BusinessMirror September 26, 2019

HANOI ‘BEST’ FOR U.S. INVESTORS

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales @alyasjah

A

MERICAN investors are more inclined to set up shop in Vietnam than in the Philippines, as they find Hanoi the best investment destination in Southeast Asia due in large part to its fiscal incentives menu and regulatory policy on businesses, a former United States ambassador has said.

Michael W. Michalak, senior vice president and regional managing director of the US-Asean Business Council, said Vietnam is the most preferred investment site among Southeast Asian economies for Ameri-

can investors. The preference may be attributed to the country’s competitive incentives package, as well as to its management of investments, explained Michalak, who was former US ambassador to Vietnam.

Michalak said it also works to Vietnam’s advantage that it is enhancing its menu of incentives to net some of the investments flying out of China in the face of its trade conflict with the US. “Vietnam has probably the most attractive [incentives package]. They do have fiscal incentives, but again it is really more on how they interact with the private sector, the way in which you can form a symbiotic relationship

between the government and the private sector so that,” Michalak said in an interview with the BusinessMirror.

Last year investments in Vietnam’s industrial parks and economic zones reached over $8.3 billion, roughly P433.72 billion, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Of this figure, $5.3 billion was injected for 560 fresh projects, while the remaining $3 billion was used for expansions in close to 500 existing operations. As of last year, Vietnam’s industrial parks and economic zones are home to $145 billion of investments for approximately 8,000 projects.

See “Hanoi,” A2

Rotary Club Of Manila Journalism Awards

2006 National Newspaper of the Year 2011 National Newspaper of the Year 2013 Business Newspaper of the Year 2017 Business Newspaper of the Year 2019 Business Newspaper of the Year

2018 ejap journalism awards

business news source of the year DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

2018 BANTOG MEDIA AWARDS PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY

DATA CHAMPION

A broader look at today’s business

www.businessmirror.com.ph

n

Thursday, September 26, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 351

‘Slower govt spending to impact PHL growth’ 6% G

By Cai U. Ordinario

lower than its 6.4 percent estimate in April for both years.

The ADB also slashed its inflation forecast for the Philippines this year to 2.6percent, from 3.8 percent in April. For 2020, the bank said inflation could average 3 percent,

BIR shuts down 3 Pogo sites for VAT violation

By Nonilon Reyes

T

@noniefoto

HE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) shut down on Wednesday a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo), billed the second biggest in the country, for its failure to pay the appropriate taxes.

The BIR, which led an interagency raid on Great Empire Gaming and Amusement Corp. (Gegac) for its failure to register for value-added tax (VAT), padlocked its offices that occupied 11 floors of a building in Libis, Quezon City.

The Department of Finance said the company, with over 8,100 employees, also has offices at the Subic Freeport and Aseana City, Parañaque.

No employees were arrested, as the tax agency said it had jurisdiction only over the corporation and its compliance with tax laws.

“Results of the investigation showed that Gegac is not registered for VAT purposes, violating the Section 108 vis-à-vis with Section 115 of the Tax Code as certified by the Revenue District Office 019-Subic Bay Freeport Zone,” BIR said.

The closure order was issued by Deputy Commissioner for Operations Group Arnel SD. Guballa.

BIR said the actions of task force Pogo, which padlocked the offices of Gegac, were guided by the direc-

PESO exchange rates n

Workers’ issues: Missing in the DICT’s FIR summit Rene E. Ofreneo

@caiordinario

LOBAL headwinds and the slowdown in Manila’s public spending will dampen the growth prospects of the Philippines for this year and next year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Wednesday.

The Manila-based multilateral development bank said in its report, titled “Asian Development Outlook Update [ADOU]” that the Philippines’s GDP growth will average 6 percent this year and 6.2 percent next year. These figures are

P25.00 nationwide | 6 sections 54 pages | 7 days a week

lower than the initial estimate of 3.5 percent. On Wednesday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) cut anew its inflation forecast to 2.5 percent, lower than the 2.6-percent forecast the Central Bank announced in their prev ious

ADB forecast of Philippine GDP growth in 2019, lower than the previous estimate of 6.4 percent

monetary-policy meeting.

“Public spending should regain traction for the rest of 2019, with the government committed to catching up with its spending plans, especially as new and larger infrastructure projects get under way,” said ADB Country Director for the Philippines Kelly Bird.

laborem exercens

R

ecently, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO) and BusinessWorld held an Industry 4.0 Summit with the theme “Winning Together in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Among the issues tackled are the technologies driving Industry 4.0, industry-government partnership in maximizing benefits from the adoption of these technologies and legislative measures to strengthen Philippine readiness under the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR), now popularly dubbed as Industry 4.0.

Continued on A7

See “Growth,” A2

BSP cuts inflation forecast further

8,100 Number of people employed

by Great Empire Gaming and Amusement Corp., which the BIR padlocked

tive from Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, who in the past six months had led an interagency campaign to get all Pogos in the country to comply with immigration, labor and tax laws.

The company, the BIR said, violated Section 115(b), in relation to Section 236 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended (Tax Code).

Moratorium

Earlier, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) disclosed that it has imposed a moratorium on the issuance of licenses to new Pogos.

Pagcor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Domingo said the moratorium, which will last until the end of the year, will likely negatively affect its gross gaming revenues (GGR).

Domingo said, however, that imposing a moratorium on the issuance of new licenses will give Pagcor time See “Pogo sites,” A2

T

are the economic provisions in the 30-year-old Charter. These are found in Article XII, XIV and XVI. The JFC said a number of restrictive provisions in the current Constitution date back to the 1935 Constitution or 1973 Constitution, saying these reflect the nationalistic spirit at the time and the protectionist policy to favor Philippine

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expects inflation to fall further than earlier expected this year, its chief bared on Wednesday.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said inflation is now expected to average at 2.5 percent, lower than the 2.6-percent forecast the Central Bank announced in their previous monetary-policy meeting. The BSP’s next meeting will be Thursday (September 26). For the first eight months of the year, inflation already averaged at 3 percent, with the latest inflation print hitting 1.7 percent.

The BSP’s forecast means inflation is expected to average below 2 percent in the last four months of the year. The government’s inflation target is at 2 percent to 4 percent on average for this year.

While growth looked bleak for the country when it hit 5.5 percent in the second quarter of the year, the BSP brought good news to the country’s economy in its last monetary-policy meting as it revised the inflation forecast downward.

For 2020, the projection was also

See “Constitution,” A2

See “Inflation,” A2

This is the scene inside the building in Libis, Quezon City, where Great Empire Gaming and Amusement Corp. (Gegac) is located. The offshore gaming operator was shut down on Wednesday (September 25) by the Bureau of Internal Revenue for not paying appropriate taxes. NONIE REYES

‘Outdated Constitution impedes PHL’s progress’

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

T

@joveemarie

WO big business groups expressed their support for proposals that will ease the restrictive provisions in the 1987 Constitution, as this will allow the Philippines to benefit more from technological advancements and international treaties.

The Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) and the Makati Business Club (MBC) submitted position papers to the House of Representatives.

The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, chaired by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, started deliberating Charterchange proposals on Wednesday.

Of particular interest to foreign investors and local businessmen

US 52.1890 n japan 0.4875 n UK 65.1945 n HK 6.6568 n CHINA 7.3340 n singapore 37.9446 n australia 35.4833 n EU 57.5227 n SAUDI arabia 13.9145 Source: BSP (25 September 2019 )

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Thursday, September 26, 2019

www.businessmirror.com.ph

DOF: Budget OK crucial to infra program

F

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

INANCE Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the approval of the P17.3-billion budget of the Department of Finance (DOF) for 2020 will be crucial to its mandate of ensuring fiscal stability and increasing revenue collections.

Constitution. . .

Continued from A1

industry over foreign investors.

The group said the restrictions should be removed immediately.

JFC said this can best be accomplished by deleting the restrictions without adding the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law.”

“If the restrictions are completely removed following their approval in a referendum, the government and Congress can be prepared with proposed draft laws to introduce bills and hold hearings to deliberate on what restrictions should be placed on any of the currently constitutionally

Inflation. . .

restricted activities that are approved to be reformed by the voters,” the paper read.

“Many of the restrictions on foreign ownership listed in the Foreign Investment Negative List are based on laws,” it added.

JFC said placing restrictions on foreign business activity in the Constitution denies the government flexibility to adjust to future changes in technology, to meet requirements of international treaties, and to take advantage of new opportunities that benefit the economy.

“The Philippine economy is tied into the global economy. Around 10 percent of the Philippine population lives and works abroad.

scaled down to 2.9-percent, from the 3-percent forecast in June. For 2021, inflation is also expected to average at 2.9 percent.

The BSP is set to announce a new set of inflation forecasts for 2020 and 2021 at its upcoming policy meeting.

Economists are convinced that the BSP will hike their rates on Thursday as the lower inflation allows them to support the country’s ailing growth.

Earlier, ING Bank Manila Nicholas Mapa and Philippine National Bank (PNB) economist Jun Trinidad agreed that the Central Bank, under the leadership of Governor Benjamin Diokno, will ease its rates by another 25 basis points this week.

This will be potentially the third policy cut this year. “As the threat of a global slowdown builds at a time

where domestic growth momentum appears to be moderating, BSP appears primed to unload another salvo of rate reductions to stave off a festering economic slowdown,” Mapa said.

In 2018, higher oil prices and tax reform pushed inflation to exceed the government’s target for the year and prompted local economic managers to implement measures to bring down inflation. For BSP, this included several rate hikes to cut the accelerating rise of prices.

“The cuts will go a long way to restore now-shackled growth momentum as capital formation has turned sluggish under the weight of the BSP and its 2018 rate barrage. With household spending recovering, hopefully the resuscitated investment momentum will be enough to offset still sluggish government spending which tries to hurdle last year’s impressive spending spree as government chases 6-percent growth,” Mapa said. Bianca Cuaresma

Growth. . .

tries except China, as evidenced by 9.7-percent hike in imports from these countries.

Continued from A1

Continued from A1

“The recovery in public spending should also boost private consumption, which is currently well supported by steady overseas workers’ remittances, moderate inflation, and low unemployment,” Bird added.

In a press briefing at the bank’s headquarters in Mandaluyong City, ADB Macroeconomic Research Division Director Abdul Abiad said the forecast for developing Asian economies like the Philippines has dimmed because of the United States-China trade tensions, sharp contraction in electronics and weaker investments.

Abiad explained that escalating trade tensions could affect as much as 77 percent of US exports to China and 99.3 percent of exports of China to the US by year-end.

With this, the average tariffs imposed on US exports has reached 17 percent while those slapped on Chinese exports averaged 22.2 percent This has led the US and China to redirect their trade to other countries. China’s shipments to the US contracted by 12.4 percent in the first semester.

During the period, exports from Vietnam and Bangladesh expanded by 33.4 percent and 13.4 percent, respectively. The US is also importing more from developing Asian coun-

Weak exports

The ADB outlook for exports remained weak in light of the slowerthan-expected economic growth in major industrialized economies, which are among the Philippines’s largest export markets.

However, investor sentiment in the country remains broadly positive, with a pickup in business confidence, as seen from the recent BSP survey.

Bird said this means there is a need to improve the country’s business climate by relaxing foreign investment restrictions and creating a national competition policy that will promote long-term growth and create quality jobs.

He said economic reforms, such as the tax reform program, full implementation of the Ease of Doing Business Law, and social protection reforms, are also essential.

Bird said the universal health coverage, the new Central Bank Act, and the rice trade liberalization law will help boost economic growth in the coming months.

GDP growth in the first two quarters of the year fell short of the government’s target due largely to the budget impasse, which prevented Manila from spending on key reforms.

“Next year’s proposed outlays of the Department and its attached agencies will put flesh into the DOF’s fiscal objectives, which were honed to support President Duterte’s priority programs, such as his ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure modernization plan and public investments to improve the lives of the people,” Dominguez said in a statement.

The P17.29-billion proposed budget of the DOF and its attached agencies is P1.59 billion or 8 percent lower than its 2019 budget of P18.89 billion, which is also below the preceding year’s P19.73-billion allocation.

The Senate Finance commit-

tee, chaired by Sen. Sonny Angara, is currently conducting hearings on the proposed national budget or General Appropriations Act (GAA) for fiscal year 2020.

The House of Representatives approved the proposed GAA on third and final reading last September 20.

Our fiscal objectives were honed to support the administration’s priority programs, such as the massive infrastructure program and public investments to improve the lives of our people. The timely approval of our proposed budget for 2020 will keep us on track in accomplishing these goals,” Dominguez said.

Substantial industries in businessprocess outsourcing and electronics manufacturing have located in the country,” it added.

MBC Chairman Edgar Chua, in a position paper, said discussions about constitutional changes should start early in a presidential term, to ensure there is time for proper consideration.

“An exception may be made for the lifting of foreign investment restrictions, because they have been discussed in Congress and around the country for decades,” he said.

“On this subject, MBC reiterates its long-running support to lift these restrictions. Among other means, we support adding the

words ‘unless otherwise provided by law’ following the Constitutional provisions that set the limits on various sectors,” he added.

In a competitive global economy, Chua said the MBC believes in lower barriers to trade and investment in general.

“In a dynamic global economy, we believe any barriers should be subject to modification by the President and Congress, better than being fixed in the Constitution,” he said.

Chua said a survey of Asean, China and India shows that while their constitutions may discuss economic principles, specific economic restrictions and guidelines are left to the legislature.

Pogo sites. . .

Continued from A1

to take stock of the situation of Pogos and what policies can be crafted moving forward.

Domingo said the number of Pagcor licensed Pogos could reach

61 by year-end. To date, there are 58 Pogos operating and three more are expected to be approved.

The three Pogo applications that may or may not be approved by year-end would be the last for the year, as Pagcor started to embark on its review of Pogo policies two to three weeks ago. Cai U. Ordinario

Hanoi. . .

“think that there will be a negative impact due to job losses.”

The over P400 billion investments applied to Vietnam’s economic zones are massive compared to the capital applied last year to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), which suffered a decline in registration on uncertainties brought about by the government’s move to rationalize tax perks.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed investments to the Peza dropped 12.72 percent to P68.32 billion last year, from P78.27 billion in 2017. Peza officials pointed the decline to investors holding on to their capital in anticipation of an overhaul in incentives.

“I think the thing most of our companies want is...some clarity on the transition period between what the current situation is and what the ultimate endpoint is,” Michalak said, describing how US investors view the tax situation here.

“They [US investors] are still looking at ways which we can gauge with the government on specific industrial incentives to see if there might be a way to continue these incentives. I heard some of our guys don’t like this, but there are some positive effects from it,” he added.

US investors, Michalak pointed out, are just concerned about the impact of the tax reform, as they

If there is any advantage the Philippines has, it is its enforcement of its data privacy law, according to Michalak. Data privacy is becoming the strongest investment consideration of US firms, he added, on lessons learned from China, which is reportedly involved in counts of violations on technology transfer and digital security.

“Things like cross border data flow, sensible privacy legislation, those kinds of issues are No. 1 in the minds of firms as they look for expansion. The Philippines in that score is doing well. The Philippines is a pioneer in privacy legislation, one of the first countries in [Southeast Asia] to have a privacy law,” Michalak said.

Senators are deliberating the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (Citira) bill, which will reduce corporate income tax to 20 percent by 2029, from 30 percent at present. However, the measure will rationalize tax perks granted to firms operating in economic zones, including the 5-percent tax on gross income earned paid in lieu of all local and national taxes.

Investors in economic zones, mostly multinationals, warned they will relocate operations out of the country if the incentives regime is revamped, raising the threat of capital flight and, consequently, job losses.

Continued from A1

Rice trade. . .

Continued from A8

The RCEF, derived from tariffs collected from rice imports, is supposed to bankroll reforms in the rice sector.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the average farm-gate price of unhusked rice fell to an average of P8 per kilogram to P10 per kilogram in August. Palay is usu-

Privacy legislation

ally more expensive during the lean months of July to September, when harvest declines significantly.

National Statistician and Civil Registrar Dennis S. Mapa told reporters in the third and fourth week of August, the PSA’s price monitoring revealed low prices for wet palay, particularly in Luzon.

In other provinces, such as those in Visayas, Mapa said farm-gate prices of wet palay were at P14 to P18 per kg in August.

“Completing the reform measures will guarantee the revenue flow and the equitable sharing of the contributions to underwrite our social and infrastructure programs.

It will also ensure fiscal stability long into the future,” he said.

Among the DOF-attached agencies, the BIR got the largest allocation of P8.46 billion to further improve its tax administration and enforcement capabilities.

The BIR’s budget for personnel services rose in 2020, as it plans to increase its filled-up positions from 10,671 this year to 11,448 in 2020.

The agencies with the biggest

reduction in the proposed 2020 budget are the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) and Bureau of Customs.

BTr’s proposed budget of P4.77 billion for 2020 dropped P1.3 billion or 21 percent compared to its 2019 appropriations of P6.04 billion, as it would be paying this year the final installment of the paid-in capital of the country to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Its proposed budget also maintained the P2-billion insurance premium for government assets against natural or human-induced calamities, epidemics, crises and catastrophes.

Senate panel backs higher ‘sin’ tax rates

T

HE Senate Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday endorsed for plenary deliberation the Palace-backed higher tax rates on alcohol and e-cigarette products.

In her sponsorship speech, Sen. Pia Cayetano, who chairs the panel that scrutinized t he ad m i n ist rat ion measure, sought early approval of the upward “sin” tax rate adjustments to raise additional revenue needed to bankroll various government projects.

Cayetano said the committee was “cognizant of the objectives” set by the Department of Finance and the Department of Health to increase taxes for products with higher alcohol content; address inequities in the current excise tax system; and achieve the revenue objective needed to fund the government’s health-care program.

“We listened to various st a keholders, quest ioned and analyzed relevant information provided by resource persons and experts, in both the private and public sectors,” the senator said, adding that this process “led us to a singular, reasonable and patriotic conclusion to impose a significantly higher excise tax on these so-called sin products.”

In seeking early approval of the revenue-raising measure imposing higher tax on alcohol products, Cayetano pointed out that “wonderful lives are cut short” because of people who drink and drive.

She cited findings by Dr. Orlando Ocampo, chief of the Trauma Division of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) showing that 55 percent of injured patients they treat in the emergency room have alcohol on their breath, while 25 percent of these injured patients are blood alcohol-content positive.

Puerto. . .

Continued from A8

In turn, the local government of Puerto Princesa promises to take care of investors’ needs by ensuring ease of doing business in the city— through streamlined processes for business registration, for building permits, and for certificates of occupancy, among others, according to the mayor.

City hall plans to improve the city’s road network, Internet connectivity, and water and energy supplies. Incentives are delivered through taxation policies in place.

The 12 companies that pledged

Cayetano said alcoholism is also associated with at least 39 main diseases, including liver cirrhosis, cancer, pancreatic disease, hypertensive disease, tuberculosis, diabetes and even behavioral and psychotic disorders.

She cited data from the World Health Organization that in 2016, at least 4,431 per 100,000 population of Filipinos died from liver cirrhosis; 16,418 from hypertensive diseases; and 8,526 from tuberculosis, all of which were due to the excessive use of alcohol. “Meanwhile, Filipinos who died from injuries related to binge drinking reached 18,938,” she said.

She cited reports that “excessive drinking” is a common cause of road crashes, noting that from 2016 to 2018, “there has been a total of 10,372 road crashes due to alcohol consumption.”

“Nowadays, we talk about drug addiction as we would any other serious disease. Yet, how many of us talk about alcoholism in the same way?” she asked, warning that alcoholism is “the silent killer that keeps getting away because we don’t talk about it.”

Cayetano warned that as alcohol becomes cheaper with the rise in household incomes, and as alcohol becomes more affordable and accessible for vulnerable groups like the poor and the young, “the risk is real that we will see these numbers grow.”

For instance, she noted that Filipinos already consume, on average, 11 liters of hard alcoholic beverages per year, higher than the global and Asean averages of below 10 liters per year.

Cayetano credited Sen. Manny Pacquiao with filing Senate Bills 383 and 987, increasing excise taxes on alcohol, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

Butch Fernandez

new or additional investments to Puerto Princesa were: Oma’i Dang Maria, with an amount of P10 million; APL Food Services, P10 million; Puerto Princesa Memorial Park, P25 million; Oneson Properties & Development Corp., P75 million; Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa, P275 million; Astoria Hotels and Resorts Group, P600 million; Adventist Hospital Palawan, P1.5 billion; YIBU Education Technology Co. Ltd., P2.1 billion; Allied Care Experts Medical Center, P3.8 billion; CoHo by Vista Land, P3.8 billion; Green Asia Construction and Development Corp., P7.55 billion; and SM Prime Holdings Inc., P17.55 billion. Roderick L. Abad

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

3rd PMA cadet hospitalized for maltreatment—AFP

A

THIRD cadet of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), who has shown signs of maltreatment, was taken to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Medical Center in Quezon City for treatment.

“A third cadet arrived in V. Luna [the old name for the AFP Medical Center] yesterday [Monday].

He also bore signs of maltreatment though he is ambulant,” AFP Spokesman Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in a message to reporters on Tuesday.

He added that the cadet was first confined due to pains similar to gastroenteritis but when symptoms persisted, he was brought in again, during which, possible maltreatment markings were seen during examination.

Also, the two cadets who were earlier hospitalized are in stable condition and responding to medication and “coherent” when visited by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and other ranking military officials Monday, he added.

Arevalo also said that later in the day, one of the two cadets was transferred to St. Luke’s Medical Center at Global City, Taguig, for further tests.

Meanwhile, he added that the AFP leadership accepted the resignation of Lt. Gen. Ronnie Evangelista, the PMA Superintendent and Brig. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, the Commandant of Cadets, from their posts. “ T he super intendent ’s a n-

nouncement came on the heels of the PMA’s completion, by his direction, of the reports that are necessary for the filing of criminal and administrative cases to prosecute those who are liable and culpable in the demise of Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio,” Arevalo added.

Dormitorio, 20, died on September 18 from injuries received due to alleged maltreatment.

T he selection and issuance of orders desig nating the replacement of these officials are now being prepared, the A FP spokesman said. “ There will be no whitewash as had been shown in the crosssection in the ranks and positions of both military officers who were relieved from their positions. There will be no coverup as may be gleaned from the number and classes of cadets who were meted steep penalties such as separation from the academy—without prejudice to other cases that may be filed against them,” he added.

Arevalo said that the AFP will not stop until cases are heard and verdicts are rendered against those who are guilty of the crime in varying degrees of liability and culpability, and that justice has been rendered to the victims.

“We will once again revisit existing cadet regulations and policies to eliminate maltreatment from recurring in the Academy,” he added. PNA

BCDA says allegations against exec ‘baseless’

By Ashley Manabat Correspondent

C

L A R K FR EEPORT—T he B a s e s C onv e r s ion a nd Development Aut hor it y (BCDA) has branded as “baseless” allegations against its Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Aileen Asuncion R. Zosa that she has no official appointment and lacks the necessary documents to occupy her post.

On Tuesday, the Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) held a news conference in Angeles City to denounce the BCDA for allowing Zosa to hold on to her position and receive salaries and other emoluments amounting to about P15 million since February 2016.

T he group also announced that criminal and administrative charges have been filed at the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission against Zosa.

But late Tuesday afternoon, the BCDA finally issued a statement in favor of Zosa. “ The Bases Conversion and Development Authority has yet to receive the alleged complaint

by Citizens Crime Watch against BCDA executive vice president Aileen Zosa. The allegations are baseless because the position of Zosa as executive vice president is approved by the Governance Commission for GOCCs government-owned and -controlled corporation. Her position was never abolished as the BCDA Restructuring Plan was never fully implemented,” the statement read.

“Her appointment has been duly approved and validated by the Civil Service Commission.

Under Civil Service rules and reg u l at ions, a n appoint ment shall remain effective until disapproved/invalidated by the CSC,” the statement added.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, September 26, 2019 A3

Joint police-military ops nail down Swedish terrorist in Sultan Kudarat

A

By Rene Acosta

@reneacostaBM

SWEDISH national branded by the military as a foreign terrorist allegedly involved in the bombing of a public market in Sultan Kudarat early this month has been arrested, a development which security officials believe may just be the key to unmasking other foreign terrorists operating in the country.

Hassan Akgun, who allegedly played a part in the bombing of the Isulan Public Market in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, which left at least eight people wounded, was arrested on Monday during a joint police and military operations.

The operating team also took in Akgun’s fellow suspects who were identified as Abedin Camsa, Normia Camsa and Norshiya Camsa during the operations carried out by policemen and soldiers at Sitio Nakan, Barangay Kapaya, Bagum-

bayan, Sultan Kudarat.

“We can extract a lot of information from him [Akgun] related to other terror members. So hopefully, this will lead to the neutralization or apprehension of other groups,” said Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command commander Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana.

“He had already given a lot of information, but we could not disclose them yet. His debriefing is continuing,” Sobejana added, who was at Camp Aguinaldo on Tues-

day to attend the installation of Lt. Gen. Noel Clement as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Sobejana said the arrest of Akgun and his colleagues was a long running project arranged and implemented by government forces. The Swede suspect, the military said, was allegedly a member of the Islamic State, which owned up the market bombing carried out on September 7.

Western Mindano Command (Wesmincom) Spokesman Major Arvin Encinas said that during the operation, the operating team seized an M-16 rifle with magazine containing 27 ammunition; a .45 Colt caliber pistol with magazine containing 11 bullets and a .38 caliber revolver.

Likewise, a shotgun; an improvised explosive device; 13 mobile phones; two gallons of powder substance; two machine timers; four pieces of batteries; a yellow bulb and a switch were recovered by the team.

Encinas said the four also yielded a backpack containing an ISIS flag, three LED bulbs, two USB memory sticks, a resistor and five assorted wires.

“Let us remain vigilant for there are still enemies out there who will

always try to inflict havoc in the communities,” said Sobejana.

Meanwhile, Clement said the military will sustain its operational engagements against all threat groups, as his leadership is committed to ending armed insurgency and even terrorism.

“Similarly, our focused operations will be sustained and surgically conducted on those who threaten the peace in our communities. The enemies of peace will be dealt with accordingly,” he said as he formally succeeded Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. as chief of staff.

“I therefore call on the leftover of a lost cause: peace is not elusive. We have worked with your comrades.

We have worked with our people, we engaged communities who now partake of the fruits of our peaceful endeavors,” Clement said in addressing the New People’s Army.

He vowed the military will remain apolitical and professional under his term.

“Under my watch, the AFP remains professional, nonpartisan, a staunch defender and advocate of human rights, respectful of international humanitarian law, but at the same time, assuring the rule of law,” Clement said.

CA confirms promotions of 53 DFA officials, 30 AFP senior officers

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

T

HE congressional Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmed Wednesday the ad interim promotions of 30 senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), as well as the nominations of 53 officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Taking the floor at CA plenary session on Tuesday, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, reported that following a public hearing to deliberate on the ad interim appointments of 52 senior officers of the DFA, the panel moved to endorse the promotions of five DFA senior officials to the rank of chief of mission, class 1; 10 senior officials promoted to the rank of chief of mission, Class 2; 17 senior officials promoted to the rank of career minister; 20 officials promoted to the rank of foreign service officer, class 1; and the nomination of one officer to the rank of foreign service officer, Class 4.

“Your committee, after deliberating on their qualifications and fitness during the said public hear-

ing, determined that all of the 52 appointees and one nominee are fit and qualified to the post where they are respectively nominated or promoted, and has, therefore, ruled to recommend to the plenary their respective nomination and appointments for the consent and confirmation of this august body,” Lacson said.

The Commission then proceeded to confirm the ad interim appointments of the following officials of the DFA: To the rank of Chief of Mission, Class 1: Joseph Gerard Bacani Angeles, Maria Amelita Cunanan Aquino, Noralyn Jubaira Baja, Junever M. Mahilum-West, and Wilfredo Cunanan Santos;

To the rank of Chief of Mission, Class 2: Deena Joy Dy Amatong, Jaime Ramon Torre Ascalon Jr., Igor Garlit Bailen, Raymond Reyes Balatbat, Maria Agnes Maglasang Cervantes, Alan Lazaro Deniega, Angelica Caraos Escalona, Maria Lourdes Monteagudo Salcedo, Marie Charlotte Golim Tang and Marian Jocelyn R. Tirol-Ignacio.

Also confirmed were the ad interim appointments of the following Career Ministers and Foreign

Service Officers, Class 1: Gerardo Padilla Abiog, Iric Cruz Arribas, Juan Enriquez Dayang Jr., Pete Raymond Villasor Delfin, Noemi Tan Diaz, Ambrosio Brian Fruto Enciso III, Leilani Sayson Feliciano, Myca Magnolia Maog Fischer, Mark Francis Cura Hamoy, Raphael Sta. Cruz Hermoso, Ana Marie Layugan Hernando, Mary Luck Santos Hicarte, Shirlene Chiu Mananquil, Maria Elena Cristina Delfin Maningat, Angelito Ayong Nayan, Charmaine Serna-Chua and Arnel Gonio Talisayon; Azela Arumpac-Marte, Vanessa Bago-Llona, Bryan Jess Tio Baguio, Fernando Vidal Beup Jr., Alena Grace Santiago Borra, Maria Roseny Baltazar Fangco, Ferdinand Pantas Flores, Michael Lyndon Belencion Garcia, Maria Angelica Capili Genotiva, Rona Beth Garing Goce, Dominic Xavier Marquez Imperial, Charles Andrei Pineda Macaspac, Maria Sheila U. MonederoArnesto, Jarie Ramirez Osias, Ryan Cuadra Pondoc, Gilbert Lleva Segarra, Zoilo Atencio Velasco, Rogelio Estrada Villanueva Jr., Bolivar Laudet Bao, Mary Joy Ballecer Ramirez and Jean Alia Yasin Robles, foreign service officer, Class 4.

In the same plenary session, the CA also affirmed the promotions of 30 ranking officers of theAFP, including now Lt. Gen. Ramiro Manuel Rey, Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., Maj. Gen. Andres Centino, Maj. Gen. Joselito B. Ramos, Maj. Gene. Adrian D. Sanchez Jr., Maj. Gen. Dante Hidalgo, Maj. Gen. Connor Anthony Canlas Sr., Maj. Gen. Adriano Perez Jr., Maj. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., Rear Admiral Adelius Bordado, Rear Admiral Ramil Roberto Enriquez, Rear Admiral Alberto Carlos; Brig. Gen. Roy Galido, Brig. Gen. Ralph Mamauag, Brig. Gen. Roberto Capulong, Brig. Gen. Raul Jesus Caldez, Brig. Gen. Raymundo Acorda, Brig. Gen.Maurito Licudine, Brig.

Gen. Efrren Baluyot, Brig. Gen. William Ilagan, Brig. Gen. Joselyn Bandarlipe, Brig. Gen. Royland Orquia, Brig. Gen. Fernando Felipe, Brig.

Gen. Rene Raoul Rommel Honasan, Brig. Gen. Raul Cino and Commodore Danilo Fuentes Jr. The CA, likewise, confirmed ad interim promotions of four reserve officers Navy Capt. Aldrin Cuna, NavyMarine Col. Roberto Emmanuel Feliciano, Medical Corps Colonels Gregorio Marcelo Azores and Joselito Vital.

Endless proposals, elusive solutions: Creation of crisis body to address urban traffic pushed Rebate program benefits 4,274 qualified OWWA members

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie & Cai Ordinario @caiordinario

T

HE House Committee on Transportation on Wednesday approved a resolution recommending the creation of a Traffic Crisis Interagency Management Council that will consolidate and harmonize all transport and traffic policies to address the traffic crisis in the country.

Committee Chairman Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento said House Resolution 353 will recommend the creation of proposed council for congressional approval.

“The Philippines, specifically its metropolitan areas, is experiencing crisis in the form of heavy traffic, resulting in the country ranking first in the Tramc Index among Southeast Asian countries and fifth in all Asian countries for 2019,” he said.

“To combat this crisis in traffic, there is an undeniable and urgent need to consolidate and harmonize

all the traffic management policies and plans of all the government agencies, offices and departments responsible for transportation and traffic management,” he added.

Sarmiento said the council will be composed by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the agencies offices for the purpose of consolidating and harmonizing all transport and traffic polices to address the urgent crisis in Metro Manila and the whole country.

Also included in the council are Land Transportation Office (LTO), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG).

“There is a need for the creation and convention of an executive council, with its core members consisting of the leaders of the

government agencies, to serve as an efficient venue for the consolidation and harmonization of traffic management policies and plans, further consultation with the public, and implementation of the resulting consolidated policies and plans,” said Sarmiento.

Most congested city

A CONDUCTED by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) showed that Metro Manila is the most congested city in the country.

ADB’s Asian Development Outlook Update stated that average citywide congestion was 1.24, which means on average 24 percent more time is needed to travel in peak hours than in off-peak hours.

ADB Macroeconomic Research Division Director Abdul Abiad told reporters that congestion in Metro Manila could be around 50 percent higher than the average in the region.

The data showed citywide congestion in Metro Manila was higher than 1.4.

“For big cities, this metric of con-

gestion was higher than your average. For Manila, I think its about 50 percent, using this particular measure, about 50 percent higher than your average,” Abiad said.

The report stated that congestion is worsened by overall problems in mobility. ADB said that in cities, taking public transport is three times longer than driving a car.

ADB said this is because public transport includes transfers, such as “walking to pickup points, waiting, stops and walking from drop-off points.”

This leads to making public transport more unattractive than driving.

This is especially the case, the report stated, for people who are always sensitive to time spent.

“Public transport is faster in large cities probably because of rail mass transit systems there. In small and medium-sized cities, where public transport largely shares roads and lanes with cars, it suffers from the same congestion delays as driving,” the report stated.

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

O

VER P10 million had been disbursed by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) for its ongoing rebate program for its longtime members.

In his Twitter account, OWWA Administrator Hans J. Cacdac said the P10,625,018.25 benefited 4,274 qualified OWWA members for the first week of implementation of the rebate program.

Of the said beneficiaries, 117 used their rebate to renew their OWWA membership, while another 92 opted to donate it to OWWA’s Tuloy-Aral Scholarship fund.

The amount of the rebate range from P941.25 up to P13,177.50 depending on their number of contributions.

OWWA launched the program this month in compliance to Republic

Act 10801, or the OWWA Act, which states a rebate should be given to overseas Filipino workers (OFW), who have been members of OWWA for at least 10 years and have not availed themselves of any benefit from the agency.

Based from it records, OWWA said a total of 556,000 of its members, who have made at least five or more contributions as of December 31, 2017, will qualify for the first batch of implementation of the rebate program.

OWWA said its other qualified members, who would like to avail themselves of the rebate can obtain information on the rebate program by visiting its official web site at owwa.gov.ph.

OW WA has allocated P1 billion for their rebates. It has allotted another P2 billion for its other members, who will also qualif y for the rebate in the future.

A4

TheBroa

Business

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Marikeños in guarded triumph 10 O

By Dennis D. Estopace | Senior Editor & Cai U. Ordinario | Reporter

NE name unites Filipinos in Metro Manila in a common experience and memory of tragedy and triumph: Ondoy.

For those especially in Marikina, it all centers ironically with water, especially that flowing on the 9.74-kilometer Marikina River.

“Eleven barangays out of [the total] 16 [barangays of Marikina] ay nasa ilog [are near the river],” Mayor Marcelino R. Teodoro told the BusinessMirror. “Lahat kami naligo dyan, naglaba; hanggang ’50s after the war [Many of us bathed there, did our laundry on the river; this was until the 1950s, even after World War II].”

That wasn’t the case on September 26, 2009.

“We came to respect the river; many underestimated the flood, how the water rose high so fast,” Marikina Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Dave David told the BusinessMirror a week after the upper lip of the river kissed its critical 15-meter level. A siren filled the air, signaling evacuation to designated centers, mostly public schools.

“When that happens, people no longer hesitate or dig in and wait for us, wait for an announcement from somebody from the city government, to act,” David said.

“That’s one of the bittersweet lessons of [Typhoon] Ondoy (international name: Ketsana): Avoiding a repeat of a tragedy is a source of great self-motivation.”

River flow

ONE of the follies of humanity that David said gripped Filipinos, himself and his parents included, in the early morning of September 26, 2009, was hubris.

They were living in a stonebrick house overlooking Provident Village; a wall separating it from, according to David, what was originally a flood plain area. That wall burst from the pressure of a raging flow of water.

Water from the heavens fell, amounting to a volume far greater than that unleashed by Hurricane Katrina in the United States, according to documents from the Marikina City Planning and Development Office (PDO).

Many were smug, David said, justifying their experience that “every year, may ganung experience [flooding] and alam na namin ’yon; kabisado na namin yung ilog [dahil] dito na kami tumanda. Saka na kami mag-e-evacuate pag nakikita na namin yung tubig dun sa tapat ng bahay namin [We experience flooding every year; we’re used to this, we know how this goes as we know how the river flows. This is where we grew old. We’ll evacuate when we see the water in front of our house].”

He noted that those in Provident Village asked for help only when the water reached the first floor of their house.

And that was already too late as the water rose in seconds.

Everybody hurts

BARANGAY Nangka resident Virginia Flores (not her real name) said the floodwater was just outside when she began cooking rice.

When the “ding” of the rice cooker signaled the staple was ready to be served, the flood water was already ankle deep in her kitchen. Her wood and cement house that time had two floors.

“It was providential that it was a Saturday and all my children and my husband were at home,” the 53-year-old Flores told the BusinessMirror.

Her neighbor Mariana de Guzman (not her real name) narrated in front of her sari-sari store that she, Flores’s family and others

sought safety on the roof of the house of a neighbor they call “Joe­ Con.” De Guzman’s and Flores’s houses are a stone’s throw away from the riverbed where construction of a rampart, a project by the national government, is going on.

They stayed on the roof watching the roofs of their houses surrounded by floodwater.

The Marikina City PDO document said Typhoon Ondoy produced a flood level of 23 meters and inundated 85 percent of the city.

According to David, at that height you can almost touch the water when on the bridge that straddles the river. Nangka was badly hit because, like Provident Village, it was a low-lying area.

The total damage to local businesses affected by Typhoon Ondoy was estimated to hit P179.173 million.

Of the total 15,287 houses in subdivisions affected by Ondoy, about 2,941 were in Nangka, documents from the PDO revealed.

Soliman’s story

THE moment water burst through the sliding door to the sala, Janine Marie Soliman knew their lives were going to change forever.

“My grandmother started to panic around 10 a.m. She became fearful when the waist-high floodwater pushed our sliding doors, like in that scene from the movie Titanic when water flowed inside the ship,” Soliman told the BusinessMirror.

It has been 10 years since the disaster but she still feels the trauma not only because their home, where they still live today, was submerged in 15 meters of floodwater, but also because they got sick and her grandfather was injured.

A glass shard hit a leg of her grandfather who was returning to the second floor—that time the only space not reached by floodwater—after getting a can of Spam and bottled water.

By the time Soliman’s grandfather was able to stop the bleeding, murky water had reached the second floor. This prompted the Solimans and their four dogs to transfer to a neighbor’s roof where she said they stayed for 12 hours.

When the water receded, the Solimans returned to their home.

But because there was a strong smell of gasoline and they did not know how rescuers can get to them, they decided to go outside and wade through the flood.

Painful remembrance

IT was a near-fatal decision: Janine and her twin sister contracted leptospirosis. They stayed in a hospital for two weeks after Ondoy left the Philippine area of responsibility and ravaged Japan. Apart from their medical expenses, the cost to repair the damage to their new home came to nearly P500,000.

The trauma and the financial costs were significant. Even if they lived comfortably, the financial and psychological costs were staggering simply because the damages were incurred in less than 24 hours. “Masakit sa damdamin at sa bulsa ang Ondoy [Ondoy is painful to the heart and on the purse],” Soliman said.

That has become true for De Guzman, who said her road to restoring her house, acquired through the government’s community home mortgage program, and recovering from the typhoon damage was through borrowing; sadly, even from usurers.

She said it was only two years ago that she was able to pay off all

A MAN searches for recyclables through debris from Typhoon Ondoy in Marikina, October 4, 2009. AP/WALLY SANTANA

aderLook

sMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace | Thursday, September 26, 2019

A5

0 years after tragedy from Ondoy dated Data on Marikina’s Recovery Plan” as of November 24, 2009, revealed the estimated costs.

The document said it took an estimated P73.722 million for the immediate repair of city hall, declogging of canals and drainage system, repair of roads, dredging the Marikina River and purchase of new equipment.

The cost for the long-term recovery of inland structures like dikes, division dams and pontoon bridge, and the dredging and disposal of accumulated silt was estimated to cost nearly P39.35 million.

The repair in the short term of a dozen health facilities and 14 public schools was estimated to have a total cost of about P10.227 million.

The total estimated cost for recovery of infrastructure was pegged at nearly P209.195 million.

In terms of recovery of Marikina’s environment (parks and river parks development offices), the estimated total cost was nearly P25.029 million.

The recovery of the social sector—education, social welfare and housing—was estimated to cost nearly P60 million.

The recovery of the operations of the General Services Office was estimated to cost about P80.893 million.

Based on the final report on Typhoon Ondoy by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the extent of assistance provided by the National Government, local government units (LGUs), nongovernment organizations and other government organizations for food and nonfood institutions, early recovery, and shelter amounted to P161.27 million.

Of this amount, the national government spent P115.36 million—assistance extended by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) worth P95.86 million and the Office of Civil Defense-National Disaster Coordinating Council (OCDNDCC), P22.49 million. The LGUs also spent a significant amount worth P25.17 million.

THIS September 27, 2009, file photo shows residents making their way through the flooded streets of Rosario, Pasig City. NONIE REYES

her major creditors. De Guzman is now relying on her micro-retail store’s income to get by.

She told the BusinessMirror a month before the tenth anniversary of Typhoon Ondoy she hopes the day would be remembered for the people they lost.

A PDO document said about 33 casualties were reported due to Ondoy.

Empowering communities

TEODORO would not issue a report today because he said he doesn’t have any accomplishments.

It is the people who have accomplished many things, he told the BusinessMirror.

“Wala akong accomplishment dahil ang community ang may accomplishment,” Teodoro said. He added that when the siren for the first alarm goes off, the people know what to do, without government telling them so. “Ano pa irereport ko? Para kumbinsihin ko sila na handa kami? Hindi ko pwedeng kumbinsihin ang taong alam kung ano ang totoo [What else would I report on, to convince the people that we’re ready (for another Ondoy?)

I can’t fool people who know the truth].”

The sense of community that was borne out of the tragedy of Ondoy is the real triumph of Marikina, according to Teodoro.

Because in our quest “to protect and provide people during calamity, we realized the need for us to create and establish disasterresilient communities.”

Centers of evacuation

ACCORDING to Teodoro, the Marikina government instituted family disaster planning.

“We gave each family in the

communities and the subdivisions a checklist or guide,” he explained.

The family members discuss the checklist to assess how ready they are in times of disasters: where they would evacuate, how they would communicate and review the checklist, Teodoro added.

Each family is also encouraged to have a “go-bag,” a bag with supplies during emergencies, he said.

“Itinuro rin natin kung saan sila maaring dumaan safely papunta sa evacuation centers [We pointed to them the safest path they should take to the evacuation centers],” Tedoro said.

“Sa evacuation centers, naroon ang pamahalaan; may duktor, gamot, tutulugan nang maayos, palaro, film showing and other activities [They would find the government in these evacuation centers. There’s a doctor, medicine, cots, games for the children].”

According to David, there are 22 evacuation centers across the city.

Before Ondoy, they had to persuade people to evacuate, especially if the water goes higher than 16 meters, he said.

“After Ondoy, sila na mismo ang nagkukusang pumunta sa evacuation centers.”

The centers near the river are the first to be filled, he said. One center is the Malanday Elementary School, which David said can accommodate 5,000.

Tapping volunteers

TAKING into account that the local government’s workforce wouldn’t be enough if there’s a need to evacuate the city’s 500,000 population, David said they turned to the communities as force multiplier.

The secret of Marikina is its ability to involve the communi-

Apps, hotel-like

ties; “the partnership between the local government and the communities.”

“Kung wala ito, hindi namin magagawa nang maayos ang trabaho namin [We wouldn’t be able to efficiently perform our tasks if there’s no involvement by community members].”

David said the DRRM office organized the 243 homeowners association and trained five of their members in first aid and disaster response.

In his opinion, he believes Marikina has significantly improved in terms of disaster management.”

“Our institutional capacity is much, much better given our experience from Ondoy,” Teodoro said.

“We have better trained personnel for rescue and for evacuation. We have organized a network of volunteers even outside of Marikina. We have partnered with the province of Palawan as our rescuer.”

The former representative of Marikina (First District] said this is so because during earthquakes cities in Metro Manila wouldn’t be able to help them, “not even the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority,” because they would also be affected. Teodoro said this is one of the lessons “learned from our experience from Ondoy.”

Teodoro added government wouldn’t be the first responder during times of disasters.

According to a document from the PDO, 80 percent of Marikina City’s government-owned vehicles were rendered unserviceable and 60 percent of the city hall’s office equipment were destroyed.

Long-term recovery

A DOCUMENT titled “Consoli-

ACCORDING to David, the least costly but most effective project after Ondoy is the crafting of what Teodoro said are the guidelines or checklist.

He said the protocols for earthquake and flooding are being continuously updated based on experiences from other disasters and near-disasters experienced by the city.

For example, it was last year when they introduced partitions in selected evacuation centers.

Many appreciated that they felt a decency in living and there’s privacy, David said.

His office is also seeking to further enhance camp management.

We want people in evacuation centers to have a hotel experience.

We’re going to pick them up on an agreed point of pick-up, albeit not with a limousine but a truck, David said.

“Pagdating sa evacuation center, magche-check in sila, bibigyan namin sila ng room key, ihahatid sa room assigned at dadalhan namin ng pagkain sa room nila; kasi prepacked na yon [Upon arrival at the center, they would log in and we’ll give them a key and bring them to their assigned room. We’re also bring prepacked food to their room].”

David said by using a mobile application they developed, they could monitor the camp and segregate the demographics.

We would know who are lactating mothers, senior citizens and persons with disabilities, he said, adding they would also know which type of food to serve if people are vegetarians or Muslims.

David said management of camps and the protocol are continuously being updated and shared

with other cities.

“The protocol limits the decision-making of the individual because not doing so will give you human error: either tama o mali [right or wrong],” David said. “If the decision-making process is based on the protocol, it limits [the chances of you making a mistake].”

We’re not ready

ACCORDING to Teodoro, they can’t claim to be 100-percent ready for disasters like Typhoon Ondoy.

“We are 100-percent with our coping mechanism; to cope with any eventuality: na kaya nating makabangon ng sama-sama sa panahon at pagkakataon ng sakuna [We can rise together in the event of any disaster],” the mayor said.

Teodoro believes that that is the achievement of Marikina: that “we are resilient not as individuals but as a community.”

He points to the streets outside the showroom of a shoe factory and said the cleanliness and orderliness prove that resiliency.

Even on tertiary roads, you won’t see parked vehicles.

“Hindi dahil nandyan ang may or o may nanghuhuli kundi bawat isa ginagawa ang kailangang gawin nya [They don’t park vehicles on these roads because I’m there or there’s police but because each Marikeno knows what he or she needs to do].”

David said the problem is not the garbage generated by the city, which clogs the drainage, but those coming from the upland.

Still, their efforts to cleanliness are paying off.

Strong resolve

ACCORDING to David, it took them a month to clean up the whole city after Ondoy. Last year, when it was hit by the southwest monsoon when the water reached nearly 21 meters, it took the city only one week.

“You won’t see a trash can here but we maintain the cleanliness of our city,” he said.

“Because our garbage is our own responsibility; hindi naman obligasyon ng pamahalaan na bigyan ka ng basurahan. Kasi nga basura mo yan, ibulsa mo muna. Duon nagsisimula ang disiplina [It’s not the obligation of government to provide you with a trash can. If its your garbage, put it in your pockets. That’s when self-discipline begins].”

According to Teodoro, he “would have no legacy as a mayor” of a city that struggled and triumphed against nature’s wrath.

“I can proudly say that I lived with my fellow Marikinans. Andito ako nang binaha ang Marikina.

Nung binaha ang mga kababayan ko, naranasan ko din [I was here when Ondoy hit and water inundated our city. I experienced what they experienced].”

David echoes his mayor’s belief that Marikina is not ready for disasters.

“We never claim that we’ll be ready. Yes, before Ondoy, that was our claim,” he said, adding that the typhoon a decade ago changed that view.

“What we can say is that we’re always preparing: we always try to find ways how we can improve our current system,” David said. “Continuous improvement is our mantra.”

Meanwhile, the Marikina River is being taken cared of: there’s construction of a riprap, dredging and creating of slopes. A park near the river is being maintained and the water remains calm for one day and rising the next, watched by thousands via a 24-hour closedcircuit television.

De Guzman, Flores and Soliman try to be like the river, still flowing through life with hope that a common experience offered by a name—Ondoy—will no longer only be about a tragedy.

A6 Thursday, September 26, 2019 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Upper middle-income (but sick) country

J

UST a few days ago, we heard anew our economic managers say that the Philippines attaining upper middle-income country status in a couple of years is doable. Nothing wrong with that, except that, if “UMIC” were simply the sum of all our dreams, and we shut out the grim reality of what’s happening to our people on the ground, it would be tragic.

What’s happening is simple but tragic: Infectious diseases are on a rampage, including poliomyelitis that had been banished decisively two decades ago, thanks to one of the country’s best health secretaries ever, Johnny Flavier.

Several months ago, before the Department of Health confirmed polio’s return, it had to acknowledge the surge in cases of measles, yet another disease that’s vaccine-preventable. Measles is not life-threatening per se, but its complications are.

And of course, there’s the third disease that completes this deadly trio: dengue, the hemorrhagic disease spread by mosquitos that bite infected humans.

Polio, measles, dengue: It’s hard to think of a worse headache for health authorities than this deadly trio. Yet, on Wednesday morning, radio reported a child had died in populous Pandacan in Manila, of diphtheria, yet another vaccinepreventable disease.

What happened in the case of dengue and the vaunted Dengvaxia vaccine is a story still unfolding, and the reckless decisions made by relevant authorities—in hastily green-lighting what amounts to a clinical trial masked as a campus-based mass immunization campaign covering over 800,000 schoolchildren—have yet to be conclusively dealt with in a court of law. So we will not lump what happened to dengue with the pattern that’s now tragically apparent with the other diseases, chiefly, measles, polio and diphtheria. That pattern, as experts are now beginning to unearth, indicates lax monitoring of the vaccination campaigns that for decades had kept most of these diseases at bay. The polio cases earlier reported were described as “vaccine-derived,” meaning, victims had been given the vaccine’s initial dose, but not the required follow-up doses, which made them vulnerable.

As of Wednesday, more officials were acknowledging that, indeed, both implementation of the vaccination programs, and monitoring of the never-covered and only partly or incompletely covered, had woefully slipped. Compounding that is the steady decline in the number of people who still had confidence in vaccines.

One report in BusinessMirror showed that among the regions, the National Capital Region, the seat of power with the best access to all government services, was among those that registered the worst slippages. Coverage of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) had dropped from 77.5 percent in 2016 (already a poor percentage to start with) to 23.5 percent as of the second quarter this year.

Meanwhile, it does not help that certain politicians, including a congresswoman who headed the Department of Health when the criminally negligent decisions were made on Dengvaxia, are using the occasion to blame others, even being quoted as demanding to know how current health authorities could allow the return of diseases “that we have eradicated.” Excuse us, but from where we sit, it’s only Health Secretary Flavier who can dish out that kind of rebuke. Immunization coverage had been steadily falling—it was just at 75 percent in 2011, and had fallen to 66 percent in 2018. And, by the way, please stop crying over the slashing of funds that should go to PhilHealth because we do recall: certain amounts meant for PhilHealth were among those hijacked in the past administration to finance the ill-conceived scheme to blanket 800,000 children with Dengvaxia—a premature move that, over a year later would be shown up for its sheer recklessness, when Dengvaxia’s maker had to admit that it should not be administered to people who never had dengue because they could be at risk from a more severe strain.

As for the rest of the “balikbayan plagues,” the government should move fast and decisively to arrest the falling coverage of the vaccine programs against polio, measles and diphtheria, among others. Best revisit the Flavier playbook. His secret was simple: he vanquished the notion that vaccination is solely a government mandate and courted an entire nation to join the exercise—the private sector, including fast-food chains that provided venues to administer OPV drops, church and civil leaders, media, and hey, even the military-police and the rebels, who declared a cease-fire so that health workers and the target populations could move about freely.

Since 2005

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business ✝ Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua

2020: Be prepared for anything John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

T

he period of political chaos began in October 2015. The period of economic chaos will begin in January 2020. The cycle will continue.

The pattern is always the same.

Economic Policy Failures precede a major reset in the political arena. The list is long. The US “War of Independence” was a result of bad economic policies put on the North American colonies—which were not all British—by the English Crown. The same was true for the French Revolution.

British economic growth has never been as strong since they joined the European Union; hence, Brexit. It is interesting that Hong Kong seemed to be less concerned about democracy when economic growth in 2017 and 2018 was the highest since 2012. Angela Merkel had no problem being Germany’s longest reigning leader until economic growth was consistently below 2 percent. France has no problem reelecting its two main

political parties for decades until its economy started failing to grow at 1 percent per year.

Traditional politics was fine in the US until government debt-to-GDP exploded above 80 percent in 2009 and has been climbing ever since.

Eventually, the economic problems force a political change and it occurs almost like clockwork.

Unfortunately, the political chaos is a symptom of the policy failures and not the cure. Therefore, the cycle shift again to genuine economic chaos, which, in turn, leads to a genuine reset. Get ready for January 2020.

You would have to be blind not to see the tremors that are now happening as a prelude to what will come next year and beyond. For example, the German economy—the engine of

DICT’s budget too small for its mandate

Founder Publisher Editor in Chief Associate Editor News Editor

T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Senior Editors

Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace Angel R. Calso

Online Editor

Ruben M. Cruz Jr.

Creative Director Chief Photographer Chairman of the Board & Ombudsman President VP-Finance VP Advertising Sales Advertising Sales Manager Group Circulation Manager

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.–Sun Valley Drive KM-15, South Superhighway, Parañaque, Metro Manila MEMBER OF

Cecilio T. Arillo

Lourdes M. Fernandez Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug

the European Union—is collapsing.

That economy does one thing and it is not answering customer service phone calls. Germany makes things and exports to the world.

From growth of nearly 5 percent as recently as the fourth quarter 2017, German manufacturing is shrinking at 5 percent per year.

From 3.5 percent annual economic growth in 2017, now the German government is praying for any positive growth.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released its 2019 global growth forecast a few days ago. Eighteen months ago, the expected global growth rate was 4 percent. Now the projection is 2.9 percent. According to the International Monetary Fund, global growth below 3 percent considered a “recession.”

Conventional wisdom from people who think they are economic experts says the only problem is “Trump’s trade war.” Then explain this. “India: Sales of passenger vehicles plunged 31 percent in July.

It’s the ninth straight month of declines and the sharpest one-month drop in more than 18 years.” “Mexico’s economy registers no growth in second quarter.” “Zimbabwe facing food crisis as economy collapses.” “Australia’s economy has

database

T

HE newly created Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) headed by Secretary Gregorio B. Honasan is proposing P36.3 billion for its 2020 budget to carry out its primary projects on digital literacy, digital connectivity and cyber security.

The DICT has asked for a bigger budget from 2019’s P4.3-billion allocation for its primary projects at the recent budget deliberation at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, with both the majority and minority bloc of the House of Representatives calling for a higher allocation for the DICT in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“We are generating unified support for our projects,” said Secretary Honasan, noting that even the minority bloc supported his proposal to increase his agency’s budget.

“It is critical for the country to be fully prepared to embrace the digital age,” stressed Minority Floor Leader and Manila Sixth District Rep. Bienvenido Abante

Jr. as he supported the budget increase for the DICT. “To fail to do so could be an injustice not just to our countrymen today but to future generations of Filipinos because we must lay the foundations for building a digital Philippines today or we risk being left behind by other developing nations,” the solon added.

For his part, Marikina First District Rep. Bayani Fernando said: “ICT is now a must in the implementation of social programs and services. It is also vital to national security. “We need to invest on a digital government to improve public service delivery with ICT infrastructure as proposed.”

The question is: Do they really

“It is critical for the country to be fully prepared to embrace the digital age. To fail to do so could be an injustice not just to our countrymen today but to future generations of Filipinos because we must lay the foundations for building a digital Philippines today or we risk being left behind by other developing nations.”

understand the cost of what they are getting into?

This writer who successfully defended his thesis on Cybersecurity: Managing Risk in the Information Age at Harvard University in the US recently finds the DICT’s budget too small considering that cybersecurity threats to organizations in the Philippines alone is projected to cost $3.5 billion (P182 billion) in economic losses, according to a study

by Frost & Sullivan commissioned

by Microsoft. This is 1.1 percent of the Philippines’s total GDP of $305 billion.

The study, “Understanding the Cybersecurity Threat Landscape in Asia Pacific: Securing the Modern Enterprise in a Digital World,” aims to provide business and IT decision-makers with insights on the economic cost of cyber-security

slowed to a decade low.”

The “trade war” is only a symptom of the disease. The US could no longer afford to “borrow and buy.”

That is the disease. The European Central Bank just increased (what a strange term to use) its negative interest rates, continuing a policy of “cheap” money that has failed for a decade. That is the disease. The Federal Reserve is pumping multibillions of dollars into the global monetary system every day because there is a liquidity problem and a global dollar shortage.

In the Philippines, with stable economic growth, an inflation rate below the government target, and interest rates coming down, the stock market is basically unchanged from the 2018 close.

Negative interest rates do not create economic growth. It creates lack of confidence in government.

And that leads to currency collapse and sovereign debt failures. The economic chaos is just beginning.

Do not be surprised by the bizarre economic news that will soon fill the headlines.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Visit my web site at www.mangunonmarkets.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stockmarket information and technical analysis tools provided by the COL Financial Group Inc.

breaches in the region and identify the gaps in organizations’ cybersecurity strategies.

The study involved a survey of 1,300 business and IT decisionmakers ranging from mid-sized organizations (250 to 499 employees) to large-sized organizations (more than 500 employees).

According to the study, more than half of the organizations surveyed in the Philippines have either experienced a cyber-security incident (18 percent) or are not sure if they had one as they have not performed proper forensics or data breach assessment (34 percent).

On top of this study is the Cybersecurity Almanac 2019 facts, figures, predictions and statistics made available to the press on the special first annual edition of the Almanac, a handbook containing the most pertinent statistics and information for tracking cybercrime and the cybersecurity market, according to Editor in Chief Steve Morgan.

In a series of articles I wrote early this year, Cybersecurity Ventures predicted that cybercrime will be costing the global economy $6 trillion by 2021. For violent crime, the equivalent chance is 46 percent.

“Cisco commitment to security See “Arillo,” A7

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

SMC’s elevated steel expressway, Edsa’s ultimate solution?

Val A. Villanueva

Businesswise

I

N his campaign sorties, in television and print interviews, and in various social-media platforms, then-presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte boasted to solve Metro Manila traffic, particularly the horrendous daily gridlock in Edsa in only three months.

Yes, three months! This was music to harassed motorists and commuters’ ears. At long last, they thought that their daily commuting calvary would be finally over.

Now midway into his reign as the country’s president, Duterte surrendered and told disappointed motorists and commuters that he’d just leave Edsa to rot, blaming the inaction of Congress to give him emergency powers to implement what he thought could put an end to Edsa’s traffic woes.

Traffic planners at the the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are practically whacking their heads in coming up with viable solutions to solve traffic problems, which cost an estimated P3.5 billion a day, as per a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Estimates made by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) show that the volume of cars—385,000—plying Edsa daily is much higher than its capacity of 240,000 a day.

Duterte’s bright and the brightest among his traffic managers have since come up with impossible and laughable solutions—provincial bus ban, no private cars during peak hours, adding more lanes not by widening the road but by squeezing lane markers, among others which all the more angered the commuting and— by and large—the general public.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the length and width of the 24-kilometer circumferential road remains the same over the years while the number of cars and buses traversing it, and the commercial establishments in its periphery have mushroomed more than 10-fold. From this basic fact, it would seem that no short- and long-term reprieve is in sight and Edsa is doomed to be the country’s largest parking space.

Now comes San Miguel Corp.’s Ramon Ang, the food conglomerate’s maverick president offering to build a 10-lane elevated expressway made of steel that would cover the whole stretch of Edsa.

The proposal promises to significantly cut travel time along the elevated expressway that connects the cities of Caloocan, Quezon, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasay. It also has access roads to business districts, such as the Ortigas Center, Makati and Bonifacio Global City.

Fresh from getting from the government the “notice to proceed” with San Miguel’s P745-billion international airport in Bulacan province, this latest unsolicited proposal from the company could well be a significant paradigm shift in doing infra projects in the country. Not only could the road be extended all the way to the Cavite Expressway in southern Metro Manila, it can also accommodate a devoted bus system,

Arillo . . .

continued from A6

and partnerships starts at the top, and it’s one of the reasons why we’re collaborating with them. At Cisco, security is foundational to everything we do,” said Chuck Robbins, chairman and CEO. According to Robbins, last year

Now comes San Miguel Corp.’s Ramon Ang, the food conglomerate’s maverick president, offering to build a 10-lane elevated expressway made of steel that would cover the whole stretch of Edsa. This would significantly cut travel time along the elevated expressway. also known as a bus rapid transit, which can carry up to 1.5 million passengers daily. The proposed elevated Edsa expressway could also compliment San Miguel’s Skyway Stage 3, the extension of South Luzon Expressway, which would connect the northern and southern parts of Metro Manila by early 2020.

Mr. Ang knows his business and I’m sure his planners have factored in all possible scenario that would make this project stand out from the rest. I’m just curious about the use of steel in this undertaking. Most expressways are made in combination of several other materials such as asphalt and cement, and I’m wondering whether metal roads are better than the traditional asphalt and cement.

According to some experts I’ve talked with, metal roads cost higher than asphalt or bitumen tarred roads. But this shouldn’t be a problem since San Miguel would not have proposed it if it doesn’t have the wherewithal to complete it.

They also said that while metal is more durable, exposure to weather, continuous vehicle loads and earth settlement would cause the sheets to warp, rust, and rip apart at the joints. Metal roads would be much harder and costlier to repair than asphalt roads.

They also explained that metal is three times as heavy as concrete.

Adhesion between the roadbed and the metal could be a challenge.

Still, Steel bridges are widely used globally albeit in different structural forms—highway bridges, railway bridges and footbridges. Their main plus over other construction materials are their strength, malleability (making it easier to fabricate), and speedy construction. It is sturdier in both tension and compression than concrete, and has relatively good strength to cost ratio and stiffness to weight ratio. It is a versatile and effective material that provides efficient and sustainable solutions, particularly for a long span of elevated roads requiring enhanced seismic performance.

At the end of the day, San Miguel’s unquestionable pedigree should put to rest all concerns about its ambitious, yet innovative solution to the country’s infra distresses. It would be foolhardy for this government to put it in the back burner.

Thursday, September 26, 2019 A7

Opportunities made fruitless Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco Jr.

Alálaong Bagá

T

he last parable of Jesus in Chapter 16 of Saint Luke’s gospel (16:19-31) further clarifies the challenge to all of us to use wealth wisely in this life so that one gains an eternal home.

Money-lovers and the poor Everyone can have use of money in this world, but the question is how and for what purpose. For the use we put money into determines if it is a wealth that is dishonest and dangerous, or true and beneficial. Jesus addressed Himself to the Pharisees who were known as money-lovers (Luke 16:14) and who sneered at Him. What they esteem, is it in fact an abomination in the sight of God? The rich man in the story (traditionally called dives which Latin term means “rich”) dedicated himself to a life of pleasure in this world. His purple and fine linen clothing indicate that in lifestyle he was in the league of kings and princes. And while he feasted sumptuously every day, at his door in sharp contrast was a man in pathetic poverty, Lazarus.

The indigents will always be around (Mark 14:7). Not only is

this an imperfect world, paradoxically enough the poor have come to mean God’s special blessing to the rich, if only they knew. Lying at the rich man’s door, Lazarus would have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. But no one paid attention to him; only dogs would come to lick at his sores.

Lazarus was ritually unclean, and his very situation justified the selfrighteous in their mind that he was a sinner; he was being shunned and his abject poverty was considered his just punishment. The rich man was a much honored individual, whose wealth was looked upon as indicative of divine favor to him.

In the light of eternity

Death puts things in their real perspective (Luke 12:20). The great equalizer now unveils the real score, a complete reversal of the situations

It is here in this world that we have the chance to help each other become more human by attending to other people’s needs. What golden opportunities the rich have to share in charity with the less fortunate!

The epitome of prudence and wisdom in the proper use of material wealth, charity would have gained him an eternal home in everlasting happiness. of the two men in eternity. Lazarus (the name means “He whom God helps”) is immediately carried away by the angels to the solace of the bosom of Abraham, while the rich man found himself in the netherworld of torment. The just person is seated in the place of honor at the right hand or near the bosom of the host in the eternal banquet. The wastrel of a rich man in his now nebulous and joyless existence can only look at Lazarus from afar.

Death is final and eternity is irreversible. The rich man’s request for relief that Lazarus be sent for a few drops of water reflects his ongoing, if scaled down, thirst for pleasure and comfort. Too late a discovery of what Lazarus could mean for him; wallowing in wealth here on Earth he should have understood that helping the poor, like Lazarus, at his door is a true brokerage of salvation. It is here in this world that we

have the chance to help each other become more human by attending to other people’s needs. What golden opportunities the rich have to share in charity with the less fortunate!

The epitome of prudence and wisdom in the proper use of material wealth, charity would have gained him an eternal home in everlasting happiness. In last Sunday’s term: “Make friends for yourselves with... wealth. So that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9).

Alálaong bagá, it is in this life or never that merciful love benefits not only the receiver but also the giver. The rich man’s second request wishing to spare his brothers the same stupid fate he suffered got the same denial. You begin the life of love here and now, not later, or it would be too late. To be a disciple of Jesus is a demanding vocation that requires continual conversion.

It demands a detachment from everything, even one’s possessions and one’s life, that is, the wisdom not to be rich for oneself only, but to grow rich in what “matters to God” (Luke 12:21). Earthly riches used in charity can mean eternal fulfillment and beatitude.

Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, from 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio streaming on www.dwiz882.com.

Workers’ issues: Missing in the DICT’s FIR summit Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

LABOREM EXERCENS Continued from A1

I

ndeed, readiness is a critical issue that the Philippines must address. It cannot afford to be left behind in the global race to master the various technologies that are shaping and reshaping industry, finance, education, and national and local governance everywhere. Governments across the world are investing heavily on the needed infrastructures and research and development to enable their countries maximize the gains from this global race.

The ongoing and unresolved US-China trade war is partly fueled by the fears of the United States that China, as a competing global economic superpower, is on the verge of reaching parity with the former in the technology race, as exemplified by the controversy over Huawei’s mastery of the 5G technology, the latest in the mobile Internet connectivity.

The problem is that programs to help those currently employed in industry cope with FIR are either weak or missing. These are the issues that were raised by Filipino and other Asean union leaders in the Ninth Asean Regional Tripartite Social Dialogue Conference held in Singapore last year.

For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com

But can the Philippines win in this technology revolution without preparing its work force and without addressing the concerns of the workers? The obvious answer is no.

The government’s answer to this challenge of worker readiness is focused on how the future work force, those enrolled in the K to 12 grade schools and in the CHEDsupervised colleges, shall be given to stronger ICT education. Fine.

The problem, however, is that programs to help those currently employed in industry cope with FIR are either weak or missing. These are the issues that were raised by Filipino and other Asean union leaders in the Ninth Asean Regional Tripartite Social Dialogue Conference held in Singapore last year. Briefly, these can be summarized as follows: First is the threat of job disruption due to automation. Filipino and other Asean trade union leaders in the region expressed alarm over the job disruption that Industry 4.0 is causing, some massively and others incrementally, in manufacturing, agriculture and services.

In the Philippines, one sector that is now being subjected to disruptive processes is the ICT-enabled call center/business-process outsourcing sector. The rise of software automation and chatbot technology are affecting the jobs of workers in the voice segment of the call center/ BPO sector.

Second, information sharing and adjustment/transition programs to minimize the adverse labor impact of technology are usually missing. Most industries do not share any programs on technology acquisition or modernization plans, which require the introduction of new technology and reorganization of work. Workers are generally kept in the dark—until the new technology is introduced, creating in the process difficult adjustment and job disruption/ displacement issues. And yet, employers and HR managers generally plan the adoption or procurement of new technology months ahead, even a year or more. The decision to have a new technology, which entails substantial expense for a

corporation, is a business decision that is made much earlier.

Third, older and middle-age workers have difficulty adjusting to or mastering any new technology. Very often, rapid technological changes do not give these workers enough time to adjust to the work process or learn new knowledge or acquire new skills needed at work. As a result, they become immediate candidates for early retirement.

Fourth and relatedly, training and skills development programs to enable affected workers to adjust to the new technology are lacking.

Employers generally do not invest on training and skills development for old employees. They find this expensive. Very often, they simply resort to hiring new workers who can handle the new technology better at lower wage rates. In fact, the new technology is used to justify the reengineering or reorganization of work, which often leads to the disruption of the standard work processes involving the old workers. This naturally leads to displacement of some workers, retention of only a few and general demoralization for the majority.

Fifth, the technology revolution is contributing to the further spread of precarious employment.

Technological changes are used by an increasing number of employers and HR managers to “casualize” work and downsize the regular work force. More and more workers are hired on short-term or project-to-project basis. According

Cisco blocked 7 trillion threats, or 20 billion threats a day, on behalf of their customers. Cyber security is a worldwide phenomenon and the Philippines, an archipelagic country with 7,107 islands with a land area of more than 300,000 square kilometers is propitiously located at the center of the globe, 6 to 18 degrees above the equator between two of the world’s great oceans, the Pacific

and South China Sea. Because of its unique location, it cannot escape various threats from cybercriminals.

Our policy-makers in Congress should, therefore, look at this reality from the viewpoint of political, social, economics and national security.

Lately, cyber-security attacks have resulted in job losses across different functions in seven in 10 (72 percent) organizations that have

experienced an incident over the past 12 months.

As a backgrounder, Cisco and Cybersecurity Ventures have compiled 100 of the most important facts, figures, statistics, and predictions to help frame the global cybercrime landscape, and what the cybersecurity industry is doing to help protect governments, citizens, and organizations globally.

“Cybersecurity Ventures formulates our own ground-up research— plus we vet, synthesize and repurpose research from the most credible sources [analysts, researchers, associations, vendors, industry experts, media publishers]—to provide our readers with a bird’s-eye view of the most dangerous cyber threats, and the most important solutions.”

According to the Cisco and

to Exie Nidea of Union Network Philippines, the big industry users of the new technology such as the media and entertainment companies hardly do any hiring of workers, whether regular and nonregular. Instead, they outsource different jobs to third-party service providers, talent agencies or job contracting companies. Backoffice jobs such as accounting, payroll administration, supply chain management and HR services are also outsourced. IT solutions are routinely outsourced. These include mobile applications development, content management solutions, analytics, etc. Even some core functions of the business are outsourced, for example, newspapers outsource fact-checking and copy editing.

Sixth, the online “freelancers” and “gig workers” have an uncertain status as workers. Very often, they have no social protection. Protective labor law covers mainly the permanent and contractual workers. Those working for Grab or those enlisted with Upwork are generally not considered employees. They are treated as “partners.” So when the Grab drivers meet an accident, they are left to their own devices, meaning these “partners” have no social security or social protection that are normally extended to regular workers.

Seventh, social dialogue and consultation on technology adjustment, be it bipartite or tripartite, is also missing. Yes, there are government-led digital road maps for various industries, but the role of workers and their organizations in the industry development programs is generally missing.

In conclusion, it will do well for DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan to review its national FIR adjustment/readiness program. The program should be inclusive and should help prepare both the old and young work force of this country. Better, the DICT should consult them on how to make the country FIR-ready with the full support of the organized workers.

Cybersecurity Ventures 2019 Cybersecurity Almanac, cybercriminal activity is one of the biggest challenges that humanity will face in the next two decades. Cyber attacks are the fastest-growing crime globally, and they are increasing in size, sophistication and cost.

To reach the writer, e-mail cecilio.arillo@ gmail.com.

A8 Thursday, September 26, 2019

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Bumpy transition aside, rice trade lib a good reform–ADB

A

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

MID the decline in the average farm-gate price of unhusked rice, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reiterated its support for the rice trade liberalization law, saying it remains “a good reform.”

In a press briefing on Wednesday, ADB Country Director for the Philippines Kelly Bird said agricultural reforms, such as Republic Act 11203 or the rice trace liberalization

law, would “naturally” encounter bumpy roads.

Bird noted that the law is not only concerned with rice imports, but is also focused on expanding

mechanization, which can lead to higher agricultural productivity.

“These reforms are fairly new.

And when these kinds of agricultural reforms are implemented, there’s going to be a complex transition stage where it’s going to be a little bumpy in the first few years,” Bird said.

Bird recalled that when his native country, New Zealand, decided to implement agricultural reforms in the 1980s, his country went through a complex transition period.

However, once the situation stabilized, Bird said the reforms led to higher growth and agricultural productivity. This is an important

lesson that the Philippines must keep in mind, given its low farm productivity.

National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Assistant Secretary Mercedita A. Sombilla told the BusinessMirror that the recent decline in the average farmgate price of palay was due to “transitional adjustments” caused by the implementation of RA 11203.

Sombilla also said this may have also been brought about by the delay in the government’s release of the P10 billion for the Rice CompetitivenessEnhancement Fund (RCEF) fund this year.

See “Rice trade,” A2

₧27.55-B investments promised for Puerto

V

AR IOUS local and foreign companies pledged on Wednesday a total of P27.55 billion worth of investments in the City of Puerto Princesa on the back of its economic growth potential and conducive business environment.

T hese committed projects, either for immediate expansion or

three- to five-year initiatives, are mostly related to tourism, food, agriculture, fishery, education and business-process outsourcing industries.

Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron said the investments correlate to the priority sectors the city government focuses on.

“We look forward to receiving

them to the City of Puerto Princesa as they continue with their investments,” he told reporters at the sidelines of the Puerto Princesa City Business Forum in Pasay City.

These undertakings, the mayor said, will not only help boost the local economy but also generate employment opportunities for

his constituents.

“For me, we have more unemployed and underemployed than the employed ones,” Bayron said in both English and Filipino. “[These pledges] will be of big help because investment can be equated to employment. So this is what we will gain.”

See “Puerto,” A2

D.A. DRAFTING ORDER FOR A.S.F. TASK FORCE

T

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) is drafting an executive order (EO) that would create the National African Swine Fever Task Force (NATF) to streamline and coordinate efforts to contain and control the spread of dreaded hog disease.

The drafting of the EO came weeks after the DA confirmed that ASF has entered the country and affected backyard farms, killing over 500 hogs in at least nine barangays.

The DA did not provide additional details, such as when the EO would be finished, as of press of time.

The DA earlier said the NATF is needed to flesh out interagency coordination, in partnership with concerned local government units and the private sector.

The proposed NATF will be chaired by the President with the DA as its vice chairman and lead agency.

Composing the NATF are the secretaries of Finance, Foreign Affairs,the Interior and Local Government, Trade and Industry, National Defense, Budget and Management, and Transportation. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council will also be part of the NATF. The DA has been pushing for the task force creation since

January to avert the entry of the ASF, amid fears it could wipe out or damage the country’s P260-billion hog industry.

In an interview in July, thenAgriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said Malacañang was still reviewing the draft EO proposed by the DA to create the NATF. The draft order was pending in the Office of the Executive Secretary that time, Piñol added.

The earlier draft EO, a copy of which was obtained by the BusinessM irror, emphasized a “need for a national convergence” to prevent the entry of the ASF virus in the country.

Under the first draft EO, NATF will oversee the crafting of policies, regulations and guidelines to address ASF-related issues, according to the document.

It would also supervise and monitor all government and private-sector interventions aimed at preventing the entry of ASF virus in the country, such as quarantine measures in airports and market inspections for suspect imported meat products.

It will lead the public awareness and campaign program on ASF, as well as enhance the contingency plan of the Bureau of Animal Industry. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019 A9

A10 Thursday, September 26, 2019

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019 A11

A12 Thursday, September 26, 2019

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019 A13

A14 Thursday, September 26, 2019

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019 A15

A16 Thursday, September 26, 2019

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019 A17

A18 Thursday, September 26, 2019

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019 A19

A20 Thursday, September 26, 2019

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019 A21

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

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

A22 Thursday, September 26, 2019

PRA, Dumaguete City strengthen partnership

Auma Fashion Styling firm launched to empower Filipinos through fashion

W

HAT began as a clothing line in 2017, AUMA slowly evolved into a fashion styling firm— aptly named AUMA Fashion Styling Firm—that‘s passionate in helping people discover their best selves through a developed sense of personal style.

AUMA Fashion Styling Firm was born from a strong love for fashion, a keen eye for style, and a collaborative mindset.

Its stylists and associates see style as an expression of one’s wants, desires, and self-image.

“Auma is the combination of two people’s names who meant a lot to me.

You can say, Auma came from love and it’s my passion and love for style and fashion that will always sustain it”, says Founder and Head Stylist, Mika Cabrera.

The young entrepreneur and fashion advocate started as a stylist under the mentorship of Metro Magazine’s Creative Director, Eldzs Mejia. Straight from fashion school, Mika delved straight into creating her own brand, empowered and determined to make a difference in the fashion community.

She adds, ‘The fashion industry, specifically here in the Philippines, is daunting. It can be hard to navigate around especially if you’re someone who’s keen on different trends and trying

to figure out what your style personality is.

I want AUMA to be a conduit for people to discover themselves through clothes.”

More than putting clothes on, AUMA strives to spread the message that the way we present ourselves to the world has an effect on our personal well-being.

It wants to eliminate the stereotype of fashion being just a superficial expression of oneself. AUMA’s purpose is to carve out people’s authentic selves and that includes figuring out or enhancing their take on their own style and fashion.

AUMA recognizes that its client's personal style and styling needs are a

journey in which they are meant to guide, edit, punctuate—and never dictate. AUMA Fashion Styling Firm is in the business of making fashion one less thing to worry about, developing confidence through wellselected and curated looks, and giving a wider group of people access to quality and premium styling without the hefty bill that often comes with it. began as a clothing line in 2017, AUMA slowly evolved into a fashion styling firm—aptly named AUMA Fashion Styling Firm—that‘s passionate in helping people discover their best selves through a developed sense of personal style.

A

skills via relevant in-house trainings that intend to upgrade their opportunities for more lucrative careers in the real estate industry, while providing a fully equipped workstation for more streamlined real estate business operations for its associates.

Prior to the launch, KW has intensively collaborated with various broker groups based in Cavite and Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa to ensure the new market center’s position as a major real estate hub in the South.

“The new KW Market Center in Bacoor

L-R: KW Philippines Regional Operating Principal Rolando Acuesta; KW Cavite Operating Principal /Owner Margaret Mae Yung; KW Cavite Team Leader Ma. Cristina Santos; and KW Makati CBD Co-owner Lorenzo Rojas, Jr. at the launch of KW Cavite Market Center.

will cover the whole province of Cavite,” shared KW Cavite Market Center Operating Principal Margaret Yung. It will mainly be a hub for KW’s associate trainings so our real estate practitioners may experience KW’s unique value propositions, company culture, how to profit, the latest technologies, and how we apply all of these in the KW business model,” she added.

Along with Yung, the event was also attended by KW Philippines Regional Operating Principal Rolando C. Acuesta; KW Cavite Market Center Team Leader Tet Santos, along with KW Market Center associates, Regional Team members, and prospective recruits.

“The Cavite launch is the 7th KW Philippines market center in the country with the support and leadership from industry experts who have over four decades of experience in residential, commercial and leisure property developments,” said Acuesta. “The new market center will finally provide a venue for our accredited KW Associates in Southern Mega Manila to better access and serve the booming office and residential property market in Cavite,” he added.

KW Cavite Market Center is located at Lot 9965, Molino Road, Molino, Bacoor, Cavite.

For more details on KW Philippines, visit www.kwphilippines.com.

China Bank Dollar Fund is the Best Managed Fund of the Year

F

OR the fourth year in a row, the CFA Society Philippines named China Bank Dollar Fund as the Best Managed Fund of the Year in the long-term (Dollar FVPL) category.

China Bank Dollar Fund is suitable for investors with moderate risk appetite.

The Fund is invested in a portfolio of US dollar-denominated securities consisting principally of government/corporate bonds and bank deposits of varying tenors to provide investors with relatively higher yields than deposit accounts.

In this year’s search for the best managed funds in various categories, CFA Society Philippines evaluated 89 participating funds from 16 investment houses and Trust institutions. The awarding was held on September 7 during the Philippine Junior Finance and Investment Summit 2019 at the SMX Convention Center.

Accreditation of more local business establishments, retirement facilities, and other service providers is also expected as an outcome concurrent with the possible surge of foreign and local retirees.

In 2018, PRA deemed the City of Dumaguete as the best place to retire in the Philippines as it scored 87.48 in accordance with the criteria set by international organizations like the United Nations, World Health Organization, and International Living.

The MOA signing paved the way for a strong tie and long-term partnership as both are expecting for promising outcome.

Ayala Land recognized for sustainability initiative

KW Philippines opens major real estate hub in Cavite

fter launching Keller Williams (KW) Philippines in 2017, the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count marked another milestone recently with the opening of its Cavite Market Center on Monday, September 9 in addition to its over 950 market centers across the globe. The launch marked KW Philippines’ first franchise in Southern Mega Manila, after opening its NCR market centers in Quezon City and Makati earlier this year.

The KW Cavite Market Center aims to further develop its real estate agents’

T

HE Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) and the City of Dumaguete have reinforced their drive building up the City as a Retiree-Friendly Area through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed on September 23, 2019 at the Dumaguete City Hall by PRA CEO/General Manager Atty. Bienvenido K. Chy and Dumaguete City Mayor Hon. Felipe Antonio B. Remollo.

Under this partnership is the establishment of PRA Help Desk preferably in the city’s tourism office or administrative building that will offer services to potential and existing clients, partners, and other stakeholders.

China Bank offers ten UITFs matching various risk profiles—from conservative to aggressive. To make investing in UITFs more affordable, China Bank reduced the minimum investment to only P5,000 for the peso-denominated variants and only $500 for the US dollar variants, China Bank Dollar Fund and China Bank Dollar Money Market Fund.

The CFA Society Philippines is the local chapter of the CFA Institute, a global network of investment and finance professionals and their partners in over 163 countries.

Visit www.chinabank.ph for more information.

In photo, China Bank Investment Officer & Fund Manager Marlon Galang flanked by CFA Society Philippines President Cristina Arceo and Program Director Rizchelle Manaog.

A

YALA Land, Inc. (ALI) earned recognition for a design competition focusing on sustainability, winning a bronze Stevie Award under the Communications or PR Campaign of the Year – Social Media Focused category at the 2019 International Business Awards, a premier business awards program in which achievements in the workplace are honored worldwide.

The design competition, entitled ‘Design Your Tomorrow Today: Co-Creating A Sustainable Future with the Community,’ was launched as part of Ayala Land’s 30th year celebration and in line with the company’s aim for its estates to be sustainable and eco-efficient. Using Facebook as a platform to cultivate collaborative efforts between ALI and the Filipino community for a sustainable future, participants were invited to submit original concepts that aspire to help communities pursue sustainable living.

With the objective of promoting sustainable practices and awareness among

the public, ALI created three categories through which designs could be submitted: Living Sustainably, Plastic-Free Tomorrow and Estate-Wide Solutions. ALI intended on studying the possibility of applying the winning ideas in its estates around the country.

The program also won an Award of Merit at The Philippine Quill Awards organized by the International Association of Business Communicators, considered as one of the country’s most prestigious awards program in the field of business communication. It has recognized Philippine organizations and corporations for almost two decades now, highlighting the use of excellent communication to achieve business goals and to make a difference in society.

At last year’s Quill Awards, ALI received the Top Award for Communications Skills for its corporate video entitled ‘Reshaping with Ayala Land’ and received the Award of Excellence for its Social Media Campaign on ‘Local Economic Development’.

CMDC launches the New Regatta Bay

R

EGATTA Bay is a concept by Cabanilla Marketing and Development Corporation (CMDC). A first of its kind -- situated in the heart of Puerto Princesa City -- Regatta is a community by the beach and a stunning departure from the ordinary.

Regatta Bay is surrounded by natural hot spring establishments, beautiful islands and amazing resorts. The concept is “a community by the beach” where fun accessibility, functionality and comfort come as one. It offers luxurious amenities such as infinity pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, fitness center, parks and playground, jogging path, function hall, commercial center, along with a proposed water sports activity center and enchanted forest attraction for the whole development.

Regatta Bay Palawan is located at Lomboy Street, Puerto Princesa. Construction is in full swing using the environment-friendly pre-cast technology by Dasco Global Construction & Development Corp.

CMDC President Christopher Cabanilla describes the development as "upscale, simplified, and relaxing" which for Chairman Stella Cabanilla is their company's contribution for the tourism and economic success in the community.

"The villas and residences at the New Regatta Bay are suitable for retirement and investment purposes which are also relatively inexpensive. We invite everyone, including the foreigners, to invest in this highly relaxing, healthy and all nature community in this side of the Philippines," Cabanilla said.

CMDC is joined by real estate collaborators during the launch at The Peak of Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Considered the Philippines' last frontier, Palawan owe it's vibrant tourism industry with a World Heritage Site, the PuertoPrincesa Subterranean River National Park, and countless other new and undiscovered. of nature that can be found here.

Moreover, the city has never been hit by a major earthquake in the last 500 years. This gives someone something that money can’t buy: peace of mind. It is also seldom visited by typhoons, and is shielded by eastern Philippine islands from the Pacific side.

The city is the center of communication, education and public administration for Palawan. It is a carbon-neutral city, has good and stable peace and order, warm and committed people, diverse and skilled manpower.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019

B1

Congress asked: Make mall owners liable if tenants sell counterfeit items

L

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

@alyasjah

AW enforcement agencies are asking legislators to amend the Intellectual Property (IP) Code of the Philippines to make owners of malls and department stores liable if their properties are found hosting counterfeit sellers.

In a news briefing on Wednesday, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said he is seeking the inclusion in the IP Code of a provision holding malls

and department stores accountable for the proliferation of fake items.

He argued that owners should be responsible for checking the authen-

ticity of products their tenants are selling, as turning a blind eye to this invites and promotes counterfeiting.

In fulfillment of this intention, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Director General Josephine R. Santiago submitted to Congress a draft of the revised IP Code including this provision, among others, which law enforcement agencies deem as necessary changes to the law.

In the revised IP Code, the liability extends to trademarks and not just copyrights. This means that even knockoff items, such as footwear and bags, which are frequently sold in malls and department stores, will be covered by the law.

“The landlord-lessee liability will extend to trademarks. At present, what we have refers only to copyright. This will be extended to trademarks, meaning those that you see in terms of articles of footwear, bags and all that you see in malls, that will already be hit by the bill,” Santiago said.

Knockoff handbags, wallets and footwear comprise a significant amount of counterfeits captured by the interagency National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR), headed by Lopez with Santiago as second in command.

In the P1.83-billion verified haul of the NCIPR between January and July, P449.88 million are knockoff

The New Araneta City rises

Offering a hearty toast to Araneta City are ACI SVP-Business Development John B. Castelo, ACI SVP-Operations Antonio T. Mardo, ACI VP-Leasing Lorna D. Fabian, Uniprom COO Irene Jose, Araneta Group Vice Chairman Judy A. Roxas, PPI Holdings Inc. COO Chacha Juinio, ACI Chairman of the Management Committee Rowell Recinto, Novotel Manila-Araneta City General Manager Mike Brown, Oye Fores, and Uniprom VP-Entertainment Veana Fores. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

By Leony R. Garcia

N

OW calling itself the “City of Firsts,” Araneta City launched on Tuesday its new brand, logo and mobile application in a ceremony at the Novotel Manila.

Sixty years ago, Araneta Center pioneered the commercial district concept in Metro Manila with Ali Mall as the first-ever mall; the Araneta Coliseum as the first all-in-one sports, beauty contest and entertainment venue; the Fiesta Carnival, then the largest indoor amusement park and adventure ride hub; and the COD Department Store as the first establishment to offer moving and interactive Christmas Belen to the delight of the Filipino masses, among others.

Elsewhere within the property and much later on, other firsts emerged: the Araneta Bus Station, the first integrated bus terminal serving several bus companies, in

1993; Ticketnet, the first online ticketing system, in 1996; the first indoor, open-air, air-conditioned floating garden restaurant, the Oasis, in 2004; and the first La-Z-Boy movie theater, the Platinum Cinema, in Gateway Cineplex in 2005, among others.

“There’s a certain thing about Araneta City that’s easy to make a habit among friends and the family. The comfort level is probably familiarity. A lot of what people do when they go here are personal in nature, that’s why our invitation is for them to experience their personal firsts here,” Araneta Group Senior Management Consultant Rowell Recinto said.

Since it is easily reached through several modes of transportation, Recinto said Araneta City could quickly became a “habit,” where people meet for personal experiences.

The place also touts good transport connectivity, especially with the presence of MRT [Metro Rail Transit]

and LRT [Light Rail Transit]. Now, Araneta also offers point-to-point transportation service to and from key places in the Metro.

“We used to be a center and center connotes shopping, but now we know we have offices, we have residential, we know that we have entertainment, we have shopping, we have dining,” Recinto said.

“We have good transport connectivity, so we really have what it takes to be called a city. And I think it’s an apt description for what Araneta City has become,” he added.

The transformation continues with the ongoing developments in the 8-hectare Peza-certified office hub Cyberpark (with two of five total towers completed and a third to start), the Manhattan Garden City (with 11 out of 18 residential towers already occupied), the expansion of Gateway Mall, and the first Ibis Styles Hotel in the country.

The launch was attended by the Araneta City management com-

mittee, lessees, office locators, brand alliance partners, agencies, representatives from various media outlets and members of the Araneta family.

The event became a touch point for guests to look back at Araneta City’s rich heritage of over 60 years.

Apart from the new brand and logo, Araneta City also unveiled its first mobile application to bring users closer to the services the hub offers.

The mobile app, available for download for Android and iPhone users, lists all Araneta City merchants, shops, clinics, restaurants, as well as offices, its locations, descriptions and contact information.

It will also give access to users in buying and reserving tickets for movies and concerts showing in Araneta City’s cinemas, the New Frontier Theater and the Araneta Coliseum.

The app will enable users to buy and reserve tickets to bus trips, as well as give ease of access to the locations of transportation terminals.

handbags and wallets, and P130.12 million are fake footwear. The NCIPR has yet to take into account the Customs’ P3.9-billion capture of mostly wearables in a Divisoria mall.

The new IP Code also endorses the shutdown of online retail sites that put on sale fake products, such as pharmaceutical and personalcare goods. Santiago said her office will ask Congress to include in the measure the penalty of disrupting the operations of violating online retail outlets, as well as their payment arms.

“By disruption, this will cover the takedown and the shutdown [of the retailer’s platform]. It will also cover the payment gateways

that are being discussed internationally,” she explained.

“That means that even those that are providing the MasterCard and the Visa gateways, we will also be requesting to institute certain measures to stop the payment gateway.

We think that, that is a stronger approach to addressing these issues on online,” the IPOPHL chief added.

The NCIPR on Wednesday had a high-level meeting in Makati City to discuss ways to improve the country’s IP rights protection regime. One issue tackled is how to guard IP assets in the rise of innovative platforms online, which points to the alleged sale of fake products in virtual retail sites.

Mass-housing builder 8990 to develop resorts for elite market

L

OW-COST housing builder 8990 Holdings Inc. said it is moving up the ladder of project development, by establishing a resort geared for the upscale market.

In its disclosure, the company said it has established 8990 Leisure and Resorts, which will have a development in Siquijor Island in Central Visayas.

Adama Resort Siquijor is set to open in 2020 and will feature 250 rooms built within a 20-hectare property, the company said.

The new development marks its first foray in the resort category.

Lowell Yu, 8990 Leisure president said the company will highlight the tourism potential of Siquijor—from its reefs and white-sand beaches to its unique reputation as a mystical island.

Yu is the man behind high-end membership shopping chain Landers Superstore, Popeyes Chicken, Kuya J, Isla Sugbu Seafood City and the iconic Grand Convention Center of Cebu.

Adama Resort Siquijor is the first of the 10 new hotels and resorts of 8990. All of the hotels are expected to be completed before 2023 and contribute around P3 billion of additional recurring revenue to the company.

Adama Resorts is set to open in the second half of 2020. Its other hotel brands are Kura and Argo. “Together with Adama, these hotels and resorts are set to support the growing key tourist destinations of Palawan, Cebu, Boracay, Davao, Iloilo, Siargao, Baguio and Metro Manila,” the company said.

8990, known for its mass-housing projects, is seeing challenges in the market that it has dominated for years due to problems, such as government’s issuance of permits.

Its income rose 18 percent in the six months of the year ending June to P2.82 billion from last year’s P2.39 billion, but this was due to higher sales of its condominium buildings in Manila instead of its low-cost, horizontal projects.

Total revenues for the first six months rose 17 percent to P7.01 billion, from P6 billion last year, the company said.

Some 42 percent of revenues came from sales of high-rise buildings, 23 percent from medium- rise buildings and 35 percent from horizontal projects. On a regional basis, 67 percent came from Luzon, 23 percent from Visayas and 10 percent from Mindanao, the company said. VG Cabuag

BELMONT BORACAY Megaworld and its subsidiary Global-Estate Resorts Inc. officially

opened the 442-room Belmont Hotel Boracay, its second hotel development inside the 150-hectare Boracay Newcoast. Leading the ceremonies during the grand launch were (from left) Raymundo Melendres, managing director; Kevin L. Tan, chief executive officer of Alliance Global Group Inc.; Lourdes T. Gutierrez-Alfonso, chief operating officer of Megaworld; Monica T. Salomon, president of Geri; and Roland Galano Jr., general manager of Belmont Hotel Boracay

Pepsi-Cola PHL to halt ‘Cheetos’ production, focus on beverages

B

OTTLER Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI) on Wednesday said it is halting its snacks line production, comprised mainly of the Cheetos brand, as it wanted to focus on its core business of carbonated softdrinks and other beverage production.

The board of the local bottler owned by Lotte

Corp. and PepsiCo approved the move to halt production of its snack products at its meeting last week.

“PCPPI has decided to leverage on its core competency in the beverage space, which has been the bottling giant’s core business for 70 years,” the company said in its disclosure.

Employees of the snacks plant in Cabuyao, Laguna, will be transitioned into their new roles in the company, it said.

“This transition allows PCPPI to further optimize and strengthen the production and distribution of carbonated and noncarbonated beverages to millions of Filipinos nationwide.

PepsiCo will continue to import and sell Cheetos in the Philippines,” it said.

Pepsi started locally producing Cheetos in 2015, spending some P650 million for its entry in the junk food market in the country and competing head-on with main players Universal Robina Corp., Liwayway Holdings

Co. Ltd., Leslie Corp., among others.

The company has been booking start-up losses from its snacks line since the start of its production.

Its snacks line, meanwhile, has been contributing little to its revenues. Last year, the snacks line generated some P200 million in net sales out

of the P33.59 billion. The said figure is lower than the P267 million it sold in 2017.

For the six months of the year ending June, its snacks line contributed sales of P50 million as against the P20.87 billion worth of gross sales from its carbonated and noncarbonated drinks. VG Cabuag

B2

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Companies BusinessMirror

NGCP vows to connect Visayas, Mindanao grids by end of 2020

T

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

HE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has declared its commitment to meet the target completion date of the multibillionpeso Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP).

“MVIP is under way. We have worked with the providers and consultants to make sure that we make the deadline, that’s end2020,” said NGCP Chief Financial Officer Nanette Bugnosen.

The MVIP aims to connect the Mindanao grid to the Visayas grid, to ultimately lead to a single, unified national grid by the time of its completion.

Bugnosen cited what has been

done so far prior to start of construction. “We have already awarded part of the submarine cable. We are still negotiating with some LGU [local government units] for the necessary permits to proceed with the work. Also, we are negotiating with some landowners for ROW [righ-of-way] clearance. When these are all complete, we proceed with the construction.”

In November 2018, NGCP said

it broke ground on the new cable terminal stations, which serve as a major component of the MVIP. The cable terminal stations will be located in the municipality of Santander, Cebu and Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte. These will serve as landing points of the two 92-kilometer submarine cables which will carry around 450 megawatts (MW) of power from the Visayas and Mindanao, and vice versa.

With a unified national grid, power transmission services in the country will be more reliable as there will be fewer power interruptions nationwide due to the sharing of local energy resources.

Reliable electricity transmission, in turn, could help boost investments, infrastructure development, and commerce in the country, said NGCP. The MVIP, provisionally approved by the Energy Regulatory

Commission in 2017, is considered the biggest power infrastructure project in the country. Apart from the submarine cables and cable terminal stations, the P52-billion project also entails the installation of 526 circuit-kilometers of overhead transmission lines, high-voltage direct current converter stations, and various upgrades to substations in both regions.

In May 2018, the Department of Energy (DOE) certified the MVIP as an Energy Project of National Significance, in order to streamline and expedite the needed documents for the construction and completion of the project.

NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid, led by majority shareholders Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr.

Flights between Manado, Davao to open soon–DOTr

T

HE Department or Transportation (DOTr) said on Wednesday that flights between Manado, Indonesia and Davao, Philippines will open soon.

In a media advisory, the agency quoted its representative to the meeting, Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Deputy Executive Director Alexander Paul Rivera, as saying that the “route is targeted to resume this month.” “The Air Linkages Working Group also stressed that cooperation from the flagship airlines of the Philippines and Indonesia should be in place for the success of the resumption of flight operations on the said route between the two countries,” the advisory read.

Garuda Indonesia is expected to deploy its smaller planes for the route, which will be initially available once per week. The Philippines and Indonesia signed a commitment to promote the reestablishment of flights between Davao and Manado to mutually boost trade, tourism and investments between the two Asean nations in September 2018.

The reestablishment of the flights between Davao and Manado is “an enhancement” of the air transport agreement signed by the two nations in 1972. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Globe taps Transcend Towers to build telco infra in N. Luzon

G

LOBE Telecom Inc. has tapped Transcend Towers Infrastructure (Philippines) Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of American Tower Corp., to build more telco towers in the country, as demand for better mobile connectivity continues to increase.

Transcend Towers will build a shared telco infrastructure in 150 sites in North Luzon, an area identified by the mobile network operator.

Globe Chief Finance Officer Rizza Maniego-Eala said the tower build will “play a critical role in improving the density of Globe’s sites in North Luzon.” “There is a significant need to accelerate our infrastructure build for our customers to fully enjoy the benefit of a digital lifestyle,” she said in a statement.

Including the deal with Transcend Towers, Globe has so far signed three memoranda of agreement for the construction of telco towers in the Philippines. Lorenz S. Marasigan

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Astoria to spend ₧3B for expansion plan

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor

A

STORIA Hotels & Resorts revealed on Wednesday it is investing around P3 billion for its expansion in the next three years on the back of tourism growth in the country.

Among the initiatives to be undertaken is the construction of 50 more rooms to its facility in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, bringing its total inventory to 200. The cost of this project is P600 million.

“With the tremendous growth of the city, plus the completion of the Puerto Princesa International Airport, we expect more local and international tourist arrivals into Puerto Princesa. So we feel that 150 rooms is not enough,” Astoria Hotels & Resorts President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeffrey T. Ng told reporters at the sidelines of the Puerto Princesa City Business Forum at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City.

The hospitality firm is about to break grounds for the new accommodation units—all targeted to be finished in nine months. Then, it will add another infinity pool and expand the convention center to accommodate more of the meet-

mutual funds

ings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions or MICE market.

“We’re hitting 80 plus percent already,” he said of the current average occupancy of the hotel. “So we think with that kind of rate, it’s just but necessary for us to expand now in time for completion probably mid of next year.”

The improved business of the hotel came as a surprise for the company, following the rehabilitation of Boracay beach in April 2018, according to Ng. “We felt that, at first, Astoria Palawan would not be as attractive a destination as our two other hotels in Boracay. But since Boracay was closed last year for six months, many more tourists have gone to Puerto Princesa,” he said.

The company is eyeing to bring the brand to Coron and Lio in El Nido in the next two to three years.

The latter is still in the planning stage.

Outside of Palawan, Astoria is set to expand its hotel in Bohol with additional 250 rooms by 2020. It also plans to build one more outlet in this province.

“We have acquired a property already in Siargao,” Ng added. “Right now, we are still doing the design phase of how many rooms, what kind of rooms and the amenities.”

September 25, 2019

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D

per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 255.66 1.42% -1.74% -0.61% 1.37% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 1.5547 11.88% 2.94% 0.89% 7.91% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.9681 1.54% -2.86% -1.87% 1.67% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.9525 5.8% n.a. n.a.

5.72% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.8556 3.4% n.a. n.a.

4.25% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 5.4275 4.19% -0.09% -0.34% 2.92% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,6 0.8685 4.12% -4.31% n.a.

3.8% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 117.03 1.52% n.a. n.a.

0.74% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 51.9584 5.71% 0.05% n.a.

5.56% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 540.07 5.68% -0.93% -0.5% 4.92% Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 1.3058 4.31% 0.11% 0.71% 4.13% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 38.4614 5.35% 1% 0.63% 4.99% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,3 1.0307 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 5.2799 6.72% 0.83% 1.46% 6.48% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 881.49 6.77% 0.72% 1.37% 6.4% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.91 7.17% -0.29% n.a.

5.81% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 4.2775 5.71% 0.54% 0.67% 5.39% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 1.0128 6.35% 0.67% n.a.

6.13% United Fund, Inc. -a 3.7028 6.64% 2.29% 1.81% 5.77% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c,2 118.1444 7.04% 1.49% 2.4% 6.68% ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$0.9598 -6.27% 1.55% -1.13% 3.3% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.2952 -0.99% 7.47% n.a.

17.19% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.6453 -0.55% -3.24% -3.06% -0.36% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 2.2866 3.33% -1.29% -0.24% 3.5% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.6537 5.06% 0.19% -1.54% 4.35% Grepalife Balanced Fund Corporation -a 1.3453 2.34% n.a. n.a.

3.14% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.9583 6.61% 0.69% 0.92% 6.25% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.7817 7.47% -0.53% 0.14% 7.15% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 16.9487 7.63% -0.46% 0.06% 6.54% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 2.1453 4.4% 0.32% 1.07% 3.68% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.8779 6.43% 0.37% 0.54% 6.21% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d,4 1.0175 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d,4 1.0062 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d,4 1.0037 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.9847 6.26% -0.01% -0.16% 6.84% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.0386 10.07% 2.31% 2.51% 9.35% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -a $0.9853 -0.15% 1.69% -0.62% 7.84% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $3.7664 1.91% 5.38% 3.09% 13.84% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a $1.1157 3.78% 3.51% n.a. 10.47% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 354.12 3.72% 2.25% 2.28% 3.1% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a, 1 1.9159 2.92% 0.01% 0.01% 3.05% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.0839 5.1% 5.32% 5.25% 3.62% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.2032 3.93% 1.2% 1.99% 3.48% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.3321 5.18% 1.35% 1.54% 5.76% Grepalife Fixed Income Fund Corp. -a P 1.6079 2.17% -1.27% 0.31% 2.78% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.2891 10.17% 0.56% 1.83% 9.42% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.7424 8.12% 1.36% 1.61% 6.41% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 0.9487 6.51% -0.28% n.a.

6.45% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.0149 9.31% 1.96% 2.6% 9.01% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.6689 9.07% 1.43% 2.14% 8.38% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $465.45 4.53% 1.83% 2.87% 3.8% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є220.42 3.38% 1.31% 1.56% 3.64% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.1992 7% 2.09% 2.52% 6.53% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0259 4.44% 1.05% n.a.

4.44% Grepalife Dollar Bond Fund Corp. -a $1.7169 1.16% -2.07% 0.5% 1.58% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -a $1.0994 6.8% -0.19% -1.13% 6.09% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.4191 11.56% 1.73% 3.66% 11.44% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0601477 5.78% 1.92% 2.09% 5.52% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1731 9.76% 0.95% 3.04% 10.48% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 124.64 4.05% 2.63% 2.07% 3.11% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a,5 1.0225 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a 1.2373 5.52% 2.27% 1.41% 4.69% Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.2548 3.89% 2.8% 2.19% 2.92% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0328 2.21% n.a. n.a.

1.66% a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Adjusted due to cash dividend issuance last January 29, 2018. 2 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last June 5, 2018. 3 Launch date is January 3, 2019.

4 - Launch date is January 28, 2019. 5 - Launch date is February 1, 2019. 6 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.).

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

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Editor: Angel R. Calso

The World BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019

B3

protests over new ADB trims Asian outlook, citing Indonesian laws threaten business sentiment trade wars and global slowdown V

B

ANGKOK—The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has downgraded its growth forecasts for the region, saying escalating trade tensions are sapping economies of some of their potential.

The regional lender said in a report released on Wednesday that it expects regional growth of 5.4 percent this year and 5.5 percent in the coming year, slightly below its earlier forecasts.

A further deterioration in the tariff war between China and the United States poses risks that stretch beyond that conflict and beyond the region, the Manila, Philippines-based bank said.

A sian economies log ged 5.9-percent growth in 2018, but faltering exports and investment have sapped the region of some of its dynamism. Meanwhile, growth in wealthy, advanced economies has also flagged.

“Downside risks to the outlook have intensified” with repercussions beyond trade, the report said. “The conflict will likely per-

sist at least into 2020, and could broaden to involve other regional economies.”

China and the US are due to resume negotiations on their dispute over trade and technology policies next month after talks collapsed in May. Both sides have imposed punitive tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of each other’s products, hurting a wide range of industries and the businesses associated with them.

The report noted that the trade conflict has hurt exports from industrializing countries in Asia that are suppliers to China of parts and other intermediate manufacturing materials. For developing Asian countries, growth will remain at about 6 percent, it said.

“In spite of an overall slowing

down of the Asian economies the growth rate still seems robust and stable,” Yasuyuki Sawada, the ADB’s chief economist, said in an interview from Manila.

Uncertainties over trade tensions could further destabilize financial markets, compounding other problems.

“We see rising private debt in developing Asia, corporate debt in China and consumer debt in South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand,” Sawada said.

But he said he did not anticipate major financial shocks from outside the region, and most regional central banks are in a position to adjust interest rates to help spur more lending to support growth.

The disruptions to trade and manufacturing from the clash between the US and China come at a time when the electronics sector is already hitting a soft sport, with demand for computer chips and other vital components waning.

Semiconductor sales are expected to fall by more than 13 percent this year from last year, the report cites the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics group as saying.

US efforts to keep Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies

from participating in the rollout of next generation “5G” networks and products is also slowing demand, with Taiwan and South Korea hit the hardest, it said.

But Sawada said the downturn in the sector appeared to be bottoming out. If the 5G networks are rolled out as expected in the next year, conditions will improve.

Overall, the ADB downgraded its forecasts for 17 regional economies that account for nearly all economic activity in the region. It kept 17 unchanged and increased growth estimates for 11, mainly in Central Asia and the Pacific.

In an accompanying report, the ADB urged regional governments to do a better job of providing affordable housing and public transport to help support growth and improvements in living standards.

The housing to annual income ratio is as high as 17, compared to a more reasonable benchmark of four, Sawada said.

The poor suffer disproportionately from inefficient public transport and long commutes from distant suburbs.

“Housing affordability is a big issue, but it’s one critical issue across a broader landscape,” Sawada said. AP

Trump uses UN speech to hit China trade practices weeks before talks

Donald J. Trump speaks during the UN General Assembly meeting in New York on September 24. Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg

U

nited States President Donald J. Trump used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to reiterate complaints about China’s trade practices just weeks before negotiators from both sides are due to meet in Washington.

After vowing to reach a quick trade deal with the United Kingdom following its departure from the European Union, Trump said two decades of expectations that freer trade with China would prompt it to be more marketfriendly had failed.

“Not only has China declined to adopt promised reforms, it has embraced an economic model dependent on massive market barriers, heavy state subsidies, currency manipulation, product dumping, forced technology transfers and the theft of intellectual property and also trade secrets on a grand scale,” Trump said on Tuesday at the UN. The speech offered a reminder of the strategic tensions simmering between the world’s two largest economies, despite positive signs in trade talks. Chinese companies are preparing to purchase more American pork, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News, in the latest demonstration of good will

ahead of another round of talks planned for next month.

While Trump’s Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping wasn’t scheduled to speak at the UN, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later told a business event in New York that he hoped the upcoming talks would “produce a positive outcome.” But he warned China hawks in the US against repeating the mistakes that led the two sides into armed conflict in the 1950 to 1953 Korean War. “Seventy years on, it is important for the United States to avoid picking another misguided fight with the wrong country,” Wang told the event organized by the National Committee on US-China Relations and the US-China Business Council. He added that the US had no reason to fear China, which had “no intention to play the game of thrones on the world stage.”

In his speech, Trump defended his imposition of tariffs on China, saying he wouldn’t accept a “bad deal.” He then shifted to the unrest in Hong Kong, putting the onus on Xi to find a peaceful solution.

“How China chooses to handle the situation will say a great deal about its role in the world in the future,” Trump said. “We are all counting on President Xi as a great leader.”

Ahead of next month’s trade talks, China has targeted American farmers—an important political constituency for Trump— in its retaliation for US tariffs, drastically cutting its purchases of soybeans and other commodities. Trump has responded with a bailout for farmers that so far totals about $28 billion.

China pushed back Wednesday afternoon, saying the UN wasn’t a forum for issuing verbal attacks.

The assembly is a platform “to exchange views and discuss the issues bearing on world peace and development,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing, adding it shouldn’t be used as “an occasion to launch verbal attacks and interfere in other countries’ internal affairs.”

Trade was just one area of Trump’s speech in which he spelled out his “America First” policies.

The president’s remarks featured boasts about US might, complaints about its adversaries and warnings against uncontrolled migration and unregulated social media. He urged other countries to defend their borders and reject the erasure of nationalist identities.

“The future does not belong to globalists, the future belongs to patriots,” he said. Bloomberg News

iolent street protests in Indonesia against a number of controversial laws risks damaging growth and stability in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

Thousands of protesters rallied on Tuesday in cities across Indonesia against sweeping legislation that would outlaw sex outside of marriage, infringe on gay rights and potentially derail efforts to attract more foreign investors. The students are also angry over a law passed last week that weakened the authority of the country’s Corruption Eradication Commission, a key agency in the fight against graft.

The proposed changes are viewed by analysts as not only a winding back of democracy, but also damaging the investment climate. While interest rate cuts and quantitative easing in Europe and the United States had brought positive sentiment and generated significant inflows to Indonesia, that could be at risk, Indrawati said on Tuesday.

“Hence, we might have to guard the current situation to bring back the momentum and stability, so that we can focus more on the external risks,” Indrawati said when asked about the protests. “I hope that whatever triggered this can be discussed through existing political processes so that it does not cause a wider impact or damage sentiment,” she said.

While President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo last week moved to delay the changes to the criminal code, they may still be reintroduced when the new parliament is sworn in next month.

Indrawati was at the parliament for a plenary session that approved the government’s 2020 budget when protesters converged on the building, prompting

security to lock the doors. The house had initially been expected to pass the criminal code changes, before Widodo moved to delay the legislation.

The wide-ranging legislation would also clamp down on abortions, dissent and freedom of speech.

“Passing these controversial revisions to the country’s criminal code would send a terrible signal to foreign investors,” said Hugo Brennan, principal political analyst with Verisk Maplecroft. “Companies with a physical presence in Indonesia will be scrambling to understand the significant human security risks that the bill would pose to their work force, if passed into law.”

Second term

The latest unrest comes as Jokowi, as the president is known, prepares to be sworn in for a second term next month.

He has also faced anger over changes to an anti-corruption law that human rights groups said would deal a blow to efforts to tackle graft.

“President Jokowi’s reformist credentials are in tatters following his failure to prevent the House weakening the Corruption Eradication Commission,” Brennan said. “A failure to step in a second time would represent a mortal blow to his much-dented reputation as a broadly progressive politician,” he said.

Violence also flared in Indonesia’s restive Papua region on Monday with as many as 32 people killed and dozens more injured. The resource-rich Papua region has been dealing with a low-level insurgency for decades and was rocked by separatist protests last month, forcing authorities to deploy additional troops to quell the violence that targeted government buildings and the army. Bloomberg News

B4 Thursday, September 26, 2019

Claret High School Class of ‘ 79 homecoming

17th Philippine Quill: JFC, DDB Group/Ripple 8, Inc. & UST recognized as top winners

T

HE 17th Philippine Quill and the 7th Student Quill Awards celebrate wins for Jollibee Foods Corporation as Company of the Year, DDB Group Philippines/ Ripple 8, Inc. as Agency of the Year, and the University of Santo Tomas as School of the Year, garnering the most number of excellence awards.

DDB Group Philippines retained their title of Agency of the Year, and University of Santo Tomas executed an impressive six-peat win for School of the Year, bagging the top prize for six out of the seven years that the award has been given. Jollibee Foods Corporation won as top company, coming from its First Runner- Up finish the year before. Smart Communications, Inc. was first runner-up, while Manila Electric Company (Meralco) was second runner-up.

In the Agency of the Year category, Ogilvy Philippines-Pulse Communications was hailed as first runner-up and ComCo Southeast Asia finished as second runnerup. Megaworld Corporation bagged the Top Award in Communication Management for its “Eastwood City New Year Countdown to 2019-Media Relations” that gathered revelers to welcome a new year.

The Top Award in Communication Research went to Meralco for its “Evaluation of One Meralco Foundation’s Household Electrification Program (HEP)” that aims to provide communities

with less costly and convenient method of getting access to electricity. Meralco also bagged the Top Award in Communication Skills with its “Meralco Typhoon Watch 2018”, an online technology platform that informed customers on how to stay safe before, during and after a typhoon, and how to use electricity efficiently and safely during such times.

IABC Philippines adopted the theme “Shape the Future” for the Quill Awards as a call to communicators to “change the conversation, change the future, “IABC President, Belle Tiongco stated in her welcome remarks. The Philippine Quill Awards and the Philippine Student Quill Awards were held separately at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel at Newport City.

In the School of the Year race, De La Salle-College of St. Benilde placed first runner-up, while University of Rizal SystemBinangonan made it as second runner-up.

The Student Quill Top Awards were conferred on University of Rizal System-Binangonan’s “Team UniTEEN: Project TEENig Ni Mommy” for Communication Management; De La Salle University- Dasmarinas for “The Journ Project” under Communication Training and Education; and to UST Angelicum College for “Engkuwentro“ which bagged the Top Award in Communication Skills . Light shows highlighted the program, adhering to the night’s theme, “Shape the Future: #ExpressYourTruth”.

Organized by IABC Philippines, the awards advocate for professional growth, learning and communication excellence.

It’s time to navigate Mindanao’s future

I

PG Mediabrands, the country’s youngest, fastest-growing, globally-awarded, media and marketing business solutions company brings a first-of-its-kind immersive marketing conference – Navigate Mindanao – a not-to-be-missed event about Mindanao, for Mindanao, in Mindanao on October 10 – 11, 2019 at the Dusit Thani Residence, Davao.

Borne out of a need to get a deeper understanding of doing business and growing in Mindanao, IPG

Mediabrands embarked on a breakthrough research study on Mindanao. That study uncovered fresh insights on the culture, economy, commercial makeup, and development prospects of the country’s next growth frontier!

This revolutionary conference will provide new marketing knowledge on Mindanao’s Culture and Consumers, Content and Connections, Commerce and Community and include unique Immersive tours on tourism and business opportunities.

The Rover: In pursuit of great design and comfort

A

S creativity and comfort go hand in hand, Commune Home Philippines launches the Rover, their newest addition to their growing furniture collection. True to their brand ethos, the Singaporean furniture design and lifestyle company officially unveiled the Rover on September 12 at the EDSA Shangri-La Plaza.

Established in 2011 in Singapore, Commune’s philosophy is deeply rooted in sustainability, coming from a belief that “no person nor environment should be compromised in providing quality furniture.” In line with this is yet another milestone as they reveal the Rover: an ensemble designed to take comfort to another level. Inspired by the adventures in the outdoors and environment appreciation, the Rover seeks to spruce up your home with its bold hues and warm tones.

“More than anything else, I take pride that our pieces are meant to be lived and experienced by our customers. You can go to the store, sit on our sofas, test our tables, and feel what Commune is all about,” says Gerry Alava, COO Commune Home Philippines.

What makes Commune Home different? Alava mentioned about it being sustainable and ecofriendly. “We want to be a part of the solution as we

believe our furniture is like “art for the everyday”.

Quality, well designed, artisanal and sustainable woodcraft,” he said.

Event host, architect and former Miss Universe 3rd runner up, Shamcey Supsup-Lee emphasized, “Filipinos often feel guilty about owning wood furniture at home so we settle with alternatives.

But it’s nice to know that Commune Home offers style, comfort, and value. Along with their furniture coming from ethically sourced materials.”

Commune Home Philippines’ brand manager, Audrey Ngui, also shed more light on the new collection. “When you see Rover, it immediately takes you back to those trips outdoors, adventure with friends, and well-kept stories over bonfire nights,” says Audrey. “The rustic-modern collection, with its clean and dignified lines portraying a classic and stately feel is designed to be a glamorous reminder of the leisure class. The traditional, rich, dark and warm colour palette captures the flavour of owning a heritage, laidback country home.” adds Ngui.

Follow Commune Home PH on Facebook and @ communehomeph on Instagram or visit Commune Home showroom located at 6th floor, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza

M

EMBERS of the Claret High School Class of 1979 returns to their Alma Mater on October 5, 2019 to celebrate 40 years of Claretian brotherhood.

Homecoming starts at 4:00 pm at the Claret School Quezon City campus

followed by a 6:00 p.m. anniversary mass.

Dinner-fellowship is at Microtel Hotel, Commonwealth Ave, QC at 7:30 pm onwards.

Keeping the Claretian spirit alive!

For details please contact Ferdie Sibal at +639209227326.

Fortune Life’s Values Advocacy Program Now On Its 9Th Year

I

N line with the celebration of World Teachers Month, Fortune Life Insurance Company (Fortune Life) will hold its 9th Values Advocacy Program (VAP) in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Marylindbert International on October 3, 2019 at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, DepEd Central Office in Pasig City.

Every year, Fortune Life in honor of its founder, gives recognition to outstanding teachers and DepEd leaders through the Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua (ALC) Gintong Parangal para sa Edukasyon. This year, the company will recognize five awardees under

the Pamumuno Category and five awardees with three honorable mention under the Guro category. Cash prizes, certificates and trophies will be given to the said awardees including transportation and hotel accommodation for those coming from the provinces.

DepEd Secretary Leonor M. Briones will be the guest of honor and keynote speaker of the said event. Joining her are notable officials from DepEd as well as Fortune Life President D. Arnold Cabangon, Executive Vice President and General Manager Evelyn Carada and VIPs from the ALC Group of companies.

LOOKING BACK AT THE PREVIOUS YEAR’S VALUES ADVOCACY EVENT - DepEd Secretary Leonor M. Briones (center) received the Philippines Graphic Cover featuring her as a token of appreciation from Fortune Life President D. Arnold A. Cabangon (2nd from left); Executive Vice President and General Manager Evelyn T. Carada (rightmost); Special Assistant to the President D. Cecilia A. Cabangon (2nd from right); and ALC Group of Companies Chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon (leftmost).

U.S. COLLEGES PROVIDE BIG IMPACT IN WORLDS D Sports BusinessMirror

C1

| Thursday, September 26, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Anderson Peters holds Grenada’s national record in the javelin throw and is also the NCAA champion out of Mississippi State. AP

World Cup goes to area devastated by earthquake, tsunami K

AMAISHI, Japan—Nodoka Kikuchi’s job as a tour guide at the Tsunami Memorial Hall is to detail the earthquake and deadly tsunami that hit this part of Japan’s northeast coast almost nine years ago.

A student then at East Kamaishi Junior High School, she and her classmates fled from the school into the surrounding green hills to escape the surging sea. They ran for their lives along with teachers and students at the adjacent Unosumai Elementary School.

All of the students at the school that day survived, but the tragedy killed just over 1,000 in Kamaishi, a small fishing town. All told, more than 22,000 people died, or are presumed dead, in the quake and tsunami that devastated the entire northeastern region on March 11, 2011.

“If nobody died, it would be easy to explain about the history,” Kikuchi said, tears in both eyes as she spoke through an interpreter at her workplace on Tuesday. “But many died and I survived by running faster than those who did not run, or did not know how to escape. It is really hard to explain emotionally.”

Kikuchi said she was numb after the tragedy, “because so many people were dead in the whole town.”

She recalled trips to where the schools once stood, and showed a photo of a car jammed into third-floor window of a school building—embedded there by

10-meter-high (35-feet) waves.

The maximum wave height in parts of Kamaishi was recorded at 33 meters, or just over 100 feet.

“It was like a junkyard,” Kikuchi said.

No more.

The schools have been rebuilt on a nearby hillside—high enough to avoid another disaster—and the “junkyard” is now the site of a new rugby stadium, built largely with national government funding. It’s the venue for Wednesday’s Rugby World Cup match between Fiji and Uruguay.

“The boys know that happened here,” Fiji captain Dominiko Waqaniburotu said Tuesday. “We are quite honored to be part of the game here tomorrow.”

Some mayors in the region have complained openly about not getting enough funding to rehouse thousands who still remain displaced in the region. They have also been critical of funding sports projects, including Tokyo’s Olympics next year.

Fiji Coach John McKee said he has been coming to the area for several years and has made sure his players take part in a few community events. The town has long been a hotbed of Japanese rugby and was the home of the Nippon Steel Kamaishi club, which has since been disbanded. That club has been reborn in recent years as the Kamaishi Seawaves.

“In our busy schedule it’s hard to fit in, but we make

time to do that,” McKee said.

Kikuchi, the tour guide, said part of her job was preparing others for another disaster—knowing what to do and how to survive.

She also shows guests around the displays that explain what happened that day when the earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m.

Directly behind the memorial hall is a black wall with the names of victims of the tragedy listed on silver metal plates, all located just a 10-minute walk from the new stadium.

“Some people say they don’t remember it and don’t talk about what happened,” Kikuchi said. “If people experience a really hard time, people have a tendency to want to forget it.”

She said she remembers. It was the end of the school day, and she was outside the school building clinging to a phone booth as the earthquake moved the Earth side to side for about three minutes.

“It was a Friday and two days before graduation, so the older students didn’t have much to do,” she recalled. “I remember seeing people on the second floor opening the windows to escape.”

Kikuchi said there were 78 students in the graduating class. Only about 60 made it to a graduation a few weeks later at another school. Several couldn’t get there because of logistics, and at least one student who had stayed home from school that day, died in the tragedy.

“It was more of a farewell—or a funeral—than a graduation,” she said. AP

Nodoka Kikuchi, a tour guide, shows map of Kamaishi City at a memorial set up near the stadium to commemorate the 2011 earthquake and tsunami on Tuesday as a student waves a huge celebratory flag, known as Tairyo-ki, or a good-catch flag, at the stand at Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium before the game between Fiji and Uruguay. AP

OHA, Qatar—Nobody would think of asking Jamaicans, Kenyans or other winners to play “The Star-Spangled Banner” if they capture a gold medal at world championships next week.

Maybe their school’s fight song would be better.

When it comes to producing champions at the highest level of track and other Olympic sports, US colleges have every bit as big an impact as training systems in many an athlete’s home country.

To wit: n At NCAA track and field championships earlier this year, around 230 of the athletes came from countries outside the US. n And out of the 141 American athletes at worlds in Doha, all but four competed at a US university at some point during his or her career.

“We are the minor leagues for our track and field in this country to get to the next level,” said Clyde Hart, the director of track and field at Baylor, who coached, among others, Olympic champions Michael Johnson, Sanya Richards-Ross and Jeremy Wariner.

In a strange way, it makes the college football games this upcoming weekend every bit as important as the sprinting and throwing when it comes to sustaining not only track but every Olympic sport in the United States.

Of the 558 US athletes who competed at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, 439 came from the US college system; of the 211 who won medals, 176 came from college. The bulk of the athletes—327 of them—came from what are known as the Power Five conferences—the Pac-12, SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten—that have the largest TV football and basketball contracts and operate the largest sports departments.

The money schools bring in off football and basketball helps fund pretty much every other sport, but many of those programs struggle to stay afloat nonetheless. Between 1991 and 2012, for instance, the number of men’s gymnastics teams shrunk from 36 to 16.

Men’s wrestling teams decreased from 110 to 77.

Well aware of how closely its success is tied to the NCAA, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee is strengthening its relationship with college sports and has been pushing for reforms that will make it simpler for athletes to pursue Olympic track without jeopardizing their college eligibility. Financial pressures because of the NCAA’s strict rules about sponsorships have long been a concern. The USOPC formed a college advisory council in 2017 that consists of executives at Duke, Alabama, Stanford, Texas and the Big 12, among others.

Within the Olympic world, track and field is faring better than most sports. According to NCAA statistics, there were 286 men’s and 338 women’s track teams in Division I as of 2018, which marks a slight increase over the past decade—not surprising considering one of the foundations of Title IX is to offer the same number of opportunities for women to play college sports as for men.

Of course, this is something of a mixed blessing for those who bleed red, white and blue.

In Rio, all but four of America’s 129 track and field athletes were groomed in the NCAA. But those same schools are helping produce champions for other countries, as well.

For instance, five of the 42 Jamaicans who competed at the NCAA championships in June will be in Doha this week. In another twist, Jamaica’s top hurdler, 2015 world champion Danielle Williams, is a volunteer assistant coach at Clemson, meaning she’s able to train there.

Germany, Canada, Nigeria and Grenada are among the countries that have athletes who will complete a “double” of sorts this year by competing in both NCAA and world championships.

Anderson Peters holds Grenada’s national record in the javelin throw and is also the NCAA champion out of Mississippi State.

“I think it’s done a lot for me,” Peters said of the leap of faith he took when he enrolled in American college. “The facility is for sure 100 percent better than the facilities I had at home. The coaching staff, the treatment that I’ve been getting on my body has been pretty good. It really helps.”

Max Siegel, the CEO of USA Track and Field, said his federation and others work hard to improve the quality of the sport in all countries, not just the United States.

“We all benefit by collaborating,” Siegel said. “We take pride in that.”

No single entity represents that spirit better than the quintessentially American institution of college sports.

Of the 31 US sports teams at the Summer Games in Rio, all but 11 had rosters with at least half its athletes’ roots in a college program.

None of those sports depends more on the colleges than track, which essentially uses the schools not only as a training ground, but as a scouting system to determine where athletes stand—both competitively and within their financial support system—when they get out.

The US team compiled a record 30 medals at the 2017 world championships and could be looking at a similar haul both this year and at next year’s Olympics.

“I’ve got to thank the American high-school system and the American college system for giving us a great jump-start,” said USA Track and Field’s Chief of Sport Duffy Mahoney. “We’re very fortunate that we embarked on that kind of operational philosophy umpteen years ago and we’re getting better at it.” AP

C2

Spo

Business

Thursday, September 26, 2019

CEU-St. Clare Game 3 on

L

C

ENTRO Escolar University (CEU) and BRT Sumisip Basilan-Saint Clare go at it one last time for the right to enter the Philippine Baskteball Association Developmental League Foundation Cup Finals Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Scorpions and the Saints slug it out in deciding Game Three of their semifinal series at 3:30 p.m, with the winner set to face Marinerong Pilipino in the best-of-three title bout.

This do-or-die match is a situation all too familiar between the rivals as their semifinals encounter last conference also went to the limit with CEU coming out on top on its way to a runner-up finish.

But unlike the last time out, it was the Scorpions who forced a rubber match with an 83-68 Game Two win last Monday.

“After the loss in Game One, I told them I want to see the heart we had last conference and that’s what we showed,” said Coach Derrick Pumaren. “We just got to carry it again on Thursday.”

Momentum may be on CEU’s side, but the fact isn’t lost on Pumaren that it still has to reign triumphant on Thursday if it really wants to advance to its second straight Finals appearance.

“We’re happy we were able to survive, but we haven’t won anything yet, we haven’t proven anything yet. It is far from over,” said Pumaren, who will bank on Malick Diouf and Rich Guinitaran once more.

Mystics advance to WNBA Finals

AS VEGAS—The Washington Mystics are heading back to the Women National Basketball Association Finals, and this time they believe they have the depth and versatility to win it all.

Elena Delle Donne scored 25 points, and the Mystics earned a return trip to the championship round, outlasting the Las Vegas Aces, 94-90, to close out their semifinal series on Tuesday night.

The Mystics, who eliminated the Aces in four games, will host the Connecticut Sun in Game One of the Finals on Sunday. Last season, Washington was swept in three games by the Seattle Storm.

Emma Meesseman bounced back from her dismal performance in Game Three, when she was held to just six points, by scoring 22 for Washington. Kristi Toliver added 20 and Natasha Cloud chipped in with 11.

“Beating a team like that to get to the Finals, we had to earn it,” Washington Coach Mike Thibault said. “I thought they had some great performances tonight, and obviously we did too.”

Thibault said three keys for his team were Meesseman returning to her role as a reserve, LaToya Sanders for “absorbing the beating that she had to take defending someone like Liz [Cambage],” and Delle Donne for defense on A’ja Wilson, who had a career-low four shot attempts.

Washington Mystics’ Elena Delle Donne (left) and Aerial Powers celebrate their victory. AP

CRICKET DIPLOMACY I

SLAMABAD—Sri Lanka’s cricket team arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for a series of limited-overs matches, with the Pakistani government promising to give the players the same level of security as a head of state.

It is the first time since Sri Lanka’s team bus was attacked by terrorists in Lahore in 2009 that a foreign team will conduct a two-week tour of

Pakistan. Major teams have avoided Pakistan since that ambush, which killed eight people and injured several players.

Ten of Sri Lanka’s top cricketers opted out of this tour because of security concerns, but the makeshift team arrived in the southern port city of Karachi, which will host three one-day internationals on September 27, 29

“That’s what makes a championship team, that’s the makeup, it’s everybody doing their part,” Toliver said.

“Everybody knows their role. Not everybody can be a chief, we gotta have Indians, too. And we got a great group of Indians—the best in the league.”

Cambage, who suggested the Mystics needed to “get in the weight room” to deal with her physical play, led the Aces with 25 points and 12 rebounds. WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Kelsey Plum scored 17.

But it was the absence of Wilson’s opportunities that hindered the Aces in key moments, including the fourth quarter, when she didn’t attempt a shot.

Las Vegas erased a seven-point deficit and closed the third quarter on a 15-7 run that included five points each from Plum and Hamby and gave the Aces a 68-67 lead.

League MVP Delle Donne and Meesseman took over in the fourth quarter. They scored 21 of Washington’s 26 points in the period to seal the win.

Hamby had a chance to tie the game with 3.4 seconds left but missed a three-pointer from the corner.

“Our main focus was just to get defensive stops and we know our offense goes from there,” Meesseman said.

“That was pretty much the only thing we were saying in the huddles.” AP

and October 2. Those will be followed by three Twenty20s in Lahore.

“We can’t forget, 10 years ago it was a terrible attack on the Sri Lanka team and they are the same country which has come back to play here,” Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ehsan Mani said in Lahore.

“We are thankful to the players and their board for standing strong with Pakistan.”

The current tour also looked in doubt after the Sri Lankan cricket board said it had been warned by its government about a possible terrorist threat. But the tour finally got the goahead from the SLC after Pakistan’s government promised that the army would coordinate the security over the two-week long visit.

Over the past four years, Pakistan has

successfully hosted Zimbabwe, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and a World XI for limited-overs matches amid intense security as it tries to win back the confidence of foreign teams to restart fully fledged international cricket at home.

For the last 10 years Pakistan has been playing most of its “home” matches in the United Arab Emirates.

But Mani said he expects both the National Stadium in Karachi and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to be full for the ODI and Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka.

“We have been playing in front of virtually empty stadiums [in UAE] which wasn’t a cause of motivation,” Mani said. “In Pakistan we will have

people coming in stadiums not only to support their own team but also applauding Sri Lanka for taking a big step to help us as a country.”

The PCB also used its own domestic Twenty20 league as a brand to attract foreign players to play in Pakistan over the last three years.

“This series isn’t a result of an effort overnight, it’s a long journey,” Mani said. “PSL has played a big role, we got a lot of support within the country and I hope we will be getting the same level of support in the bilateral series, too.”

Sri Lanka’s team bus will be flanked by a fleet of vans carrying armed security personnel when moving from the hotel to the stadium, but Mani is hoping things will normalize eventually. AP

orts

sMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019 C3

POWER DUEL UP IN TAIWAN J

ay Bayron and Tony Lascuña set out for a power duel with the leading players of Professional Golfers Association of Taiwan (TPGA) and their fellow Philippine Golf Tour Asia (PGTA) campaigners in the Nan Pao TPGA Open unfolding on Thursday at the Nan Pao Golf Club in Tainan, Taiwan.

“Length-wise, I think we can measure up with the rest of the field,” said Lascuña before pointing to putting as key to their campaign in the $100,000 event, the second PGTAsanctioned tournament this year after the Daan TPGA Open in Taichung last May. Lascuña missed the Taichung event after withdrawing at the last-minute due to hand injury. But back in form with a string of top 5 finishes, including a couple of runner-up efforts, on the PGT the last few months, the former three-time PGT Order of Merit believes he’s due for a big finish.

“My ball-striking and iron game are quite okay so it will boil down to putting,” said Lascuña, seeking a follow-up to his last victory at PGT Forest Hills in 2017. “Age has somewhat slowed me down but the desire to excel and win are still there.”

Bayron also hopes to use hunger and redemption as motivation as the multi-titled campaigner who last tasted victory—in back-to-back fashions at Aboitiz Invitational

and PGT Riviera in 2016—tries to end not only a long slump but also a number of below par performances, including a missed cut stint in the last Aboitiz tilt at Wack Wack and a tied for fifth at Pueblo de Oro where he contended in the final round.

“I feel good about my chances this week. The course is in good condition but the greens are unpredictable and could decide the winner on Sunday,” said Bayron, who hopes to come up with a strong start unlike in the rain-hit Daan Open where he never recovered from an opening 72 and wound up tied at 27th.

But the Pinoy duo will be in for a tough outing with the rest of the 125-player starting field all geared up for an early assault at the tree-lined, relatively flat par-72 layout in hot conditions, including the hosts out to redeem themselves from their failed bid at Daan Open where Song Mengyu squandered a huge lead in the final round and lost by two to PGTA mainstay Wisut Artjanawat.

Mengyu is back in an attempt to complete an unfinished business but Artjanawat is also in the fold as spearhead of the 16-player strong Thai team, likewise, out to nail a second PGTA crown this year after Namchok Tantipokhakul ruled the kickoff leg of third season of the region’s emerging circuit put up by ICTSI at Luisita last April.

Tony Lascuña is back in form.

PART OF THE GAME Tessa Jazmines tessa4347@gmail.com

Workhorses

Other PGTA campaigners joining the chase for the top $17,500 purse are Singapore’s Abiel Lim, Korean Lee Sangun, Luke Trocado of South Africa, Keisuke Takahashi of Japan, Finland’s Teemu Putkonen and American Lein Benjamin.

Lascuña, meanwhile, drew an early start at 8:15 a.m. on No. 10 with locals Lin Yuan Wei and Lee Shih Hung, while Bayron will kick off his bid at 12:05 p.m. on No. 1 with Yeh Wei Tze and Peng Hung Ching, also of Taiwan.

Sean Talmadge is the third Pinoy entry in the event backed by PLDT Enterprise, Meralco, BDO and PGT Asia official apparel Pin High and serving as the PGTA’s fifth leg and sixth stop of the TPGA.

A

EXPLOSIVE START FOR BLU GIRLS

T PHILIPPINE Coast Guard personnel attend to one of the survivors. PCG PHOTO

HE Philippine women softball team opened its bid for a 2020 Tokyo Olympics slot with a 10-1 victory over Korea in Group B of the World Baseball Softball Federation Softball Asia/Oceania Qualifier on Tuesday at the Shanghai Chongming Sports Training Center in Shanghai, China.

The Cebuana Lhuillier-backed Blu Girls dominated the match right from the start but National Coach Randy Dizer remained modest with the team’s feat saying the game was close.

“It was only their [Koreans] three errors that allowed us score five runs in the sixth innings to pull away,” Dizer said.

Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (Asaphil) President Jean Henri Lhuillier, however, was

elated with the inspiring win by the world No. 13 Blu Girls against No. 23 Korea and hoped the team could sustain its winning ways.

“I’m very happy with the strong performance that the Blu Girls showed. Let’s continue to cheer them on and hopefully they can clinch the Olympic spot,” said Lhuillier, who is also president and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.

Eight countries are vying for the sixth and last spot for women’s softball event in Tokyo 2020.

In the other Group B match on Tuesday, world No. 8 China outplayed No. 11 New Zealand, 8-3. In Group A action, No. 37 Indonesia edged No. 42 Hong Kong, 5-6, and No. 7 Australia defeated No. 6 Chinese Taipei, 5-1.

Five countries have already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Japan as host, USA, Italy, Mexico and Canada.

oung Choco Mucho finally got to unleash its vaunted triple-tower combination of Kat Tolentino, Maddie Madayag and Bea de Leon as the Flying Titans rolled past the BaliPure Water Defenders, 25-16, 25-12, 25-16, to press their backdoor semifinals drive in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan on Wednesday.

It was Choco Mucho’s second straight win after an alarming five-game skid and though the Flying Titans remained at seventh with a 4-6 card, the victory kept the team’s playoff hopes alive with just a game or two separating the second to sixth teams.

Tolentino, the league’s leading scorer with a 20-hit norm, fired away 13 kills and finished with 14 markers, Madayag, back in the league after a stint with the national team in the inaugural Asean Grand Prix last week, added 11 points and de Leon, who suited up for the squad just last week while trying to recover her form, came off the bench and added two points in a two-set stint as a reliever, the last a dink that finished off the Water Defenders and ousted the latter from the semis race.

BaliPure fell to 2-10 and even a sweep of its last four games in the double-round elims among nine teams won’t merit a shot for at least a playoff for the fourth and last semis berth in the season-ending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

“This team is very young and they continue to learn every match,” Choco Mucho Coach Oliver Almadro said.

“Just what I’ve been telling them, every match is a learning process. We have to accept that we’re still not as strong as the other [established] teams but we’re going there for as long as we continue learning and aiming at what is above.”

Shannen Palec also produced nine points for the Flying Titans, who broke their slump with a hardearned five-set escape over the Chef’s Classics Red Spikers last weekend.

Menchie Tubiera scored 11 points, while Grazielle Bombita struggled for eight markers for BaliPure, which could only come up with a 20-kill effort against Choco Mucho’s 41, with the Water Defenders also yielding 26 points off their miscues.

8 dragon boat rowers Choco triple tower gets job done with ease die in Boracay mishap Y E

ight people drowned while 13 others were rescued after a boat carrying the 21-man team capsized off Boracay Island on Wednesday, police and coast guard officials said.

Members of the “Boracay Dragon Force,” were practising when their boat was hit by a sudden surge of strong waves, forcing it to sink, Philippine Coast Guard Armand Balilo said.

The incident occurred at past 7 a.m. in the waters of Sitio Lingganay, Barangay Manoc-manoc, Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan.

A separate report by Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan, director of the Police Regional Office 6, said eight paddlers died during the incident.

The report identified the casualties as Mark Vincent Navarete, Omar Arcob, Maricel Tan, Yohan Tan, Richel Montoya, Antonette Supranes, John Vincent Natividad and Von Navarossa.

He said 13 others were rescued. Investigations were still being conducted by the police and the coast guard.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), meanwhile, will

extend financial assistance to the families of seven members of the Boracay Dragon Boat team who perished in an accident in Malay, Aklan, on Wednesday.

POC President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino learned about the tragedy after the POC General Assembly on Wednesday morning at the Conrad Hotel.

“This is a very sad, and tragic incident,” Tolentino said. “All we can do is condole with the families and loved ones of the deceased and try and give some help to them.”

Tolentino, a congressman from Cavite, said the POC will coordinate with the families of the victims and give P10,000 to each family from the POC and another P10,000 as his personal donation. Rene Acosta

Filipino triathletes ready to defend SEA Games titles

T

HE Philippines dominated the past two editions of the Southeast Asian Games and Filipino triathletes to the 30th edition of the Games don’t intend to relinquish the throne.

Cebuano teenager Andrew Kim Remolino and John Chicano will represent the country in the men’s individual race while Kim Mangrobang and Kim Kilgroe are the country’s bets in the women’s division.

“They had gone through several qualifying events. The best two performers in those series of qualifiers have been chosen to do the individual races,’’ Triathlon Association of the Philippines President Tom Carrasco said.

The Philippines bagged the gold and silver medals in both men’s and women’s individual races in the 2015 Singapore and 2017 Kuala Lumpur Games.

Nikko Huelgas, who was sidelined by injuries early this year and will miss defending his title, was the back-to-back champion in the men’s while Claire Adorna won in 2015 and Mangrobang in 2017.

Remolino, a 19-year-old prized find from Talisay City, Cebu, topped all the qualifying races for Filipino elite competitors in the swim-bike-run Olympic event.

“The pressure is there to keep the gold medal,’’ said Remolino, the Young Hero awardee for triathlon in the recent Siklab Youth Sports Awards 2019.

Remolino seized the men’s spot to the Games after crossing the finish ahead of all Filipino elite racers in both the 2019 Gyeongju ASTC Asian Triathlon Championships in Korea two months ago and the Subic Bay International Triathlon last April.

Huelgas, however, will still race in the mixed team relay with Fer Casares, Chicano, Adorna, Kilgroe and Mangrobang.

bulldogs embarrass tamaraws

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

A

TENEO continued its unbeaten cruise but National University (NU) grabbed the spotlight with a blowout victory in Season 82 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball action on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

As expected, the Blue Eagles waged a one-sided war against the University of the East Red Warriors for an 85-68 victory— their sixth straight this season.

Meanwhile, embarrassing is an understatement as the Bulldogs humiliated the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 61-39, for the squad’s first victory after five consecutive losses.

NU was too inspired that it limited FEU to just 13 points in first half. The Tamaraws never had an assist and committed 11 turnovers in that catastrophic first two quarters.

Dave Ildefonso fired 20 points that went with eight rebounds, while Migs Oczon added nine points and seven boards for NU. The Tamaraws dropped to a 2-4 record.

No one could stop Angelo Kouame in the paint as the reigning Rookie of the Year scattered 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds along with three blocks.

He was instrumental in the third quarter when Ateneo sprinted from a 35-34 lead to a 69-50 cushion before the final quarter.

“Our third quarter [performance] was the kind of effort that I want the team to show all the time. We played with fire and determination,” Blue Eagles Head Coach Tab Baldwin said.

Adrian Wong’s triple in the third quarter gave Ateneo a 57-40 lead. He finished with 11 points.

Thirdy Ravena added 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks as the defending champions closed in on a first-round sweep.

Ateneo will meet University of the Philippines on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Rey Suerte topscored with 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocks for the Red Warriors who fell to 1-5.

“They took notes watching us play. They used some counters on some of our defensive plays, particularly in the first half.

We shouldn’t need timeouts and we shouldn’t need halftime to fix those things,” Baldwin said.

ATENEO’S Thirdy Ravena tries to break a fall over University of the East’s Jed Mendoza. ROY DOMINGO

MONG all the Beatles, I liked George Harrison best. He was described as “The Quiet Beatle,” and compared to the more flamboyant songwriting duo of Lennon and McCartney, Harrison felt content to make melodies in the background. And yet, he was the ultimate guitarist whose art came alive in fancy finger moves, jazzy chords and intricate melody.

In the game of basketball, I kinda gravitate as well to the workhorses and unsung heroes who don’t generally get the shrieks or the applause from the gallery. Not that I don’t like the stars at all—I do! I do!—but I doff my hat to those guys who get the job done without fanfare or hype. Doesn’t matter if they come in as starting five or role player with a specific task to execute, if only for a few seconds.

They do what they’re told, they stick to their guns, they go the extra mile. In the National Basketball Association I would pick Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics as this type of guy. Or Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. Or Patrick Beverly of the Los Angeles Clippers. Words used to describe them? “Scrappy,”“intense,”“pesky,”“pure hustle,” “bulldog,”“junkyard dog” and “wrecking ball.”

So natch, I’ve been scouting the different benches for these types of players in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82, looking out for the hardest workers, the coolest operators, the most earnest competitors. And this is what I found.

1. Adamson University Simon Camacho. He’s ready from the get-go. He doesn’t mind being tagged as the bad guy. He’s a staunch defender, a bruiser, a fierce rebounder. He never gives up.

Jerom Lastimosa. He’s ultra-high energy. He’s daring.

He’s sneaky. He’s not afraid to dive, pursue his prey. Or shoot with his life on the line. He’s so cool!

2. Ateneo de Manila Gian Mamuyac. His built is deceptive because his defense is hefty. He provides the spark for the team and thrives on drives. He is well-known even for non-UAAP watchers for blocking Steph Curry’s three-pointer in 2016.

He knows he has a job to do and he does it. To perfection.

Isaac Go. Fondly called George, and known as The Gentle Giant, his cover is his seeming tameness. Yet, the damage he does is inconceivable sometimes. He is efficient, precise, deadly accurate. George never sleeps.

3. De La Salle University Andrei Caracut. He always lies in wait. Plotting, scheming, finally, acting. He ambushes the opponent when least expected. Then he puts on a show of stealth, speed and sniping. He wins games. And breaks hearts.

Justine Baltazar. His best asset is being in the right place at the right time. Then he does his quiet work by intimidating in the paint, just by his mere presence.

Frustrating the opponent is his game.

4. Far Eastern University Barkley Ebonia. He’s as blue collar as blue collar can get, not afraid to get into a skirmish or go where angels fear to tread. He’s a tenacious rebounder and scavenger. He’s the classic junkyard dog.

Alec Stockton. He’s a tamaraw, no doubt. He charges, attacks, and is not afraid to get down and dirty. He is hyper and pesky. And if you let him get under your skin, he wins!

5. National University Chino Mosqueda. The adjective “relentless” was made for him. He has eyes only for his man and he won’t let him go, no matter what. His hands get in your face, his other hand steals the ball. He is his generation’s Defense Minister.

There’s no escape.

Enzo Joson. This scrappy playmaker never takes no for an answer. He’ll be behind you, ahead of you, beside you and probably, over you if you both dive for a loose ball. His defense is legend and his bark is as bad as his bite. He can will his team to win, if fate cooperates.

6. University of the East Neil Tolentino. A guy with a chip on his shoulder can be dangerous. Remember John Wick? This former NU Bullpup and almost Green Archer has much to prove about his game for the Red Warriors and shows what stuff he’s made of with tenacious defense, go for broke rebounding and overall hustle. He’s the real deal.

Adama Diakhite. The 6-foot-9 Senegalese big man is a formidable inside presence that both intimidates and frustrates.

He is quick on the take, alert for rebounds and loose balls. Not afraid to take chances or scavenge for points, he is what UE has been missing from their game for a long, long time.

7. University of the Philippines Jaydee Tungcab. Always willing to do the dirty work and whatever it takes, this transferee from Adamson behaves like a Scout Ranger on a mission when let loose into the fray. He hunts down his man, like a panther on the prowl, sticking like leech and nullifying opponent points. And then he swishes a quick three. Deadly!

Noah Webb. Coming from injury, this guy is back 100 percent and is as conditioned as a well-oiled RoboCop. As a result, he grabs rebounds, chases loose balls, defends and protects and chips in crucial baskets. His energy is contagious; he’s intense. He’s all over till it’s over.

8. University of Santo Tomas Zac Huang. Mr. Offensive Rebound. Mr. Putback. That’s how Zachary Huang makes a living. He’s the ultimate coachable player, the coach’s most obedient and on point piece. He provides the steady play to UST’s mayhem. A precious gem he is.

Mark Nonoy. This 2019 NBTC All-Star Game standout is being compared to Jayson Castro early in his playing career.

He has drive, he has hustle, he reads the floor like a veteran court general. And he’s just a rookie! He’s Mr. Do Everything and Anything on court. Probably the most ferocious Tiger of all.

WHEN BRADY TALKS, NFL LISTENS

THE Jets’ Luke Falk (left) and the Patriots’ Tom Brady speak at midfield after their game over the weekend.

By Arnie Stapleton

T

The Associated Press

om Brady has clout, and his indignation may have saved the National Football League’s (NFL) 100th season from being ruined by the refs even though he backtracked like he was avoiding Shaq Barrett.

Yellow flags flew at an alarming rate over the first two weeks of the season, and Shawn Hochuli’s crew called 20 infractions Thursday night in the Titans-Jaguars game—starting on the very first play from scrimmage—that kicked off Week 3.

With 15 flags thrown in the first half, eight of them for offensive holding, Brady said he’d seen enough and was turning off the game.

By the time the Bears bamboozled Case Keenum into five turnovers Monday night, officials were throwing half as many flags for offensive holding as they had been before the weekend.

The NFL made backside offensive holding a point of emphasis this season, asking officials to flag what’s known as a “lobster block” where O-linemen wrap their arms around a defender when blocking on the backside of running plays.

The officials went overboard, however, throwing flags for holding all over the field.

They called 188 offensive holding penalties in the first 33 games, including 10 in the TitansJaguars game.

By halftime, Brady was tweeting, “Too many penalties. Just let us play!!!” and then, “I’m turning off this game I can’t watch these ridiculous penalties anymore.”

Analyst Troy Aikman noted Brady’s tweets on the game broadcast, saying, “Tom Brady is one of the least controversial people we have in our game. He is league royalty. When he makes

Sports BusinessMirror

C4

| Thursday, September 26, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

a statement like that, that should get somebody’s attention.”

It sure did.

Al Riveron, the league’s senior vice president of officiating, held a conference call with referees Saturday, ESPN reported, and they were

instructed to stick to the backside holding calls and allow more time for O-linemen to get their hands inside the frame of defenders on frontside and other blocks.

The officials only flagged offensive holding 45 more times the rest of the weekend, an

average of three a game, down from nearly six a game before Sunday.

Brady tried to make nice with the officials a day after complaining about all the flags, saying, “I’m very pro-ref.”

The backtracking by one of the NFL’s biggest stars makes sense, because he relies on the officials to protect him when 300-pound defenders are bearing down on him in the pocket. Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan told The Miami Herald that a member of the officiating crew told him after a legal hit on Brady last week, “Stay off Tom.” On his weekly Westwood One interview that aired Monday night, Brady explained his initial criticism, saying, “I want to see tough, hard-nosed football. When I was watching the other night, I decided to turn it off because I didn’t feel like that’s what I was seeing.”

The yellow flags were bringing another black eye to the NFL at a time when the Antonio Brown saga had consumed consumers’

attention while the league was trying to celebrate its 100th season.

ANGRY BROWN

ONE of the NFL’s most prolific receivers for a decade, Brown was traded out of Pittsburgh and released in Oakland after wearing out his welcome in both cities. The Patriots signed him anyway, and just days later a former trainer filed a civil lawsuit in Florida accusing him of rape. He played in one game, then was released Friday after the team learned he tried to intimidate a second woman who accused him of sexual misconduct.

After thanking the Patriots for the opportunity and wishing them another Super Bowl win, Brown went on a Twitter rant on his first NFL Sunday without a team.

He announced he was done for good with the league that exiled him and took shots at Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.

NHL teams aim to fill arenas, draw fans away from screens

D

ETROIT—Red Wings season-ticket holder Matt Larson pays about $74 for two of the cheapest seats in Little Caesars Arena.

The 32-year-old fan gets a pair of chairs set up behind a counter—giving him plenty of space for food and drink—in a spacious area perched near the rafters behind a net.

“There’s nothing better than watching hockey in person,” Larson said recently while watching Detroit host Chicago in a preseason game. The Red Wings, and every other NHL team, hope there are a lot of people who agree with him.

Detroit is desperately trying to keep fans filing into its arena, which is a little more than two years old, as the allure of the spectacular facility wears off while the team trudges through a multiyear rebuild.

Despite another season without a trip to the playoffs, the Red Wings said the arena was filled to 98 percent of capacity on average.

They ranked in the middle of the pack in a league that generally is able to draw fans to watch its high-speed, full-contact product in person. Ten teams averaged sellouts and just five of 31 franchises had an average attendance.

While Detroit did not have trouble selling tickets last year, it wasn’t always playing in front of a packed house because some fans simply couldn’t get people to take and use their tickets. To make unoccupied seats stand out less on TV for Red Wings and Pistons games, the red material covering chairs has been replaced by black to blend in throughout Little Caesars Arena.

“It was an expensive choice,” Larson said. “I would’ve hated to foot the bill for it.”

Like franchises in other sports and leagues, NHL teams are invested in enhancing gameday experiences, knowing there is a lot at stake to keep them coming to arenas instead of staying at home.

“Our biggest competitor is Netflix,” San Jose Sharks Vice President Doug Bentz said.

“The one advantage we have over Netflix is you’re a part of a community at a Sharks game.

We want more of that in our world where so many are stuck on devices in isolation or binge-watching on a couch maybe with one other person.”

On streets and in living rooms, St. Louis is still buzzing from its first Stanley Cup. The Blues will raise a championship banner on October 2 before opening the

ANGRY BELICHICK

Patriots Coach Bill Belichick drew criticism on social media for staring down CBS Sports reporter Dana Jacobson, who asked him before the Jets-Patriots game what was the final straw with Brown.

“We’re focused on the Jets today,” Belichick replied, then stared at Jacobson for two seconds, ignoring her as she replied, “Thank you, Coach, thank you.”

MISSING MAN

Detroit QB Matthew Stafford helped spring JD McKissic on a 44-yard reverse that set up a field goal in the Lions’ 27-24 win at Philadelphia.

Stafford was supposed to block the defensive end but none was there because the Eagles had just 10 men on the field.

“So, I just kept moving and found the next guy,” said Stafford, who shielded McKissic from three defenders on his way downfield. season against the Washington Capitals. Blues season-ticket holder Mike Buschhorn plans to be there for the party, deciding not to cash in on his tickets by selling them and watching the festivities on TV. “You have to be at a hockey game in person to get it,” the Blues fan said. “TV doesn’t do it justice. It is the most exciting sport to be at.”

The price of tickets, however, plays a part in keeping some fans at home.

“It’s a lot cheaper for a 12-pack on the weekends,” Blues fan John Fuchs said.

The Carolina Hurricanes have gotten creative, trying to climb up from the bottom of the NHL’s attendance figures in terms of percentage of capacity. Carolina sold a little more than three-fourths of its tickets at its Raleigh arena last season to rank ahead of only Ottawa after a three-year run of being last in the league.

The team has been offering monthly subscription passes, giving fans access to a certain number of games for a one-time fee at a substantial savings compared to individual tickets. The mobile-only, ticket-selling innovation has become relatively common in Major League Baseball, but the Hurricanes are a unique team in the NHL to try it.

“It gets people in the building for an affordable price,” Hurricanes Vice President Mike Forman said. “We think if we can get people to a game, they’re hooked.”

Red Wings fan Melanie Bidwell was one of the many hooked on hockey in the Motor City for years, proudly counting herself as a season-ticket holder for more than a decade.

When the team moved from Joe Louis to Little Caesars Arena two years ago, she continued to buy season tickets.

Last season, she gave up her tickets as her family got busier and doesn’t regret it.

“It’s nothing against the Red Wings, we still love them, but it’s not convenient to get to games when you’re juggling work schedules and a nine-year-old boy playing hockey,” she said.

“I’m excited that the season is starting again, but our family priorities will keep us at home watching games on TV so we can get our kid in bed for school and we can get up for work.” AP FANS celebrate a goal by Vegas Golden Knights left wing Tomas Nosek during the third period of Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Washington Capitals in Las Vegas in May last year. AP

D

Generous God

EAR God, we praise You for the gifts You bestowed upon Your servant Bernard, and we pray: Show us the riches of Your love, oh God. Guide Pope Francis and all who exercise leadership in the Church. Inspire theologians, translators of Scripture and spiritual writers by the light of truth. Help us to appreciate our elders and let the elderly know their precious worth. May the love of Christ inflame our hearts with love for God and neighbor. 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

REELING: THREE FAREWELLS: NELSON NAVARRO, MEL CHIONGLO AND ISAH RED D4

Thursday, September 26, 2019

D1

YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY GETAWAY AWAITS

IN PICTURES

The inimitable Paris bistrot P

BY THIBAULT CAMUS The Associated Press

ARIS—Stepping into the Le Petit Fer a Cheval bistrot is like traveling back in time.

The classic Paris watering-hole’s old phone wouldn’t have looked out of place in the hands of Edith Piaf. The signage could have been the backdrop for a Maurice Chevalier movie. History seems to seep out of the walls. It even has an old tap, like today’s beer taps, that used to serve absinthe, which was one of painter Vincent van Gogh’s tipples.

Over a century old, the café-restaurant in the historic Marais district of Paris has a horseshoeshaped bar, hence its name: The Little Horseshoe.

Behind it, barman Didier Hubert bustles, serving

drinks and company to the bar’s loyal clientele. He says the job is a bit like being a social worker “in this brutal town.”

“At school, we were told that you don’t travel much in this job. But listening to our clients’ stories is like taking a trip,” he says.

Clients come from near and far.

The most famous regular is Tim Roth. Hubert says the Reservoir Dogs actor drops in about three times a year with his family and once had director Quentin Tarantino and Escape from New York star Kurt Russell in tow.

The bistrot’s old-school charm and authenticity increasingly make it an anachronism in the Marais district changed by gentrification, an influx of chain stores and mass tourism.

“We get a lot of Korean visitors. They always order the same thing, either veal filet mignon or confit duck,” Hubert says.

Some clients become friends.

When gunmen sprayed Paris nightspots with bullets in terror attacks on November 13, 2015, that killed 130 people, a Portland couple e-mailed Hubert to ask if he was safe. An Italian couple who hit it off with Hubert later sent him a Christmas parcel to the café. It contained a letter, a photo of the couple and a vinyl record by Italian singer Rita Pavone. Hubert had told the couple that he’d listened to her as a kid.

The man later came back, but this time accompanied by a different woman.

They sat outside, not inside at the bar as the man used to with his previous partner. ■

PAL garners new Four Star Major Airline rating FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines has received the Four Star Major Airline 2020 rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association, a US-based air travel organization. This is PAL’s second consecutive award from Apex.

Last year, the Filipino airline garnered the association’s Four Star Major Regional Airline 2019 rating.

PAL’s latest rating is the result of a comprehensive survey of 1.4 million airline customers, conducted through app-generated neutral, third-party passenger feedback collection and insights validated and certified

by Apex.

From July 2018 to July 2019, respondents rated key aspects of the inflight experience of nearly 600 airlines, such as seat comfort, inflight meals, cabin service, inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity.

More than 1.4 million flights were rated by passengers to produce this year’s Apex Official

Airline Ratings, recognizing airlines in four categories: Global Airlines, Major Airlines, Regional Airlines and Low Cost Carriers.

“We are elated by this industry recognition.

More important, we wish to thank our passengers for validating PAL’s brand of service. Their feedback and ideas help us make PAL a more formidable competitor.

This accolade will make us work even harder to further improve the overall passenger experience in all our flights,” said PAL President and COO Gilbert Santa Maria.

To cement its place as one of the world’s airlines recognized for quality service, PAL has pursued various initiatives, such as the introduction of a brand-new fleet of hightechnology aircraft, the expansion of its flight route network featuring more convenient nonstop routes to key global centers and tourist markets, and the rollout of service innovations, such as an all-new Premium Economy cabin,

and upgraded Business and Economy Class products on its long-haul aircraft.

“Only a small, single digit percentage of these airlines reached the prestigious Apex Four Star Airline status,” said Apex Chief Executive Officer Joe Leader. “All of us at Apex take extraordinary pride in giving full power to airline passengers as the ultimate source of validated truth in airline ratings worldwide.”

Last June, PAL surged to a global ranking as the 30th Best Airline in the World, thus earning the World’s Most Improved Airline Award from the London-based Skytrax rating organization.

In 2018, the same rating body certified PAL as a Four Star global airline for the first time.

Apex is a nonprofit community that aims to elevate the air travel experience. Headquartered in New York City, the organization is composed of the world’s leading travel industry stakeholders, including media, airlines and other aviation-related firms.

IT’S the “ber” months and it’s time to plan that holiday getaway with friends or family. What’s holding back most people from going all out to make their dreams real is budget concerns. Now, RedDoorz with its allout traveler perks and budget-friendly rates will make this the most memorable holiday vacay ever.

This holiday season, why not target some of the new places where RedDoorz has opened up and making a big difference in the travel scene?

■ DAVAO. If your dream vacay is a nature trip, with some history, exotic scenery, shop-till-youdrop shopping and glorious, inexpensive food, mark Davao for your next adventure. The Crocodile Park, the Philippine Eagle Sanctuary, the Davao Butterfly House, Eden Nature Park and Resort, zipline adventures and more are what makes Davao a heaven on Earth for thrill-seekers and adrenaline-junkies.

Vacations are never complete without feasts. Enjoy native Dabawenyo dishes like sinugbang tuna (grilled tuna), inato (grilled chicken) and pasayan (deep-fried shrimp), among others. There are 22 RedDoorz hotels in the heart of this big city that will be your launch pad for your holiday adventure.

■ PALAWAN. For indelible memories, Palawan is ground zero for you. The natural beauty of its beaches, rivers and caves plus the tropical vibe that this island brings will mesmerize you. Here’s where you’ll find its most popular attraction—the Puerto Princesa Underground River, the world’s longest navigable underground river—that has been declared as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

The Ihawig River is a perfect place to commune with nature and just feel good to be alive. A visit to this historic river will not be complete unless you experience its most famous tourist attraction: firefly watching.

Choose from any of 13 RedDoorz hotels in Palawan to be nearest the island attraction you want best.

■ TAGAYTAY. Sometimes you don’t need to go far to escape the stress of the city. Only a few hours away from the noise of Manila, you can find solitude and a much-needed break whenever you want.

Enjoy the city’s varied attractions, including the mind-challenging and jaw-dropping Puzzle Mansion where you can find the most extensive collection of jigsaw puzzles in the world. Also enjoy Tagaytay’s cool breeze and chilly evenings with a romantic dinner or even just a hot sip of healthy Tagaytay bulalo.

RedDoorz at the Ridge, Mahogany and Santa Rosa are all just minutes away from all the best Tagaytay landmarks.

Whatever location you choose, booking your RedDoorz hotel will be easy as pie because the RedDoorz App is your go-to companion for your discovery adventure. This user-friendly, 100-percent safe app allows you to compare hundreds of hotels, get real-time prices, read traveler reviews so you can plan your trip in detail. Once you’re there, RedDoorz will pamper you with free Wi-Fi, clean beds, clean sheets, free toiletries, unlimited water and a pleasant experience—all at very affordable rates.

More information is available at www.reddoorz.com.

D2

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Entertaining BusinessMirror

Make these toothsome noodles with shreds of tender chicken THIS undated photo provided

by America’s Test Kitchen in March 2019 shows Sesame Noodles with Chicken in Brookline, Massachusetts.

This recipe appears in the cookbook Revolutionary Recipes. AP

M

UCH like a Chinese finger trap that lures by appearing to be a toy, sesame noodles are not what they seem. You may think of them as merely a humble bowl of cold noodles, but don’t be fooled_just one bite and you’re hooked on these toothsome noodles with shreds of tender chicken, all tossed with the fresh sesame sauce.

The real problem is, good versions of this dish can be hard to find. The cold noodles have a habit of turning gummy, the chicken often dries out, and the sauce is notorious for turning bland and pasty. We wanted a recipe that could not only quell a serious craving but could do it fast.

Though drawn to the softer texture of fresh Asian-style noodles, we conceded that dried spaghetti could serve as a secondstring substitute. The trouble with both types of noodle, however, was that after being cooked and chilled, they gelled into a rubbery skein. After trying a number of ways to avoid this, we found it necessary to rinse the noodles under cold tap water directly after cooking. This not only cooled the hot noodles immediately but also washed away much of their sticky starch. To further forestall any clumping, we tossed the rinsed noodles with a little oil.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are quick to cook and easy to shred; the real question is how to cook them. The microwave seemed easy in theory, but we found the rate of cooking difficult to monitor_30 seconds meant the difference between underdone and overdone. Many recipes suggested poaching the chicken in water or broth, but this chicken had a washed-out flavor. Nor was roasting the answer; it caused the outer meat to dry out before the interior was fully cooked. Cooking under both gas and electric broilers, however, worked perfectly. The chicken cooked through in minutes, retaining much of its moisture and flavor.

To be authentic, the sesame sauce should be made with an Asian sesame paste (not to be confused with Middle Eastern

z

kick of authentic sesame flavor we were all hankering for.

By America’s Test Kitchen The Associated Press

SESAME NOODLES WITH CHICKEN Servings: 4 Start to finish: 1 hour 5 tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon hot sauce 1/2 cup hot water 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed Salt and pepper 1 pound fresh Chinese noodles 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 4 scallions, sliced thin on bias 1 carrot, peeled and grated

tahini), but most recipes substitute peanut butter because it’s easier to find. Somewhat surprisingly, tasters preferred chunky peanut butter over smooth, describing its flavor as fresh and more peanutty. We had been making the sauce in a blender and realized that the chunky bits of peanuts were being freshly ground into the sauce, producing a cleaner, stronger flavor. We found the flavors of both fresh garlic and ginger necessary, along with soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, and brown sugar. We then stumbled on the obvious way to keep

the sauce from being too thick or pasty: Thin it out with water.

Although the sauce was tasting pretty good, tasters still complained that there was not enough sesame flavor. Tossing the rinsed pasta with toasted sesame oil helped a bit, as did garnishing the noodles with toasted sesame seeds. But tasters were still not satisfied; they wanted more.

Finally, we tried adding some of the toasted sesame seeds to the sauce. Blended into the sauce along with the chunky peanut butter, the sesame seeds added the final

Puree soy sauce, peanut butter, 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, and hot sauce in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce has consistency of heavy cream (you may not need entire amount of water). Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Spray broiler pan top with vegetable oil spray.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and lay on prepared pan. Broil chicken until lightly browned and registers 160°F, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken over halfway through broiling time.

Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until tender.

Drain noodles, rinse with cold water, and drain again, leaving noodles slightly wet.

Transfer to large bowl and toss with oil.

Add shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce and toss to combine. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and serve. n

Menus get bolder, better GOOD things can only get better. Richmonde Hotel Iloilo celebrates its fourth year with its food and beverage outlets The Granary, BizBar and Zabana Bar revamping their à la carte menus to offer an array of innovative culinary creations with fresh, bold flavors. Headed by sous chef Jeffrey Ticao, the kitchen team have whipped up international-standard global fare food-loving Ilonggos and traveling gourmands will surely enjoy.

Although a lot of new items are introduced in the menus, Richmonde’s regular patrons will be glad to know that all-time favorites and consistent best sellers, like the Steak and Eggs, Fried Sisig Wraps, Nasi Goreng, Panseared Salmon and Grilled Boneless Chicken have been not just retained but also enhanced in terms of flavor and presentation. In a delicious and inspired collaboration with the head chefs of the other Richmonde Hotel properties, Chef Jeff, together with Eastwood Richmonde Hotel Executive Chef Victor Barangan and Richmonde Hotel Ortigas Executive Chef Cesar Literal, gave the brand’s signature dishes a yummy makeover.

Menu staples, such as salad, mushroom soup, burger and fried chicken were transformed into unique, classic fare that is anything but basic. Look for the Richmonde-

branded dishes in The Granary’s à la carte menu and taste the difference.

With a wider assortment of tasty and unique dishes, the menus of The Granary, BizBar, and Zabana Bar will definitely have your next favorite dish. From breakfast and lunch, to dinner and snacks in between, there is something for everyone—be it a wholesome, meat-free meal, or an indulgent, sensual dish. The entrée section of The Granary’s menu is a sumptuous mix of international cuisine with mouthwatering new additions like Prawns Florentine, Scallop and Crab Jambalaya, Herb-Crusted Lamb, Indian Biryani, Nero Paella and Classic Paella.

BizBar’s bar chow menu has been carefully curated to complement the selection of beverages available from the bar’s drink list. The exciting and distinctive new dishes include, Onions and Bacons (caramelized white onion rings wrapped in crisp, oven-baked bacon strips), Sausage and Peppers (slices of Hungarian and Schublig sausages sautéed with onion and bordelaise sauce), Salmon Aburi (BizBar’s version of onigiri—flavored rice balls enveloped in fresh salmon fillet and torched a la minute), and BizBar’s own Charcuterie Board, a lovely mix of cold cuts, cheeses and biscuits that pairs perfectly with your favorite wine.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

With long-standing restaurants in the city already serving traditional Ilonggo dishes, The Granary tries its hand at reimagining some of these home-style cooked meals by giving them a special Richmonde twist to create an extraordinary meal that cannot be found anywhere else.

The Granary’s Adobo Ilonggo, for example, is cooked in annatto-glazed sauce and served on a bed of garlic smashed potatoes. Salted Egg Kare-Kare is a deconstructed version of kare-kare with the usual peanut sauce infused with salted egg. The soup of Sinigang sa Batuan, which uses Iloilo’s very own batuan fruit as a souring agent, is served separately from the meat and vegetables. L3 or Latik, Liempo and Lukon is a unique take on nilatik na kalabasa with its sophisticated presentation and enhanced taste. The crab fat sauce of Palabok con Aligue is poured a la minute over a tall mound of crispy noodles. The fresh and distinct flavors of Richmonde Hotel Iloilo’s newest gastronomic creations are now available at The Granary, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant; BizBar, the hotel’s entertainment lounge; and Zabana Bar, the hotel’s alfresco bar at the pool deck.

The hotel is at Megaworld Boulevard corner Enterprise Road, Iloilo Business Park, Mandurriao, Iloilo City. More information is available at www.richmondehoteliloilo.com.ph

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Kevin Zegers, 35; Alison Sweeney, 43; Jimmy Fallon, 45; Trisha Yearwood, 55.

Happy Birthday: Make plans and follow through. A change of location or learning something new will help you make a decision that will improve your life. Taking on new responsibilities will help to stabilize your life and your mindset. A lifestyle change will give you the push you need to break old habits and embark on a new and healthier routine. Your lucky numbers are 2, 7, 18, 21, 24, 36, 47.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Do your part and get things done. Don’t give anyone room to criticize you for not pulling your weight. Be responsible and you’ll feel good about what you’ve accomplished. Help those counting on you without complaining. HH

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Listen to advice offered, but when it’s time to decide, rely on what makes the most sense to you. A change in the way you feel about someone or something will dictate how you move forward. HH

c

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Stick to the rules, no matter what others do. Taking a risk won’t pay off. Use your energy wisely and you will discover that planning can be the most important part of whatever venture you choose to pursue. HHHHH

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take a look at your choices and head in the direction that draws you most. Sometimes it’s good to break routine and to try something you’ve never done. Exploring unfamiliar territory will lead to personal growth. HHH

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t worry about what others are doing. Do your part and take your responsibilities seriously. Avoid making personal changes that aren’t necessary. Take care of your health. Doing what’s best for you will be satisfying and rewarding. HHH

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Check out your options before you make a move.

Refuse to let anyone put you in a precarious position that can have a detrimental effect on you physically. Set your pace and stick to what works best for you. Handle romance sensibly. HHHHH

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If someone applies force, walk away. Take the time you need to consider your next move. It’s better to be cautious than to appease someone by doing something that isn’t right for you. Focus on personal growth, not joint efforts. HH

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Check out the latest trends and set your own style.

Live life to suit what you want, not what someone else wants for you. Change is only good if it results in positive improvement. HHHH

i

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t take a risk. You’ll feel far better using your energy to get into tip-top shape or to make a conscious effort to save money, not spend it. Don’t let anyone talk you into buying something you don’t need.

HHH

j

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Look at the possibilities and make the most of an opportunity. You have what it takes to get ahead if you are persistent. A personal change will bring you closer to someone who will bring out the best in you.

HHH

k

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t get emotional or let your guard down. Keep your thoughts and plans to yourself until you have worked out all the details. If you let others get involved in your business, it will end up costing you more than anticipated. HHH

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You don’t have to prove yourself to others. Follow your heart and do what pleases you. A positive change will improve your status, reputation and the way you live life moving forward. HHHH Birthday Baby: You are insightful, caring and helpful.

You are opportunistic and steadfast.

‘psychological association’ by leonard williams The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Implied 6 First Amendment concern (note the starred answers’ “Freudian” word chain!)

15 Spanish friend 16 Empathizes with 17 Yemen’s capital 18 Game with a body board 19 White House conference site 21 Palindromic joke 22 Undoes a change 23 Rallies and debates, for politicians 26 Sleep aid brand 29 Black-and-white whale 30 Sushi eggs 31 Fancy hotel convenience 37 Study at the last minute 39 Kilmer of Tombstone 40 ___ chamber 41 Frontage route 46 Place for rubbish 47 Strategize 48 Telenovelas, e.g.

50 Does something about

53 Joy on The View 55 P, to Plato 56 Honking and such 60 He played Shaun in Shaun of the Dead 64 Harold’s cinematic pal 65 Everybody 66 Taking advantage of 67 Totally quiet 68 Is unresolved DOWN 1 Express disbelief 2 Minnesotan in The Squad 3 Point on Forky’s head 4 Tennis champion Andre 5 Appliance that often has a bagel setting 6 ___ Loops 7 Taken-back autos 8 Early sch. type 9 Word aptly contained in “hearing” 10 Back-to-school night org.

11 No longer working: Abbr.

12 Endorse, as an online form 13 Ermine in summer

4 “Trap Queen” and “Dancing Queen” 1 20 Nevada city with mountain views 23 Poet’s “prior to” 24 TV go-with, once 25 Christmas lights site 26 Eyebrow shapes 27 “...___ perfect Union...”

28 Grizzly, for one 29 Capital west of Stockholm 32 Convection ___ 33 Disfigure 34 Silo weapon, for short 35 “Pet” with seeds 36 Long, long times 38 NBA VIPs 42 UN workers’ agency 43 Pantry item 44 Focusing problem: Abbr.

45 Had some beers, say 49 Kindle 50 Pyromaniac’s crime 51 Trousers fabric 52 Actress Marisa 53 Cheap wine brand (Globe anagram) 54 Bird with a bald variety

6 Stern, for a ship 5 57 Anteing words 58 Beach trip souvenir?

59 Work units 61 Western treaty grp.

62 Cincinnati-to-Detroit dir.

63 Adobe file extension

Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Parentlife BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Thursday, September 26, 2019

D3

FROM left: With Christian, my math study mate in class, at the closing ceremonies on Sunday; with Coach Emjoy, Coach Anna and Coach Albert of Mindgym Review Center at UP Integrated School; and with my review mates in General Education.

‘How to Raise a Reader’ gathers dos, don’ts and book lists WHETHER your child is yet-to-be-born, a teenager or somewhere in between, How to Raise a Reader (Workman Publishing) has some tips and a whole lot of book recommendations for you.

Authors Pamela Paul and Maria Russo are parents themselves, as well as editors of The New York Times Book Review, and they draw on their experience in both realms in writing this book.

They argue: “School is where children learn that they have to read. Home is where kids learn to read because they want to. It’s where they learn to love to read.”

In order to do that, however, parents need to follow some guidelines. Don’t fret about when your child learns to read by himself or herself. (“There is no ‘correct’ age for independent reading and no special formula for getting every child to read by, say, age 5 1/2.”) Hold your tongue when it comes to your child’s reading choices. (“There may be some specific aspect of that book that is speaking to your child. Or maybe he just feels like reading something less obviously challenging at the moment.”) Above all, practice what you preach. (“If you want to raise a reader, be a reader.”) The authors encourage parents to get back to reading themselves if they’ve let that activity slide, and to foster a culture of reading in the home.

The reasons to do this are myriad. “Children who read are, yes, likely to excel academically, but there’s much more to the picture,” the authors write. “The latest research shows that children who read at home are also better at self-regulation and executive function—those life skills that make us happier and well-adjusted: controlling impulses, paying attention, setting goals and figuring out how to achieve them.” Paul adds: “Through the novels they’ve read, they will know more about the stories they want to be a part of, what kind of character they might be.”

The book is divided by age range, and each section has advice on what to look for in books for that stage, what to be wary of and a list of recommendations. There is also an extensive recommended list in the final section of the book, organized by theme (from “Books That Make Us Laugh” to “Tearjerkers,” and “Great Friendship Stories” to “Science and Nature”).

How to Raise a Reader is a surprisingly easy and quick read. The authors don’t delve into the research behind their advice but they do share the summaries. Their take on why bribing kids to read can backfire: “It’s an acknowledged psychological truth that ‘intrinsic motivation’—having the desire to do something, such as reading, on your own—suffers when the activity is associated with ‘external controls,’ such as reward, punishments and requirements.” Their explanation why you should always reach for the physical book instead of an e-book: “Studies have shown that children, even more than adults, absorb and retain stories better when they read them in print.”

Although the authors discuss the importance of diversity several times throughout the book, some of the illustrations interspersed in How to Raise a Reader have the antiquated, monolithic quality that the authors decry. All the two-parent families depicted consist of a white mother, white father and white child/children. It’s a disappointing oversight in an otherwise excellent book.

Quibble aside, the book recommendations alone make How to Raise a Reader a worthy buy, and the age-specific tips and troubleshooting are the icing on top. AP

‘When teachers’ eyes are smiling...’: Part I mommy no limits

maye yao co say

mommynolimits@gmail.com

D

O you remember this song? We used to sing it in our school every Teachers’ Day. We would celebrate this the week of September 28 in honor of Confucius’s birthday. However, today, the celebration of the National Teachers’ Month is officially celebrated from September 5 to October 5. National Teachers’ Day is officially on October 5 based on the Presidential Proclamation 242 (s. 2011) and Republic Act 10743 (s. 2016).

I thought this week’s article would be a great way to share my even stronger appreciation for teachers, as I review for the upcoming Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).

These past few months have been a big challenge for me to say the least. I definitely have a new appreciation for licensed professional teachers.

Imagine, last year more than 200,000 aspiring teachers took the test and only around 36 percent passed it. For me, I am taking the Secondary Level LET which includes 150 questions in General Education.

This part of the test checks one’s knowledge on English, filipino, math, science, social science, and

information and communication technology (ICT); then it’s 150 questions in Professional Education, which includes social dimensions, principles of teaching, facilitating learning, and assessment; while the last set of questions is for one’s specialization.

Since my undergrad is Management Engineering, I was assigned to be in math.

It was both amazing and intimidating to be taught by “LET top notchers.” Each one has their story; some teach public schools with multiple classes, some teach in private institutions. They all warned us aspiring teachers that being a teacher is difficult and many times very discouraging. Coach Anna, who teaches in an international school, gave an inspiring talk on our last day. She shared the deep struggles and triumphs of people. One of them was Mabinty Bangura from Sierra Leone, who was adopted by Elaine DePrince.

After facing all her struggles from losing her parents and to being abused because of a skin condition called vitiligo, she later on became one of the first African prima ballerinas. Bangura was even handpicked by Beyoncé to do a choreography for her music video.

I felt humbled by our head coach, Albert Basa, whose credentials extend from education to public administration, philosophy and government policymaking, but whose only verbal introduction to us was that his mom was a public-school teacher. It was also refreshing to be among young people who were half my age. My constant studymate is Christian, a fresh graduate from Quezon. He would commute every weekend to Manila to attend review classes. I am so proud of his dreams to pursue teaching, then take the CPA board exams and maybe eventually Law. Honestly, there have been some weeks, especially during the specialization classes, when I felt like

throwing in the towel. I even went to our math coach, Ma’am Emjoy Macayayong, one evening to ask if she felt I could make it, given that I am not a true math major and have been off from college for 20 years. Her encouraging words and patience helped a lot. After that, I spent many nights til 4 am doing the math practices and taking practice tests. I was so grateful that I actually messaged her on our last day: “Hi Ma’am Emjoy. This is Maye Yao, one of your students in Batch 3. I just wanted to thank you so much for being patient with all my questions. Honestly, I was prepared to give up halfway in our math specialization because I’ve been 20 years out of college already. I asked myself if I really needed this. Your enthusiasm and encouraging words to us, especially when I asked you kung kaya ko po that one evening, really made such a big difference. Pass or fail, high or low, the Mindgym review experience has opened my hope that our country might still have a fighting chance through education and I am not alone in that dream. Ingat po always.”

One time, my daughter saw me studying so intently and asked me, “Mom, why are you doing this?” My seatmate for General Education review class even asked me, “Ma’am, parang stable naman ho ’yung trabaho niyo. Bakit pa ho kayo magli-LET?” I guess I am one of those idealistic individuals. I believe our nation can be stronger when our people are fully equipped. Being fully equipped for me involves a healthy heart, mind and body. I believe that as much as teachers are doing their best in teaching our kids content and character, we as parents must also discover and understand our role in the process.

Next week, let me share in more detail the “why” in my passion to pursue teaching. n

Online bullying remains prevalent in the Philippines, other countries ONE in three young people in 30 countries said they have been a victim of online bullying, with one in five saying they skipped school due to cyberbullying and violence, according to a new poll released recently by Unicef, the United Nations organization working for children’s rights.

In the Philippines, latest national data show that cyber violence affects almost half of children aged 13 to 17. The prevalence of cyber violence for males (44 percent) is almost the same for females (43 percent).

One-third of cyber violence experienced by Filipino children are in the form of verbal abuse over the Internet or cell phone, while a fourth are through sexual messages. More females received messages sexual, in nature or content, than males. However, twice as many males than females reported having their nude body or sexual activities, whether real or falsified, shown on the Internet or cell phone.

Violence against children, in all forms including online bullying or cyberbullying, has devastating effects on the physical and emotional well-being of young people. This can create lasting emotional and psychological scars, even physical harm. It is particularly challenging to address since children are vulnerable and have easy access to the Internet, making them easy targets of online violence.

In the Unicef U-Report poll conducted in June 2019, almost three-quarters of young people from 30 countries said that social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter are the most common platforms for online bullying. Being connected online means that school no longer ends once a student leaves class, and neither does bullying.

The U-Report further revealed that 32 percent

believe the government is mainly responsible in addressing online bullying, 31 percent said that young people are responsible, while 29 percent pointed to Internet companies. These show that opinions are equally divided on who should be responsible for ending online bullying—highlighting the need to involve children and young people in the shared responsibility.

Unicef is calling for urgent action to implement policies that will protect children and young people from bullying, both online and off. Addressing the problem requires action from all stakeholders.

Establishing and equipping national helplines to support children and young people in reporting violence is a concrete step. Training teachers and parents to respond to and prevent bullying will ensure the safety of children and young people, particularly the most vulnerable ones. Gathering better data about the online behavior of children and young people, and how criminals are using the Internet, will guide policies and action plans.

Unicef is also urging social-media companies to improve ethical standards and practices in collecting and managing information of children.

D4

Show BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 26, 2019

FILKOR YOUTH ORCHESTRA CONCERT ON OCTOBER 13 FILKOR Youth Orchestra, formed by Korean Women’s Association in the Philippines President Hyun Joo “Julia” Lee, is holding its first concert on October 13 at Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater), Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City.

FilKor Youth Orchestra is the first combined orchestra for Korean and Filipino talents aged 22 and younger. The orchestra is organized as a part of the celebration of the 70th year of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Korea. Many talented young musicians auditioned and 32 were selected to join the ranks of the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra and formed FilKor Youth Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Jeffrey Solares. Said Julia: “It is a meaningful step for young Korean and Filipino musicians gathered to celebrate our two nations’ friendship. This musical involvement reflects our bright future as we celebrate the close ties between our two countries.”

The inaugural FilKor concert includes a festive and exciting musical program chosen for concertgoers

by Solares, whose lineup includes the music of Carl Maria von Weber, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Jean Sibelius, Camille Saint-Saens, Alexander Borodin, John Williams, Han Ki Kim, Ryan Cayabyab and George Bizet.

In addition to orchestral program, another featured highlight of this unique concert will be the presentation of the four instrument finalists who were selected from the FilKor Youth Concerto Competition held last August.

The instrumental finalists selected were: clarinetist Franz Jensen T. Andra, pianist Irene Jaemin Lee, violinist Jeanne Rafaella I. Marquez, and violinist Emanuel John C. Villarin. Each performer will play one concerto movement with the orchestra as the part of the final competition. The winners will be announced by a panel of esteemed judges after the conclusion of the concert.

The First FilKor Youth Orchestra Concert is presented in collaboration with the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra, The Clarion Chamber Ensemble, and Classical Radio Station 98.7 FM DZFE “The Masters Touch.”

The concert will be on October 13, Sunday, 4 pm, at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino.

Tickets are available from the Ticketworld (www. ticketworld.co.ph) and the CCP Box Office (832-3704).

JEREMY WADE RETURNS TO ANIMAL PLANET BIOLOGIST Jeremy Wade has spent the last 35 years solving mysteries that lurk in our planet’s rivers, lakes and seas. In 2017, he hung up his rod after nine seasons on Animal Planet’s No. 1 rated series, River Monsters, where he reeled in some of the rarest, most elusive and most dangerous creatures lurking beneath the water’s surface. But the waters of the world run deep; they’re dark and forever changing and many mysteries remain.

Wade returns to Animal Planet in a captivating new series that brings him back to the water’s edge to investigate reports of the unimaginable and unexplained in Jeremy Wade’s Dark Waters, which debuted on September 9. New episodes will air on Mondays at 9:55 pm.

In Jeremy Wade’s Dark Waters, the biologist spotlights the bizarre, the weird and the mysterious as he investigates baffling, unsolved mysteries. He takes Animal Planet’s audiences on journeys beneath the water in remote areas, to islands lost in time, and out into the open ocean to investigate reports that include, among others, entire fish species suddenly disappearing; unexplained sightings of mythical beasts; once thriving rivers now empty; and genetic oddities that may have produced the biggest monsters yet.

“These are detective stories with a difference— fishy tales from remote waters, and from right under our noses,” said Wade. “If anybody thought that by now I’d seen it all, you’re in for a surprise— as I was.”

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Three farewells: Nelson Navarro, Mel Chionglo and Isah Red REELING

TITO GENOVA VALIENTE

titovaliente@yahoo.com

L

AST week, a series of passing on took place in the world of media and entertainment.

Film director Mel Chionglo’s passing was first announced. Then it was popular entertainment editor Isah Red’s, whose death surprised many of his colleagues. They come in threes, people started to whisper about that dark belief. Nelson Navarro’s death, happening a day after, sort of sealed the morbidity of the month.

Of the three, Navarro was the least familiar to me.

In fact, you could say very few people remembered Navarro when he started appearing in political talk shows in the late 1980s and 1990s. No one even knew that he was an activist from the First Quarter Storm who—like many of those who got “lucky”—got stranded in a foreign land when things were turning for the worse under the Marcos administration.

By the time Navarro was back after the so-called People Power Revolution, the political climate in the country had changed. And yet, he would observe how things had not really changed structurally.

Navarro became a biographer in his second wind in the Philippines. Interesting how a writer ventured to document the lives of other people, some of them controversial because of the life they led and, somehow, because of how Navarro pictured them in the life they led. He wrote about the almost forgotten Emmanuel Pelaez, vice president to Diosdado Macapagal, the last president in the memory of many Filipinos before the Marcoses took over our consciousness. Navarro would even write about Juan Ponce-Enrile, who could have been his jailer had he stayed in the country in the late 1970s.

Here was a person who had spent the better part of his youth in the United States. In many interviews, Navarro talked about how significant and interesting his life had become in the US. He had to work to stay there because coming home meant being persecuted.

This sense of comfort and isolation would mark his own memoir, The Half-Remembered Past. A pervasive mix of the bitter and the sweet, the candid and the controversial (as with all memoirs) characterize this summing up of one’s life.

Much quoted from Navarro’s work are these lines: “The past is never past. It lingers in the labyrinth of memory, ephemeral but always intrusive, stalking the ever demanding present which rules the sense like a jealous lover.”

Nineteen-seventy six would mark the return to the Philippines of Chionglo after years of studying

and honing his skills in production design. Upon his return, he started to work in mainstream cinema. If these two films, Aguila and Temptation Island, were his only achievements in the field of production design, then Chionglo would have made an important if not odd contribution to the Filipino film industry.

Aguila is a 1980 film directed by Eddie Romero noted for its sweep and ambition. Starring Fernando Poe Jr., the film surprised viewers with a running time of more than three hours. It received numerous nominations from the Manunuri.

Temptation Island holds the singular distinction of an evergreen camp classic. It is perhaps the only Filipino film that is featured in parties, cinema gracing cocktails and launches.

Chionglo would be noted for his films on male gay bar strippers, with one, Burlesk King (1999), making it to Berlin. This film formed a threefold incursion into the world of strippers and squalor with Midnight Dancers (1994) and Twilight Dancers (2006).

Chionglo, however, had achievements that are less talked about because his other films were deemed more sensational. He directed, for example, Lagarista, a valediction on the fading image of cinema in reel form. A young Piolo Pascual led the film, which was one of the earliest Filipino films that made it to Busan, when the film fest was still in its early stage. In 2018, Piolo Pascual traveled to Busan under the Film Development Council to celebrate this milestone in Philippine cinema.

In 2013, Chionglo would direct for Sineng Pambansa of the Film Development Council Lauriana, a dark, horrid film about domestic violence as seen through the eyes of a young boy.

In the film, a soldier who lives with this woman, Lauriana, is so filled with jealousy, he brands his woman there where it matters most. At his most twisted, Chionglo gives us a voyeuristic sense of passion and obsession in the film, confirming all the while our suspicion that his surface predilection for camp hides a very dark sense of art.

Isah was neither a friend nor an acquaintance: he was there in the middle of this kinship continuum.

I would consider him a grand and fun company. It was always good to be with Isah, so long as you were ready to share with him the negative impression that people, who became the object of his critical eye and ire, formed about him.

If there is a book that Isah had not written, it would be in a compilation of his quick reviews of the films and events that I had the fate to have listened to.

Isah was irreverent and this irreverence was always couched in, if I may borrow a description of Dorothy Parker, “caustic epigrams.”

Oh, the modifiers he employed against filmmakers and their works that did not pass his standards. And they were many.

My experience of Isah came by way of my editor, Gerard Ramos, who introduced me to Isah’s intrepid group. At a certain point, this crowd was composed of the late Frank Mallo and Gino Dormiendo, and Iskho Lopez. There was never an agenda why these individuals—all strong personalities—would bundle together. Perhaps it was, first, their love of cinema.

Well, there are three of you there—Nelson Navarro, Mel Chionglo, Isah Red—safely traveling to the final destination. Follow the line and do not ask unnecessary question.

Knowing Isah Red though, I have a sense he would be raising his hand to question whoever is at the gate.

Second, it could be their astute appreciation of anything cinematic. Summing up the two, it would be their trenchant approach to anything that claimed to be artistic. I suspect the joy of life was the avatar that stood for Isah and this group.

It was almost terrifying to be young and untested to be with Isah and this group. But it was fun.

At the end of a movie premiere, one can expect Isah coming out of the cinema, with that characteristic lopsided grin, the brow arched to the highest heaven, the index finger wagging in front of your face. That gesture meant only one thing: another filmmaker had, in his opinion, committed a sin.

When I became a member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, Isah was always critical of us. But what we appreciated about him was his presence. He would always attend our press conferences.

In the year I became the chairman of the critics’ group, I remember approaching him to tell him in the Bikol language, “Dai ka daw magparahaput nin kung anuano” (literally, please do not ask those many questions).

I was, of course, teasing him. Indeed, an hour had passed in that press con and Isah had not asked any question. As we were to close the press conference, what would I see but Isah’s hand raised and that brow arched again!

Well, there are three of you there—Navarro, Chionglo, Isah—safely traveling to the final destination. Follow the line and do not ask unnecessary question. Knowing Isah though, I have a sense he would be raising his hand to question whoever is at the gate. ■

Tom Hanks to receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at Golden Globes

BY JONATHAN LANDRUM JR. The Associated Press LOS ANGELES—Tom Hanks became one of Hollywood’s beloved actors through an array of likable roles, from Big to Forrest Gump, and now his decorated career has earned him one of the highest honors at the Golden Globes next year.

Hanks will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globe Awards on January 5, 2020, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced Tuesday.

The actor has won praise for a string of compelling characters in movies including Saving Private Ryan, the Toy Story films, and the Golden Globe-winning Cast Away, for which he lost 55 pounds to play a man stranded on a desert island.

HFPA President Lorenzo Soria said in a statement that Hanks captivated audiences with “rich and playful characters.” He said the actor was also a force behind the camera as writer, producer and director.

The DeMille Award is given annually to an “individual who has made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment.” Past recipients include Jeff Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier and Lucille Ball.

Hanks, 63, is a four-time Golden Globe winner who broke through with his role in the 1984 film Splash, in which he played a man who falls in love with a mermaid.

He claimed his first Globe in 1988 for Big, in which he portrayed a 13-year-old boy whose body turned into a 35-year-old man overnight after making a wish.

The actor won a couple Globes for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, two films that earned him Academy Awards.

He was also lauded for his directing work in HBO’s 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers, which won an Emmy.

In 2014, Hanks received an award at the Kennedy Center Honors.

He also was given a lifetime achievement award by the American

IN this September 8, 2016 file photo, Tom Hanks arrives at the premiere of Sully in Los Angeles. Hanks will be the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award at January’s Golden Globes Awards. AP

Film Institute in 2009.

Hanks will star as Mister Rogers in the biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood in November. His other

upcoming projects include the WWII drama Greyhound, which he wrote; the postapocalyptic Bios; and the postCivil War film News of the World.

Envoys&Expats

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Thursday, September 26, 2019 E1

Honorary consul bridges two nations half-a-world apart

T

By Recto L. Mercene

@rectomercene

HOSE who recognize Honorary Consul Antonio A. Rufino, behind the eyeglasses and unassuming mien, would easily discern that he belongs to one of the Philippines’s richest and influential dynasties that have produced a breed of tycoons, business owners, politicians, and philanthropists, among many other pioneers.

Appointed as Portugal’s honorary emissary to the Philippines, Rufino has fostered close economic, trade and cultural relations between Manila and Lisbon.

“As the honorary consul of Portugal in Manila, I endeavor to promote Portugal through people-to-people ties in tourism, conferences, pilgrims and investments,” he revealed.

Rufino was instrumental to the recent visit of one of Portugal’s highest officials, Secretary of State of the Republic of Portugal Eurico Brilhante Dias, who headed a delegation of investors and capitalists in May to possibly join the significant players participating in the Philippines’s

phenomenal economic progress.

The honorary consul provided updates on Portugal’s economic status, then described the relations that exist between the Iberian country and the Philippines—one that has pervaded for half a millennium, despite being half-a-world apart.

ENVOYS&EXPATS: Where can we attribute the speedy recovery of Portugal’s economy during the last decade? How can the Philippines benefit from it?

RUFINO: The speedy recovery of Portugal’s economy was a result of the combination of both internal and external factors. First, the Por-

tuguese government, under the advice of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank, implemented a wide range of structural reforms that, together with short-term measures, increased the external competitiveness of the Portuguese economy.

As an example, nominal salaries in the public service were cut by between 10 percent and 30 percent.

This competitive devaluation was very successful. Exports became much more competitive. The level of exports increased from 35 percent to 45 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Second, as external factors, including the insecurity felt in several tourist destinations in Europe such as Southern France or Spain, and even in Northern Africa, have made tourism in Portugal increase exponentially.

This recovery is an opportunity for the Philippines, both to attract Portuguese investments, as well as to import products with relatively high value for money from Portugal. In addition, the number of tourists from one country visiting the other has a great potential to increase. We have seen numbers rising in recent years, and we believe that there is still potential to go up even more.

The Philippines used to deal with Portugal via Macau due to the absence of diplomatic relations. Surely there are advantages gained, now that we have direct trade and business relations.

Portugal used to have an embassy in Manila until 2006. As of now, it is the Portuguese ambassador in Jakarta who has accreditation in Manila.

There have been tentative plans to reopen the embassy in Manila several times, but financial constraints have prevented that from happening. In the meantime, Portugal appointed an honorary consul in Manila in 2012.

On the other hand, the Philippines established an embassy in Lisbon in 2009. The role it played, and that of the Honorary Consul of Portugal in Manila, have been instrumental in bringing both countries relationship closer.

In 2019—for the first time in the last 13 years—members of the Portuguese government, the secretary of state for internationalization, then followed by a member of the Parliament, visited Manila.

The economic and demographic growth observed in the Philippines make it a good prospective partner.

What items do we import from Portugal, and what does it source from the Philippines?

In 2017, the Philippines imported nearly $2.5 million from Portugal: 23 percent were machinery; 12 percent, food products; and 11 percent, wood and cork.

That same year, Portugal imported nearly $12 million from the Philippines: 43 percent were machinery, 17 percent agricultural products, and 15 percent plastics.

Portugal actually has an important legacy intertwined with the Philippines. Please comment on its significance.

The historical connections and legacy are marked by the arrival and death of Magellan in the Philippines. Although bilateral relations between the two countries have not been intense—that is, until 1898, under the ruling of Spain in the Philippines, the bilateral relations between Portugal and the Philippines occurred with the intermediation of Madrid—the Spanish conquistador’s connection has a high degree of symbolism.

The celebration in 2021 of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Magellan to the Philippines, currently under preparation, will be an important landmark.

Please describe your role as a consul of Portugal in the Philippines, and relate how you were

able to assume your role.

As its honorary consul in Manila, I try to promote Portugal through people-to-people (interactions) in tourism, conferences, pilgrims and investments.

Among the other activities I have spearheaded locally to help bridge the cultures of the two countries are the occasional staging of the “Taste of Portugal” (wine sampling); “A Glimpse of Portugal,” which featured the works of artist Manuel Baldemor on his paintings; Portugal Divino, a showcase on Portuguese products, as well as the works of special ceramic artist Arlinda Frota; as well as the hosting of Portuguese government officials and business delegations, linking them with local business clubs, chambers of commerce, multilateral financial institutions and large companies.

How would you assess the current relations between Portugal and the Philippines?

There is a great potential to grow, particularly in tourism. In particular, I would like to refer that many Filipinos visit Fatima, but they do not stay (long inside Portugal). They go just for the day from Spain. They might stay one night in Lisbon to rest, but that is it.

Continued on E2

Envoys& BusinessMirror

E2 Thursday, September 26, 2019

PHILIPPINE PRESENCE IN PORTUGAL

Ambassador tours with Filipino youth org

L

ISBON—Members of the Samahan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Portugal (Samakapipo) had a deeper understanding about the rich and dynamic history of their adoptive country and became future proactive members of Portuguese society while they reaffirmed their Filipino roots and heritage, as the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon organized in August a summerbreak activity that included a tour.

Ambassador to Portugal Celia Anna M. Feria toured together with the Filipino-Portuguese members of Samakapipo, with the Office of Portuguese Presidency’s Rita Costa as guide.

The Filipino entourage visited the Museu da Presidência da República (Presidential Museum) and the Palacio de Belém (Presidential Palace). They were able to

appreciate the structures’ historical evolution. The latter was the official residence of the Portuguese monarchs until 1910.

The Museu is the repository of information and knowledge about the history of the Portuguese Republic covering its three vital periods: the First Republic from 1910 to 1926, the Military Dictatorship and New State from 1926 to 1974, and until

AMBASSADOR to Portugal Celia Anna M. Feria (eighth from left), with Third Secretary and Vice Consul Maria Flordeliza A. Tuiza (fourth from right), tour with Samakapipo youth members. LISBON PE

the establishment of democracy from 1974 up to the present.

After the Museu tour, the group was given special access to the function rooms of the Palacio, the counterpart of which in the Philippines is the Malacañang. Portuguese Presi-

dent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa holds office in the said palace.

The group visited some of the key function rooms where momentous events in Portuguese history were held: the Patio dos Bichos, where the past Portuguese mon-

archs used to house gifts of wild animals from former colonies; the Sala Dourada (Golden Room), which serves as one of the three reception rooms of the palace; and the Sala dos Embaixadores (Ambassadors’ Room), where foreign dip-

lomats present their credentials to the Portuguese president.

Samakapipo’s summer-break activity also included a weekend of team-building activities hosted by the embassy at the ambassador’s residence. DFA

Filipino culture showcased in Lisbon Honorary consul

bridges two nations half-a-world apart Continued from E1

FILIPINA entrepreneur and Chef Jaymaylyn Galiza Day prepares Filipino-style fried lumpia. Guests also got to sample spicy sisig. LISBON PE

COLORFUL native bags, fashion accessories and home décor made from natural indigenous materials served as highlights of the Philippine Day activity at Ferreira do Alentejo. LISBON PE

L

ISBON—The Philippine Embassy led the monthlong celebration of the 121st anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence in June at the Terras Sem Sombra, Artes â Solta Festival in Ferreira do Alentejo.

In collaboration with organizers, the embassy and municipality officials, the Philippine Day activity provided an inclusive experience on the richness and vibrancy of Filipino culture through food, music, traditional games and handicrafts. The embassy also took the opportunity to promote various tourist destinations in the Philippines by giving away anahaw-woven fans from Quezon province, dried mangoes from Cebu and 3D holographic destination luggage tags from the Department of Tourism.

The morning program started in the Ferreira do Alentejo Municipal Garden with a

Filipino fiesta setting with kiosk of street food, exhibited and operated by Jaymalyn Galiza Day, a Lisbon-based chef who owns Diplomata catering service. Filipina entrepreneurs and co-owners of GustoKO, Paula Figueras and Queenie Guzman, also showcased a selection of handicraft products.

Figueras and Guzman are recognized as the embassy’s “cultural entrepreneurs” for not only creating economic value to Philippine products, but for also pursuing Filipino culture and heritage.

The afternoon event gave participants an ultimate Filipino eating experience with Filipino favorites, such as pork adobo with rice served in coconut rice bowls, as well as local snacks from Alentejo like ferreirense (cake), chouriço (sausage), as well as traditional cheese and olives.

VISITORS enjoy Filipino pork adobo served in coconut rice bowls. LISBON PE

Visitors got to play Filipino traditional games such as sungka, dama and patintero, while Filipino children also enjoyed participating in the traditional Alentejo games like paper kite making, rope jumping, walking with stilts and face painting.

Pundaquit Virtuosi, a 28-member youth string ensemble from San Antonio, Zambales, ended their 2019 European tour with an evening concert before a crowd of 500. It played a diverse repertoire of classical music masterpieces, popular original Pilipino music staples and contemporary standards.

The show ended with the string ensemble and Portuguese all-male singing group Os Boinas (The Berets) performing the song “Amor Pelo Dois,” the winning Portuguese entry at the 2017 Eurovision singing contest.

Ambassador Celia Anna M. Feria expressed

her appreciation to the Municipality of Ferreira do Alentejo and to festival organizers for allowing the embassy to showcase the best of Filipino culture. Members of the Filipino community in Lisbon also came to partake in the festival.

The Terras Sem Sombra festival is held annually since 2013, bringing music, heritage and biodiversity together. This year’s edition also featured Madrid-based Filipina soprano Aniway “Manila” Adap, who performed a full-concert repertoire at the Igreja Matriz de Sao Vicente in Cuba Alentejo in May. The Philippines also shared its best practices of biodiversity conservation in April for the “Resist the Invader: The Water Hyacinth and the Guadiana Basin” event in Elvas, Alentejo.

The Philippine Day Activity at Ferreira do Alentejo is a culmination of the Country’s participation in the 2019 Terra Sem Sombra Festival. DFA

Fortunately, I see that they are increasingly discovering Portugal.

It has great weather, amazing food, the more pristine beaches in Europe, plenty of history, and prices are still 30 percent to 40 percent lower than the rest of the continent.

Cultural life is also very dynamic.

Just take into account that Madonna has moved her residence to Lisbon three years ago. The number of Filipinos looking for residence in Portugal under the Golden Visa program has also been increasing exponentially.

For the Quincentennial, please share with us the current preparations being done from Portugal’s side.

There are a series of forums being scheduled, together with the visit in 2020 of the multi-masted sailing ship Sagres III traversing the same route Magellan took.

A common agenda is being prepared with Spain jointly celebrating the 500th anniversary of the circumnavigation of the planet, trying to re-live the old glory, and to show that that past can be used to have a better future.

You carry a prominent surname in Philippine society. Out of curiosity, how are you related with V.A. Rufino and the owners of Rufino Tower?

The V.A. Rufino Street was named

HONORARY Consul of Portugal to the Philippines Antonio A. Rufino at the reception of the BusinessMirror Mission: PHL Awards in April.

after my uncle, Vicente A. Rufino, who was the head of the family corporation that put up the Rufino Tower.

The original Rufino building was the third edifice to rise along Ayala Avenue in 1963—a pioneer at that time.

Food products, cooking ingredients featured at expo

L

ISBON—Philippine manufactured food products and cooking ingredients were featured and promoted during the Alimentaria Horexpo Lisboa 2019 in March.

Portuguese company GAC Ingredients and Food Ltd., an exclusive distributor of Century Pacific food products in Portugal and Spain, featured products, such as a popular corned-beef brand, assorted

canned tuna, as well as coconut milk and water products. It also promoted meat analogue products of Filipino food-manufacturing company Food Flow.

The company used Food Flow’s meat analogue as a key ingredient for food products developed and catered for GAC’s clients in Portugal and other parts of the world. According to GAC Owner and CEO Gloria Cal-

limaci, Food Flow’s meat analogue is ideal for creating vegan and vegetarian food products that are growing in demand in markets across the world.

Macro-Frio, a Portuguese company specializing in importing, producing and distributing of fresh food products, featured fresh, frozen Philippine octopus sourced from Zamboanga.

Since 2018, Macro-Frio has been

importing frozen octopus from Filipino seafood-exporting companies based in the Zamboanga Economic Zone.

Alimentaria is a major international food, hospitality and technology fair for the food and drinks industry, and is considered the largest business platform for the food, distribution and hospitality sectors in Portugal. DFA

GAC Ingredients and Food Chief Executive Officer Gloria Callimaci (right) shows Ambassador Celia Anna M. Feria (left) vegan food products made with Filipino company Food Flow’s meat alternatives as key ingredients. MABILLE ADRIANNE SAMPAIO/DFA

&Expats

envoys.expats.bm@gmail.com | Thursday, September 26, 2019 E3

TAIWAN UPDATES

Taiwan seeks entry to intl aviation body

T

By Recto L. Mercene

@rectomercene

ternational civil aviation around the world,” he further claimed.

As of April 2019, there are 193 members of the Icao, of which 192 are members of the United Nations.

(The lone UN nonmember is Liechtenstein, a small principality between Austria and Switzerland. Its tiny size prevents it from building an international airport.

Others are the Cook Islands and Taiwan, which has been removed from the list, in abeyance to the One-China policy.)

AIWAN has called on the International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao) to accept its membership into the exclusive aviation group.

“Taiwan’s professional and constructive participation, we believe, would greatly help the Icao realize its vision and accomplish its mission of connecting the world,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung said in a statement.

Lin made the appeal as the Icao marks its 75th anniversary this year. The body is also scheduled to hold its 40th assembly session in September.

Taiwan’s long-term efforts to seek participation in the Icao have attracted global attention.

T he G7 Foreign Ministers’ communique issued on April 7, 2019, expressed the group’s backing, as it stated: “We support the substantive participation of all active members of the international aviation community in the Icao forums. Excluding some of its

members for political purposes compromises aviation safety and security.”

The minister added, “This is in line with our appeal. As a responsible stakeholder in the international aviation community, Taiwan shares the global interest in safeguarding regional and global aviation safety, and is committed to contribute to the further development of global aviation.

“We are willing to share our experience in developing the aviation industry, as well as our technical expertise, as we pursue the common goal of safe, orderly and sustainable development of international civil aviation.”

According to Lin, the Icao was “founded upon [such] principles, and Taiwan aims to work with all relevant parties and stakeholders to reach a consensus on the Stan-

Key position

TAIWAN’S Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung

dards and Recommended Practices [SARP] and policies.”

“It also works to foster the planning and development of international air transport, so as to ensure the safe and orderly growth of in-

JUSTIFYING that Taiwan should not be left out of the Icao, Lin said they are in a key position in the Asia-Pacific region, which has long enjoyed close air-transport ties with countries and areas in the region.

He commented: “The Taipei Flight Information Region [FIR], for which Taiwan is responsible, manages large air-traffic volumes in East Asia and has provided services to over 1.75 million controlled flights in 2018—a 5.8-percent increase over 2017.”

The minister said that, as of the end of 2018, “[our 17 airports had] served more than 68.9 million passengers. Some 92 airlines offered services to and from Taiwan, oper-

ating passenger and cargo flights on 313 routes connecting 149 cities around the world.”

Taiwan is an active stakeholder in the international civil aviation community, and the Taipei FIR is an inseparable part of a global network, he added.

The Philippines’s FIR shares a common border with Taipei’s, where the flow of air traffic inbetween are managed by their respective traffic controllers.

Total flight duration from Taipei to Manila, or vice versa, is one hour and 43 minutes. There are dozens of flights daily between the two countries.

More than 400,000 Filipino tourists visited Taiwan in 2018, while some 246,000 Taiwanese went to the Philippines last year.

“Given technical, professional, and pragmatic considerations, Taiwan urgently needs to establish direct communication channels with the Icao and obtain the most up-to-date rules and regulations, so that the safe air transport of passengers and cargo can be ensured,” Lin said.

‘Highest levels of safety’

LIN added that Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) works diligently to maintain the

highest levels of aviation safety and service quality in the Taipei FIR. “However, unable to participate in the Icao’s meetings, mechanisms and activities, [our CAA] is forced to make substantial extra investments of both time and resources to understand the rationale behind the Icao’s decisions, and to properly implement its SARPs.” Lin assures that Taiwan will continue its endeavor to implement measures to meet Icao’s SARPs “to enhance aviation safety and security.”

“Yet, allowing Taiwan to participate in the Icao, including attending the assembly and obtaining related information, is necessary and legitimate,” he added.

The transportation and communications chief said Taiwan conforms to the Icao’s goals of a seamless sky and implements a policy of “No Country Left Behind.” They would also like to create a win-win situation for everyone in the AsiaPacific region and the Icao.

Lin justified helping Taiwan to participate in the Icao by not only keeping the safety conditions by Taipei FIR, but by increasing the benefits not only of their passengers, but also those from the Philippines.

Youth ambassadors interact with Thomasians

UST Museum Assistant Director Carlo Sayco (right) facilitates the tour of the university’s artifacts.

TAIWAN Youth Ambassadors interact with students from the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters.

UST Public Affairs Office Director Associate Prof. Giovanna V. Fontanilla, PhD, with Teco representatives and the Taiwan Youth Ambassadors at the UST Arch of the Centuries.

A

GROUP of young citizens from Taiwan recently visited the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for a cultural encounter, which was part of the International Youth Ambassador Exchange (IYAE) program organized by the state’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa).

The Taiwanese youth ambassadors engaged in a campus tour within the oldest university of the Philippines, interacted with Thomasians and staged cultural performances for the 2019 “Taiwan Night” at the UST Paredes Ballroom.

Head of Delegation James Chang Chi-ping from the Mofa’s Department of International Information Services, Deputy Head of Delegation Chieh Wong and Delegation Secretary Chen Yu-Chih accompanied the youth ambassadors.

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines’s (Teco) Representative Michael Pei-yung Hsu and his spouse Charlotte Yu, Press Division Director Jerry Chuang and Executive Assistant to the Representative Fernando Wu, Mofa Nongovernment Organization International Affairs Department Director Lai Ming-chi, Philippine Tariff Commission Chairman Marilou P. Mendoza, Taiwanese Compatriots in the Philippines’s Honorary President

Hsieh Shih-ying and Taiwan Association Inc. President Chiang Fu-Long were also present for the occasion.

After the welcome remarks of UST Office of Public Affairs Director Associate Prof. Giovanna V. Fontanilla, PhD, Hsu thanked the stakeholders involved in making the third Taiwan Night in UST possible, especially UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, OP, while Chang gave more information on the IYAE program.

The university started the presentations with the performance of the 70-member UST Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Associate Prof.

Renato B. Lucas, PhD as conductor.

It performed three songs by national artists, namely, “Mga Katutubong Awitin” (Lucio San Pedro), “By the Hillside” (Tone Poem, Antonino Buenaventura) and “Mutya ng Pasig” (Nicanor Abelardo).

Choir of the World Champions UST Singers, led by Maestro Fidel Gener Calalang Jr., sang “Cantate Domino” (Josu Elberdin Badiola), “Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka” (Ryan Cayabyab), and “Come Alive” (The Greatest Showman, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul).

The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe performed binasuan and tinikling.

In turn, the Taiwan Youth Ambassadors staged a 40-minute four-

The UST Singers perform “Come Alive.” UST SINGERS

FONTANILLA delivers her welcome remarks.

The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe presents the tinikling.

The UST Symphony Orchestra

act play, Taiwan: An Island of Vitality.

The first act, Wishes Sent Skyward, presented traditional Taiwanese festivals, such as the Lantern, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn and Lunar New Year Festivals through dances.

The second act, A Cure for What Ails, detailed Taiwan’s thriving health-care industry through a fastpaced diabolo, or Chinese yoyo, and hip-hop performance interspersed with images of their medical care, which balances traditional Chinese

sity, particularly at the historic Arch of the Centuries, assisted by student leaders from the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters’ Asian Studies Society.

The Asian Studies students facilitated a tour of the University campus, with a UST Museum tour under the guidance of its Assistant Director Carlo Sayco. After lunch, student leaders from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery interacted with the Taiwanese students.

medicine with Western medical practices.

The third act focused on Taiwan’s farm produce, textile, and technology industry (Quality as an Art Form), while the fourth and final act, A Resplendent Island introduced Taiwanese folk music, tourist attractions and cuisine through an energetic dance.

In the morning of the same day, Fontanilla led a tour of the youth ambassadors around the univer-

TECO Representative Michael Pei-yung Hsu addresses the students.

This year, 75 Taiwan Youth Ambassadors were sent to neighboring countries in three groups that visited two countries each; namely, the Philippines and Malaysia; Thailand and India; as well as Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, as part of the IYAE, under the theme: “Youth Diplomacy Brings Taiwan to You.” This is the third consecutive year that UST has hosted and engaged with the youth ambassadors from Taiwan.

Envoys&Expats BusinessMirror

E4 Thursday, September 26, 2019

www.businessmirror.com.ph

EMBASSIES, EVENTS, ETC.

Cine Mexico comes to Manila LA VOZ DE MÉXICO

C

Amb. Gerardo Lozano

ULTURE unites people with a unique potential of nurturing friendships, in such a way that a deep mark is left on each other.

For this reason, promoting and fostering cultural-exchange projects have been one of my main objectives during my tenure as Mexican ambassador to the Philippines, convinced that these initiatives will bring us closer in addressing our common challenges.

In view of this, in this column space, I wish to highlight one of the

most important cultural projects that occurred this year between Mexico and the Philippines. Cine Mexico, our newest venture together with Edsa Shangri-La’s Red Carpet and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, was held from September 20 to 24.

For this special event—the first one to happen in at least a decade—

THE ambassador delivers his welcome remarks that marked the official opening of the film festival.

we were able to showcase seven acclaimed classic and contemporary movies, such as La boda de Valentina, Cuando los hijos regresan, el Ángel en el Reloj, ¿Qué Culpa Tiene el Niño? and La Carga—all of which delighted Filipinos through Mexi-

can stories that resonated within their persona.

Cinema as a reflection

WHY cinema? In all my previous experiences, especially when I was assigned in the Caribbean,

Spanish movies on cue this October

SCENES from the feature films

T

HE eighteenth edition of Película-Spanish Film Festival will feature the best of contemporary cinema from Spain.

Presented by Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Spain, Turespaña and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the film fest will screen more than 20 movies under the theme: “18 Years: Advocating Quality Films on the Big Screen.”

Since its conception in 2002 by Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish film festival has been an annual attraction at Greenbelt. Following that tradition, the first leg will be held at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas from October 3 to 13. It will conclude at the Cine Adarna-University of the Philippines (UP) Film Institute on October 23 and 24. The second phase will feature a selection of the programmed films, including the winner of the Audience Choice Award.

With genres ranging from comedy, drama, historical, thriller, documentary, fantasy, and even animation for adults, there is a movie for every viewer. The festival will open with an animation film for adults, Buñuel en el laberinto de las tortugas (Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles), which was preselected by the Spanish Film Academy for the next Oscars.

Other movies in this year’s lineup are Els dies que vindran (Carlos Marques-Marcet, 2019), Isabel Coixet’s latest film Elisa y Marcela (2019), the biopic Yuli (Icíar Bollaín, 2018), and the multi-awarded Isaki Lacuesta’s film Entre dos aguas (2018), which bagged the Golden Shell as the Best Film of the 2018 San Sebastian Film Festival.

Dramas will be well represented in this year’s edition, with worthy masterpieces like No sé decir adiós (Lino Escalera, 2017), Quién te cantará (Carlos Vermut, 2018), and Litus, the intimate movie, with which Director Dani de la Orden recently received the Best Film Award at the 2019 Malaga Film Festival. He doubles in “Película…” with the comedy, El mejor verano de mi vida (2018).

From the country that produces thrillers like the world-acclaimed series La casa de papel (Money Heist), expect a few gripping crime and suspense movies, like the multi-awarded political thriller El Reino (Rodrigo Sorogoyen, 2018), the thriller 70 binladens (Koldo Serra, 2018), and the pseudo-documentary Apuntes para una película de atracos (Notes for a Heist Film), directed by León Siminiani in 2018.

“Película…” will also show Latin American cinema, with one feature

film from Colombia, El piedra (Rafael Martínez Moreno, 2018), and three Argentine-Spanish coproductions: El Ángel (Luis Ortega, 2018), Mi obra maestra (Gastón Duprat, 2018), and maestro Juan José Campanella’s latest work, the black comedy El cuento de las comadrejas (The Weasels’ Tale).

Tribute to Filipino cinema

THE Filipino word pelikula, derived from the Spanish word película, echoes the cultural ties shared by the two nations. In line with this, since its first editions, the festival has aimed to offer joint FilipinoSpanish programs.

In 2019, which was declared the Centennial Year of the Filipino Cinema by a presidential proclamation, “Película…” will pay tribute to the rich history of Philippine film industry. On October 12 at 2 p.m., film historian Nick Deocampo will deliver a talk on the origins of cinema in the Philippines.

The same day, at 4:30 p.m., “Película…,” in collaboration with TBA Studios, will screen Habambuhay (2019), presented by its Director Clodualdo del Mundo. Habambuhay is a documentary that commemorates the lives and efforts of the people behind and in front of the camera who shaped the Philippine

Movie Industry. It features archival footage, clips and photos, as well as exclusive interviews with screen legends like Anita Linda, Eddie Mesa, Rosemarie Gil and Eddie Garcia, in the actor’s last in-depth interview before his passing.

Audience choice award

LAST but not least, film buffs should not miss the yearly Audience Choice Award. They will be given stubs where they can rate the movies they have seen. For every five movies, members of the audience qualify to join the raffle, where they get a chance to win free dinners in five of the best Spanish restaurants in town: La Pícara, Barcino, Bar Pintxos, Tapella and Pablo Bistro.

The winning movie will be rescreened on October 13, 7 p.m., at Greenbelt 3, and on October 24 at Cine Adarna. Presented by Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Spain– AECID, Turespaña, the FDCP, Película is made possible by Ayala Cinemas, Rustan’s and The PTC Group of Cos., in collaboration with the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (La Cámara), UP Film Institute Intramuros Administration, Netflix, TBA Studios, Restaurante La Pícara, Barcino, Bar Pintxos, Tapella and Pablo Bistro.

I got to watch several cinematographic productions from Mexico and other countries that made me realize the importance of this industry to promote a nation in all its different facets.

A movie depicts not only a story, but it is really a picture of a society, its values, internal debates, flaws, advantages and hopes for the future. Through cinema, indeed, we can show each other our collective identities, as well as our expectations’ aims.

Cine Mexico came at an opportune time, as our countries are increasingly engaging in mutually beneficial and relevant cultural projects.

As proof, it is necessary to note that the Philippines—in the frame of the celebration of 100 years of its cinema—participated with great success as guest country of honor in the 22nd edition of the Mexican Guanajuato’s International Film Festival (GIFF), one of the most important events of its kind in Latin America. Mabuhay!

World cinema leadership

IN fact, the Philippines is the first

Southeast Asia nation to participate with such rank, undoubtedly as a recognition of the cultural affinity, friendship and long-standing ties between Mexicans and Filipinos.

The Philippine participation in the GIFF comes at a time when the Mexican cinema industry is booming and has achieved major success in the international arena.

Just to mention one, Mexican filmmakers have secured their leadership in world cinema, winning five of the last six Academy Awards for Best Director. Lensmen like Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, together with talented actors and actresses like Karla Souza, Eugenio Derbez, Diego Luna, Gael Garcia and Luis Gerardo Mendez, are now some of the faces of Mexico to the world—thanks to cinema.

As such, let’s not only celebrate cinema for this opportunity. Let’s celebrate culture in its whole and its potential to show why Mexico and the Philippines are more than partner countries…. We are sister-nations.

KTO extends #LoveKOrea campaign

I

N celebration of the 70th anniversary of the bilateral relations between Korea and the Philippines, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO)-Manila Office announced in March the launch of the #LoveKOrea campaign through the #LoveKOrea Travel Fiesta held at the Glorietta 2 Activity Center in Makati City.

The campaign consists of two major promotional events: first was introduced during the #LoveKOrea Travel Fiesta as the Show Your #LoveKOrea Video-Making Contest with the theme, “2019 is the best time to visit Korea.”

Filipinos traveling to Korea from March to September 2019 are eligible to participate in the contest by submitting a 20-second to one-minute video explaining their love for Korea. Applicants must indicate a video shoutout of the campaign name “#LoveKOrea” while in Korea.

Recently, the KTO-Manila Office announced that applications for the contest are now extended until December 15, 2019, to give travelers more time to submit entries.

A total of 70 prizes will be given away, with a grand prize of P70,000 in cash.

Winners will be deckared on December 20.

Recently, the K TO -Manila O f f ice launched the second promotion on its social-media accounts and web site. Entitled the “#LoveKOrea Photo- and Video-Sharing Event,” Filipinos may share any photograph or short movie taken while traveling in Korea. Materials should fall under any of the following categories: K-food, K-beauty,

K-attraction, K-wave and K-ulture on their social-networking sites.

Among applicants, a total of 14 winners would be selected: three grand-prize winners of luggage sets and 11 honorable mentions will be selected monthly from August to December 15. Announcement of winning entries will be released every 16th of the month, for five months.

KTO invites all those who love Korea to visit the said country this year and participate in this campaign. Applications for both promotions must be accomplished on its official campaign web site, ktomanila.com. All related campaign materials, guidelines and announcements are available there.

The celebration continues on October 5 and 6 at the SM Megamall Fashion Hall for the “#LoveKOrea Culture and Travel Fiesta” that will showcase the best of Korean culture in a two-day grand travel event. Regional tourism organizations from Korea, namely Gwangju Tourism and Convention Bureau, Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture and Tourism Organization, Jeju Tourism Organization and Jeollabuk-do province will all be present during the event, as well as Korean delegations from tourism and medicalrelated fields.

Special fares for airline tickets and discounted tour packages are also expected from participating partner-travel agencies and airlines of KTO-Manila Office. Special performances from both local and Korean artists will complete the two-day program.