Manila ter; and Laguna, 1,567 persons per square kilometer.

Apayao, the PSA said, was the most sparsely populated province with a population density of 26 persons per square kilometer.

Next was Abra, with 56 residents per square kilometer of land, followed closely by Palawan (excluding Puerto Princesa City) with 58 persons per square kilometer.

Of the 17 HUCs outside of Metro Manila, Mandaue City was the most densely populated with 14,402 persons per square kilometer of land. It was followed by Lapu-Lapu City with

7,024 persons per square kilometer and Angeles City with 6,496 persons per square kilometer.

The two other HUCs outside of the NCR with a population density of more than 5,000 persons per square kilometer of land were Baguio City with 6,004 persons per square kilometer and Iloilo City with 5,719 persons per square kilometer.

The population of the Philippines as of August 1, 2015, based on the 2015 Census of Population was 100.98 million people. With a total land area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers, the population density of the Philippines in 2015 was at 337 persons per square kilometer.

The PSA said this represents an increase of 29 persons per square kilometer, or 9.4 percent, from the population density of 308 persons per square kilometer in 2010. In 2000 there were 255 persons residing in every square kilometer of land.