‘TRABAHO BILL’ TO FORCE SEMICONS TO SHED 140K JOBS–INDUSTRY BLOC
T
HE irony is real—and could be costly. The government’s second tax-reform measure, dubbed the Trabaho bill in the House of Representatives version, will force the semiconductor industry to lay off 140,000 workers once fiscal incentives are rationalized. This is according to Danilo C. Lachica, president of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (Seipi). He added several multinationals are now locating
EMPLOYEES in a semiconductor plant in Laguna Techopark are seen at work in this file photo. The semiconductors industry group said one of the country’s top export revenue earners could be forced to lay off 140,000 workers once fiscal incentives are rationalized under the second round of tax reforms. NONIE REYES
MEDIA PARTNER OF THE YEAR
UNITED NATIONS
2015 ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA AWARD LEADERSHIP AWARD 2008
their expansions outside the country, largely due to the uncertainty of keeping their tax incentives here. In defense of the government, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez stood firm that the Trabaho bill will not result in job losses, as several reform programs of this administration apparently make the country a preferred investment site. “We agree with the reduction of corporate income tax. However, with the current [Trabaho bill] version on the rationalization of
See “Trabaho bill,” A2
BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business
www.businessmirror.com.ph
n
Tuesday, September 18, 2018 Vol. 13 No. 339
Remittances grow 5%, as peso hits 2005 low M
By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM & Bloomberg News
ONEY sent home by Filipino migrant workers in July picked up its pace from the decline in June this year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Monday, as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) based in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany sent more dollars during the month.
The peso may see some support due to the dollar strength seen losing momentum toward the year-end and a seasonal pickup in remittances.” —Teppei Ino, analyst, MUFG Bank in Singapore The report on the slight uptick —5 percent—comes as analysts said the remittances that usually become more copious in the last
By Cai U. Ordinario @cuo_bm
HE House of Representatives suspended the hearing for the 2019 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) on Monday due supposedly to concerns over some projects that will be given to “select” lawmakers. The discussions over these “concerns” grew so heated, however, that at one point, according to one House leader, a certain lawmaker challenged another to a fistfight. House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Rep. Karlo Alexei B. Nograles told reporters on Monday that the budget deliberations remain stalled and there was no assurance that the measure will be deliberated on the floor this week. Nograles said, however, that he and his committee are ready to defend the budget. He said the committee report remained true to the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the President’s economic team. “[Committee report was] approved by the Committee on Appropriations, that was approved by the Rules committee that is now sitting on the desk of each and every congressman on the floor and that is what we will defend on the floor, that is what I will sponsor on the floor, that is what we will debate upon,” Nograles said. “It [the budget] is what the President has submitted, the National Expenditure Program submitted
ANDAYA said the House leadership merely wanted to get to the bottom of reports from around 50 congressmen who alleged there are projects being funded through the NEP for 2019 that they were not aware of. He belied reports that the House leadership wants to cut the budget. He said they are trying to do staff work to verify these reports that the Speaker received not only for the 2019 and 2018 budget. Nonetheless, this “staff work” will not be a reason to stall the budget deliberations. “It [staff work on projects]can only improve it [budget]. If ever there’s a relevant suggestion, then we can put it in the spirit of the amendment. It doesn’t necessarily have to stop. So it’s just business as usual,” Andaya said. “Definitely [pass new budget] and the same amount. No slashing whatsoever.”
‘Spirited debate’
ANDAYA said the “spirited debate” that ensued between him and
Manny B. Villar
THE ENTREPRENEUR
T
HE Philippine economy is thriving because of solid fundamentals in place. It may have “paused” when economic growth slowed down to 6 percent in the second quarter of 2018, but it remains resilient amid the trade war involving the US, China and member-states of the European Union, and the gyrations in the world financial markets. The economic managers should be commended for righting the ship at a time when the inflation rate seems to be accelerating and the merchandise trade swelling because of rising imports and slowing exports. Continued on A6
See “Remittances,” A2
Econ managers, BBB team gear up for key briefing By Rea Cu
@ReaCuBM
M SEN. Joseph Victor G. Ejercito (left), who chairs the Committee on Health and Demography, poses questions to Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III during the 2019 proposed budget hearing for the Department of Health and its attached agencies on Monday. Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon led several senators in denouncing planned cuts in the DOH budget, which could lay off some 15,000 health workers. Full story on A2. ROY DOMINGO
8 months on, BOI still 60% off target of P680B By Elijah Felice E. Rosales @alyasjah
T
HE Board of Investments (BOI) is still 60 percent away from its P680-billion target this year, as commitments to the agency declined double digits from Januar y to August. In a document obtained by the BusinessMirror, investment pledges to the BOI fell 17.3 percent to P269.34 billion for the first eight months, from P325.78 billion during the same period last year. With only four months left, the BOI is still 60.4 percent away from its investment target of P680 billion for the year. Likewise, investments applied to the Philippine Economic
₧269.34B
The investment pledges to the BOI for the first eight months, down 17.3 percent from P325.78 billion in the same period last year Zone Authority (Peza) crashed 58.1 percent to P77.41 billion, from P184.74 billion last year. The Peza is suffering from depletion of pledges due to uncertainty brought about by the impending rationalization of tax incentives. Further, onshore investment pledges fell 34.7 percent to P287.8 billion in the eightmonth period, from P440.67 billion during the same stretch last
year. Foreign investments also slowed 15.6 percent to P58.95 billion, from P69.84 billion in the previous year. The country’s top source of foreign investments also went down double digits. Fresh projects from Japan declined 33.5 percent to P14.85 billion, from P22.33 billion last year. On the other hand, commitments from American firms grew 49.8 percent to P7.73 billion, from P5.16 billion last year. Indonesi a a nd Ma l aysi a were the third- and fourthlargest origins of foreign investments at P6.44 billion and P6.22 billion, respectively. However, freshprojectsfromSingapore(12.5 percent), the Netherlands (65.5 percent), China (8.5 percent), the Continued on A8
EMBERS of the Duterte administration’s economic and “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) teams are set to update economists and members of the regional financial community this week on the Philippines’s economic performance, developments in the fiscal sector and the status of the government’s infrastructure program. Led by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, the Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB) will be held on Tuesday (September 18, 2018) at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Complex in Pasay City. The briefing will also include updates on the New Clark City, which is being developed by the government as the country’s next big metropolis and agro-industrial hub. The finance chief will deliver the keynote address at the PEB, which will be opened by BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia will provide an update on the Philippines’slatest economic performance and the Duterte administration’s socioeconomic priorities for 2018 and onward during the PEB. Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno will then present the fiscal strategy and reforms in the budgeting system that the Executive branch wants implemented to ensure prudent spending and prompt disbursement of public funds. Espenilla will discuss the BSP’s fiscal reforms and developments in the
Continued on A8
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 54.0110
BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR
President Duterte trusts his economic managers
by the President, it was translated into the General Appropriations Bill that I am ready to sponsor and defend,” he added. However, Majority Leader Rep. Rolando G. Andaya Jr. said the budget deliberations will continue on Tuesday. He said this is in line with the House leadership’s aim of passing the 2019 budget within the year.
Reports of ‘insertions’
2016 EJAP JOURNALISM AWARDS
P25.00 nationwide | 4 sections 20 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
Verbal tiff of lawmakers, concerns over projects stall budget talks in House
T
incentives, I am concerned about the real possibility of multinationals eventually moving out of the Philippines,” Lachica told the BusinessMirror. “As it is, there have been companies who have made decisions to expand outside the Philippines because of the uncertainties with the incentives they have been given. The life blood of the electronics industry is in new products, which would prevent obsolescence and eventual ramp-down,
n JAPAN 0.4822 n UK 70.6140 n HK 6.8841 n CHINA 7.8642 n SINGAPORE 39.3236 n AUSTRALIA 38.6341 n EU 62.7878 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.4006
See “Briefing,” A2
Source: BSP (17 September 2018 )
News
BusinessMirror
A2 Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Foreign biz backs longer Trabaho bill discussions
F
By Elijah Felice E. Rosales
@alyasjah
OREIGN business chambers are in favor of a delayed passage of the second tax-reform measure to provide lawmakers and stakeholders more time to discuss the disputed provisions of the bill. Julian H. Payne of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (CanCham) said his group is rallying behind senators in their move to further study the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities (Trabaho) bill. Senators last week admitted it will be difficult to fasttrack the passage of the second taxreform measure. They said time constraints and the need to dig deep into the controversial content of the bill make it doubly hard to turn it into a law by December, as desired by President Duterte. However, Payne argued the delay is understandable, as it will give lawmakers and businessmen the leeway to talk things through. “In this respect, a delay in approval to allow more time for an open and constructive discussion with affected stakeholders will be beneficial and will hopefully facilitate broad-based support for the
Remittances. . . Continued from A1
quarter of the year are seen to provide the break badly needed to arrest the slide of the battered peso. The peso has been caught in the maelstrom engulfing emergingmarket assets with the currency among the biggest losers in Asia this year, dropping almost 8 percent. Remittances, which totaled $28 billion last year, are the nation’s largest source of foreign exchange after exports. Data from the Central Bank showed cash remittances from OFWs coursed through banks hit $2.4 billion in July this year—up from the $2.36 billion in the previous month and the $2.28 billion in the same month last year. In terms of growth, cash remittances grew 5 percent in July 2018 compared to the volume of cash remittances in July 2017. This is a recovery from the 4.5-percent decline in remittances seen in June. More than 10 million overseas Filipinos are preparing to send record amounts of money home for the Christmas and New Year holidays—a period when remittances pick up—with analysts from MUFG Bank Ltd. and Standard Chartered Plc. saying those funds will help ease pressure on the currency. The peso, which on Monday sank to a 2005-low of 54.19 per dollar, strengthened in the fourth quarter last year and in every December in the past four years. Since 2009 the highest monthly remittances value was in every December, and last year’s $2.7 billion inflow in the month was the largest ever, according to Central Bank data. “The peso may see some support due to the dollar strength seen losing momentum toward the year-end and a seasonal pickup in remittances,” said Teppei Ino, an analyst at MUFG Bank in Singapore. The bank forecast the currency to trade at 53.75 per dollar by the end of the year.
Still below projection
THE July remittance grow th brought the average expansion
reform essential to its implementation,” said Payne, president and CEO of CanCham, in a text message to the BusinessMirror. The CanCham is particularly concerned about the impact of the Trabaho bill on several investment areas, including business-process outsourcing, manufacturing and mining. He said these three industries will most likely bear the brunt of the second tax-reform measure. “These are three areas with great potential for increasing employment outside the NCR [National Capital Region] and for additional tax revenue needed for the ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure program, which CanCham also supports,” Payne added. The Trabaho bill—the second package of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program—will reduce corporate-income tax (CIT) to 25 percent, from 30 percent. It will also rationalize fiscal incentives granted to locators in economic of remittances in the first seven months of the year to 3 percent. While this is an improvement from the average growth in the previous month, it is still below the government’s 4-percent remittance growth projection for 2018. This means that remittances should consistently be growing by at least about 5.4 percent in the next five months to reach this projection. The average growth of remittances in the January-to-July period last year was at 5 percent. The BSP said that, by country source, the primary contributors to the growth in cash remittances for the month were the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany—more than compensating for the remittances coming in from the Middle East. In June the Central Bank attributed the decline in remittances to lower cash remittances from previous remittance-heavy countries, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Repatriation
OFFICIALS said the OFW repatriation program of the government “may have partly affected the remittance flows for the month.” During the first two months of 2018, a total of 4,149 OFWs were repatriated from UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Still, for the first seven months of the year, the BSP said more than 79 percent of the total cash remittances came from the following countries: the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, Japan, UK, Qatar, Canada, Germany and Hong Kong. In terms of deployment, cash remittances sent by land-based workers grew 4.5 percent to $1.9 billion during the month while those from sea-based workers expanded by 7.8 percent to $511 million. Personal remittances, meanwhile, or remittances measured in both cash and in kind, reached $2.7 billion in July, up by 4.5 percent from the same month last year. In 2017 remittances to the Philippines accounted for 10 percent of gross domestic product and 8.3 percent of gross national income.
zones, which will make the perks time-bound.
‘Unintended consequences’
HOWEVER, the CanCham chief clarified his group is in favor of reforming the country’s tax structure sans the “unintended consequences.” He specified the lowering of CIT as one provision the chamber supports. “A reform of the Philippine tax system is essential and urgently needed for long-term sustained economic and inclusive social development of the country. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines supports the initiative by the administration to proceed with tax reform as a priority,” Payne said. “In particular, it supports a significant reduction in corporate income tax in a phased approach, starting earlier in 2019 and down lower to the Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] average of about 20 percent. However, it is
important that tax reforms do not have unintended consequences, including discouraging foreign and domestic investments,” he added. On the other hand, John D. Forbes of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) said the senators cannot be blamed if the Trabaho bill goes beyond the President’s desired timetable. “I cannot second-guess the senators who have pointed to a crowded agenda and too little time for hearings from the many stakeholders and the plenary debate. But the President is asking for passage before Christmas, which is about eight weeks of session,” said Forbes, senior advisor of AmCham, in a text message to the BusinessMirror. He added it is difficult to identify yet if it will make any difference should the Trabaho bill be passed next year. “That depends on the final version of the bill, which is not yet known,” he explained.
A reform of the Philippine tax system is essential and urgently needed for long-term sustained economic and inclusive social development of the country.... However, it is important that tax reforms do not have unintended consequences, including discouraging foreign and domestic investments.”—Payne Typhoon Mangkhut
THERE would be little impact from Typhoon Mangkhut on the peso, with US tariffs and other news driving the currency more this week, said Irene Cheung, foreignexchange strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group in Singapore. Local data, such as July remittances and August balance of payments, are also watched by traders and investors, she said. On Saturday the typhoon tore across the Philippines’s northern island, killing more than 50 people, many of them in landslides, according to the government. Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. on Monday said the Central Bank is committed to continue with strong monetary actions to secure the 2019 inflation target and also to prevent excessive peso volatility. He has delivered 100 basis points of rate increases since May and has also reactivated a hedging program to support the peso. “Given the bearish emergingmarkets environment and nearterm external risks around trade tariffs, we are neutral on the peso, but remain relatively optimistic on the currency’s prospects in coming months,” Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts Jonathan Sequeira, Danny Suwanapr uti and Andrew Tilton said in a September 10 note. They said the peso is still about 10 percent undervalued relative to its fair value of 49 per dollar, according to the bank’s GSDEER model, which takes productivity and terms of trade differentials into account. Remittances probably rose 5.1 percent in July from a year earlier, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists, ahead of data due on Monday. Growth was 2.7 percent in the first six months of the year.
Brief rally?
ANY relief rally in the peso could be brief as investors remain cautious over the nation’s worsening current-account deficit. The shortfall was $3.1 billion in the first half of the year, matching the Central Bank’s forecast for the full year.
“The nation’s current-account deficit is unlikely to turn to a surplus anytime soon, and that’s making it hard to expect an appreciation trend for the peso,” Ino said. The prospect for more interestrate increases by the Central Bank could also support the currency. ING Groep NV and Capital Economics Ltd. were among those predicting a rate hike this month. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has delivered 100 basis points of rate increases since May, including a 50-basispoint hike just in August. The Central Bank plans to use some of those remittances to gradually bolster its foreign-exchange reserves, Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo has said. “We expect some recovery in the peso ahead of year-end, driven by a seasonal pickup in remittances,” said Divya Devesh, head of Asean and South Asia FX research at Standard Chartered in Singapore. “Monetary policy has also turned more supportive. Any recovery is only likely to be temporary.” Standard Chartered expects the peso to recover to 53 per dollar at year-end.
Briefing. . . Continued from A1
monetary and financial sector, while updates on the New Clark City project will be presented by Vivencio B. Dizon, the president and CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority. Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade and Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar will separately brief the PEB participants about the status of the BBB program. Dominguez said earlier that, despite the Philippines’s restrained economic performance in the second quarter, the country continues to be among the bestperforming economies in Asia on the strength of higher foreign direct investment inflows and rising capital formation.
www.businessmirror.com.ph
₧36-B cut from DOH budget to shed 15K jobs of health workers By Butch Fernandez
S
@butchfBM
ENATORS took up the cudgels on Monday for 15,000 health workers about to be rendered jobless after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) cut P36 billion in the Department of Health’s (DOH) 2019 budget. The budget’s reduction, from P107 billion down to P71 billion, affects DOH field workers with funding for health human-resources deployment slashed from P9.59 billion in 2018 to P1.17 billion next year. Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon warned, “15,000 nurses and health professionals will be on the streets while we are evaluating,” when senators were informed by DBM Director Jane V. Abella at a hearing that the fund was transferred to the Miscellaneous and Personnel Benefit Fund (MPBF) pending review by the DBM and the Commission on Civil Service. “Can you imagine the effect of this on our 15,000 health workers and their performance? What kind of planning is this?” asked Drilon. The Senate Minority Leader asserted it was “not correct to transfer the funds of active government health personnel to MPBF,” voicing fears the fund will not be released “without Malacañang’s clearance.” Drilon added: “If we will just follow the proposed budget of the Department of Health, about 15,000 nurses and health professionals will lose their jobs.” After grilling DBM officials during the Senate hearing on the proposed P71-billion budget of the DOH, Drilon declared, “This is a very serious concern.” “I have not seen in my 20 years
Trabaho bill. . .
if not shutdown, of the company and the collateral loss of jobs,” he added. The Trabaho bill, or the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities, is the second package of this administration’s fiscal reform program. On one end, it will bring down corporate-income tax to 25 percent from 30 percent, and on the other will rationalize fiscal incentives given to locators in economic zones. Foreign chambers of commerce earlier noted that among the top locators in these eco zones are the electronics and semiconductors firms, as well as business-process outsourcing, adding that these are among the country’s biggest export revenue earners. Estimates provided by Lachica put job losses to as many as 140,000 in the semiconductor industry. He added it could even go beyond that figure, as this does not account for indirect jobs reliant on the industry. “The initial estimate of loss of employment by fifth year of current version of the [Trabaho bill] is up to 140,000 direct jobs, plus additional indirect jobs dependent on the industry,” Lachica said.
Need to stay competitive
THE Seipi chief argued tax incentives are needed for the country to stay on a par with its Asian competitors. Apart from this, he said multinationals want the government to retain the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) as their point agency for investment needs. “Incentives are important to remain competitive with the other Asian countries for foreign direct investments. Being mostly exporters, multinationals would also like to see that Peza remains as their one-stop shop for business needs,”
“I have not seen in my 20 years in the Senate that a budget is slashed this much, and the budget of the DOH at that.... This is injustice and I will not allow the budget to be passed unless this injustice is addressed.”—Drilon
in the Senate that a budget is slashed this much, and the budget of the DOH at that,” said Drilon. “This is injustice and I will not allow the budget to be passed unless this injustice is addressed.” Taking the floor at Monday’s plenary session, Sen. Grace Poe also tackled the DOH budget cut, citing dire implications on effective delivery of government’s health services, “particularly for mother and infant nutrition.” Poe conceded it could be an uphill battle to restore the cuts, but urged the Senate to ensure the DOH fund is kept intact in the 2019 budget. At the same time, Sen. Risa Hontiveros also committed to back efforts to “fully restore massive cuts” in the DOH budget. “This is a massive setback in our goal to provide our people universal health care,” the senator said, lamenting that “a significantly lower budget for DOH’s Human Resources Development program would mean less doctors, nurses, dentists and midwives to be deployed in rural areas and poor communities.” Hontiveros warned that “less health workers means less health services,” adding that “less health services means less opportunities for Filipinos to lead healthy lives.”
Continued from A1
Lachica explained. The Trabaho bill will create the Fiscal Incentives Regulatory Board to be chaired by the finance chief. The proposed committee will be in charge of granting fiscal incentives to registered enterprises upon the recommendation of investmentpromotion agencies. In disputing the industry’s fears, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told the BusinessMirror, “It is not certain that it will lead to job losses, but we shall continue to attract potential investors even under the proposed set of incentives, which are enhanced, modernized, made more performancebased and time-bound.” He added: “The lowering of the corporate income-tax rate, as well as the recognized robust growth momentum and strong macroeconomic fundamentals of the country today and the other liberalization and reform measures, including the aggressive infrastructure development program, continue to make our country a preferred investment destination.” Lopez also argued that the rationalization of fiscal incentives will compel firms to become more efficient. “The provisions in the bill are still being deliberated, and I believe that the final structure is one that will support more strategic, innovative and performance-oriented companies,” he explained. The semiconductor industry is the country’s top-performing export sector, accounting for more than half of the Philippine merchandise export pie. Last year electronics exports grew an all-timehigh 11 percent to $32.7 billion, from $29.4 billion in 2016. The semiconductor industry also employs an estimated 3.2 million direct and indirect workers. Elijah Felice E. Rosales
www.businessmirror.com.ph
briefs GENSAN, MIDSAYAP POLICE CHIEFS AXED
NATIONAL Police chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde relieved on Monday the chiefs of police of Midsayap, North Cotabato, and General Santos City following terrorist bombings in their areas. Chief Insp. Patrich Elma and Supt. Manuel Cadungon were sacked as police chiefs of General Santos City and Midsayap, respectively, following the successive blasts in their areas of jurisdiction. Elma was replaced by Senior Insp. Davis Dulawan, while Cadungon was replaced by Supt. Joan Maganto. “Because of [the bombings], again, we reminded our regional directors in Mindanao area to strengthen their target hardening measures,” Albayalde said, adding the police officials should also intensify their intelligencegathering operations in order to stop the spate of bombings. Rene Acosta
DEPED TO G.S.I.S.: WRITE OFF LOAN INTEREST THE Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday assured teaching and nonteaching personnel that the department has taken steps to address the problem of undeducted Government Service Insurance Service (GSIS) loans that reportedly resulted in the imposition of penalties, surcharges and compounded accrued interest. Understanding the difficulty being faced by affected member-borrowers who want to fully or partially settle their outstanding loans, the DepEd has appealed to the GSIS to reconsider the payment of accumulated interests over the years. “The DepEd has written the GSIS, appealing for the extension of the September 30, 2018, deadline to December 31, 2018, for all member-borrowers to update and settle their past due accounts such that penalties and surcharges on their past due loans may be waived,” Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones said in a news statement. In addition, the DepEd has requested the GSIS for condonation of compounded accrued interest on past loans. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
The Nation BusinessMirror
Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Tuesday, September 18, 2018 A3
Bulacan court convicts Palparan, 2 others for disappearance of 2 UP coeds in 2006
T
By Joel R. San Juan
@jrsanjuan1573
HE Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Malolos, Bulacan, on Monday sentenced retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito S. Palparan Jr. and two other Army officers to reclusion perpetua, or a maximum of 40 years in jail, for their role in the disappearance of two University of the Philippines (UP) students in 2006. Aside from Palparan, also found guilty of kidnapping and serious illegal detention under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code were Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado Jr. and S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio. They were also ordered to pay P300,000 each in civil indemnity and moral damages to the families of UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño. “All things considered, the evidence of the prosecution indubitably proved beyond reasonable doubt that the aforementioned elements of kidnapping and serious illegal detention obtain in the two cases at bar and the three accused should be penalized accordingly,” the decision read. Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque Jr. said Malacañang welcomes lower court verdict, adding: “We want justice to be done
to the victims.” Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra, for his part, said, “Justice may come a bit late, but it does come. Let’s believe in that.” Carlos H. Conde, Asia Division researcher of Human Rights Watch, noted that the “ruling came after a long and agonizing struggle for justice by the families and supporters of the two activists, who remain missing. It rekindles hope among the families of many other victims human-rights violations, now and in the past. It should also serve as a reminder to state security forces that justice and the law will catch up with them sooner or later.” The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), which provided legal assistance to the families of Capadan and Empeño, praised the court for its ruling which may serve as a
warning to human-rights violators. “[Palparan’s] conviction sends the message that cocky perpetrators of hideous human-rights violations will meet their match in the fortitude of the mothers, the strength of the mass movement, the courage of human-rights defenders and the value of good lawyering for the people,” the NUPL said in a news statement. Palparan was arrested by a composite team of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Armed Forces’ Naval Intelligence Group in August 2014 after three years in hiding. He was arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by the Malolos RTC in 2011 in connection with the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of Empeño and Cadapan, who are believed to be already dead. They were abducted from a house in Barangay San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan, on June 26, 2006. In indicting Palparan for kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges, the Department of Justice held that he had a direct hand in the detention of the two UP students based on the testimony of Raymond Manalo, a farmer. Manalo and his brother Reynaldo were also abducted by alleged military officers from their respective houses in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, in 2006. He said they were detained for more than one year in various military camps in Southern Luzon before managing to escape
on August 13, 2007. During their detention, Manalo said he met and managed to talk to the two missing UP students, who were also being detained by Palparan’s men. Raymond further narrated that she saw Cadapan and Empeño being subjected to torture by their captors. The Court of Appeals had ruled in 2007 that his testimony was “clear, consistent and convincing” as it ordered the Armed Forces to produce the bodies of the students. “While we celebrate the guilty verdict on these charges, we also recognize that the battle to bring justice to the victims... has not come to an end.” Rev. Erwin Egar of Karapatan Southern Tagalog said in a news statement following Palparan’s conviction by the Bulacan court. “This legal victory has reminded us to continue to seek justice for the humanrights violations perpetrated by the military in honor of the life of peasant leader Eddie Gumanoy, and our fellow human rights worker Eden Marcellana, among other victims of extrajudicial killing under Palparan’s orchestration.” he added. On April 22, 2003, the bodies of Karapatan Southern Tagalog Secretary-General Marcellana, and Katipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan Chairman Eddie Gumanoy were found in Bansud, Mindoro Oriental. They were part of a factfinding mission in Gloria, Mindoro, when the group was reportedly taken by soldiers.
A4
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Economy BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Tuesday, September 18, 2018 A5
Farm loss after Ompong breaches P14-billion mark–DA By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas
T
HE Department of Agriculture (DA) is mulling over the importation of at least 200,000 metric tons (MT) of corn following the devastation wrought by Typhoon Ompong in Northern Luzon, even as the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) projected a 4.1-percent palay output decline in the third quarter to 3.25 million metric tons
from last year’s 3.39 MMT due to typhoons. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said the 90-percent wipeout of corn farms in Northern Luzon, which includes Cagayan Valley, the country’s top cornproducing region, may prompt the government to import the grain.
Total losses
FARMERS incurred losses amounting to P14.27 billion as Typhoon Ompong affected about 553,704 hectares in the Cordillera Ad ministrat ive Region, Regions 1, 2, 3 and 4A with an estimated production loss of 731,294 MT, according to the latest DA report. T he re p or t a d d ed rice accounted for 62.82 percent of the recorded production loss at a total of amount of P8.97 billion with 212,491 farmers affected. T he a f fe c te d a r eas were estimated to reach 995,218 hectares which had an estimated 435,997-MT output, which is equivalent to 8.64 days of the country’s daily rice requirement, according to the DA.
553,704 has The total area of farmlands in CAR, Regions 1, 2, 3 and 4A affected following the Typhoon Ompong’s devastation, according to the DA
“Provinces heavily affected include Nueva Ecija in Region 3, still amounting to P2.84 billion, followed by Cagayan in Region 2 with P2.77 billion,” it said in its latest damage assessment report on Monday. Corn farmers incurred losses amounting to P4.5 billion as Typhoon Ompong wiped out about 148,587 hectares of farms with an estimated output of 281,039 metric tons. “[Agriculture] suffered a major blow from [Typhoon] Ompong. We are seeing what we feared most—the worst-case scenario of between P11 billion and P12 billion worth of damage,” Pinol told the BusinessMirror. “The rice sector could recover but we lost 90 percent of corn [production]. We may need to import corn to fill-up the shortage,” he added. Piñol said the he is looking at an initial 200,000MT corn imports but added that he is still “exploring” the best way to bring in the volume that would not harm local farmers. Piñol also assured corn farmers that if the government pushes through with the importation it would not be duty-free. “We can’t do that. It will jeopardize our corn program,” he said when asked if the imports
would be at zero tariff. “This is a shortterm problem, hence, a short-term solution,” Piñol said.
Rice supply projection
MEANWHILE, the PSA’s latest rice forecast as of August 1 is also 2.1 percent lower than the 3.32 MMT output it projected in July. “Probable drop in palay production may be attributed to the effect of southwest monsoon or habagat in July, during the reproductive and maturing stages of the crop in most provinces of Northern Luzon,” the PSA said in its latest output forecast published recently. “[The] bulk of the decrement may come from Nueva Ecija. Moreover, recent typhoons Henry, Inday and Josie may affect the output in Pampanga and Tarlac,” it added. The PSA estimates that palay harvest area in the July-to-September period would shrink by 3.3 percent to 824,493 hectares, from 852,630 has last year. Likewise, yield per hectare is expected to decrease to 3.94 MT per hectare, from 3.98 MT per hectare, according to the PSA. “On the stand ing crop, around 101,960 hectares, or 12.4 percent, had been harvested,” it said. “More than half [73.9 percent] of the 2.011 [million] hectares of standing crop were still at vegetative stage, about 17.6 percent at reproductive stage, and the remaining 8.5 percent at maturing stage,” it added.
The PSA said about 66.8 percent of the farmers’ planting intentions for fourth quarter or about 1.289 million hectares have been already planted. Furthermore, the PSA estimates that total corn harvest in the July-toSeptember period would decline by 16 percent to 2.176 MMT, from last year’s 2.589 MMT recorded output. The PSA said harvest area may decrease by 11.38 percent to 783,600 hectares, from 884,210 hectares last year. Likewise, yield per hectare may decline, from 2.93 MT per hectare to 2.78 MT per hectare. “The probable cut-back in corn production may also be attributed to the effect of habagat which may pull down the yield in Negros Oriental, South Cotabato and Sarangani,” the PSA said. “Yield may decrease in Cebu due to insufficient soil moisture during vegetative stage of corn. Decrement of corn area in Oriental Mindoro was caused by flood from typhoon Josie last July,” the PSA added. The PSA said as of August 1 around 148,850 hectares or about 19 percent of the standing crops have been harvested. Almost half of the 1.195 million hectares of the standing crop were at vegetative stage, while about 29 percent and 24.6 percent were at reproducive and maturing stage, respectively. “With reference to the farmers’ planting intentions for October-December 2018, about 560,000 hectares [81.9 percent] have been planted,” the PSA said.
Govt spent ₧5B to subsidize power, steam, air-con companies in 2016
F
ILIPINO taxpayers extended P5 billion worth of subsidies to companies engaged in electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Subsidies are special grants from the government in the form of financial assistance, tax exemption or tax privilege to help develop an industry. Based on the preliminary results of the
2016 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI), the PSA said businesses based in Eastern Visayas received the highest subsidy estimated at P891.4 million, or 17.8 percent of the total.
“ T his was fol lowed by Centra l Visayas and Caraga with subsidies amounting to P817.5 million [16.4 percent] and P788.2 million [15.8 percent], respectively,” the PSA said. Cai. U. Ordinario
Unexpected consequences of data privacy regulations 2. Roadblocks for blockchain data storage DPR could impact the decisions and data sets being stored and collected in emerging private and public blockchains. This may create roadblocks for companies looking to embrace blockchain to store any data that may fall under DPR. 3. Opt-in fatigue One of the most unexpected consequences of DPR is the wave of new regulations in jurisdictions outside around the world. Another unintended impact is “check the box” fatigue where opt-in consent language is presented so frequently on web sites and apps that consumers don’t read the consents and just check the box, waiving their privacy rights. 4. Poor customer service One DPR by-product distortion or unintended consequence is excessive regulation leading to poor customer service. The pendulum has swung too far and will be moderated by citizen feedback.
T
By Henry J. Schumacher
HE Philippines and the European Union have taken steps in protecting the data and privacy of its residents. Through the enactment of the Data Privacy Act (DPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), people are now able to have the protection they are looking for online. This means changes for businesses everywhere that are planning to reach consumers in the Philippines, the EU and many other countries. Companies need to look at the way that they are handling the personal data of their customers and have an action plan in place to ensure their privacy is protected. Without a strong understanding of what the DPA and the GDPR mean and how they affect your business, you could find yourself in a situation with the Philippine Privacy Commission (NPC) or EU Regulators that you didn’t count on. Some businessmen discuss some of the more unexpected consequences of the new data privacy protection regulation. Here’s what they had to say: 1. Restriction of privacy and innovation Data privacy regulations (DPR) will restrict—not enhance—privacy, freedom and innovation. The result will be regions of noncompliance, enormous expense and uncertainty.
5. Small businesses getting hurt The companies that are best prepared for DPR are the big ones—those that have the money to pour into their tech and legal teams for ultimate compliance. The small and medium-sized businesses, however, may be less prepared, making them more vulnerable to potential fines and penalties. 6. The slow death of free services If a service is free, then your data is the product. We all love using Facebook, YouTube and the many other social-media platforms. However, we fail to realize how these businesses operate. If regulations strangle business, then the alternative is a paid model. 7. Photography being part of DPR Unexpectedly, photography at work and school is also a part of DPR. Even if you have asked for consent of employees, parents and students in advance, every depicted person now has a right to ask for photo removal. Companies have to make sure all copies of personal information can be accessed at a moment’s notice, with ongoing assessment and auditable accountability across all systems. 8. C-suite becoming responsible for data security DPR marks the first time that multiple key departments must be in sync to achieve effective management, especially in light of Gartner’s Integrated Risk Management spectrum, which defines three risk types: strategic, operational and information technology. Historically, IT has been responsible for data security and network protection, but DPR’s requirements make this a C-suite affair. This is a whole new
ball game that many didn’t see coming. 9. Restricted technology access for citizens For example, most apps in Apple and Android app stores collect some kind of personal information, and most of these developers are too small to manage these regulations. 10. Reduced ability to track cybercrime An unexpected consequence of the DPR regulation involves the reduced ability to track and detect cybercriminals. Web domain registration details such as name, address and contacts of domain owners have been crucial in linking malicious sites to hackers. Unfortunately, this outcome was never foreseen since the regulation focused on protecting the consumer data without explaining how malicious users and activities would be addressed. 11. More meaningful customer engagement Companies with insincere marketing techniques have encountered problems with DPR. However, the overall effect on the industry is positive, as companies are now forced to have meaningful interactions with their customers. Really engaged customers are far more valuable than uninterested ones. If someone has accepted your services they will interact more, and your marketing efforts will become more effective. 12. Increased value of first-party data As DPR compliance has taken a hold not only across the Philippines but across the globe, the value of first-party data has grown exponentially, while third-party data becomes a commodity. First-party data is not only being leveraged to drive personalized experiences, but we’re seeing consumers now expect hyper-personalized brand interactions in exchange for the detailed information they provide brands. Despite the critical views expressed by businessmen, organizations have no choice but to ensure they have the right framework in place for data privacy protection and gather relevant information from all corners of their organization and then act on it. To achieve that and monitor the behavior of staff in their organization, automation is needed. The tool is available in the Philippines. The software that allows this to happen and is capable to guide you throughout the journey of data privacy protection is called “Data Protection Management System” or short DPMS. We would love to help you design a fully riskbased approach to compliance.
Contact me at Schumacher@eitsc.com.
A6 Tuesday, September 18, 2018 • Editor: Angel R. Calso
Opinion BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
editorial
Another kind of inflation
I
NFLATION surged to a nine-year high this month, and the peso slumped to its lowest level against the dollar since 2005 last week.
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said government policy-makers are focusing on the longer-term inflation outlook. “We have to take a long-term view, because if not, every little bump becomes a major crisis.” In other words, they are saying there is no need to panic, something that is easier said than done for many of our workers whose wages cannot keep up with the fast-rising prices of food and other household expenses. The administration’s economic managers have already recommended inflation-mitigating measures to President Duterte, who is expected to sign an executive order this month to implement them. Whether such measures could, indeed, contain inflation and promote price stability, which is essential to bolstering confidence in the economy, is another matter that we will just have to hope for. An increase in inflation always has a painful effect on lower and fixed income households, those who don’t have any discretionary spending to speak of, and they comprise the majority of the Philippine populace. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, price stability supports growth because it allows households and businesses to plan ahead and arrive at better-informed decisions concerning their consumption, investment, savings and production needs. Stable prices also allow export firms to price their products competitively, reducing the risks related to increases in the prices of raw materials. For most Filipinos, though, inflation needs no explanation. We already feel it on a deeply personal level, how inflation has been adding to our expenses and making our purses thinner. And there is another kind of inflation that does not necessarily involve spikes in the Consumer Price Index, on which the standard measure of inflation is based. For instance, have you ever gone to your favorite restaurant or fast-food joint, ordered your favorite dish on the menu, and gotten something inferior to what you were used to? Is the portion size less than how you remembered it or are there missing ingredients compared to how it was served before? Does the dish taste less or look starkly different to how it is pictured or advertised? Have you noticed that your favorite pan de sal has gotten smaller or less filling even if you may still be paying the same amount for each piece? Are you still paying the same for a packet of instant noodles but each bundle now comes with less grams? Is there more air now to that bag of chips than before? Are those snacks and juices coming out in different, supposedly “greener” but subtly smaller, packages? It’s not just food commodities. Have you noticed that your home appliances are not lasting longer? In terms of services, is our money buying less, or are we now paying for services that used to be free? If we are paying more for goods and services not because of price increases but because we are actually getting lesser quality or smaller portions than usual, then we are victims of this other kind of inflation, called stealth inflation. Stealth inflation is not indicated through actual price increases but through less discernible cutbacks in the quantity or volume of the commodity, or the quality of service, for which one is paying the same price as before. If manufacturers and service providers are not resorting to tangible increases in their selling prices, they could very well be resorting instead to content or quality reduction in products and services. There is certainly abundant anecdotal evidence that this kind of short selling is happening. The same economic managers watching the country’s inflation rate should also make use of government agencies to check the accuracy, quality and consistency of products and services. They should be watchful of stealth inflation or indirect consumer price increases through subtle content reductions, which are not so readily perceptible in their standard computations. They must make sure Filipinos are getting value for their money, especially since our pesos can only buy so much nowadays.
Since 2005
BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business ✝ Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Founder Publisher Editor in Chief Associate Editor News Editor Senior Editors
THE ENTREPRENEUR Continued from A1
T
HE country’s economic managers, led by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr., Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia and Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno are performing their task well, and it is a good thing that President Duterte is keeping his distance from the team. With President Duterte allowing the economic managers to run the economy with hardly any interference, the Philippines has broadly stayed within the growth target range laid out in the medium-term period. Our debt and other financial ratios are very manageable and remain consistent with our economic growth trajectory. The ordinary newspaper reader, however, may be alarmed upon learning that the country’s balance of payments widened by 168 percent in the first seven months of the year to $3.7 billion from a shortfall of $1.38 billion registered a year ago. The BOP data should not be taken in a negative context. The BOP deficit increased largely because of the widening merchandise trade gap that, in turn, is caused by
the sustained rise in imports of raw materials and capital goods. Increased imports, especially of capital goods, will later translate into expanded production from factories that will sustain the economic growth. The merchandise trade deficit, according to the latest statistics of the Philippine Statistics Authority, hit $19.1 billion in the first half, up 62.6 percent, from the $11.7-billion gap a year earlier. Imports increased 13.2 percent in the six-month period to $51.8 billion, while exports fell 3.8 percent to $32.7 billion. Despite the yawning BOP deficit, the gross international reserves still stood at $76.72 billion as of endJuly. The Bangko Sentral says the figure represents “more than ample liquidity buffer and is equivalent to 7.4 months’ worth of imports of
Economic ignorance
Lourdes M. Fernandez
John Mangun
Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Efleda P. Campos Dennis D. Estopace Ruben M. Cruz Jr. Angel R. Calso
Creative Director Chief Photographer
Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes Judge Pedro T. Santiago (Ret.) Benjamin V. Ramos Adebelo D. Gasmin Marvin Nisperos Estigoy Aldwin Maralit Tolosa Rolando M. Manangan
BusinessMirror is published daily by the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc., with offices on the 3rd floor of Dominga Building III 2113 Chino Roces Avenue corner De La Rosa Street, Makati City, Philippines. Tel. Nos. (Editorial) 817-9467; 813-0725. Fax line: 813-7025. (Advertising Sales) 893-2019; 817-1351, 817-2807. (Circulation) 893-1662; 814-0134 to 36. E-mail: news@businessmirror.com.ph.
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Printed by BROWN MADONNA Press, Inc.–San Valley Drive KM-15, South Superhighway, Parañaque, Metro Manila MEMBER OF
Manny B. Villar
T. Anthony C. Cabangon
Online Editor Social Media Editor
Chairman of the Board & Ombudsman President VP-Finance VP Advertising Sales Advertising Sales Manager Group Circulation Manager
President Duterte trusts his economic managers
OUTSIDE THE BOX
D
O people remain ignorant because they cannot find the information needed to increase their knowledge? Or do people avoid becoming properly informed so that their worldview remains unchallenged? This definition comes from investopedia.com, which, in full disclosure, I used to write and edit many of the definitions that they use. “The balance of trade is the difference between the value of a country’s imports and exports for a given period”. Like most ideas in economics, that is straightforward. All of the following headlines are true. “Trade gap widens on import surge.” “Trade deficit worsens as exports fall flat.” “Trade gap more than double in July 2018.” Then comes the whining and maybe even a Senate inquiry, since actually writing laws seems to have become a secondary purpose to “investigating” things. They might start
with this fact: “Balance of Trade in Philippines averaged a deficit of $343 million per month from 1957 until 2018.” During the past 28 years since January 1990, six presidents have led the Philippines. The country has experienced 10 of the worst storms in history—measured by damage—costing some P14 trillion or five times the average annual government budget during that period. Mount Pinatubo erupted as the seventh-largest volcanic event in history. We have witnessed “people power,” attempts by members of the military to take over the government by force, and countless killings because of the insurgencies. Political
With President Duterte allowing the economic managers to run the economy with hardly any interference, the Philippines has broadly stayed within the growth target range laid out in the medium-term period. Our debt and other financial ratios are very manageable and remain consistent with our economic growth trajectory.
goods and payments of services and primary income.” The level of the country’s foreign exchange reserves is one data that the international financial community is monitoring. The reserves indicate a country’s capacity to repay its foreign obligations, and we have no problem with that despite the “worsening” BOP. The international reserves, according to the Bangko Sentral, are equivalent to 6.1 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4.1 times based on residual maturity. Global debt watcher Moody’s Investors Service is unfazed with the country’s BOP performance. The credit profile of the government of the Philippines (Baa2 stable), it says, is supported by a large and fast-growing economy and continued gains in debt affordability, in part because of revenue reforms. It added strong domestic demand and the economy’s limited reliance
chaos has been and is always waiting in the shadows. The year-end annual economic growth has varied from a negative 0.58 percent to a positive 7.63 percent. The exchange rate of the Philippine peso to the US dollar has been as high as 23.85 and as low as 56.28. Of the 343 months beginning January 1990 to July 2018, how many posted a positive trade balance? Half? 100? The total number of months with any amount of trade surplus is 48. The longest period of zero trade surpluses was between 1990 and 1998 with another zero period between January 2016 and July 2018. The best trade balance period was—during and after the Asian Financial Crises—between 1998 and 2002 when 31 of 48 months had a trade surplus. For the 72-month period from January 2010 to January 2016, the Philippines generated a trade surplus eight times. Here is the point and it sounds like a love song. Through the good times and through the bad times, the Philippines has “always” run a trade deficit or at least 86 percent of the time. It is completely fair and valid to say that the trade deficit has exploded since January 2016 during the Duterte presidency.
on foreign sources of financing shielded the Philippines from the direct impact of abrupt changes in the global macroeconomic and financial environment. The economic managers are also closely watching the spending ratios in relation to the gross domestic product and revenue generation. Government disbursements are programmed to hit P3.833 trillion in 2019, or 19.8 percent of the GDP, rising to P5.362 trillion by 2022, or 20.7 percent of the GDP. The government is relying on spending as one of the growth drivers of the Philippine economy in the light of a massive infrastructure program. The planned budget deficit is set at P624.0 billion for 2019, rising to P774.3 billion by 2022. As a share of the GDP, the gap is equivalent to 3.2 percent in 2019, up from the previous target of 3 percent. Dominguez has assured the people that “the government remains committed to fiscal discipline even as it pursues a high level of productive spending that will clear the way to high and inclusive growth.” A solid revenue program, of course, must back the expenditure program. Revenue collection is expected to reach P3.208 trillion in 2019, equivalent to 16.6 percent of the GDP, before rising to P4.588 trillion by 2022, or 17.7 percent of the GDP. For comments, e-mail mbv.secretariat@gmail. com or visit www.mannyvillar.com.ph.
But it is also fair and valid to say that, during the presidency of Joseph Estrada between May 1998 and January 2001, 27 out of 32 months (85 percent) generated a surplus. In the United States there are approximately 5,000 cardiothoracic surgeons who can do open-heart surgery. There are approximately 21,300 people employed as “economists.” Either the US needs more economists than heart surgeons or it is far easier to be an economist there. Probably the latter. “Economic expert” may be the fastest-growing informal profession in the Philippines today. The trade balance is only one of many factors to measure economic health and wealth. Further, the balance or imbalance between imports and exports— “Why can’t we export more?”—is not the critical issue. When the nation must consistently import enormous amount of goods that it cannot produce, the critical question is “Why?” Let the Senate investigate that fact and maybe even provide some solutions. E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Visit my web site at www.mangunonmarkets.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis tools provided by the COL Financial Group Inc.
Opinion BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
North Korea, in a nod to Pakistan, works to normalize its nuclear presence By David E. Sanger New York Times News Service
W
ASHINGTON—For seven years, Kim Jong Un has pursued an in-your-face strategy for building his nuclear arsenal: detonating blasts underground and firing missiles into the sky, all to send the message that his country’s nuclear buildup is irreversible. Now he appears to be changing his approach, current and former US intelligence officials say, tailoring it to his reading of the man he met for a few hours three months ago in Singapore: President Donald Trump. North Korea is making nuclear fuel and building weapons as actively as ever, the publicly available evidence suggests. But he now appears to be borrowing a page from Israel, Pakistan and India: He is keeping quiet about it, conducting no public nuclear demonstrations and creating no crises, allowing Trump to portray a denuclearization effort as on track. K im’s new forbearance has helped keep a stream of warm words coming from Trump. A week ago, the president praised Kim, with whom he says he has forged a special relationship, after the North Korean leader refrained from parading missiles down the streets of Pyongyang during a military celebration. On Tuesday, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea will visit the North Korean leader in Pyongyang for their third meeting, and over three days the two men are expected to discuss a “peace declaration” that the North has said must precede any further discussion of disarmament. Looming over the meeting is the post-Singapore stalemate on progress despite Trump’s new tone of accommodation, including his openness to a second meeting with Kim. After declaring a year ago that Kim had to disarm quickly or face “fire and fury,” Trump now says there is plenty of time. But even some of the president’s top national security officials privately concede that Trump’s declaration in June that “there is no longer a nuclear threat” from North Korea was a huge error, because it was taken as a signal by China and Russia that the crisis was over and that they could resume trading with the country. Current and former intelligence officials say new assessments suggest that Kim has carefully read Trump and concluded that as long as the optics are good, and the exchanges between the two leaders are warm, he can hold off demands for progress toward disarmament. If Kim does not conduct tests, Trump is unlikely to call out evidence of a continued nuclear buildup. “I’m shocked at how superficial things have been,” said Jung H. Pak, the CIA’s mission leader for North Korea until she left last year for the Brookings Institution. “I think the North Koreans smell dysfunction and they see dysfunction in the president’s tweets and his compliments and his willingness to meet again.” Even one of Trump’s frequent defenders, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, indicated Sunday he was worried that the president might have been manipulated. “Are they playing us? I don’t know,” Graham said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “If they’re playing Trump, we’re going to be in a world of hurt, because he’s going to have no options left. This is the last, best chance for peace right here.” The White House argues that significant progress has been made. Trump’s press secretary, Sarah
Current and former intelligence officials say new assessments suggest that Kim has carefully read Trump and concluded that as long as the optics are good, and the exchanges between the two leaders are warm, he can hold off demands for progress toward disarmament. If Kim does not conduct tests, Trump is unlikely to call out evidence of a continued nuclear buildup. Huckabee Sanders, has cited the fact that Kim’s last missile and nuclear tests were 10 months ago, and insisted that is a sign of Kim’s willingness to deal. It certainly is a constraint on his program: As long as the North conducts no tests, it cannot demonstrate that it has designed a warhead that can survive the huge stresses it would undergo in flight. That leaves ambiguity about whether it can actually strike US cities. Still, nuclear production continues unabated, satellite photographs and other evidence suggest. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has not persuaded the North Koreans to turn over an inventory of their major nuclear facilities and materials, much less declare how many weapons they possess. While Kim has blown up entrances to a nuclear test site and appeared to start dismantling a test stand for missile engines, he has not allowed in any inspectors to determine whether the actions were simply for show. Kim has said a peace “declaration” that formally ends the Korean War must be a first step, and Moon has privately urged the United States to provide that assurance. The North Korean leader believes that Trump committed to such a declaration on the way to a more formal peace treaty. But both Pompeo and John Bolton, the national security adviser, have said progress toward denuclearization must come first. Kim’s strategy now appears to be simple: Mimic Pakistan, which conducted a major nuclear test in 1998 and deflected demands for years that it gives up its weapons. Pakistan has largely succeeded. It has a substantial arsenal, and when Pompeo visited Islamabad recently, there was little public discussion of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. “Kim understands what has protected the Pakistanis,” said R. Nicholas Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs during the George W. Bush administration. “As long as you have a circle of countries who will recognize you, and will trade with you, it is very difficult for the US to succeed in getting the country to dismantle its nuclear weapons apparatus,” he said, adding, “Trump had strong international sanctions leverage over Kim but squandered it at Singapore.” The appeal of the Pakistan model is clear. Pakistan suffers few sanctions for its nuclear program, or its refusal to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. It has not tested a weapon in 20 years; like North Korea, it has concluded that it has already proved its basic capabilities. The same is true for India and Israel, the other nonsignatories of the treaty.
Political idolatry Cecilio T. Arillo
DATABASE Part Five
US tightened the garrote
I
F Edsa was a miracle at all, it was only assembled in the Philippines. The key components were designed and fabricated elsewhere. Where? Look West, to Washington. When Ninoy’s murder wasn’t enough to foment a revolutionary situation that should have quickly toppled the Marcos regime, the US government tightened the garrote: payments of rentals for the use of the military bases slowed to a trickle, the International Monetary Fund dictated austerity measures that would have been politically suicidal to adopt, and multinationals accelerated the flight of dollars from the Philippines. The destabilization project was reminiscent of US President Richard Nixon’s directive to the CIA in the early 1970s to make the economy scream in Chile, to undermine the presidency of Salvador Allende. Finally, when the revolutionary situation had been primed, the triggers were activated in sequence: the pressure to call a presidential snap election and the bishops’ call for civil disobedience to reject a fourth Marcos presidency, two days before the official count of the votes was finished; the mutiny, announced through a press conference; Cardinal Sin’s radio broadcast for the Catholics to flock to Edsa; the US ambas-
sador’s assurance to the mutineers that American forces will not be used against them; the offer from President Ronald Reagan that the US was ready to assure the safety of the Marcoses in America if President Marcos would agree to give way to a transition government; the followup on Reagan’s offer, with the suggestion that the Filipinos formulate a transition team to be headed by Cory Aquino and Doy Laurel; the US bully’s warning to President Marcos not to use air strikes or heavy artillery against the mutineers; the advice to President Marcos from Reagan’s confidante, Sen. Paul Laxalt, that the time had come to step down.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018 A7
If one side-miracle of Edsa was its relative bloodlessness, how could the credit go to Ninoy or Cory for that matter? Marcos deserves it more. Millions heard him on TV, when he sternly rejected pleas to use air power and heavy artillery against the mutineers. True, the Americans had warned him against these, with the threat to cut off military aid and development assistance. But it was more the prospect of civil war, which the communists were poised to exploit, that made Marcos recoil from the use of massive force, the Truth and Justice Foundation said. Unknown to many, when the mutiny began, the CPP/NPA Central Committee and General Staff had assembled in a convent in Rizal and the full force of their Alex Boncayao Brigade was put on red alert in Metro Manila. In the periphery of the National Capital Region, several crack NPA units were positioned to move into the fray. Had mayhem broken out in Edsa, the communists would have used the confusion as a cover for a general offensive, during which they were to seize strategic government facilities and military installations. A civil war would then have broken out. Nonconfrontation was the gambit that Marcos took, in a knowing sacrifice that in averting civil war, he was also deliberately sealing his own fate. Edsa was certainly not a spontaneous, unplanned or unorchestrated undertaking. Behind the scenes,
powerful actors had prepared the stage, rehearsed or coached the major characters in the cast. Edsa was thus not a miracle, although it seems a mystery to many. Neither was it a revolution. To the Dominican priest Fr. Delfo C. Canceran, it was at best a “pseudo-revolution.” He wrote in 1994: “If Edsa is a revolution in its real sense, then it must have been accompanied by a radical change in our social structure. But this did not happen. Poverty remains the basic problem of the masses. The Edsa revolution is a pseudo-revolution.” A scholar in the field of liberation theology, the missionary James R. Whelchel, arrived at a similar conclusion from a different perspective: “Liberationists point out what they consider an important fact concerning the Edsa revolution. ‘People Power’ took place in Manila, not in the province[s]. It was more the mobilizing of the middle class than a grassroots movement of the poor. The ‘heroes’ of the revolution were all members of the oligarchy— Aquino, Enrile, and Ramos… [I]n the eyes of liberationists, they were not disposed to radically restructure society. At best, they could be considered reformers. To [the] Theology of Struggle, the Edsa event was merely a changing of the guard, not a revolution.”
To be continued
To reach the writer, e-mail cecilio.arillo@ gmail.com.
As Trump’s trade war mounts, China’s Wall Street allies lose clout By Alexandra Stevenson, Kate Kelly & Keith Bradsher New York Times News Service
H
ONG KONG—When President Bill Clinton deliberated whether he should loosen trade barriers against China, Wall Street helped plead Beijing’s case.
When Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama talked tough about labeling China as a currency manipulator, Wall Street urged restraint—and both presidents backed down. Today, China is hoping that Wall Street will once again use its political heft to soothe tempers in Washington. But as President Donald Trump ratchets up the trade war with Beijing, Wall Street’s words are falling on deaf ears. Senior Wall Street executives met in Beijing on Sunday with current and former Chinese officials and bankers at a hastily organized session to find ways to strengthen financial ties between the United States and China. On Monday, the group—which included executives from Goldman Sachs Group, Morgan Stanley and the Blackstone Group, the private equity firm, among others—planned to meet with Vice President Wang Qishan, the right-hand man of Xi Jinping, the country’s leader. New trade talks between the two governments are tentatively scheduled between Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, and Liu He, a Chinese vice premier, later this month in Washington. Stephen A. Schwarzman, Blackstone’s chief, has been playing a critical role in organizing them, say people familiar with the talks, who asked for anonymity because the process is sensitive. But the Chinese have indicated that they will pull out of the talks if Trump follows through on his threat to impose tariffs on another $200 billion in Chinese goods, according to a person familiar with the matter. Trump has told advisers that he wants to move ahead with the new round of tariffs and an announcement could come as early as this week, another person familiar with the discussions said. That continues a frustrating trend for America’s financial titans: Even as they win tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks from the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress, they appear to be able to do little to stop the trade war. “What’s really surprising is that
the connections that used to work, the formula that used to work, just don’t work at this point,” said Marshall W. Meyer, an emeritus professor of management at the Wharton School of Business. Wall Street has long gambled that helping China would pay off. China has been slow to open its vast but tightly controlled financial markets, and Wall Street banks hope to get more business advising Chinese companies on acquisitions in the United States, lending money and selling financial services. Pressure from the Trump administration is now bearing fruit as China has begun to open its financial markets to foreign banks, though a worsening trade war could stymie that progress. The financial sector’s arguments have often found a sympathetic ear in Washington. During the last two decades, China has emerged as a major global economic growth driver and as an important customer for many US companies, including Apple, Qualcomm and General Motors. But the Trump administration’s trade hawks have so far prevailed against Wall Street-friendly voices of trade moderation, such as Mnuchin, a onetime Goldman Sachs executive. That is partly because the trade war has not shown Trump much downside. His stance has won support from both parties. The US economy shows few signs of trade-war damage, and markets continue to rise. Even if Republicans lose Congress in November’s elections, the trade war will probably continue, said Robert B. Zoellick, a former US trade representative. Only a slump in the markets might make him reconsider, Zoellick said. “I don’t think that’s going to affect Trump,” Zoellick said about November’s elections. “Markets could.” Relations between Trump and Wall Street are complicated. Last year’s tax bill greatly favored big financial companies, but some financial executives have clashed openly with Trump. JPMorgan’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon, a onetime informal adviser to Trump, said Wednesday in a
Schwarzman is working behind the scenes to get China and the United States talking again. He urged US officials to invite their Chinese counterparts to resume talks, according to the people familiar with the discussions. Last week, Mnuchin issued an invitation, which Chinese officials publicly greeted warmly. speech that “I’m smarter than he is” and that unlike Trump’s, his personal wealth “wasn’t a gift from Daddy.” Trump the next day called Dimon a “nervous mess,” and Dimon has since said he should not have made the remarks. Others, like Morgan Stanley’s chief, James Gorman, and the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd C. Blankfein, opposed Trump policies like his original travel and immigration ban. In the past, Wall Street was an effective advocate. In the late 1990s, when China’s effort to lower trade barriers faced tough political opposition, China flew its premier, Zhu Rongji, to New York City to meet directly with financial and business leaders. Senior leaders of Goldman Sachs and the American International Group, the big financial conglomerate, urged Clinton to strike a deal. He did, and China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. Wall Street also discouraged the United States from formally accusing China of manipulating its currency. Both Bush and Obama vowed to get tough on China’s long-standing efforts to weaken the value of its currency to help its importers. Wall Street banks urged them to reconsider. Both ultimately backed down. (Trump has also threatened to label China a currency manipulator, though the currency has strengthened considerably in recent years. Business leaders and some members of his administration have discouraged him from acting.) The Wall Street influence ran deep. Robert Rubin, a Wall Street veteran, served as Treasury secretary under Clinton and helped forge the consensus within the Clinton administration on how to bring China into the World Trade Organization. Henry Paulson, a former Goldman Sachs executive with a high profile in China, served as Bush’s Treasury secretary.
Wall Street figures have cultivated China connections in other ways. Schwarzman has raised more than $500 million to build a scholarship program in his name at China’s prestigious Tsinghua University. Last year, Goldman Sachs said it would help China’s sovereign wealth fund put $5 billion into acquiring stakes in US businesses. Schwarzman is working behind the scenes to get China and the United States talking again. He urged US officials to invite their Chinese counterparts to resume talks, according to the people familiar with the discussions. Last week, Mnuchin issued an invitation, which Chinese officials publicly greeted warmly. But Larry Kudlow, Trump’s chief economic adviser and another Wall Street veteran, suggested afterward that China had sought the invitation. “There’s some discussions and information that we’ve received that the top of the Chinese government wishes to pursue talks,” he told Fox News. The meeting in Beijing on Sunday —organized by Zhou Xiaochuan, China’s former central banker, and John Thornton, a former Goldman Sachs president—gave Wall Street a chance to press for more business from China. The bankers were planning to present Wall Street’s wish list for more market access, including creating a more transparent process for financial firms to get operating licenses and expanding the services that US bank branches can offer. Because the meeting was called on short notice, top Wall Street executives did not attend. Most sent a senior executive, like Franck Petitgas, head of Morgan Stanley’s international business; John Waldron, president of Goldman Sachs; and Jon Gray, the No. 2 executive at Blackstone. Officials will pass suggestions to Liu, Xi’s top economic adviser. Prospects are good that this type of outreach will help, said Wendy Cutler, a former US trade negotiator. “Traditionally there have been these back channels, and one of the reasons why Beijing has put people like Liu He in these senior positions has been because they have such good relationships with Wall Street,” said Cutler, who is vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute. “To date, these back channels don’t seem to be working in moving this administration toward a negotiated solution.”
2nd Front Page BusinessMirror
A8 Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Illegal small-scale mining in focus after Itogon deaths from Ompong-related slides
T
By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga, Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM & Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM
HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has ordered the suspension of all small-scale mining operations in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) following a massive landslide in Itogon, Benguet, that left more than 30 people dead and more than 40 others missing. Heav y ra i ns brought by Typhoon Ompong caused a landslide at a mining area allegedly “abandoned” by Benguet Corp., which denied giving the small miners permission to use its abandoned barracks. Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu announced on Monday, in a press briefing, that the DENR will be sending men from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to effect the stoppage of all mining activities, especially in Itogon. “So in view of this current situation, in the Cordillera, to prevent further danger to the lives of our small-scale miners, I officially order cease and desist of all illegal small-scale mining operations in the whole of Cordillera Administrative Region,” Cimatu said.
He said even the temporary permits issued by the DENR to 10 small-scale mining associations in CAR will be revoked. The temporary contracts were issued to these mining associations until their areas were declared as Minahang Bayan. “Okay, by virtue of what happened, I’m revoking those permits, effective today,” he said. Under Republic Act 7076, or the Small-Scale Mining Act, small-scale mining operation is only allowed within a declared Minahang Bayan. “At present, there are existing applications for Minahang Bayan in some areas of the region. While we await for the approval and proclamation of this applications we asked our small-scale miners to cooperate and stop all small-scale mining activities here,” he said.
When they said that, I wrote to MGB for them to stop their operations. I copy furnished National Mining Challenge Committee that we are requesting for the stoppage of that mining operation. But nothing happened. Two times.”—Mayor Palangdan
Cimatu also said they might also file charges against who will not stop despite the cease-anddesist order. “They could be charged with mining without permit or theft of minerals,” he told reporters in a message when sought for clarification. Itogon Mayor Vic Palangdan also said in the briefing that the government will not stop until they recover all the bodies. He also revealed that the people in that area refused to heed the government’s call to evacuate before the coming of Typhoon Ompong. The mayor said he wrote a letter earlier to the Mining and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Cordillera to stop this mining operation. He also issued a stoppage order, which was not heeded because the small-scale miners were claiming that they are being allowed by Benguet Corp. to occupy the abandoned site. “When they said that, I wrote to MGB for them to stop their operations. I copy furnished National Mining Challenge Committee that
we are requesting for the stoppage of that mining operation. But nothing happened. Two times,” he said. Benguet Corp., in a company disclosure, said it had suspended its mining operations in the area in the late-1990s and was studying new technologies for mining lowgrade ores. “During the period of suspension, the Antamok mines was gradually encroached [on] by the small-scale miners,” the disclosure read. Benguet Corp. said the persons affected are mostly small-scale miners who have been “illegally operating” in its Antamok claims. “Their unregulated mining activities are without permission of the company,” it added, noting that they have also warned the smallscale miners to vacate the area but “were met with resistance and outright refusal.”
COMP’s position
EARLIER in the day, the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) urged the government to intensify the campaign against illegal mining activities, particularly small-scale mining, in the wake of deaths of miners and their families following a landslide in Itogon, Benguet, at the height of Typhoon Ompong, which dumped rains on Northern Luzon at the weekend. In a statement, COMP—which represents some of the country’s biggest operating mines—said illegal small-scale mining does not employ the same stringent safety practices required of legitimate large-scale mining operators. The victims in Ucab, a barangay in Itogon, a known mining town, the group said, are part of the illegal gold-mining activities near an old abandoned bunkhouse of Benguet Corp., a member of COMP. The area is a few kilometers away from the company’s Balatoc and Dalicno underground mines in Itogon. Benguet Corp. said it had sent numerous letters to the smallscale mining operators in Ucab, ordering them to vacate the area as it had been identified by the MGB as a geohazard zone prone to landslides.
Search and rescue
BENGUET Corp., along with Philex Mining Corp., had deployed their rescue teams in partnership with the MGB-CAR to actively participate in the search, rescue and retrieval operations in Ucab and other areas where their assistance is needed. There were no reported casualties in the host mining communities of Benguet Corp. and Philex, a statement released by COMP through Rocky Dimaculangan, its vice president for communication, revealed. All other COMP member-companies in Northern and Central Luzon have also mobilized their rescue and relief teams in their respective host mining communities, Dimaculangan said. Search and rescue teams have poured into Benguet as the government works to retrieve at least 30 miners or their families trapped inside the bunkhouses. At least eight teams of rescuers were sent to Barangay Ucab to join the ongoing search and rescue operations for the victims, declared by the government as still “missing” in the former mining site that was buried in mud and debris.
www.businessmirror.com.ph
B.S.P. NOTES FUNDING SOLUTIONS DEARTH FOR SMALL BUSINESS By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM
B
ANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. said they are eyeing ways to further improve the financial access of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country. At the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) to expand the Negosyo Center Financial Ecosystem on Monday, Espenilla said there is still “much to be done” in terms of providing financial access to MSMEs in the country. “ M SM E s a re u n a ble t o reach their full potential because of difficulty of credit and financia l access. Currently, only 6.6 percent and 9.8 percent of total loans in the banking system and total businesses comprise investments to MSMEs. This low level of investment in MSMEs translates to capital constraints compelling MSMEs to resort to internal savings or earnings.” Espenilla also cited a World Bank repor t show ing that about 81.2 percent of Philippine enterprises rely mostly on internal funds to finance their investments and only 10.1 percent of enterprises use bank financing. “As a staunch advocate of financial inclusion and of promoting broad-based growth, we at the BSP are very concerned about these numbers. We are committed to providing a regulatory environment to address financial access barriers, such as cost, information asymmetry, and lack of infrastructure, among oth-
ers,” Espenilla said. The governor also recognized that the MSME sector is a crucial driver of the economy, making up 99.6 percent of the country’s enterprises or registered business firms. MSMEs also generate 61.6 percent of the country’s employment. Among the multisector initiatives that involves the BSP include Monday’s MOA signing on Monday, along with leaders from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Microfinance Council of the Philippines Inc. (MCPI) and Alliance of Philippine Partners in Enterprise Development Inc. (Append). The MOA aims to make financial services more accessible to MSMEs served by Negosyo Centers across the country. With over 900 centers nationwide, Negosyo Centers are one-stop shops that provide assistance, such as business registration, business development, advisory services, and market linkages to MSMEs. Negosyo Centers also provide linkage to financial services to their MSME clients. The partnership, through the signed MOA, is expected to institutionalize information sharing and formalize relationships between financial institutions and Negosyo Centers throughout the country. “Despite existing efforts, challenges with MSME development still persist. These challenges include lack of access to resources such as technology, skilled labor and information,” Espenilla said. “There is much to be done but it is only when we work together that we can succeed,” he added.
8 months on, BOI still 60% off target of P680B Continued from A1
United Kingdom (52.4 percent) and Taiwan (83.4 percent) declined. Electricity, gas, steam and airconditioning supply remained to be the country’s top investment area. Investment pledges to the industry rose 64 percent to P129.68 from January to August, from P79.08 billion during the same period last year. However, investments applied to real-estate activities fell 69 percent to P59.32 billion, from
P191.42 billion last year. Manufacturing also suffered a slump by 40.2 percent to P45.89 billion, from P76.79 billion in the previous year. The BOI is targeting to rake in P680 billion in investment pledges this year, following an all-time high total of P616.78 billion last year. The Peza, for its part, is looking to grow a modest 10 percent, from its P237.57-billion figure in the previous year.
Verbal tiff of lawmakers, concerns over projects stall budget talks in House Continued from A1
Committee on Appropriations Vice Chairman Rep. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr. of Camarines Sur in an executive session between House leaders, including Speaker Arroyo, and the President’s economic team was only “usapang lalake [man talk].” However, Villafuerte said Andaya “bullied” him during the meeting. He said Andaya may have just lost his temper given that he was running against Villafuerte’s son in Bicol. Nonetheless, Villafuerte said the Committee of Appropriations remains supportive of the President’s budget reform program. He said the Committee just wants the budget to be responsive to the needs of the government. “Sinigawan niya ako, minura niya
ako, and naghamon siya and on record ’yan, nakita naman lahat ng congressmen. But I was calm [He shouted at me, cursed me and challenged me to a fistfight. All the congressmen witnessed his behavior],” Villafuerte said. Nograles also said that if he will be removed from his post as chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, he is willing to step down. However, he said this can only be done on the plenary floor since all Committee Chairmen are elected on the floor. Nograles said he will leave the decision to the body. “Whatever happens on the floor has to be approved by the majority. Kung tanggalin nila ako, okay lang [It’s okay with me if I will be removed as chairman of the committee],” Nograles said.
Editor: Efleda P. Campos
Companies BusinessMirror
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
B1
ANI to import 2 MMT of rice yearly
L
By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
@jearcalas
ISTED agriculture firm AgriNurture Inc. (ANI) is set to import as much as 2 million metric tons (MMT) of rice annually, starting next year, following its $1-billion supply deal with Hanoirun Vietnam Southern Food Corp. (Vinafood) II.
ANI said it has entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Vinafood II to be its exclusive supplier of long-grain rice annually. The MOA was signed by ANI President and CEO Antonio Tieu and Vinafood General Director Nguyen Ngoc Nam over the weekend, the firm said. The MOA was meant to help address the country’s rice-supply issues, ANI said. Vinafood II is a state-owned corporation duly designated and assigned by the government of Vietnam to export rice and help achieve food security in Southeast
Asia, ANI said. “The terms and conditions of the exclusive supply agreement shall be finalized in accordance with applicable Philippine laws, including but not limited to, the proposed rice tarification bill,” the firm said in a disclosure to the local bourse on Monday. Last month ANI said the National Food Authority (NFA) has granted “original proponent status” to its unsolicited joint venture (JV) proposal for the financing and purchase of 500,000 MT of imported rice to augment the country’s buffer stock.
Under its proposed JV agreement, the ANI consortium would shoulder all the expenses for the supply of NFA’s stockpile. “Both parties shall jointly determine the origin, suppliers, delivery and arrival periods, packing and loading and discharging ports,” the company said. “NFA will solely determine the type of commodity to be imported, specifications and quantity,” the company added. The NFA would not spend even a single peso under the proposed JV agreement, ANI said.
Ayala looking at becoming logistics juggernaut By VG Cabuag @villygc
A
YALA Corp. is dreaming to become one of the country’s leaders in logistics, after the acquisition of the last-mile delivery system of Zalora and transform it into a full-service courier and freightforwarding firm. Jose Teodoro K. Limcaoco, Ayala’s chief finance officer, said the logistics firm called Entrego will start accepting clients outside of Zalora, such as Ayala-led firms Globe Telecom Inc., the country’s second-largest telecom
company, and lender Bank of the Philippine Islands. “Hopefully, it should be one of the leading three players in the country. That’s the ambition. Entrego not only looks at last mile, but they’ll do contract logistics. They’ll do fulfillment and everything else. The full logistics value chain,” Limcaoco said at the sidelines of the Aboitiz Foundation Inc.’s summit on corporate social responsibility. Incidentally, the Abotiz family once owned 2GO Group Inc., a local logistics firm that competed with the local courier arms of Germany’s
DHL group and US firm FedEx Corp. 2GO, alongside with the entire fleet of roll-on, roll off vessels and logistics business of the Aboitiz family, was bought by Negros Navigation Co. led by businessman Sulficio O. Tagud in 2008. Less than a decade later last year, 2GO was sold to Davao businessman Dennis Uy, while the SM group bought in a 35-percent stake. At the moment, the local arms of DHL and FedEx still lorded the logistics industry in the Philippines, while freight forwarding is composed of several other smaller players.
“We think it’s the industry that needs to be transformed. We think it’s an industry the country needs, and we think that’s an industry with a lot of potential and underserved issues,” Limcaoco said. “The country has 7,100 islands. You need a logistics business to thrive. Logistics are important at any local economy. You need very good logistics. This is an industry ripe for disruption that I’m sure the other conglomerates also see,” he said. Entrego, established in 2013, was carved out of Zalora Philippines, their in-house logistics platform. Last month Ayala, through its wholly owned unit AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. formed a holding company with German firms Brilliant 1257 GmbH and Co. and Vierte Verwaltungs Kg for this logistics venture.
Ayala owns 60 percent of the venture, with the rest by its partners. Brilliant is an affiliate of Zalora. Limcaoco did not divulge the company’s investments in Entrego. “If you think about it, the success of the logistics business, especially last mile, is about improving delivery density. The more you can deliver in a certain area, the better. We hope Zalora already provides another density. But we have external clients who are part of the Entrego platform already,” Limcaoco said. Ayala is playing catch-up in the logistics business. The group of Metro Pacific Investment Corp. has already invested in its own logistics business, buying warehouse facilities and new delivery trucks as it expands its operations nationwide.
briefs
OIL PRICES UP AGAIN
OIL companies raised prices of petroleum products for the sixth consecutive week, reflecting movements in the world oil market. Gasoline products will go up by P0.50 per liter, diesel by P0.15 per liter and kerosene by P0.20 per liter. Seaoil Philippines, Petro Gazz, PTT Philippines, Total Philippines and Pilipinas Shell said on Monday afternoon that they will implement their respective price adjustments at 6 a.m. on September 18. Other oil firms are expected to follow suit. Lenie Lectura
ABOITIZPOWER MAY JOIN GOVT’S L.N.G. PROJECT
ABOITIZ Power Corp. (AboitizPower) is looking at the possibility of joining the liquefied natural gas bandwagon, a top official said on Monday. Chief Operating Officer Emmanuel Rubio said this would all depend on the government’s approach on LNG. The Department of Energy envisions to start construction of LNG hub in 2019 in time for the anticipated depletion of the Malampaya natural gas facility sometime in 2022 to 2024. The DOE has received interests from 15 firms that want to put up LNG facilities in the country.
Lenie Lectura
I.C.T.S.I. CREATES LOGISTICS COMMUNITY IN ECUADOR
THE Ecuadorian unit of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has created Comunidad Logística del Puerto de Guayaquil, a logistics community in the terminal operated by Contecon Guayaquil SA that aims to improve the competitiveness of Ecuador businesses in foreign trade, a company official said. Lorenz S. Marasigan
N.G.C.P. RESTORES 3 TRANSMISSION LINES DOWNED BY OMPONG
THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) on Monday said it has restored three transmission lines and expects full restoration of all affected lines next week. The grid operator said it has deployed teams all over Luzon to expedite the restoration of five remaining transmission lines affected by Typhoon Ompong. Lenie Lectura
B2
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
www.businessmirror.com.ph
The World BusinessMirror
Editor: Angel R. Calso • Tuesday, September 18, 2018
B3
‘Beijing should target goods US firms need’
B
EIJING—One of China’s most prominent figures in global finance says Beijing should press Washington to end their tariff battle by clamping down on exports of goods needed by American companies, according to news reports on Monday.
The comments by Lou Jiwei, a former finance minister and chairman of China’s sovereign wealth fund, follow reports regulators are squeezing American companies by slowing down customs approvals and stepping up environmental and other inspections. Also on Monday, an official newspaper called for more aggressive Chinese measures to “make American pain worse” following tariff hikes by both sides on $50 billion of each other’s goods. Beijing is considering Washington’s invitation last week to revive talks on their fight over Chinese technology policy and plans for state-led development of global champions in robotics and other fields. American officials say those violate Beijing’s market-opening commitments and worry they might
erode US industrial leadership. At the same time, US President Donald J. Trump is deciding whether to go ahead with potentially disruptive plans to raise tariffs on an additional $200 billion of Chinese goods. Chinese authorities have yet to confirm what steps aside from retaliatory tariffs they might take. But they have threatened to take “comprehensive measures” as Beijing runs out of imports for penalties due to its lopsided trade balance with the United States. American companies worry their operations in China might be targeted. Other commentators have suggested Beijing use its holdings of US government debt or target American companies in China. Speaking on Sunday at an economics forum, Lou said Beijing should disrupt supply chains of American
companies that rely on low-cost goods or components from China’s vast manufacturing industries, the web site Sina.com reported. China’s “counterattack strategy needs to restrict exports to the United States, as well as [imports of] US goods,” Lou was paraphrased as saying. “Only knowing the pain of fighting will stop the war and cause [the US] to negotiate seriously,” said Lou. L ou w a s f i n a nce m i n i s t e r through 2016 and serves as chairman of China’s 1.9-trillion-yuan ($290-billion) National Social Security Fund, which manages assets of government pension plans. He is a former chairman of China’s sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment Corp. The Global Times, published by the ruling Communist Party,
warned that China sees the technology conflict as a long battle. “China will choose the most favorable and powerful way to counterattack,” said the newspaper, which is known for its unusually nationalist and confrontational tone. “We are looking forward to a more beautiful counterattack that will make American pain worse.” Sina and other outlets did not indicate if Lou suggested specific products or industries Beijing might target. Last week the American Chambers of Commerce in China and in Shanghai reported 52.1 percent of more than 430 companies that responded to a survey said Chinese authorities are subjecting them to “qualitative measures,” including slower customs clearance and increased inspections and bureaucratic procedures. AP
S. Korea’s Moon wants ‘heart-to-heart’ summit talks with North’s Kim Jong Un
Cofounder of Salesforce buys ‘Time’ magazine for $190 million
S
EOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday that he will push for “irreversible, permanent peace,” and for better dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington, during “heart-to-heart” talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week. His chief of staff, however, played down the chance that Moon’s summit with Kim will produce major progress in nuclear diplomacy. Moon f lies to Pyongyang on Tuesday for his third summit of the year with Kim. This one comes as global diplomatic efforts to rid North Korea of its nuclear program have stalled and questions have been raised about how serious Kim is about following through with his vague commitments to denuclearize. “I aim to have lots of heart-toheart talks with Chairman Kim Jong Un,” Moon said during a meeting with top advisers, according to his office. “What I want to achieve is peace. I mean irreversible, permanent peace that is not shaken by international politics.” To achieve such a peace, Moon said he’ll focus during the summit on easing a decades-long military standoff between the Koreas and promoting a North Korea-US dialogue on denuclearization issues. Moon said he wants “to find a middle ground between a US request for (North Korea’s) denuclearization and the North’s request for corresponding measures, such as ending hostile relations and security assurances.” During a June summit between Kim and President Donald J. Trump, the North Korean leader expressed his commitment to denuclearization, while Trump promised to provide him with security guarantees and announced the suspension of major military drills with South Korea. North Korea has long maintained that its nuclear program is aimed at
W
SOUTH Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday. A senior South Korean official on Monday played down the chance that this week’s inter-Korean summit will result in major progress in efforts to rid North Korea of its nuclear program. HWANG GWANG-MO/YONHAP VIA AP
coping with what it calls US military threats. North Korea is pushing for a peace treaty with the United States to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War. It also wants the lifting of US-led sanctions. North Korea has taken some steps, like dismantling its nuclear and rocket-engine testing sites, but US officials have said it must take more serious disarmament steps before receiv ing outside concessions. E a rl ier on Mond ay Moon’s chief of staff, Im Jong-seok, told reporters that it’s “difficult to have any optimistic outlook” for progress on denuclearization during the summit. He said progress will depend on how candid the discussions are. Im said he expects the summit to produce “meaningful” agreements that “fundamentally remove the danger of armed clashes and ease fears of war” between the two Koreas. He said the agreements will help promote chances for the signing of a peace treaty that formally
ends the Korean War. Military officials have in recent months discussed the possibility of disarming a jointly controlled area at the Koreas’ shared border village, removing front-line guard posts and halting hostile acts along their sea boundary. T he Koreas’s 248 -k i lometer (155-mile) border is the world’s most heavily fortified, with hundreds of thousands of troops stationed along a line that’s laced with mines, barbed wire fences and anti-tank traps. The navies of the Koreas have fought several bloody skirmishes off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. Moon will also take a group of business tycoons, including Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong, to Pyongyang. Some experts say Moon is preparing for the resumption of inter-Korean economic cooperation projects after diplomacy eventually yields results. Currently, all major joint economic projects between the Koreas remain stalled because of US-led sanctions. AP
Oil trades near $69 as signs of higher supply offset Iran fears
O
IL traded near $69 a barrel on signs of increased drilling by American producers and investor optimism that Saudi Arabia and Russia will fill in potential supply losses from Iran. Futures were little changed in New York, after gaining 0.6 percent on Friday. Shale explorers added last week the most oil rigs in a month as a pipeline bottleneck in the busy US Permian Basin is encouraging drilling in other areas. Meanwhile, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Khalid al-Falih met in Moscow on Saturday to confirm their willingness to stabilize prices and react to any changes in the market.
Crude has mostly stayed below $70 a barrel since mid-July as a trade dispute between the United States and China threaten global economic growth. Speculation has also been swirling over whether a potential supply gap can be filled as American sanctions curb Iran’s oil exports. Traders are looking for more clarity as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and its allies meet in Algiers later this week to discuss their output. “The US-China trade tension restricts oil from rising further, while optimism over Saudi and Russia making up for Iran’s losses is keeping prices from falling lower,” Ahn Yea Ha, a commodities analyst at
Kiwoom Securities Co., said by phone from Seoul. “It’s important for Opec and its allies to make sure prices don’t drop excessively and the market’s expecting the upcoming meeting to be a reassurance.” West Texas Intermediate for October delivery was at $68.93 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, down 6 cents, at 12:38 p.m. in Seoul. The contract climbed $1.24 to $68.99 last week. Total volume traded was about 52 percent below the 100-day average. Brent for November settlement traded at $77.98 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange, down 11 cents. The contract rose $1.26 to $78.09 last week. Bloomberg
ASHINGTON—Time magazine is being sold by Meredith Corp. to Marc Benioff, a cofounder of Salesforce, and his wife, it was announced on Sunday. Meredith announced that it was selling Time magazine for $190 million in cash to Benioff, one of four cofounders of Salesforce, a cloud-computing pioneer. Meredith had completed the purchase of Time along with other publications of Time Inc. earlier this year. The Benioffs are purchasing Time personally, and the transaction is unrelated to Salesforce.com, where Benioff is chairman and co-CEO and cofounder. The announcement by Meredith said that the Benioffs would not be involved in the dayto-day operations or journalistic decisions at Time. Those decisions will continue to be made by Time’s current executive leadership team, the announcement said. “We’re pleased to have found such passionate buyers in Marc and Lynne Benioff for the Time brand,” Meredith President and CEO Tom Harty said in a statement. “For over 90 years, Time has been at the forefront of the most significant events and impactful stories that shape our global conversation.” Meredith, the publisher of such magazines as People and Better Homes & Gardens, had put four Time Inc. publications up for sale in March. Negotiations for the sale of the three other publications—Fortune, Money and Sports Illustrated—are continuing. The prospective sale is expected to close within 30 days. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Benioff said he and his wife were investing “in a company with tremendous impact on the world, one that is also an incredibly strong business. That’s what we’re looking for when we invest as a family.” The purchase of Time by Benioff continues a trend of acquisitions of old-line media institutions by wealthy tech giants. The Washington Post was purchased by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2013 for $250 million. Time, like other magazines, has struggled with continued declines in print advertising and newsstand sales. Started by Yale University graduates Henry Luce and Briton Hadden, Time first went on sale in March 1923. AP
B4 Tuesday, September 18, 2018
5TH SPEED NETWORKING NIGHT
T
HE British, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish Chambers are organizing the forthcoming Fifth Speed Networking Night on September 20 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Makati Diamond Residences. The Fifth Speed Networking Night presents opportunities for professionals to expand their business network by having one-on-one focused conversations in a span of four minutes. Adopted from the format used in speed dating, representatives from a diverse range of companies would be present and open in introducing their affiliations, ideals and proposals in hopes of forming new and long-lasting acquaintances. The previous year alone garnered a record-breaking number of 250 participants, which were mostly senior executives of local and foreign businesses, members of social and business groups with connections to the
local British, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish communities in the country. This year the target is still the same number of participants and exciting prizes will be given to the guests. Two roundtrip tickets to Europe will be given courtesy of Turkish Airlines. A relaxing overnight stay will also be given by Red Planet Hotel, Holiday Inn and Suites Makati, and El Nido Resorts (Iloilo) as a raffle prize. The guests will also have the chance to eat brunch for two at The Pantry at Dusit Thani Manila. The event is sponsored by Philippine Retirement Authority, Prulife UK, SGV and Co. and Ignition, Fundador, Heineken and Don Revy Philippines Inc. as the official beverage sponsors, BusinessMirror and Primer Media as the official media partners. It will surely be a night to kickstart your business opportunities.
VIVO LAUNCHES X21 IN PHL, PARTNERS WITH SMART AS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR
P
LDT Enterprise, the business-to-business arm of the country’s leading ICT and digital-service provider, together with top wireless brand Smart Communications Inc., partners with Vivo to exclusively offer the latter’s newest X21 model. The first in a series of high-end X-series phones, the X21 is designed especially for C-level executives and entrepreneurs—with features, such as in-display fingerprint scanning technology and a 6.28" Amoled display, catering to their varied needs and interests. As the sole mobile provider of the device, Smart will be offering the X21 exclusively to its enterprise clients. “The X-21 was crafted with the on-the-go lifestyle of business leaders and influencers in mind. To be able to tap this market and ensure that users enjoy the highest quality experience with the device, we thought of partnering with Smart given that their premium plans come with a guarantee of excellence in service,” said Vivo Vice President for Public Relations Strategy and Partnerships Annie Lim. To allow subscribers to fully enjoy the phone’s stateof-the-art features, Smart has bundled the offer together with its Plan 2,000, which is inclusive of unlimited calls and texts, as well as nonstop surfing. “This year we, at Smart, have really focused on ramping up our LTE capabilities and have seen these
activities bear fruit, being recognized recently as the country’s fastest wireless network,” said Smart Assistang Vice President and head of Wireless Corebiz and Smart Infinity Chet Alviz. “All efforts are aimed at elevating our services and the experience of our customers. Part of this is to provide them with mobile devices, like the Vivo X21, so they can fully and truly enjoy the power of Smart’s fastest LTE network,” Alviz added. PLDT Vice President and head of Enterprise Core Business Solutions Jojo Gendrano also shared his excitement for the partnership, saying, “As technology continues to improve the productivity of today’s business leaders, we, at PLDT and Smart, are inspired to enhance the mobile experience of our enterprise clients. With this, we are so privileged to be able to strengthen our partnership with Vivo and offer our clients a mobile phone and plan suited to their preferences.” To know more about the mobile plans and services offered by PLDT Enterprise, contact your Relationship Manager or visit www.pldtenterprise.com. In photo are (from left) Vivo Corporate Legal Counsel Atty. Carlo Bautista, Lim, Vivo Channel Development Manager Mark Cuevas, PLDT Enterprise Category Head for Postpaid and Wireless Broadband Christian Almendarez, and PLDT Enterprise Product Marketing Officer Yna Palayapyon.
HOPE EARNS A PLACE IN THE 2018 BEST FOR THE WORLD LIST OF B LAB
BEAUTY AND WELLNESS MANILA SET FOR THIRD EDITION, TO FEATURE ORGANIC AND NATURAL PRODUCTS
E
XPERTS predict that the global market for organic beauty products should be worth just under $22 billion by 2024, driven by factors such as increasing online customer reach and retailers’ shift toward offering premium personal care products. In the Philippines beauty brands are benefiting from rising disposable incomes and demand for personal care products, which in the past were not considered essential items. This is evident in the number of brands and consumers who continue to join trade events, like Beauty and Wellness Manila, which will hold its third edition from September 20 to 22 at the SMX Convention Center. This year the show is adding a segment dedicated to organic and natural businesses, titled “Organic and Natural Products Expo 2018” (Onexpo). “Onexpo will feature both established and starting businesses that produce or distribute natural food, organic
cosmetics and eco-friendly products to the market. The Filipinos’ growing demand for these type of necessities was a driving force in coming up with this special expo.” said Jing Lagandaon, chief operating officer of Global-Link MP Events International Inc.. Interested visitors may get a free one-day pass by signing up at www.bit.ly/ BWMRegistration. For more information, f o l l o w t he i r o f f i c i a l Facebook and Instagram accou nts: Beaut y a nd Wellness Manila. Aside from the exhibit, visitors can expect a lot of e xciting activ ities, including business-tobusiness matching activity, n a i l- a r t compet it ion , workshops and seminars, and a lot more! “Onitsthirdinstallation, expect that Beauty and
Wellness Manila will cater to the development of the beauty and wellness industry, and aid in helping local brands be known to the global market. Plus, this will be the perfect avenue for decision-makers to explore and expand their network of possible business partners,” said Emil Virtudez, newly elected president of the Chamber of Cosmetics Industry of the Philippines Inc.
9TH HOTEL SUPPLIERS’ SHOW BRINGS FULL INDUSTRY SHOWCASE
T
HE hospitality industry has been proven to be growing stronger each year. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) cited that the travel and tourism sector has contributed a total of P3.35 trillion to the Philippines’s economy, accounting for about 21 percent of the country’s GDP last year. The industry is expected to rise by 5.9 percent for this year. With the hospitality industry’s growth, the organizers of the Hotel Suppliers’ Show will follow the success of its Cebu leg last June, with another sourcing platform dedicated for the industry—the ninth edition of the Hotel Suppliers’ Show—which will happen from September 20 to 22 at the SMX Convention Center. The show will be held coinciding with the Food and Beverage Suppliers’ Show; and Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment Philippines, making it a complete showcase for hoteliers and restaurateurs. “We are overwhelmed with the results of our First Hotel Suppliers’ S how he ld i n Cebu l a st Ju ne —
that’s more than 6,000 hoteliers, restaurateurs and industr y professionals together with more than 50 exhibiting brands in three days!,” says Patrick Lawrence Tan, chief executive officer of GlobalLink Exhibitions Specialist Inc. “The industry is indeed growing, and we would like to create more opportunities for our local professionals for this sector not only in Cebu and Manila, but for the entire country.” The 9,800-plus-square-meter expo will be filled up with internationally renowned brands fronted by its major sponsors: Globalinens Worldw ide I n c ., H a f e l e Ph i l i p p i ne s , H a r l e Philippines, Pacific Paint Boysen Philippines, Tosot Philippines, plus many more! Three industry related symposiums will also be happening alongside the trade fair. First in the list is the Continuing Professional Development Conference hosted by the Philippines Institute of Interior Designers, where professional interior designers are updated with the latest trends and
issues concerning the interior sector are discussed. Happening at the same time will be the National Building and Property Management Summit, a conference for business and trade professiona ls f rom t he proper t y and construction sector; and the Building Green Conference by the Philippine Green Building Council. The conference is set to welcome the opening of international celebration of the World Green Week. From the front desk to the back of t he house ser v ices, food a nd beverage to housekeeping, design and décor to technolog y, the allencompassing event is sure to feature a comprehensive showcase. Interested visitors may sign up at www.bit.ly/ HSSRegistration to get a free oneday visitor pass to the expo. Online reg istration is open until today, September 18. A P100 entrance fee applies for all walk-in visitors. For more information on the Hotels Suppliers Show 2018, follow their official Facebook and Instagram Page: Hotel Suppliers Show Philippines.
DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM ZERO CARBON RESORTS AWARDS ANAHAW CERTIFICATION TO JPARK ISLAND RESORT & WATERPARK
E
ARLIER this year the Department of Tourism (DOT) launched the Anahaw Philippine Sustainable Tourism Certification, which is granted to zero-carbon resorts in the country. In line with this advocacy, the DOT has conducted their first Anahaw Awarding Ceremony in Manila on August 31, and one of the recipients of the award is Jpark Island Resort and Waterpark Mactan, the Philippines’s only 5-star premier waterpark resort.
‘W
ITH the rise of anger at a system that feels rigged, people are hungry for companies like Generationhope Inc., who are changing the system by building businesses that seek to create the greatest positive impact,” says Jay Coen Gilbert, cofounder of B Lab. “Best For The World is the only list of businesses that uses comprehensive, comparable, third party-validated data about a company’s social and environmental performance. As consumers, talent and investors increasingly demand transparent, values-aligned businesses to buy from, work at and invest in, companies will need to not just be the best in the world but the best for the world, and not just to be nice but to be the most successful.” The 226 winning companies on the Best For Community list come from 90 industries and 34 countries. Learn more by visiting bthechange.com/bestfortheworld.
With Jpark’s commitment to keep the natural beauty of Mactan Island as its crown priority, programs in sustaining energy, water, fuel and other resources; reduce waste and carbon emission; and improve the overall operation efficiency have been skillfully designed by its safety team headed by Safety and Pollution Control Officer Engr. Neil Rosal. True to its environmental policy, Jpark Island Resort and Waterpark has been sincere in its efforts toward
sustaining the global cause of saving and protecting the environment by implementing management systems, which include initiation of social and local community development and environmental protection programs; regular implementation of preventive maintenance and monitoring of all appliances and equipment that entail energy consumption; treatment and recycling of rainwater and wastewater; use of auto shutoff devices, such as key cards, to automatically shut off electricity, especially when hotel rooms are not occupied; strict monitoring in water consumption; use of more env ironment-f r iend ly chemica ls, such as substances with low volatile organic compounds, and avoiding all blacklisted chemicals; environmental and biodiversity conservation activities such as cleaning, campaigns, nature conservation, sponsorship of events, ecotours and nature experience programs, among others. In photo are (from left) Rosal, General Manager Jonathan Charles Nowell together with Dr. Robert Wimmer of GrAT Center for Appropriate Technology and Zero Carbon Resorts for Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Undersecretary Arturo Boncato Jr. and Gabriel Dayre, delegation of the European Union to the Philippines.
M
IAMI—Dwyane Wade looked into the camera, stood alone in the middle of a darkened room and talked for 10 minutes. He struggled with his words at times, unable to control his emotions. He wept. And finally, he made what he called the hardest decision of his life. One more year. Retirement needs to wait a little bit longer for Wade, who announced on Sunday night in a video taped earlier in the day that he’s returning for a 16th and final National Basketball Association (NBA) season. He basically spent the entirety of the last four months weighing his options, and retirement—even just a few days ago—was an extremely real possibility in his mind. “I’ve always did things my way,” said Wade, who is expected to sign a $2.4-million, one-year deal later this week. “Whether they’ve good or whether they’ve been bad, I got here because I’ve done things the way that I feel is right for me and right for my family. And what I feel is right...I feel it’s right to ask you guys to join me for one last dance, for one last season. “This is it. I’ve given this game everything that I have, and I’m happy about that, and I’m going to give it for one last season, everything else I have left.” Wade is Miami’s career leader in points, assists, steals and games played. His status was an enormous question mark this summer, especially now with the team a week away from going to training camp. Miami has signed 19 players for camp, one shy of the maximum preseason allotment, and it was never a question why they kept that last spot open. It’s filled now, by the most accomplished Heat player ever. Yet it was no guarantee that Wade, a 22.5-point scorer for his career, would return. His decision took longer than some expected, partly because he was deciding what he wanted to do, partly because he was dealing with some personal business and some family business, and partly because it took him and the Heat some time to figure out what made sense for both sides. A person familiar with Wade’s thinking told The Associated Press that the guard was strongly considering retirement until late last week, when Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra and others made a late push to help him decide. Whatever they said worked. “Can I physically do it? Can I physically get out of bed every day to do this? Can I step with every step hurting in the morning? Can I deal with the travel? Can I be away from my family? Is it selfish for me to want to continue to be away from my family?” Wade said, reeling off a list of questions that he pondered when making the decision. He apparently found his answers. “These things to you guys may seem small,” Wade said. “But
The 26-year-old Englishman Simon Yates was dominant throughout the three-week race across Spain, thriving on the toughest climbs and the flattest routes to secure the victory after a last stage in which riders didn’t attack the leaders under cycling tradition.
Wade returns to Heat for final season
Sports BusinessMirror
C1
| Tuesday, September 18, 2018 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao
to me, they’re real. I feel like my family has put me first for so many years, for good reasons. But there comes a point in time when we’ve all got to think about someone else, especially the ones around you that have supported you, supported your dreams, supported your journey like my family have.” Wade’s return basically means that Miami will have the same team—a young, rising team it believes in many respects—this coming season as it had last season, when it went 44-38 and claimed the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. This time, though, the Heat will have Wade from the season’s outset. He spent 2016-2017 in his hometown of Chicago, then began last season with Cleveland. Wade returned to the Heat in a trade in February, appearing in 26 games including playoffs, enamoring Miami again even while coming off the bench and averaging 12.9 points. His impact on the court was clear, and so was his impact off the court—Wade was very involved in the response to the February 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead, including a student named Joaquin Oliver who was a Heat fan. Oliver’s parents buried their son in a Wade jersey. That touched Wade deeply, and he spent the latter portion of last season dealing with both the anguish of that and the death of his longtime agent Henry Thomas. Wade would eventually say that he felt lost at times last season without Thomas, that he wasn’t always getting the same joy out of playing the game as he once did. “When I lost Hank, I lost a part of me,” Wade said, wiping away tears. The plan going into this season will be to keep Wade in that reserve role like last season. While he likely won’t be starting, it’s fairly certain that he’ll be finishing them—Spoelstra utilized Wade as a closer last season, and Wade loves that role. Wade could have gotten a deal elsewhere this summer, though moving to another team again was never a consideration for him this time around. It was Miami or nowhere. Miami won. “Let’s enjoy it,”Wade said. “Let’s have some joy through this last season. Let’s push this young team over the hump and let’s write our own story to the end of this career, together. Together.” AP
RETIREMENT needs to wait a little bit longer for Dwyane Wade, who is returning for a 16th and final National Basketball Association season.
BRITISH INVASION By Tales Azzoni The Associated Press
M
ADRID—Simon Yates won his first Grand Tour title after a largely ceremonial ride into Madrid in the final stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Sunday, giving British riders a sweep of the season’s three biggest races. The 26-year-old Englishman was dominant throughout the three-week race across Spain, thriving on the toughest climbs and the flattest routes to secure the victory after a last stage in which riders didn’t attack the leaders under cycling tradition. Yates’s Vuelta title means Britain has swept the three Grand Tours.
Geraint Thomas of Wales won the Tour de France in July and Kenyan-born British rider Chris Froome the Giro d’Italia in May. Froome was the defending Vuelta champion and also won the Tour de France last year, meaning Britain has five straight Grand Tour victories. “It’s astonishing really,” Yates said. “Growing up I was so accustomed to seeing the French, Italian and Spanish riders lead the way, so for myself, Chris and Geraint to all win a Grand Tour in the same year just shows how far the sport has come in this country.” Thomas and Froome skipped the race in Spain this year. Italian rider Elia Viviani won the final sprint for his third-stage win in this year’s Vuelta, with Peter Sagan close behind him. Yates, who rides for team Mitchelton-Scott, successfully defended his lead of almost two minutes in Saturday’s demanding 20th stage, the last competitive one since the
peloton took off from Malaga on August 25. On Sunday riders mostly paraded in a 100.9-kilometer route from the city of Alcorcon to the center of the Spanish capital. Yates held the leader’s red jersey through Stages 9 to 11, then won Stage 14 in the northwestern Picos de Europa mountains to take full control of the race until the end. Spain’s Enric Mas, from team QuickStep Floors, won Saturday’s difficult stage in Andorra and finished second in the general classification, one minute and 46 seconds behind Yates. Miguel Angel Lopez of Colombia, from the Astana Pro Team, was third, more than two minutes off the lead. “It’s been a great moment to appear on the final podium,” Mas said. “It was my goal although I kept it for myself coming into the race.... I hope for more moments like this in the future, including on the top spot.” Veteran Spaniard Alejandro Valverde
SIMON YATES’S Vuelta title means Britain has swept the three Grand Tours. AP
was in contention from the first day but failed to keep pace with Yates on Saturday, dropping to fifth for Movistar in the final overall standings. Steven Kruijswijk of Team Lotto NL-Jumbo finished ahead of Valverde in fourth place. Yates had already come close to a Grand Tour victory in the Giro d’Italia in May, a race he led for 13 stages before losing the lead to eventual winner Froome with two days left. “It’s still hard to believe that I’ve won,” Yates said. “I was disappointed to not win the Giro but I’ve made it up. I’m in shock. I got really nervous when I went on stage. My natural habitat is on the bike. I enjoyed the moment. It was a very special one.” Yates made his Grand Tour debut in the 2014 Tour de France. In last year’s Tour, he won the young rider’s classification, finishing seventh overall. Movistar ended first in the overall team classification.
2 HOURS, 1 MINUTE AND 39 SECONDS B
ERLIN—Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge smashed the marathon world record, winning the Berlin race in two hours, one minute and 39 seconds on Sunday. His feat came as Kevin Mayer set a decathlon world record with a total of 9,126 points in his native France on Sunday, topping a previous best of 9,045 points set by American Ashton Eaton three years
ELIUD KIPCHOGE sets new marathon world record in Berlin. AP
ago. Organizers of the Berlin marathon initially put Kipchoge’s time at two hours, one minute and 40 seconds, but later reduced it by one second.
The 33-year-old broke the previous world record set in Berlin by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in 2014 by one minute and 18 seconds. “I lack words to describe this day,” Kipchoge said after becoming the first person to finish a marathon in less than two hours and two minutes. “They say you miss two times but you can’t miss the third time,” he said, in reference to his two previous failed attempts to break the world record in Berlin. The Kenyan defended his 2017 title in the German capital, pulling ahead of other runners early on amid perfect conditions. Mild temperatures and little to no wind gave the runners of the 45th Berlin marathon an advantage over last year, when rain slowed the race. Berlin debutant Amos Kipruto came second in two hours, six minutes and 23 seconds, followed by a third Kenyan,
former world-record holder Wilson Kipsang, with two hours, six minutes and 48 seconds. Shogo Nakamura of Japan narrowly missed setting a new national record with a time of two hours, eight minutes and 16 seconds. Gladys Cherono won the women’s race in two hours, 18 minutes and 11 seconds, a women’s record for the Berlin marathon. The previous track record was set by Mizuki Noguchi of Japan 13 years ago. The 35-year-old Kenyan, who has won twice before in Berlin, said she felt confident going into the race but wasn’t sure she would beat favorite Tirunesh Dibaba. Dibaba came third behind fellow Ethiopian Rutia Aga. A total of 44,389 runners from 133 countries took part in the race, organizers said. AP
Spo
Business
C2 Tuesday, September 18, 2018
SW-MASTERS EYES REPEAT W
ITH a young roster, the Manila Southwoods-Masters squad looks to reclaim the Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub championship next week against a Pradera Verde crew built around the talented Yuka Saso. With seasoned internationalist Sofia Chabon and the returning Sunshine Baraquiel, the Carmona-based club hopes to bounce back from a thorough beating suffered at the hands of Pradera last year in Cebu where its five-year reign was snapped. “I’m very confident of our chances,” nonplaying skipper Claire Ong said as her charges prime up for a return clash with Saso and a revved up Pradera roster backstopped by three Malaysian junior standouts starting on Wednesday at the
Rancho Palos Verdes course here. Southwoods is so keen on returning to the winner’s circle that the entire team is already here, playing in a big amateur tournament where they can test the rolling layout in its best shape. “Our players have been together for more than a month now and are playing fairly well,” Ong said. “The players are in high spirits and raring to go.” Annika Guangco, Tin Torralba, Mafy Singson, Laurea Duque, Mariel Tee and Samantha Dizon are the other members of the squad which is the other half of the most successful amateur team program in the country in recent years. Southwoods has also lorded it over the Men’s Interclub for the last four years and
would like nothing better than to have its ladies occupy the top of the hill once again. But that would be easier said than done, especially with Saso coming off a double goldmedal effort in the Asian Games in Jakarta less than a month back where she rallied from four strokes down in the last round to win the individual gold over Liu Wenbo of China. Cebu Country Club is the third force in the Championship Division. Major sponsors for the 13th PAL Ladies Interclub include Airbus, Bombardier, People Asia, UM Broadcasting Network and Primax Broadcasting Network. Other sponsors are TFC, Mastercard, Seda Hotel, SM Supermalls and Banco de Oro. Donors are Asia Brewery and Philippine National Bank.
Sta. Elena wrests overall lead in women’s golf circuit
S
ANTA Elena kept the momentum of its big surge at Wack Wack with a victory and a runner-up finish in Canlubang to wrest the overall lead after seven legs of the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines (WGAP) Circuit at Cangolf’s North course recently. The Santa Elena ladies topped Class B in big fashion and placed second in Class C for a crucial five-point output that shoved the latecharging team past a faltering Villamor side heading to the final stop of the eight-stage circuitin Forest Hills next month. Santa Elena moved within three points off Villamor in the overall race with two victories in the sixth leg last month but now found itself on top of the heap with 21 points as Villamor went scoreless for the second straight tournament and dropped to second with 19 points. Many-time champion Tagaytay Highlands, likewise, sustained its attack with a victory in Class A and a third-place
effort in Class C, hiking its total to 17 points. With Camp Aguinaldo, which placed third in Class A, improving to 16 points and final leg host Forest Hills staying within striking distance with 15 points, a wide-open finish is seen in Antipolo. Still in the hunt for a top 5 finish—for spots in the annual WGAP Cup—are Alabang and Canlubang, which tote identical 11 points, while Eagle Ridge has nine points in the annual event organized and conducted by the WGAP. Ella Vonau fired 47 Stableford points, while Nancy Ortiga, Misako Ogihara and Jenny Ligones backed her up with 44, 40 and 38 points, respectively, as Santa Elena assembled a 169 for a whopping 12-point victory over Cangolf in Class B. The hosts, led by individual winner Terry Parala’s 42 points, scored a 157, while Alabang placed third with a 147 followed by Forest Hills (146), Villamor (144), Wack Wack (138), Tagaytay (137), Eagle Ridge
(131) and Orchard (121). Tagaytay, behind Sophia Blanco’s 40 points, Sandy Romualdez and Gilda Medestomas’ identical 37 points and Virginia Bote’s 35 points, ruled Class A with a 149, four points over Forest Hills, which pooled a 145 and nipped Camp Aguinaldo in the countback for second. Cangolf placed fourth with a 144, while Santa Elena and Alabang scored 143 and 129, respectively. Aguinaldo’s Ruby Hamis took the individual plum with 40 points. Cangolf dominated Class C with a 159 as Christine Kelley turned in 43 points, Theresa Enriquez and Grace Vicencio shot 39 points apiece and Charo Buencamino added 38 points. Santa Elena, led by individual champion Techie Leonio’s 45 points, scored a 154 and edged Tagaytay in the countback for second while Villamor ended up fourth with a 150 followed by Alabang (148), Forest Hills (142), Aguinaldo (136), Wack Wack (127) and Eagle Ridge (110).
YUKA SASO will be a player to watch for Pradera Verde at the the Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub.
Cobra irons await ace maker in Highlands Ladies Cup
A
BRAND-NEW set of Cobra F-7 irons will be staked as hole-in-one prize on No. 12 when the Highlands Ladies Cup holds its 13th staging on September 29 featuring a full-packed field at Tagaytay Midlands Golf and Country Club. The Cobra set in a Puma bag prize thus covers all par 3s of the rolling par-72 up-anddown layout with the third hole offering two round-trip tickets to Kuala Lumpur with four days/three nights accommodation courtesy of Regent Travel Corp. A two-night accommodation in Coron with breakfast and airport transfers for
two from Baron Travel Corp. and a four-night cruise to Singapore-Port Klang (KL)-Phuket (or Penang)-Singapore for two courtesy of Royal Caribbean International will also be offered for aces on Nos. 5 and 17, respectively. In case no one scores an ace, all hole in one prizes will be raffled off during awards rites, according to the organizing Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Chapter. That should make the event, backed by Diamond sponsors Auto Nation Group Inc., Pacific Online and W Group, doubly interesting with a merry mix of participants from various
sectors gearing up for a spirited but friendly competition. Play will be under the System 36 scoring format with big prizes also at stake in various categories of the annual event supported by Powerball Gaming, San Miguel Corp. and Security Bank as Platinum sponsors, Kaiser Health Group and Royal Caribbean Int’l as Gold backers and ComWorks Inc., Fitness First, HBC, Huawei Philippines, Leisure and Resort World Corp., Lucerne, New Golden City Builders, PLDTSME, Regent Travel Corp. and SM Retail as Silver sponsors.
orts
sMirror
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
PINOYS WIELD GOLDEN OARS THE members of the 10-seater senior men’s team celebrate their victory in the 200-meter race and later on joined their teammates for a victory pose.
T
HE Philippines accomplished a historic feat on the world stage by collecting five gold medals to seal the overall title in the 2018 International Canoe Federation World Dragon Boat Championships in Gainesville, Florida, on Sunday. The national paddlers from the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation (PCKDF) capped their scintillating performance with a victory in the 10-seater senior men’s 200-meter race to surpass the country’s best finish six years ago. Slicing through water with super fast strokes, the Filipinos rushed to the line in 47.39 seconds, leaving Italy (49.58) and Hungary (49.87) by almost a full boat in their final race of the four-day tournament at the Lake Lanier Olympic Park here. Those five gold medals and two silvers shadowed the five-gold, one-silver collection that the Philippines achieved in the 2012 edition of the worlds in Milan, Italy. “I was a part of that team that did it in Italy,’’ Coach Diomedes Manalo said. “I knew these kids are special, so I’m not surprised when they beat the previous record.’’ Veterans Mark Jhon Frias, Hermie Macaranas and Ojay Fuentes were consistently quick from the get-go along with John Lester de los Santos, Oliver Manaig, Reymart Nevado, Lee Robin Santos, Jordan de Guia, Roger Masbate and John Paul Selencio. With less than 50 meters left, drummer Patricia Bustamante and steersman Maribeth Caranto then signaled them to pour it all as
Tankoua gets writers’ nod
D
ONALD TANKOUA took matters into his own hands when San Beda needed it most and averted an upset of sorts by Letran for a 7468 Red Lions win in their last National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) match. The Red Lions saw a 22-point, 67-45, lead diminish after a 19-0 Knights blast, but with Tankoua’s clutch basket, the defending champions came out on top. That was enough for Tankoua to get the nod of sports writers covering the beat to name him the NCAA Press Corps Player of the Week. “If we lost that game, I should probably blame myself for that because I gave everybody a chance to play and the other guys who came in just simply didn’t want to really step up,” Head Coach Boyet Fernandez lamented. “They thought it was already a won game for us.” “What happened happened and I think that we should realize that we really have to work hard in every game,” the 23-year-old big man said. Tankoua bested Lyceum’s Jaycee Marcelino, Mapua’s Laurenz Victoria and San Sebastian’s Michael Calisaan for the weekly citation. College of Saint Benilde, meanwhile, guns for solo third against Mapua University, while University of Perpetual Help tries to inch closer to the semifinals as it tackles Arellano University at the resumption on Tuesday of the seniors basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. The Blazers (4-7) take on the Cardinals (3-8) at 2 p.m., while the Altas (5-5) take on the Chiefs (4-6) at 4 p.m.
Hotshot Subido delivers for UST
they surged to the finish past the Italians. All of them were teary eyed when the Philippine flag was raised and the national anthem played for the fifth and final time during the awarding ceremony. “All the hard work paid off. This is for our
country,’’ said Head Coach Len Escollante, who expressed her gratitude to Go For Gold for funding the women’s team. The presence of the lady paddlers were vital since four of the five gold medals they had won were mixed team races.
“I’m proud to say that the Philippines is the world champion in dragonboat racing,’’ said PCKDF President Jonne Go, who also thanked Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque Jr. and the Philippine Sports Commission. Apart from winning the 10-seater and
20-seater senior mixed 200-meter races, the Filipinos also struck gold in the small boat and big boat of the senior mixed 500 meters. They settled for silver medals in the big boat senior mixed 2,000 meters and small boat men’s 500 meters.
CAMSUR’S JOSON WINS 1ST GOLD By Ramon Rafael Bonilla
B
AGUIO CITY—Camarines Sur’s Mary Grace Joson won the first gold medal in girls’ discus throw of the Batang Pinoy National Finals on Monday, dedicating her victory to a father she has not seen since birth. And while Joson made an emotional impact in the games that proves the host city’s resiliency despite suffering much of Typhoon Ompong’s wrath, Jason Jabol and Antonette Jay Aguilion crowned themselves as the Sprint Prince and Princess, respectively. Joson heaved the discus to 26.87 meters in her second attempt to win the gold, barely beating Zambales’s Janine Medina (26.64 meters) and General Santos City’s Althea Guadalupe. “This is for my parents, especially to papa,”
said Joson, a Grade 9 student at the Camarines Sur Sports Academy. The 15-year-old Joson has never seen his Civil Engineer dad who is based abroad and lives with her mother, who earns a living vending balut. The sun shone brightly at the Baguio Athletic Bowl to the relief of the people up north who braved Ompong’s rains and winds last Saturday that almost cost the cancelation of the games, one of the Philippine Sports’ Commission’s flag-ship programs for grassroots sports. Jabol, meanwhile, made Dasmariñas City proud by winning the secondary boys’ 100 meters in 11.59 seconds, with the 10th-grader at the Immaculate Concepcion Academy showing his hamstring injury that forced him out of last summer’s Athletics Open in Isabela has fully healed. Claveland Joel Mallari of Makati City (11.84
seconds) and Albort Joses Villaces of Zamboanga City (11.96 seconds) took the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Bacolod City’s Aguilion, on the other hand, bucked homesickness and won gold in the girls’ 100 meters with a time of 13.2 second. She won by a hair over Bohol’s Dianna Rysiamie Hurano (13.22). Leyte’s Shane Avryl completed the podium with 13.32 seconds. So who said it’s never fun taking a dip in Baguio City’s weather? Not the swimmers who conquered the chilly water of the Baguio Swimming Pool. Roz Ciaralene Encarnacion, Markus Johannes de Kam, Mervien Jules Mirandilla and Althea Michel Baluyot collected two gold medals each to jump-start competitions in the medal-rich sport. Laguna’s Encarnacion topped the girls 200-meter
individual medley in 2:40.97, with Maglia Jaye (2:44.58) of Puerto Princesa City and Chloe Sophia Laurente (2:47.01) of Ormoc City finishing behind her. Officials, meanwhile, took time to determine the result of the girls 50-meter breaststroke. Encarnacion clocked 37.33 seconds, beating Dumaguete City’s Monique Ramas-Uypitching by .02 second. Angela Mikaela Talosig clinched the bronze medal in 37.36. Lucena City’s De Kam topped the boys’ 12-under 100-meter freestyle (59.11 seconds) and 50-meter backstroke (32.27 seconds), while his teammate, Mirandilla, ruled the boys 13-15 100-meter freestyle (58.38 seconds) and 100-meter butterfly (59.92 seconds). Quezon City’s Baluyot of stamped her class in the girls 13-15 100-meter freestyle (1:01.16) and 100-meter butterfly (1:06.98).
FIFA QUALITY Acousto-Scan engineers test the University of the Philippines (UP)
Diliman football field for ball bounce, among several other scrupulous tests. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association recently awarded the UP pitch the Fifa Quality Certification seal. Installed by E-Sports International, the first local company to have a field tested for Fifa Certification in the Philippines, UP’s grounds is the newest pitch that now holds the international standard label for Fifa Quality.
P50M FOR SIKLAB FOUNDATION
P R
ENZO SUBIDO is living up to his task as University of Santo Tomas’s (UST) designated shooter that even on an off day, his coach, Aldin Ayo, just wants him to keep making those shots. And Subido proved he, indeed, has hot hands in the Tigers’ 76-74 shocker over playoff hopeful Far Eastern University (FEU) for its first win in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 men’s basketball tournament. Subido went on a 4-of-9 shooting from the three-point range to lead the Growling Tigers with 18 points, two rebounds and an assist in the upset.
What a way for him to bounce back from his horror opening day showing against National University, where he shot 2-of-10 from beyond the arc and 5-of-24 from the field. “We were able to get our shots against FEU,” the 5-foot-9 guard said. “We just have to trust each other and believe in the system if we want to win our games.” For his efforts, the 22-year-old Subido was hailed as the UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week. He edged Ateneo’s Thirdy Ravena, University of the Philippines’s Juan Gomez de Liano and FEU’s Prince Orizu for the award given out by reporters from print and online portals covering the beat.
HOENIX Petroleum has turned over a cash donation of P50 million from the “Buhayin Ang Laban Para Sa Ginto” donation drive to the Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation early this month. Phoenix Petroleum launched the campaign on June 12 to support of the country’s dream of winning its first Olympic gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Games. The company pledged to match every liter of Phoenix PULSE Technology-blended fuel purchased at Phoenix stations from June 12 to August 12 with a 25-centavo donation to Siklab Atleta. The two-month-long campaign raised P25 million from customers who fueled up at Phoenix. Overwhelmed by the support of fellow Filipino motorists, Phoenix Petroleum doubled the amount—making the total donation to P50 million. “We thank our fellow Filipinos who
showed their nationalism by participating in our donation drive. This initiative aims to reignite Filipino patriotism and the spirit of bayanihan, as we all work toward a common goal, which is to bring glory to the Philippines,” Phoenix Petroleum Chief Operating Officer Henry Albert Fadullon said. Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation Inc. is a private nonprofit organization launched in 2017, which aims to bring to life every Filipino athletes’ dream of winning a gold medal in the Olympics. Phoenix Petroleum is one of the top companies in the country which has pledged to support the projects and initiatives of Siklab Atleta. Through Siklab Atleta, top Filipino athletes will be provided with improved and upgraded training equipment and facilities, coaching services, exposure to international competitions and scientific training methods to further hone their talents and develop their skills.
C3
SPORTS PLUS
PTT Run reset for Saturday THE PTT Run for Clean Energy Year 2 scheduled last Sunday has been reset to Saturday at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Grounds because of the aftermath of Typhoon Ompong. With the CCP Grounds a total mess because of felled trees, leaves and branches scattered over portions of route, some of which were flooded, organizers decided to reset the race for the safety of the runners. “We would have continued with it, rain or shine, but the route was quite dangerous for participants,” said Subterranean Ideas Project Manager Matt Ardina, adding that there is no longer an available Sunday schedule for the next four weeks, hence the choice of Saturday. Registration for the run is ongoing until September 20 at Chris Sports Outlets at SM Manila, SM Mall of Asia and SM North Edsa. On-site registration is also available an hour before the race categories. Interested runners may also call tel. nos. 0918-6002411 (Smart), 09953248315 (Globe) and landline 975-9584 for more details. Backed by PTT Lubricants, Cafe Amazon, Wish 107.5, Chris Sports, Milcu, Leslie’s Corp., ChloRelief, Lubie, Coca-Cola, La Filipina, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Maynilad, Herbalife, Vegemore, Science in Sport, Medicard Foundation, Ripples Daily, Gold Seas, Maynilad, the BusinessMirror and BusinessMirror Health and Fitness Magazine, Village Connect, Philippine School of Business Administration, Mariano Marcos High School Batch ‘91 and Saint Dominic College, the run will have a Gadgets Galore Raffle, where runners have a chance to win smartphones, home camera, headphones, bluetooth speakers, watches and many more. Race categories are 10K (P520), 5K (P420) and 3K (P320), all inclusive of race shirt, race bib and giveaways. Top 3 male and female runners of the 10K and 5K will get cash prizes and medals.
Registration on for Clark race REGISTRATION is ongoing for the MediCard Sprint Triathlon at the Fontana Leisure Park in Clark in Pampanga on November 25. The #MediCardSprintTri is a beginnerfriendly triathlon consisting of a 600-meter swim, 20- km bike and 5-km run. Organized by Bike King in partnership with leading HMO, MediCard, the triathlon takes participants through several laps in the Olympic-size pool of the Fontana Water Park to a one-loop bike course around Clark and to a one-loop run on the rolling paths of the resort. At stake in the event supported by official timekeeper Tag Heuer, Standard Insurance, Vittoria, Gardenia and partner hotels The Villages at Global Clark, Fontana and Royce Hotel & Casino, are specially designed trophies and gift items for the age-group winners, Team Competition and relay category winners. Registration for the #MediCardSprintTri will end on October 31. Entry fees are P4,200 for the Sprint Distance and P10,500 for the relay category. MediCard’s Corporate clients could take advantage of a discount during registration. Also available is a 12+1 registration promo for teams—one free registration for every 12 individual registrations from a team.
Abap official graces forum ASSOCIATION of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (Abap) Executive Director Ed Picson will grace Tuesday’s session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Tapa King Restaurant at Farmers Plaza in Cubao. Picson is expected to discuss the plans and programs of the boxing federation for the rest of the year during the 11 a.m. public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp., Tapa King and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. The boxing team brought home one silver and two bronze medals from the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta.
ALVAREZ VS. GOLOVKIN III?
L
AS VEGAS—The fight was so close at the final bell that no one in the arena—including Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez—knew who would leave the ring with the middleweight title belts. It was Alvarez, though by the slimmest of margins. He won the last round on two scorecards on Saturday night on the Las Vegas Strip to hand Golovkin the first loss of his career in a fight that more than lived up to its advance billing. To settle who is really the best, though, they may just have to do it a third time. And that’s fine with both fighters, who have now gone 24 rounds together with little but a few points on the scorecards to separate them. “If the people want us to do it again, let’s do it again,” Alvarez said. “It would be great to have a third fight,” Golovkin said. A third fight will almost certainly happen, and for that fight fans have to be grateful. Alvarez and Golovkin showcased their skills—and their sport—at the highest level in a fight that one judge scored a draw and two others had Alvarez by a narrow 115-113 score. Both fighters thought they had won. Both fighters probably deserved a win. But it was Alvarez, the Mexican hero, who proudly carried the belts out of the ring after a bruising 12 rounds that ended with both fighters bloodied and bruised before a roaring crowd of 21,965. “It’s one of the happiest days of my life,” said Alvarez, who fought Golovkin to a draw a year earlier and had to deal with a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug while preparing for the rematch. It wasn’t so happy for Golovkin, the slugger from Kazakhstan who for years walked through whoever was put in front of him. Golovkin rallied in the final rounds to make the fight close, only to listen in disbelief once again as he wasn’t declared the winner. “I feel like I’m a champion but he’s also a champion,” Golovkin said. “It was a fight of two champions tonight.” Indeed it was, as Alvarez abandoned his strategy from the first fight to box moving forward against Golovkin. It was a risky strategy but paid off—though just barely. Though Triple G and his handlers were careful not to criticize the decision, promoter Tom Loeffler admitted later that it was tough to win a decision in an arena packed with Alvarez fans on Mexican Independence Day weekend. “I don’t know if we can win a decision in Las Vegas,” Loeffler said. Ringside punch stats showed a close fight, though they favored Golovkin by a small margin. Golovkin was credited with landing 234 of 879 punches, while Alvarez landed 203 of 622. Unlike many close decisions in boxing, though, there was no huge outcry, largely because the fight was almost too close to call. “It was me who pushed him back, me who was most aggressive,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the knockout, but we got the victory.” AP
Sports BusinessMirror
LEWIS HAMILTON wins comfortably from pole position, extending his championship lead over Sebastian Vettel to 40 points. AP
C4
| Tuesday, September 18, 2018 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao
‘IT’S GETTING HOT IN HERE...’
S
INGAPORE—In the sweltering Singapore Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton turned up the heat on Sebastian Vettel a notch further. Hamilton won comfortably from pole position on Sunday, extending his Formula One championship lead over Vettel to 40 points. Winning from pole on one of the hardest tracks for overtaking in F1 was nothing special in itself. But Hamilton’s masterclass in qualifying was exceptional as he recorded one of the best pole positions of his career—described as epic within his Mercedes team. It afforded him a more relaxing race than expected—heat aside—given Ferrari’s advantage during practice this weekend. Considering Vettel makes more mistakes than Hamilton, a 40-point gap looks a huge advantage with only six races left. Especially as Hamilton has no intention of easing up. The British driver is on a major roll after winning four of the past five races, pinning Vettel firmly on the ropes in their bid for a fifth F1 title. “I think the approach I have is working really well, so
I don’t see the point in changing,” Hamilton said after his seventh win of the season and 69th in F1. “I’ve been [around] a long, long time and I know I can’t get ahead of myself, we can’t get ahead of ourselves,” Hamilton said. “I truly think we can deliver like this for the rest of the season, and that is the goal.” Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was nine seconds back in second place, with Vettel way back in third. “We didn’t come here expecting to lose 10 points,” said a dejected Vettel, who trailed by 30 heading into Singapore. Vettel’s championship bid crumbled when he crashed from pole here last year and went on to lose the title by 46 points to Hamilton. It is looking increasingly like a repeat scenario for the Ferrari driver, who is disappearing into Hamilton’s slipstream. Vettel was unhappy with his team after qualifying in third place behind Verstappen, and the German driver sounded irritated during Sunday’s race after a team strategy error to send him into the pits for a tire change before Hamilton failed to work. Instead he lost position and crucial points, dropping
back behind Verstappen having earlier overtaken him. “We tried to be aggressive in the beginning and obviously it didn’t work out,” Vettel said. “I think today, with the way we raced, we didn’t have a chance. I said before the weekend we can only beat ourselves and today we didn’t get everything out of the package.” The only thing bothering Hamilton seemed to be the conditions. Despite the night-time start, the temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and the humidity intense. “I’m spent,” Hamilton said moments after victory, crouching down by his car. His teammate Valtteri Bottas was fourth ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso, who won the inaugural race here 10 years ago, was seventh for McLaren. Hamilton’s stunning pole Saturday was a recordextending 79th. “It’s so hard to overtake here,” Hamilton said. “So positioning is everything.” Vettel tried to make ground, almost bumping into
Verstappen as they headed into the first corner on Sunday. They just avoided contact. Moments later, Vettel passed Verstappen with a great move on Raffles boulevard, while behind them Sergio Perez knocked his Force India teammate Esteban Ocon into the wall and out—bringing a safety car onto the track for four laps. When the race restarted, Ferrari gambled on pitting first for new tires by bringing in Vettel first. Mercedes pitted Hamilton moments later, and when Vettel came back out he was still behind Hamilton and lost more time getting past Perez. Verstappen was the next in, almost colliding again with Vettel into turn 3. Verstappen held position, Vettel dropping to third. “No chance, we are again too late,” Vettel complained over team radio, taking another apparent swipe at team strategy. “If [being aggressive] works it’s great—today it didn’t work by quite a bit.” Time is running out for Vettel, who realistically has to win in Russia in two weeks’ time if he is to get back into title contention. AP
God of marvelous deeds
D
EAR God of marvelous deeds, You provide all things for our enjoyment. We praise You and pray: Oh God, lead us to walk in the light of Christ. Make us rich in good works and ready to share our abundance with others. Inspire parents, catechists, writers and teachers in their efforts to pass on the Catholic faith to the young and old. Lead troubled youth and individuals to know support, love and care. May we prefer nothing to the love of Christ and may He bring us together to everlasting life. 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
BOX OFFICE: ‘THE PREDATOR’ GOBBLES UP COMPETITION D3
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
D1
❷
❶
❸
Luxury Parisian brand’s signature sofa gets Filipino treatment; exclusive pieces to be auctioned off ❶ THE take
of Arch. Bobby Mañosa & Mañosa Group on the Mah Jong sofa
❷ THE Mah
Jong sofa reimagined by interior designer Chat Fores
❸ ARTIST
Geraldine Javier’s iteration
I
By Jt nisay
T’S the Filipinos’ turn to take on the iconic Mah Jong. The crown jewel of luxury Parisian furniture brand Roche Bobois meets Filipino artistry in its latest line of collaborations, fitting under a stellar list of versatile takes on a versatile piece. Created in 1971 by multidisciplinary artist Hans Hopfer, the Mah Jong sofa is the emblem of Roche Bobois’s ingeniously customizable pieces. It can be stacked, grouped, combined or aligned to become anything from a straight sofa to a corner sofa; from an armchair to a lounge chair, or even a day bed. Over the years, prominent fashion houses have “dressed” special editions of the Mah Jong, including high-end Italian line Missoni Home, French haute couturier Jean Paul Gaultier and Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada. This month the honor goes to 10 Filipinos from different art disciplines, a list that features architects Bobby Mañosa and Ed Calma, jewelry designer Bea Valdes, furniture designer Vito Selma, fashion designer Paloma Urquijo-Zobel, interior designer Chat Fores and artists Nikki Luna, Jojo Lofranco, Geraldine Javier and Costantino Zicarelli. The idea behind going with a diverse mix of collaborators, according to Eugene Lorenzana, managing director of Roche Bobois Philippines (www. roche-bobois.com/en-PH), was to show the Mah Jong’s versatility—that anyone from any discipline can express their ideas and concepts in the piece. “With their talent, passion and individualism, all 10 collaborators reflect the spirit of the Mah Jong. In turn, each of their Mah Jongs showcases
Filipino culture and ingenuity to the world of design,” Lorenzana said. He added that the collaborators were granted full liberty on their iterations. “There were no rules. We just gave them a white piece to do whatever they wanted to do. No rules, no guidelines.” For his version of the Mah Jong, champions of Filipino architecture Bobby Mañosa & Mañosa Group took inspiration from the country’s rich indigenous weaving traditions. The seat and backrest of the sofa carry a brocaded design of a yakan bunga pattern from Mindanao, while the sofa is mounted on a woven laminated rattan base in warm wood tones, reminiscent of the colorful banig of Samar. Meanwhile, Arch. Ed Calma wanted a sofa to have an architectural idea on its surface without altering its design. “The chair ended up having some kind of armor, like an armadillo,” he said. “I like the fact that it led me to invent a new way of upholstering a piece of furniture that I could use as a signature for my interior projects.” Choosing to go a little bit personal with her take on the Mah Jong was interior designer Chat Fores. Her work reflects the influence of oriental culture that was prominent in her childhood. Also part of her design is her mom’s old obis, or sashes, from Japan—a sentimental tribute, which she calls “important in my design practice.” Furniture designer Vito Selma also opted to stick with his signature style: complex woodwork. His idea is to give people comfort while showcasing the piece’s raw beauty. Aside from that, Selma also went with the theme of Filipino transportation culture for his Mah Jong. The woman behind the brand known for
ROCHE Bobois Managing Director George Lorenzana (from left), Nikki Luna, Paloma Urquijo-Zobel, Bambi Mañosa, Chat Fores and Roche Bobois Managing Director Eugene Lorenzana
repurposing traditional textiles, PIOPIO, fashion designer Paloma Urquijo-Zobel used her Mah Jong canvass to prove that the inabel, or the traditional fabric indigenous to the Ilocos region, can also be funky and young. She said the design is also their homage to the weavers of Ilocos and the Philippines. Rounding out the list of Filipino collaborators were four artists that each employed radical approaches, with active feminist Nikki Luna, for one, imparting her Mah Jong with a strong statement against violence: “The chair is based on three core values: form, function and, more important, freedom. How much freedom do we have now?” The 10, one-of-kind Mah Jong sofas will go under the hammer tomorrow, September 19, in an auction
called Interactions at Whitespace in Don Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City. Part of the proceeds from each sale will go to the artists’ chosen charities, including main beneficiaries Asian Cultural Council Philippines Foundation Inc., PAWS, Tukod Foundation and AHA Learning Center. According to Lorenzana, the Roche Bobois Philippines executive, Filipinos can look forward to more local collaborations with the brand in the coming years. “We’re welcoming more local design talent to integrate their aesthetic within Roche Bobois,” he said. “We’re excited to promote another collaborative design project with another iconic Roche Bobois piece in the future.” n
The ‘Elements’ of an ideal events venue THE start of the “ber” months signals the beginning of the countdown to Christmas for Filipinos. Local radios almost automatically start playing Christmas carols, and various establishments gear up with Yuletide décor. From September 1 onward, festivities are much-anticipated—from reunions, bazaars, office and family Christmas parties, to milestone events like weddings, anniversaries, engagements and birthday parties. Corporate events, product launches and trade fairs also abound. When you’re an organizer of any of these events, the preparation can get overwhelming. While all the other factors such as food, styling and entertainment are essentials, the event venue is inarguably on top of the checklist because it influences all other subsequent major decisions. As you scout for the perfect place, here are some key elements to consider before booking your event venue: n LOCATION. Your event venue needs to be conveniently and centrally located to make it easier to find. With the worsening traffic situation everywhere, holding your venue in a tucked-away place that requires excessive travel time is not the wisest decision, or else your guest attendance and punctuality might suffer. n PARKING. This is an overlooked but extremely important factor. Nowadays, it’s either you risk street parking or find a parking lot in a nearby mall and just walk to the event. So, a party venue with ample parking space is heaven-sent. It’s reasonable, saves a lot of time and lets your guests enjoy
ELEMENTS at Eton Centris offers fully air-conditioned halls that can accommodate 350 guests in one hall and a maximum of 700 guests for combined halls.
the affair more because they won’t have to worry about their vehicles getting towed or the parking lot closing. n CAPACITY. It’s almost customary for people to invite more than their target number of guests because, the thinking goes, there will be a few people who can’t make it for one
reason or another. But what if everyone shows up? Or what if some people bring a plus one, and those who didn’t bother to RSVP? Aligning these circumstances, the number of guests and the capacity of the venue lets you have a clearer picture of the size of the space you’ll need. It’s also valuable if the place
has an option to expand the space if the need arises. n AMENITIES. Does your event venue have a kitchen where the caterer can work in? Does it have available rooms that can serve as holding area? Do they provide security and housekeeping personnel? These details are important to note because if your venue has all these available amenities, you can save money and time in hiring another third-party supplier for all these. When you’re an event organizer, there are a thousand things that need to be done that are equally important, and keeping in mind the factors cited previously will help you score the ideal venue like Elements at Eton Centris. It is a spacious event venue centrally located at the corner of Edsa and Quezon Avenue connected with various public transportation options and ample parking space. It’s conveniently within the Eton Centris complex that has a wide selection of restaurants and shops that make it more viable for guests. It offers fully air-conditioned halls that can accommodate 350 guests in one hall, and a maximum of 700 guests for combined halls. It has suite rooms, kitchen and pantry, and even landscaped garden areas. Whether it’s tying the knot, launching a new product, reuniting with family, training managers, gathering brands—whatever the event, Elements can host it. For information, call 358-1565 or 0917-5994329.
D2
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Pages BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
In ‘Fear,’ Bob Woodward pulls back the curtain on President Trump’s ‘crazytown’ By dWiGht Garner New York Times News Service
N
OTHING in Bob Woodward’s sober and grainy new book, Fear: Trump in the White House (Simon & Schuster), is especially surprising. This is a White House that has leaked from Day 1. We knew things were bad. Woodward is here, like a state trooper knocking on the door at 3 am, to update the sorry details. Some of these details, at first glance, are amusing. Trump lamented when Twitter, the social-media platform on which he dispenses Pez-sized pellets of discourtesy, raised the maximum size of an individual tweet from 140 to 280 characters because, he is quoted as saying, “I was the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters.” Somewhere in heaven, Papa is wondering if he can’t self-destruct all over again. It is stranger still to learn that Trump orders his most popular tweets printed out, so that he can study them. What lesson has he learned? That his most effective tweets are often the most unhinged. He’s a focus group of one, thriving on the smell of his own sulfur. Reince Priebus, his former chief of staff, calls the presidential bedroom, where Trump goes to tweet, “the devil’s workshop,” and early mornings and Sunday nights, when Trump is at loose ends, “the witching hour.” Some in the White House have tried to tone down the president’s online effusions, but that idea seems to have been jettisoned in the havoc. His advisers are viewed in mostly pitiless terms by Woodward. “Trump had failed the President Lincoln test,” he writes. “He had not put a team of political rivals or competitors at the table.” Woodward vividly quotes Priebus on the chaos of the White House’s decision-making. “When you put a snake and a rat and a falcon and a rabbit and a shark and a seal in a zoo without walls, things start getting nasty and bloody. That’s what happens.” Fear is a typical Woodward book in that named sources for scenes, thoughts and quotations appear only sometimes. Woodward has never been a graceful writer, but the prose here is unusually wooden. It’s as if he wants to make a statement that, at this historical juncture, simple factual pine-board competence should suffice. Critic Clive James once complained that Woodward “checks his facts until they weep with boredom.” Well, fact-checking and boredom seem sexy again. Even weeping is making a comeback. Woodward dispenses in Fear with most of the small human details that
brightened his earlier books. There is no moment like the one in Bush at War (2002) in which George W. Bush said to a Navy steward on duty in the West Wing, “Ferdie, I want a hamburger.” Woodward keeps the scene-setting to a minimum. Those he does set tend to be around policy disputes over North Korea, Afghanistan, tax reform, trade and tariffs, and the Paris climate agreement, among other issues. Woodward’s subjects have always been able to trade access for spotlight and some sympathy in his books. Among the primary sources for this book are clearly Priebus; Gary Cohn, Trump’s former chief economic adviser; and Rob Porter, Trump’s former staff secretary. There are terrifying scenes in which Cohn and Porter conspire to keep certain documents out of Trump’s reach. One of these would have withdrawn the United States from a crucial trade agreement with South Korea. Another would have pulled the country from the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Describing one of these moments, Woodward writes: “The reality was that the United States in 2017 was tethered to the words and actions of an emotionally overwrought, mercurial and unpredictable leader. Members of his staff had joined to purposefully block some of what they believed were the president’s most dangerous impulses. It was a nervous breakdown of the executive power of the most powerful country in the world.” Trump rarely realizes when things go missing, Woodward suggests. Though he does quote him shouting, like a boy king, “Bring me my tariffs!” Cohn is in some ways this book’s moral center. If this were a first-person novel, he would be its narrator. He is shocked at every turn by Trump’s lack of knowledge and utter lack of interest in learning anything at all. It was pointless to prepare a presentation of any sort for him. Cohn and Jim Mattis, the secretary of defense, had “several quiet conversations” about what they called “The Big Problem: The
president did not understand the importance of allies overseas, the value of diplomacy or the relationship between the military, the economy and intelligence partnerships with foreign governments.” Trump is quoted saying feckless things like, about the war in Afghanistan, “You should be killing guys. You don’t need a strategy to kill people.” Many insults are flung in Fear, sometimes behind backs, sometimes right in the kisser. Most are from Trump. He said to Porter about Priebus: “He’s like a little rat. He just scurries around. You don’t even have to pay any attention to him.” He calls Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in Porter’s presence, “mentally retarded” and mocks his accent. John Kelly, Trump’s chief of staff, is quoted as saying about the president, in a meeting, “He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in crazytown.” Mike Pence, the vice president, comes off as a glorified golf caddy who doesn’t want to rock the boat lest Trump tweet something mean about him. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, simmers frequently in this book’s background. About Melania Trump, Bannon says: “Behind the scenes she’s a hammer.” Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are seen by nearly all parties as pointless. “They were like a posse of second-guessers, hovering, watching,” Woodward writes. He does describe how Ivanka got her father to talk to Al Gore about climate change. Robert Mueller’s investigation rattles Trump to his core in Fear. Woodward suggests that the president is right, at least in one regard, to be aggrieved. The intelligence report from the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and others about Russian interference in the 2016 election was an airtight document, he says. Why then did James Comey, then the FBI director, also introduce the socalled Steele dossier? “It would be as if I had reported and written one of the most serious, complex stories for The Washington Post that I had ever done,” Woodward writes, “and then provided an appendix of unverified allegations. Oh, by the way, here is a to-do list for further reporting, and we’re publishing it.” There is a strong sense here of the clock ticking. John M. Dowd, Trump’s former lawyer, does not think Trump is mentally capable of testifying to the special counsel. “Don’t testify,” he is quoted as saying. “It’s either that or an orange jump suit.”
z
Today’s Horoscope By Eugenia Last
CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Taraji P. Henson, 48; Harry Connick Jr., 51; Virginia Madsen, 57; Scott Patterson, 60. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Let the past be your barometer. Don’t lose sight of what happened and who let you down. You have more options than you realize. Be clear when it comes to what you want and who you want to associate with. Choose wisely, and the changes that occur will bring you the rewards you desire. Your lucky numbers are 5, 18, 21, 28, 36, 42, 49.
a
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t let emotions get in the way. Size up what’s at stake and how much you can accomplish. If you stay focused on what’s important instead giving a playby-play account of what you are doing, you will avoid unnecessary interference. ★★★
b
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Listen, compare and be willing to make reasonable changes. An emotional situation will arise with one of your peers if you share too much personal information. Look for options that won’t jeopardize your reputation or make you feel uncomfortable. ★★★
c
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Cover all aspects of a situation necessary to ensure you do a decent job. Observe what others are doing and avoid letting anyone tamper with your affairs. A change will turn into a learning experience. Be careful what you wish for. ★★★★★
d
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take time to figure out how you can make things better at home. A look at your relationships with loved ones will help you redefine how you restructure your everyday routine. Accommodating someone you love will pay off. ★★
e
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take a close look at your relationships with others, and consider who brings out the best in you and who doesn’t. Draw the line with anyone who is unpredictable or urges you to make poor choices. Be honest and cut ties. ★★★★
f
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Don’t hesitate to make subtle changes to the way you look or how you live. Doing your most to be your best will make an impression and attract people eager to work alongside you. Romance is highlighted. ★★★
g
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Keeping up shouldn’t be your concern. Do what feels comfortable and suits your budget. Letting someone else’s expectations be your guide will lead to disappointment. Satisfy your needs and set goals that are reasonable, and satisfaction will be yours. ★★★
h
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Put greater emphasis on how you feel, and fit better health and diet practices into your everyday routine. If you look and feel your best, it will encourage you to do your own thing.★★★
i
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Watch what others do and listen to what they say. Someone will misinterpret or lead you astray, causing conflict with a friend, relative or peer. Don’t let emotions intervene in your communication. ★★★★
j
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Avoid getting into heated discussions that can cause unwanted personal change. Stay focused on your personal papers, finances and legal matters. Refuse to let an emotional plea sway you from doing what’s right. Stick to the script you prepared. ★★
k
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t show anger or act impulsively when dealing with joint ventures. Protect against insult or injury and focus on positive change that will bring you greater stability. Take time out to rejuvenate and to rethink the best way to move forward. ★★★★★
l
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A financial gain looks promising. Make personal changes that will offset some of the problems or situations you want to put behind you. Use your imagination, and you will come up with an idea that will lead to success. ★★★
continued on d3
BIRTHDAY BABY: You are hardworking, diligent and ambitious. You are creative and persuasive.
‘wise above the neck’ BY TIMOTHY E. PARKER The Universal Crossword/Edited by Timothy E. Parker
ACROSS 1 President No. 18 6 Desert animal 11 Many times, in verse 14 Sailor friend 15 Texas mission 16 “To” reversal 17 To stick out in a crowd, face ... 19 Leaves to steep 20 Christmas character 21 Converts, as a check 23 Clumsy person 26 “New” prefix 27 Most lubricated 28 Sings a slow song 30 Go “Yoink!” 31 Robe cloth 32 Good will 33 Raises, as the 36-Across 36 Penny ___ (cards pay-in) 37 Brief moment of time 38 Garden of delight 39 Morse code bit 40 Hotel offering
All That Jazz director Acts too much? Mean explicitly Places in a tomb Type of mattress “Neither” mate Supersized beer mug Scripted or penned Pitcher Maglie To remove a faux mustache, use a nose... 58 http://www thing 59 Some fairy-tale monsters 60 Transport for Tarzan 61 Capital of Seattle? 62 Teeny go-with 63 Was mistaken DOWN 1 Time std. 2 Generic cheer 3 Had munchies 4 Current events 5 Dictatorship 6 Part of an epic poem 41 42 44 45 47 48 49 50 52 53
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 18 22 23 24 25 27 29 30 32 34 35 37 38 40 41 43
Rootless thing in a pond Animal’s mouth Make way thin Fidelity To “harbor” feelings in NYC, go to the mouth... Releases, as to the wild Best man’s solo Five breakers “It was written like this” Eight united Sports site To flee a flood, head... Cooling Mineral rock Jimmy of NYPD Blue Spring ram Basil sauce Frown kin Guiding influence Vast geological time One way or another Fecund Dirty kind of pie
44 45 46 47 50 51 54 55 56 57
Christian of fashion Dispense Approaches Like the museum crowd Bird that warbles Islamic ruler Furious feeling Spoil, as a finish Compass dir. Cool kin
Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:
Show BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
ACTOR KEVIN HART PRINCIPAL FOR DAY AT DALLAS SCHOOL DALLAS—Actor Kevin Hart has surprised the students of a Dallas high school by dropping in to be interim principal for a day. Hart told hundreds of cheering students at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts on Wednesday that under his leadership they would be eating “chicken nuggets every day.” The comedian encouraged students at the artsfocused magnet school to believe in their talents and not be discouraged if they are rejected. He said they know better than anyone what they are capable of doing. Hart’s day at school was arranged to promote his new movie Night School, scheduled to open in theaters on September 28. The movie about adults attending night school to earn their GED certificates also features Tiffany Haddish. AP
DON’T miss world-renowned tenor Arthur Espiritu’s solo concert for the CCP Special Concert Series on September 26, 7:30 pm, at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater). He will sing works by Donaudy, Faure, Gounod, Schubert, Richard Strauss, Lizst, Tchaikovsky and Gerry de Leon. His collaborating pianist is Mariel Ilusorio. Espiritu finished his studies in Music Performance with an Artist Diploma from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music under the studio of the late Vocal Pedagogy Richard Miller. He also earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master in Music Performance from the University of New Orleans under the studio of Dr. Raquel Cortina. His current teachers are Dr. Raquel Cortina in New Orleans and Dr. Robert C. White Jr. in New York. Espiritu has portrayed many leading tenor roles in North America, Europe and Asia. He just returned from a European tour where he performed the role of Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata with Oper Klosterneuburg in Vienna over the summer, then once again played the role of Cassio in Verdi’s Otello with the Frankfurt Opera. Prior to La Traviata, he debuted the role of Gualtiero in Bellini’s Il Pirata with Theater St. Gallen, Switzerland. Most recently, Espiritu reprised the role of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme with the Israeli Opera, TelAviv; the role of Prince Ramiro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with State Theater Gaertnerplatz, Munich; also had a debut with Opera Australia (Sydney Opera House) as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme. Among the honors Espiritu has won include the distinguished 2009 George London Award, and the La Scala at the Belvedere Competition in 2007. Espiritu will give a voice master class to 12 of the most advanced music students from colleges/conservatories of music from September 27 to 29, with a Culminating Recital on September 30 at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino. For inquiries, call 832-3706. For information on the master class, e-mail ccp.artist.training@gmail.com.
IN ‘FEAR,’ BOB WOODWARD PULLS BACK THE CURTAIN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ‘CRAZYTOWN’ Continued from D2 Trump declined to be interviewed for this book, Woodward writes in a note to readers. But the book’s title is from a quote Trump delivered in a 2016 interview with Woodward and his Washington Post colleague Robert Costa: “Real power is—I don’t even want to use the word—fear.” If this book has a single point to drive home, it is that the president of the United States is a congenital liar. I wish Fear had other points to make. I wanted more context, more passion, a bit of irony and certainly more simple history. Surely Woodward, of all people, has worthwhile comparisons to make between Trump and Richard Nixon. But this is not Woodward’s way. Fear picks up little narrative momentum. It’s a slow tropical storm of a book, not a hurricane. You turn the pages because Woodward, as he accumulates the queasy-making details, delivers on the promise of his title. n
D3
‘The Predator’ gobbles up competition at box office
L WORLD-ACCLAIMED TENOR ARTHUR ESPIRITU PERFORMS FOR CCP CONCERT SERIES ON SEPTEMBER 26
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
By Lindsey Bahr The Associated Press
OS ANGELES—The Predator is at the top of the food chain in its first weekend in theaters. 20th Century Fox said on Sunday that the film earned an estimated $24 million from more than 4,000 North American theaters. But with an $88-million production price tag, the Shane Black-directed installment in the 30-year-old franchise will be looking to international receipts to offset the cost. This weekend, it earned $30.7 million from 72 foreign markets, bringing the global total to $54.7 million. Domestic audiences were largely male (62 percent) and white (45 percent), and underwhelmed, giving the movie a “C+” CinemaScore that echoed the tepid critical response. Starring Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown and Boyd Holbrook, The Predator made headlines just weeks before opening when the studio cut a scene that featured an actor who was a registered sex offender. It did not appear to have affected the film’s box-office performance. “Any conversation raises awareness,” said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “If people are talking about it then they’re aware of the movie.” Second place went to the Conjuring spinoff The Nun, which added $18.2 million in its second weekend. The horror pic has now grossed over $85 million. Lionsgate’s A Simple Favor opened close behind in third place with $16.1 million. The film from director Paul Feig stars Anna Kendrick as a mommy blogger investigating the disappearance of her friend played by Blake Lively. Feig has referred to it as a “friller,” a fun thriller. Female moviegoers drove the solid opening, making up 67 percent of the audience. “It stood out in the marketplace,” said David Spitz, Lionsgate’s distribution president. “It kind of became an event film. That’s why we exceeded expectations.” With a “B+” CinemaScore, an older audience that doesn’t rush out to theaters opening weekend and positive reviews, the studio expects the film will
continue to play well over the coming weeks. Fourth and fifth places were neck and neck. According to Sunday estimates, White Boy Rick, with $8.8 million, had a slight advantage over Crazy Rich Asians, which added $8.7 million and is just shy of hitting $150 million. White Boy Rick, based on a true story and starring Matthew McConaughey as the father of a teenage FBI informant, opened in 2,504 theaters. The Christian film Unbroken: Path to Redemption debuted in the No. 9 spot with $2.4 million. It’s based on Laura Hillenbrand’s novel about Olympian and World War II veteran Louis Zamperini and picks up where Unbroken left off. September is often a slow time at the box office, making a $24-million launch somewhat notable, according to Dergarabedian. But while the year-todate is still up nearly 9 percent, the weekend itself is down 5.8 percent from last year when It was still terrifying audiences and breaking records.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. 1. The Predator, $24 million ($30.7 million international) 2. The Nun, $18.2 million ($33.1 million international) 3. A Simple Favor, $16.1 million ($3.5 million international) 4. White Boy Rick, $8.8 million 5. Crazy Rich Asians, $8.7 million ($7.3 million international) 6. Peppermint, $6.1 million ($1.8 million international) 7. The Meg, $3.8 million ($6.1 million international) 8. Searching, $3.2 million ($6 million international) 9. Unbroken: Path to Redemption, $2.4 million 10. Mission: Impossible—Fallout, $2.3 million ($15.9 million international). n
THIS image released by 20th Century Fox shows a scene from The Predator. AP
PMPC Star Awards for Music shines with ‘A Decade of OPM Excellence’ By Leony R. Garcia THE joint ninth (2017) and 10th (2018) presentation of the winners of the PMPC (Philippine Movie Press Club) Star Awards for Music was nothing short of amazing. Attended by the who’s who in the industry, led by icons Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Basil Valdez, Imelda Papin and Freddie Aguilar, plus current hitmakers Christian Bautista, Jed Madela, Eric Santos, Morisette Amon, Moira, Angeline Quinto and Julie Anne San Jose, among others, the event was packed with outstanding production numbers. Aptly titled “A Decade of OPM Excellence,” and held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila in Pasay City, the awards night recognized the best in the local music scene The tribute for Gary Valenciano (2018 Parangal Levi Celerio Lifetime Achievement Award) was unforgettable. Valenciano’s peer Martin Nievera belted out the awardee’s hit songs together with Bautista and Santos, including “Narito,” “Could You Be Messiah,” “The Warrior is a Child,” “Take Me Out of the Dark” and “Sana Maulit Muli.” A tearful Valenciano accepted the award and recalled stages of his career. “Most of you who have followed my career know the many events that have taken place, the most challenging of which came in the form of health challenges I encountered just a few months ago. Today is truly amazing—to still be alive and well. You have given me yet another opportunity to fulfill the things I’ve yet to achieve. I have been blessed and gifted with many people who, through the years, have truly stood by me, and have taught me a lot about what I’ve been called to do—to sing and bring back the glory to our Lord Jesus Christ,” said Valenciano. Not surprisingly, the heartfelt speech was received with a standing ovation. Meanwhile, Freddie Aguilar (2017 Parangal Levi Celerio Lifetime Achievement Awardee), Imelda Papin (2017 Pilita Corrales Lifetime Achievement Awardee) and Basil Valdez (2018 Pilita Corrales Lifetime Achievement Awardee) had Kris Lawrence, Amon and Madela singing their iconic anthems: “Anak,” “Isang Linggong Pag-ibig” and “Ngayon at Kailanman.” Celebrating a decade of recognizing the contributions
THE awards night’s hosts Xian Lim (from left), Kim Chiu, Christian Bautista, Karylle and Aljur Abrenica
of local music artists in the country, the awards night was hosted by Kim Chiu, Xian Lim, Christian Bautista, Aljur Abrenica and Karylle. The opening number had the cast of Ang Huling El Bimbo, namely, Tanya Manalang, Reb Atadero, Topper Fabregas and Boo Gabunada, singing “Alapaap.” Together with the PHD Dancers, Iñigo Pascual dished out his hit song “Dahil Sa ’Yo,” while Gloc 9 rendered “Hoy.” A revival medley of the songs “Hawak Kamay,” “Ikaw Yun,” “Hindi Na Ba,” “Maalaala Mo Kaya” and “Handog” was brought to life by Brenan Espartinez, Laarni Lozada, Renz Verano, Jojo Mendrez and Sabrina. Dance production numbers were provided by the singand-dance group Hashtags, while James Reid and the PHD Dancers performed to the tune of “Cool Down.” Dance guru Regine Tolentino and her dancers capped the mesmerizing dance exhibition for the night. The Ex Battalion, together with Neil Perez, Ion Perez, Zachzna and Chic Ser, performed “Hayaan Mo Sila” and “Follow My Lead,” while The Company rendered the song “Head Over Heels.” The PMPC is an award-giving organization composed of active entertainment editors and writers from various print and online media. Under the current presidency of Joe Barrameda, the awards night was the production of Airtime Marketing Philippines headed by Tess Celestino-Howard under the direction of Bert de Leon. The awards night will be shown on September 23 at ABS-CBN’s Sunday’s Best program time slot. Here are the top winners for 2018:
n SONG OF THE YEAR: “Hayaan Mo Sila,” Ex Battalion (Ex Battalion Music) n MALE RECORDING ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Christian Bautista, “Kapit” (Universal Records) n FEMALE RECORDING ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Moira de la Torre, “Malaya” (Star Music) n ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Malaya Moira de la Torre (Star Music) n CONCERT OF THE YEAR: #PaMore featuring Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, Erik Santos and Regine Velasquez (Starmedia Entertainment) n MALE CONCERT PERFORMER OF THE YEAR: Jed Madela, All About Love (Ang Mata’y Alagain Foundation Inc.) n FEMALE CONCERT PERFORMER OF THE YEAR: Morisette, Morisette Is Made (Aldueza Events Productions) n MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR: “Follow My Lead,” Ex Battalion, directed by Titus Cee (Frontrow International) n NEW MALE RECORDING ARTIST OF THE YEAR: JC Santos, “Puwede Naman” (Star Music) n NEW FEMALE RECORDING ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Kyline Alcantara, “Sundo” (GMA Records) and Rayantha Leigh— “Laging Ikaw” (Ivory Music and Video Inc.) n POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Palm Dreams, James Reid (Careless Music Manila ) n MALE POP ARTIST OF THE YEAR: James Reid, “Cool Down” (Careless Music Manila); and Xian Lim, “Download” (Star Music) n FEMALE POP ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Kim Chiu, “Okay Na Ako” (Star Music)
D4
Art
BusinessMirror
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
DELACROIX’S Medea About to Kill Her Children on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
www.businessmirror.com.ph
TWO Delacroix paintings, both titled Basket of Flowers, are part of the ongoing restrospective.
PHOTOS: AGATON STROM FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
At the Met Museum, the grand enigmas of Delacroix
N
By Roberta Smith New York Times News Service
EW YORK—The achievement of French painter Eugène Delacroix—the Romantic paragon of 19th-century French art—is like a huge puzzle whose pieces don’t easily fit together. But at least we finally have a chance to try to make them cohere. The first full-dress retrospective in North America devoted to this complex, enigmatic, foundational figure, titled simply Delacroix, is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (www. metmuseum.org). Organized with the Louvre Museum in Paris, where it appeared in fuller form this year, the Met show presents nearly 150 paintings, prints and drawings in a dozen large galleries whose arrangements sometimes have the clarity of individual exhibitions. Some of his biggest, most famous paintings are staying home, but enough prized Delacroixs from the Louvre, other French museums and elsewhere—including the hypnotic Women of Algiers in Their Apartment and the grim Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi—are on hand to account for an astounding career. As Picasso told painter Françoise Gilot: “That bastard. He’s really good.” And yet this precocious prophet of the modern age does not conform to our ideas of unalloyed progress. While he opened the door to modern painting as a process, he kept it tightly closed to modern life. The show has been assembled by Asher Miller, associate curator of the Met’s department of European paintings, with Sébastien Allard, the director of the Louvre’s department of paintings, and Côme Fabre, its curator. Their selections give us, in largely chronological order, Delacroix the talented student; the portraitist of his loved ones and of big cats; the illustrator; the misogynist bachelor and Orientalist; the frequent star of the Paris Salon; and the painter of religious commissions and of slightly naughty (but
highly salable) troubadour paintings. Delacroix also rendered possibly the most convincing newborn in Western painting (in The Natchez, with its idealized Native American parents). He seems to have been an incessant draftsman, doodling in the margins of print proofs, always with much on his mind. In one of the show’s most stupendous drawings, Studies of Tigers and Men in 16th-Century Costumes, Delacroix repeatedly draws, in brown ink and watercolor, both the animal at rest and its regal head. But in the upper corner, several Dutch burghers are lightly sketched in graphite, as if thoughts of Rembrandt and Hals had suddenly intruded. There are also nearly 120 more drawings to be seen in the exhibition Devotion to Drawing: The Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugene Delacroix in nearby galleries. The Cohen works suggest that Delacroix’s horses on paper are superior to his overly stylized steeds on canvas. This collection also includes a wonderful study for the immense Christ in the Garden of Olives (The Agony in the Garden) of 1824 to 1826, a gorgeous, packed, newly cleaned vision of Christ, in a splendid orange wrap, pushing away the angels as soldiers draw close to arrest him. This work was Delacroix’s first religious commission, introduced in the Salon of 1827, and it opens the retrospective, hanging beside its Salon alum Mortally Wounded Brigand Quenches His Thirst. A small, superbly unified work, it shows its handsome protagonist crouched over a stream, drinking water stained with his own blood. It portends Delacroix’s unusual control of skin tones to add drama; death is on the man’s face, but his hands are slightly more robust. By this time, Delacroix had already asserted his rejection of the neoclassical credo of firm outlines, polished paint handling and perspectival logic. His embrace of color, freewheeling brushwork, frequent distortions of space and intensifications of motion had established him as a leader of French Romantic
painting when he made his debut at 24 in the Salon of 1822. His ideas about the physicality of painting, mostly gleaned from studying the work of Rubens, Veronese and others at the Louvre, opened the medium to the modern era. “You can find all of us...in Delacroix,” Cézanne said. Impressionism, post-impressionism, symbolism, expressionism gestate in his art. Stare at Apollo Slays the Python, sketch, a study for the ceiling of the Louvre’s Gallery of Apollo, commissioned in 1850, and a van Gogh sunflower may stare back. The oil sketches here outshine finished versions that hang nearby, especially the more emotionally compelling study Medea About to Kill Her Children, sketch. Some sketches are startlingly prescient. The robust red and orange blurs of The Lion Hunt, based on Rubens, in the show’s final gallery, are as improvisatory as a de Kooning. The enigma of Delacroix has several aspects. First, how was he able to do so many different things, so early, and for so long? Born into privilege in 1798, Delacroix expected great things of himself and was almost desperate for fame. Becoming an impoverished orphan at 16 seems to have spurred his ambition and industriousness, while also creating a need for income (although the great diplomat Talleyrand, sometimes rumored to be Delacroix’s real father, was a frequent protector). Even in his 20s, opportunities to illustrate books and undertake public commissions began to pile up. Delacroix realized that the quicker way to fame was through the Paris Salon and public opinion, rather than the Prix de Rome and a period of study in that city. So year after year, almost to the end of his life, he submitted works to the Salon, often large statement paintings that garnered controversy and attention. Many were purchased by the French state, meaning that Delacroix’s most famous efforts are concentrated in the Louvre and rarely travel. These include The Barque of Dante (his first Salon submission) and the enormous Death of Sardanapalus, that
Christina Cho’s ‘A Moment of Eternity’ ON September 19 ArtistSpace presents A Moment of Eternity, the second solo exhibition of Manilabased Korean visual artist, Christina Cho. Eternity is the endless prolongation of time, and it keeps oneself without limit. Eternity in religious aspect is an eternal timeless realm, and it exists beyond human’s mind. Thus, we all desire a moment in eternity. In Christina Cho’s previous exhibition, titled Harmony, her paintings were realistic sceneries and architecture. However, she tried out a new genre, which is expressed through an emotional approach regardless of logic or principals of the painting. In A Moment of Eternity, the artist transformed the Ten Korean Traditional Symbols of Longevity— sun, moon, mountain, water, pine
tree, rock, deer, crane, turtle and elixir plant—into Shangri-La, the unknown world, and adding a mystery on it. Christina’s new collection is created through simplifying inanimate objects, yet using strong and reverberating tones which melts the sun and moon, taken out from the concept of untouched secret garden and unknown world. Christina drew away from doing realistic paintings wherein she based her previous exhibition, and composed new works not bound by free and strong colors, thereby adding mystery to it. James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon depicts a mystic and calm earthy paradise, called Shangri-La, wherein happiness and immortality exists. Seeing that happen makes us want eternity, too.
Through this exhibition, the artist hopes you will feel the peace and calmness in your hearts which you have been searching for—even just for a while. Born in 1960, Christina Cho grew up in Seoul, Korea. While growing up, she was exposed by her parents to classical music and visual arts. Although she had a strong desire and craving for the arts, she was not able to pursue this due to various reasons. After getting married, she studied interior design and perspective drawing while raising a child. In 2004 she joined her husband who was assigned in Manila for work. She started painting and joined the PTA Painting Club of International School of Manila. In 2006 she enrolled in art classes when she returned to Korea, and became a member of Modern Art
Institute and Korean Art Museum in Seoul. In 2013 she returned to the Philippines. She is now a member of Mon Art Zen in Makati City, and L’ Arc en Ciel Atelier in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. In 2015 she held her first solo exhibition at the ArtistSpace of Ayala Museum, and she has since joined 15 group exhibitions. Christina is currently living in Makati City with her husband, while her two sons are living in the United Stated of America. A Moment of Eternity will be on view at the ArtistSpace from September 19 to October 1. ArtistSpace is at the Ayala Museum Annex, Ground Level, Makati Avenue corner De La Rosa Street, Makati City. It is open daily from 10 am to 7 pm. Admission is free.
vertiginous tilt of mayhem and pink whose violence caused an outcry. It shows the hedonistic Sardanapalus, a fictional Assyrian king facing defeat, sitting indolently on an immense divan of rosy silk while all around, on his order, his concubines, eunuchs and horses are being put to death. Luckily, this show includes Delacroix’s large sketch for Sardanapalus, and a small replica of that painting, hanging side by side. In each, I suggest starting with the terrified horse about to be stabbed in the lower left corner and working your way into and up this centrifugal composition. The greatest, most interesting violence may be the upheaval and flattening of pictorial space. Yet another challenge is that Delacroix does not fit smoothly into the proto-modern mold. If he laid the groundwork for modern painting, he seemed studiously to avoid scenes of modern life, especially local ones. He had a bad case of the anywhere-buthere attitude endemic in some Romantic artists and preferred to draw from history and classical genres rather than current events. In contrast, his mentor, Théodore Géricault, took up the banner for Romanticism at the 1819 Paris Salon with his immense Raft of the Medusa, which depicted the gruesome aftermath of an 1816 shipwreck. (Delacroix posed for one of the dead bodies.) “The first merit of painting is to be a feast for the eye,” Delacroix wrote in his last journal entry, in June 1863. It’s intriguing to think of Delacroix’s love of narrative and history as an avoidance tactic, driven by a need to shut out the tumult of his time for the sake of his art. But this can give some of his work a remote, fusty feeling, as if he had lived entirely in his head and his books. The culmination of his many passions, and of this ravishing show, these works give new truth to the words of van Gogh, an ardent admirer, that in Delacroix, “The mood of colors and tone was at one with meaning.” The materiality of paint is both celebrated and transcended. n
CHRISTINA CHO’S Ten Longevity