News
A3
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Pump price cuts range from P0.90 to P1/liter By Darwin Amojelar OIL companies on Monday announced a price rollback at the pumps owing to the continuing decline in international prices. In separate statements, Pilipinas Shell, Petron Corp. PTT Philippines, Flying V and Eastern Petroleum announced a price cut of P0.90 per liter of gas, P0.90 of gasoline and P1.05 of diesel. The price adjustments takes effect at 12:01 a.m for Flying V while Pilipinas Shell, Petron, PTT Philippines and Eastern Petroleum will cut prices at 6:00 am. Last May 10, most of the oil companies implemented a price rollback of P0.30 per liter of gasoline, P0.20 per liter of diesel and P0.40 per liter of kerosene. According to Energy Department Oil Price Monitor as of April 25, crude benchmarks dropped by an average of almost two dollars this week, reversing previous week increases, generally due to reports of increasing US crude production as oil shale drilling activities increased. These were weighing over Opec plan to extend output cuts for another six months. Data from US drilling company Baker Hughes reportedly showed on April 21 that US drillers added oilrigs for a 14th consecutive week, bringing the total count to 688. In Asia, Platts noted a stable gasoline market, despite the Energy Information Administration data showing a surprise buildup of US gasoline stocks.
JOINT EXERCISES. Philippine military exercise director Lieutenant General Oscar Lactao (left) and his US counterpart Lieutenant General Lawrence Nicholson unfurl the Philippines-US military exercise flag during the opening of the drills at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on May 8. AFP
PH, US scale down Balikatan war games T HE Philippines and United States launched annual military exercises in Manila on Monday but the longtime allies scaled them down in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s pivot to China and Russia. Duterte has in his 10 months in office sought to weaken ties with the United States, the Philippines’ mutual defense treaty partner and former colonial ruler that he has said is diminishing as a global superpower. The 12-day “Balikatan” war games that opened on Monday will involve fewer than half the number of soldiers than in 2015, when they were steered by Duterte’s pro-American predecessor, Benigno Aquino. There will also be no focus on boosting the Philippines’ maritime defense capabilities, which in previous years had been widely seen as a show of
strength against Beijing over competing claims in the South China Sea. Duterte has reversed Aquino’s policy of challenging China forcefully on the territorial row, electing to instead pursue closer economic, political and military relations with Beijing. While on a trip to Beijing last year Duterte, a self-described socialist, announced that he was in the “ideological flow” of China’s communist rulers. Much of Duterte’s criticism appeared to have been triggered by American criticism of his drug war, which has claimed thousands of lives and been
condemned by rights groups as a possible crime against humanity. - Focus on China, Russia Duterte responded to criticism from then-US President Barack Obama by describing him using an offensive epithet and threatening to sever defense relations completely between the two nations. Bilateral ties have warmed under Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, but Duterte has continued to signal his preference for building stronger relations with China and Russia. Duterte is due next week to visit China for a second time as leader, and is also expected this month to travel to Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Duterte last week said he may be too busy to accept an invitation by Trump to visit Washington, even though no date had been proposed for the trip. Previous editions of the Balikatan exercises involved large-
scale joint operations in or near the South China Sea, which China claims nearly in its entirety. This year the exercises will focus only on counter-terrorism and disaster relief, the heads of the Philippine and US delegations said at the opening ceremony at the national military headquarters in Manila. They will involve 2,600 American soldiers and 2,800 Filipino troops, according to both sides. This is down from 12,000 in the 2015 edition of Balikatan, which means shoulder-to-shoulder. The American co-director of this year’s Balikatan, Lieutenant General Lawrence Nicholson, said the US military hoped the exercises would grow again in future editions. “If you look back on 33 years of Balikatan, they are all different. There are any number of ways it can change. It can be bigger, it can be smaller. We hope it gets bigger,” Nicholson told reporters.
I’m old, but I’m alive—Imelda UP prof urges govt to mine scandium ILOCOS Norte Rep. Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, wearing a green Filipiniana, attended Monday’s session at the House of Representatives—very much still alive. Hours before that, Bacoor Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla posted a message on her Twitter account, extending her “condolences over Marcos’ death.’’ “It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with Cong. Imelda Romualdez Marcos,” Mercado-Revilla said in her tweet.
The mayor eventually took down her post and apologized for the faux pas. “I would like to apologize for my tweet which I have erased. I have received a news break message informing the public about Mrs. Marcos.” The 87-year-old Marcos laughed off the hoax and Mercado-Revilla’s tweets. “I may be old but I’m alive,” said the former first lady. The widow of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos is turning 88 on July 2. Maricel Cruz
MV AMAZING GRACE. The latest addition to the Philippine Red Cross’ emergency response fleet, the m/v Amazing Grace will embark on a voyage that would bring hope and relief to Filipinos in dire straits. PRC Chairman Richard Gordon says the ship can carry up to 120 passengers, 20 vehicles and has a 35-ton freight capacity.
By Anna Leah E. Gonzales AROROY, Masbate—A professor of the University of the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sciences has urged the government and the private sector to study the potential of mining scandium in the country, a rare element found in nickel ore. “I discovered that the nickel we are selling to China contains scandium, which is more expensive than gold. We have a very good chance of becoming big on scandium,” university professor Carlo Arcilla said. Scandium, which is considered a rare earth element, is used for high-technology batteries as well as to increase the heat tolerance of aluminum. “Most of our airplanes are made of aluminum but you cannot weld it because of its low tolerance to heat. Russians have discovered that when you mix scandium and aluminum, it has a much higher heat tolerance,” he said. “The market price of scandium is currently at $170 per gram,” Arcilla added. The Philippines is one of the largest producers of nickel in the world, most of which are shipped to China. Arcilla said the Department of Science and Technology has agreed to give P10 million in
research fund to examine the scandium content of nickel ores in the country. “The scandium issue is very important because if we can detect very high contents of it, then the next phase will be how to try to recover it given our existing technologies. If it cannot be recovered, too bad. But if we can do something, then we might be able to prevent the export of raw ores and then increase the value added. And that’s exactly the research that DoST and the mining companies should start funding,” he said. Arcilla said China is currently the biggest producer of scandium. “We should know how many percent we are shipping there without knowing. By the end of this year, we will quantify and then we will also study other potentials. We will also try to look at the presence of other rare earth elements,” he said. “In my mind, we really have to develop our nickel industry for us to have steel. I am almost certain that every nickel mine has scandium. If we will be able to recover scandium, the economics for the nickel recovery will be increased. That would be for value adding,” added Arcilla.
IN BRIEF NGCP vows MM energy security THE National Grid Corporation of the Philippines today said that it remains committed to support the growth, development and energy security of the western part of Metro Manila. The statement came following reports of indignation on the court order for the Social Security System to vacate the 7.5-hectare property in Pasay City where the pension fund also holds offices. The court order was in favor of the NGCP for its infrastructure project. “The Pasay substation is a critical infrastructure project that will support the growth, development and energy security of the Western part of Metro Manila,” NGCP said, adding that it will “comply with orders of the court including just compensation to SSS once it is determined in accordance with the existing laws.” NGCP is eyeing a 6.08-hectare part of the Pasay property to construct 230kv substation project aimed at improving its power quality and system reliability. The property is located at the prime Financial Center Area along Diokno Avenue in Pasay City.
Floirendo loses House post DAVAO del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. on Monday was removed as vice chairman of the House of Representatives’ contingent to the Commission on Appointments. House deputy majority leader Juan Pablo Bondoc of Pampanga announced in plenary session that Floirendo, belonging to President Duterte’s PDP-Laban, will be replaced by Zamboanga Rep. Seth Frederick Jalosjos of the Nacionalista Party. Since Jaloslos belongs to NP, the House leadership appointed Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III as the officer in charge for the PDP-Laban’s allocation in the CA. Albano, a member of the PDP-Laban, currently holds the position of majority leader for the CA’s House contingent. Floirendo is among the House members who were absent during the voting of the death penalty bill last March 7. Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier said the House leadership had to enforce a “toe the party line” policy on administration measures like the death penalty bill. Floirendo, who was in dispute with Alvarez on the issue involving Floirendo’s Tagum Agricultural Development Co., was the 13th lawmakers who was stripped of their juicy positions for failure to support the death penalty bill. Maricel V. Cruz