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Friday, September 6, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 331

Cheaper food to pull down inflation–PSA 1.7% I

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

NFLATION could decelerate further in the coming months due largely to the expected drop in rice prices and base effects, the government and local economists said on Thursday.

On Thursday, PSA data showed that inflation slowed to a 35-month low of 1.7 percent in August. It is the slowest since September 2016, when inflation was at the same level.

Barring shocks, National Statistician and Civil Registrar Dennis S. Mapa told reporters in a news

briefing that inflation could remain at this level in the coming months.

“Our expectation is that [the rate] will most probably be around 1.7 percent [and] it could still go down. Of course, depending on the shocks, it could go up. But our assessment is that it would normalize

at this level,” Mapa said.

Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development Director Alvin P. Ang said inflation could still go down to around 1 percent in the next two months.

It can be noted that inflation peaked in September and October 2018 at 6.7 percent. This could

Inflation for August, as reported by the PSA. It is a 35-month low—the slowest since September 2016, when inflation was at the same level usher in high base effects and lead to lower inflation rates.

Ang said, however, that the Philippines is not in danger of experiencing deflation or negative inflation. He also said low inflation will not have a negative impact on GDP. See “Inflation,” A2

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BIENNIAL REVIEW OF TAX PERKS PITCHED BY D.O.F.

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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AX incentives given to companies must be reviewed every two years through a system like the regular mining audits of Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC), the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

The DOF said on Thursday it is necessary to have a system like MICC, which had made it a practice to conduct regular audits of mining companies once every two years beginning 2017 since the country has been “too generous” in giving away tax incentives to a select group of companies.

“Incentives are called as such because they are there ostensibly to encourage firms to operate in an industry we want to develop, reinvest their earnings, train their people, create quality jobs, invest in less developed areas or places recovering from conflict or calamity, and

House OKs Package 4 of CTRP; panel clears property valuation bill

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

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@joveemarie

HE House of Representatives has approved on second reading Package 4 of the Duterte administration’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP), governing taxes on so-called passive income and those imposed on financial intermediaries and the products they offer: on savings and investments; and debt and equity instruments.

The measure is expected to be approved on third and final reading next week.

Also late Wednesday, the House Committee on Government Reorganization endorsed for plenary

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n

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Pifita a blow for equity

See “CTRP,” A2

See “Tax perks,” A8

Govt infra delays seen in VoPI’s July decline

approval the CTRP’s Package 3 reforming real property valuation.

This, explained Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Lambino II at the BusinessMirror Coffee Club Forum on Thursday, was meant to put on the national government the political burden of revising upward the property valuations while allowing local government units (LGUs) to derive profit from such.

THOUGH viva voce voting, members of the lower chamber passed late Wednesday on second reading the proposed Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation

so on,” said Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III in a statement.

“Every peso granted as a tax incentive is a peso off the budget that could have otherwise been spent on infrastructure, health, education or social protection programs that benefit all, and not just for a few,” he said. “It, thus, behooves the government to perform a regular audit of these companies to see if these beneficiary-firms have indeed made use of their incentives to make an overwhelmingly positive impact on society. Otherwise, the government would not be doing its job of finding out on a regular basis if these incentives are being put to good use by the favored companies.”

Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Joselito G. Lambino II explained that the DOF wanted this kind of review every two years in order to make the modern incentive system performance-based.

TAXING JOB Antonio Joselito Lambino II, assistant secretary at the Department of Finance, gestures as he fields questions on tax reforms and the impact of the rice trade liberalization, among others, at the BusinessMirror Coffee Club Forum in Makati City on Thursday. Listening is BusinessMirror Publisher T. Anthony C. Cabangon. See related stories on the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) at left and on page A8; and on rice trade liberalization on A5. ROY DOMINGO

ELAYS suffered by the government’s infrastructure projects in the first semester caused the output of the manufacturing sector to contract in July 2019, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday showed the manufacturing sector’s Volume of Production Index (VoPI) contracted 8.1 percent in July 2019 from a 10.1-percent growth in July 2018.

The Value of Production Index (VaPI) also contracted 7.3 percent in July 2019 from a growth of 11.1

US 52.1290 n JAPAN 0.4900 n UK 63.8841 n HK 6.6488 n CHINA 7.2959 n SINGAPORE 37.6600 n AUSTRALIA 35.4269 n EU 57.5296 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.8988

See “Infra,” A8

Source: BSP (5 September 2019 )

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Friday, September 6, 2019

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Q2 foreign investment pledges jump by 60.2%

By Cai U. Ordinario

F

@caiordinario

OREIGN investment pledges approved by the country’s Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) expanded by 60.2 percent in the second quarter, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Data showed that these investments approved by six IPAs amounted to P49.6 billion in 2019, higher than the P30.9 billion recorded in the same period last year.

The six IPAs were the Authority of the Freeport Area Bataan, Board of Investments (BOI), Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Philippine Economic Zone Author-

₧49.6B

ity (Peza), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), and the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza). “[This] was 60.2 percent higher compared with the same period in the previous year. No report was submitted by the BOI-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” PSA said.

Data from the agency also showed that the total approved foreign investments for the first six months of the year reached P95.6 billion, more than double last year’s P45.2 billion.

The top 3 prospective investing countries in the second quarter are Singapore with P36.2 billion, or 73 percent of the total approved foreign investments; Japan, P4 billion; and the Netherlands, P1.3

Worth of investments approved by six IPAs in 2019, higher than the P30.9 billion recorded in the same period last year billion.

PSA data showed that the Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply sector received the biggest chunk of foreign investments in the April-to-June period.

Foreign investment commitments for the sector stood at P35.7 billion, or 72 percent of the total.

Manufacturing came in second with investment pledges valued at

PRRD studies Anti-Child Trafficking Office

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

I

N a bid to address child trafficking in the country, President Duterte will review a proposal to craft an executive order creating an Anti-Child Trafficking Office.

According to Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo, the proposal for the President to issue an executive order was made

by Special Envoy of the President to United Nations Children’s Fund Monica Prieto-Teodoro.

FIA. . .

Continued from A8

The JFC added that if the threshold of employment requirement is reduced to 15 workers, as stated in the bill, they will see more investments for the Philippines.

“For example, 100 foreign investments at the minimum of $100,000 employing at least 15 Filipinos will invest at least $10 million and employ at least 1,500 Filipinos,” it added.

The group said the absence of minimal restrictions will enable the development of many small foreign-owned enterprises in fintech and the creative industries such as design and IT application, and similar businesses that start small and subsequently grow, employing an increasing number of local workers as they do so.

“They can also attract smaller foreign investors who can enrich the country’s tourism industry by providing a larger variety of cuisines and special services for foreign investors, including in a variety of languages,” the group added.

The JFC is a coalition of the American, Australian-New Zealand, Canadian, European, Japanese and Korean chambers; and the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Inc.

Most restrictive IN defending the bill, House Committee on Economic Affairs Chairman Sharon Garin, principal sponsor, said the Philippines was found to be the most restrictive among 69 economies by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

“For one, we need to acknowledge that several of our laws need to be updated to keep up with our present economic activities. The 28-year-old Foreign Investments Act [FIA] imposed minimum requirements upon foreign investors which, upon close examination, are already unrealistic in our present context,” she said.

“Allowing skilled professionals to work in our country would boost the competitiveness of our human resource. By working with professionals from more advanced countries, Filipinos gain fresh perspectives and new knowledge, broadening the skills set they may already have,” she added.

Trade and Industry Committee Chairman Weslie Gatchalian said since the enactment of FIA, the business landscape has significantly changed.

“While the FIA aims to attract, promote and welcome productive investments from foreign individuals and entities, certain provisions of the law create substantial barriers in the achievement of its objective—specifi-

Incidentally, this came after the foiled attempt of a departing American woman to smuggle a week old baby out of the country.

However, Panelo clarified that the decision of the President during Wednesday night’s Cabinet meeting to review the proposal was not a result of the said incident.

“Nope, that’s incidental. That’s a response to many incidents of illegal trafficking of children,” he said in a text message shared to reporters.

Authorities arrested Jennifer Erin Talbot, 42, after the airline

staff asked her about the child’s passport but she was unable to present any documents.

Immigration supervisor Allan Canonizado reported to Grifton Medina, head of Ninoy Aquino International Port Operation Division, that Talbot arrived at Naia Terminal 3 before 6 a.m. for her 8:10 a.m. flight to Japan onboard Delta Air flight 180.

Talbot presented her passport to the immigration officer, while the baby boy born August 29, 2019, was kept hidden inside her hand luggage.

Prior to reaching the final x-

cally the Foreign Investment Negative List which specifies areas of economic activity wherein foreign equity is restricted or limited,” he said.

Citing the OECD Foreign Domestic Investments (FDI) Regulatory Restrictiveness Index for 2018, Gatchalian said the Philippines is one of the most restrictive countries in the world when it comes to FDI rules.

Quoting the World Bank, he said the restriction in the Philippine FIA providing that the minimum capital requirement for foreigners of approximately $200,000 is substantially greater than the minimum capital requirements imposed on foreigners by industrializing or newly industrialized countries such as China, Indonesia, India, and Russia, and Asean countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

“Ownership limitations as well as paidup capital requirements effectively prevent smaller foreign entities with insufficiently large investments to open business in the Philippines. Given this existing regulation, foreign firms are always placed at a disadvantage, compelling them to partner with local firms,” he said.

Another bill author, Representative Yap, cited two provisions in the FIA deemed to be inconsistent with FIA objectives. First is the inclusion of “practice of professions” in the items listed in the FINL, and second, the high number of direct local hires required.

“While FIA allows foreign investors to establish small- and medium-sized enterprises with a minimum paid-in capital of $100,00, they are required to employ at least 50 direct local hires. However, operationally speaking, a small- and medium-sized enterprise cannot immediately sustain a labor force of 50 employees. Thus, there is a need to lower the threshold of employment requirement to 15 direct local hires,” he said.

PRC vs exclusion EARLIER, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Chairman Teofilo Pilando Jr. said the PRC opposes excluding the practice of profession from coverage of the Republic Act 7042.

“While we understand the intent of the proposed amendment, the PRC is of the view that practice of profession is still a partially nationalized activity given that under the Constitution, the same falls under National Economy and Patrimony albeit with exceptions,” said Pilando.

“To remove it absolutely in the negative list may not be transparent on the limitation to professional practice by foreigners, and may engender an impression that there exists no restriction at all to their practice,” he added.

ray machines, Talbot brought out the baby from the luggage and went through the body search, while her luggage underwent x-ray scanning.

She then immediately proceeded to the predeparture area to wait for the announcement of her flight’s departure.

Afterward, an airline staff approached her and asked for their passports and boarding passes. Apparently, the airline staff saw Talbot carrying a baby, whom she covered with her sweater, but the baby’s exposed feet may have foiled the plan.

Inflation. . .

Continued from A1

“[The low inflation] is not dangerous. [This is still] within the band. [It can be noted that] our inflation went through a blip last year,” the Acerd official said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said in a statement that the 1.7 percent inflation rate recorded in August remained within its projected range of 1.3 percent to 2.1 percent.

The BSP also said it continues to expect average inflation to settle within 1 percent to 3 percent between 2019 and 2021.

It added that core inflation—which excludes selected volatile food and energy items to measure underlying price pressures—was also lower at 2.9 percent in August from 3.2 percent in July.

“Ample domestic food supply conditions along with lower global oil prices have contributed to a manageable inflation environment. At the same time, deepening trade tensions between China and the United States along with ongoing geopolitical risks have raised global economic uncertainty which poses a downside risk to the inflation outlook,” the BSP said.

“The BSP will continue to keep a close watch over the latest economic developments here and abroad to ensure that the monetary policy stance remains consistent with the BSP’s price stability objective while being supportive of economic growth,” it added.

Cheaper rice

T HE Nat ion a l E conom ic and Development Authority (Neda) said it expects the rice trade liberalization law to further bring down the price of rice in the coming months.

PSA data showed that rice prices declined further for the fourth consecutive month in August. Prices fell by 5.2

percent in August, from -2.9 percent in July.

“The Rice Liberalization Act continues to help increase rice supply in the country. This allows more Filipinos to access cheaper rice. This is especially helpful since a large number of families spends almost 30 percent of their total food expenditure on rice,” Neda Undersecretary for Policy and Planning and currently Officer in Charge (OIC) Rosemarie G. Edillon said.

Domestic retail and wholesale price of rice is now lower compared to the price levels last year, down by 10 percent to 13 percent year-on-year, or around P4.20 to P5.20 per kilogram. This is due to higher inventory, which rose by nearly 32 percent in July.

The rice trade liberalization law, signed into law six months ago, aims to improve food security in the country, strengthen the rice industry, and promote a more competitive domestic rice market.

Palay prices plunge

“THERE is a need to fast-track the rollout of the programs and projects under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund [RCEF] to support the farmers against dropping palay farm-gate prices,” Edillon said in a statement.

As she said this, the PSA also reported on Thursday that its data tracking validated reports that in some areas, the farmgate price of unhusked rice had plunged to as low as P8 a kilo, quite near the P7 cited by farmers who earlier complained to lawmakers and the media.

The Neda official warned, however, that the agriculture sector remains at risk as the peak of the southwest monsoon, or habagat, is likely to persist until September.

Edillon said the enactment of the Murang Kuryente Act, which could bring down cost of electricity in the country in the coming months, and the muted outlook in global oil prices, will help pull down inflation.

P6.1 billion, followed by Administrative and Support Service Activities followed with P3.1 billion.

Projects in Region 4A, or Calabarzon, received the biggest chunk of foreign investments at P41.4 billion, or 83.4 percent of the total.

This was followed by the National Capital Region with P4.2 billion and Region 3 with P1.8 billion.

Total investment pledges of foreign and Filipino nationals during the period reached P107 billion, lower by 6.7 percent from previous year’s P114.7 billion.

This brings the total approved investments of foreign and Filipino nationals to P381.2 billion in the first half, 27.1 percent higher than the P299.8 billion committed in the previous year. More than half or

CTRP. . .

Continued from A1

Reform Act (Pifita) or the House Bill 304 to rationalize the taxation of the financial sector so that it becomes simpler, fairer, more efficient, and regionally competitive.

Under the Pifita bill, interests, dividends and capital gains will be levied with a unified income tax rate of 15 percent. It also unifies and lowers the tax rates on interest income and is seen to benefit 75 percent of deposit account holders who are mostly small savers, correcting the inequitable distribution of the tax burden.

Meanwhile, income from assets which only the rich have access to, such as long-term deposits, Foreign Currency Deposit Units and dividends from stocks, are subject to lower rates from zero to 15 percent. Pifita aims to generally harmonize all of these rates to a uniform 15 percent.

This will improve the equity of the tax system.

This bill aims to make insurance products more affordable by lowering the tax on insurance. It will fix the unequal treatment for insurance products with similar nature such as life, health, HMO, preneed and pension, and lower the documentary stamp taxes (DSTs) on nonlife insurance.

Salceda said lower rates will encourage more participation in insurance markets, and help Filipinos cope with sickness, accidents, calamities, and disasters more easily.

This exemption translates to about P450 million in forgone government revenue, Salceda added.

Salceda said the poor and the middle class will benefit from this bill as tax on savings will be slashed.

Faeldon. . .

Continued from A8

Faeldon deliberately displayed gross ignorance of the law when he allowed the release of heinouscrime convicts, including three of the accused in the Chiong sisters’ rape-slay, and approved the release of Sanchez despite the fact that it is contrary to law and the former mayor violated prison rules.

Drilon pointed out that Faeldon “lied about stopping the early release of Sanchez, when, in fact, he admitted under oath that he signed a memorandum order for Sanchez’s early release” despite the latter’s having been convicted of heinous crime.

“Faeldon also could not explain why the violations committed by Sanchez in prison were not recorded in his carpeta,” said Drilon, noting: “It is very surprising that despite the publicly documented infractions committed by Sanchez while in prison, including the drug bust and his extravagant life in his prison cell, his carpeta did not record any violation.”

‘Faeldon firing not enough’

PRESIDENT Duterte’s sacking of Faeldon, Senator Risa Hontiveros

53.7 percent of these pledges were made by Filipino nationals.

PSA said more than half, or 57.4 percent of the investment commitments of foreign and Filipino nationals for the second quarter, were coursed through the BOI. The BOI’s approved investments declined by 29.3 percent to P61.4 billion in the second quarter, from last year’s P86.8 billion.

Peza contributed the second largest share of investments at P39.2 billion. The figure is 75.5 percent higher than the P22.4 billion recorded last year.

The remaining IPAs collectively accounted for 6 percent of the total approved investments of foreign and Filipino nationals during the period.

Under the bill, tax on savings will go down from 20 percent to 15 percent. Meanwhile, the rich who invest in dividends will pay 5 percent more in taxes.

The bill seeks to reduce the current unique number of tax rates and bases from the current 80 to 36.

Lastly, Salceda said many exemptions and special rates on passive income contribute to the narrow tax base.

“Currently, there are 43 of them.

This bill proposes to repeal 33, including 14 which have expired, leaving only 10,” he added.

Package 3

IN approving Package 3 of the CTRP, the House Committee on Government Reorganization approved the consolidation of 13 measures all seeking to institute reforms in real property valuation and assessment in the country and reorganize the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF).

Salceda, author of House Bill 305, said pursuant to the Local Government Code of 1991, his bill seeks to grant each LGU the power to create its own sources of revenue and to levy taxes, fees and charges.

Salceda said this will enable the LGUs to become self-reliant and perform their role as development partners of the national government.

According to the Asian Development Bank, Salceda said that in 2007, collection efficiency on real property tax was only 27 percent in the provinces and 68 percent in the cities.

“This poor collection efficiency severely hampers the LGUs’ ability to raise revenue from real property taxes and correspondingly constrains their capacity to provide the necessary wherewithal for constituency welfare,” said Salceda. said on Tuesday, was but “a small measure of justice.”

In a statement, the senator acknowledged that Faeldon’s dismissal was “only fair, not only according to the standards of good governance, but also in relation to the spirit of a good law that was abused through the clear preferential treatment of unrepentant, unqualified, yet well-connected and wealthy convicts.”

However, Hontiveros added, “President Duterte cannot fire his officials and expect the public to simply forget and move on.”

If the President’s “fire-and-recycle policy” were bad enough, his “fire-and-forget” policy would be worse, she said.

Faeldon and other responsible officials “must answer to the terms of the law that they violated. Section 6 of Republic Act 10592 is very clear.

It penalizes public officers who violate the act with a fine, permanent disqualification from public office and even imprisonment.”

In addition, the senator suggested that President Duterte’s spokesman, Salvador Panelo, be, likewise, investigated, saying Panelo “acted in a preferential way that benefitted convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez,” who was a former client a long time ago. Butch Fernandez

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The Nation BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Friday, September 6, 2019 A3

Cancer patients told: Angeles City council bares tales of rights Don’t rely too much abuse at social welfare center for boys on herbal medicine NGELES CITY—A can for treatment, cure of worms was virtually

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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MEDIC A L e x per t on Thursday warned that cancer patients who rely on herbal treatments have a lower chance of survival.

Citing a US-based study, Meridith Garcia said patients, who use these nonscience based “alternative medicines” to treat their cancer, have a 2.5 percent higher chance of death than those treated by conventional treatment.

She attributed this to delay of such patients from getting conventional treatment, like chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

“Sometimes they have this false reassurance...that they are getting better only to find out later that the cancer has spread and that is when they come to a medical oncologists and then it is very difficult to treat already,” Garcia said during a forum conducted by the Hope From Within Foundation in Manila.

She also noted some health supplements do not go through the same stringent requirements from the Food and Drugs Administration

(FDA) as registered drugs do.

“These usually bare the label no therapeutic claims. Meaning it was only approved as food item that cannot deter any disease,” Garcia said.

This, she added, makes its use more dangerous for consumers since it usually does not spell its ingredients, as well as its possible side effects.

Despite these hazards, Garcia said, many cancer patients tend to use herbal supplements according to a study conducted by the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

“Around one-third to two-thirds oftheirpatients[who]gotoPGHhave tried alternative medicine. So it is a very common practice,” Garcia said.

To combat the said dangerous practice, Garcia together with the other ambassadors like popular newspaper columnist and priest Fr. Jerry Orbos and veteran actor Tirso Cruz III of the Voice of Within Foundation is advocating for science-based cancer treatment.

She noted cancer patients, whose disease will be diagnosed in its early stage, tend to have a higher chance of survival especially with the advent of more effective cancer treatments.

A

By Ashley Manabat | Correspondent

uncovered by the committee on human rights of the city council here after a parent complained of alleged child abuse and sexual molestation right inside a government center that was meant to protect and rehabilitate them.

On Tuesday, the whole Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) faced the media exposing alleged abuses and anomalies that were allegedly committed by personnel of the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) office.

Councilor Joseph Ponce, chairman of the SP committee on human rights, said he was surprised to find out that abuses were happening right in the CSWD center after getting hold of a complaint from a parent and conducted his own investigation.

Ponce said a CSWD personnel tasked to look after the welfare of children in conflict with the law (CICL), otherwise known as street children, is the one inflicting harm

on them by sexually abusing and molesting them.

“I am sorry I became emotional during the initial committee hearing because I am the chairman of the committee on human rights and I just cannot allow this to happen,” he said.

The CSWD personnel was identified as Ferry Pangilinan who works as a “house parent” and has under his care about 20 boys at the CSWD Home for the Boys Center in Barangay Santa Teresita here.

Councilor Jesus Sangil said upon investigation, it was also discovered that only a measly P3,000 a week is allotted to the center housing some 20 boys despite the P8.7 million yearly budget under a program to

rehabilitate CICL. “This translates to only P20 daily for each boy,” he said.

“It’s very frustrating that the perpetrators are CSWD personnel,” Sangil said. “I was informed, just a few days ago, that apparently, the suspects are being protected by some CSWD officials,” he added as he warned of a possible cover up.

“This has caused demoralization among the rest of CSWD employees,” he noted.

Sangil said “during the committee hearing last week, we asked CSWD officials on the whereabouts of Pangilinan and they said they haven’t seen him for a long time now.”

But Sangil said somebody from CSWD told him that Pangilinan even reported for work last Thursday (or five days ago) by timing in.

“Apparently, there is a special treatment that is being accorded to this fellow,” he noted.

Sangil said Pangilinan reports for work at 8 a.m., punch his attendance with the bundy clock and then attend his classes at the Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU) in Bacolor town.

Pangilinan then comes back just before 5 p.m. just to punch out his daily time record, Sangil said.

“He even collects overtime pay,” an obviously infuriated Sangil said.

Councilor Alfie Bonifacio said when he asked CSWD Officer in Charge Edna Duaso during a committee hearing last week on the ac-

tion taken by her office, she answered that she transferred Pangilinan to the head office at the city hall.

Bonifacio said Duaso should have followed protocol and informed the Human Resources Management Office, as well as the grievance committee on Pangilinan’s case.

He added that Pangilinan should also have been preventively suspended since a case has already been filed against him at the Prosecutor’s Office last August 30.

According to the testimonies of social workers and other boys, it was revealed that Pangilinan also abused other children.

Two others were also ready to file formal complaints against Pangilinan but have been released from the center.

It was also stated that Pangilinan sleeps with two or three children in his bed where he performs oral sex with them and also takes a bath with two boys and massage him.

At the vey least, some degree of disciplinary action should have been meted to Pangilinan, Bonifacio said.

“We would like the public to know that when you are in government hands, you are safe and we will be looking for the welfare of every child and women of the city,” Bonifacio assured.

Meanwhile, Ponce said cases of human trafficking and child abuse cases (violation of RA 7610) are being readied against Pangilinan.

A4 Friday, September 6, 2019 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

DOTr allots 98.78% of 2020 infra budget for railways projects–Batan

T

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

@joveemarie

HE Department of Transportation (DOTr) has allotted 98.78 percent of its 2020 infrastructure budget for the construction, rehabilitation and improvement of railway systems in the country.

During the 2020 budget briefing of the DOTr, Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said the railway sector will get P100.6 billion next year.

“The DOTr will spend 98.78 percent of its [infrastructure] budget, or P100.6 billion, next year to build, renew and upgrade our railways system,” he said.

The 2020 allocation for the railway sector is five times than the 2019’s P19.9-billion allocation for the same purpose.

Batan said chunk of the spending, or P84.7 billion, is allotted for the North-South Commuter Railway System. According to the DOTr official, the147-kilometer project will have 36 stations and will run from Calamba, Laguna to New Clark

City in Capas, Tarlac.

For 2020, Batan said, the government has allocated P9.7 billion for the Metro Manila Subway Project Phase 1, and another P5 billion for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 Rehabilitation Project.

T h e D O Tr o f f i c i a l a l s o said P877.1 million will be allocated for the South Long-Haul Project that will link up Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Bicol, while P97 million will be for the Mindanao Railway Project.

Also, Batan said P74 million has been alloted for the LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension Project.

The funding requirements for these projects, he said, will come from loan agreements with Japan, China and Asian Development Bank.

“Our projects funded through ODA [official development assistance) amounts to P1.2 trillion.

Out of this amount, we already have financial commitment for P781 billion from our [Japan] ODA lenders with P481 billion, China with P14 billion and ADB with P286 billion,” he said.

Batan said P18.9 billion has also been allocated for the payment of right-of-way acquisitions.

Meanwhile, other sectors that will receive allocations for infrastructure projects next year are aviation sector with P346 million, maritime with P507.5 million and road sector with P101 million.

For 2020, the government has allotted a total of P147 billion for the whole DOTr.

Emergency powers

WHILE these infrastructure projects seek to address the country’s traffic problem, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade urged Congress to approve the pending measures granting President Duterte emergency powers.

At the same briefing, Tugade said emergency powers for the President is needed so that the government can implement faster solutions to the worsening traffic.

Tugade also allayed fears of law-

makers on the grant of emergency powers, saying such would not be permanent as it will only be granted for two to three years.

The secretary added that the emergency powers will also not remove the oversight powers of Congress.

However, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman rejected Tugade’s proposal.

In other countries, Lagman said, no emergency power was given to the President to address traffic issues.

L aw ma kers have a lready refiled bills giv ing President Duterte two-year emergency powers to address the traffic crisis in Metro Manila and other areas in the country.

During the 17th Congress, the House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading the proposed Traffic and Congestion Crisis Act to address the traffic gridlock in Metro Manila and mega cities such as Metro Cebu and Davao City.

Under the proposed Traffic and Congestion Crisis Act, the measure designates the transportation secretary as traffic chief to simplify the country’s management of traffic and transportation and regulate the road use in metropolitan areas.

Senate panel eyes ‘sin’ tax adjustments to cover e-cigs

By Butch Fernandez

@butchfBM

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HE Senate Ways and Means Committee, after a public hearing on Thursday, is inclined to conduct further review, even as it is poised to endorse imposition of excise taxes on electronic cigarettes.

Asked in an ambush interview how the panel weighed conflicting claims on health effects of so-called e-cigarettes, Sen. Pia Cayetano, who chairs the panel, conceded that “it is very technical and it takes time. And that is something that I commit to the Filipino people that I will really dedicate time to scrutinize these claims.”

Cayetano added: “But one thing that I am prepared to say now, kasi lumabas naman talaga sa [what emerged after the] hearing, kahit ano pang claim ang sabihin nila [whatever they claim they say], and one of the claims being mentioned [by the resource persons of Philip Morris] is ’yung pinayagan na ibenta ang e-cigs sa US [US allowed the sale of the smoking gadget in the US], is ’yung pinayagan daw ng [and was also allowed by the] FDA—the Food and Drug Administration in the US.” But the senator made it clear this only means that they are allowed to sell e-cigarettes “but there is no statement from the FDA that it is safe.”

“So let’s be clear about that. So, every time may nagpapadala sa amin ng [we were sent a] position paper, may lumalabas na mga [there are] news articles, wina-warning-an ko sila na mag-ingat sila sa pagsasabing ‘safe’ kasi nililinlang naman natin ang mga tao kapag sinasabi nating safe kasi kahit naman ang US-FDA walang sinabi na safe ’yan. [The US-FDA may have never stated that e-cigarettes are safe] Pati WHO, walang sinabi na safe ’yan [Even the WHO may have never stated that],” Cayetano clarified.

She reported there were different assertions from so-called experts claiming e-cigarettes are “less harmful,” Cayetano said, “but to say it is less harmful, well, what is the degree of harm that is acceptable?”

Cayetano recalled the analogy given by WHO Officer in Charge Country Representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe was that “if you jump from 10 floors, para mong sinabing [it’s like saying], “Oh ’di safer, dun ka tumalon sa sixth floor. Safer ka dun. [is it safer to jump on from the sixth floor] Siguro nga, safer kasi pang-sixth floor, diba? [Perhaps it could be safer from the sixth floor]. But that is what it is. Just saying that this is now a new product, and it’s not identical to cigarettes, but wala pang makakapagsabi talaga na safer siya. [Nobody could still attest and prove it is safer].”

The senator acknowledged that lawmakers are doing a “tough balancing act” between the health issues and the tax issue, referring to the revenue component. “My job as the chairman of the committee on ways and means is to look at our ultimate objective. We want to raise funds, that’s why nagta-tax po tayo ng mga activities and products, but in this case, these are sin products. Last week, alcohol, this week ’yung tinatawag natin na e-cigs. Kasama po dyan ’yung mga heated tobacco, ’yung mga vape, ’yung with nicotine and without nicotine.”

Cayetano added: “Let me clarify. There are many things that need to be done to have an effective reduction in the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, and one of those is taxation. But there are many other ways. So ’yun ang ine-explore natin, saan makakatulong ang taxation to limit the access of the youth to these products, a lot of which still need further studies to find out how harmful they are? Kasi may harm naman talaga.”

Asked about the likely tax range that would come out of the

committee, the senator said: “the proposal of DOF is similar, identical to cigarettes, which is P45, kasi nga, ang position ng DOF at DOH, harmful pa rin ’yan. So kung you want to veer on the side of safety, then hindi mo gagawing mas mura ang tax niyan. Kasi sasabihin mo, harmful din ’yan.”

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Some lost their jobs, while others gained employment in July 2019, PSA report says

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

O

VER 100,000 more Filipinos joined the ranks of the unemployed in July 2019, notwithstanding an increase in the number of new entrants to the labor force, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In a briefing on Thursday, National Statistician and Civil Registrar Dennis S. Mapa said unemployed persons increased to 2.432 million in July 2019, from 2.329 million in July 2018.

However, the unemployment rate in July 2019 remained at 5.4 percent, the same rate it recorded in July of the previous year.

“If you notice the labor force participation increased this July of 2019. So we saw an increase of about 2 million [workers] that’s why there were more Filipinos who became part of the labor force. This led to the increase in the absolute number of the unemployed,” Mapa said.

“It’s good that more workers joined the labor force that’s why the number of employed also increased, although the percentage remained the same,” he added.

Based on the data, the country’s employment rate remained at 94.6 percent in July 2019 but the total number of employed increased to 42.95 million from 40.65 million last year.

Mapa said this means that the economy was able to create employment for 2.3 million Filipinos during the period. This represented a 5.7- percent increase in employment.

In a news statement, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the year-to-date unemployment rate is estimated at 5.2 percent, near the upper end of the 4.3-to 5.3-percent target in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.

Also, the labor force participation rate (LFPR) expanded further to 62.1 percent as more Filipinos are encouraged to join the labor force.

In particular, youth LFPR went up to 38.3 percent, which is 1.5 percentage points higher than the previous survey period.

“While the Philippine economy has shown remarkable improvements in the labor market, the government should cont inu a l ly improve its ef forts toward generating more

productive and higher-quality employment that provides adequate income for Filipino workers and their families,” Neda Undersecretary for Policy and Planning and current Officer in Charge (OIC) Rosemarie G. Edillon said.

Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development Director Alvin P. Ang said the unemployment rate may have improved because of the lower number of those applying or looking for jobs.

Ang said this is not a good sign but there is a need to wait and see how this turns out in the coming months, whether the trend continues before conclusions can be made.

Nonetheless, he said, the quality of work is improving and this is the reason underemployment may also be declining.

Based on the PSA data, underemployment rate has plunged to 13.9 percent in July 2019 from the 17.2 percent in July 2018.

In absolute terms, PSA data showed that the total underemployed declined to 5.96 million in July this year from 7 million in July 2018.

“The government must continue encouraging the private sector to increase employment opportunities for young people, supporting technical-vocational training, promoting apprenticeship and onthe-job training programs among the youth,” said Edillon.

Moreover, Neda said an improvement in female LPFR was noted, given the decline in the number of females who are economically inactive or not in the labor force.

A sharp decline of 3.4 percent (361,000) was observed in the number of women who cited assumption of household and family duties as reason for not being in the labor force.

Nevertheless, the government needs to speed up on its programs and policies in order to meet the government’s annual target of increasing female LFPR to 50.1 percent.

“To achieve target in increasing female LFPR, monitoring and strict implementation of programs and policies geared toward fostering women’s economic participation need to be intensified such as the Expanded Maternity Leave Act and Telecommuting Act, which recognizes alternative work-from-home arrangements in the private sector,” she said.

Second sequel of Marina’s passenger rights awareness campaign shifts to Cebu

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

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ITH the expected surge of maritime activity during this time of the year leading to the Christmas holidays, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) is beefing up efforts to raise passenger rights awareness in Cebu.

Marina Deputy Administrator for Operations Nannette VillamorDinopol said the awareness campaign in Cebu signals the expansion of the first one that was launched in Batangas last April.

“Now that we are on the first ‘ber’ month which signals the start of the Christmas season in the country, we replicated the campaign in Luzon here in the Visayas, and next month in Mindanao—for we believe that a nationwide approach

to information dissemination yields better and more meaningful impact to our stakeholders,” she said.

In a nutshell, passengers of a canceled, or delayed voyage, have the right to information, as well as the right to refund, or right to revalidation of their tickets.

They are also entitled to the right to amenities should they choose to revalidate their tickets.

Amenities include snacks, meals and free accommodation.

Meanwhile, sea passengers of an uncompleted voyage have the right to information, right to amenities, right to compensation, as well as the right to be transported to their destination.

These rights, however, may only be exercised whenever the issue is attributable to the shipping operator.

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Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Friday, September 6, 2019 A5

Rice prices in Luzon down to ₧8/kg–PSA

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HE average farm-gate price of unhusked rice plummeted to a range of P8 per kilogram to P10 kg, particularly in Luzon, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Thursday.

National Statistician and Civil Registrar Dennis S. Mapa told reporters in a news briefing that the PSA’s price monitoring showed that the farmgate prices of wet palay declined in the third and fourth week of August.

In other provinces, such as those in the Visayas, Mapa said the average

farm-gate prices of wet palay reached P14 per kg to P18 per kg during the reference period. The price of unhusked rice is usually higher during the lean months of July to September, when harvest declines significantly.

“Luzon in particular, we are seeing [in] Region 3, we are getting low

numbers. I’ll just give you the rate, from P8 per kg to P14 per kg. This is for wet palay,” Mapa said. “So [prices] depend on the region, but the lower-end were actually [observed] in Luzon.”

Central Luzon, or Region 3, is the country’s rice granary and includes Nueva Ecija, the Philippines’s top rice-producing province.

As of press time, the price monitoring report, which the PSA said will be available on Thursday, has not been released by the agency.

The PSA made the pronouncement after farmers’ groups complained that they are losing money as prices fell

below the production cost pegged at P12 per kg.

Rep. Estrellita B. Suansing of the First District of Nueva Ecija disclosed during a recent hearing on the implementation of the rice trade liberalization law held at the House of Representatives that the farm-gate price of rice in her province has dropped to as low as P7 per kg.

Republic Act 11203, or the rice trade liberalization law, mandated the set up of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to bankroll initiatives that will improve the productivity of farmers.

Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio

Joselito G. Lambino II said during the BusinessMirror’s Coffee Club forum on Thursday that the government has already collected P9.2 billion from tariffs paid by rice traders.

“It is very likely that [collections] will breach P10 billion which will go to programs that will help improve the productivity of farmers,” said Lambino.

RA 11203 made it easier for traders to purchase rice from abroad as they only need to secure sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance and pay the corresponding tariffs for the imports.

As for the claim of the Federation of Free Farmers Inc. that rice imports

were undervalued, the Department of Finance official said the group used international prices and not the reference prices that the Bureau of Customs had determined in consultation with the Department of Agriculture. Lambino said the government’s reference prices were based on historical data.

“Also, [the group] based their estimate on the volume of imports starting in January but [RA 11203] went into effect in March. Shipments in January and February should not have been included in the computation,” Lambino said in a mix of English and Filipino. Cai U. Ordinario

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Friday, September 6, 2019 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

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editorial

What lower inflation rate means

I

T is nice to see that the “Inflation Hysteria of 2018” is all but gone, thanks to the continuing release of data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. In the future though, it would be good if people would discuss about topics they know something about and would also keep their politics out of our economics.

The most recent data shows that the price of the “basket of goods and services” rose at a rate of 1.7 percent in August, slower than July’s 2.4 percent and 6.4 percent registered a year ago. This is the slowest rate in three years. Further, that pegs the 2019 overall annual core inflation rate at 2.9 percent, which is right in the middle of the government’s rather broad target range of 2 to 4 percent.

However, it is important to note not just the rate of price increases, but what is the “price” of that basket. For that, we need to look at the Consumer Price Index. Using a base year of 2012 with the CPI at 100, for August that index is at 120.4. Therefore, the basket that cost P100 in 2012 now costs P120.40. You can now understand why there is a continuing concern that wages—particularly for the lowest earners—may not be keeping pace with prices.

For some perspective, if the minimum wage in 2012 was converted to a CPI-like index at 100, then the Minimum Wage Index in 2019 is 118. No, the minimum wage is not keeping up with price increases.

However, if we calculate the same way across all salaried employees— with a heavier weight based on the actual number of people making a particular salary—average wages are going up faster than prices.

That index would now be at 126.

Before the day is out, you will probably read a dissection of what happened to individual groups of prices in the basket. “Sugar, Jam, Honey, Chocolate and Confectionery” actually declined by 2.9 percent. “Milk, Cheese, and Egg” were 2.7 percent higher. But more important, what might this continuing lower inflation rate mean for the economy?

As in the past three months of lower inflation, the Philippine stock market had little reaction after the news was released. Likewise, the Philippine peso ignored the news, appreciating slightly more on the positive money flows that have kept the peso stable.

The lower inflation will keep interest rate decrease and possibly a reduction in the banks’ reserve requirement on track again. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno was naturally cautious—as is his job—saying: “At the same time, deepening trade tensions between China and the US, along with ongoing geopolitical risks have raised global economic uncertainty, which poses a downside risk to the inflation outlook.”

But bank loans did increase at a faster pace in July than in June with the recent lowering of the reserve requirement. The July money supply increased faster with a 6.7-percent growth because of this credit demand. However, the first half of the year has seen slower consumer credit growth than in 2018.

In our view, the effects of both lower inflation and lower interest rates will be felt in the next two months. The big question for the economy then is this: Are consumers going to open their wallets for Christmas shopping?

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No room for absurdity Sonny M. Angara

BETTER DAYS

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HE recent controversy regarding the possible release of former Calauan, Laguna, Mayor Antonio Sanchez is an object lesson on how, at times, well-crafted laws with good intentions may be implemented or interpreted contrary to its original spirit.

Mayor Sanchez was nearly set free through Republic Act (RA) 10592, or the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Act. However, public uproar stopped the process.

This led to the recent hearings by the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

When I authored House Bill 417—the preliminar y version of the GCTA Act in the House of Representatives during the 15th Congress—I emphasized in my explanatory note that the bill was meant to apply to people in preventive imprisonment, or those who were still being tried in court.

If they agreed to abide by the same disciplinary rules imposed on convicted prisoners, they would be entitled to a reduction of their time in preventive imprisonment.

The final version approved increased the time allowances provided under the Revised Penal Code.

RA 10592 was enacted, and with it a Uniform Manual on Time Allowances and Service of Sentence published by a joint committee of the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government. This manual had guidelines on how to grant time allowances to inmates Sanchez’s release became a hot issue because he was convicted of heinous crimes, and then committed violations while incarcerated.

In 2006, a complaint was filed and alleged that he possessed shabu and marijuana. In 2010, a kilo of shabu worth P1.5 million was found inside a Blessed Virgin Mary statue in his cell. Finally, in 2015, items such as

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an air conditioner, a refrigerator and a flat-screen TV were found in and removed from his cell. Bureau of Corrections reports have also noted that he has tested positive for drug use.

So how is it that Sanchez qualified for GCTA? There have been reports that loopholes in the law have been exploited by criminals convicted of heinous crimes to avail themselves of time allowances, even if they were charged with other crimes while already in jail.

This has never been the intention behind the GCTA Act. This is why I recently filed a bill amending RA 10592, to plug the loopholes in the law. The immense discretion given to implementing agencies concerning the operationalization of time allowances, and the determination of what good conduct is, has now been proven to be open to abuse.

The amendments will include a definition of heinous crimes, the definite exclusion of recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees and persons convicted of heinous crimes from availing themselves of the GCTA. Victims and their families will also be notified if a prisoner qualifies for GCTA. Inmates who violate prison rules or commit offenses while “inside” will have partial or full forfeiture of granted GCTAs. On the side of government officials, stiff penalties will be enforced for the issuance of false certificates of good conduct by prison authorities.

W hile I do believe that we should encourage rehabilitation and reform for convicted and imprisoned criminals, we should amend the GCTA to make it less open to abuse. We cannot allow the GCTA to be an escape hatch for unrepentant convicted criminals, particularly those who committed heinous crimes. There can be no room for this sort of absurdity in a civilized society.

Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 15 years—nine years as representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and six as senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He recently won another term in the Senate.

E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @sonnyangara.

No homework policy and children’s formation

Founder Publisher

So how is it that Sanchez qualified for GCTA? There have been reports that loopholes in the law have been exploited by criminals convicted of heinous crimes to avail themselves of time allowances, even if they were charged with other crimes while already in jail.

SERVANT LEADER

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ROTHERS and sisters, what are your children doing after school? Do they help in household chores? Are they resting or playing around? Or are their hours spent on finishing homework, even if, according to Save the Children Philippines, they are at school from five to eight hours every day?

In the past week, two members of Congress presented their respective measures seeking to ban homework. In House Bill 388, teachers are prohibited from giving assignments to their students if they will be done during weekends (Saturday and Sunday). According to the proponent of this measure, homework has negative effects on children in other countries because it takes the time that is supposed to be allotted for their families.

Homework is also prohibited in HB 3611 for the health of the children. According to the proponent, because of homework, children always insist on bringing their books home, which are heavy to carry. Aside from banning homework, it is also stated

in the proposal that classrooms must have lockers installed for the children to place their books.

The secretary of the Department of Education supports these proposals, with the belief that there are times when children don’t do their homework. The secretary even added that DepEd even encourages teachers not to give their students homework for the same reasons enumerated in the proposed measures.

However, for the Alliance of Concerned Teachers or ACT, it is impossible for teachers not to give students homework under the K to 12 basic education program. The context and scope of the current curriculum is deliberately comprehensive, and the time spent in school is not enough for

The two sides have valid points.

On one side, there are negative effects of taking home schoolrelated work, especially if it takes time away from the children that need to rest, help in household chores, or rob them of their play time. On the other side, homework helps sharpen the learning process of children.

the children to learn what they are supposed to learn. For the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, homework should not be seen as a way to torture students. The continuous learning of children outside school is important for them to have discipline and to learn to be responsible.

The two sides have valid points.

On one side, there are negative effects of taking home school-related work, especially if it takes time away from the children that need to rest, help in household chores, or rob them of their play time. On the other side, homework helps sharpen the learning process of children. In the end, children’s education—whether inside or outside the school—cannot be measured alone by their ability to finish assignments. Teachers help mold the children, but their basic physical, educational and spiritual formation

rest exclusively with their parents.

Much like what Pope Francis said in Amoris Laetitia, teaching children is the most serious duty of parents and their primary right. According to 2 Corinthians 12:14, “Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you.

After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children,” and this saving up is accompanied by teaching children right. Thus, schools should be helping parents to achieve their duties to their children. Which is why, if the children are home, with or without homework, the parents have to ensure that their children are well-rested, are taught discipline through caring ways, and still learn from anything they are doing outside school.

Brothers and sisters, the issue of the proposed “no homework” policy requires serious study. But in the end, it is important to focus on the parent’s roles in order to truly guide them in raising their children the proper way.

Make it a habit to listen to Radio Veritas 846 Ang Radyo ng Simbahan in the AM band, or through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph and follow its Twitter and Instagram accounts @veritasph and YouTube at veritas846.ph. For your comments, e-mail veritas846pr@gmail.com.

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Crazy ideas to solve the traffic problem

Friday, September 6, 2019

A7

Annotations for August Tito Genova Valiente

ANNOTATIONS

Manny F. Dooc

TELLTALES

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HILIPPINE National Police chief Oscar Albayalde had stressed that the PNP is ready to hunt down those unqualified prisoners who have been freed under the expanded good conduct time allowance (GCTA) in the event that orders are issued to return them to jail. He clarified: “Should there be any nullification or invalidation of their early release from prison, these convicts will be treated as fugitives from justice; thus, warrantless arrest is applicable.”

On record, Sen. Risa Hontiveros claims that she received reports that money changed hands in exchange for the release. If this were true, will the responsible officials who received the consideration also return the amount? Could you imagine how much a convicted drug lord would be willing to shell out to obtain liberty and return to his lucrative trade? Watching the Blue Ribbon Committee hearings on the BuCor handling of the GCTA makes us sick to our stomach. What is excoriating is when allegedly certain prison officials who are entrusted to administer our penal system and rehabilitate our prisoners abuse their authority and frustrate the end of justice in the process. If our country is not going to the dogs, pray tell me where we are headed.

It is disturbing that BuCor has taken the position of restricting access by proper parties to the identities of the prisoners released under the GCTA and their prison records.

I’m sure that this does not sit well with the public that has been closely following the developments on this issue. Since the convicted felons are getting a favor under the law, the process should be open and transparent to allow extensive scrutiny. The right to privacy should not serve as a sanctuary for criminals and should not shield them when the greater interest of the public is at stake. We should be convinced that an inmate has duly earned the time allowance credited to him.

Our entire society is placed at risk when unreformed prisoners convicted of heinous crimes are released from jail. Remember the case of Willie Horton, a convicted felon serving a life sentence for murder, who was released under the Massachusetts weekend furlough program? He did not return from his furlough and committed armed robbery and rape before being captured. It was repeatedly used by the Republicans against Democrat Michael Dukakis during the 1988 Presidential campaign that George H. W. Bush’s campaign manager Lee Atwater said that by the end of the campaign people would wonder whether Willie Horton was Dukakis’s running mate. PRRD will not be up for reelection and the GCTA scandal will not be resurrected as an election issue against him but unless this controversy is settled resolutely with the guilty parties duly exposed and held liable, it will be a blot on the

President’s anti-corruption record.

Shrouded by the barrage of media coverage of former Mayor Antonio Sanchez’s aborted release from prison is the recent Supreme Court decision clearing former President Noynoy Aquino and his corespondents of homicide charges for the deaths of 44 police officers during the so-called Mamasapano incident.

The SC upheld the decision of former Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales dismissing the complaints for 44 counts of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide. The SC resolution stated that Ombudsman Morales “did not commit grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction” in her decision.

Earlier, incumbent Ombudsman Samuel Martires had withdrawn the graft and usurpation charges against ex-President Aquino by holding the view that a president cannot be charged with usurpation.

At the moment, Aquino has been cleared of all charges arising from the Mamasapano massacre, unless new charges are filed. Will there be new charges? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. As former President Erap Estrada who had gone through all of them had said, “weather-weather lang yan!” nnn

THE traffic bedlam has reached catastrophic proportions, which have caused untold suffering to our people. Brilliant solutions have been introduced by the MMDA such as the color- or number-coding scheme, designating bus stops, Uturn lanes, and yellow lanes, but we have failed to find the panacea to the chaos in our roads. Out of desperation, people from all walks of life, private car owners and public commuters alike and every Tom, Dick and Harry have become overnight traffic experts. One suggested that MMDA should restrict vehicle use based on the brand of the car or the zodiac sign of the driver.

Another out-of-the-box idea is to disallow vehicles with plate number with the ending number of lotto ticket winner. Hearing these crazy ideas while driving makes us forget the snarling traffic in front of us. nnn

MY jurist friend sent this joke to me as a tip to the bar candidates this coming November. Bar Question: “What do you call the parent of a transgender?” Suggested answer: “Transparent.”

Under apartheid in South Africa, homosexuality was a crime punishable by up to 7 years in prison. Sana dito din sa Pinas pairalin ang batas na yan. Ang saya saya.—William Mayo Sana magpass ng bill making homosexual act, a “criminal act.” Like in malaysia.

Where “sodomy” is a crime.—William Mayo

T

HE above quotes attributed to William Mayo were posted on Facebook and went viral. The responses mainly from filmmakers and other stakeholders of Philippine cinema were angry and intense. Facebook posts belong to another universe of discourse: they are, to use a cinematic term, tight or closeup shots of the loudest aspirations, criticisms and bad taste. I retained the form of the quotes of as they appeared, including the personal glee of Ang saya saya at the end of the call.

William Mayo, to those who do not know him and many indeed do not know him (I am not saying you need to know him), is a film director because he has made films. He is said to be known to some for his 2002 film called Lapu-Lapu, which starred Lito Lapid. For some reason, he was elected as chairman of the Executive Committee on Cinema under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 2014.

He also served as president of the Kapisanan ng mga Direktor ng Pelikulang Pilipino and the Philippine Motion Picture Directors Association Inc. On September 4, 2019, during

Bloomberg Opinion

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FTER just 43 days in office, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has gotten himself into a dire fix. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way out—for him or for the country he nominally leads.

Thanks to a series of miscalculations, Johnson’s party is cracking up, his government is collapsing and his political strategy is backfiring. This week, he ejected 21 rebels from the parliamentary Conservative Party after they joined the opposition to stop him from forcing the country out of the European Union (EU) without an exit

agreement. To restore his authority and a workable majority, the prime minister then called for a prompt general election—and lost that vote as well, failing to muster the necessary two-thirds support.

All politicians have bad weeks.

But the first part of this one has set some kind of record. Its consequences will extend far beyond the operatic disarray in Westminster.

Most immediately, Johnson has made resolving Brexit—the gravest challenge the country has faced in decades—far harder. Britain is still scheduled to leave the EU on October 31. Holding a general election in the meantime, as Johnson presumably still hopes to do, could conceiv-

from the members of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Executive Committee on Cinema: The National Committee on Cinema of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts wishes to condemn in the strongest possible terms and language, the public dissemination and declaration, by any and all individuals of sentiments and statements that promote hate, discrimination and bigotry.

We are firm believers in our enshrined Freedom of Speech but will also fully defend others against abuses of that freedom. Mr. Mayo’s statement, both irresponsible and offensive, impinges upon others’ freedom to self-expression and makes toward

establishing an unsafe and violent environment for these individuals.

The Philippine Film Industry has been built upon the shoulders of many LGBTQ+ beyond celebrities and stars, the industry is all richer from the contributions of all its members, regardless of sexual orientation, beliefs and identities.

We, in the Committee, are united against all forms of hate, bigotry and intolerance. We support informed, learned, inclusive, and progressive legislation toward creating a country where the rights of ALL are protected and promoted.

Yours in cinema.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

Britain can’t fix Brexit until it drafts a constitution

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By John Authers | Bloomberg Opinion

there is no majority for any one course of action, and nobody has managed to thrash out a workable compromise.

Two prime ministers—Theresa May, and now Boris Johnson—have tried to paint the issue as Parliament thwarting the will of the people.

But the imbroglio also shows the weakness of direct democracy. Britain’s membership in the EU, we now know, was far too complicated and subtle to be framed as an either/or question.

One tribe says that nobody voted for a “no-deal” Brexit, while the other says that a majority is for a Brexit in some form. Both are right.

To deal with this, either the people should be asked ever more questions to help their representatives sort out the mess, which is impractical. Or they must trust their representatives to sort it out. Neither is happening.

And the problem runs deeper. Time and again in the last few decades, politicians have confronted anachronisms in Britain’s political apparatus and made changes while shirking the far harder task of devising new institutions. The result is a political system in gridlock.

Under Britain’s unwritten constitution, the monarch is absolutely

powerful but faces a duty of eternal self-restraint. In this way, Britain has avoided arguments attending any attempt to write a constitution and abolish the monarch. The Queen worked on the assumption that she had no right to turn down Johnson’s request to suspend Parliament. For a hereditary monarch to say no to a prime minister would have introduced an even deeper constitutional crisis. But the incident revealed that the prime minister enjoyed monarchical powers to suspend Parliament—and it is not surprising that it triggered a rebellion.

Next look at the House of Lords which, it is whispered in the parliamentary lobbies, might yet try to stage a filibuster of the bill barring Johnson from accepting a no-deal Brexit. The Lords has been stripped of hereditary peers but it is still an unelected body. It is hard to believe it has the legitimacy to thwart the will of elected MPs. Now turn to the parties. Until a generation ago, MPs alone chose their leaders. Both Labour and the Conservatives have moved toward a looser model like the American system, where all party members have a vote. But the result has been half-baked.

Johnson was elected by 140,000 Conservative activists far more strongly opposed to the EU than the rest of the country. Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn was elected by an expanded party that allowed anyone to be a voting member after paying a modest fee. An influx of enthusiastic ideological left-wingers

swung the result. Neither party’s leader has anything like the broad mandate of a US presidential nominee. Both represent unrepresentative electorates while failing to command the support of their own MPs in Parliament. So the major parties lack the legitimacy to sort the Brexit mess.

Would a general election help, as Johnson suggests? Probably not. The “first past the post” system works well in a purely representative democracy where MPs as individuals have great latitude. It is useless if there is any hope that Parliament should reflect the “will of the people.” In that scenario, results are affected by the geographic distribution of votes and distorted by the presence of major alternative parties. There is no reason to think that MPs in a new Parliament would accurately reflect the broad spread of opinions about Brexit.

So it looks hard for the UK to sort Brexit without reforming its parties and its electoral system (while also possibly agreeing on an elected upper chamber and even limiting or replacing the power of the monarch).

Moreover, nothing will be solved until Britain drafts a written constitution. The nation’s democratic deficit appears at least as serious as that of the EU, and resolving it may require turning the UK into something far more like a continental European country.

And that is not what anyone thought they were voting for back when the Brexit referendum first surfaced.

himself in the foot, but also maximizing the long-term damage Brexit is doing to Britain’s constitutional order and political norms. Unelected and lacking a mandate, he has nonetheless pressed the executive’s power to its limits. He seems to view Parliament as an irritant; his ministers seem to regard the rule of law as one option among many.

They should all try to imagine what the opposition might do with such an expansive interpretation of the prime minister’s authority.

Perhaps most damaging, though, is the cost of this endless misadventure. Britain is on the verge of a recession. Business investment— the most obvious victim of Brexit

uncertainty—has been in a severe funk. Services growth is stalling while manufacturing and construction are most likely in contraction.

Johnson is meanwhile spending millions on an advertising campaign to convince businesses to prepare for no-deal even while assuring everyone that it’s highly unlikely—a strategy that has not exactly alleviated the uncertainty.

Is there any way out of this?

A general election would offer one potential escape route. Yet, it will also present voters with a dismal choice.

On one hand, there’s Johnson, and the renewed threat of his delivering a chaotic exit. On the other, there’s Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose

modest agenda includes nationalizing much of the economy, eviscerating property rights, and otherwise expunging the counterrevolution. In any event, another hung Parliament seems all too likely.

The unfortunate fact is that the machinery of British politics has become stuck on Brexit. As the process grinds on—chewing through two prime ministers and counting—it is doing worsening damage without producing any forward momentum.

More of the same will hardly help.

Even at this late date, the best and most democratic way out of this morass is to let the public decide the matter in a second referendum. The alternatives look bleaker by the day.

EMOCRACY, Winston Churchill once famously said, was the worst way to run a country “apart from all the others that have ever been tried.” Unfortunately, he did not make clear what kind of democracy he favored.

Britain’s dreadful Brexit impasse has divided the country into roughly equal camps; both convinced democracy has been traduced. And they both have a point. What started as an argument over the European Union’s democratic deficit, and the way in which it encroached on Britain’s unwritten constitution, has degenerated into something more fundamental: an argument about the nature of democracy itself in the UK. This crisis is in turn the bequest of generations of making minor tweaks to an unwritten constitution while avoiding the extremely difficult decisions needed to write a new one.

In the void, two forms of democracy are attempting to coexist in Parliament—representative democracy and direct democracy.

On the one hand, Britain is a representative democracy, leaving decisions to elected MPs. Yet, those same MPs sanctioned a Brexit referendum, or an act of direct democracy. The current crop of representatives, elected a year after the referendum, cannot agree on a way to enact it.

The House of Cards-style intrigue plainly shows the limits of representative democracy. Within the Commons

Boris Johnson has badly miscalculated

By The Editors

the meeting of the present Executive Committee, we noted Facebook posts attributed to Mayo. Whereupon, we decided to take a pause from our meeting to draft a statement. There are two reasons for our decision: One is to clarify to the public that he is in no way connected with the Executive Committee on Cinema; Two is to express our refusal to let those incoherent messages of hatred and repulsive narrowmindedness pass without comments from us, a group that believes cinema, like any art forms, has ultimately the responsibility to enable tolerance, respect, openness, understanding and acceptance.

Hereunder follows the statement

ably ease that process by securing a clearer majority for the prime minister’s plans. The problem is that no one can say what those are.

By nearly all accounts, negotiations with the EU on a revised deal have gone nowhere. Johnson can’t even identify what he hopes to achieve in these talks. He wants to ditch the “backstop” arrangement intended to prevent a hard border with Ireland, but can’t specify what should take its place. Meanwhile, in purging his party of no-deal opponents, he’s ousted the very lawmakers who would’ve been most likely to support any new compromise.

In proceeding so heedlessly, Johnson is not only shooting

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FIA changes secure House 2nd-reading OK

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By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

HE Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC) said passage of a Duterte administration priority measure amending the Republic Act 7042 or the Foreign Investments Act (FIA) of 1991 to exclude the “practice of professions” from the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL) can mean more jobs for Filipinos.

Members of the House of Representatives, through viva voce voting, approved on second reading late Wednesday House Bill 300 to further attract productive foreign investments.

The bill aims to exclude the “practice of professions” from FINL coverage so as to attract foreign professionals to the country.

It also lowers to 15 the minimum number of direct local hires required of foreign investors, from 50.

The measure, authored by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, Deputy Speaker

Sacked BuCor chief Faeldon not yet off the hook, says Drilon

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ELEAGUERED Bureau of Corrections Director Nicanor Faeldon, despite vacating his post in the wake of a series of prison anomalies, is not off the hook, Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon said Thursday, stressing that cases can still be filed against Faeldon.

Drilon insists that Faeldon must be made to face formal charges “for his incompetence,” as well as an attempt to “evade accountability over the botched release of convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez,” referring to the former Calauan, Laguna, mayor sentences to seven

life terms for the rape-murder of UPLB coed Mary Eileen Sarmenta and the murder of her friend Allan Gomez.

Drilon stressed in a statement Thursday that Faeldon was even “caught lying through his teeth.”

Drilon noted that, “he [Faeldon] tried to deceive the Senate and the public. He lied over and over again to evade accountability.”

The Minority Leader said the actions of Faeldon—whose stint as Customs commissioner was also marred by controversy after a large stash of shabu entered the country through the bureau’s green lane—

SOUTHWEST MONSOON AFFECTING NORTHERN LUZON as of 4:00 pm - September 5, 2019

“clearly exhibited gross inexcusable negligence and willful misconduct, if not corruption.”

At the same time, Drilon affirmed his full support for President Duterte’s decision to sack Faeldon in the wake of the latest controversy involving the release of thousands of heinous-crime convicts, as well as the botched release of Sanchez, which, he noted, was aborted following public outcry. “The President’s decision confirmed what the public already knew: that Faeldon lied and weaved alibis under oath to exculpate himself.”

See “Faeldon,” A2

Raymund Villafuerte and Tarlac Rep. Victor Yap, was opposed by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), which said the Constitution had deemed the practice of professions among those nationalist provisions that should be limited to Filipinos.

The JFC, in its position paper submitted to the House, backed these two amendments sought in HB 300.

“Having more foreign professionals practicing in the Philippines can bring new skills, ideas, connection and integration into global networks

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“If an investor receives an incentive package based on certain commitments, then reviewing performance against those commitments would be important.

So they said they will create an X number of jobs, how are we doing in that regard?” Lambino said during the BusinessMirror’s Coffee Club forum also on Thursday.

“Second, on the menu side, I think it is also important to review whether the incentives we’re giving are responsive to the needs of the investors.” Should the DOF find out that the companies are not meeting their commitments, Lambino said these incentives could be taken back from these companies.

“If there is no performance, then there should be no incentive.

It’s like a scholarship, in order to keep your scholarship you have to keep a minimum grade requirement kundi wala ka nang [otherwise you’ll lose your] scholarship.

In fact in order to stay in school, you would have to hit the minimum grade requirement so ganun din ‘yung [it’s the same] principle,” he said.

Incentives ‘forever’

THE Finance department earlier said the Philippines is the only major economy in the world that grants incentives to companies in perpetuity or “forever” while other Asean countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia have a cap of five, 10, 15 or 25 years for the incentives they grant.

Moreover, the Philippines has not conducted any in-depth review of the costs and benefits of the tax incentives given away to companies, the DOF said.

Some companies continue to receive incentives every year even after they have been getting them for as long as nearly 40 years.

The Philippines gave away an estimated P1.12 trillion in tax incentives and exemptions to a select group of 3,150 companies from 2015 to 2017, according to the DOF. Such forgone revenues include income tax incentives, tax incentives on customs duties and tax incentives on import value-added tax.

The estimated amount of P1.12 trillion given away as incentives over that three-year period is more than twice the 2019 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), at P549.4 billion.

The DOF has since been pushing for the passage of Package 2 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program or the Corporate Income Tax and Incentive Reform Act (Citira).

This seeks to lower the corporate income tax rate gradually from 30 percent to 20 percent and modernize the fiscal incentive system to establish a single menu of superior incentives that are performance-based, targeted, time-bound and fully transparent.

of service providers, and support sunrise sectors including creative industries, R&D, medical travel and retirement,” the JFC said.

“The [Philippine] Constitution creates a policy bias in favor of Philippine citizens, but not a strict legal barrier to the participation of foreign nationals,” it noted.

Although Section 14, Article 12 of the Constitution states that “the practice of all professions in the Philippines shall be limited to Filipino citizens,” the JFC said this statement is immediately followed

by “save in cases prescribed by law.”

JFC noted 45 laws governing the practice of specific professions all contain “reciprocity” provisions allowing foreigners to practice their profession in the Philippines, provided their countries of origin also allow Filipinos to practice these.

“The individual practice of profession is not an investment activity under the scope of the Foreign Investment Act and therefore, should not be included in the FINL,” the JFC said.

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GOVT FINALIZING LIST OF POGO WORKERS

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S President Duterte indicated the government has no plans to abandon the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators sector, the government will still finalize a master list in a bid to properly collect income taxes from Pogo workers.

Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Joselito G. Lambino II said on Thursday the DOF estimates around P2 billion of personal income taxes are not being collected from Pogo workers monthly.

“What Finance Secretary [Carlos] Dominguez wants is for them to pay [their income taxes] correctly because this is just fair for those working in the Philippines who also pay their personal income taxes,” Lambino told the BusinessMirror Coffee Club forum on Thursday.

“Our estimate is that P2 billion a month are not being collected from personal income taxes and that is why an interagency task force has been formed by the Department of Finance in order to make sure who is here in the country working in the sector.”

“We will also issue TIN [tax identification number] to every Pogo worker so that we will be able to collect properly,” he added.

Moving forward, the government through the Department of Labor and Employment is setting up a digital database of all foreign workers.

While the Finance official said the initial estimate of Pogo workers reached 138,000, he said a review of the numbers

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percent in 2018. Neda noted that this is the seventh consecutive month the volume and value indices contracted this year.

“The slowdown in the implementation of infrastructure projects in the first semester of 2019 contributed to the weak performance of manufacturing sector. There is a need to accelerate public works spending to prop up demand for construction-related infrastructure,” said Neda Undersecretary for Policy and Planning and currently Officer in Charge Rosemarie G. Edillon.

Edillon said the decline on the construction-related manufactures reflected the slowdown in government spending on infrastructure since the first semester of 2019.

Neda said the weak performance of construction-related manufactures, including heavily weighted petroleum products, electrical machinery, nonmetallic minerals and basic metals, accounted for much of the decline in manufacturing output.

showed a duplication in the count, as some workers work in more than one outfit.

“The initial estimate was 138,000 in the sector because others were working in two or three [Pogos]; so the estimate now is 120,000 workers,” he said.

Late Wednesday night, the President said in a press conference in Malacañang that he has decided that the country needs Pogos as he warned that there would be job losses.

“I decide that we need it.

Maraming mawawalan ng hanapbuhay. [A lot of people will lose their livelihood]. Anyway, it’s government-controlled,” Duterte said.

Pogo workers in the country are mostly foreign nationals and Filipinos comprise only a small number of the Pogo workers.

The President also warned nonpaying operators to pay their dues correctly.

“Wala kasi masyadong trabaho. Kung sana progressed na tayo as a country, maraming trabaho then you do not have this stupid thing...activity of allowing gambling [There are not enough jobs. If we are a progressive country, then there would be a lot of jobs then you do not have this stupid thing…activity of allowing gambling],” he said.

“But at this time, wala talaga akong magawa. Maraming nagugutom…Huwag lang ninyong lokohin ang gobyerno. Huwag ninyo akong lokohin [But at this time, I cannot do anything. There are a lot of people getting hungry…

Just don’t dupe the government.

Just don’t fool me].”

Bernadette D. Nicolas

Edillon added that to ensure sustained construction activity, expediting the approval of permits and requirements for constructionrelated projects is vital.

“These initiatives are necessary for us to meet our infrastructure targets. However, this semester might be challenging for construction activities as unfavorable weather conditions may cause disruptions,” she said.

She also called for the passage of a national quality infrastructure (NQI) bill, which highlights the need for uniform product standards.

This bill also proposes a testing protocol and accessible testing infrastructure to facilitate the access of MSMEs to global value chains.

This must be coupled with capacity-building programs on product standards and quality assurance.

The Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries is a report that monitors the production, net sales, inventories and capacity utilization of selected manufacturing establishments to provide flash indicators on the performance of the manufacturing sector.

Cai U. Ordinario

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Proposed reclamation projects stoke fear of eviction among Manila Bay squatter families

By Roderick L. Abad

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Contributor

@rodrik_28

AR IOUS cause-oriented organizations expressed fears on Thursday that some 230,000 squatter families would be evicted if reclamation projects along the world-renowned Manila Bay were to push through.

“We fear that thousands of informal-settler families [ISFs] living along Manila Bay will face massive evictions,” Kabalikat sa Kaunlaran President Jeorgie Tenolete said in a forum, entitled “Benepisyo o Perwisyo: Pag-aaral at Pagsusuri Ukol sa Reklamasyon sa Manila Bay [Benefit or Harm: Studying the Effects of Reclamation on Manila Bay],” at the Duerr Auditorium, De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde in Manila.

The Department of Environment and Natura l Resources (DENR), he added, has already informed the concerned families that the 20-meter easement from the bay will be implemented.

“This announcement has already caused great fear for many of us,” he said, while citing that around 15,000 families are in danger of displacement at the Baseco compound alone—the main beneficiaries of their group.

Last January, the government, through the DENR, launched a massive cleanup initiative dubbed “Battle for Manila Bay.” This P47billion program running for seven years aims to reduce the fecal coliform bacteria level in its waterways along Roxas Boulevard.

“We lauded the government’s and civil society’s efforts to rehabilitate Manila Bay. The poor like us, have been advocating the cleanup of the bay,” Tenolete said.

In fact, he added, members of Kabalikat sa Kaunlaran supported this effort by planting 1,000 mangrove trees in Aplaya, Baseco.

“They are now tall and sturdy. We made slippers, bags and plate mats out of the water lilies along the rivers and the bay for our livelihood projects, as a way to reduce waste in the bay,” the group’s president said.

Despite the cleanup drive, however, different organizations doubt its real goal. They suspect that behind it is a motive to expedite the approval of plans on reclamation.

“We want to be clear that the poor people are not against the Manila Bay Rehabilitation, they are participating in all the cleanup efforts,” Urban Poor Associates Executive Director Alicia Murphy said for their part.

“ W hat t hey are aga inst is that, while they have been participating in the rehabilitation of the bay, the government has been planning to reclaim lands.

This, for them, defeats the purpose of bringing the bay back to its former glory,” she noted.

Murphy cited the previous bad experience of evicted residents who once lived in places developed by the state.

“Chances are they will be evicted or relocated to far areas where there are no basic services nor means of livelihood,” she said.

Details about the government’s reclamation projects remain uncertain even in the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan (MBSDMP) that was finalized by the National Economic and Development Authority and the Government of the Netherlands in May 2019.

The MBSDMP only states that if there will be reclamation in the bay, they must be “responsible” to follow environmental laws and policies regarding the provision of assistance to affected families like the Urban Development and Housing Act. While the government does not disclose any information regarding the planned land reclamations along Manila Bay, the map obtained by the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas or Pamalakaya from the presentation of Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) last year showed that these developments will start from the end part of Bataan up to Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila and Cavite.

For Prof. Jay Batongbacal of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, the communities to be displaced in these areas must invoke their right to information since they will be affected by these projects.

In an interview after the forum, he told the BusinessMirror that they should demand the PRA to reveal all the projects and their pertinent details publicly.

“Based on that, there is a need to have a serious and sincere public consultation on the planning stage, and not approve these projects because the investors are already there,” Batongbacal said.

“They should also ask their local government units to really represent the decisions of their constituencies.

If they don’t accept the reclamation projects, then there should be no reclamation projects, as simple as that,” he added.

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British Columbia in Canada keen on hiring OFWs–DOLE chief

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By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

OLLOWING its successful bilateral talks in Canada, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said another Canadian province is now interested in opening its doors to more overseas Filipino workers (OFW).

During his talk with his Canadian counterpart, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said he was informed that British Columbia now also wants to sign a new bilateral labor agreement with the country

to hire skilled Filipino workers.

Upon signing, it will be the second labor accord of British Columbia with the country since it forged a memorandum of understanding with the Philippine government

in 2008 for cooperation on Human Resources Development and Deployment.

Bello said the proposed bilateral labor agreement of British Columbia will be similar to what they are currently forging with the Canadian territory of Yukon.

Last month, Bello headed to Yukon to sign a joint communique to formally start the bilateral talks for a government-to-government deployment arrangement.

He said OFWs, particularly in the medical field and technical occupations like machine operators and engineers, are in demand in the Canadian mining territory.

“They will designate their technical working group and we will have our technical working group, and they will conduct the discussion on

the preparation of a bilateral agreement which will also provide a contract template of employment,” Bello told reporters in an interview.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Administrator Bernard P. Olalia, in a text message, confirmed they are targeting the completion of the bilateral agreement with Yukon by November as Bello instructed.

Bello said they are now eyeing Canada as a prime destination for OFWs since most of its areas remain underpopulated and its migrant workers are treated well.

“It seems that the condition of our workers there are well protected.

Not a single Filipino worker or OFW gave a negative comment of their stay there. They all appear to be very prosperous,” Bello said.

GMA inducts new officers of biggest shipping group

IN photo at the induction are PCSA 2019-2020 officers, Board of Trustees members Arthur Kenneth Sy (from left) of Trans-Asia Shipping Lines and Jose Emery Roble of Roble Shipping Lines, Chairman Lucio Roger Lim Jr., President Paul Rodriguez of Asian Marine Transport Corp., former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Dennis Berania of Montenegro Shipping Lines (proxy for Vice President for Passenger Shipping Vicente Montenegro Jr.); Vice President for Cargo Shipping Benson Go of Seen Sam Shipping, Treasurer Pio Serafin Fulache of Medallion Transport, Corporate Secretary Teresa Abad of Supercat Fast Ferry, and Alexander Cohon of Lapu-Lapu Shipping Lines.

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ORMER President and House Speaker Gloria MacapagalArroyo recently inducted the officers of the newly formed Philippine Coastwise Shipping Association Inc. (PCSA), the country’s largest shipping group with most members and biggest total gross tonnage of ships combined.

She was named as chairman emeritus of the group in recognition of her establishment of the 919-kilometer Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) in 2003

which connected major ports across the archipelago for ease of cargo and passenger shipping.

In her keynote address, Macapagal-Arroyo said that the group would unite and strengthen the voice of the shipping operators in Visayas and Mindanao to advance the modernization of the domestic shipping industry. She added that the development of the roll-on, roll-off (Roro) network within the SRNH enhanced the competitiveness and brought down the cost of

transporting goods from the countryside to the urban centers, and helped boost tourism, as well.

The PCSA is composed of members of the Philippine Roro Operators Association, the Visayan Association of Ferry Boat and Coastwise Shipowners Operators, and the United Trampers Association of the Philippines.

With the merger, the association strengthened the position of the Maritime Industry AuthorityRegion 7 for having the biggest

gross tonnage of ships registered in the country.

According to PCSA Chairman Lucio Roger Lim Jr., the Cebu-based group aims to unify shipowners and operators for a policy framework for modernization, adherence to safety and service standards, and strengthen government and private-sector cooperation.

Interested parties can contact the PCSA secretariat at 0917-6315063 or 0917-6332439, or e-mail pcsa. ph@yahoo.com.

Energy dept’s Cusi leads Philippines delegation for Amem 37 in Bangkok

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ENERGY Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi (fourth from left) joins the other Energy Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for their signature solidarity pose during the opening of the 37th Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.

ANGKOK, THAILAND—Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi headed the Philippine Delegation for the 37th Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting (Amem 37) and Associated Meetings being held from September 2 to 6, 2019.

Slated for the event is a series of Ministerial Meetings, which includes the Amem-International Energy Agency Dialogue, Amem-International Renewable Energy Agency Dialogue, 13th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting and the 16th Amem+3 Meeting. In addition, the Ministers-CEO Dialogue under the 2019 Asean Energy Business Forum, which highlights various energy-related concerns within the region and its dialogue partners, would, likewise, take place.

“The annual Amem is always a great opportunity for the Philippines to reach out to our Asean partners and showcase our most recent achievements in the energy sector. Moreover, we are able to explore potential energy cooperation endeavors to help us attain our energy

goals, particularly energy security, equity, and resiliency,” Cusi said during the Amem’s opening ceremony.

With this year’s theme “Advancing Energy Transition through Partnership and Innovation,” Amem 37 intends to further strengthen collaboration among Asean member-countries, their regional partners, and international organizations through the formulation of sustainable solutions that would promote closer regional integration and establish the Asean as a major economic block.

At present, the Asean has achieved an energy intensity reduction level of 24.4 percent, consistent with the Asean Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation Strategy target to reduce EI by 20 percent in 2020. Meanwhile, the renewable-energy share in Asean’s Total Primary Energy Supply reached 14.3 percent in 2017, with the APAEC Strategy calling to increase the RE component in the Asean’s Total Primary Energy Mix to 23 percent by 2025.

On the matter of promoting re-

gional power integration, the Asean Energy Ministers noted the supplemental multilateral electricity trade among Lao PDR, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore under the Energy Purchase and Wheeling Agreement.

The Supplementary EPWA upgrades the tradable capacity of Phase 1 of the LTMS Power Integration Project, which was signed during the Philippine hosting of Amem 35 in 2017.

Cusi will also be holding bilateral meetings with the United States-Asean Business Council, US State Department, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan to advance the Philippines’s energy agenda.

Other members of the official Philippine Delegation to Amem 37 include Energy Senior Undersecretary Jesus Cristino P. Posadas, Assistant Secretary Gerardo D. Erguiza Jr., Department of Energy’s Policy and Planning (EPPB) Bureau Director Jesus T. Tamang, and EPPB-Energy Cooperation and Coordination Division Chief Lilian C. Fernandez.

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If you have any information / objection to the above mentioned application/s, please communicate with the Regional Director thru Employment Promotion and Workers Welfare (EPWW) Division with Telephone No. 400-6011.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

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Teco, SBDMC see influx of Taiwanese firms

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By Henry Empeño | Correspondent

UBIC BAY FREEPORT—More investors from Taiwan will be coming to the Philippines because of the conducive business climate in the country, as well as the good relations between the two trading partners.

This was the confident outlook expressed by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) in the Philippines Representative Michael Peiyung Hsu and Taiwanese businessmen in Subic during the opening here last week of Yubantec, the latest Taiwanese company to locate in this free port.

Hsu remarked during the occasion that more companies from Taiwan will locate in the Philippines due to the fact that it is Taiwan’s “closest neighbor.”

He added, “I assure you, the Taiwanese are willing to come to the Philippines to invest because of the good trade relations [with

the Philippines].”

Philippine authorities, he said, would “have to find enough land for our locators, especially in Subic Bay,” for the expected influx of Taiwanese companies.

Dr. Chin Der Ou, who is chairman of Subic Bay Development and Management Corp. Inc. (SBDMC), which manages the Taiwanese-owned Subic Gateway Park here, said the ongoing facilities improvement projects by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) portend better business in Subic.

“There are many facilities improvement projects now. There

TECO Representative Michael Hsu talks on the influx of Taiwanese firms in the Philippines at the opening of another Taiwanese company in the Subic Bay Freeport. HENRY EMPEÑO are road construction and repairs, drainage improvement, as well as capacity expansion of the Subic Expressway. These are all good for investors,” Dr. Ou said at the Yubantec inauguration.

“I’m confident that Yubantec will do well in such a favorable

business environment,” he added.

Yubantec, which will engage in importing, designing, installing and after-sales services of air conditioners, cold storage equipment and home appliances, as well as designing and sales of semiconductors and electronic compo-

nents, is the latest addition to the Subic Gateway park locators.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the 61 Taiwanese firms in Subic now comprise the third-biggest nu mber of foreig n investors here. Most are engaged in manu-

facturing and trading.

She said Taiwanese firms were among the pioneer investors in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, as the Subic Gateway Park, formerly known as the Subic Bay Industrial Park, was the first industrial park to be established in Subic.

Built in 1994, the Taiwaneseowned industrial park is now home to global names like computer giant Wistron Infocomm (Phils.)

Corp., air-con specialist Johnson Controls-Hitachi, lockmaker Tong Lung (Phils.) Metal Industry, and footwear manufacturer Datian Subic Shoes Inc. Eisma said the entry of more Taiwanese companies helps Subic drive its momentum in investment and employment generation, pointing out that the SBMA approved 77 new projects in the first six months this year, compared to 45 in the first half of 2018.

The new investments, as well as the 21 expansion projects greenlighted in the first half, are projected to create more than 3,600 additional jobs in the Subic Bay Freeport, she added.

‘Telcos to cash in on 5G investments when Internet of Things fully reels off’ Megaworld maintains its high

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

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ACTAN, Cebu—Through machine-to-machine (M2M) application, telcos will be able to cash in on their 5G investments in the future, as the broader Internet of Things (IoT) concept comes into full play, an industry expert has predicted.

Speaking at the Asian Carriers Conference, Syniverse Technologies Vice President for Advance Signal and Network Interoperability Mun Kein Chang explained that

Phoenix Petroleum notes expansion of LPG biz in Vietnam

By Manuel T. Cayon Mindanao Bureau Chief @awimailbox

D

AVAO CITY—Phoenix Petroleum said it has noted an expanding business trend in its liquefied petroleum gas in Vietnam since early this year, noting that this followed its getting majority control of an established LPG company in the country.

“Phoenix Petroleum expanded its LPG operations to Vietnam earlier this year when it officially completed the acquisition of 75 percent of Origin LPG Vietnam LLC,” the company said.

It did not disclose its current market share in Vietnam, but said the Vietnamese LPG company has since been renamed Phoenix Gas Vietnam. The increased patronage of the companybranded LPG was largely aided by the Vietnamese LPG company’s existing presence in Central and South Vietnam, it added.

Phoenix Gas Vietnam is based in Ho Chi Minh City and assumed the previous company business in LPG trading, storage, warehouse, port and LPG tank servicing, and other services, including repair and maintenance of LPG supply systems, LPG transportation, and LPG warehouse and storage leasing.

It has been entered as a subsidiary of Singapore-based unit Phoenix Energy International Holdings Pte. Ltd. It has established branches in Da Nang, Long Thanh Rural District, Nha Trang, and Cam Ranh.

Continued on b2

operators that are capitalizing on the 5G trend will have to find creative use cases that involve M2M applications.

This, as people-to-people (P2P) applications are already possible through the current mobile connectivity technology, and using 5G for simple tasks like video streaming may prove to be a mismatch for its inherent benefit.

“It’s not just going to be bigger, better and faster. It’s also about scaling,” he said. “5G is not going to be a P2P network, but it’s actually for the world of machines.”

Chang explained that IoT, which is a concept where machines are interconnected and can be remotely controlled via the Internet, will require a “different network, foundation and ecosystem —and that is 5G.” He said his group has found that 5G would be best implemented and offered at the enterprise level.

Use cases for the new connectivity include real-time supply chain tracking, video analytics for retail establishments, and online sports of mixed realities.

“5G isn’t really the key message,

it’s part of the transformation that is called IoT. When it gets mainstream, you need 5G,” Chang said.

He added that the 5G trend will bloom in full in the next five years, when 60 percent of the world’s mobile shifts to this new technology for practical uses.

Earlier at the ACC’s opening, conference speaker Niklas Bergman said he finds 5G to be a challenge for telecom operators, citing the uncertainty of its application for individuals, but noted the wealth of its application for the enterprise segment.

DOE sets Oct. 28 deadline for oil, gas players to submit applications on East Palawan Basin

By Lenie Lectura

T

@llectura

HE Department of Energy (DOE) has set an October 28 deadline for the submission of applications to find petroleum reserves in the East Palawan Basin.

One applicant has so far nominated East Palawan Basin as its preferred location to conduct exploration activities in search for commercially viable deposits of oil and or gas.

The DOE withheld the identity of the applicant pending the opening of other bid offers from expected challengers set on October 28.

“Deadline for the submission of documents by counter proponents—60 days from date of publication by the nominating party.

The nominating party published the existence of their application on August 28,” said the DOE in a notice.

Challengers must submit their application documents at the DOE records management division and pay the corresponding application fee of P1 million on or before October 28.

“Opening of the documents will be held at the DOE-Audio Visual Room on the same day of submission deadline, October 28,” added the agency.

East Palawan Basin is referred to as “Nominated Area [NA] 4.”

T he DOE earlier received nominations for prospective areas inSoutheast Luzon Basin (NA

3) from Superior Shipywards, Inc.;Northwest Palawan Basin (NA 2) from Troika Giant Power Corp.; andSulu Sea Basin (NA 1) from Sulu Sea Energy Resources Development Corp.

T he a genc y a l so of fered 14 “pre-determined areas” but only received offers to explore four areas. There were no offers for the remaining 10 PDAs. R atio Petroleum Ltd. sub mitted an offer for Area 3 (East Palawan Basin); Sulu Sea Energy Resources Development Corp. and Esmaulana Global Ventures Company Inc. for Area 6 (Sulu Sea Basin); Philodrill Corp. and PXP Energy Corp. for Area 7 (Sulu Sea Basin).

Esmaulana Global Ventures Company Inc. also submitted a separate proposal for Area 10 (Agusan-Davao Basin).

The DOE said it will continue to encourage investors to participate in the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program (PCECP).

“If you look at the context of the Philippines, we are currently competing against markets from Africa, we’re currently competing for investments from the US. In a lot of these international companies, the tendency really is to shall we say invest in areas that are very, very stable, where the risk is less,” DOE Assistant Secretary Leonido Pulido pointed out.

Despite the current situation involving the contentious

areas, the agency said investors remain eager to explore the area for petroleum resources. “In fact, noteworthy companies, particularly Shell Philippines Exploration BV and NWP Ventures, both UK-based companies, have, likewise, nominated blocks for petroleum service contract applications within the disputed areas.

Multiple companies, including Spanish firm Repsol, have also shown interest in farming in the West Philippine Sea area,” said the DOE. Moreover, the agency said other interested parties are awaiting the government’s policy direction in the West Philippine Sea and have expressed their desire to explore the area should the current Moratorium due to Force Majeure be lifted.

“We do have an existing territorial dispute. In the discussions that we’ve had with different agencies around the world, we do recognize that the Philippines is not exactly marketable. So there is difficulty, there is a challenge there and we are working on that,” said Pulido.

The department had expressed hope that the contracting round would result in finding another Malampaya, the offshore Palawan project that fuels five power plants in Batangas province with a combined capacity of 3,211 megawatts.

That natural gas field is estimated to be depleted by 20222024.

ratings on its ₧12-billion bonds

By VG Cabuag

P

@villygc

ROPERTY developer Megaworld Corp. said on Thursday it has kept its high rating with a local ratings firm on its P12-billion bonds that were issued two years ago.

The developer of several townships in the country said its PRS Aaa rating and a stable outlook with Philippine Rating Services Corp. was maintained on the back of its liquidity, sound capitalization and strong management, as well as favorable industry outlook.

Megaworld ’s Series B fixed rate bonds were priced at 5.3535 percent per year and will mature in 2024.

The company made an initial

offer of P8 billion upon announcing the debt raising activity, but due to strong demand from a wide spectrum of investors, it exercised the issue’s P4-billion oversubscription option.

Obligations rated PRS Aaa are of the highest quality with minimal credit risk and the issuer’s capacity to pay its debt is extremely strong.

PRS Aaa is the highest rating assigned by the local firm.

Megaworld, the country’s largest developer of integrated urban townships and the biggest lessor of office spaces, initially established a reputation for building highquality residential condominiums and commercial properties in certified first-choice locations in Metro Manila.

WESM commercial ops in Mindanao set Jan. 26

T

HE commercial implementation of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Mindanao is scheduled on January 26, 2020, according to Jose Mari Bigornia, president of the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP), operator of WESM. WESM in Mindanao was supposed to be implemented last year. The Department of Energy (DOE) launched WESM in Mindanao in June 2017 although it never became fully operational.

“It’s mostly the level of acceptance in Mindanao that prices will increase,” Bigornia said.

Some electric cooperatives and power generation firms are not in favor of establishing a spot market in Mindanao, which used to suffer from rotating brownouts due to generation deficiency, he said. This has changed, however, and many power generation companies heeded the call to put up new power plants. However, years later, this resulted in an over supply, thus, prompting the extension of WESM operations to Mindanao.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi had said that WESM in Mindanao will enable a transparent and fair mechanism to bring in more competition, more investors and a sustainable business climate that will eventually redound to empowering consumers from Mindanao of their power of choice.

Bigornia assured the public that as operator of the WESM, IEMOP will be a liable service provider, ever ready to meet the needs and exceed expectations of stakeholders.

The WESM is the country’s trading floor

for electricity. It is a centralized venue for buyers and sellers to trade electricity as a commodity, where prices are based on actual use (demand) and availability (supply).

WESM started commercial operations in the Luzon grid in June 2006 and in December of 2010 in the Visayas grid.

Bigornia said IEMOP has made all the necessary preparations to make WESM in Mindanao successful. “On our side, we are ready. In fact, [we are now] into operations.

We’re seamless,” he added.

IEMOP held a Market Participants Update (MPU) in April, its first since assuming WESM operations from Philippine Electricity Market Corp. in September last year.

The MPU is a stakeholders’ meeting meant to apprise participants on market outcome, system performance and recent developments, as well as to create discourse on relevant policy and operational issues and concerns pervading the WESM. The MPU takes IEMOP once step closer in implementing WESM in Mindanao. “MPU is highlighting the implementation of WESM in Mindanao to enable more participants to reap the benefits of a robust and competitive electricity market,” said Iemop.

IEMOP said stakeholder dialogue and effective feedback mechanisms helped promote market development and enhance customer experience.

The WESM operator also conducted trial operations as part of the preparations, which include a software audit of the new market system. Lenie Lectura

B2

Friday, September 6, 2019

Companies BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

McDonald’s sees more stores added to ‘NxtGen’ category by end-2019

By Roderick L. Abad

F

@rodrik_28

Contributor

ILIPINO quick-service restaurant customers can expect more McDonald’s concept stores featuring self-ordering kiosks and cashless transactions by the end of 2019, the American fast-food chain giant’s master franchise holder in the Philippines has said.

“At the moment, we probably have a hundred NxtGen stores already all over the Philippines, from La Union to Davao. So we will continue with the expansion of our NxtGen [outlets],” McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director Margot B. Torres told reporters in mixed English and Filipino after the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the City Government of Manila and Golden Arches Development Corp. (McDonald’s Phil-

ippines) on Wednesday at Manila City Hall.

According to her, exactly 101 of the company’s 640 branches nationwide are now converted to the so-called NxtGen stores.

“Our customers are really happy with the self-order kiosks because they have control on their orders. So they need not queue,” the top executive said. “Also included is the option to use cashless. These cashless payments are already available in 185 of our stores.”

McDonald’s Philippines aims to turn this year around 10 percent of its store base into NxtGen ones to better serve the customers with touch-screen kiosks and counters that accept credit cards.

“So we will exceed 100 [of such concept outlets when we close 2019],” Torres said of their store innovation efforts.

Moving forward, the goal is to have a total of over 700 stores across the country, of which 70 percent will be converted to NxtGen by 2021.

McDonald’s Philippines first opened its outlet in Morayta, Manila, in 1981 under master franchise holder Dr. George T.

Phoenix Petroleum notes expansion of LPG biz in Vietnam Continued from b1 In mid-August, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines organized a series of activities across Vietnam “to show its appreciation to business partners in Vietnam.”

It gathered its 68 distributors in Central and South Vietnam in a three-day gathering that featured tours to different destinations in the country, including Yen Tu Mountain, Ha Long Bay, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

The activities included a business part-

MUTUAL FUNDS

Yang. The company has so far grown to have a network of more than 640 stores, with nearly 60,000 regular employees. It expects to have 670 outlets, both regular and NxtGen, by year-end.

In Manila, it already has 45 branches to date, with 2,500 direct hires (80 percent of them are locals). Five more outlets are set to open in 2020.

With the firm’s partnership with the City of Manila, it will soon be employing at least 120 alternative workers, of whom 80 are senior citizens and 40 are persons with disabilities in at least 40 of its owned stores in the country’s capital. ners’ night “where ventures under the Udenna Group, the parent company of Phoenix Petroleum, were introduced, and the top 5 LPG distributors of Phoenix Gas Vietnam were recognized.”

“This endeavor has been a great opportunity to get to know better, and show support and appreciation to our partners in Vietnam as we strengthen our ties in the country. We want the Vietnamese market to experience the full benefits of our growing LPG business, while it expands across Asia Pacific, and building these valuable local relationships is pivotal in achieving that,” Phoenix Petroleum Chief Operating Officer Henry Albert Fadullon said.

The company will popularize the LPG business in the homes and businesses of Vietnamese customers, touting the “excellent quality of Phoenix products and services,” he added.

September 5, 2019

NAV ONE YEAR THREE YEAR FIVE YEAR Y-T-D

PER SHARE RETURN* RETURN STOCK FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ALFM GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 256 -3.8% -1.76% -0.09% 1.51% ATRAM ALPHA OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 1.5497 3.42% 3.02% 1.51% 7.56% ATRAM PHILIPPINE EQUITY OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 3.9833 -4.82% -2.9% -1.4% 2.06% CLIMBS SHARE CAPITAL EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND CORP. -A 0.952 2.11% N.A. N.A. 5.66% FIRST METRO CONSUMER FUND ON MSCI PHILS. IMI, INC. -A 0.8523 -2.54% N.A. N.A. 3.85% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN EQUITY FUND,INC. -A 5.3805 -2.71% -0.45% 0.1% 2.03% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN PHILIPPINE INDEX FUND, INC. -A,6 0.8647 -1.79% -4.47% N.A. 3.35% MBG EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND, INC. -A 117.06 -1.01% N.A. N.A. 0.77% PAMI EQUITY INDEX FUND, INC. -A 51.6615 -0.8% -0.39% N.A. 4.95% PHILAM STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 538.3 -0.24% -1.32% -0.22% 4.58% PHILEQUITY DIVIDEND YIELD FUND, INC. -A 1.3033 -0.94% 0.03% 0.99% 3.93% PHILEQUITY FUND, INC. -A 38.3249 -0.74% 0.8% 0.99% 4.62% PHILEQUITY MSCI PHILIPPINE INDEX FUND, INC. -A,3 1.0203 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. PHILEQUITY PSE INDEX FUND INC. -A 5.2469 0.02% 0.57% 1.72% 5.81% PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND CORP. -A 875.95 0.05% 0.3% 1.65% 5.74% SOLDIVO STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 0.9099 1.65% -0.57% N.A. 5.8% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE EQUITY FUND, INC. -A 4.2701 -0.7% 0.37% 1.08% 5.2% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND, INC. -A 1.0066 - 0.34% 0.25% N.A. 5.48% UNITED FUND, INC. -A 3.6789 -0.73% 1.83% 2.36% 5.09% EXCHANGE TRADED FUND FIRST METRO PHIL. EQUITY EXCHANGE TRADED FUND, INC. -A,C,2 117.4036 0.44% 1.12% 2.7% 6.01% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES ATRAM ASIAPLUS EQUITY FUND, INC. -B $0.9274 -10.04% 1.05% -2.39% -0.18% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY WORLD VOYAGER FUND, INC. -A $1.2751 -2.37% 6.9% N.A. 15.37% BALANCED FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ATRAM DYNAMIC ALLOCATION FUND, INC. -A 1.6809 -1.9% -2.74% -2.41% 1.8% ATRAM PHILIPPINE BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 2.3011 -0.55% -1.25% 0.11% 4.16% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN BALANCED FUND INC. -A 2.6458 0.21% -0.12% -1.34% 4.04% GREPALIFE BALANCED FUND CORPORATION -A 1.3441 -1.71% N.A. N.A. 3.05% NCM MUTUAL FUND OF THE PHILS., INC. -A 1.9554 3.41% 0.48% 1.1% 6.09% PAMI HORIZON FUND, INC. -A 3.7984 3.44% -0.6% 0.44% 7.62% PHILAM FUND, INC. -A 17.0072 3.75% -0.54% 0.34% 6.91% SOLIDARITAS FUND, INC. -A 2.142 0.89% 0.32% 1.44% 3.52% SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 3.8816 2.03% 0.24% 0.9% 6.31% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2028, INC. -A,D,4 1.0196 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2038, INC. -A,D,4 1.0064 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2048, INC. -A,D,4 1.0032 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DYNAMIC FUND, INC. -A 0.9908 1.79% 0.17% 0.37% 7.5% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES COCOLIFE DOLLAR FUND BUILDER, INC. -A $0.0388 10.13% 2.43% 2.52% 9.92% PAMI ASIA BALANCED FUND, INC. -A $0.9624 -2.76% 1.1% -1.9% 5.33% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ADVANTAGE FUND, INC. -A $3.7364 1.45% 5.21% 2.53% 12.93% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR WELLSPRING FUND, INC. -A $1.1165 4.17% 3.42% N.A. 10.54% BOND FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ALFM PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 353.75 3.76% 2.24% 2.34% 2.99% ATRAM CORPORATE BOND FUND, INC. -A,1 1.9138 2.77% 0.02% 0.05% 2.94% COCOLIFE FIXED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 3.0793 5.34% 5.36% 5.28% 3.47% EKKLESIA MUTUAL FUND INC. -A 2.2199 4.53% 1.39% 2.2% 4.26% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN FIXED INCOME FUND,INC. -A 2.3493 5.86% 1.51% 1.72% 6.54% GREPALIFE FIXED INCOME FUND CORP. -A P 1.6078 0.88% -1.53% 0.3% 2.77% PHILAM BOND FUND, INC. -A 4.3341 9.73% 0.8% 2.03% 10.57% PHILEQUITY PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 3.7448 7.44% 1.24% 1.76% 6.47% SOLDIVO BOND FUND, INC. -A 0.9542 5.86% -0.16% N.A. 7.07% SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BOND FUND, INC. -A 3.0323 8.84% 1.93% 2.73% 9.64% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY GS FUND, INC. -A 1.6807 8.74% 1.42% 2.27% 9.14% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES ALFM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $464.65 4.47% 1.9% 2.8% 3.62% ALFM EURO BOND FUND, INC. -A Є220.51 3.36% 1.36% 1.59% 3.69% ATRAM TOTAL RETURN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -B $1.1987 7.02% 2.11% 2.47% 6.48% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $0.0259 4.44% 1.05% N.A. 4.44% GREPALIFE DOLLAR BOND FUND CORP. -A $1.7182 0.64% -2.01% 0.44% 1.66% PAMI GLOBAL BOND FUND, INC -A $1.1079 6.63% -0.15% -1.35% 6.91% PHILAM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $2.4355 12.26% 1.98% 3.65% 12.19% PHILEQUITY DOLLAR INCOME FUND INC. -A $0.0602427 5.95% 1.94% 2.08% 5.69% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ABUNDANCE FUND, INC. -A $3.1999 10.04% 1.27% 3.14% 11.41% MONEY MARKET FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ALFM MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 124.56 4.09% 2.63% 2.07% 3.04% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A,5 1.0215 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. PHILAM MANAGED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 1.2397 5.62% 2.4% 1.46% 4.89% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 1.2529 3.91% 2.78% 2.16% 2.76% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR STARTER FUND, INC. -A $1.0318 2.22% N.A. N.A. 1.57%

A - NAVPS AS OF THE PREVIOUS BANKING DAY. B - NAVPS AS OF TWO BANKING DAYS AGO. C - LISTED IN THE PSE. D - IN NET ASSET VALUE PER UNIT (NAVPU).

1 - ADJUSTED DUE TO CASH DIVIDEND ISSUANCE LAST JANUARY 29, 2018. 2 - ADJUSTED DUE TO STOCK DIVIDEND ISSUANCE LAST JUNE 5, 2018.

3 - LAUNCH DATE IS JANUARY 3, 2019.

4 - LAUNCH DATE IS JANUARY 28, 2019. 5 - LAUNCH DATE IS FEBRUARY 1, 2019. 6 - RENAMING WAS APPROVED BY THE SEC LAST OCTOBER 12, 2018 (FORMERLY, ONE WEALTHY NATION FUND, INC.).

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www.pifa.com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/ NAVPU."

The World BusinessMirror

Editor: Angel R. Calso

HK leader says bill withdrawal own decision and not Beijing’s

H

ONG KONG—Hong Kong leader C a r r ie L a m sa id T hursday that the decision to w it hd raw a n e x t rad it ion bi l l t hat spa rked mont hs of demonstrations in the semiautonomous Chinese ter r itor y was her gover nment ’s ow n init i at ive to brea k t he impasse, a nd not Beijing’s d irect ive.

Lam told a news conference t hat C hina’s centra l gover nment “understa nds, respects and supports” her government in the entire process.

Withdrawal of the bill meets one of protesters’ five key demands, but activists have vowed not to yield until the government fulfills all of them. Those also include an independent investigation into allegations of police brutality during the protests, the unconditional release of those detained, not labeling the protests as riots, and direct elections of the city’s leader.

T he m a ssive but peacef u l demonstrations began in June against the legislation, which would have a llowed cr imina l suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial, but clashes with police have become increasingly violent as the demands evolved into a wider call for democracy.

Demonstrators threw gasoline bombs at officers last weekend protests and police retaliated with water cannons, teargas, rubber bullets and batons. Nearly 1,200 people have been detained so far.

Lam reiterated that the government cannot accede to the protesters’ other demands. She said the police watchdog agency will be impartial and best suited to investigate alleged police misconduct, and that releasing detainees without charges would be “unacceptable.”

She denied making a U-turn on the bill, noting that she suspended the bill in mid-June, days after the protests began, and in July declared the bill effectively dead.

“It is not exactly correct to

descr ibe this as a change of mind,” she said when asked why it took her so long to kill the bill. “As far as the substance is concerned, there is simply no plan to take for ward the bill.”

She said the bill will be formally withdrawn without any need for debate and voting in the legislative council, which resumes its meeting next month and is packed with pro-Beijing lawmakers.

“The decision is one of Hong Kong’s...government,” she said.

“Throughout the whole process, the central people’s government took the position that they understood why we have to do it. They respect my view, and they support me all the way.”

Lam voiced hope that the bill’s withdrawal and other measures to address society discontent will provide an “important basis” to open dialogue to seek a way out of the impasse.

Lam, who was elected as the city’s chief executive by a proBeijing committee of Hong Kong elites, has come under withering criticism for pushing the extradition bill. Many in Hong Kong saw the bill as a glaring example of the city’s eroding autonomy since the former British colony returned to Chinese control in 1997.

The bill’s withdrawal, widely seen as a bid to halt the unrest that could embarrass China during its National Day celebrations on October 1, has been slammed as “too little, too late” by both government supporters and demonstrators.

D o z e n s of d e mon s t r ator s took to the streets in some areas overnight shouting “five key demands, not one less.” Local media reported that protesters built barriers near a police station at Mong Kok and pointed laser beams at police but fled after riot police confronted them.

St u d e nt s a l s o r e p o r t e d l y staged protests outside some schools Thursday, forming human chains across streets to show their support for those detained by the government. AP

TALIBAN CAR BOMB ROCKS AFGHAN CAPITAL NEAR U.S. EMBASSY AREA

K

ABUL, Afghanistan—A car bomb rocked the Afghan capital on Thursday and smoke rose from a Kabul neighborhood housing the US Embassy, the Nato Resolute Support mission and other diplomatic missions. At least three people were killed and another 30 wounded, a hospital director said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they targeted three vehicles of “foreigners” as they tried to enter the heavily guarded Shash Darak area where the Afghan national security authorities have offices.

It was the second major blast by the militant group in Kabul this week, while a US envoy has been in town briefing of ficials on a USTaliban deal “in principle” to end America’s longest war.

Interior Ministry Spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said the car bomb exploded on a main road, destroying at least 12 vehicles, and police quickly sealed off the area. The blast appeared to target a checkpoint in Shash Darak.

Three bodies and 30 wounded people were brought to nearby Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan hospital, said its director, Gul Ahmad Ayubi.

An Associated Press reporter on the phone with the US Embassy when the blast occurred heard sirens begin blaring there.

A Taliban suicide bombing in eastern Kabul on Monday night— which the insurgents said targeted a foreign compound—killed at least 16 people and wounded more than 100, almost all of them local civilians.

The attacks are again raising questions in Kabul and in Washington about the dangers of trusting the Taliban to make peace after nearly 18 years of fighting.

The Afghan government has expressed serious concerns about the US-Taliban deal, which the US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has said only needs the approval of President Donald J. Trump to become final.

Khalilzad says 5,000 US troops would withdraw from five bases in Afghanistan within 135 days of a final deal. Between 14,000 and 13,000 troops are currently in the country.

Thursday’s blast occurred as Afghan Presidential Adviser Waheed Omer was speaking to reporters, warning that difficult days were ahead and describing the US-Taliban deal as moving with “excessive speed.”

The Afghan government on Wednesday said it shares the concerns raised by several former US ambassadors to Afghanistan. Their joint statement warned that a full US troop withdrawal that moves too quickly and without requiring the Taliban to meet certain conditions, such as reducing violence, could lead to “total civil war.”

The Taliban, at their strongest since their 2001 defeat by a US-led invasion, want all of the approximately 20,000 US and Nato troops out of Afghanistan immediately, while the US seeks a withdrawal in phases that would depend on the Taliban meeting certain conditions, such as a reduction in violence. AP

Friday, September 6, 2019

B3

China says trade talks with US to take place in October

B

EIJING—United States and Chinese envoys will meet in early October for more talks aimed at ending a tariff war that threatens global economic growth.

Stock markets rose on Thursday’s announcement but there has been no sign of progress since Presidents Donald J. Trump and Xi Jinping agreed in June to resume deadlocked negotiations about trade and technology.

Earlier, investors were rattled by a report officials were struggling to agree on a schedule for talks originally planned for this month.

The agreement on a date came in a phone call conducted by the chief Chinese envoy, Vice Premier Liu He, with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

Officials will “conduct conscientious consultations” in midSeptember to prepare, the ministry said. It gave no details but said the two sides want to create “favorable conditions.”

China’s main stock market inde x was up 1.6 percent at midday following the announcement. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 2.3 percent and South Korea’s main index rose 1 percent.

Beijing is balking at US pressure to roll back plans for governmentled creation of global competitors in robotics and other industries.

The US, Europe, Japan and other trading partners say those plans violate China’s market-opening commitments and are based on

stealing or pressuring companies to hand over technology.

The US and China have raised tariffs on billions of dollars of each other’s imports, disrupting trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment and battering traders on both sides.

In t heir l atest esc a l at ion, Washington imposed 15-percent tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese imports on Sunday, extending penalties to almost everything the US buys from China. Beijing responded by imposing duties of 10 percent and 5 percent on a range of American imports.

US tariffs of 25 percent imposed previously on $250 billion of Chinese goods are due to rise to 30 percent on October 1.

China has imposed or announced penalties on a total of about $120 bi l l ion of US imports, economists estimate.

Some have been hit w ith increases more than once, while about $50 billion of US goods is unaffected, possibly to avoid disrupting Chinese industries.

Beijing a lso has reta l iated

by canceling purchases of soybeans, the big gest single US ex port to China.

Beijing has agreed to narrow its politically sensitive trade surplus with the US but is reluctant to give up development strategies it sees as a path to prosperity and global influence.

Talks broke down in May over how to enforce any agreement.

China insists Trump’s punitive tariffs must be lifted once a deal takes effect. Washington says at least some must stay to make sure Beijing carries out any promises.

The last round of talks in July in Shanghai ended with no indication of progress. Neither government has given any indication it is ready to break the deadlock by offering concessions.

Some analysts suggest Beijing is holding out in hopes Trump will feel pressure to make a more favorable deal as his campaign for the 2020 presidential election picks up. Trump has warned that if he is reelected, China will face a tougher US negotiating stance. AP

WILL THIS ARGENTINE CRISIS HURT THE IMF REPUTATION?

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ASHINGTON—The surgeon usually takes responsibility for whatever happens inside the operating room. Should a multilateral organization do the same when one of its member countries does not reach the goals agreed upon as part of a major loan program?

The International Monetary Fund has now failed twice to bring durable reforms to Argentina. Experts say the disappointing result could damage the IMF’s reputation.

“They have to worry about their reputation because this is the second time they made a mess of Argentina and everybody knows it in the world,” said Mark Weisbrot, codirector of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

“The IMF is going to continue to lose influence in the world. That has been the trend for 20 years now.”

President Mauricio Macri’s decision to get financing from the IMF brought bad memories to many Argentines, who blame the Fund for the financial

crisis in 2001 that left millions of people unemployed and sent the poverty rate above 50 percent.

That year, the South American country entered a historical default for $100 billion and it was able to return to the financial markets 15 years later only after a laborious legal fight with creditors.

Macri last year got a $57-billion loan, the largest in IMF’s history, as part of a strict program to cut public spending.

“The problem is the IMF responses are always politically disastrous and make it impossible for any reformer to survive,” said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Wilson Center’s Argentina Project.

Both experts say a fundamental mistake by the IMF was to push for toostrict cuts even when the Argentine economy entered recession. While the Fund took the unusual step to expand some social spending for vulnerable groups as part of the program, it failed to gather support among the general population.

The Associated Press asked the IMF

whether it takes any responsibility for the 15-point lead that left-leaning Alberto Fernández held over the conservative Macri in last month’s presidential primaries, an outcome that made the populist candidate a heavy favorite in the presidential elections set for October 27 and panicked financial markets fearful of a return to the interventionist policies in place under the poll leader’s runningmate, former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who preceded Macri in office.

“Our focus has been and remains on helping Argentina. IMF staff remains in close contact with the authorities and the Fund will continue to stand with Argentina during these challenging times,” IMF Spokesman Gerry Rice replied.

Economists fear that the 30-percent depreciation of the peso since the primaries will send the inflation rate over 50 percent by year-end.

Gedan said the inability to read the political reality in the country places the Fund in an “impossible” situation because “the reformers are almost certainly

leaving office and the IMF is being asked to continue to lend, when the next government has shown no commitment on meeting the IMF requirements.”

The Fund has yet to make a final disbursement of $5.4 billion, originally planned for this month.

Former IMF leader Christine Lagarde has acknowledged a possible mistake by the IMF in its handling of the most recent Argentine crisis.

“It is an economic situation which it was incredibly complicated,” she said at the American Enterprise Institute in June, weeks before stepping down as the Fund’s head. “I think many players, ourselves included, underestimated a bit when we started trying to help and put together with the Argentine authorities a program.”

Lagarde described the inflation rate as the “most surprising component” because “instead of stabilizing and gradually declining as we had anticipated, it is showing much more resilience than we had thought.” AP

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Phoenix Publishing House Inc. celebrates 61st year, joins 2019 MIBF

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HOENIX Publishing House Inc. will be celebrating its 61st anniversary in the 2019 Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) to be held at the SMX Convention Center on September 11-15, 2019.

As the renowned publisher of instructional materials for K to 12 levels for over half a century, Phoenix considers its participation in the popular book fair as an auxiliary, opportune event where it can connect with its valuable partners. The company frequently sponsors workshops for school administrators and teachers, and through the Phoenix Educational Foundation, it offers free continuing professional education programs that are certified by the Professional Regulation Commission.

Innovation has always been the lifeblood of Phoenix Publishing.

When the educational system was awash with American textbooks in the 60s, it was Dr. Ernesto Y. Sibal, the Founder of Phoenix, who thought of getting prominent Filipino educators to write textbooks, a practice that the company continues to this day.

Phoenix introduced eBooks in 2014 to enhance the learning experience of students. In 2016, it totally overhauled the teachers’ manuals to

come up with Teachers Wraparound Edition of Learning Guides. Five years ago, the company concretized its commitment to digital learning by launching ARALinks, a technology-assisted teaching and learning ecosystem where teachers are transformed into modern educators and students are prepared for the changing world.

Complementing the quality of Phoenix educational products is a brand of service that is second to none—Alagang Phoenix.

This is client care that goes beyond the

SM Lifestyle, Inc. is a venue partner of the 30th Sea Games

classroom and fulfills the company’s philosophy that empowers teachers and engages students purposively. It takes the shape of structured learning activities such as technical lectures, training workshops, and CPD courses.

Visitors to the 40th MIBF are invited to drop by the Phoenix Booth Numbers 3, 4, and 419 to 428 to see the latest in instructional materials for basic education from one of the most respected publishers in the country.

S Ms. Irene B. Lloren (center), President of Primetrade Asia, Inc., awards the 1st Place Best in Booth Design for Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) 2018 to the Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.

M Lifestyle Inc., the lifestyle and entertainment arm of SM Prime Holdings, is now an official venue partner of the upcoming 30th SEA Games this November 30 to December 11.

“We’re excited to be part of the 30th SEA Games this year, and can’t wait to see all the athletes in action inside our venues,” says Mr. Herman Medina-Cue, Chief Operations Officer of SM Lifestyle, Inc. It is an honor for our group to contribute to the endeavors of PHISGOC in hosting the games in our country and bring Filipino pride by showcasing our world-class venues.”

The Mall of Asia Arena was announced as the final venue for the 5-on-5 Basketball games, one of the much-awaited events in the line-up of competitions. The games at the Arena will run from December 4 to 10, with the Philippine team defending their title as champions for the Men’s Division.

For Ice Sports, SM Skating Mall of Asia will be the official venue for Ice Hockey happening on December 1 to 8; and SM Skating Megamall will hold the competitions of Figure Skating from November 29 to December 1 and Short Track on December 3 & 4. Despite being a tropical country, the Philippines has proven to excel in these sports, with the Philippine

Ice Hockey team defending their title as champions of the region, coming from their gold medal finish in Kuala Lumpur last 2017.

This will be the 4th time the Philippines will be hosting the SEA Games, with 2005 being the last year the country hosted the games. With over 56 sports to be played and more than 10,000 athletes participating, the 30thSEA Games this 2019 is set to be one of the biggest events in the region this year.

SM Tickets will be providing its full-service online ticketing system and their dedicated customer care hotline for the 30thSEA Games. As the largest ticketing service in the country, all tickets to the 30th SEA Games will be available across all SM Tickets outlets nationwide located at the Mall of Asia Arena Box Office, and SM Malls through its Business Centers inside The SM Store and ticket booths located at SM Bowling, SM Skating, and SM Cinemas. Tickets may also be purchased online through www.smtickets.com or through the on-site ticket booths at select games and events.

In photo, SM Lifestyle COO Herman Medina-Cue shakes hands during the signing ceremony with Ramon Suzara, COO of PHISGOC to signify SM Lifestyle’s support for the upcoming 30th SEA Games

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES HAS OFFICIALLY RAMPED UP ITS BID TO BECOME THE MOST INNOVATIVE UNIVERSITY IN THE PHILIPPINES WITH THE RELEASE OF THE NEW UP ID POWERED BY PAYMAYA. Through the new ID initially released for employees of the UP system, faculty and staff can easily gain access to the various facilities of the university, use it for daily attendance records, as well as use the ID's payment feature to pay for food, services, and other items within the university. The new UP IDs will also be released to students of UP Diliman soon. UP President Danilo Concepcion (middle) was the first to receive his new UP ID from PayMaya Founder and CEO Orlando Vea (2nd from left) during a simple turnover rites at the UP President's Office in Diliman, Quezon City. Also present during the ceremony were UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa (2nd from right), UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora (rightmost) and PayMaya Senior Enterprise Manager Tisha Quinitio (leftmost).

Hypertension and epilepsy medicines now in lower prices

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HE prices of six hypertension and epilepsy medicines has been reduced substantially effective July 1, 2019.

This is according to Novartis Philippines.

The reduction of hypertension medicines ranges from 15% to 61%, covering Valsartan, Valsartan + Hydrochlorothiazide, Valsartan + Amlodipine, and Valsartan + Amlodipine + Hydrochlorothiazide.

While the price reduction of the epilepsy medicines ranges from 10% to 87%, covering Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine.

“The Legacy Pricing initiative is in line with our shared goal of providing Filipinos with affordable access to sustainable healthcare,” said Jugo Tsumura, Country President & Managing Director, Novartis Healthcare Philippines.

This is in support of the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act and providing Filipinos across socioeconomic segments with access to essential and innovative medicines.

In recent years, Novartis has partnered with the Department of Health (DOH) in key projects to support the Philippine government’s goal of improving access to medicines and health service delivery to all Filipinos.

1) The Leprosy Alert and Response Network System (LEARNS), the country’s first mobile phone-based leprosy referral system, is a mobile health application that improves leprosy case finding and diagnosis.

2) Novartis anti-malaria medicines are provided at cost to support the DOH National Malaria Control Program. 3) The Palawan Access to Medicines Program (Tulay sa Kalusugan), where a tiered pricing model to improve access to diabetes and hypertention medicines was implemented in key areas in Palawan in collaboration with the Provincial Governmen of Palawan, the LGUs of Puerto Princesa, Brooke’s Point, Narra, Roxas and Coron, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other pharmaceutical companies

NADAL: LIKE A LION! Sports

RAFAEL NADAL reaches his 33rd Grand Slam semifinal. AP

BusinessMirror

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| Friday, September 6, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Andreescu attempts to become Canada’s champ

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EW YORK—Basketball Hall of Famer Steve Nash tweeted about her. So did WNBA player Kia Nurse.

Canada is crazy for Bianca Andreescu.

“It’s really cool having other Canadian athletes shout me out like that,” Andreescu said. “I think it gives me extra motivation to just keep striving and keep doing well.”

She’s been doing great all year and is two wins from punctuating her season by winning her first Grand Slam title. The No. 15 seed reached the US Open semifinals by overcoming No. 25 Elise Mertens 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The 19-year-old is 31-4 this season, with titles at Indian Wells and Toronto. Now she is the youngest semifinalist at Flushing Meadows since Caroline Wozniacki was also 19 when she was the runner-up in 2009.

She’s also two wins from Canada’s first Grand Slam singles champion.

“If it happens, then I think I can pave way for many other athletes, the next generation,” Andreescu said, “not only for Canadian tennis, but I think for many people.”

Belinda Bencic, meanwhile, knew there was sadness in Switzerland after Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka departed the US Open on the same day.

She did her part to lift some spirts—and might just end up lifting a trophy.

Bencic advanced to her first Grand Slam semifinal on Wednesday, wearing down Donna Vekic for a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory.

“It would be really nice if the boys could also make it to semifinals,” she said, “but I’m happy I can kind of do it for them and don’t let them down.” AP

BULGARIA’S Grigor Dimitrov tapes his racket grip before facing Roger Federer. AP

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WHAT IS THE TENNIS RACKET’S ROLE?

EW YORK—Plenty of Roger Federer wannabes had the same experience when they first tried tennis.

They would retreat to the baseline, wait for the ball to come, take a swing, and whack...into the bottom of the net.

So the next ball would come, they would swing a little harder, and whack... over the fence.

CANADA is crazy for Bianca Andreescu. AP

Tennis is hard, and it hurts. And during a prolonged era of struggles

by American men and difficulties growing the sport, equipment makers face a challenge: how to make a product effective enough to help players have success if they pick up a racket, but safe enough to keep them healthy so they can stick with it.

“We’ve been focused on saving arm injuries for a long time,” said

Michael Schaeffer, Wilson’s global product line manager for performance rackets and bags. “But generally it’s been a bit of a tradeoff, where you could get a really arm-friendly racket but it would lack in playability at some level.”

Schaeffer believes Wilson got both earlier this year with the launch of the Clash, saying it was more flexible than the old wooden rackets but more stable when balls were hit off-center, so it wouldn’t vibrate as violently as many of today’s rackets.

Unlike a sport such as basketball or football, where the size and weight of the ball are roughly the same from the youth level straight the pros, a racket that’s good for a tour player can be too much for children.

While commentating on Stan Wawrinka’s victory over Novak Djokovic—who himself has battled elbow and shoulder problems in recent years—John McEnroe noted that pro players nowadays are “going heavier to help with the serve” when it comes to their racket selection.

Yet a heavier racket is not only tougher to control for young players, but also more likely to cause injuries.

Perhaps that’s why John Isner, a Prince racket user who at 6-foot10 is one of the biggest servers in tennis history, said he would be looking for “something light with a lot of power” when choosing a racket for his children.

Power actually didn’t make the top 5 in a survey of what players sought in a racket when Wilson was developing the Clash, with 92 percent of respondents favoring control. By increasing how long the ball interacts with the strings—even by as little as half a millisecond—the ball can be angled

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By Howard Fendrich The Associated Press

EW YORK—Rafael Nadal kept pulling away in his US Open quarterfinal, then getting reeled back in by Diego Schwartzman.

In the first set, Nadal led 4-0 before Schwartzman got to 4-all. In the second, Nadal went up 5-1 before Schwartzman made it 5-all.

Took more than two hours just for those two sets. Eventually, both were claimed by Nadal. And so, ultimately, was the match and a berth in a 33rd Grand Slam semifinal for Nadal, who prevented Schwartzman from reaching his first by winning 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 after 12:30 a.m. Thursday in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Like a lion in the...jungle. He’s big. He’s a fighter. He knows how to play the important moments, every single time,” Schwartzman said. “I’ve played him eight times and every important moment, he played better than me.”

No wonder Nadal is 8-0 against the guy.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are both out of the bracket, but Nadal is still around, meaning at least one member of the “Big Three” is in the semis at a 62nd consecutive major tournament. That trio has combined to win the last 11 Slam trophies—and Nadal is going to be heavily favored to make that 12.

None of the other men left has played in a major final, let alone won one. Nadal, though, is closing in on a fourth championship at the US Open and his 19th at all majors, which would move him within only one of Federer’s record for men.

On Friday, Nadal will play No. 24 Matteo Berrettini, a 23-year-old from Rome who is Italy’s first male semifinalist in New York since 1977.

Berrettini barely got there, edging No. 13 Gael Monfils 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5) on Wednesday.

The other men’s semifinal will be No. 5 Daniil Medvedev of Russia against 78th-ranked Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.

In the women’s semifinals Thursday, Serena Williams meets No. 5 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, and No. 13 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland takes on No. 15 Bianca Andreescu of Canada.

Dimitrov won a five-setter Tuesday night against Federer, who was hampered by an issue with his upper back. Medvedev won his quarterfinal in four sets against Stan Wawrinka, who had built a big lead in the fourth round against Djokovic when the defending champion stopped because of pain in his left shoulder.

A year ago, it was Nadal whose body broke down: He retired from his semifinal against runner-up Juan Martin del Potro because of a bad knee.

This time, on a muggy night with the humidity above 50 percent, the left-hander raised some concern by having a trainer come out to rub a cream into that forearm during a changeover early in the third set. At the next changeover, Nadal flexed his right forearm and was visited again by the trainer, took a salt pill and guzzled some drinks, then shook that arm between points in the following game.

Afterward, Nadal said he had dealt with cramps late in the second set and early in the third.

“And then I took some salt, that’s all, and then it was over. The body is in good shape, I think. Not big problems,” Nadal said. “Just, of course, a little tired. Long day.”

Still, Nadal managed to play his best when it mattered the most against the 20th-seeded Schwartzman, an Argentine serenaded by loud choruses of “Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé!” by an audience that included former San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobili.

Nadal came up with a service break in the last game of each of the opening two sets, then the last one he would need made it 4-2 in the third and he broke yet again to end it.

“I don’t know how,” Schwartzman said, “but this guy is improving every time.”

Now Nadal becomes Berrettini’s problem.

Berrettini describes his mental coach as a big help and a best friend.

They’ve been speaking on the phone before and after every match. And they certainly had plenty to chat about when it came to this latest victory.

Berrettini double-faulted away his initial match point and then needed four more to finally put away Monfils after nearly four hours.

“He told me, ‘I need to thank you, because I thought that everyone is born once and dies once. But during that match, I was born and died 15 or 16 times,’” Berrettini said about his conversation with the mental coach he’s worked with for several years. “I collapsed and got back up. I collapsed and got back up. That match point. Those other chances. I was down then I came back. It’s a great source of pride for me.”

In truth, the denouement was hardly a thing of beauty, with both men, clearly spent, fighting themselves and the tension of the moment as much as the guy on the other side of the net.

Monfils finished with 17 double-faults but managed to avoid any throughout the entire, exhausting fifth set until he served at 6-5—and then he had three in that game, plus another two in the deciding tiebreaker, often doubling over between points to rest and catch his breath.

“A very bad day for me, serving,” Monfils said.

Berrettini acknowledged the obvious afterward, too, saying he felt “a little bit tight.”

You think?

It all was a bit of a whir.

“Right now, I don’t remember any points, just the [last] match point, you know?” he said. “I remember also the double-fault; I have to be honest.” better, keeping shots that may have been sprayed around the court in play.

“If people try a sport and they’re not successful, they don’t have a level of enjoyment, a lot of times they won’t go back. That’s true of any sport,” Wilson Spokesman Kristina Peterson-Lohman said.

Isner is the highest-ranked American man at No. 14. Andy Roddick is the last US man to win a Grand Slam tournament, way back at the 2003 US Open, and that long stretch of futility has likely hindered the sport’s popularity.

Schaeffer said statistics show participation in the US has been flat to slightly down, which in turn has impacted the racket industry. While recreational players were formerly buying new rackets every two to three years, he said, that number had dropped to an average of every seven.

That has slowed the development of new products that could have benefited players, leaving some playing with equipment that was wrong for them.

“Some kids play with rackets that are too heavy, too small. The head size is too small. I think a lot of that comes into play,” said Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open women’s champion who uses Head.

“Obviously the racket companies are trying to make the best technology that are softer for your arm, softer to play with, longer lasting, keep your shoulders intact.”

Of course, even that can only do so much. Alena Spielberg, a former college tennis player whose two children are ranked junior players in North Carolina, has had wrist and elbow surgery. She changed her daughter’s racket after she began feeling shoulder pain last winter, but believes bad technique or bad luck can outweigh good equipment. AP

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Friday, September 6, 2019

Spaniard takes Vuelta’s 11th stage

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Spo

RDAX, Spain—Mikel Iturria couldn’t have asked for a better setting for his first professional cycling win.

Just a few kilometers from home and with his family watching, Iturria used a solo breakaway to win the 11th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Wednesday.

“To win it the Vuelta, close to home and with my family here, is a dream come true,” the Spaniard said. “Before the race I was asked which stage I wanted to win, and I said this was the one. I gave all I had. I was going as fast as I could, finding strength that I didn’t know I had, and was able to make it to the end and win the stage.”

Iturria held on for the victory after making an impressive solo run with about 25 kilometers to go of the 180-kilometer ride from Saint-Palais to Urdax in Spain’s Basque Country.

Iturria, a 27-year-old rider from team EuskadiMurias, finished six seconds ahead of the first group of chasers. He had built a gap of nearly 50 seconds with about 15 kilometers (9 miles) to go.

“I don’t have words for this,” the Basque Country rider said. “We’ll have to toast with champagne tonight.”

Overall leader Primoz Roglic finished safely in the peloton, which crossed the line almost 20 minutes after Iturria. Roglic remained 1 minute, 52 seconds in front of Alejandro Valverde, with Miguel Ángel López 19 seconds behind.

“It was a bit of a hard start but then it was a nice day and my team did a great job,” said Roglic, a former ski jumper from Slovenia who rides for team Jumbo-Visma. “We’ve proven this is a big team already. I don’t think tomorrow’s stage is more dangerous than the high mountains. I don’t have any problem with short climbs. We need to be focused on the moment and do our best.” AP

HOST CHINA BOWS OUT

VENEZUELA’S Luis Bethelmy and China’s Abudushalamu Abudurexiti battle for the rebound. AP

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EIJING—China’s basketball team went 0-10 in the last two Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and London. But it was supposed to be a different story in this World Cup, with the host nation playing three group games in Beijing.

It fact, it’s been more of the same.

A spirited Venezuela defeated China 72-59 on Wednesday, a second straight loss for the hosts that means they failed to advance to the second round. The team also lost in overtime to Poland on Monday.

“Again this is a very tough loss,” China Coach Li Nan said, speaking through an interpreter. “We put in a lot effort to get ready.”

One look at former NBA star Yao Ming told the whole story. The current president of the Chinese Basketball Association watched from a few rows back in the stands, most of the time with hands folded across his chest, or with his fist under his chin.

Venezuela outrebounded the much taller Chinese 49-28, stifled them on defense, and were led by Heissler Guillent with 15 points and Dwight Lewis with 13.

Asked about the poor rebounding, Li credited Venezuela.

“I think some of our guys were not as alert as the Venezuelan players,” Li said. “The Venezuelans dove hard for balls and they got up quickly. They also play very physically and they went for the offensive boards very hard. I think our players were not very consistent in matching them physically.”

Fang Shuo led China with 13 points, while Zhao Jiwei added 12.

For Venezuela, it’s the first time the country has reached the second round at a World Cup, and it guarantees the South Americans at least an Olympic qualifying tournament berth.

Venezuela will face South American rival Argentina on Friday in a roundof-16 game.

Venezuela played in the Rio Olympics three years ago, winning only one game and that was

against—of all teams—China.

“This was not just another game for us. It was against China in China,” Venezuela Coach Fernando Duro said. “We were up to the task and we dominated the glass despite being undersized. It was a historic day for Venezuela basketball.”

China now plays in the also-ran consolation round, battling to finish between 17th and 32nd in the 32-team tournament.

Despite the gloomy play, China could still wind up as the representative from Asia in the Olympics, due to Fiba’s qualifying rules and the generally low caliber of play in Asia.

Japan might be the best team in Asia, but it advances automatically as the host nation, probably leaving the door open for China.

US forward Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics will miss at least the Americans’ next two games at the World Cup because of a sprained left ankle.

Tatum will not play against Japan on Thursday or in the Americans’ first second-round game on Saturday. He will be reevaluated Monday, the same day the Americans play their final second-round matchup.

Tatum—one of many heroes for the US in its dramatic 93-92 overtime win over Turkey on Tuesday—got hurt on the Americans’ final possession of the game, twisting his ankle on a drive into the lane. Tests performed Wednesday confirmed the sprain.

There’s not much at stake for the US against Japan. The Americans have already clinched the top seed out of Group E and are assured of playing a pair of second-round games in Shenzhen, China, on Saturday and Monday. If the Americans keep advancing, the quarterfinals would be on September 11, semifinals on September 13 and the title game on September 15.

Tatum has started each of the Americans’ two games so far at the World Cup. He was fouled while taking a three-pointer with one-tenth of a second in regulation and the US down by two on Tuesday. Tatum made the first free throw, missed the second and made the third to tie the game and force overtime. AP

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AMERICAN Tarik Can and Reymon Jaraula posts two of the tournament-best three oneunder 71s. NONIE REYES

CAN, JARAULA SHARE LEAD IN WACK WACK A

MERICAN Tarik Can and Reymon Jaraula birdied the tricky par-4 No. 7 on separate flights as they posted two of the tournament-best three one-under 71s and emerged from a packed leaderboard as coleaders halfway through the Aboitiz Invitational at Wack Wack’s East course on Thursday.

Can, who mixed six birdies against the same number of bogeys in his very first tournament play at the fabled layout Wednesday, had almost the same roller-coaster outing (two birdies-two bogeys) at the back yesterday.

But after a run of pars he rolled in a bending putt from 20 feet on the seventh which Jaraula later matched from a shorter distance as they broke out of a nine-player logjam to wrest control at 143.

“This course is very difficult to play—tall roughs, combined with occasional strong wind made it tougher today [yesterday],” said Can, who had turned in forgettable

finishers in his first two tournaments on the Philippine Golf Tour Asia.

“It was a good thing I was steady from tee to green. Hopefully, I can do the same today,” added the bearded shotmaker, who joined the pro ranks right after college at Augusta State.

Jaraula flashed some kind of consistency in taming the dreaded layout, birdying Nos. 2 and 3 for the second straight day then rebounded from a disastrous double-bogey on No. 4 with that late birdie from 8 feet to find himself a bewildered coleader for the first time in a mediocre five-year career.

“I didn’t expect to at least gain a share of the lead. The course is really tough. I just tried to play it safe all the time and avoid being in a difficult position to recover,” said Jaraula, who nevertheless failed to save at least a bogey after an errant drive on No. 4, needing three more shots to reach the green.

Despite Can and Jaraula’s surprise surge, the chase for the top $17,500 remains as tight and unpredictable

as ever with at least 11 others within striking distance.

Ira Alido, Rico Depilo and Thai Kammalas Namuangruk matched par 72s for the second straight day to lay just a stroke behind the joint leaders at 144, Aussie Damien Jordan fired the other 71 to fuel his drive for backto-back victories at 145 in a tie with Nirun Sae Ueng, also of Thailand, who stumbled with a 73.

American Lexus Keoninh hobbled with another late-hole miscue, dropping two strokes on the course’s signature hole—the par-three 8th— on his way home for a 72 and a 146 in a tie with Aussie Tim Stewart and Thai Pasavee Lertvilai, who carded 73 and 74, respectively.

“Toughest par-3 hole to play on when the wind was blowing 40 kph,” Keoninh rued. “It’s a brutal and tough course and you just have to stay patient on.”

Peter Stojanovski, among those who opened with a 72, limped with a 75 and dropped to 11th at

147 while Marvin Dumandan and former champion Tony Lascuña pooled identical 148s after 74 and 75, respectively.

Given the tough playing conditions at one of the country’s toughest courses, the others still nurtured hopes to pulling it through with superb rounds in the last 36 holes of the $100,000 championship serving as the fourth leg of the third Philippine Golf Tour Asia season organized

by Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. and sanctioned by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. Art Arbole

carded a 75 while Keanu Jahns groped for a 76 but the duo still stayed in the mix despite 149, the same output put in by Thais Chonlatit Chuenboonngam and Ratchapol Jantavara, who shot 74 and 75, respectively.

Fifth two players made the cut at 154 with Rufino Bayron (74), Joseph Suarez (75), Singapore’s Gregory Foo (76), Zanieboy Gialon (77), Japanese Issei Mori (77), Jun Bernis (78), Rey Pagunsan (79) and Aussie Sam Gervinas (80) barely making it through the weekend play in the event backed by PLDT Enterprise, Meralco, BDO and PGT Asia official apparel Pin High.

Among the casualties were former PGTA leg winner James Ryan Lam (81-155), Jay Bayron, winner of this event here in 2016, (77-157), reigning PGT Order of Merit champion but slumping Jobim Carlos (79-158), and Aussie David Gleeson, another former PGTA leg champion (82-160).

NEW MISSION FOR GILAS W

ITH the morale running low and emotional fatigue kicking in, Gilas Pilipinas could wrap up its woeful Fiba World Cup with a gracious exit—a shot for an Olympic spot in Tokyo 2020 in its nonbearing but equally important matches that start on Friday.

Bruised and obviously in pain, the Filipino headed to Beijing after dropping all their games in the group stage in Foshan.

In the Chinese capital, the national team enters the classification round, where it is grouped with rival Iran and Tunisia.

The mission is plain and simple—sweep its

remaining two games with a carry-over record from its blowout losses to Italy and Serbia, and a close result to Angola last Wednesday.

With fingers crossed that all other Asian teams fail to get victories and Gilas emerges as the continent’s top performer, an Olympic slot awaits the Filipinos.

The Filipinos were badly beaten by Italy (108-62) and Serbia (126-67). They came so close to repeating the success the team had in the 2014 edition when it beat Senegal in its last group assignment, but African side Angola had other plans when it escaped with an 84-81 overtime win over Gilas.

The setback formalized the relegation of the

national squad to the classification round. But what seemed lost is actually a new mission in disguise as the nationals shoot for an Olympic berth next week.

Holding a 0-3 won-lost record, Gilas fights perennial Asian rival Iran at 8 p.m. on Friday, and Tunisia on Sunday also at 8 p.m.

The Filipinos try to end the drought which traces back to the 1972 Munich Olympics—the last time the country played in the Summer Games. The national team then led by Jaime Mariano and the late Danilo Florencio, finished 13th with a 3-6 record.

In the group phase, only China came through with a victory among the Asian

Clash between La Salle schools

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teams—a 70-55 triumph over Ivory Coast. But the host failed to meet expectations when it got dissolved in the grouping with losses to Venezuela and Poland.

China will be one of the teams that Gilas should outlast along with South Korean, Iran and Jordan—three squads that suffered the same fate as the Filipinos.

Against Iran, the nationals will face Hamed Haddadi, Nik Bahrami and Behnamn Yakhchali.

Andray Blatche tries to get himself ready for the challenge, along with rookies CJ Perez and Robert Bolick, June Mar Fajardo and Gabe Norwood. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

GERVACIO LIFTS PERLAS SPIKERS

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CHRIS SUSBILLA of the University of the Philippines Integrated School tries to break the defense put up by University of the East.

Jr Tiger Spikers in hot start in boys’ volleyball

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NIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) stunned defending champion Nazareth School of National University (NU), 25-20, 25-27, 15-25, 25-22, 15-12, for a winning start in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82 boys’ volleyball tournament at the Paco Arena on Wednesday.

With the fifth set tied at 8-8, the Junior Tiger Spikers scored five unanswered points, capped by a Paul Colinares block to snatch a 13-8 lead that put the fight away from the Bullpups, who lost seven players from last year’s championship run.

“Morale-boosting talaga itong panalo though syempre may hinahanap pa rin kaming consistency

sa mga bata pero given na marami kaming bago, medyo understandable pa [this first game],” UST Assistant Coach John Abella said.

Rey de Vega exploded for 29 points, including 22 attacks, three blocks and four service aces while rookie Jay de la Noche chipped in 14 points for the Junior Tiger Spikers,

ZI Gervacio took over in the clutch, firing key hits to lift BanKo-Perlas past a toughdefending BaliPure side, 19-25, 25-18, 25-21, 23-25, 15-12, and nail its third straight victory for solo second in the Premier Volleyball League Season 3 Open Conference at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan late Wednesday.

The former Ateneo star delivered backto-back hits in the decider, capping the Perlas Spikers’ strong finish after BaliPure’s Grazielle Bombita’s own attack sailed long to give BanKo-Perlas a 13-12 lead.

The Perlas Spikers rebounded from a first set struggle by taking the next two frames in imposing fashions but failed to wrap it up in four as top hitter Nicole Tiamzon had to leave late in the fourth to catch her flight to Korea for a Unesco event.

But the Perlas Spikers regrouped in the fifth, pouncing on every BaliPure miscue and leaning on their veteran spiker to keep their hot run going in the season-ending conference organized by Sports Vision.

It was BanKo’s third straight win and fifth overall against two defeats for solo second.

Creamline continues to dominate the nine-team field with a 7-0 mark, highlighted by its tough three-set win over PacificTown-Army earlier, 25-23, 28-26, 26-24.

Idle Motolite is in third at 4-1 while Petro Gazz, which wore down Choco Mucho in the decider, 25-22, 15-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-3, moves to solo fourth at 4-2. PacificTown Army slipped to fifth after absorbing its third straight loss for a 2-3 card while BaliPure and Choco Mucho are tied at 2-4 with Air Force and Chef’s Classic remaining winless after five games.

Gervacio finished with 19 points with all but one coming off attacks and added 14 excellent receptions while Kathy Bersola had 15 markers and Tiamzon, who will be back on Monday, added 13 points and 12 digs.

The Water Defenders fell to a 2-4 slate.

Bombita sizzled with 31 points while Menchie Tubiera got 18 markers in a lost cause for BaliPure. BaliPure actually beat BanKo-Perlas in spikes, 62-56, and won the blocking duel, 7-4.

But the Water Defenders stumbled with too many miscues, which netted BanKo, which made 25 errors, 40 points.

who ruled the tournament two years ago.

Michael Buddin topscored for NU with 16 markers, while Michael Fortuna and Mac Bandola added 12 points apiece.

In the other opening day matches, Far Eastern University-Diliman overcame a slow start to beat Adamson University, 23-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-23, while University of the East scored a convincing 25-22, 25-18, 25-18 victory over Ateneo.

Jerold Talisayan and Rans Cajolo each

tallied 15 points, while Angelo Lipata and France Racaza chipped in 12 and 10 markers, respectively, for the Baby Tamaraws, who had a huge 12-5 advantage in the service area.

Evander Novilla delivered 18 points on 14 spikes and four blocks for the Baby Falcons.

JP Mangahis came through with 12 points while team captain Francis Babon chalked up nine markers for the Junior Warriors. Alexis Mendoza led the Blue Eaglets with nine points built on seven attacks and two blocks.

A SALLE Greenhills-A tries to march into the finals with an unbeaten record when it takes on sister team LSGH-B in the semifinals of the Small Basketeers Philippines on Sunday at the Xavier School gym.

Group A elimination round leader LSGH-A, which has a clean 4-0 win-loss record, plays LSGH-B, which placed second in Group B with a 2-1 mark, at 2:15 p.m.

The winner will face the victor in the other semis match between College of San Benildo-Rizal and De La Salle Zobel-Green, which collide at 3:30 pm.

The games are part of the Best Center’s SBPPasserelle twin tournaments sponsored by Milo and supported by Rain or Shine, Chris Sports and SKLZ. The finals will be on September 15.

Altas stave off stubborn stags in Spikers’ Turf

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NIVERSITY of Perpetual Help staved off San Sebastian’s gutsy stand in the third set and completed a 25-21, 25-20, 29-27 victory as the Altas clinched the first quarterfinals berth in the Spikers’Turf Season 4 Open Conference at Paco Arena in Manila last Tuesday.

Joebert Almodiel blasted in 15 kills and finished with 16 points while Kennry Malinis and Louie Ramirez combined for 21 markers as the Altas rolled to their fourth straight victory in Pool C to become the first squad in the four-group 24-team cast to enter the Last 8 phase.

The Las Piñas-based school goes for a sweep of the single round elims against PLDT, unbeaten in two starts, on September 12.

The Altas barely beat the Stags in spikes, 4440, but came through with nine kill blocks, three more than their rivals, that proved enough to net them a spot in the next round.

The Stags, led David Honra’s 14 markers and Dominique Ramirez’s 13 points, fell to 0-2 in a tie with Army with FEU and Coast Guard still in the hunt with 0-1 slates.

In other results, Sta. Elena ripped Arellano U, 2512, 25-19, 25-13, for a 2-0 card in Pool D led by Sta. Elena (2-0), while VNS Volley Club repulsed Emilio Aguinaldo College, 25-23, 15-25, 26-24, 25-21, for a 1-0 slate in Pool A paced by Adamson U (2-1).

Air Force shows up the Pool C field, also with two victories with La Salle and Easytrip toting identical 1-0 marks.

Sports BusinessMirror

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| Friday, September 6, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

MANCHESTER United’s Marcus Rashford reacts after failing to score on a penalty kick during an English Premier League against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. AP

Players in England want racist social-media accounts deleted

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HUGE WEALTH GAP IN EURO SOCCER WORKERS install a giant replica of the Champions League trophy ahead of the UEFA group stage draw outside the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday. AP

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By Rob Harris

The Associated Press

STUDY commissioned by UEFA to aid in the debate over the future of the Champions League shows the financial and talent gap between the top 5 European leagues and the other 50 leagues on the continent is growing.

The destabilizing effect of the power of the “Big Five” leagues—England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France—is set out across a 50-page study by accounting firm Deloitte marked “private and confidential,” and obtained by The Associated Press after being presented to UEFA’s Professional Football Strategy Council in Monaco.

The data shared with key European soccer officials is certain to fuel the heated debate over the future of the Champions and Europa Leagues heading into key meetings of clubs next week in Switzerland. The divisiveness of the discussions led to UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, to call off a meeting that was also scheduled for next week involving clubs and leagues. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin believes they are not “ready for a meaningful discussion.”

The “Polarization in European Football” report was commissioned by UEFA in June during the increasingly fraught talks involving leagues and clubs over attempts to overhaul the format of European competitions from 2024. UEFA initially presented the idea of reserving 24 places for clubs in the Champions League to return the following season, but it has since backed off the proposal because it has left some of the biggest leagues at odds with their best teams.

Changes to the format are being pursued by the top clubs to ensure them more games against each other and guarantee inclusion in lucrative annual tournaments without qualifying. One of the most powerful figures in the fight is Andrea Agnelli, who has wielded his power as head of the European Club Association and is chairman of Italian champion Juventus, Ronaldo’s team.

The biggest leagues have pushed back, saying changes that would limit the opportunities for teams to earn a place in the European competitions such as the Champions League devalue their leagues.

The European Leagues group has worked to divide the elite, perennial trophy winning clubs from their less prosperous counterparts.

One of the most recent leagues to publicly denounce the ECA was the Czech Republic, which said their clubs agreed it was “inappropriate for European football bodies to create plans that would alter the structures, calendar and competitiveness of the domestic game.”

The wealthy Premier League clubs offered support with a rare joint statement in June that highlighted the “obligation to maintain the health and sustainability of domestic league football.”

Caught in the middle is UEFA, who is using the study to help support its claim that it is the only European soccer body that distributes funds across the continent. The report shows how the top leagues are monopolizing the best players and the cash of broadcasters.

Some key findings: n The Big Five accounts for 74 percent of the €19.7 billion ($21.7 billion) generated by leagues across the continent, up from the 68 percent 10 seasons earlier. n Forty-seven teams account for 60 percent of the revenue generated by all 720 clubs in the 55 nations assessed by Deloitte. n The attractiveness of the Big Five league matches on television could at least partially account for a drop in stadium attendances this decade across the 45 lowest-ranked leagues by revenue.

“To meet broadcast demand, the Big Five match calendar has increasingly been spread to collectively cover the weekend from Friday through to Monday nights to ensure live Big Five games are always available to watch in non-Big Five markets,” the report said.

“Meanwhile, most leagues in Europe have seen a decline or little or no growth in match day attendances.” n The Big Five leagues banked 97 percent of the €2.4 billion ($2.6 billion) generated in non-domestic broadcast revenue by all European leagues in the 2017-18 season.

Rights holders in the other 50 European nations paid €430 million ($474.3 million) to show matches from the Big Five, accounting for 18 percent of the Big Five’s international broadcast revenue.

“Nothing is coming back in my country,” Romanian Federation President Razvan Burleanu recently told the AP, referring to money Romanian broadcasters pay to screen league games from abroad. “This can be an idea to contribute to decreasing the gap between top-5 leagues and the rest.”

UEFA argues it is doing just that, sharing the revenue from European competitions.

While generating €373 million ($411.4 million) from broadcasters in countries beyond the Big Five, UEFA distributed more than double that to clubs in the 50 bottom-ranked countries.

The Big Five also profited but to a lesser degree: UEFA gave them around €150 million ($165 million) on top of the fees those markets paid for Champions League and Europa League games, taking the total to around €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion).

The Big Five redistributes some of their revenue domestically to lower divisions, but Deloitte highlights how they “do not make direct solidarity payments to other European leagues.” n The report also shows how the Big Five has increasingly been a magnet for foreign talent, with more than a fifth of the players in those leagues coming from the rest of the continent last season.

No country was impacted more than the Netherlands, which lost 50 players to the Big Five—a rise of 61 percent since the 2007-08 campaign. European champion Portugal is next on the list, with 49 players lost.

The struggle keeping players at home is particularly acute for Belgium and Austria.

They have experienced around a threefold increase in the number of players going to the Big Five in a decade.

The report does not touch on the players who benefit from Big Five salaries and the chance to win the biggest trophies. n Transfer fees are not significantly filtering across the European game, with 67 percent of transfer spending—or €3.5 billion—circulating within the Big Five last season compared to 56 percent—or €1.4 billion—in 2007-2008.

Non-Big Five leagues only receive 18 percent of the transfer spend, down from 23 percent in 2007-2008.

“Only the Big Five leagues in aggregate are profitable,” Deloitte concluded to UEFA. “Operating losses have increased across all other tiers, in aggregate, since 2007-2008.”

FRIENDLY DC United defender Joseph Mora (right)

and Puebla midfielder Daniel Lajud leap for the ball during the first half of their international friendly match on Wednesday in Washington. AP

ONDON—Soccer players in England are asking socialmedia companies to permanently delete accounts after a single racist post and commit greater resources to identifying abuse.

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) met with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram after many of its members staged a 24-hour social-media boycott in April as part a campaign called “Enough.”

But the opening month of the Premier League season has seen black players subjected to racial abuse, including Marcus Rashford after missing a penalty for Manchester United, and the PFA wants tougher action from the social networks.

The PFA told The Associated Press it wants “sufficient resources dedicated to identifying and removing offending posts without delay.”

Twitter said Wednesday that in the last two weeks it had “taken action on more than 700 examples of abuse and hateful conduct related to UK football.”

That action wasn’t specified and the players want more transparency. The PFA is demanding players are informed “the offending account has been permanently suspended.”

Twitter declined to directly comment on the PFA’s requests.

In Milan, a group of Inter Milan “ultra” fans have written a social-media post saying monkey chants at soccer matches are not meant to be racist.

The group posted a statement on its Facebook page after Cagliari supporters racially abused Inter striker Romelu Lukaku.

“We understand that it could have seemed racist to you, but it is not like that. In Italy we use some ‘ways’ only to ‘help our teams’ and to try to make our opponents nervous, not for racism but to mess them up,” the fan group “L’Urlo della Nord”—translated to “Scream of the North”—said late Tuesday.

“We have always used that way with other teams’ players in the past and we probably will in the future. We are not racist and so are not the Cagliari fans.”

Lukaku converted Inter’s winning penalty kick against Cagliari on Sunday and then glared at home fans behind the goal as they directed monkey chants at him.

The fan statement caught the eye of former Chelsea and current Istanbul Basaksehir forward Demba Ba. “And here’s the reason why I decided not to play there when I could,” Ba wrote of Serie A. “And, at that point, I wish all the black players would get out of this league!”

Lukaku called on soccer authorities and socialmedia companies to do more to combat racism.

Meanwhile, the Italian league’s disciplinary judge said he needs more evidence before deciding if Cagliari should be punished for the racist chants.

League judge Gerardo Mastrandrea did not even mention the word “racist” in his weekly report Tuesday, referring only to “chants that were the subject of news articles and TV reports.”

Cagliari fans have a history of racism, with Moise Kean, Blaise Matuidi and Sulley Muntari each subjected to offensive chants when they played against Cagliari in recent seasons.

The Italian league did not sanction the Sardinian club for any of those incidents.

Christian Pulisic, meanwhile, thinks about all the talented young American players and thinks they could go far in next year’s Olympic men’s soccer tournament, perhaps, himself included.

“I would never completely count that out because it’s a huge honor to play for your country in the Olympics,” the 20-year-old Chelsea midfielder said Wednesday, two days before the US senior national team plays Mexico in an exhibition.

Olympic men’s soccer qualifying is limited to players under 23, with three overage players allowed for the final tournament in Japan. Age-eligible Americans include Pulisic and midfielders Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Tim Weah.

Clubs, however, are not required to release players for the Olympics or for qualifying, scheduled for March 20 to April 1 in the North and Central American, and Caribbean region. The Olympic soccer tournament runs from July 23 to August 8 in and likely would overlap a contemplated preseason tour by Chelsea and, perhaps, the start of the Premier League season. AP

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Creating God

EAR God, in Jesus You teach us how to love one another.

We praise You and pray: Strengthen us by Your Spirit, oh God. Help us to balance work with prayer, leisure and time for others. Empower Your Church to advocate the dignity, safety and rights of workers. Inspire efforts to generate meaningful jobs for the underemployed and unemployed. May God favor us with work that befits our dignity and prosper the efforts of our hands and minds, in Jesus, by the working of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

GIVE US THIS DAY SHARED BY LUISA LACSON, HFL Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com

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

Life BusinessMirror

Now adults, the Losers have been called back to Derry to face the shape-shifting clown once and for all in the conclusion IT Chapter Two.

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BAND of broken warriors has come together after years of battling their demons alone and they have gathered at a round table. The foe that awaits them is as formidable as any dragon out of Arthurian legend.

Twenty-seven years after the events of the recordbreaking horror smash IT, when the young Losers vanquished the insidious evil called Pennywise, these now adults have been called back to Derry to face the shape-shifting clown once and for all in the conclusion: IT Chapter Two. The reunion of the adult Losers at a Chinese restaurant called the Jade of the Orient starts out as any festive homecoming should, before heading into battle one last time, there are steamers of dumplings to down and several rounds of beers to kill.

SOMETHING LIKE LIFE: KEEPING TOURISTS SAFE D3

Friday, September 6, 2019

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THE BOX OFFICE IS ‘IT’

James McAvoy, who plays the successful horror novelist Bill Denbrough, says, “It’s like any reunion.

There’s a process of remembering. But the Losers don’t actually recognize each other straight away. I mean, if we were best friends at 12, 13, we’d remember each other, right? But being away from Derry, their memories of their traumas and of each other have faded. Then, they go from uncertainty to making each other cry with laughter, because they have such affinity with the group. If there’s something otherworldly and magical about Pennywise, there is something equally otherworldly and magical about the power that is created when these people are together.”

Andy Muschietti, director of both IT and the always-planned IT Chapter Two, chalks it up to the

power of unity among so-called misfits. “Stephen King has a very good understanding of what being an underdog means, because I think he felt that he was one. He probably would have been right at home in a Losers Club. He has a great sense of humor and that is such a big part of his work, which he uses sometimes as a way of coping with adversity or unfavorable situations growing up. As a reader of King since I was young, I found that it helped me to develop a sense of humor, sarcasm and a sense of irony, all important things when being an artist is your goal.”

For Jessica Chastain, cast as Beverly Marsh, now coowner of a high-end clothing line, many of the emotions running through the reunion sequence were not too far removed from reality. “I felt many of those things on the very first day on-set, meeting

all the Losers—all of us together, it was so exciting and powerful. I felt like I was 12 years old again.

There were so many jokes and so much laughter, and we had the freedom of being irresponsible with our playtime. As an adult, you don’t really get to do that.

The characters are going through the same things, remembering what it was like to be kids. I think the audience is going to see that sense of play, the sense of love this group has for each other.”

The sheer ordinariness of the restaurant setting belies the high stakes the grown-up Losers face, which is exactly the point. Production designer Paul Austerberry says, “Andy wanted an almost fast-food, big-chain restaurant feel. It’s a place where friends

CONTINUED ON D4

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Society BusinessMirror

Friday, September 6, 2019

www.businessmirror.com.ph

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Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Idris Elba, 47; Rosie Perez, 55; Jane Curtin, 72; Swoosie Kurtz, 75.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Set your sights on bringing about changes that will help you eliminate the negativity in your life, as well as the people and situations that bring you down and hold you back. How you handle others will determine how well you do. Know what you want and use your intelligence, know-how and experience to ensure your success. Walk away from manipulative people. Your lucky numbers are 2, 13, 24, 27, 33, 46, 48.

FROM left: Vince dela Cruz, marketing communications division head; Jun Ang, general merchandise division head; Ulysses Borral, business development division head; Liwayway Fernandez, operations director; Jackie Lai, marketing director; Victor Paterno, president and CEO; Richard Lee, chief operating officer; and Robert Tseng, corporate planning.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t stagnate when you should be moving forward. Make personal changes that will help to settle your nerves and level out your emotional stress. Take care of unfinished business so you feel free to start something new. HHHHH

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ll crave change that will help you fill in any void you are feeling. Before you leap from one thing to another, consider the outcome, as well as how you will affect others. Emotional situations will escalate. HH

c

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Make personal changes that will bring you peace of mind. Don’t rely on others or try to mold someone into being more like you. Offering freedom to those you love will ensure that you are granted the same in return. HHHH

d VLOGGERS David Guison, Baninay Bautista, Benedict Cua, and Toni Sia stopped by City Blends Café and became baristas for the day

LOURDES REYES, Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. Chief Financial Officer, and Victor Paterno, Philippine Seven Corp. President and CEO, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony

Something’s brewing O N July 11, 7-Eleven celebrated #711Day with the grand opening of its first-ever City Blends Café in Bonifacio Technology Center in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

The store is the first home of the newest Nitro Coffee and Nitro Tea that will surely be part of the 7-Eleven roster of favorites.

One of the brand’s most spacious, the new store houses a hip space where you can www.7-eleven.com. ph sit back and sip on specialty, honest-to-goodness

coffee and tea that keep you going without breaking the bank.

“We wanted to give our customers a place where they can go enjoy and relax for a bit, but still be just a few minutes away from the office,” said Armi Cagasan, strategic merchandise division head of 7-Eleven Philippines In addition to the specialty drinks, City Blends Café has also introduced their Salted Caramel Latte, Strawberry Milkshake, and new pastries like Lemon

Bars, Opera Cake, and Chocolate Chip Cookies that go with your drink. They also offer snacks like Tuna Pandesal and Corned Beef Pandesal, perfect for midday snacks.

To make the day even more special, bloggers and fellow coffeeholics Baninay Bautista, David Guison, Benedict Cua and Toni Sia stopped by and became 7-Eleven’s baristas for the day. “It’s such a fun experience,” expressed Toni. “It’s amazing to be a part of this big celebration.” n

F1 HOTEL Manila’s Culinary Team together with General Manager Cindy Brual.

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Simplicity, consistency and moderation will be necessary if you want to avoid a setback.

Don’t promise the impossible or make changes that aren’t carefully considered. Work hard and be a team player if you want to get ahead. HHH

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take the plunge and do something that makes you happy. A change will do you good, and connecting with people you have worked with or enjoyed being around in the past will lead to opportunities and new beginnings. HHHH

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Go over every little detail before you share your plans or put them into motion. Not everyone will accept the changes you want to make. Listen to the suggestions offered to avoid a costly mistake. Don’t take criticism personally. HH

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): As the day progresses, anger will mount. Be sure to have an outlet for your pent-up energy or you may do something that will disrupt a relationship with a friend or relative. Listen and be willing to make concessions. HH

F1 Hotel chefs cook up wins AS the annual Philippine Culinary Cup unfolded on August 7 to 10 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, the F1 Hotel Manila (www.f1hotelmanila.com) culinary team scored recognitions from different categories at the most prestigious culinary competition in the Philippines.

Winning one gold, two silvers, and one bronze, the team of culinary experts rejoiced over their prized creations.

Grabbing bronze from the Green Protein Challenge category, Bryan Ortiz and Jericho Leopaldo concocted a one-of-a-kind Hickory Quorn Fillet with Mesclun, Grilled Veggies and Pop Quorn croquettes, and Tortellini of Mascarpone Quorn Ragu with chunky Quorn Al Ajilo.

Quorn is usually used as a meat substitute that originated and is sold primarily in the United Kingdom.

As for the silver medalists, the F1 Hotel Manila culinary team triumphed in two categories: the US Pork Chinese Style category and the Dream Team Challenge.

The US Pork Chinese Style category team was represented solely by Gerardo

CANCER (June 21-July 22): An emotional move will not help matters. Take a step back and reconsider your actions. Common sense, practicality and friendly persuasion will be the keys to getting what you want. An unusual opportunity will change your life. HHH

i j

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Take care of your financial, legal and medical issues personally. You will not be represented the way you want if you let someone speak on your behalf.

Play it safe and control the situation. HHHHH CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Set high standards, and don’t stop until you are happy with what transpires. Your drive and determination will help you get what you want. Personal and professional gains will turn out better than anticipated if you push to finish what you start. HHH

k Barasona, who won a silver by his DeepFried Pork Butt Barbeque Style with Plum and Hoisin Sauce.

As for the Dream Team Challenge, Executive Chef Angelo “Chubby” Timban himself led the team of Frederick Ollet, April Pajimula, and Chantal Vera in creating a scrumptious Braised Pork Ribs with Burnt Coconut, Pan Seared Scallop Confit of Squid

with Creamy Avocado Mousse, and Haco Crème Brulee Cheesecake with Roasted Oatmeal and Berry Compote in Vanilla Chantilly Cream.

And for the gold-winning masterpiece in the Filipino Cuisine category, Chubby together with Ollet and Rolando Pascual whipped up revolutionary yet traditional dishes of Imbaliktad Nga Lomo

Ti Baka, Sinigang na Pata sa Catmon Ug Dilang Baka, Utan Ug Piyanggang and Sangag na Kan-on sa Bubuk Ug Manuk Itum.

The event was fiercely contested by all who took up the challenge and as they are masters of their own craft, all who watched saw the chefs’ pride as they raised the curtains on their creations.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Personal improvements are within reach if you are reasonable. An unexpected last-minute decision someone makes will catch you by surprise.

Don’t feel you have to compensate for what others do.

Do your own thing and follow through with plans. HHH

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Put your enthusiasm to work and you’ll drum up support that will help you reach your goals.

Putting your plans in motion will be prosperous and open a door that has been closed in the past. HHH BIRTHDAY BABY: You are logical, interesting and unique. You are resourceful and focused.

‘very funny’ BY DAVID ALFRED BYWATERS The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Keep visiting in a ghostly way 6 Fauna partner 11 Be indebted to 14 Farmland measures 15 They’re associated with Nepal, not Peru 16 Family transport 17 Modest groundbreaking ceremony?

19 Letter container: Abbr.

20 Bombard 21 Title person in a Rolling Stones hit 22 Bond film starring Ursula Andress 23 Do something 25 Good name for a depilatory brand?

27 New hire 31 Great Fire of Rome emperor 32 Web address 33 Smell the roses, say 36 Popular office plants 39 Spanish uncle 40 Desperate canoer’s means of paddling?

42 RV stopover 43 Emmy winner Klum 45 Hot stuff

6 Slithery fish 4 47 Chimney residue 49 Diminish in size 51 Terse order for two drinks without ice?

55 Musician Brian 56 Width x height, perhaps 57 Court event 59 Word before or after “brand” 63 Knight’s title 64 “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”? (Hint: Each starred entry has two added letters!)

66 Sloth appendage 67 “Beau ___” 68 Speechify 69 Finish 70 Hairstylist’s clipping 71 Central facial features DOWN 1 Gate fastener 2 Yearning 3 Eurasian border river 4 Olympian beverage 5 Sound of disapproval 6 Custard dessert 7 Hoped-for reaction to this puzzle

8 ___ vincit amor 9 Enter rapidly 10 Cigar byproduct 11 Like the underpaid, typically 12 Have the desire to, informally 13 Diplomatic messenger 18 Jennifer Lopez or Sonia Sotomayor 22 Have the audacity 24 Common chair feature 26 “Fa la la la la, la la la la,” e.g.

27 The “R” of RBG 28 Canal, lake and city name 29 Like some nuns 30 Sardines containers 34 Big pharma watchdog 35 Practice origami 37 Christmas carol 38 Retail event 41 In addition 44 Qatar’s capital 48 Leash 50 Amateur 51 Moisten during cooking 52 Hunter constellation 53 Come up, as a need 54 Hues

8 Becomes older 5 60 “Too bad,” to a bard 61 Match, or end of a chess match 62 “Their ___ Were Watching God” 64 Pvt.’s superior 65 Billion-year period

Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Relationships BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Friday, September 6, 2019

D3

TIRED OF GETTING GHOSTED?

GHOSTING has, unfortunately, became rampant in today’s dating culture. Ghosting is where a person cuts off all communication without an explanation. Without an acceptable reason. In dating apps, this can be classified in the context of digital departure. Receiving no texts, calls, chats or e-mail from someone we have become deeply attached to upsets us and is a bitter pill to swallow. Why would someone who made us feel loved and cared for disappear with nary a word?

Those who have been ghosted often ask, “What did I do wrong?” or “What’s wrong with me?” and, inevitably, “Is there somebody else?”

While meeting new romantic possibilities is now easier with the help of dating apps, navigating relationships has become no less problematic. What do sigh-inducing situations continue to prevail in digital world? n UNPREDICTABLE REWARDS. According to a study, the element of unpredictable rewards is associated with the use of some dating apps. Unpredictable rewards cause more activity in the reward regions of the brain than rewards we know are coming. Users don’t know when, while swiping, they will match with an individual they find attractive. And users don’t know when, after engaging in a chat, a match will lead to something. The thrill of the unknown is hardwired in humans. We are attracted to the unknown and lose excitement over too much familiarity. Neurobiological models have suggested that the algorithm of reward learning is associated with dopamine. n THEY SENSE THE OTHER PERSON IS TERRIFYING TO DEAL WITH. This doesn’t happen often, says Susan Kolod, a psychologist in New York who specializes in relationships and sexuality. But it can be a reasonable response to fear, when a person is worried, that they’ll be routinely bugged; or simply they found out that you are not compatible, and the safest way to exit the relationship is to cut ties without saying anything at all. n THE PERSON REALLY DOESN’T KNOW WHAT SHE/ HE WANTS. There is a chance the ghoster is still head over heels with his/her ex, or simply can’t make up their wazoo of a mind. The idea is they are just testing the waters and you simply didn’t make the cut.

To reduce the likelihood of getting ghosted, the dating app OkCupid, available on Google Play and App Store, is a happy medium that can help you. The platform’s matching strategies are based on nontraditional questions and push for meaningful and lasting connections. The company’s motto is, after all, “Match on What Matters.” With their multiple questionnaires and preferences, OkCupid’s algorithm is programmed to match people based on their similarities which translates into a compatibility rating. They accomplish this by diving into both the shallow and deep aspects of a relationship without forcing people to self-evaluate.

“It’s true that meeting someone online is tricky since it’s so easy to put up a front. But with OkCupid, we encourage people to be their authentic selves with our mix of questionnaires and preferences so that we can match those with similar interests and personalities. Let us help you find common topics and interests to help make that first impression really count,” said Melissa Hobley, OkCupid’s spokesman and chief marketing officer.

Keeping tourists safe SOMETHING LIKE LIFE

MA. STELLA F. ARNALDO

@akosistellaBM

I

AM one of those people who have always believed that despite the Philippines being primarily an agricultural country, our economic growth will be stronger, more sustainable, and be more beneficial to all if we focus on the tourism industry.

Sure there are pockets of dirt or distress, especially in Metro Manila and remote rural areas, but generally the moment we leave for the provinces, we are confronted by picturesque and breathtaking sites, the kind that—once captured and posted—can make anyone’s Instagram account popular.

And people everywhere are always so welcoming.

Except for one distant city in the south sometime in the 1990s which I shall not name where I didn’t feel safe, every town and municipality I have been to has always exuded positive vibes. Visitors are relaxed and cared for, which is why most foreign tourists are absolutely smitten by our generally fun, friendly nature.

Of course, there will be people who will take advantage of clueless tourists, like that cab driver overcharging passengers after picking them up from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and bringing them to Makati—P1,500?! Or a random Chinese citizen being stabbed by his own compatriot.

But crimes against tourists happen as well in other tourism destinations—there are thieves and pickpockets in places like Rome, even kidnappings and killings in Cancun.

So it is a welcome development that the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have partnered to train more tourist police personnel, thereby ensuring the fun

experienced by visitors to our country continues.

The DOT and the PNP recently signed a memorandum of agreement for the Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TopCop) program to go nationwide.

“We’re happy to strengthen our partnership with the PNP to ensure the safety and security of international and domestic visitors in the country’s tourist destinations,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat at the recent signing ceremony at Camp Crame, the PNP’s headquarters.

She added that the TopCop training will showcase the “Filipino brand of service” highlighting the Filipinos’ unique and genuine hospitality.

“The PNP’s commitment ‘to serve and protect’ through unequaled service to our citizens and foreign travelers alike is laudable. We look up to you, inspired to fulfill our mandate of contributing a more inclusive impact in the lives of our fellow Filipinos. With your help, we can rest assured that we are not alone in sending a strong message to our visiting tourists that our country will continue and always will be a safe destination,” Romulo Puyat averred.

PNP Chief Police General Oscar Albayalde welcomed the DOT’s support and the vision of the program that will enhance police visibility in visitor areas, where police personnel will patrol, as well as set up tourist assistance centers and complaints desks.

“Let me mention that your national police is now on its journey of transformation, a significant part of which is the continuing enhancement and improvement of the skills, knowledge and work, attitudes of our police personnel. Along this line, we want to ensure that our police are highly trained, well-equipped and constantly prepared in performing their duties, especially in responding to crisis situation,” said Albayalde in his message during the MOA signing.

The TopCop program has trained 4,349 police personnel since it was launched in 2011 and works in close coordination with the DOT and its regional offices along with local government units.

The 2019 Integrated TopCop Training includes modules on tourism awareness, basic principles on tourist safety, and the “Filipino brand of service.” To ensure better communication between the TopCop

program and tourism stakeholders in the locality, a workshop where a local security action plan is developed usually caps the three-day training.

As more foreign visitors come to the Philippines (7.1 million last year!) and experience its wealth of wonders, responsive cops who are sensitive to the needs of tourists are certainly a positive development.

Meanwhile, it’s gratifying to note that Vigan City, which is certainly one of my favorite local destinations, was chosen by CNN Travel as among 13 of Asia’s most picturesque towns.

Wrote Kate Springer last month, “Travelers will find the vast majority of the colonial buildings around the central square, Plaza Salcedo, including the white and yellow Saint Paul’s Cathedral. The beautiful baroque structure was first built in 1641 and then restored after several earthquakes and fires.

“A short walk south, Calle Crisologo is another major landmark. The cobbled street features wellpreserved heritage houses, al fresco bars and kalesa [horse-drawn carriages] that transport you back in time.”

She pointed to activities like pottery making at a local jar factory, as well as eating “fresh and flaky empanadas” at the Vigan Public Market.

“The City of Vigan’s heritage, the Hispanic architecture, and the food make it a picture-perfect site and deserving of the spot on CNN’s list,” said Romulo Puyat of the Unesco World Heritage City. Vigan was also cited in 2014 as one of the New7Wonders Cities.

The other destinations mentioned by CNN Traveler on its list include: Hoi An in Vietnam, Yufuin in Japan, George Town in Malaysia, Luang Prabang in Lao PDR, Kampot in Camhodia, Kota Gede in Indonesia, Galle in Sri Lanka, Zhouzhuang in China, Malwynnong in India, Ghandruk in Nepal, Sai Kung in Hong Kong, and Phuket Town in Thailand. (http://cnn.it/2zto3zD) Visiting Vigan transports you to another era with its traditional Spanish architecture and cobblestone streets. Aside from the overwhelming beauty of the site, my friends and I immensely enjoyed the native dishes, such as bagnet, Vigan longganisa, and the empanada. It is one of those destinations that are worthy of more visits. n

Loyal child sponsors honored for faithful support, generosity POVERTY remains a reality in the Philippines where the poorest of the poor are not able to access opportunities to live with quality, if not decent lives. Families living below the poverty line become highly vulnerable, especially the children who are likely to suffer the most due to risks, such as disrupted education, illiteracy, inadequate health and nutrition among others.

This is why caring organizations, such as World Vision (www.worldvision.org.ph) focuses its efforts to improve the well-being of children through its long-running initiative, called Child Sponsorship. With the help of sponsors in the Philippines and from around the world, thousands of children have been assisted alongside World Vision through its sustainable community-based programs for children.

Thanks to the faithful and relentless support of loyal donors and supporters, children are helped by programs for education, child protection, health and nutrition, economic development, disaster risk reduction, and emergency response.

World Vision held its Loyal Donors Appreciation Night at the Meralco Multipurpose Hall in Pasig City to recognize generous individuals who have invested almost two decades of sponsoring children. The Loyal Donors Appreciation Night gathered at least 380 sponsors and guests.

The decision of sponsoring a child was a memorable, yet an ironic journey for Jess Santelices. After losing his job as a telecom engineer, Jess incurred a lot of debt that left him bankrupt because of gambling. He suffered from depression, anxiety and panic attacks that lasted for five years, declaring it as the lowest point of his life.

In October 2008, he stepped foot in a mall broke and

WITH over 62 years of unwavering support, World Vision honors its relentless supporters in the annual Loyal Donor Appreciation Night.

alone and found himself in front of the World Vision booth, where he put out his hand and offered to sponsor a child, not knowing how a small act of kindness can greatly impact two lives at once. For years, he stayed true to his obligation and, during those years, God’s blessings overflowed. He was able to find a job in Qatar as a telecom engineer, where he worked for nine years. His sponsorship has been ongoing for almost 11 years, and he is currently sponsoring 25 children and continues to support them, even though he has been unemployed for over a year.

“Never give up on them,” Jess encourages the donors, “because God has never given up on you [financially, spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically].”

Being a loyal donor is not a chore, but a blessing. Jess’s belief in giving has kept him faithful to serve and help others

even in the toughest of circumstances.

Among the other highlights of the evening was the presence of successful sponsored children marching onstage wearing their graduation gowns for finishing senior high school. One of the graduate sponsored children was May Ann, an 18-year-old sponsored child from Baseco in Tondo, Manila. She is the daughter of a construction worker who raises a brood of eight. With the help of World Vision and her sponsor, May Ann’s life changed for the better.

For Michael “Mike” San Diego, a former World Vision sponsored child from Cavite, his story of being a “last chance” kid motivated him to strive for his best. Years ago, after stumbling upon World Vision in his local barangay, he became a college scholar which enabled him to graduate on time and earn a degree in accountancy with flying colors—a

cum laude no less. Today, Mike is now a chief finance officer of JK Capital Finance Inc. and has paid forward sponsoring children for 17 years now, even offering his time and influence to tell his story and engage others to support World Vision.

“God works in mysterious ways. We are blessed when we’re willing to give,” Mike shared during the dinner, inspiring loyal guests to carry on what they are doing for children.

“World Vision is strong because we have God that we can depend on, but also because we have loyal donors and sponsors to work with,” said Rommel Fuerte, executive director of World Vision Development Foundation Inc. “Our combined loyalty and faithfulness are unstoppable,” he added. In 2018 alone, the organization has reached more than 2.9 million children through its child-focused programs and interventions.

D4

Show BusinessMirror

Friday, September 6, 2019

www.businessmirror.com.ph

All the feels from LouDre GAB FAB JET VALLE

@jetvalle

R

EALITY shows are here to stay. Whether it is competitive shows like The Voice Kids (now lording over the weekend prime-time ratings) or simply watching people live their lives, such as Pinoy Big Brother (PBB), viewers are drawn to watching people live under surveillance.

From a production standpoint, it is plus points for them as these shows are less expensive to make than grandiose soap operas.

Why are these shows popular? I read somewhere that reality television stems from our desire to acquire instant fame. We see “regular” people doing regular things and we think, hey I can do that!

Another reason is that it makes viewers feel good about themselves.

This may be true because I would get bombarded by messages when a reality show contestant gets lambasted for his performance and my friends feel pity for him/her and then as an aside, they add that thank God they’re not part of that contest since they can’t take the humiliation. Or when a Kardashian makes a fool of herself in their TV show, I’d get links to their footage with almost always the same message how they are stupid unlike us, the normal viewer who would act more dignified when faced with the same situation (yeah, right).

LOU YANONG and Andre Brouillette

Another main reason is they like the romance aspect. They like it when two ordinary people from two different worlds collide and then fall in love.

Take, for example, the latest lovebirds created at the PBB house, Lou Yanong and Andre Brouillette, or, as their fans call them, LouDre. Lou and Andre recently finished as the third and fourth big placers

of PBB Otso. Fans can’t get enough of voting for them, and that’s why they went that far as their love story unfolded before their very eyes. It doesn’t hurt, too, that they are nice to look at actually.

Anyway, for those fans who supported them, they would be in cloud nine as they are the Myx Celebrity VJs for September. Witness LouDre bring out the

kilig on Pop Myx, Pinoy Myx, Mellow Myx and My Myx as they introduce music videos and even share a romantic anecdote or two about their love story. nnn PINOY pop-rock band Agsunta stages its first major concert, titled Agsunta Feels Trip, happening at the ABSCBN Vertis Tent this September 21.

Agsunta promises to bring out the feels of the audience with hugot songs and soothing acoustic performances for a unique Kapamilya experience in a show produced by One Music PH and PPL Entertainment, in partnership with Star Events.

“We will be doing a lot of new things to the concert that we even surprised ourselves with the plans,” said vocalist, Jireh Singson, citing the band’s excitement for this milestone, after a brief break early this year.

He added, “What pushed us to return was our fans, #TeamAgsunta, who went to support us in our gigs.

They became our inspiration.”

Joining the Agsunta Feels Trip show are Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Shanti Dope, BoybandPH and JM de Guzman.

Agsunta Feels Trip is one of the major projects of the group which recently signed with ABS-CBN’s rock/ alternative label, DNA Music.

In the show, the band is set to perform their recent hits “Bagong Umaga,” “Alas Dose,” “Gusto Kong Lumipad” and many more.

One Music PH is the home of digital concerts, original online content and socially relevant music events. The music portal is only one of the digital initiatives of ABS-CBN, which is rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company with the biggest online presence among all media companies, and a growing list of digital properties.

Catch Agsunta’s first-ever major show this September 21 at 7:30 pm. Get your tickets at ktx.abscbn.com. n

The box office is ‘IT’ CONTINUED FROM D1 would meet, not necessarily where people would assemble to strategize how to save their town. We found a huge place called the Mandarin just outside of Toronto, our home base, in Mississauga. We built this private dining room within the existing space, and added our own façade with neon lighting.

The Losers have this nice meal with plenty of drinks, and they tell stories and laugh—they’re getting to know each other as adults, while they’re also sort of regressing to more of their younger selves. Then, things start to go wrong....”

After all of the alcohol and noodles, the mood darkens once one of them finally remembers the name that carries the weight of all of their dread: Pennywise. A cosmic shift as significant as his foes gathering together after 27 years elicits a reaction from the malevolent entity, and IT sends a message to the dinner party. Never before have fortune cookies served up such ominous tidings. At the same time, the characters are rediscovering their camaraderie and their truer sense of self, their most fundamental fears are also resurrected.

Muschietti picks up: “We’re talking about the fears of the Losers as adults and how these things are not the same ones they had as children. They’re basically from traumas they experienced that wind up being deep, deep fears the characters are constantly trying to repress. At the same time, it’s about them believing again. IT is a creature who uses belief as a weapon—if you believe it’s true, IT can hurt you.

But the other side of the coin is that shattering the belief, the danger passes. It is a double-edged power.”

Bill Hader plays the grown-up Richie Tozier, whose youthful penchant for trash talk has led to a successful career in stand-up comedy. Hader sees his character as a de facto stand-in for the audience.

“After the night gets all freaky, Mike Hanlon tries to convince all of the Losers to stay. He tells them that people are being killed by Pennywise again, and that they are the only ones who can stop him. My character responds, ‘People die every day. We don’t owe this town s**t.’ Mike thinks he has found a way to defeat Pennywise, and to Richie, it’s like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ His reaction is super honest. He gets in his car to leave. I think anybody with any reason would look at this killer clown situation and get the f*** out of town.”

In real life, Jay Ryan—who plays the successful (and now buff) commercial architect Ben Hanscom—would agree with Richie’s gut instinct. Although Ryan ironically performed as a clown while a teenager, complete with magic tricks and tying balloon animals, he has no affinity for scary clowns, or anything frightening in general.“I’m a big scary freak. I don’t like horror movies, because they just dwell with me for weeks and I wind up freaking myself out. I start thinking things like ‘My house is haunted,’ or something else outlandish. I’m a hypochondriac to that stuff.”

While the content of IT Chapter Two could definitely be classified as on the dark side, Chastain also sees a brighter purpose to the journey the characters undertake. She believes, “The second film is about these adults that are trying to remember what it’s like to be children—the magic and endless possibilities of a unified belief.

There is a great power in rediscovering imagination, something most adults have long since given up. It can shift your life, redirect your destiny, if you can believe in something other than what is in the current moment. I find that is a beautiful connection between the first film and this one. The first chapter was about learning how to be an adult, and the second is about the adults learning how to be children again.”

“We’re talking about the fears of the Losers as adults and how these things are not the same ones they had as children. They’re basically from traumas they experienced that wind up being deep, deep fears the characters are constantly trying to repress,” says Andy Muschietti, director of both IT and the always-planned IT Chapter Two. And for director Muschietti, helming this second chapter also meant more enjoyment. He offers: “Having more time with the project and a bigger canvas to explore and express myself, it’s meant more fun. I’ve become more fluid with my process. I storyboard every day to start with, but there is nothing like being there and watching things come together, and going with something that has just developed.

On this, I’ve been loosening up and enjoying more the experience of making a movie having completely created it before in my mind.”

On one thing, however, the director left nothing to chance.

Muschietti closes: “I was in a little scene in IT that we edited

out. This time, I was determined not to be cut from the film.

So, I will be standing in the same spot, but 27 years later.”

That spot is not, however, in the Jade of the Orient where, after several takes of revelry, the Losers’ joyful reunion will be cut short. As is the custom, the fortune cookies arrive, but these pastries deliver a clarion call to battle so deafening that these reluctant knights will have little choice but to continue on with their crusade. n Now in Philippine cinemas, IT Chapter Two is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros.

Entertainment Co.

Asia’s Multimedia Star Alden Richards: On top of his game DUBBED as “Asia’s Multimedia Star,” Alden Richards is right where he deserves to be—on top of his game. The homegrown GMA talent is one of the country’s premier actors, a top celebrity endorser, a successful businessman, a very talented host, an award-winning performer, a chart-topping recording artist and a record-breaking box-office star. But it is his genuine dedication toward excelling in his craft that sets him apart.

Recently, Alden received the Asian Star Prize from the Seoul International Drama Awards 2019 at the Kyung Hee University in South Korea, and the first-ever Celebrity Icon Award from the Okada Manila 2019 Icon Awards—two more accolades added to his growing list of accomplishments in the industry.

Despite all this, Alden remains an inspiration to the people around him and his legion of fans for his humility and passion for acting. As he renewed his contract with GMA last September 3, Alden attributed his success to his home network for almost a decade.

“Since I started in GMA up to this point of my career, sila ’yung sumusugal sa ‘kin. They gave me huge projects, huge opportunities and regardless kung successful or hindi, hindi sila tumitigil. Hindi nila ako pinabayaan. They kept on believing, kahit na minsan wala ng angle to believe in. Hinawakan nila ’yung kamay ko through ups and downs, hindi ko nakita ’yon with others,” he said.

ALDEN RICHARDS (center) renews his contract with GMA Network. From left: GMA Senior Vice President for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, GMA President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit Jr., GMA Chairman and CEO Atty.

Felipe L. Gozon, and GMA Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong.

Throughout his years as a GMA star, Alden has proven his versatility by portraying several formidable roles. In his upcoming prime-time drama The Gift, he is taking on another challenging role as a visually-impaired fruit vendor named Sep. “In my nine years with GMA, I keep on discovering something new about myself and my craft. Project after project, it gives me more hunger

to do more and inspire more people through my works and the things that I do. ‘Pag may lumalapit sa ‘kin and sasabihin nila, ‘Alden, sobrang ganda ng ginawa mo, nabago ’yung buhay ko,’ sobra akong namu-move to be appreciated by these people over the thing I love to do most. I want projects that could touch lives—that’s my ultimate goal as an artist. Ang sarap kasi noong nakakapagpabago ka ng buhay ng

ibang tao kagaya ng pagbabago ng GMA sa buhay ko. I also want to be a vessel to help others.”

Present at the contract signing were GMA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Atty.

Felipe L. Gozon, President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit Jr., Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong, Senior Vice President for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, Chief Risk Officer and First Vice President for Corporate Strategic Planning and Program Support Department Regie C. Bautista, Vice President for Drama Productions Redgie Acuña-Magno, Vice President for Business Development Department III Darling de Jesus-Bodegon, Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications Angel Javier Cruz, Vice President for Regional TV Oliver Amoroso, Senior Assistant Vice President for Alternative Productions Gigi Santiago-Lara, Assistant Vice President for Business Development Department II Bang Arespacochaga, Assistant Vice President for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy, Assistant Vice President for Talent Imaging and Marketing Simoun Ferrer, and Senior Program Managers Helen Rose Sese, Ruth Mariñas, Mae Zambrano, Mildred Natividad, Cecille de Guzman, Ian Roxas and Charles Koo. During the contract signing held at the boardroom of GMA, Gozon expressed his admiration for the actor’s loyalty toward the network, “As one of

GMA’s most treasured stars, we are honored to be part of your unrivaled accomplishments as an artist.

Even though you are now one of the biggest stars in the country, you remain humble and that’s why we are confident that you will achieve more successes.

Being a homegrown talent of GMA, kami dito sa GMA ay very proud of your achievements and gratified that you’ll continue to be a Kapuso.”

Duavit, on the other hand, had nothing but praise for the GMA star, “We’ve always admired your dedication and commitment to your craft lalonglalo na tuwing napapanood at nasasaksihan namin ang patuloy na pag-evolve mo bilang isang artista, isang host, at isang napakabuting tao. Katuwa-tuwa at nakakataba ng pusong masaksihan ang iyong pag-angat at pagsulong sa iyong career. Sa mga hinaharap na taon, makakaasa ka na nasa likuran mo kaming lahat.”

Rasonable, in turn, expressed her appreciation of the homegrown actor’s professionalism and good heart, “He is loved by all because mahusay siyang makipag-kapwa tao sa lahat ng mga katrabaho niya. Nakikita ng lahat ’yung seriousness niya sa kaniyang ginagawa, ’yung effort and the passion that he pours into his work, so nahahawa niya lahat ng tao sa kanyang paligid. Throughout all these years parehong-pareho, from the first time we worked together in Alakdana until now in The Gift, wala talagang nagbago, kaya siya mahal na mahal ng mga tao.”

Motoring BusinessMirror

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

Editor: Tet Andolong

Friday, September 6, 2019 E1

VOLKSWAGEN INAUGURATES

SANTA ROSA DEALERSHIP V

Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino

OLKSWAGEN Philippines in partnership with the Lica Auto Group, recently inaugurated its newest dealership in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

WITH two service bays and an area for car wash

Situated along the busy automotive row of the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road, this facility marks the Volkswagen Philippines’s eighth branch since it officially started operations in 2013.

As the brand’s first-ever dealership in southern Luzon, it will target mainly the upwardly mobile markets of the Calabarzon area (Region 4A) that encompasses the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon. The region is a booming economic growth corridor populated by nearly 8 million potential customers that fall within the vehicle-buying age demographic of 20 years old and above.

“Establishing our eighth Volkswagen dealership in the country, at the economic epicenter of a developing phenomenon that is the Calabarzon area, was a very easy decision to make.

And in collaboration with the Lica Auto Group, we are able to establish our presence in a very exciting market. Now, the region’s residents and enterprises will have more access to the German engineering, build quality, and driving experience of Volkswagen automobiles and the accompanying Volkswagen aftersales services and support,” said Volkswagen Philippines President Felipe Estrella.

The newly opened Volkswagen Santa Rosa dealership operates under the Lica Auto Group’s Strasbourg Auto Corp., which will showcase and offer Volkswagen’s full product roster: The Santana, Santana GTS, Lavida and Lamando. The facility boasts an all-glass façade attracting more natural daylight.

Inside the spacious display area, the display section could easily fit about six cars. The service area, meantime, has two bays with electric lifters and a carwash area apart from the extra space in the middle.

The Lica Auto Group is a key enterprise of the Manila-based Lica Group that traces its roots in Calabarzon-based real estate,

sugar plantations and banking.

This company, which counts over 50 years of operations, is one of the leading diversified business groups in the Philippines. Its holding company is among the largest automotive sales and businesses in the country. Involved in new/ used-car dealerships, rent-a-car, leasing, parts/equipment distribution and service center stores, the Lica Auto Group now counts a total of 46 full dealerships and 19 satellite showrooms.

“Our first Volkswagen dealer takes the Lica Auto Group to a position of dominance in the auto industry in the southern Luzon area. At the same time, Volkswagen Santa Rosa will be more accessible to buyers and owners in the region,” said Lica Auto Group President Felix Limcaoco III. With Volkswagen made more accessible to one of the Philippines’s most progressive growth areas, the people of Calabarzon will now have access to an affordable German motoring experience. Aside from being much more convenient, this will provide even more opportunities to focus on their own life goals.

Now with eight dealerships strategically located across the Luzon and Visayas regions, more Filipinos now have more reasons to experience for themselves that with Volkswagen, Your Drive Just Got Better.

Volkswagen Philippines operates under AC Motors of Ayala Corp. Its seven other Volkswagen dealers are Volkswagen BGC at 938 28th Street City Center, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City; Volkswagen Quezon Avenue at 1229 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City; Volkswagen Pampanga at McArthur Highway, Dolores, City of San Fernando, Pampanga; Volkswagen Alabang at Madrigal Business Park, Alabang-Zapote Road; Volkswagen Cebu at A. Soriano Avenue, North Reclamation Area, Cebu City; Volkswagen Iloilo (Taft North, Mandurriao, Iloilo City); and Volkswagen Bacolod (along Araneta Street, Singcang, Bacolod City).

THE newly inaugurated Volkswagen dealership in Santa Rosa

VOLKSWAGEN Santa Rosa General Manager Jon Gutierrez (from left), Lica Auto Group EVP/COO Tey Sornet, Santa Rosa City Administrator Atty. Jun Ragaza, Lica Auto Group Managing Director Rene Limcaoco, Laguna Governor Chief of Staff Manuel Alipon, Lica Auto Group Felix Limcaoco III, Volkswagen Philippines President Felipe Estrella, and Volkswagen Philippines Chief Operating Advisor Klaus Schadewald

Moto

Business

E2 Friday, September 6, 2019

(from left) Bengson, Transportify Regional COO and Co-Country Director in the Philippines; Paolo Salapantan, International Key Account Manager for Shell Fleet Solutions; and Noel Abelardo, Transportify Co-Country Director, Head of Sales and Marketing

The unmistakable sleek and grand exterior look of the all-new Hiace Super Grandia

IPC President Hajime Koso and Florencio Sunico Jr. TESDA Regional Director

quilted leather material and four-way power adjust Captain Seats with Ottoman (Elite variant). Toyota Motor Philippines

The Elite variant’s posher dashboard

oring

sMirror

Friday, September 6, 2019

The potent 2.8-liter 1GD-FTV turbodiesel engine

The sleek two-tone and polished design 17-inch alloy wheel

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Motoring BusinessMirror

E4 Friday, September 6, 2019

Enforcement of rules is key at Edsa

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EEMINGLY, there is truth to the rumor that Edsa has long become the nation’s laboratory for traffic testing.

How many Guinea pigs had been “slaughtered” there in a bid to ease snarls that bug Edsa almost seven days a week—if not eight days a week as The Beatles crooned it so beautifully in the ’60s?

Noteworthy for its stupidity was the plan to ban provincial buses from entering Edsa. Had that been carried out, it would have subjected our carless, mostly poor, folks to untold miseries while they grapple for rides upon alighting in either Valenzuela City or Santa Rosa. There were still other so-called remedies—all crazy, if not idiot-inspired—including making Edsa southbound as one-way.

Thank God what is being adopted now is the fielding of many HPGs (Highway Patrol Group personnel) to put order at the country’s busiest highway.

That’s long overdue but fair enough. With HPGs around, enforcement of traffic rules and road laws is observed to the hilt 24/7.

Enforcement: Is that hard to do?

C’mon! All it takes is a little common sense, fellas!

Elijah’s winning speech

THE following is Elijah Marcial’s speech during the recent launch of the All-new Toyota Super Grandia: “Good afternoon, friends in the media. After the long wait since February’s Hiace World Premier, we are so excited to finally unveil the All-new Super Grandia.

“This afternoon, I’ll be talking about current market and sales situations, our target customers, and more important product highlights and other details of the latest addition to our lineup.

“Let’s take a look at the Philippine automotive scene for the past five years. As consumer preference continues to shift and more models become available, the Commercial Vehicle segment has consistently grown, comprising almost 70 percent of the total

ELIJAH MARCIAL

market in the last few years.

“While it is dominated by SUVs and MPVs, the utility van segment maintains a stable 12 percent composition, with volumes peaking almost 4,000 units per month last year. This is largely attributed to increasing needs for public transportation and booming tourism industry nationwide.

“Since 1994, the Hiace has been a dominant leader in the utility van segment. Customers have trusted the Hiace badge from its humble beginnings as a reliable people mover, to a luxurious and comfortable travel sanctuary. Even with more models competing in the segment, the Hi-

ace remains a strong leader with a 55-percent market share.

“Zooming in to the high-grade utility van segment, Grandia’s presence becomes more dominating, reaching 65-percent to 70-percent market share from 2018.

“With its outstanding new design and luxurious features, we are confident that this will be appreciated by our customers: Affluent families as primary target; followed by luxury hotels, resorts and casinos as secondary market.

“For our primary target, we are looking at customers aged 40 to 44 years old, mostly male and married with many kids and an average monthly household in-

come of P220,000 to P240,000.

They will mostly use the Grandia for family use.

“The All-new Grandia embodies grand luxury and hospitality or what the Japanese call omotenashi.

It promises a stress-free drive both for the driver and passenger. It provides a ride experience that resembles first-class travel with its elegant design, luxurious comfort, better engine and suspension system, and top-class safety.

“At Toyota, we believe in making ever better cars and ever better lives. The Toyota Safety Sense is one of the key technologies at the heart of this philosophy. Simply put, TSS is a bundle of active safety features which identify and help drivers eliminate factors that may cause accidents.

“For the new Super Grandia Elite, the TSS package comes with Pre-collision system, Lane Departure Alert, Adaptive Cruise Control and Automatic High Beam. It is the first variant in TMP’s official vehicle lineup which features Toyota Safety Sense.

“With three variants—Fabric, Leather, and the new top-of-theline Elite, the Hiace Super Grandia will be priced from P2.4 million to P2.8 million. It comes in four shades, including Gray Metallic as a fresh addition. We are confident that with all its offerings, the Grandia will further strengthen its market dominance, with 400 new happy customers monthly.

“The last Hiace model change was 15 years ago. And we have come a long way from there. As we introduce the sixth generation All-new Hiace Super Grandia to the Philippine market, we will redefine what it means to travel in

luxury and comfort.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Let us experience a higher level of luxury with the All-new Hiace Super Grandia.

“Thank you and good afternoon.”

Isuzu’s commendable fuel spin

CONGRATULATIONS to Isuzu Philippines Corp. for successfully completing its three-leg fuel economy run featuring the new Isuzu mu-X RZ4E SUV and the D-Max RZ4E pickup, both powered by Isuzu’s latest innovation in diesel engine with Blue Power technology. IPC’s chief publicist Nora Liquido was simply ecstatic over the enthusiasm displayed by the participants. IPC said Vice President for Sales Yasuhiko Oyama: “IPC has always valued, and strove for, not just power and reliability in all its vehicles, but also fuel efficiency. Our RZ4E Blue Power engine exemplifies our effort to produce the most fuelefficient diesel engine, capable of producing more power for less fuel. But fuel efficiency can only be achieved if the driver practices the best habits of fuel-efficient driving. We also aim to educate drivers about practices that could decrease their fuel consumption and to have the same result on efficient driving.”

PEE STOP The Tokyo Motor Show

will unfurl in late October but as early as July, organizers are in a frenzy e-mailing frequent guests, like yours truly, to revisit the biennial event now on its 46th edition. Talk about efficiency and the Japanese are virtually beyond compare.

BLADE MOVIE GOES VIRAL WORLDWIDE A

MOVIE produced by Blade Entertainment, a subsidiary of Blade Autocenter, has gone viral. The romantic comedy movie is a story about a young couple played by Mary Joy Apostol and Akihiro Blanco

who fell in love within 12 days.

Penned by Hannah Miles Roces, Rem Ermita and CJ Santos, the movie 12 Days to Destiny went viral recently by having over 300,000 views on YouTube. According to its producer, Robert S. Tan of Blade,

51 percent of the viewers are from the local market, while the 49 percent are overseas Filipino workers from all over the world. It is seen in countries, such as the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Canada, Germany,

Italy, Spain, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, among others. The movie is directed by CJ Santos. “The movie is 60 minutes in running time and it delves on young love and how the journey of two souls come into fruition,” said Tan.

DAF pre-owned comes with full warranty as standard

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VERY First Choice used vehicle from DAF Trucks under four years old is now supplied with a full manufacturer’s warranty as standard, with no mileage limit. This unique offering in the used truck market further illustrates DAF Trucks’ industry leading quality.

DAF First Choice is the quality label under which DAF offers nearly new trucks.

These DAF trucks are under five years old, have no more than 600,000 kilometers on the clock, look like new and also have a fully documented service history. In addition, these First Choice Trucks have passed more than 200 checks to ensure they are

in top technical condition and can deliver maximum reliability—leading to optimal uptime.

DAF First Choice Trucks that are under four years old now come with a 12-month full manufacturer’s warranty as standard, which, of course, also covers all factory options. First Choice Trucks between four and five years old are supplied with a 12-month warranty on the driveline.

“Supplying a full manufacturer’s warranty as standard for a used truck is unique in the market,” states Marty van den Dungen, sales director at DAF Used Trucks. “We are only able to provide a

guarantee like this because DAF delivers unprecedented quality. A First Choice Truck really is as good as new. In addition to that, not only are DAF’s Euro 6 trucks are more efficient than ever before, but the new owners will also benefit from the lowest toll tariff in Germany and the fact that the trucks are welcome in the lowemission zones introduced in various European cities, industrial areas and ports.”

All First Choice Trucks can be purchased at the attractive finance terms offered by Paccar Financial, and can be supplied with favorable repair and maintenance contracts from DAF MultiSupport.