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FAITH IN MOTION Millions of devotees joined the procession of the Black Nazarene that started at Quirino Grandstand in Manila going to Quiapo Church at Thursday’s Feast of the Black Nazarene. Story in Nation, page A4. ROY DOMINGO
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Friday, January 10, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 92
PHL pushes trade deal with US amid conflicts $18.69B I By Elijah Felice E. Rosales
Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said on Thursday the government will pursue the trade deal with the US this year in spite of the geopolitical and trade issues it is currently engaged in. He explained that economic partnerships that
benefit people should be treated separately. “Yes,” Lopez replied when asked if the proposed FTA with the US will push through, adding that a “trade deal that will be mutually beneficial should be pursued and
treated separately.” The US is trying to strike a deal with China to end their trade conflict that dates back to 2018 when Washington increased duties on washing machines and solar panels and, subsequently, on steel and
GROWTH NOT SEEN AT FASTER THAN 6.2% UNTIL 2022, SAYS WB
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By Cai U. Ordinario
aluminum. In 2018 the country slapped a 25-percent tariff on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports. The US was also engaged in a military standoff with Iran before President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday backed away from further escalation. See “Trade deal,” A2
See “Growth,” A2
Two-way trade between the Philippines and the US in 2018, rising 7.16 percent from $17.44 billion in 2017, per PSA data. Exports to the US jumped over 10 percent to $10.63 billion, from $9.66 billion, making Washington the country’s largest export destination
Japan adds ₧2B to loan for 2 key Metro bridges By Recto Mercene
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@rectomercene
WO key bridges spanning the Pasig River have been refinanced by Japan to ensure they would survive the “Big One.” Tokyo also injected new money to finish the country’s first subway system, connecting Quezon City to Southern Metro Manila, ending at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia). “Just moments ago, Minister Motegi [Toshimitsu] and I exchanged diplomatic notes on the Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic improvement project. The project will reinforce our bridges, bringing them to superior seismic design specifications and making them resilient to largescale tremors,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said during a joint meeting with his
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visiting Japanese counterpart at a hotel in Makati. In Metro Manila, the Big One applies to a scenario wherein movements along the Valley Fault System could trigger a 7.2-magnitude quake, causing widespread damage to weak infrastructure. The Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project will improve the resilience of two major and very busy bridges, Lambingan Bridge in Manila’s Sixth District, and Guadalupe Bridge along Edsa in Makati City, through the incorporation of improved seismic bridge design specifications. “The project thus supports the integrity of our arterial road network, contributes to secure and more sustainable economic and social development in Metro Manila, and enhances resilience in case of large-scale earthquakes in the National Capital Region,” the DFA said in a statement. Continued on A2
@caiordinario
HE Philippine economy is not expected to grow faster than 6.2 percent for the rest of President Duterte’s term, according to the World Bank. Based on the January 2020 Global Economic Prospects (GEP), the World Bank said the Philippine economy is projected to post a growth of 6.1 this year and 6.2 percent in 2021 and 2022. For 2019, GDP is expected to post a 5.8-percent growth, below government expectations. Growth is expected to moderate in the country, including the entire region, on the back of the slowdown in China and the “lingering impact of trade tensions.” This outlook, the World Bank said, is “predicated on no renewed escalation of trade tensions between China and the United States and a gradual stabilization in global trade.” It added, “it also assumes that authorities in China continue to implement monetary and fiscal policies to offset the negative impact of weakening exports.” The government’s growth targets for this year until 2022 is 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent. The targets for 2021 and 2022 were downgraded from 7 percent to 8 percent. The World Bank also made similar downward revisions on its GDP projections for 2019 to 2021. This is the first time the World Bank released its projection for 2022.
@alyasjah
N spite of the geopolitical tensions and trade conflicts that Washington is facing, the Philippines will keep on pushing for a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the United States as part of the country’s goal of expanding market options for exporters.
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2020 budget passage to boost growth –Moody’s
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FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Japan Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi shake hands after holding a bilateral meeting in Manila on Thursday (January 9) to discuss new areas of expanding the robust bilateral relationship between the Philippines and Japan and the progress of the infrastructure projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program that are being implemented with funding and technical support from Japan. See related story in Companies, “Development of Subic Bay to benefit East Asia–DOF,” page B1. HANDOUT PHOTO FROM D.O.F.
HE timely passage of the country’s 2020 spending plan has been deemed as “credit positive” by Moody’s Investors Service, citing the development’s effect on overall growth for the year. In a statement on Thursday, the credit watcher said the government’s passage of the budget early this year—as opposed to the 2019 budget which was approved in April—will bode well for the country’s growth momentum. On January 6, President Duterte signed into law the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which appropriates P4.1 trillion for the national government. “At P4.1 trillion, the spending package is 12 percent higher than the P3.7 trillion allocated in the 2019 budget and will help sustain the Philippines’s rapid economic growth against an uncertain global backdrop, Continued on A12
US 50.9560 n JAPAN 0.4670 n UK 66.7473 n HK 6.5535 n CHINA 7.3364 n SINGAPORE 37.7284 n AUSTRALIA 34.9813 n EU 56.5968 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5847
Source: BSP (9 January 2020)
News
BusinessMirror
A2 Friday, January 10, 2020
DOE warns of disrupted oil imports on Mideast trouble
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By Lenie Lectura
@llectura
HE country’s oil importation from the Middle East could be affected should tension in the Middle East intensify, the Department of Energy (DOE) has warned.
“In the event the situation escalates and Iran considers the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the event of a broader war, the country’s oil importation from the Middle East may be affected,” the DOE said on Thursday. The total importation of liquid fuel from Middle East is around 30.36 percent of the total 2019 average country importation while the total 2019 average LPG importation is around 34.35 percent. For jet fuel, the total importation in the same period stood at around 27.94 percent of the total 2019 average country importation. In all, “the total 2019 average petroleum products importation from Middle East is around 30.55 percent of the total 2019 average country importation,” data from the DOE stated. The agency has crafted a contingency plan following an emergency meeting with oil companies last
Cimatu. . .
Continued from A12
Lorenzana called the meeting to “finetune” and coordinate the repatriation plan for the Filipinos in the Middle East in light of the tensions in Iraq and Iran. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año,Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, and Cimatu, together with the representatives of other member-agencies, attended the committee meeting. “The prime consideration of the plan is the safety and welfare of Filipinos in Iran, Iraq, and other neighboring countries, who may be affected by the current situation in the Middle East,” DND Spokesman Director Arsenio Andolong said. The AFP has already been directed to stand ready to deploy assets and personnel to help Filipinos in affected countries return home. The government is also seriously considering the use of commercial aircraft and ships due to the potentially large number of evacuees. “The Committee will be constantly monitoring the situation between the United States and Iran, and further updates will be provided as soon as they become available,” Andolong said.
‘Best time is now’
IN Cimatu’s view, “the best time to evacuate Filipinos out of Iraq is now, while airports are still operating and the roads are clear; while there are still no military operations.” Cimatu said a worst-case scenario is a simultaneous attack by Tehran targeting US Embassies outside Iraq, such as in Doha and Bahrain. He said this means military operations become inevitable, airport operations may cease and road blockades put up—making the Filipinos’ exit from conflict areas harder. Hence, he said the plan to forcibly evacuate Filipinos out of Iraq stays, and it applies even in the case of Iran and Lebanon, saying they are not taking any chances as the situation may eventually get worse anytime, any day. “We are hoping for the best but we would rather err on the side of safety,” he said. “Over preparation is better than under preparation,” he said. Cimatu said he has instructions to move out some 1,600 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) including some undocumented ones,“while the Baghdad airports and roads are still open.” If the “worst-scenario occurs, we will never go wrong if we move now.” In Doha, Cimatu will meet government representatives and the rapid response team in Qatar to discuss how they will move out the OFWs out of Iraq despite the easing of tension to the region, when Trump did not respond
January 7. The meeting, said the DOE, was called to let the players give their respective updates on current supply situation, including the supply constraints and transport difficulties being experienced from the Middle East, and preparations being undertaken by oil firms in case there will be blockades at the Strait of Hormuz. “The Oil Contingency Plan was developed by the DOE to address oil supply disruption, taking into consideration different scenarios and levels of supply cut. The implementation scheme radiates from the national to the local levels with measures ranging from fuel conservation and substitution to fuel allocation and rationing,” said the DOE. Oil firms are required to maintain a minimum inventory level (MIL) of in-country stocks: 30 days for oil refiners, 15 days for bulk to Iran’s rain of missiles on Baghdad facilities hosting US troops. “We will discuss the plan for the repatriation of OFWs in some areas affected by the level 4 mandatory annoucement. Level 4 means mandatory repatriation,” he said, “as we will coordinate logistic requirements for the repatriation,”Cimatu said during a press briefing at the airport’s dignitaries lounge. “Assuming Baghdad is closed, we will go to Erbil but there is no direct flight to Manila so the OFWs will have to fly to Qatar and Dubai.... I was told there are some airlines still operating and roads are still open so we will take the opportunity to move out our people in Iraq.” Cimatu said the worst-case scenario for the ongoing repatriation efforts would be for US bases in and around Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar to be targeted. Every country in the Middle East has its own missiles as the situation is unpredictable; sometimes there are instances of surprise missile attacks, Cimatu said, adding,“They have the option to press the trigger. We have to be ready in case there will be some incidents along the way.” According to Cimatu, the government decided to take the safest route with repatriation given the many other risks involved. He said that repatriation in Lebanon was not necessarily because of the tension between the US and Iran, but that they were simply “preparing for possible actions of Hezbollah, a militant group there.” Once in Doha, Cimatu said he will immediately call a meeting with Philippine Embassy officials there. He said he needs to know details of how embassy officials in Baghdad plan to start moving Filipinos out of Iraq. So far, he said around 1,600 Filipinos are registered and ready for repatriation. He wants to know: what vehicles are available and how many can they transport safely, the routes to be used and how to move Filipinos to the Baghdad Airport; and, in case flights are canceled, how to get out of Baghdad to the nearest airport as soon as possible. “We are preparing for the worst but hope for the best,” Cimatu said. He said in Lebanon, because of the tension now, it is best to prepare the repatriation. The presence of a proxy of Iran in the area “might change the complexion of the repatriation plan in Lebanon. “Right now, the repatriation in Lebanon is because of labor issues. But because of this tension, we must expedite the repatriation,” he said. “We cannot wait for postponement out of Lebanon,” he said, adding that the nature of the conflict is unpredictable. “Anything can happen. The problem is also the time of the attack. We cannot wait so we need to move them out before the situation deteriorates,” he said. With Recto L. Mercene and Samuel P. Medenilla
suppliers; and seven days for LPG players.
Scenarios
IN a scenario where “Happening of Disruption Event is imminent,” the DOE will require the oil firms to increase and maintain a (MIL) of 60 days’ consumption level based on the past three months’ average on all types of petroleum products per refinery and per depot. In an event where “Disruption actually happened and supply cut becomes real,” the NSC, with the assistance of the OCTF as its secretariat, shall temporarily take over the operation of the downstream oil industry to implement fuel rationing, prohibit exports, direct price freeze and price ceiling, implementation of conservation measures and alternative sources of fuel. During the meeting, the oil firms said there were no issues on oil supply disruption nor difficulties were yet being encountered. The only concern they relayed to the DOE is the impact of the current situation on prices of petroleum products. The DOE said their inventories are “healthy at levels above the minimum inventory requirement”.
Inventory report
MEANWHILE, 14 oil companies and a few LPG (liquefied petroleum
Water deals. . . Continued from A12
“[The Palace should make sure that] it is not eschewed for groups and individuals close to the President. It should not be a shotgun deal,”said Zarate, apparently referring to critics’ speculation that the game change in the water sector may be intended to take out the two existing concessionaires and allow the entry of new players with close ties to the Palace. “If the Duterte administration is sincere in nationalizing the water sector then it should do so now and not just use it as a threat for a shakedown,” added Zarate. Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera of Bagong Henerasyon also asked Malacañang to publish in full, on its official Facebook pages and possibly in a newspaper of general circulation, the new water contracts. “I believe full transparency and disclosure are necessary for this issue of great magnitude. The Filipino people must never again be forced to suffer the consequences of onerous and unconstitutional water service contracts,” she said. Herrera also asked Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to issue anti-monopoly regulations covering all public utilities, including water districts and electricity service jurisdictions nationwide.
Take-home pay. . . Angara gave assurances on Thursday that the biggest increases would apply to employees with salary grades 11 to 13 or the professional level, who will see a 24.1-percent jump in their compensation in 2020 and to 30.7 percent in 2023; while subprofessional levels or employees with salary grades 1 to 10 will see increases of 17.5 percent in 2019 to 20.5 percent in 2023. In a statement, the senator clarified that the SSL-5, signing of which was announced by Malacañang late Wednesday, will be implemented in four tranches, “starting this year and culminating in 2023.” Angara added that a total of P33.16 billion was allocated in the P4.1-trillion General Appropriations Act of 2020 to cover for the first tranche of salary increases under the SSL-5. For all four tranches, the total funding requirement will reach P130.45 billion, he said. According to the senator, this is the fulfillment of President Duterte’s promise to increase the salaries of public servants, acknowledging that, “It is our hardworking men and women in government who
gas) distributors handed over to the DOE their inventory report on petroleum products, the agency said Thursday. The DOE said it is still collating the data, a day after imposing the January 8 deadline on oil companies. Based on initial data, these oil firms submitted their oil inventories: Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell, Phoenix Petroleum, Seaoil Philippines, PTT Philippines, Chevron Philippines, Filoil, Insular, Jetti, Microdragon, Petrotrade, SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp., Unioil, RK3. LPG players that complied with the DOE directive are Pryce Gas, SPI and Petron. The DOE has directed the oil firms to use up their 2019 oil inventories before applying the last tranche of tax increases under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law that took effect January 1, 2020. Oil firms with the capability to refine crude oil in the country keep a 30-day inventory. The crude oil needs to be refined, which will result in the finished product that is then sent to various service stations and then sold to consumers. DOE figures show that gasoline prices will increase by P1.12 per liter, diesel by P1.68 per liter, kerosene by P1.12 per liter and LPG by P1.12 per kilo. “These anti-monopoly regulations should head off any ongoing and future attempts to establish public utility monopolies outside of Metro Manila,” she added.
Backroom
MEANWHILE, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas criticized President Duterte’s backroom renegotiation of the water concession contracts with Maynilad and Manila Water. “Why is the President keeping the details of the alleged new water deals out of public’s sight? And, more important, why is Duterte so compromising in his stand this time instead of fully renationalizing the water services, which is first and foremost a public utility?” said Brosas. “Malacañang and the OSG [Office of the Solicitor General] should at least release a copy of the proposed new contract to dispel any drop of doubt that the backroom talks come with backroom benefits,” she added. Earlier, Duterte exhorted Maynilad and Manila Water to accept a new deal with the government without any onerous provision. According to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, it may take six months to finalize the water distribution deal with Manila Water and Maynilad. Manila Water is a subsidiary of the Ayala Corp., while businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific Investments Corp. owns a controlling stake in Maynilad.
Continued from A12
ensure that our children are getting the proper education, infants and mothers in all communities are given the appropriate health services, roads and bridges are constructed; in other words, keeping our government up and running all the time.” Under SSL-5, the lowest salary grade level employee, who is receiving P11,068 a month, will enjoy an increase in his compensation to P11,551 in 2020, to P12.034 in 2021, to P12,517 in 2022, and to P13,000 in 2023. For Salary Grade 11 employees, which includes the entry-level teachers, the law provides that their salaries shall increase from P20,754 a month to P22,316 in 2020; and subsequently to P23,877 (2021), P25,439 (2022), and P27,000 (2023). The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the 2020 national budget, signed on January 6, has allocated P34 billion for the implementation of the first tranche of the SSL this year. It will issue the necessary guidelines to implement specific provisions of RA 11466.
Butch Fernandez and Samuel P. Medenilla
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Japan adds P2B to loan for 2 key Metro bridges Continued from A1
The original loan agreement amounting to ¥9,783,000,000 (roughly P4.5 billion) was signed on August 25, 2015. This current project responds to an increase in total project cost and the extension of the project implementation period by one year and eight months until August 2023. “The cost increase is due to changes in construction technology to be applied onto Guadalupe Bridge, the need for temporary detour bridges in Guadalupe, and the need for additional work shifts to the construction period, among others. Japan, through Jica [Japan International Cooperation Agency], is thus providing a supplemental loan amount of ¥4,409,000,000 [P2 billion].” Locsin added that an important aspect of Philippine economic cooperation with Japan pertains to infrastructure cooperation. He noted that in the remaining three years of President Duterte, “infrastructure will figure even more prominently in our ties.” The DFA chief added, “Buttressed by dialogues between our respective economic managers, I welcome Minister Motegi’s pledge of continued substantial, financial, and technical support under the most concessional terms as only Japan can offer as the Duterte administration goes into the final push in our infrastructure drive.” Locsin added: “This is an era that will see the revival of the age of rail in our country beginning with our first subway in the NorthSouth Commuter Railway.” Motegi said Japan strongly supports the “Build, Build, Build” program of the Philippine government, and will provide support in the field of railways “which is now [being revived] towards easing the traffic jam in Metro Manila.” He said “many people in the Philippines”keenly await the rail projects. He said he and Locsin have signed and exchanged diplomatic notes “on additional yen credit for reinforcement of major bridges in Metro Manila against earthquakes.” Japan, he said, “wishes to cooperate by leveraging on our knowledge in responding to natural disasters which is a common challenge for both our countries.” Motegi said his country welcomes the lifting
Trade deal. . . Continued from A1
On January 3, Trump authorized an airstrike that killed Major Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, at Baghdad’s Airport. Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing American soldiers, which Tehran claimed to be the conclusion of their countermeasures. “Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world,” Trump said. Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr. said this might be the best time to iron out a trade deal with Washington—at a period it is overwhelmed with issues. The US, as a consequence of the geopolitical and trade conflicts hounding it, will be forced to strengthen its political and economic ties with its remaining allies here in Asia. As the US is pushed over the edge, Ortiz-Luis said the Philippines can bring out its demands at the negotiating table and might compel its long-standing trading partner to concur. “Free-trade agreements, I don’t see any downside in it. As a matter of fact, it might be easier now to do it, considering that they are also beleaguered by China’s offensive [and] they might be willing to [make some compromises],” Ortiz-Luis told the BusinessM irror. “We are practically their last bastion in this end of the world,” he argued. “If they are able to come up, it might be cheaper for us to be able to enter. I think we should pursue it.”
Growth. . .
Continued from A1
The largest downgrade was in 2019 at 0.6 percentage points from 6.4 percent while the 2020 and 2021 forecasts were cut by 0.4 and 0.3, respectively. Official GDP growth data will be released before the end of January. The primary growth drivers for the Philippine economy this year until 2022 include strong domestic demand, supportive financial conditions, low inflation and robust capital flows. The economy of the Philippines and Thailand, the World Bank said, will also benefit
of the import ban of food products from Japan by the Philippines. “The ban was introduced after the incident after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. With this lifting, we hope that safe food from Fukushima, as well as other parts of Japan will reach many people in the Philippines.” “Secretary Locsin and I were able to deepen our discussion from such perspectives and agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in wide areas including security and enforcement of the laws of the seas,” he said, adding that they discussed not only the bilateral issues but also issues in the Middle East as well as other regional issues. “We had a very candid and frank discussion about the situation in North Korea. We agreed to closely work together for the complete denuclearization of North Korea, including the full implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions,” added the Japanese official. Locsin recalled that in 2017, President Duterte had described the Philippine-Japan Strategic Partnership as having entered a “golden age.” Motegi’s visit adds further to that golden friendship, which remains one of the region’s closest and strongest, he added. Building on the discussions between President Duterte and Prime Minister Abe in Bangkok, Locsin said, “we talked of the state of our cooperation in defense and maritime security, ODA, in infrastructure, and people to people exchanges. I expressed abiding appreciation of the government and indeed, of the entire indissoluble Philippine Republic of which the Bangsamoro is an integral part, for Japan’s generous and untiring support for Mindanao.” Motegi said Japan welcomes the lifting of martial law in Mindanao at the end of last year and said Tokyo will support activities for disarmament and the retirement of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) soldiers,“and we will strengthen support for social infrastructure which will enable people in Mindanao to actually feel the benefits of peace.” Japan’s top diplomat noted the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Games will be held in Tokyo this year and said Japan welcomes many athletes as well as tourists to visit Japan.
First, the time table
AMERICAN Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) Senior Advisor John D. Forbes called on the Philippine and US governments to begin negotiations this year. First things first, however, he said: they should agree on the time table of the FTA talks. “In our view, the two governments must agree on the timing for negotiations as dictated by the state of bilateral relations. AmCham has always supported having a bilateral or plurilateral FTA, including our two countries. We would be pleased if some talks could occur in 2020,” Forbes told the B usiness M irror. Two-way trade between the Philippines and the US in 2018 rose 7.16 percent to $18.69 billion, from $17.44 billion in 2017, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. The PSA data also showed exports to the US jumped over 10 percent to $10.63 billion, from $9.66 billion, making Washington the country’s largest export destination to beat Japan, Hong Kong, China and Singapore. The Philippines is enjoying preferential treatment from the US under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), allowing it to ship a total of 5,057 products, or nearly half of the 10,600 US tariff lines, to Washington at zero or minimal tariff. However, Manila could soon lose this dutyfree trading once it is classified as an upper middle economy by the World Bank. The government is targeting to transform the Philippines into an upper middle economy by 2022 under President Duterte’s development plan; therefore, the country could squander its GSP status by that year. from large public infrastructure projects that will be implemented until 2022. “Even though most large countries have generally sound economic fundamentals— track records of solid growth, fast labor productivity growth, large consumer bases, diversified economies, sound policy frameworks, and strong policy buffers—the region remains vulnerable to risks related to abrupt changes in global financial conditions,” the World Bank, however, said. The Washington-based lender said global economic growth is forecast to edge up to 2.5 percent in 2020 as investment and trade gradually recover from last year’s significant weakness but downward risks persist.
A4 Friday, January 10, 2020 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug
The Nation BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
‘Traslación’ 2020 innovations, reforms get high marks By Samuel P. Medenilla, @sam_medenilla
Rene Acosta
@reneacostaBM
& Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco Correspondent
A
N improved and relatively wellorganized Traslación 2020, at least on its initial phase, was held on Thursday, thanks to the innovations introduced by organizers. Foremost of the said reform was the inclusion of more uniformed government personnel, who were tapped to secure the revered Black Nazarene statue of Quiapo Church in its andas (palanquin) and its surrounding routes forming the so-called andas wall. The Traslación procession started early leaving the Quirino Grandstand at the Rizal Park, at 4:15 a.m., instead of its usual time of 5 a.m. or 5:30 a.m. in previous episodes. It reached Manila Hotel at around 4:26 a.m. surprising Hijos del Nazareno Nuestro Padre Hesus Nazareno (NPJN) president Zaldy Bernabe. The Hijos del Nazareno is a group of dedicated devotees, who help in organizing Black Nazarene activities.
Mixed reaction
THE 42-year-old barangay chairman told the BusinessMirror it usually
takes about an hour to achieve the same feat in past Traslación. The swifter movement of the annual procession, he said, minimized incidents shoving and struggle by devotees to approach and touch the Black Nazarene. Bernabe, 47, was among the Black Nazarene devotee, who was pleased by the change. “This is an achievement for our country...they should do this again next year,” Bernabe said. However, there were procession participants, who opposed the increased police and military presence in the procession since it barred them from being able to do their traditional Traslación activities. “I was unable to climb and push the andas, as well as hold the rope [to pull it],” Charles Bondok, one of the disgruntled Black Nazarene devotee said.
Expected slowdown
THE procession passed through Ayala Bridge—one of the major change in the route of the 2020 Traslación this year and reached Palanca Street in Quiapo at exactly 8 a.m. The narrower Palanca Street, however, forced the procession to move at a snail’s pace and forced the uniformed government personnel to finally turnover the task of escorting
the andas to the Hijos del Nazareno. Citing his initial assessment of the annual event, Quiapo Church Rector and Parish Priest Msgr. Hernando “Ding” M. Coronel welcomed the deployment for the first time of Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Philippine Coast Guard personnel in the Traslación. “Every year we are trying to improve with the help of many agencies...this time it was smoother. In the beginning, it was very smooth as you noticed,” Coronel said. Coronel accompanied the andas for the first time this year to show solidarity with the senior officials of PNP, AFP, and BFP that spearheaded the “andas wall.” “It is leaning experience for us,” he added. He said they will be conducting a comprehensive study of the results of the 2020 Traslación to determine which of its components, including the andas wall, which they may apply to same activity next year.
Good results
AS of this writing, the PNP said it is hoping that the security implemented by policemen in the Traslación, will continue to yield good results until the image is returned to the Basilica of the Black
Nazarene in Quiapo. The PNP noted that the procession is going smoothly as they have prepared in coordination with church officials, as the andas moved around Quiapo on its way to the church. Officials were hoping that the procession would be over, at the earliest by 6 p.m. or 9 p.m. at the latest. “Now that andas has already moved within the Quiapo area at the shortest period of time, the PNP leadership notes the commendable restraint and sacrifice by National Capital Region Police Office personnel under Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas in the way they handled the crowd and call upon them to maintain maximum tolerance and tight security posture until the Traslación 2020 is over,” the PNP said in a statement through its spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac. By past 8 a.m., the Traslación has already crossed the Ayala Bridge, joined by a large crowd, which police estimated to have swelled to more than 2 million as of 9 a.m. Several devotees, however, complained that they have not been allowed to get through the moving andas and touched the image due to the tight security implemented by the policemen. “We understand how some devotees feel frustrated for not being
able to show their devotion the way they traditionally used to do it due to tight security,” the PNP said. “But like any introduction of change, we can always expect a level of resistance. In order to manage expectations, this change in security measures was disseminated way ahead of time through the media and also during the planning and rehearsals,” it added. “We appeal to all devotees to remain calm, continue to cooperate and not harm the police security detail,” it also said. As of 2 p.m., Banac said they have yet to receive any reports of “untoward incident,” except with reports of some devotees sustaining minor injuries. Last year, the procession, which took 21 hours to complete a 6.1-kilometer route from the Rizal Park to the Quiapo church, was attended by around 4 million devotees. Only a single incident of pickpocketing marked the whole festivity.
Trash
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) collected at least 12 truckloads of trash after a million devotees participated in the procession. MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim said that clearing operations begun as the procession moved along the route of Traslación.
As of 2 p.m., street sweepers of the MMDA who followed the procession have already collected truckloads of garbage. “Our personnel positioned themselves at the tail of the procession to efficiently gather trash immediately. A dump truck of the Manila City government was dispatched,” said Lim. Trash collected was composed mainly of plastic food wrappers, empty water bottles, styrofoam and other food packaging. The piles of trash will be hauled to Pier 18 in Manila City. Lim noted that about 1,000 personnel of the agency are still on duty in their respective areas of assignment as the procession of the Black Nazarene moves. “Our personnel will remain in their respective assignments until the image of the Black Nazarene arrives at the Quiapo Church and until every trash left by devotees are collected,” said Lim. MMDA traffic personnel served as guides from the Quirino Grandstand and along the procession route to ensure the safety of the devotees. Members of the Metropolitan Public Safety Office, headed by Michael Salalima, rendered medical assistance to 173 persons who suffered minor injuries, and complained of dizziness and difficulty in breathing.
Accord mandates govt agencies to create info system for fugitives By Joel R. San Juan
V
@jrsanjuan1573
ARIOUS government agencies are set to come up with an integrated information system for the efficient handling of prison records that could help authorities in going after fugitives. The National Justice Information
System (NJIS) will be launched on Friday at the Manila Hotel with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) among the stakeholders. Government agencies involved in the dispensation of justice, such as the Department of Justice (DOJ), that has supervision over the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor); the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), that has supervision over the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP); the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT); the Supreme Court, that has supervision over all the courts; and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) will sign the MOA.
“The NJIS is essentially an information of data portal or network where a lot of different systems relating to prisoners, cases being handled by the judiciary, to research materials on criminal and other prosecutions among others will be housed,” DOJ Undersecretary Markk Perete said. Stakeholders are also expecting that through the NJIS, cases of prisoners overstaying in jail due to inaccurate records will be prevented. Perete said while the NJIS would immediately be operational, they would have to tweak its software component and incorporate the amendments of the good conduct time allowance’s (GCTA) implementing rules and regulations (IRR). Perete noted that there have been instances when the data of the BJMP and the BuCor do not match, thus, causing confusion in the determination of the length of stay of a convicted prisoner in a penitentiary. But with the Single Carpeta Sys-
tem, which is one of the systems under the NJIS that would unify the jail records of BJMP and the BuCor, they would be able to share the records of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). “Before the BuCor and the BJMP have different data on the actual number of days a prisoner was incarcerated. Remember also during the GCTA issue one of the narratives that came up had to do with certain BuCor officials, somehow being able to manage or mismanage the data relating to the length of stay of a prisoner prior to the conviction because that data is with the BJMP,” Perete pointed out. “If the Single Carpeta System under the NJIS was already in place at that time no one can tamper with the numbers because from the very start, when the BJMP already attests, through its records, of a prisoner’s number of days credited preventive imprisonment that would be recognized by the BuCor
and that will be credited to that prisoner in the computation of his entire length of stay,” he added. On NJIS as a tool against fugitives, Perete explained that the system would address the delay in the issuance of lookout bulletin by the BI against persons facing criminal complaints. “For example a certain individual is facing a complaint before a prosecutor’s office, then immediately the legal staff would be able to see that this person is a respondent in a case. Therefore, we should already issue a lookout bulletin against him to be implemented by the BI, so that you can monitor the whereabouts of this particular person,” he said. “If the courts are already part of the NJIS when the court issues a warrant, that would already be part of the information within the NJIS system and that will be shared to all the agencies including the BI,” Perete added.
Tagle leads prayer for peace in ME amid US-Iran tension
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O less than Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on Thursday called for prayers for peace in conflict-stricken Middle East. Tagle started his homily for the midnight Mass of the 2020 Traslación by making the appeal for divine intervention for the deescalation of the tension between the United States and Iran, which is now threatening the security situation in the entire region. On Wednesday, Iran fired missiles against two Iraqi bases with US military forces. This after it earlier threatened retaliatory actions against the US air strike, which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. The development prompted the government to initiate mandatory
repatriation efforts in Iraq and to closely monitor the situation of Filipinos in other Arab countries like Iran and Lebanon. “Let us pray for the safety of our fellow men in the Middle East, and for the desire to destroy others and to take revenge there to subside,” Tagle said. The prelate then asked the participants of the midnight Mass for a moment of silence to give them the chance to pray for the said intention. Tagle then proceeded with a homily focusing on the relevance of the theme of the 2020 Traslación: “Iba’t Ibang Kaloob, Isang Debosyon, Tugong sa Isang Misyon [Different Gifts, One Devotion in Response to the Mission],” to the life of Jesus Christ.
He noted how Jesus Christ fulfilled his mission to save humanity from their sins not out obligation, but out of love. Tagle urged the devotees of the Black Nazarene to emulate the example of Jesus Christ in expressing their faith during Traslación. “For the devotees, devotion should lead to mission. No one can say they cannot carry this mission if they will look into their gifts they received [from God],” Tagle said. Tagle’s eighth year of celebrating the Black Nazarene fiesta Mass as the Manila Archbishop is expected to be his last after he was appointed by Pope Francis as the head of the Vatican-based Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Samuel P. Medenilla
DFA taps top-notch lawyer to handle Villavende case By Recto Mercene @rectomercene
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HE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has tapped a topnotch criminal lawyer in Kuwait to pursue the case against a Kuwaiti couple who are being accused of killing an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) last December 30, 2019. Initial investigation showed the Filipina household service worker
(HSW), Jeanelyn Padernal Villavende, was killed allegedly by her employer’s wife. Reports said she is now behind bars in Kuwait awaiting trial. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., on Wednesday went to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to assist Villavende’s family in receiving her remains and also gave them P100,000, even as he vowed to have the wife prosecuted. “She was just five months in their
employ and her torture began, relieved only by the few seconds she was given for phone calls to her family whose typhoon destroyed dwelling she wanted to rebuild. Then no more calls…,” he added. Villavende’s coffin arrived from Kuwait last Wednesday and was brought to a bonded warehouse for clearance from customs and immigration authorities. Her coffin was brought to the Philippines with the help of the DFA.
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DA unit approves P2-billion loan for millennial farmers
“This is our way to attract the younger generation of Filipinos to be key players in attaining our vision of a foodsecure Philippines with prosperous farmers and fishers.”—Dar
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HE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday said it has approved a P2-billion loan portfolio to attract young Filipino students and entrepreneurs to venture into agriculture, fishery or agribusiness. In a news statement, the DA said the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) Governing Council approved two lending programs that seek to encourage the youth to invest in the agriculture sector. The two programs, with each having an initial budget of P1 billion; are called the Young Agripreneurs Loan Program (YALP), and Micro and Small Agribusiness Loan Program (MSALP). The two programs were approved by the ACPC Governing Council during its 67th Meeting last January 8. The ACPC is an attached agency of the DA. Under the YALP program, agrifishery graduates and young hobbyists aged 15 to 30 years old could borrow start-up funds of up to P500,000 with zero-percent interest, payable in five years, according to the DA. On the other hand, “agri-preneurs” can borrow a working capital for fixed asset acquisition, from P300,000 up to P15 million, for micro and small enterprises through the MSALP program, the DA added. The DA said the two programs will be implemented by the DA-ACPC through the Land Bank of the Philippines, ACPC-accredited cooperative banks, rural banks, cooperatives and viable nongovernment organizations. The two programs would be formally launched by the DA-ACPC before the end of the month. “This is our way to attract the younger generation of Filipinos to be key players in attaining our vision of a food-secure Philippines with prosperous farmers and fishers,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar, who chairs the governing council, said. “We have to replace aging farmers with younger blood—our Pinoy millennials—who are the future of Philippine agriculture,” Dar added. The DA said the ACPC will tap technical experts from the state universities and colleges, DA’s Agricultural Training Institute, and the Department of Trade and Industry to train, and mentor, the young borrowers, and micro and small agripreneurs, to complement their new loan programs. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Friday, January 10, 2020 A5
PHL eases entry of Japan farm goods
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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
@jearcalas
HE Department of Agriculture (DA) has eased the importation of various commodities from Japan, after it concluded that the radionuclide level of certain farm goods from the East Asian nation is not harmful to humans. The DA issued Memorandum Order 1, Series of 2020, dated January 8, that authorized the
lifting of prevailing additional import requirements for bringing in certain Japanese commodities.
The DA explained that its attached agency the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) and its ad hoc Task Force on Radionuclide “carried out a food safety risk assessment of radionuclide in fresh agricultural commodities” from Japan. These commodities include beef, apple and pear. “The food safety risk assessment concludes that there is no significant food safety threat on fish, apple pears and beef imported from Japan,” the MO read. Through the MO, the DA pointed out that certificates of radiation analysis and origin are no longer
required for the importation of the three agricultural commodities from Japan. Nonetheless, the MO required the Japanese government to submit an “annual radionuclide monitoring results, certified and signed by their competent authority to continuously ensure the safety of imported commodities.” The MO, which took effect immediately, revoked MOs 12 and 14 that were issued in 2011 regarding importation of Japanese farm goods. MO 12 of 2011 required importers to accompany their shipments of plants, planting materials and
Swedish pork compliant with PHL quarantine and meat inspection procedures–agri dept
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HE Department of Agriculture (DA) has approved the application of Sweden to export pork to the Philippines after the European country was able to comply with the government’s quarantine and meat inspection system procedures. The DA issued Department Order 14, Series of 2019, which was made public recently. The order, in effect, granted Sweden a system accreditation to be an exporter of frozen chilled pork meat to the Philippines. The DA said an inspection mission were sent to Sweden to inspect, and audit, the country’s foreign meat establishments (FME) that would export pork to the Philippines. “The government of Sweden has complied with the requirements provided in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health [Office International des Epizooties, or OIE],” the order read. “After thorough evaluation, the application of the government of
Sweden for system accreditation to export pork meat into the Philippines has been found satisfactory and acceptable,” the order added. The DO noted that the DA’s Accreditation Review Body recommended the system accreditation of Sweden last October 2019 through its Resolution 2019-005 dated October 1, 2019. The accreditation granted to Sweden is valid until October 7, 2022, according to the document. Sweden could now export pork carcasses and half-carcasses, hams, shoulders, pork cuts, edible offal, livers, among others to the Philippines, according to the order. The Philippines’s has a fast-growing demand for animal protein driven by higher purchasing power and rising population, making it attractive to more exporters, according to industry sources and experts. Despite the increase in global pork prices, the country’s meat imports managed to rise by over 2 percent in January to September 2019, due
largely to the double-digit hike in the purchases of imported poultry, government data showed. Figures from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) indicated that the Philippines’s meat imports during the nine-month period went up by 2.4 percent to 613,102.546 metric tons, from 598,676.082 MT last year. The nearly 14-percent hike in chicken imports and 19.12-percent expansion in beef imports were able to offset the 8.36-percent drop in pork imports due to higher global prices, BAI data showed. Pork imports, which accounted for 41.57 percent of total volume, fell to 254,889.809 MT, from last year’s 278,167.271 MT. The country’s imports of all cuts of pork, except for rind/skin used for making chicharron, declined by as much as 30 percent. Pork cuts imports declined 30 percent to 39,643.942 MT from 56,680.626 MT, while purchases of pork bellies, used for making ham, fell 12.43 percent to 27,682.081 MT. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
Clark Airport’s new terminal building 93.31% complete and ready by mid-2020, DOTr says By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
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HE construction of the new passenger terminal building at the Clark International Airport is well under way, and is set to be completed by mid-2020. In a media advisory, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the construction works for the new terminal is now at 93.31 percent finished. “At present, the site preparation works; earth works; foundation and substructure works; superstructure works; hollow core slab, and the
roof structure and sheeting are all completed,” the advisory read. What remains to be finished are the exterior finishes, ancillary facilities, the deployment of specialist systems and equipment, and landside works. “Once finished by mid-2020, the new passenger terminal building will boost and triple the current passenger capacity, from 4.2 million to 12.2 million passengers annually,” the advisory read. Megawide Construction Corp. and Indian partner GMR Infrastructure Ltd. won the P9.36-billion contract to build the terminal in December 2017. After the Ninoy Aquino Internation-
al Airport (Naia) in Manila, Clark is the second main gateway to Luzon. It has a rated capacity of roughly 4 million passengers per year. North Luzon Airport Consortium —composed of Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc., Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc. and Changi Airports Philippines Pte. Ltd.—operates the airport. “These developments at Clark International Airport is seen not just to help ease congestion at Naia, but also to generate various jobs and push for economic growth in North and Central Luzon,” the advisory read.
EU regulation pushed for PHL e-cigarettes industry
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HE government has been urged to adopt a regulatory framework being used by the European Union (EU) to govern the local e-cigarette industry. “The best example of a comprehensive and fully implemented regulatory framework on e-cigarettes is the Tobacco Products Directive [TPD] of the European Union,” said Dr. Konstantinos E. Farsalinos, an adjunct professor at the King Abdulaziz University; and researcher at Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, University of Patras, and National School of Public Health, all in Greece. The TPD was promulgated in 2014, and adopted into the national legislation of all EU member-states in 2016. It regulates e-cigarettes under a separate section that does not classify them as tobacco products. “This is appropriate because e-cigarettes do not contain any tobacco. All e-cigarette products in the EU are marketed as consumer products with limited restrictions. The Philippines has an opportunity to use the TPD as a guide in creating an e-cigarette regulatory
framework that will maximize public health benefits and minimize potential risks,” stressed Farsalinos. He urged local legislators to consider several principles in creating an appropriate e-cigarette regulatory framework. A risk-proportionate and realistic regulatory framework will help maximize the use of e-cigarettes as an effective harm reduction and smoking cessation strategy for the promotion of public health, Farsalinos said in his testimony before the Joint Trade and Health Committees of the House of Representatives last month. The committee is tackling several bills that seek to regulate the manufacture, importation, packaging, use, sale, distribution, and advertisement of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. According to Farsalinos, regulation for e-cigarettes should be risk-proportionate. “This is the only proper approach to the regulation of any product. Evidence on risk determines the levels of restrictions that need to be implemented. There is compelling and undisputed evidence
on the very low risk of e-cigarettes, especially when compared with the devastating effects of smoking.” E-cigarette regulation should be realistic and ensure product quality, said Farsalinos. “It would make little sense to create a regulation that would be expensive or difficult to comply. This would result in the elimination of electronic cigarettes, and the creation of an uncontrolled black market. Both consequences will end-up protecting tobacco cigarette sales, while no quality standards can be expected from black market products.” He underscored the importance of regulations to ensure that e-cigarettes do not target never-smokers and youth. “Selling of e-cigarettes to people below 18 years old should be banned, with heavy fines imposed on violators. There should be specific regulatory restrictions—not a ban—on e-cigarette advertising and marketing, and proper education that e-cigarettes should be used as smoking substitutes only.” According to Farsalinos, regulation should create a competitive advantage
for e-cigarettes over tobacco cigarettes. “Unfortunately, tobacco cigarettes are very cheap to make and generate a lot of profits for the industry. On the other hand, e-cigarettes are technology products, thus, they are, by definition, more expensive to produce than tobacco products.” He called on legislators to create regulation that would motivate smokers to switch to e-cigarettes and completely quit smoking. “E-cigarettes should be taxed lower than tobacco cigarettes.” Farsalinos stressed that regulation should classify e-cigarettes as consumer products with specific rules and restrictions. “The success of e-cigarettes as smoking substitutes is based on their use as consumer products.” He recommended regulation that allows innovation and development of better and even safer e-cigarette products. “Being technology products, e-cigarettes have evolved at a rapid pace in recent years. Currently, available products are safer and more effective as smoking substitutes than the products available a few years ago because of the use of better materials.”
plant products coming from Fukushima with a certificate of radiation analysis. MO 12 also required importers to present a certificate of origin for their shipments. On the other hand, MO 14 of 2011 required dairy products and animal feed products not originating from prefectures of Fukushima, and Ibaraki, to be accompanied with a certificate of origin and a certificate of declaration issued by Japan’s competent authority. The country’s beef imports from Japan in 2018 almost doubled to 16.455 metric tons from 8.323 MT in 2017, Bureau of Animal Industry data showed.
DENR resumes public hearing for proposed Bacoor, Cavite land-reclamation projects By Jonathan L. Mayuga
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@jonlmayuga
HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the local government unit (LGU) of Bacoor, Cavite, have resumed public hearing on Thursday for two massive land-reclamation projects along Manila Bay. The public hearing for the proposed 320-hectare Bacoor Reclamation and Development Project and proposed 100-hectare Diamond Reclamation and Development Project, was held at the Bacoor City Gymnasium, and was spearheaded by the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). DENR and the Bacoor LGU have earlier posted public announcements about the public hearing at the City Hall and barangays halls of Bacoor last week to the surprise of community-based organizations who have expressed strong opposition to the project. The public hearing was held after Sen. Cynthia Villar and the proponents of the project reached an agreement that major issues and concerns raised by various stakeholders on the multibillion landreclamation projects will be addressed, Environment Undersecretary for Climate Change and Mining Concerns Analiza R. Teh told the BusinessMirror in an interview. Villar, whose political bailiwick includes Las Piñas, earlier expressed alarm over the potential environmental impact of the project and grilled DENR officials during a budget hearing last year. She said a study showed that Las Piñas City will go under floodwater should the project, also called dump-and-fill to pave the way for the development of Bacoor’s “central business district” projected to be bigger than the Bonifacio Global City, is implemented. This compelled officials of the DENR to issue a statement that the project will be discontinued. Strong opposition to the ambitious development projects was made by the Alyansa ng mga Magdaragat sa Bacoor, Cavite, a local chapter of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), who questioned the project’s wisdom, especially now because Manila Bay is currently the subject of massive rehabilitation works by the Duterte administration. They alleged that any development project would further cause the economic dislocation of small fishermen and coastal communities, and cause the death of Bacoor’s, otherwise, thriving oyster and mussel industry. Bacoor is the acknowledged birthplace of oyster and mussel farming which started in the mid-1950s. Teh said the project was not really stopped, and neither was it abandoned by the project proponents, saying it was the conduct of the public hearing that was temporarily suspended. The agency’s supervising official for the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) who was designated by Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu to oversee the operation of the EMB, Teh admitted that the agency has no power to stop the project given that landreclamation projects is not within the agency’s mandate and authority, but that of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA). “The DENR, through the EMB, was only informed about the agreement reached by the Office of Senator Villar, and the project proponents. And the DENR has no power or authority to stop it, really, as land reclamation is under the mandate and authority of the PRA,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino. However, she said as mandated by the environmental impact statement law, the DENR has the power to grant, or reject, the application for environmental compliance certificate (ECC) which requires the conduct of a public hearing. She said further studies may be required of the project proponents while in the process of securing the ECC, assuring the public that the various environmental, and socioeconomic issues and concerns previously raised by environmental groups, people’s organizations and community-based groups will be addressed. “Maybe we can also require the conduct cost-benefit analysis on top of environmental impact assessment because we are talking about the displacement of hundreds of people,” she said. Teh added that she will initiate a meeting between the Manila Bay Task Force composed of the DENR, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Tourism and other concerned national government agencies, the Bacoor LGU and its private-sector partner for the project, and the DENR’s Manila Bay Coordinating Office, to discuss the projects’ potential impact on the ongoing efforts to clean up Manila Bay. “We really need to sit down, and talk about this to know what’s the impact of the project on the ongoing rehabilitation of Manila Bay. The public hearing is just a step leading to the issuance or rejection of the ECC. It’s a long way to go before actual land reclamation happens,” she assured.
BusinessMirror
A6 Friday, January 10, 2020 Republic of the Philippines
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MR. TAO YANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
69
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. ZHIQIANG CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
32
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. SICHAO WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
70
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. QIYUAN LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
33
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. LEI TANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
71
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. LELE GUO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
34
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. PEICAN WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
35
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. WENLIN WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
72
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YANCHANG LUO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
36
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. LINLING YANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
73
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. HUAIYU ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
37
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. LINLIANG LIU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
74
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. SHENGYAO XU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
1
BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Name and Address of Company/Employer
Name and Citizenship of Foreign National
Position and Brief Description of Functions
Name and Address of Company/Employer
Friday, January 10, 2020 A7
Name and Citizenship of Foreign National
Position and Brief Description of Functions
75
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JIANWU ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
113
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. CHENHUAN ZHAO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
76
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. WENYU SUI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
114
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XINGWAN WEI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
77
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JING DIAO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
115
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. HAOWEN YANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
78
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YUJIAN ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
116
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. MINGXIA CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
79
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. CHANGYI WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
117
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. SHENGCAI XU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
80
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. LIZHI LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
118
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. YIMAN ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
81
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YUNGANG FANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
119
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. GENJIAN LIU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
82
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XIANGUI CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
120
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. ZHIYAO JIN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
83
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. JIANJIAN LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
121
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. DONGJIE LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
84
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. GUIQI HUANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
122
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. CHUNXIAO ZHOU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
85
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XIAO ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
123
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. FENG WEI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
86
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YINGDONG HUO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
124
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. ZHAOYANG YANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
87
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. PENGLI YANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
125
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. LONGFEI ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
88
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. HAIPING LU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
126
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. XIAOXIA WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
89
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JIONG ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
127
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. MINGHAO DONG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
90
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JIE LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
128
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. ZHANYUAN YANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
91
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. PEIQUE KE/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
129
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XUELIN ZHAO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
92
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. PENGJUN LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
130
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. QIANG WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
93
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. WEIDA SONG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
131
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. WENQIAO XU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
94
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JIN HUANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
132
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. XUEMEI JIANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
95
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. LONG TONG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
133
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YINGHUI CHAO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
96
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. TONG LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
134
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. LI YINI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
97
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. LUSHENG LAN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
135
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. WEIHAO YAN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
98
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. BAOFENG LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
136
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YEWU HE/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
99
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XIN GUO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
137
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. XIAOYUE LIANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
100
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JIN ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
138
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XUEFENG LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
101
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. ZHENTUO LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
139
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YANG YAO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
102
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YONGQIANG BAI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
140
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. ZEDAO WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
103
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. HUAJIE ZHI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
141
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. WEIQI JIAO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
104
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. NANJING JIANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
142
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. WENJIE LIU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
105
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. XUEMEI JIANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
143
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YUPENG CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
106
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XIAOFENG SHI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
144
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. WEIJIN LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
107
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. DONGYAN QIN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
145
MR. CHENG CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MR. XIAOLONG YU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
108
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. CUILIAN LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
146
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. SONE SONE/ Burmese
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 109 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
Myanmari Customer Service Representative
110
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. BIN GUO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
147
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. ZHENGDONG XU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
111
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. DAN ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
148
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. CHAOXIANG SHI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
112
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JUN ZHOU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
149
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. WENLONG GAN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
BusinessMirror
A8 Friday, January 10, 2020
Name and Address of Company/Employer
Name and Citizenship of Foreign National
Position and Brief Description of Functions
150
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. TRAN THI HOA/ Vietnamese
Vietnamese Customer Service Representative
151
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XUPENG WEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
152
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JIAHAO FANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
153
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. YUEQING XIE/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. WEI ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 155 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. NG DU WEN/ Malaysian
Malaysian Customer Service Representative
154
156
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. FUCAI CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
157
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. SONGBAI YU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 158 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. YAN FENG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 159 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. ZHUOHE WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
160
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. FENG CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
161
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. CHENGBO SU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
162
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. YUE ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 163 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. WENJIN HE/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 164 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XIN SONG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
165
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. LINGXI WEI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
166
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JUNPENG WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 167 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. BITING ZHENG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 168 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. ZHI CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
169
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. QIN LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
170
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. KUNBIN WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
171
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. XIN YANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MR. HAOJIE TIAN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 172 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite 173
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JIANWU ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
174
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. MENGNAN WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
175
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MS. FEN LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MR. ZHENGHUA CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 176 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
Name and Address of Company/Employer
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Name and Citizenship of Foreign National
Position and Brief Description of Functions
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 195 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. MINGXIAO LUO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 196 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. WENJIE WU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 197 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. ZHIFEI BI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 198 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. YONGXIANG HU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 199 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. DONGBO ZHOU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 200 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MS. YAJUAN HUANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 201 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. JINGSONG HUANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 202 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MS. YITING ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 203 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. ZHIYI XIE/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 204 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. JUN YANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 205 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. BAIJIAN XIE/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 206 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. QIRUI CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 207 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. ZENGYE LAI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 208 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. SHILAI SONG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 209 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. YEWEI ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 210 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. ZHIPENG LIAO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 211 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. YUHANG CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 212 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MS. JIAQI WU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 213 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. WENQIANG WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 214 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. JUNHUI LIU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 215 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. GAOQIANG MO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 216 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. JUN GUAN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 217 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. QINGZHI ZHAO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 218 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. JIANGSHAN NING/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
177
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. SHUAI WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
178
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. JIELING WEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
179
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
MR. CHAOYI XIE/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MR. ZHENGHUA CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MS. YAQIAN ZHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 219 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. AWEI CHEN/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 180 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite 181
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
PATLEACARL CHEMICAL 182 COMPANY INC. LT-SEZ, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. SALVATORE PAOLO CUDDE SANKI/ Venezuelan
Vice President for Marketing
MR. JIDAI LU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
TRP, INC. 183 Brgy. Pulong Sta. Cruz, Santa Rosa City, Laguna
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 220 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. KOJI KAWAMOTO / Japanese
Coordinator-Accounting Department
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 221 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. GANG WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
Production Technician
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 222 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. ZHIJIE LIU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
Technician
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 223 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MS. WENMIN HUANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 224 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MS. YU WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 225 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. JILI LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 226 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MS. YANAN WANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 227 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MS. QIAOWEI LIU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
184
PHILSTAR HOSIERY INC. PEZA, Rosario, Cavite
MR. SUNGEUN KIM / Korean
ZHIYUEXIAN PRECISE PLASTIC 185 INC. CPIP, Batino, Calamba City, Laguna
MR. TAO YANG / Chinese
ZHIYUEXIAN PRECISE PLASTIC 186 INC. CPIP, Batino, Calamba City, Laguna
MR. XIAOYUN DUAN / Chinese
Production Manager
AMERICAN POWER CONVERSION 187 CORPORATION (A.P.C.) B.V PEZA, CEZ, Rosario, Cavite
MR. VERLON LE DON BROOKS /American
Vice President, Cavite Hub Transformation
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 188 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. SHAOYONG SHI / Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 189 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MS. LIANDONG LI/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 190 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. XIAOJIE TAO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 191 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. FU ZHUO/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at the DOLE Regional Office within 30 days from the date of publication.
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 192 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. WENDE WU/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
Please inform the DOLE Regional Office if you have an information of any criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 193 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MR. YONGDONG MA/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 194 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna
MS. XIAORUI SHANG/ Chinese
Chinese Customer Service Representative
228
TKD PHIL. MEGA VENTURE INC. Tejero, Rosario, Cavite
MR. HYEONGGOO KANG / Korean
Marketing & Operations Manager
ATTY. NEPOMUCENO A. LEAÑO II OIC, Regional Director
To avail of free job referral, placement, and employment guidance services, visit the nearest Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) or log on at http://www.philjobnet.gov.ph AEP20201007309
www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Angel R. Calso
The World
China’s mystery pneumonia cases linked to unknown coronavirus
A
MYSTERIOUS pneumonia outbrea k that has sickened dozens in central China is linked to a previously unidentified coronavirus, China Central Television said. Further research is needed on the virus, which is different to the coronavirus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, CCTV said, citing scientists’ early findings. The World Health Organization said on Thursday a novel virus may be the cause of the outbreak in Wuhan. Scientist have speculated for days that a novel coronavirus might have caused the Wuhan outbreak as officials there ruled out other coronaviruses—including SARS and MERS-CoV—as well as influenza, avian influenza and adenovirus. The WHO said that more comprehensive information is needed to positively identify the pathogen. The virus doesn’t transmit readily between people, the WHO said, citing Chinese authorities. Dozens of people have been hospitalized in Wuhan since the first patient developed symptoms December 12. Some patients worked at a seafood market where birds, snakes and rabbit organs were reportedly sold. There have been no reports of fatalities or health-care workers becoming infected, and CCTV
said eight patients have been discharged from the hospital. The illness also doesn’t appear to be spreading outside Wuhan. While regions including Hong Kong and Singapore have reported illnesses from travelers who had been to Wuhan, none so far has shown a link to the pneumonia cluster. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that range from the common cold to SARS, the WHO said. Some cause less-severe disease, some more severe. Some transmit easily from person to person, while others don’t. “Disease X”—a term used to denote a previously unknown disease—is “one of the key health security risks in today’s world, and a priority for global monitoring,” said James M. Wilson, a pediatrician who has helped monitor health security threats for 25 years. Such diseases are often reported very late, after severe cases emerge, Wilson said. But since SARS, there has been a dramatic increase in access to sophisticated diagnostic testing, allowing for the early identification of viruses. In the Wuhan case, the Chinese may be dealing with a virus that is not as lethal as SARS, which killed almost 800 people about 17 years ago, or is in early stages of discovery before deaths have occurred, he said. Bloomberg News
UK must compromise to get Brexit trade deal–EU chief
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ONDON—Three weeks before Britain is due to leave the European Union, the president of the European Commission warned on Wednesday that the UK won’t get the “highest quality access” to the European Union’s market after Brexit unless it makes major concessions. In a friendly but frank message to the UK, Ursula von der Leyen said negotiating a new UK-EU trade deal will be tough. She also said the end-of-2020 deadline that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed on negotiations makes it “basically impossible” to strike a comprehensive new agreement in time. Von der Leyen, who took over as head of the EU’s executive branch on December 1, met Johnson at 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday for the first time since the British leader’s election victory last month. Johnson’s Conservatives won a substantial parliamentary majority in Britain’s December 12 election, giving him the power to end more than three years of wrangling over Brexit and take the UK out of the EU on January 31. It will be the first nation to ever leave the bloc, which currently has 28 members. Britain’s departure w ill be followed by a transition period in which the UK-EU relationship will remain largely unchanged while the two sides negotiate a new trade arrangement. Johnson says the UK is seeking a wide-ranging free trade deal, but doesn’t want to agree to keep all EU rules and standards. Johnson’s office said after the meeting that the UK wanted “a broad free-trade agreement covering goods and services, and cooperation in other areas.” But it said “any future partnership must not involve any kind of alignment” in which Britain would automatically follow EU rules. That could cause problems. Speaking at the London School of Economics before her meeting with Johnson, von der Leyen warned that “without a level playing field on environment, labor, taxation and state aid, you cannot
have the highest quality access to the world’s largest single market.” “With every choice comes a consequence. With every decision comes a trade-off,” she warned. The EU worries that Britain plans to cut environmental and employment standards in order to position itself as a low-regulation, low-tax competitor to the bloc. Johnson sought to allay those fears, telling von der Leyen the UK would continue to maintain high standards “in areas like workers’ rights, animal welfare, agriculture and the environment,” Downing St. said. International trade agreements typically take years to complete, but Johnson has ruled out extending the post-Brexit transition period beyond the end of 2020, although the EU has offered to prolong it until 2022. Downing Street said Wednesday that “both British and EU citizens rightly expect negotiations on an ambitious free-trade agreement to conclude on time.” Von der Leyen said the time frame was “very, very tight” and made it “ basically impossible” to negotiate anything but a skeleton deal. “The more divergence there is, the more distant the partnership has to be,” she said. “And without an extension of the transition period beyond 2020, you cannot expect to agree on every single aspect of our new partnership. We will have to prioritize.” The German EU chief—who studied in Britain in the 1970s and has proclaimed herself a friend and fan of Britain—did have some encouraging words for Johnson. She said the bloc was ready to strike a tariff-free and quota-free trade deal with Britain, and “a partnership that goes well beyond trade and is unprecedented in scope.” She said the new relationship could encompass “everything from climate action to data protection, fisheries to energy, transport to space, financial services to security. And we are ready to work day and night to get as much of this done within the time frame we have.” AP
BusinessMirror
Friday, January 10, 2020
A9
WB revises global growth outlook in 2020 amid risks
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ASHINGTON—The World Bank says the global economy should see a modest rebound in growth this year. But the 189-nation lending institution is cautioning that a number risks could upend its forecast, including the possibility of renewed trade hostilities between the world’s two biggest economies, the United States and China. In an updated economic outlook released on Wednesday, the World Bank forecast the global economy will grow 2.5 percent this year, up only slightly from 2.4-percent growth in 2019. That had been the weakest performance since the 2008 financial crisis and a significant slowdown from growth rates above 3 percent in 2017 and 2018. The bank’s revised outlook represents a downgrade from its last forecast in June when it had expected growth to be 0.2 percentage points higher this year. The forecast also trimmed its expectation for global growth by 0.2 percentage points over the next two years to moderate rates of 2.6 percent in 2021 and 2.7 percent in 2022. “Downside risks persist. The recovery is fragile,” said World Bank Vice President Ceyla Pazarbasioglu. “Uncertainty has weighed on confidence, trade and investment which are all critical for growth.”’ For the United States, the World Bank sees gross domestic product growth slowing from 2.3 percent
in 2019 to 1.8 percent in 2020 and then slowing further to 1.7 percent in both 2021 and 2022. Those growth rates are significantly below the 3-percent-plus growth President Donald Trump has promised to deliver with his economic program of tax cuts and deregulation. For Europe, the World Bank has an even gloomier outlook. Last year’s minuscule 1.1-percent growth is expected to be followed by further scant gains of 1 percent this year and 1.3 percent in both 2021 and 2022. The new forecast projects China, the world’s second-largest economy, will grow at steadily slower rates of 5.9 percent this year, 5.8 percent next year and 5.7 percent in 2022. That would mark the slowest growth period for China since the early 1990s. Economic growth in both China and the United States has been impacted by the uncertainty generated by the punitive tariffs both countries have imposed on each other’s goods. Growth for all advanced economies is expected to slip to 1.4 percent this year, down from 1.8 percent last year, reflecting continued softness in manufacturing in many parts of the world that has caused businesses to pull back on
IN this October 19, 2019, file photo, members of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) meet at the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington. The World Bank said in an updated economic outlook released on Wednesday, January 8, 2020, that the global economy should see a modest rebound in growth this year. But the 189-nation lending institution is cautioning that a number risks could upend its forecast, including the possibility of renewed trade hostilities between the world’s two biggest economies, the United States and China. AP/JOSE LUIS MAGANA
their plans to expand and modernize production facilities. Growth in emerging economies is expected to accelerate to 4.1 percent this year, but the acceleration will not be broad based. A rebound is forecast for a group of larger economies—including Argentina, Brazil and India—which are expected to recover this year after a period of substantial weakness. But the forecast expects growth in about one-third of emerging market economies to slow this year due to weaker-than-expected exports and investment. Trump’s get-tough trade policies aimed at lowering America’s huge trade deficits as a way to boost US manufacturing jobs have resulted in an increase in protectionist barriers in the United States
and many other nations. The World Bank estimated that global trade growth slowed from 4 percent in 2018 to just 1.4 percent last year, the weakest gain since the 2008 financial crisis. The World Bank, however, noted the lowering of trade tensions between the United States and China after a so-called Phase One agreement was reached between the two nations. It forecast that trade should resume growth this year, although the projected trade growth of 1.9 percent would still be far below the 5 percent average gains in recent years. Among other threats to growth, the World Bank cited weak productivity gains in many countries and a sharp rise in global debt burdens. AP
At least 63 Canadians dead in Iran plane crash
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ORONTO — Canadian Pr ime Min ister Just in Trudeau vowed his government will get answers after a Ukrainian passenger jet crashed, killing at least 63 Canadians, just minutes after taking off from Iran’s capital. Trudeau said on Wednesday 138 passengers on the flight were connecting to Canada. The flight included many international students who were studying at universities across Canada. Newlyweds and a Canadian family of four were also on the flight. Trudeau said his government is pushing to be part of the Iranian-led investigation of the plane crash near Tehran that killed ever yone on board. Getting answers from Iran might prove difficult as Canada closed its embassy in Iran in 2012 and suspended diplomatic relations. The crash of the Ukraine International Airlines plane came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing US soldiers, but Iranian officials
PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, flanked by Transport Minister Marc Garneau (left), Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan and Gen. Jonathan Vance. SEAN KILPATRICK/THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP
said they suspected a mechanical issue brought down the threeand-a-half-year-old Boeing 737800 aircraft. Ukrainian officials initially agreed, but later backed away and declined to offer a cause while the investigation is ongoing. “Canadians have questions a nd t he y d e s e r v e a n s w e r s ,” Trudeau said. Asked if he could say whether the plane was shot down or not, Trudeau said: “I cannot. It’s too early to speculate.”
“Know that all Canadians are grieving with you,” he said, addressing the victims’ families. Transport Minister Marc Garneau said soon after the departure of the plane contact was lost. He said the black box information is needed. Authorities said they found the plane’s so-called black boxes, which record cockpit conversations and instrument data. But it was not immediately clear how much access to the information the Iranians would allow.
Canada is offering technical assistance to the upcoming investigation in Iran. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it has appointed an expert to monitor the progress of the investigation by Iran’s civilian aviation agency. Aviation experts were skeptical about Iran’s initial claim that the plane was brought down by a mechanical problem. “ Somet h i ng u nu su a l h ap pened,” Garneau said. The plane carried 167 passengers and nine crew members from different nations. The Canadian flag on Parliament Hill was lowered to half-mast. The US embassy in Ottawa also lowered its flag. Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne confirmed at least 63 Canadians died and as more information becomes available, including details on dual citizens, the number of deceased Canadians could change. US President Donald J. Trump offered his condolences in a phone call with Trudeau on Wednesday. AP
Oil steadies at pre-attack levels amid appraisal of supply risks
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IL steadied as investors weighed the risk of further escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran that has so far spared production and exports from the Middle East. Futures were little changed on Thursday, back at levels they were before the US air strike that killed a top Iranian general last week after whipsawing between gains and losses on Wednesday. The Pentagon said it’s too early to tell what Iran will do next after President Donald Trump downplayed the impact of missile attacks on American military bases in Iraq, backing away from
the precipice of war. Oil has had a tumultuous start to the year after the killing of Iran’s most powerful military commander Qassem Soleimani on Trump’s orders, with Brent surging to near $72 a barrel immediately after retaliatory attacks from Iran on Wednesday. While Sky Arabia reported a new rocket attack targeting the Green Zone in Baghdad on Thursday, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said this week that a disruption to physical supplies is needed to keep prices elevated. “There may be a temporar y cease fire, but it is still a long way toward de-
escalation,” said Howie Lee, an economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. “The White House’s pressure on Iran has the chance to reduce global supplies, and with the potential rebound in demand following the US-China phase one trade agreement, there’s a potential for oil prices to increase.” Brent futures for March settlement fell 4 cents to $65.40 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange as of 7:29 a.m. in London after rising as much as 1 percent earlier. The contract slumped 4.2 percent to settle at $65.44 on Wednesday, the lowest since December 16, after earlier rising as much as 5.1 percent.
West Texas Intermediate for February delivery added 1 cent to $59.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after climbing as much as 1.2 percent. Futures declined 4.9 percent to close at $59.61 on Wednesday after surging above $65. Iran’s first ac t of retaliation after the killing of Soleimani roiled global financial markets on Wednesday, with Trump promising additional sanctions on Tehran. But expectations of an immediate escalation to the conflict in the oil-producing region appeared to recede as no Americans were killed. Bloomberg News
A10 Friday, January 10, 2020 • Editor: Angel R. Calso
Opinion BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
editorial
Who pays for war?
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ITH the potential of a wider conflict in the Middle East, immediately comes the fashionable idea that war is profitable. It is easy to find the list with titles, such as “10 companies profiting the most from war” and “Blood Money: These Companies and People Make Billions of Dollars from War.” There is certainly no question that companies, and the owners, of those companies that manufacture the weapons of war are going to make profits when their airplanes, ships, firearms and ammunition are expended during an armed conflict. War is a business, a nasty business, and there is a “military-industrial complex” in the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower. We can even expand that by saying “military-industrialcongressional complex” because governments are the ones that make war. However, the same can be said about any business where the government intervenes. We know that in the United States, where there is increasing control and intervention in the health-care industry, the pharmaceutical companies are the biggest spenders in lobbying Congress to pass legislation favoring their industry. Likewise, it was the education industry that fiercely lobbied Congress to provide education loans for college students. Since that country came into a long period where students really did not have to pay for tuition and, merely, borrowed the money from the government, costs for education soared as free market competition no longer existed. College costs increased, on average, by about twice the consumer inflation rate once government loans were provided. The big winners in the US government backing loans for people who could not afford to buy a house were not only the property developers, but also companies that manufactured, imported and sold furniture. No industry has clean hands when government gets involved in business. Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit organization with $1.9 billion in assets, revenues of $1.7 billion, and “nonprofits” of $245 million. It also has a financial interest in laws that protect and enhance its business. However, war is, by definition, a business that causes death and destruction. The genuine war profiteers are those individuals and institutions that have always loaned money to governments to make war. Throughout history, governments have financed their war-making. In 2014, 100 years since World War I, several countries involved in the first global war are still facing related debts. The United Kingdom is still paying and Germany finally paid off its debt in 2004. While debt-for-war goes back a long time in history, the modern financial model that paid for every war in the 20th—and now 21st—century was the brainchild of none other than economist John Maynard Keynes. Britain, as the world’s financial superpower, made massive war loans to France, Russia, Italy, Belgium and Serbia. However, it did not have the financial capability and depended on the US to back those loans. In charge of the whole affair was Keynes. He started work at the British Treasury in January 1915. In May 1917, he managed all of Britain’s interallied lending and borrowing. Keynes boasted, “I was in the Treasury throughout the war, and all the money we lent or borrowed Passed through my hands.” Interestingly, Keynes also was the single-most important architect of the German reparations settlement. That one-sided onerous plan ultimately helped lead to World War II. Not only do ordinary citizens shed blood in war, but also give up their treasure. Since 2005
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Sonny M. Angara
BETTER DAYS
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E have a New Year ahead of us, with new opportunities, beginnings and second chances. Filipinos are big believers in starting the year right, and we should all support each other’s wishes for a better, brighter future. Here is a list of what we wish for Filipinos this year, and we hope that the following will help everyone in 2020: n For our children, we wish for quality education. With the Department of Education’s KITE—K to 12 curriculum review and update; Improvement of learning facilities, Teacher’s upskilling and reskilling; and Engagement of all stakeholders for support and collaboration—and the proposed convening of a Congressional Oversight Committee on Education, or Edcom 2, reviews will be done, and reports and recommendations submitted, so we can implement needed changes this year in our education system. Many Filipinos see education as their most important investment for their children. We should make sure that their investment is not wasted. n For our farmers and fishermen, we wish for a year of bumper harvests and bountiful catches. In the 2018 National Conference and
Agri-Fishery Research and Development Festival in Sorsogon, I spoke about investing heavily in the agriculture sector. Just as we have “Build, Build, Build,” we should also have “Plant, Plant, Plant,” and “Fish, Fish, Fish.” Our farms and fishing areas are natural resources that our people make a living from. It makes sense that we should be stakeholders in uplifting these sectors. n For our civil servants, we wish for proper compensation to encourage the passion for service to our fellow Filipinos. The salary standardization law, or SSL 5, will increase the salaries of civil servants. This should give some breathing room against the continued hike in daily expenses—and motivate them to keep on doing good work. For example, our teachers’ salaries will increase by 24 percent to 30.7 percent, depending on their salary grade. May the SSL 5 prove to be a windfall for all government employees this year. n For all, we wish for good
health. Should we need it, the Universal Health Care Act will help people gain access to quality health services, without financial hardships. Free preventive checkups, laboratory tests and medicines can help us be healthy again, and is particularly important in far-flung areas, where medical services are needed more. We hope the UHC Act can address the issues of backbreaking medical costs that our less fortunate countrymen can be subjected to. n For all who work hard to put food on the table and roofs over their family’s heads, a wish for a stable, well-paying job or a successful business. For OFWs, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has benefits and services, such as loan and credit assistance and health care taken from the membership fee collected every two years. We also have the Seafarers Protection Act, the JobStart law, the Public Employment Service Offices and the revised Special Program for the Employment of Students. In truth, we wish for our OFWs to come home to better jobs here in our own country. Innovation, programs, and projects under the Department of Trade and Industry can also help this wish come true. The DTI has initiatives like the Shared Service Facilities Program, which helps startups, cooperatives, and small- to medium-sized businesses refine and develop products, and services, that contribute to the uplifting of the local community, through the creation of profitable
and sustainable practices. One notable example of government actively contributing to the development of new products is Pinyapel, a pineapple-based paper that can be used for sustainable, environment-friendly print and packaging products. With support from the Design Center of the Philippines, Pinyapel’s potential for manufacturing earned it the Wood Pencil at the 2019 Design & Art Direction Future Impact Awards in New York City. There are also the Go Lokal! and One Town, One Product, or Otop, hubs across the country. These can serve as springboards to international attention for local products. All these are aligned with the “Tatak Pinoy” campaign, whose aim is to promote the Philippines’s brand of creativity, ingenuity and innovativeness, as exemplified in our workers, craftsmen, laborers and professionals. Tatak Pinoy will be about how our countrymen can become the best they can be for our country and, through this, show the world that we are worth working with and investing in for the future. May all our wishes be granted and sustained this year. Let this year be one where we take more steps to a brighter future. Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 15 years—nine years as representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and six as senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He recently won another term in the Senate. E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @sonnyangara.
Iran’s attack on US bases won’t send oil prices higher for long
Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug
Senior Editors
Creative Director Chief Photographer
Wishes for the New Year
David Fickling
BLOOMBERG
I
T’S often said that the best time to buy is when there’s blood on the streets. The best time to sell oil, by contrast, is when the world’s gas tanks look empty.
That’s reason to temper the fear and excitement driving the oil market—even in the face of Wednesday’s Iranian rocket strike on two joint US bases in Iraq, which sparked the biggest intraday rally for Brent crude since a September attack on a Saudi production facility. There are first- and second-order effects to any oil-price spike and, in the heat of the moment, it can be hard to distinguish one from the other. The initial price surge comes not from a decline in production, but speculation and shrinking crude inventories as refiners rush to take
deliveries for fear that costs are heading higher. For oil prices to rise to a permanently higher plateau, though, supply needs to be tightened at the wellhead. That won’t happen imminently, as there was a decent amount of slack in the global oil market before the past week’s events. Commercial inventories in developed countries were headed toward 2.95 billion barrels this month—a relatively elevated level of more than 61 days’ forward supply—according to forecasts from the US Energy Information Administration.
What of the longer-term picture? Saudi Arabia has about 2 million daily barrels of headroom at current output levels before hitting its production capacity of around 12 million barrels a day. Markets yawned at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ announcement last month of largely cosmetic cuts of 500,000 barrels a day. Meanwhile, the shift of oil prices above $60 a barrel has made conditions for financing new wells in the US shale patch more attractive, increasing the odds that the yearlong decline in rig numbers there may turn a corner. Of course, all this will be meaningless if the US and Iran are headed toward a hot war that disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. But Iran’s choice of target suggests that isn’t terribly likely. “As far as they were able, they selected a target for maximum publicity and minimal casualties, to placate a domestic audience,” said Rodger Shanahan, a Middle East specialist at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. The US likely would have had advance
warning of the attack, given their eavesdropping of Iranian military installations, he said, and it was calibrated to not alienate other countries too much. “Iran is honor bound to retaliate, but knows it’s got to perform a balancing act at the moment.” Doing further damage to the limited oil trade that Iran can still conduct also isn’t in the interests of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (IRGC). The IRGC—the parent organization of the Quds Force whose head, Qassem Soleimani, was assassinated by the US last week—is deeply embedded in Iran’s economy. Its engineering company Khatam al-Anbiya has a near monopoly on providing upstream services to the oil industry. IRGC affiliates also stand to make money from transporting the small amounts of oil that are still getting out in spite of US sanctions. The Grace 1, a tanker seized by British forces off Gibraltar last year en route to Syria, was rented and operated by the IRGC, a deputy commander of the force told a news agency affiliated with the group last year.
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Trump doesn’t want war with Iran
Sylvia Mayuga: Quiet above the tender protest of the stars
By Eli Lake | Bloomberg Opinion
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T’S too soon to say whether Iran’s retaliation for the killing of its most important general will be limited to this week’s missile salvo at two US-Iraqi bases in Iraq. As my colleague Bobby Ghosh writes, “The fact that no Americans were killed will do little to slake Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s bloodlust.” What is clear, though, is that President Donald Trump is not seeking to invade Iran. To start, he put a positive spin on Iran’s retaliation, saying in a speech on Wednesday that the regime “appears to be standing down.” If Trump were really the warmonger that his opponents claim, he would not have described the Iranian attack as a de-escalation. More to the point, as President Trump has demonstrated that he is uninterested in the lofty goals of nation-building and regime change that once characterized his party. He threatened North Korea with “fire and fury” only to enter negotiations with its tyrant a few months later. He recognized the head of Venezuela’s legislature as the country’s interim president, but has yet to send US forces into Venezuela to oust its dictator. With Iran, Trump boasted of his decision to end the life of Qassem Soleimani and then threatened to bomb 52 Iranian sites, including cultural ones. On Wednesday, he vowed that Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon “as long as I am president.” And yet in that same speech, Trump extended a hand of cooperation to Iran. “The destruction of ISIS is good for Iran,” he said. “We should work together on this and other shared priorities.” This doesn’t sound like a man bent on regime change by military force. They are the words of a president who seeks to deter Iran from targeting Americans and building nuclear weapons. Trump’s strategy so far has flummoxed most of his opposition. This week House Democrats will vote
on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting the president’s authority to attack Iran. This move would make sense if it were 2002, George W. Bush were president, and an invasion force of more than 100,000 troops were being positioned in the Middle East. But Trump won his party’s nomination partly by sounding like an anti-war activist, with his attacks on Bush’s legacy in Iraq and accusations that he lied the country into war. Just as defeated generals are often accused of fighting the last war, Democrats are now legislating against the last war. A more sophisticated argument against Trump’s policy is that the killing of Soleimani was so escalatory that it invites the kind of Iranian retaliation that will make a hot war inevitable. That is indeed a real risk. But if this is the case, Democrats should be bolstering America’s deterrence against Iran, not undermining it. Instead of offering a resolution to limit Trump’s range of responses to the next Iranian attack, Democrats should warn Iran that it will face more misery if its leaders choose to escalate. It’s not a stance likely to win support from the party’s online activists, many of whom are warning of a repeat of the Iraq war. It is, however, a position that would demonstrate seriousness at a moment of high partisan folly from all sides. It may also help dissuade Iranian officials from rashly seeking vengeance for Soleimani’s death. It’s sometimes said that war is the failure of diplomacy. That’s not quite right. More often, war is the failure of deterrence.
Facebook’s laudable deepfake ban doesn’t go far enough By Cass R. Sunstein Bloomberg Opinion
F
ACEBOOK says that it is banning “deepfakes,” those hightech doctored videos and audios that are essentially indistinguishable from the real thing. That’s excellent news—an important step in the right direction. But the company didn’t go quite far enough, and important questions remain. Policing deepfakes isn’t simple. As Facebook pointed out in its announcement this week, media can be manipulated for benign reasons, for example to make video sharper and audio clearer. Some forms of manipulation are clearly meant as jokes, satires, parodies or political statements—as, for example, when a rock star or politician is depicted as a giant. That’s not Facebook’s concern. Facebook says that it will remove “misleading manipulative media” only if two conditions are met: “It has been edited or synthesized—beyond adjustments for clarity or quality—in ways that aren’t apparent to an average person and would likely mislead someone into thinking that a subject of the video said words that they did not actually say.” “It is the product of artificial intelligence or machine learning that merges, replaces or superimposes content onto a video, making it appear to be authentic.” Those conditions are meant to be precisely tailored to Facebook’s concern: Use of new or emerging technologies to mislead the average person into thinking that someone said something that they never said. Facebook’s announcement also makes it clear that even if a video is
not removed under the new policy, other safeguards might be triggered. If, for example, a video contains graphic violence or nudity, it will be taken down. And if it is determined to be false by independent third-party fact-checkers, those who see it or share it will see a warning informing them that it is false. Its distribution will also be greatly reduced in Facebook’s News Feed. The new approach is a major step in the right direction, but two problems remain. The first is that even if a deepfake is involved, the policy does not apply if it depicts deeds rather than words. Suppose that artificial intelligence is used to show a political candidate working with terrorists, engaging in sexual harassment, beating up a small child or using heroin. Nothing in the new policy would address those depictions. That’s a serious gap. The second problem is that the prohibition is limited to products of artificial intelligence or machine learning. But why? Suppose that videos are altered in other ways—for example, by slowing them down so as to make someone appear drunk or drugged, as in the case of an infamous doctored video of Nancy Pelosi. Or suppose that a series of videos, directed against a candidate for governor, are produced not with artificial intelligence or machine learning, but nonetheless in such a way as to run afoul of the first condition; that is, they have been edited or synthesized so as to make the average person think that the candidate said words that she did not actually say. What matters is not the particular technology used to deceive people, but whether unacceptable deception has occurred.
Friday, January 10, 2020 A11
Tito Genova Valiente
ANNOTATIONS
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HE lull in our first conversation made me say her nom de guerre, “Morningstar.” It is from “Lucero,” my middle name, which means “light.” But it could also be for “Morning” or “Evening” Star. Sylvia was explaining herself. She thought I was asking the reason for that name, by which she wanted to be known. It was the first and last time I would hear her explaining. Sylvia, in the very short time I knew her, never explained herself. She would rather explain the world, the surroundings, the universe, than talk about her moods. She took many things as given. But these were conditions not to be merely observed but to be questioned. She asked a lot of questions. Difficult questions. She then posited answers that were as difficult. These were answers that seemed to explain something as huge and mysterious as the universe. She talked of the universe the way we deal with accessible commodities: sofa to be marveled at, a kitchen in need of repair, a book with the most mysterious of covers. Our conversations were online. Our friendship started online. Out of the blue, in the blueness of the Internet, came this message: I read your essay. I like your essay. Of course, I knew her. Everyone knew Sylvia Mayuga. The letter did not end there. She tracked my essays. She tracked the essays of the people I know, the writers who write from Bicol. She became interested in everything Bicolano—writing, politics, the religion of the region. She was stalking the Bicolano universe. Our meeting was cinematic and, well, cute. Days back, I happened to mention to her that I would be performing as a “benshi,” a narrator and provider of
voices and all kinds of sounds for a Japanese silent film. She promised to be there. Deep in me, I prayed she would not make it. I was terrified enough to be performing before a large audience. A day before the performance, she sent a message: she was not feeling well and would not be able to make it. In the cinema, while the four musicians from Naga were tuning their instruments, I surveyed the huge crowd. From afar, I saw this small figure coming in. She found a seat at the last row. I walked up to her and introduced myself before I greeted her “good evening.” That night, after the performance, she joined us for the post-performance dinner. My sister walked with her slowly as the venue for the dinner was quite far. After dinner, the band played songs and she would recall that night as one of her happiest nights. When the Ateneo de Naga University Press launched Mary Jane Guazon Uy’s The Book of Pedro Bautista and my book, The Last Sacristan Mayor and the Most Expensive Mass for the Dead: Tales from Ticao, she was there in La Solidaridad with us. She was very quiet all throughout the proceedings. She was being quiet afraid perhaps to steal the scene from
us. But she was there, like a powerful godmother overseeing a complex baptismal rite. One of her last essays was about the books being written from Bicol, this place that she dubbed the origin of Enchantment that “seems to spring from their rich volcanic soil, clean waters, sinuous forests, and looming volcanos wedded to artistic imagination.” In the essay, which appeared in Rappler, she asks the question: “What is this strange new energy the Bicol region has been sending out
throughout this country in crisis?” She would remember the most mundane and the most fantastic narratives in our conversations, all in the same breath. In that essay about the Aswang, she talks about an amulet, my kinaptanan, (literally, a thing that one holds) that threatened another healer in one of the earlier fieldworks I shared with her. Sylvia loved the concept of “power,” especially those that did not
No wrong can be perpetuated forever Manny F. Dooc
TELLTALES
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ANUARY 8, 2020, was the 85th birthday anniversary of musical icon Elvis Presley, known as the King of Rock-and-Roll. He was born poor in a small farmhouse in Tupelo, Mississippi, which did not even have electricity and running water. On his 12th birthday, his father, Vernon Presley, gifted Elvis a guitar costing $12.95, which he managed to save from his meager earnings doing various odd jobs. Elvis wanted a bicycle but his father could not afford it. When Elvis was 13, the Presleys relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, where he started his music career. His sexually provocative style by gyrating his hips made him a hugely popular performer. Critics said his actions and motions were such as to rouse the sexual passions of the youth. A Catholic diocese newspaper once warned that “Presley is a definite danger to the security of the United States.” His first-time listeners thought of him as a Black-American singer since he sounded very much like a black artist. He lived in a largely black neighborhood and his songs were classified as hillbilly music. Yet, despite the fact that he could not even read musical notes, he became the highest sellingsolo artist in the history of music to this day with sales estimates of $600 million to $1 billion. He popularized rock-and-roll as a musical genre as if he invented it. At the height of his popularity, he accepted a military draft, which denied him hefty earnings from his music. He served as a private and refused to be given any special treatment by the military. He was assigned in the 3rd Armored Division in Germany where he met a 14-year-old beautiful daughter
of an Army officer named Priscilla Beaulieu who became his wife seven years later. He died on August 16, 1977, from cardiac arrest. President Jimmy Carter, upon learning about his death, said that Elvis had “permanently changed the face of American popular culture.” Composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein dubbed Elvis “the greatest cultural force in the 20th century.” In 2018, President Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian awards in the US. His Graceland home in Memphis, which has been opened to the public, has become the most visited home in the US, after the White House. There have been numerous reports of Elvis’s sightings even now. As one has aptly commented, “With Elvis, it is not just his music that had survived death, he himself has been raised, like a medieval saint, to a figure of cultic status. It is as if he has been canonized by acclamation.” Viva, Saint Elvis! nnn
THERE was a massive outpouring of support after the news has spread that John Lewis is suffering from stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: “John, know that generations of Americans have you in their thoughts and prayers as you
The event in Selma 55 years ago is worth retelling if only to remind the world that no wrong can be perpetuated forever. Yesterday it was Selma, followed by Edsa, Berlin and others. Today, it’s HK, Iraq, India and other places where injustices are met by peaceful revolts. face this fight.” Bill Clinton tweeted, “if there’s anyone with the strength and the courage to fight this, it’s you John. Hillary and I love you, and we join with millions of other Americans in praying for you and your family.” Barack Obama said: “If there’s one thing I love about John, it’s his incomparable will to fight. I know he’s got a lot more of that left in him.” Lewis is currently serving on his 17th term as a Congressman representing Georgia. He is a noted civil rights leader who led the 1965 protests to promote voting rights of the blacks in a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Upon hearing this, Alabama Gov. George Wallace declared, “I’m not gonna have a bunch of niggers walking along the highway in this state as long as I’m governor.” As the 600 marchers were crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, they faced “a sea of bluehelmeted, blue-uniformed Alabama state troopers, line after line of them” along the stretch of the highway, prodded on by a huge crowd of whites taunting the marchers and cheering the troops while waving Confederate flags. In his own narration, Lewis told it best in his memoir, Walking with the Wind: “I heard the clunk of the troopers’ heavy boots, the whoops of rebel yells from the white onlookers, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves hitting the hard asphalt of the highway, the voice of a woman shouting, ‘Get ’em! Get the niggers!’” Then they were upon us.
pertain to politicians and strong men. She found those boring, she would tell, me by her lack of interest in them. She, however, had an esoteric answer to the formation of the nation—that it needed the “kinaptanan,” the magical stone that could help one bring back memories. This remembering could then be given by men and women, they with real power, to the nation. But Sylvia was not Sylvia if one just heard about the crisis of nationbuilding, dictatorship and literature. We talked a lot about the Tango—the meaning of those pauses, the repeated pointing of the toes. I would tell her about my discoveries, like the rocking back and forth or forward, a movement called the “cunita,” from “cuna” or cradle. We discussed why the woman at the end of the Tango always appeared to be in supplication or graceful kneeling position? “Because the Tango memorializes the Fallen Woman.” She agreed that “Canyengue,” the crude and vulgar street origin of the Tango was the real deal. We talked also about death. One time, she was one of the last to find out the cause of the death of one young writer. The distance did not matter. She made herself very near when she said: “Let me cry now.” Well, we will not tell you, dear Sylvia, with your leaving, “Let me cry now.” There is no passing on, for you good friend. You are, if I may borrow Federico Garcia-Lorca’s words, merely, for now, silent: Quieto bajo la tierna protesta de los astros. Quiet beneath the tender protest of the stars. Dios mabalos, Manay Sylvia, from the Bicolanos you so admired and loved you back.
E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com
The first of the troopers came over me, a large, husky man. Without a word, he swung his club against the left side of my head. I did not feel any pain, just the thud of the blow and my legs giving way. I raised my arm...and then the same trooper hit me again…. I heard something that sounded like gunshots. And then a cloud of smoke rose all around us.” Lewis was clubbed and gassed and he had a fractured skull. His whole body was splattered with his own blood and he was half-conscious. But instead of having him brought to the hospital, he pleaded to be brought to the nearest church where he stood groggily at the pulpit where he denounced the government: “I don’t know how President Johnson can send troops to Vietnam. I don’t know how he can send troops to Congo… and I can’t see how he can’t send troops to Selma, Alabama.” One week later, President Johnson issued the strongest endorsement of civil rights ever made by a US president before the joint session of Congress. Watching the event that evening in TV, Martin Luther King wept and six days later, in a speech right in front of the Governor’s Mansion in Alabama capital, King proclaimed that segregation is on its death throes and added his most famous lines: “I know you are asking today, “How long will it take?...not long, because no lie can live forever... . Not long, because you shall reap what you sow…. Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” The event in Selma 55 years ago is worth retelling if only to remind the world that no wrong can be perpetuated forever. Yesterday it was Selma, followed by Edsa, Berlin and others. Today, it’s HK, Iraq, India and other places where injustices are met by peaceful revolts. They may be clubbed and gassed but somehow they can cross their bridges.
A12 Friday, January 10, 2020
‘Unpredictable’ Mideast calls for forced evacuation–Cimatu
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By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga & Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM
HE mandatory evacuation of Filipinos out of Iraq will proceed as planned to ensure their safety amid the growing tension in the Middle East, Environment Secretary and Special Envoy to the Middle East Roy A. Cimatu said on Thursday. This, even as Tehran and Washington separately signaled on Thursday they will stop further military hostilities.
A former A rmed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, Cimatu said despite the public pronouncements from Tehran
“We are hoping for the best but we would rather err on the side of safety. Over preparation is better than under preparation.” —Cimatu
and Washington, the situation remains unpredictable. “It is better to err on the side of safety,” he said. He flew to Doha on Thursday afternoon on a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight to carry out his mission to coordinate interagency efforts on the ground in the Middle East, to ensure the protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Before leaving, Cimatu joined an interagency meeting, presided over by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, of the committee created to oversee the repatriation of Filipinos from the Middle East. Pursuant to the directive of President Duterte, Lorenzana chaired the committee composed of National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. as the vice chairman, and the secretaries of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Transportation (DOTr) as members. See “Cimatu,” A2
Bigger take-home pay awaits state workers
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OVERNMENT workers are expected to benefit from a bigger take-home pay following the enactment of the salary standardization law 5 (SSL-5). Presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo confirmed that Republic Act (RA) 11466, or the Salary Standardization Law of 2019 was finally signed by President Duterte on Wednesday evening.
“The law is aimed at benefiting those hardworking men and women in the government, including our teachers and nurses who unfortunately have been neglected in the past,” Panelo said. He said it will boost public workers’ productivity through its performance-based incentive scheme. The law will cover all civilian personnel, including those in the
NORTHEAST MONSOON AFFECTING NORTHERN AND CENTRAL LUZON EASTERLIES AFFECTING EASTERN SECTION OF VISAYAS AND MINDANAO as of 4:00 pm - January 9, 2020
Legislative and Judicial Branches of the Government, Constitutional Commissions, government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCC) as well as of Local Government Units under certain conditions. However, it will not apply to military personnel, GOCC covered by Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS), and individuals whose services are
engaged through job orders, contracts of service, consultancy or service contracts with no employeremployee relationship. Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, SSL-5’s principal proponent, said Thursday that public servants can “expect a bigger take-home pay to help them cope with daily expenses” now that the enabling law has been enacted. See “Take-home pay,” A2
2020 budget passage to boost growth –Moody’s
DISPLACEMENT FROM DISASTERS UNDERMINES DEVELOPMENT–ADB
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OVERNMENTS across Asia and the Pacific, including the Philippines, should invest in prevention and response to address long-term impacts of disaster displacement, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In an Asian Development Blog, ADB Disaster Risk Management Specialist Steven Goldfinch and Social Development Specialist Rebekah Beatrice Ramsay said this will help address the displacement caused by disasters. The ADB said almost 75 percent of the world’s disaster displacement in 2018 forced over 12.6 million people to leave their homes across Asia and the Pacific. “Displacement is corrosive to development. At best, it causes temporary interruption to lives and livelihoods. At worst, it separates families, dislocates communities, destroys human and social capital, reverses poverty reduction gains and increases fragility,” the authors said. Goldfinch and Ramsay said displacement can worsen the plight of vulnerable groups such as women, children, older people, people with disabilities and indigenous communities. They added that these vulnerable groups face further
Bare new water deals, lawmakers tell Palace By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
& Butch Fernandez
Continued from A1
a credit positive,” Moody’s Senior Vice President Christian de Guzman said. Moody’s forecasts growth to hit 6.2 percent this year. The delay in the budget approval in 2019 pulled the growth numbers to below 6 percent in the first half of the year. The delay was caused by an impasse between the two legislative houses. This forced the government to operate under a reenacted 2018 budget, which excluded appropriations for new or recently approved infrastructure projects, prohibited the construction of public works, and the disbursement of public funds in the 45-day period before the midterm elections held last May. “We expect the pace of government spending to normalize and, along with residual spending from the 2019 budget, support a significantly larger fiscal expansion in 2020,” de Guzman said. The P4.1-trillion budget, which is equivalent to 19.5 percent of projected gross domestic product, is the country’s largest to date, higher by 12 percent than the 2019 budget. It will sustain the critical infrastructure, human capital development, and peace and order initiatives of the administration to support socioeconomic growth. The Moody’s senior official also expects underlying strengthening in Philippine fiscal metrics because of ongoing structural increases in revenue from tax reform. “In 2020, revenue will be enhanced by scheduled increases in excise taxes effective at the beginning of this year, some of which were part of the Duterte administration’s first package of tax reforms passed in 2017. In addition, a 2018 law raised duties on tobacco products. We expect national government debt to remain stable and debt affordability to improve,” de Guzman said. Bianca Cuaresma
marginalization due to displacement caused by disasters. By investing in prevention and response, governments can avert the long-term impacts of displacement. The only problem is these efforts are often underfunded due to the lack of data and the underestimated costs of displacement. Governments, Goldfinch and Ramsay said, have not fully quantified the multidimensional impact of displacement, particularly when it comes to certain socioeconomic concerns. These include gender; temporal dimensions such as temporary, seasonal or long term; and current and expected long-term trends of displacement risk, among others. “Closing the knowledge gap on disaster displacement, including quantifying the risk, is challenging. The limitations and, in some areas, absence of data along with the reliance on imperfect proxies must be addressed,” the authors said. In 2015, it was estimated by the World Bank that Supertyphoon Yolanda, or Haiyan, displaced 4.1 million Filipinos. The super typhoon also increased national poverty incidence by 1.9 percent, or an additional 1 million people falling into poverty. Cai U. Ordinario
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@butchfBM
AWMAKERS on Thursday asked the government to publicize the new water concession agreement that it is offering to Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said new contracts of water concessionaires should be released soon so that private firms can craft their long-term solutions to ensure sustainable water supply. “I hope [the government will release] new contracts, maybe in the first quarter of the year, for the concessionaires to plan their long-term solution in the next 10, 15, 20 years,” said Cayetano. Earlier, Executive officials said the new contracts that President Duterte floated to the two existing concessionaires for Metro Manila’s east and west zones will likely be ready in six months—a waiting period that one businessman deemed “too long” because in that limbo, no banks will be willing to lend to them, and critical, urgent infrastructure work might be delayed.
Go affirms ‘take it or leave it’
MEANWHILE, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, long-time ally of President Duterte, affirmed Malacanang’s “take it or leave it” offer for renewing contracts with Maynilad and Manila Water. “As far as I know, [it’s] take it or leave it,” Go told reporters after attending the opening of the 57th Malasakit Center, a one-stop shop for medical and financial assistance housed in Taguig-Pateros District Hospital in Taguig City. “Tanggapin niyo po ’yung bagong kontrata, na wala na po ’yung onerous provisions at sisiguraduhin ng Pangulo...best interest of
every Filipino ang mangunguna dito sa bagong kontrata [Please accept the new contract without onerous provisions, and the President will make sure the best interest of each Filipino will have primacy there],” said Go. The senator echoed the President’s sentiments against the onerous provisions found in the existing contracts of the two water companies with the government. He said that it is up to Maynilad and Manila Water if they will accept the offer. “It’s up to them if they will accept it. As for me, I support the President here. As long as the people won’t be shortchanged. Let’s not add to their burden,” the senator said, mostly in Filipino. He asserted that the main problem stems from the fact that “these water companies have made many shortcomings in their services but still had to ask more than they could offer,” referring to the severe water disruptions last summer that left millions without water. The President’s ire was further stoked when foreign arbitral tribunals separately granted the two private concessionaires their respective rate-hike petitions and ordered the Philippine government to pay them a total of P11 billion. “Where,” Go wondered aloud, “will you see a company that hasn’t yet started its septic tank desludging but already collects from consumers an ‘environmental charge.’ What is this: pay now, service never?”
‘Let people see deals’
Meanwhile, House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said the people must first see if indeed there are no longer onerous provisions in the new deal. See “Water deals,” A2
Companies BusinessMirror
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Development of Subic Bay to benefit East Asia–DOF
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By Bernadette D. Nicolas
@BNicolasBM
HE Department of Finance (DOF) pushed for the “swift” creation of the action plan for the development of Subic Bay and its surrounding areas during a bilateral meeting between officials of the Philippines and Japan. In his opening remarks, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III expressed his gratitude to Japan for their support in the formulation of the master plan. Dominguez met with Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Manila on Thursday. “I would like to thank the government of Japan for its support in the formulation of a master plan for the Subic Bay area and its surroundings. With the Memorandum of Cooperation for this commitment signed last month in Hakone, we look forward to Japan’s swift creation of the action plan for this project,” said Dominguez. The DOF earlier said the proposed master plan will outline possible projects in Subic Bay and its surrounding areas in the fields of road-network development, logistics terminal development, disaster risk management and other public-utilities development. “Given what we have achieved in developing the Clark special economic zone, I am confident that the full development of Subic Bay will provide another important node for knowledgebased industries ser v ing the whole of East Asia,” said Dominguez. Dominguez and Motegi met to
discuss new areas of expanding the robust bilateral relationship between their two countries, the progress of the infrastructure projects under “Build, Build, Build” that are being implemented with funding and technical support from Japan, and other fields of economic cooperation, according to the statement of DOF. Moreover, the DOF chief said Japan was instrumental in the Philippines’s economic development, being the top source of Official Development Assistance (ODA) which helped the country complete most of the vital infrastructure projects. “Since President Duterte assumed the presidency in July 2016, we have signed 10 loan agreements with the government of Japan. These loan agreements are to finance big-ticket infrastructure projects crucial to our country’s competitiveness,” he said. Dominguez noted that the Japanese and Philippine governments have been able to follow a “unique, high-level mechanism of infrastructure development and economic cooperation which expedites Japanese assistance to the country’s Build, Build, Build program. “The high-level committee has shortened the approval process
of our loan agreements to an average of 3 to 4 months. This demonstrates our shared commitment to work closely to ensure that the Filipino people get the benefit of these projects at the lowest possible costs and the soonest possible time” he said. “We are looking forward to the 10th meeting of this high-level committee in the island of Bohol in the Central Philippines where we have completed the Bohol-Panglao International Airport through Japan’s assistance,” he added.
Opportunities
As the massive infrastructure program accelerates this year, Dominguez said he is seeing more opportunities for financing and technical support from the Japanese government. “We, likewise, look forward to continuing our comprehensive partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with the support of incoming president Masatsugu Asakawa,” he said. For his part, Motegi said the relationship between the two countries has reached the “golden age.” “As Secretary Dominguez said, under the leadership of President Duterte and Prime Minister Abe, the relationship between Japan and the Philippines is continuing to enjoy a broad-based, multilayered development including economy, infrastructure development, security, people-to-people exchanges and is indeed at a stage which we call the golden age,” he said. Motegi thanked the Philippines for its support for Asakawa’s nomination to the ADB presidency and said Japan would like to further deepen the trilateral cooperation among the ADB, Japan and the Philippines. The Japanese official also took the opportunity to express his
heartfelt condolences and sympathies for the damage caused by the quake in Mindanao and offered Japan’s support, knowledge and experience in disaster response and risk reduction. He also stressed that “support for Mindanao is another major pillar of Japan’s cooperation” with the Philippines and offered support for the development of the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Ten loan accords have been signed thus far between Manila and Tokyo for the financing of the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build flagship projects and other priority initiatives, including the single biggest venture under Build, Build, Build program which is the Metro Manila Subway Project or MMSP (Phase I). Other loan agreements that the Philippines signed with Japan include the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) Rehabilitation Project, North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project or NSCREP (1st tranche of loan), New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environment Protection Project (II), and the Road Network Development Project in Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao. Japan is the country’s top provider of ODA loans and grants totaling $8.63 billion (accounting for 46 percent of the country’s total ODA loan portfolio) as of September 2019. It is the Philippines’s second major trading partner in 2018 ($21.1 billion), its second largest export market ($10.3 billion), and its third import supplier ($10.82 billion). Foreign direct investment inflows from Japan reached $218.91 million in 2018, representing a 203.5-percent hike from the 2017 figure of $72.13 million.
Meralco cuts January power rates
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HE Manila Electric Co. ( M e r a l c o) a n n o u n c e d Wednesday it will reduce power rates at the start of the year. Power rates for January will settle at P9.4523 per kilowatthour from P9.8623 per kW h, decreasing by P0.4100 per kWh. This would mean a P82reduction in the electricity bill for a household consuming 200 kWh a month. In a statement, Meralco said generation charge this month declined due to lower costs from its power-supply ag reements (PSAs) and independent power producers. Generation charge for January decreased by P0.2928 per kWh to P4.9039 per kWh from last month’s P5.1967. Meralco also cut transmission charges for residential customers by P0.0517 per kWh this month due to lower National Grid Corp. of the Philippines’s ancillary service charge. Taxes and other charges are also lower by 0.656 per kWh at the start of 2020. Meanwhile, distribution, supply and metering charges have remained stable for 54 months. In December, power rates rose to P9.8623 per kWh, up by P0.3044 per kWh from Novem-
ber’s P9.5579 per kWh, mainly due to higher spot market prices. T he upward adjustment is equivalent to around P61 in the typical household’s total electricity bill, or those with a monthly consumption of 200 kWh. Generation charge, a major component of an electricity bill, went up to P5.1967 per kWh, an increase of P0.1650 per kWh from P5.0317 per kWh last month. This was because charges from
the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) increased by P1.0799 per kWh, driven by tighter supply conditions in the Luzon grid. As a result, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines placed the Luzon Grid on yellow alert on two occasions. The average capacity on outage in November increased by 525 megawatts (MW) because of scheduled and forced outages of some power plants and the natural gas
supply restriction of Malampaya onshore gas plant implemented by SPEx in November 2019. The share of WESM to Meralco’s supply needs was reduced to 10 percent. Meanwhile, the cost of power from the independent power producers and power-supply agreements also increased by P0.1106 per kWh and P0.0987 per kWh, respectively, due to lower average dispatch and weakening of the peso against the US dollar. PNA
Friday, January 10, 2020
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Easing of US-Iran tensions allows PSEi to recover By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
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HE main index rallied on Wednesday as tensions between the United States and Iraq appeared to ease, reversing the slump that it sustained the day prior. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) added 61.40 points or an increase of 0.79 percent to close at 7,797.64 points on Wednesday, while the broader all shares index increased 17.25 points or by 0.38 percent to end at 4,612.83 points. Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said this development came as stock markets in the US “recovered from overnight losses to post solid gains,” after US President Donald Trump suggested refraining from any more military action against Iran. “Investors were relieved by the news that no Americans were harmed by the missile strike on US bases in Iraq,” he said. Iran retaliated to the US attack against its fallen military commander Qassem Soleimani through missile attacks on two American military bases in Iraq. “Oil even tumbled nearly 5 percent below $60, after Trump backed off from more direct confrontation with Iran,” Limlingan added. Trump on Wednesday called for the end of the tensions with Iran, whose foreign minister also said that his country is not looking for war. The US president is keen on imposing sanctions against Iran, and suggested the crafting of a new nuclear deal with Tehran. “The action of the US is more diplomatic in nature, and it gave confidence to investors that there will be no more military actions against each other,” Astro del Castillo, managing director at First Grade Finance, said. All subindices closed on the positive except the industrial index,
which shed 21.48 points to end at 9,418.55 points. Wednesday ended at P5.55 billion in total value of traded stocks.
Jitters
GEOPOLITICAL issues between the US and Iran worried investors, resulting in Wednesday’s losses in the PSEi but the peso managed to stay afloat. The local currency ended the day’s trade at 50.756, little change from its 50.76 close Tuesday. It opened the day on a weak tone at 51.16 from 50.945 a day ago. It was able to strengthen to 50.74 mid-trading but also dipped to 51.25, resulting in an average of 50.956. Volume reached $1.963 billion, higher than the $1.627 billion a day ago. BPI Research said the peso weakened early in the day after “investors gave up risky assets in a knee-jerk reaction to Iran’s counter attack.” This, after news reports said the Middle Eastern country fired several ballistic missiles at two US military bases in Iraq following the death of Soleimani. BPI Research said the peso was able to gain strength after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said there is enough oil supply despite the latest conflict in the Middle East. It forecasts the peso to trade between 50.60 and 51.10 to a dollar on Thursday. The PSEi, meanwhile, shed 1.33 percent, or 104.46 points, to 7,736.24 points after a two-day recovery. All Shares also ended in the red after it fell 1.14 percent, or 52.77 points, to 4,595.58 points. Industrial index posted the highest decline at 2.34 percent, followed by Holding Firms, 1.58 percent; Financials, 1.44 percent; Property, 0.65 percent; and Services, 0.20 percent. Only the Mining and Oil proved resilient during the day after it rose 1.007 percent.
Zen Rooms budget hotel opens in BGC
Z
EN Rooms has launched Zen Premium Uptown BGC, the first and only budget hotel in Taguig City, catering to business travelers who are looking for accommodation facilities that offer value for money. Located alongside Kalayaan Avenue, the newly built hotel owned by DEI Properties Inc. houses 105 rooms. It offers rates starting at P1,500 per night. The opening of Zen Premium Uptown BGC is part of Zen’s continuous effort in providing a solution to the lack of affordable accommodations in Bonifacio Global City, in line with its goal to democratize travel to all. “BGC developers have built an amazing modern city with tremendous appeal but with unfortunately no affordable hotels, leading to nonsense situations where business travelers are forced to either spend excessively on high-end hotels at the Fort or commute hours to reach their meetings in BGC,” said Nathan Boublil, cofounder and chief executive officer of Zen Rooms. “With the launch of Zen Premium Uptown, we are delighted to be putting an end to this unfair nonsense with our partner DEI Properties,” he added. Established in 2015, Zen Rooms is one of the largest players in its category, with 13,000 rooms under franchise. It first entered the Philippines in 2016. The following year, it launched Zen Homes in BGC, the first affordable, professionally run service apartment brand in the Philippines. As of the second quarter of 2019,
Zen Rooms is the largest hotel chain in the country with 5,500 rooms under franchise. The hospitality brand in Southeast Asia has raised $23-million equity funding from leading institutional investors Rocket Internet, Ooredoo Telecom, RedBadge Pacific, SBI Investments Korea and Yanolja. In October 2019 , the company announced that it struck an agreement with travel group Yanolja for the latter’s “doubling down” of its $15-million investment in the former, which will allow the digital company to further improve its hotel franchises. The additional investment also comes with a “wide strategic alliance” that will create “the leading economy and midrange hospitality group in Southeast Asia” by combining the franchise business of Zen and the scale of Yanolja. Yanolja is the same company that backed Booking Holdings, Agoda, Kayak and Priceline, among others. The two groups will also work to deploy automation technology to enhance customer experience, further reduce budget hotels’ operating costs and reinvent budget hospitality across Southeast Asia. “With this strategic alliance, we are joining forces with one of the most technologically innovative travel groups and its unique backers, Booking Holdings, to create the first full-service budget and midrange hospitality group in Southeast Asia, able to deploy worldclass technology infrastructure in Internet of Things research and development, automation, hardware and software to all hotels in Southeast Asia,” said Boublil. Roderick L. Abad
B2
Companies BusinessMirror
Friday, January 10, 2020
PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS
January 9, 2020
Net Foreign Stocks Bid Ask Open High Low Close Volume Value Trade (Peso) Buy (Sell) FINANCIALS
ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE BDO LEASING COL FINANCIAL FIRST ABACUS FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MEDCO HLDG MANULIFE NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE VANTAGE
54 151.9 85 24.9 11.98 65.65 12.02 34.05 57.3 22.4 186.5 57.5 0.88 2.1 18.02 0.67 3.8 1.16 0.34 850 0.79 174.5 1850 1.05
54.1 152 85.4 25 12 65.9 12.5 34.4 58.25 23 187 58 0.92 2.12 18.4 0.68 3.81 1.19 0.36 860 0.82 177 1859 1.08
54 153.5 85.4 25 11.96 64.85 12.02 34.25 58.4 22.3 186 58.25 0.89 2 18.4 0.68 3.82 1.19 0.32 850 0.79 175 1840 1.05
54 154.2 86.7 25 12 65.9 12.98 34.8 58.4 23 187.8 58.3 0.92 2.1 18.4 0.68 3.82 1.19 0.34 850 0.82 175 1850 1.07
54 152 85 24.8 11.88 64.85 12.02 34.05 58.4 22.3 185.8 57.5 0.89 2 18.4 0.68 3.8 1.19 0.31 850 0.79 175 1840 1.05
54 152 85 24.9 11.98 65.9 12.5 34.05 58.4 23 187 57.5 0.92 2.1 18.4 0.68 3.8 1.19 0.34 850 0.82 175 1850 1.07
900 2852390 1524950 8600 58300 1497840 70500 175300 20 12000 623150 11250 14000 45000 100 2000 52000 1000 550000 780 9000 2230 610 94000
48600 434855868 130208103.5 214435 695448 98005925.5 878090 5,993,075( 1168 272510 116366270 649904 12490 93840 1840 1360 198430 1190 173750 663000 7270 390250 1128370 98720
INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO MANILA WATER PETRON PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL SPC POWER VIVANT AGRINURTURE AXELUM CNTRL AZUCARERA CENTURY FOOD DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA JOLLIBEE MACAY HLDG MAXS GROUP MG HLDG PEPSI COLA SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VICTORIAS CONCRETE A CONCRETE B CEMEX HLDG EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP HOLCIM MEGAWIDE PHINMA TKC METALS VULCAN INDL CHEMPHIL CROWN ASIA EUROMED MABUHAY VINYL PRYCE CORP GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR IONICS SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG
HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT KEPPEL HLDG A LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP SOC RESOURCES TOP FRONTIER ZEUS HLDG
-134053098 -41568545 24950 -224160 7656158 5,032,965.0001) -18379792 1749 127100 -
2.37 1.21 34.2 0.242 22.2 66.55 301 10.42 4.12 11.88 32.8 8.7 14.9 12.84 3.11 16.62 15.24 4.83 9.1 7.23 80 0.55 1.46 37.9 207 6.2 11.4 0.16 1.92 9.19 2.06 5.27 0.118 144 1.17 2.46 62.5 66.8 1.7 14.2 9.05 13.8 15.5 9.86 0.96 0.92 165 2.14 1.6 3.2 4.84 1.94 7.92 1.27 1 7.2
2.41 1.27 34.3 0.245 22.3 66.65 302 10.44 4.13 11.9 32.95 8.75 15.1 13 3.12 18.5 15.28 5.2 9.18 7.24 80.2 0.56 1.47 37.95 208 6.5 11.48 0.165 1.93 9.27 2.09 5.28 0.124 144.3 1.19 2.58 65 71.9 1.71 14.56 9.17 13.9 15.52 10 1 0.94 173 2.15 1.69 3.39 4.85 1.95 8 1.29 1.02 7.22
2.31 1.2 34.15 0.241 22.05 66.65 302 10.1 4.2 11.88 32.3 8.69 14.9 13 2.97 18 15.2 5.4 9.09 7.22 83 0.56 1.4 38 210.4 6.29 11.5 0.16 1.92 9.6 2.22 5.28 0.118 145 1.17 2.41 63 72.8 1.68 14.2 9.05 13.88 15.62 9.86 0.96 0.89 170 2.15 1.58 3.2 4.85 1.95 7.98 1.33 1.01 6.2
2.42 1.2 34.5 0.245 22.35 66.85 306.6 10.64 4.25 11.9 32.95 8.7 14.9 13.06 3.13 18.58 15.24 5.4 9.2 7.23 83 0.57 1.49 38 211.8 6.5 11.5 0.16 1.93 9.65 2.23 5.28 0.118 145.3 1.19 2.58 63 72.8 1.71 14.56 9.49 13.9 15.62 10 1 0.99 173 2.15 1.58 3.39 4.85 1.98 8.46 1.33 1.02 7.3
2.31 1.2 34 0.241 22 66.5 300.4 10.08 4.1 11.8 32.3 8.53 14.9 12.84 2.95 18 15.1 5.4 9.09 7.21 80 0.55 1.38 37.5 207 6.29 11.3 0.16 1.92 9 2.06 5.2 0.118 143 1.16 2.41 62.7 66.8 1.64 14.06 9.05 13.8 15.38 9.86 0.96 0.86 170 2.15 1.58 3.12 4.85 1.91 7.85 1.24 0.97 6.2
2.41 1.2 34.3 0.245 22.3 66.55 301 10.44 4.12 11.9 32.8 8.7 14.9 13 3.12 18.58 15.24 5.4 9.1 7.23 80 0.56 1.46 37.9 207 6.5 11.4 0.16 1.92 9.19 2.06 5.28 0.118 144.3 1.19 2.58 62.7 66.8 1.7 14.2 9.05 13.9 15.5 10 1 0.92 173 2.15 1.58 3.39 4.85 1.95 7.92 1.27 1.02 7.2
2342000 37000 1783200 500000 2084900 30000 169040 17146500 3435000 43700 156300 119400 100 882300 3872000 1100 320000 1000 804600 161800 266800 921000 33156000 4900 463590 3400 929400 980000 2067000 2675600 3578000 18200 500000 906960 1041000 2000 4060 860 17933000 202800 226600 468500 201600 6000 94000 5118000 220 40000 1000 14000 7000 3629000 1813400 868000 565000 19525800
5542240 44400 61085800 121650 46331475 1998143.5 50937370 179597028 14214820 518640 5105275 1031016 1490 11505472 11839070 19858 4861196 5400 7361929 1167032 21403454 513120 47921350 185000 96917998 21441 10583882 156800 3968820 25181435 7615840 95932 59000 130792793 1221590 4990 255338 58048 30165880 2855420 2058485 6509776 3125026 59234 93480 4804750 37840 86000 1580 44800 33950 7025810 14848322 1098970 567710 134839879
33090 -27365065 -27153685 -1510413.5 -26611452 4493588 -1224360 733190 4309.9999 -117200 -282470 2875288 2081914 -186816 -9659870.5 30730 -7560 -12465410 -332370 -3200 -418560 4888 -29404 -73568189 11700 -2580 -682830 -2434370 -1705305 -5053224 -2398546 -10190 -33950 443410 104710 10000 -51400 -594796
0.92 11 791.5 51.65 11.2 2.95 6.22 0.68 0.9 0.9 6.57 7.04 13.02 819 5.1 79.05 5 0.485 3.84 11.74 0.56 3.77 4.1 1.2 1.2 195 1057 159 0.77 202.6 0.19
0.93 11.12 794.5 51.8 11.22 2.98 6.4 0.69 0.91 0.94 6.59 7.05 13.1 824.5 5.2 79.25 5.83 0.5 3.94 11.84 0.59 3.8 4.25 1.24 1.25 198 1072 160.1 0.81 213.8 0.203
0.88 10.2 790 51.85 11.08 2.99 6.4 0.67 0.91 0.93 6.69 7.01 13.1 838 5.2 78.7 5 0.5 3.85 11.6 0.56 3.54 4.08 1.18 1.22 192 1057 160.9 0.79 202.6 0.195
0.94 11.48 795 51.9 11.22 3.03 6.4 0.69 0.91 0.96 6.69 7.16 13.1 842.5 5.2 80.4 5 0.5 3.87 11.84 0.59 3.8 4.24 1.24 1.22 195 1072 161.9 0.8 202.6 0.203
0.88 10.18 780 51.05 11.04 2.95 6.4 0.67 0.88 0.9 6.57 6.99 13.1 815.5 5.16 78.4 5 0.49 3.82 11.6 0.56 3.54 4.03 1.17 1.19 186 1054 159 0.79 202.6 0.19
0.93 11 794.5 51.8 11.2 2.95 6.4 0.69 0.91 0.94 6.57 7.04 13.1 819 5.16 79.25 5 0.5 3.84 11.84 0.59 3.8 4.24 1.24 1.2 195 1072 159 0.8 202.6 0.203
30867000 91400 328820 1012910 3780300 290000 1000 159000 1736000 2057000 1432900 16576300 24100 146510 42300 1215870 1500 4000 636000 372600 116000 40947000 9000 172000 374000 620 182035 323280 17000 2460 280000
28272550 979992 260311275 52396697 42251086 866320 6400 106850 1553290 1858310 9510840 117296848 315710 121107240 218468 96438734.5 7500 1980 2450820 4377814 65290 152444940 36950 204900 450340 116310 194038935 51648388 13550 498396 53710
-1572570 -10540 -44451030 -3986536 -10804776 -102910 355810 -501548 -3373711 -48033515 -77400 -23755537 -624090 -850762 61691900 70574830 -25162448 24700
PROPERTY
ARTHALAND CORP 0.82 0.84 0.78 0.85 0.77 0.84 4008000 3295540 780 AYALA LAND 44.95 45 44.05 45.05 44.05 45 20253300 900078660 -78982430 ARANETA PROP 1.35 1.39 1.35 1.46 1.35 1.4 5000 7130 BELLE CORP 1.99 2 1.98 1.99 1.98 1.99 217000 431810 A BROWN 0.71 0.72 0.69 0.72 0.69 0.71 306000 216890 CITYLAND DEVT 0.83 0.87 0.85 0.86 0.85 0.86 24000 20430 7650 CROWN EQUITIES 0.184 0.185 0.181 0.183 0.181 0.183 320000 58020 CEBU HLDG 6.5 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 500 3350 CEB LANDMASTERS 4.72 4.75 4.7 4.8 4.7 4.75 278000 1331470 -133960 CENTURY PROP 0.52 0.54 0.52 0.54 0.52 0.54 3178000 1686450 -10600 CYBER BAY 0.405 0.41 0.405 0.41 0.4 0.41 1240000 503100 DOUBLEDRAGON 18.42 18.5 18.72 19 18.4 18.42 677100 12581580 1313174 DM WENCESLAO 9.4 9.6 9.41 9.6 9.34 9.4 435200 4091081 -1448439 EMPIRE EAST 0.415 0.42 0.41 0.42 0.41 0.415 440000 182750 EVER GOTESCO 0.101 0.106 0.1 0.101 0.1 0.101 240000 24030 FILINVEST LAND 1.53 1.54 1.54 1.55 1.51 1.54 15723000 24067500 -4603930 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.15 1.19 1.19 1.19 1.19 1.19 6000 7140 8990 HLDG 14.7 14.8 14.76 14.76 14.7 14.7 585900 8627826 -288232 PHIL INFRADEV 1.18 1.2 1.19 1.2 1.17 1.18 738000 872170 -22800 CITY AND LAND 0.74 0.77 0.74 0.77 0.74 0.77 2000 1510 740 MEGAWORLD 4.23 4.27 4.28 4.28 4.22 4.27 18753000 79972770 -43148110 MRC ALLIED 0.212 0.213 0.201 0.214 0.197 0.212 22840000 4722510 73500 PRIMEX CORP 2.16 2.18 2.2 2.23 2.17 2.18 415000 912540 ROBINSONS LAND 27.55 27.6 28.1 28.2 27.5 27.55 2582300 71429335 -16468225 PHIL REALTY 0.315 0.325 0.325 0.325 0.315 0.315 100000 32400 ROCKWELL 2.1 2.12 2.12 2.14 2.12 2.12 246000 525800 SHANG PROP 3.16 3.22 3.23 3.25 3.13 3.13 14000 45260 STA LUCIA LAND 2.35 2.4 2.45 2.45 2.34 2.35 335000 807210 -70500 SM PRIME HLDG 41.85 42 41.5 42.2 41.45 42 6251700 261330225 -7720475 VISTAMALLS 5.75 5.8 5.72 5.86 5.7 5.84 51500 297569 SUNTRUST HOME 1.58 1.59 1.4 1.65 1.39 1.58 26520000 40795370 -50400 VISTA LAND 7.45 7.55 7.45 7.55 7.45 7.55 10820000 81603957 -26738218 SERVICES ABS CBN 19 19.3 19.48 19.9 19 19 610200 11780172 GMA NETWORK 5.35 5.45 5.44 5.46 5.31 5.35 102700 556136 MANILA BULLETIN 0.4 0.41 0.39 0.41 0.39 0.41 110000 44100 GLOBE TELECOM 2018 2030 2010 2032 2004 2030 37870 76531480 -20980890 PLDT 1082 1089 1046 1089 1041 1089 203455 218667760 52988130 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.045 0.046 0.042 0.046 0.042 0.046 29300000 1294500 IMPERIAL 1.67 1.77 1.8 1.8 1.77 1.77 7000 12540 ISLAND INFO 0.1 0.103 0.101 0.103 0.1 0.1 840000 84720 ISM COMM 3.68 3.69 3.64 3.71 3.6 3.68 1378000 5029710 4090 JACKSTONES 1.9 2 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 30000 57000 NOW CORP 2.46 2.47 2.48 2.48 2.39 2.47 1140000 2779330 22090 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.26 0.265 0.25 0.27 0.25 0.26 3590000 938450 -100 PHILWEB 2.53 2.55 2.55 2.59 2.52 2.53 232000 589400 2GO GROUP 9.6 9.85 9.52 9.9 9.52 9.6 11900 116831 ASIAN TERMINALS 18.3 18.4 18.3 18.3 18.3 18.3 500 9150 9150 CHELSEA 5.23 5.24 5.31 5.44 5.23 5.24 636600 3357504 143744 CEBU AIR 87 87.2 86.65 88.15 86.65 87.2 434140 37903719.5 -9915292.5 INTL CONTAINER 133.5 134 130.2 134 130 134 1356850 179572951 30092974.9999 MACROASIA 15.08 15.2 15.5 15.5 15.08 15.08 721700 10993380 -10320778 METROALLIANCE A 0.9 0.99 0.95 0.95 0.95 0.95 6000 5700 PAL HLDG 7.26 7.49 7.21 7.65 7.21 7.5 6400 47002 HARBOR STAR 1.34 1.35 1.19 1.34 1.16 1.34 6299000 8050170 -13260 DISCOVERY WORLD 1.79 2.01 1.65 1.78 1.65 1.72 59000 104110 WATERFRONT 0.61 0.63 0.62 0.63 0.61 0.61 917000 571860 IPEOPLE 8.15 9.47 8.15 8.15 8.15 8.15 100 815 STI HLDG 0.6 0.61 0.61 0.61 0.59 0.61 631000 382200 BERJAYA 3.26 3.3 3.5 3.52 3.25 3.26 1392000 4674310 49500 BLOOMBERRY 10.46 10.5 10.58 10.6 10.34 10.46 8222600 86114218 8147566 PACIFIC ONLINE 2.42 2.45 2.45 2.45 2.43 2.43 63000 153570 -134050 LEISURE AND RES 2.59 2.6 2.51 2.63 2.51 2.59 507000 1309800 MANILA JOCKEY 3.24 3.27 3.29 3.29 3.25 3.25 249000 813030 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.57 0.58 0.59 0.59 0.57 0.58 1734000 1006470 -354530 ALLHOME 11.5 11.58 11.5 11.58 11.5 11.58 610600 7058882 -1353798 METRO RETAIL 2.11 2.12 2.15 2.15 2.1 2.12 264000 558010 -94960 PUREGOLD 39.9 39.95 39.8 40.2 39.8 39.95 402900 16097055 -574280 ROBINSONS RTL 78.75 79.45 78.55 79.5 78.55 79.45 85590 6781846.5 2838745 PHIL SEVEN CORP 133 138.8 138 139 133 133 4320 598958 444802 SSI GROUP 2.66 2.67 2.63 2.68 2.61 2.66 2206000 5841820 192710 WILCON DEPOT 18.4 18.46 18.14 18.46 18.14 18.46 1843700 33859034 4714568 APC GROUP 0.4 0.405 0.4 0.4 0.395 0.4 1290000 515400 EASYCALL 8.41 8.85 8.52 8.87 8.36 8.5 60600 515489 GOLDEN BRIA 431 439.8 440 440 430 439.8 560 242424 IPM HLDG 7 7.59 6.8 7.01 6.8 7.01 4200 29341 28640 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.345 0.35 0.365 0.365 0.345 0.35 6510000 2280000 -35100 SBS PHIL CORP 9.05 9.35 9.15 9.42 8.9 9.05 6269100 57650364 MINING & OIL ATOK 10.06 10.94 10.94 10.94 10.94 10.94 100 1094 APEX MINING 1.09 1.1 1.12 1.12 1.04 1.1 2853000 3075790 -170860 ABRA MINING 0.0014 0.0015 0.0014 0.0014 0.0014 0.0014 293000000 410200 ATLAS MINING 2.5 2.55 2.48 2.5 2.48 2.5 287000 716460 -701500 CENTURY PEAK 2.99 3 3.06 3.06 2.91 3 1605000 4819070 -233479.9998 FERRONICKEL 1.66 1.67 1.71 1.71 1.65 1.67 2312000 3872130 -169570 GEOGRACE 0.198 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.195 0.198 450000 88370 LEPANTO A 0.098 0.099 0.102 0.102 0.097 0.098 6610000 656580 LEPANTO B 0.097 0.101 0.097 0.104 0.097 0.103 80000 7960 -1030 MANILA MINING A 0.0085 0.0088 0.0085 0.0085 0.0085 0.0085 7000000 59500 MARCVENTURES 0.88 0.89 0.88 0.9 0.88 0.89 45000 39790 NIHAO 1 1.01 1.02 1.02 1 1.02 11000 11040 NICKEL ASIA 3.2 3.3 3.15 3.3 3.15 3.3 7517000 24315140 -8987750 ORNTL PENINSULA 0.71 0.72 0.68 0.72 0.68 0.71 41000 28890 PX MINING 3.21 3.24 3.25 3.25 3.18 3.21 1020000 3268310 688240 SEMIRARA MINING 22 22.1 21.95 22.1 21.8 22.1 610500 13438130 6610495 UNITED PARAGON 0.0054 0.006 0.0056 0.006 0.0053 0.006 9000000 50000 ACE ENEXOR 9.9 9.93 9.56 10.32 9.55 9.9 1718100 17214898 204357.9999 ORNTL PETROL A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 3900000 42900 ORNTL PETROL B 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 200000 2200 PHILODRILL 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 34700000 363600 PXP ENERGY 10.06 10.08 9.01 10.06 8.89 10.06 1873200 17920121 -3351626 PREFFERED HOUSE PREF A 98.5 99 99 99 98.5 98.5 980 96580 86680 ALCO PREF C 100.8 104.9 100.8 100.8 100.8 100.8 110 11088 DD PREF 100.4 100.8 100.4 100.4 100.4 100.4 2000 200800 SMC FB PREF 2 995 998.5 997 997 997 997 740 737780 FGEN PREF G 108.1 110.9 108.1 111.3 108 111.3 1480 160112 GTCAP PREF A 941.5 989 989.5 990 989.5 990 5000 4949405 4949405 GTCAP PREF B 990 995 999 999 999 999 2300 2297700 MWIDE PREF 100.7 101 101 101 101 101 5500 555500 PNX PREF 3A 100.5 102.1 100.5 100.5 100.5 100.5 1000 100500 PNX PREF 4 1028 1029 1029 1030 1029 1030 4005 4122770 SMC PREF 2C 77.05 78.45 78.5 78.5 78.45 78.45 630 49442.5 SMC PREF 2E 74.9 76 75 75 75 75 18640 1398000 SMC PREF 2G 75.1 75.95 75.15 75.15 75.1 75.1 29500 2216450 SMC PREF 2H 75.1 75.95 75.1 75.15 75.1 75.1 1340 100635.5 SMC PREF 2I 75.25 76 76 76 75.95 76 160290 12182015 -
PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR
17.98
18
17.94
18.6
17.9
18
499000
8987574
WARRANTS LR WARRANT
1.28
-3201758
1.33
1.26
1.32
1.26
1.32
82000
106700
-
ITALPINAS 4.03 KEPWEALTH 10.16 XURPAS 0.81
4.05 10.18 0.83
4.17 10 0.8
4.21 10.4 0.83
4 10 0.79
4.05 10.16 0.82
452000 326800 2446000
1859040 3321066 1997100
-8340 7380
FIRST METRO ETF
117.3
SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS 116.3
116.2
116.3
115.9
116.3
7210
837543
2320
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Roxas and Co. sells Cubao, Batangas assets to cut debt
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By Lorenz S. Marasigan
@lorenzmarasigan
ISTED holding firm Roxas and Co. Inc. (RCI) has sold P551.56 million of its assets to various corporations to trim down its debt, according to separate disclosures to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). The largest of the three transactions is the sale of its two properties in Cubao to White Marketing and Development Corp. for P367 million. The amount does not include taxes. Previously owned by affiliate Roxaco Asia Hospitality Corp., the two parcels of land totals to 827.4 square meters (sq m) and a 10-story building with total floor area of 5,142
sq m, including all machineries, equipment, furniture and fixtures located therein. It has also sold Roxaco Land Corp.’s 27,016 sq m land in Nasugbu, Batangas, to SM Prime Holdings Inc. for P94.56 million plus taxes. Lastly, it sold three lots with a total area of 6.67 hectares in Natipuan, Batangas, to Sta. Lucia Land Inc. for
P90 million plus taxes. All three transactions is expected to result in an “increase in operating income due to debt reduction, and the improvement of debt to equity ratio.” The company announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to sell its key real-estate assets to raise funds. The company incurred a net loss of P384.69 million for the nine months of 2019, much deeper than the previous year’s loss of P316.59 million despite the higher gross profit and lower operating expenses due mainly to higher interest expenses and the equity in net loss from Roxas Holdings Inc. The company had equity in net loss from its 23-percent investment in Roxas Holdings which increased to P140.93 million, a reversal from last year’s equity in net income of P28.24 million.
Consolidated revenues as of the third quarter grew 61 percent to P624.42 million, from the previous year’s P387.47 million. Revenues were higher across all business units, which include real-estate sales, coconut exports, and both Go Hotels and Anya Hotel. RCI, formerly C ADP Group Corp., is the holding company of the Roxas Group. Its main holdings are raw real estate located in Nasugbu, Batangas, sugar-related assets and businesses held through Roxas Holdings Inc., another publicly listed company and real-estate development through its property arm, Roxaco Land Corp. In 2008, the Roxas Group underwent a corporate reorganization, which ultimate goal is to separate the sugar and real-estate businesses of the group into two PSE-listed firms.
Drillship of PXP Energy, partner arrives in Peru By Lenie Lectura @llectura
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ISTED upstream oil and gas firm PXP Energy Corp. on Thursday said a drillship has arrived in Lima, Peru, ahead of drilling a well located in Block Z-38 Tumbes Basin, Peru. “Karoon Energy Ltd. [Karoon] is pleased to announce the Stena Forth Drillship has arrived in the Port of Callao, Lima, Peru, ahead of drilling the Marina-1 exploration well located in Block Z-38 Tumbes Basin, Peru,” PXP said in a disclosure. Karoon, a partner of PXP, is the operator and has a 40-percent net interest in Block Z-38. Pitkin Petroleum Ltd., a 53.43-percent owned subsidiary of PXP, holds a 25-percent participating interest in the same Block. The remaining 25 percent is held by UK-listed oil explorer Tullow Oil. “The Stena Forth will remain at the Port of Callao for one to two weeks to refuel and change the crew before continuing on to the Marina-1 well location. Karoon expects the vessel to clear customs and final permits to be received over the coming weeks. The well is expected to spud during the
last week of January 2020,” PXP said. The Marina prospect has a gross prospective resource best estimate of 256 million barrels of oil. This prospect will be the first well to be drilled in Block Z-38. PXP Energy Corp. is an upstream oil and gas company incorporated in the Philippines in December 2007 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Philex Mining Corp. It was previously known as Philex Petroleum Corp. In November 2019, the company reported that it trimmed its losses to P21.8 million from January to September, from P49.1 million in the same period a year ago. The company attributed the decline to lower oil production costs, lower depletion rate, and higher other income charges, which was partially offset by lower petroleum revenues. Petroleum revenues declined by 51.8 percent at P51.1 million, from P106.1 million at end-September last year, brought about by lower output and drop in crude oil price in the Service Contract 14C1 Galoc, and the plug and abandonment of SC 14A Nido and SC 14B Matinloc production wells. The company reduced expenses by 45.7 percent at P94.2 million at endSeptember this year, from P173.7
AirAsia to participate in BDO Travel Sale By Recto Mercene @rectomercene
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SIA’S largest low-cost carrier AirAsia announces it will be participating at the BDO Travel Sale in four different locations across the country. “Enjoy special promotional fares to international and domestic destinations available for booking during the first leg of the travel sale from January 9 to 12, 2020, at the SMX Convention Center Aura in Taguig City,” said AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla. “This year, AirAsia is even more committed to providing additional access to our products and services through various events and fairs. At the first major sale this year, guests can already tick off their dream destinations from their bucket lists as early as this month,” Isla added. The carrier encourages air travelers to visit AirAsia’s booth and book flights from Clark to domestic destinations from as low as P990 and to international destinations from
P1,890, as well as flights from Manila to domestic destinations from P1,690 and to international destinations from P2,590. Travel period is from January 15, 2020, to March 2, 2021. Since its inception in 2001, AirAsia has become one of the largest airline groups in the world, with over 600 million guests flown and more than 160 destinations in its network—including across Asia, Australia and the US. Isla said those interested may also catch AirAsia at the BDO Travel Sale at The Atrium, SM Lanang, Davao, from January 17 to 19; at SM City Cebu, Northwing from January 24 to 26; and at SM City Clark on February 21 to 23. Guests are encouraged to check-in online at airasia.com, the AirAsia mobile app, or by using the self-service kiosks at airports. Guests who wish to make changes to their bookings or purchase additional add-ons, such as prebooked Santan meals or luggage may do so via the My Bookings portal at airasia.com.
million in September 2018. This was mainly on account of lower depletion cost in SC 14C1 Galoc following the decline in output and the cessation of operational costs in SC 14A Nido and SC 14B Matinloc.
MUTUAL FUNDS
PXP recently submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Department of Energy for the strategic development and utilization of an Integrated Gas Hub in Malampaya upon the expiry of SC 38 in 2024.
January 9, 2020
NAV ONE YEAR THREE YEAR FIVE YEAR Y-T-D PER SHARE RETURN* RETURN STOCK FUNDS ALFM GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 249.51 -3.43% -0.41% -1.28% -1.4% ATRAM ALPHA OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 1.3465 -9.41% -0.18% -3.74% -2.31% ATRAM PHILIPPINE EQUITY OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 3.5504 -11.7% -4.23% -4.22% -3.93% CLIMBS SHARE CAPITAL EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND CORP. -A 0.8816 -3.59% N.A. N.A. -2.36% FIRST METRO CONSUMER FUND ON MSCI PHILS. IMI, INC. -A 0.8386 -1.43% N.A. N.A. -1.7% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN EQUITY FUND,INC. -A 5.2641 -3.4% 1.01% -1.33% -1.51% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN PHILIPPINE INDEX FUND, INC. -A,6 0.8444 -1.61% -2.67% N.A. -1.44% MBG EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND, INC. -A 103.15 -12.49% N.A. N.A. -0.25% PAMI EQUITY INDEX FUND, INC. -A 50.7476 0.02% 1.95% N.A. -1.42% PHILAM STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 527.59 -0.25% 0.86% -0.88% -1.38% PHILEQUITY ALPHA ONE FUND, INC. -A,D,8 1.0149 N.A. N.A. N.A. -1.11% PHILEQUITY DIVIDEND YIELD FUND, INC. -A 1.2734 -1.16% 1.66% 0.09% -1.43% PHILEQUITY FUND, INC. -A 37.475 -0.62% 2.52% 0% -1.51% PHILEQUITY MSCI PHILIPPINE INDEX FUND, INC. -A,1 1.0082 0.12% N.A. N.A. -1.33% PHILEQUITY PSE INDEX FUND INC. -A 5.1691 1.03% 2.5% 1.07% -1.4% PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND CORP. -A 863 0.97% 2.42% 1% -1.38% SOLDIVO STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 0.8233 -6.68% -1.1% -2.87% -3.69% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE EQUITY FUND, INC. -A 4.1529 -0.55% 1.8% 0.12% -1.81% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND, INC. -A 0.9905 0.64% 2.29% N.A. -1.38% UNITED FUND, INC. -A 3.6194 -0.01% 3.6% 1.79% -1.41% EXCHANGE TRADED FUND FIRST METRO PHIL. EQUITY EXCHANGE TRADED FUND, INC. -A,C 115.7367 1.33% 3.13% 1.96% -1.37% ATRAM ASIAPLUS EQUITY FUND, INC. -B $1.0286 10.39% 6.1% 0.96% 0.5% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY WORLD VOYAGER FUND, INC. -A $1.3825 21.28% 9.55% N.A. 0.83% BALANCED FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ATRAM DYNAMIC ALLOCATION FUND, INC. -A 1.5439 -8.13% -3.69% -4.48% -1.47% ATRAM PHILIPPINE BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 2.1454 -4.47% -2.1% -1.88% -1.88% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN BALANCED FUND INC. -A 2.605 -0.01% 1.4% -1.56% -1.19% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN F.O.C.C.U.S. DYNAMIC FUND, INC. -A,5 0.2285 N.A. N.A. N.A. -0.78% GREPALIFE BALANCED FUND CORPORATION -A N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. NCM MUTUAL FUND OF THE PHILS., INC. -A 1.9532 4.44% 2.22% 0.73% -0.5% PAMI HORIZON FUND, INC. -A 3.756 6.7% 1.22% -0.19% -1.11% PHILAM FUND, INC. -A 16.8107 5.15% 1.13% -0.28% -1.12% SOLIDARITAS FUND, INC. -A 2.1161 0.71% 0.99% 0.61% -0.88% SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 3.8233 2.74% 1.72% 0.19% -1.32% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2028, INC. -A,D,2 1.0034 N.A. N.A. N.A. -1.44% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2038, INC. -A,D,2 0.9859 N.A. N.A. N.A. -1.28% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2048, INC. -A,D,2 0.9828 N.A. N.A. N.A. -1.3% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DYNAMIC FUND, INC. -A 0.9611 2.34% 1% -1.01% -1.8% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES COCOLIFE DOLLAR FUND BUILDER, INC. -A $0.03842 8.65% 2.81% 2.09% 0.65% PAMI ASIA BALANCED FUND, INC. -A $1.0367 10.57% 4.99% 1.26% 0.4% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ADVANTAGE FUND, INC. -A $3.9228 15.96% 7.55% 4.54% 0.73% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR WELLSPRING FUND, INC. -A,7 $1.1319 11.06% 4.42% N.A. 0.63% BOND FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ALFM PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 358.03 4.17% 2.77% 2.28% 0.06% ATRAM CORPORATE BOND FUND, INC. -A 1.9028 2.28% 0.48% -0.66% 0.07% COCOLIFE FIXED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 3.1184 4.78% 5.15% 5.17% 0.14% EKKLESIA MUTUAL FUND INC. -A 2.2166 4.02% 1.85% 1.73% -0.32% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN FIXED INCOME FUND,INC. -A 2.3474 6.09% 2.02% 1.42% -0.49% GREPALIFE FIXED INCOME FUND CORP. -A P N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. PHILAM BOND FUND, INC. -A 4.3425 14.48% 2.03% 1.4% -0.68% PHILEQUITY PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 3.7812 6.86% 2.62% 1.53% 0.12% SOLDIVO BOND FUND, INC. -A 0.9572 6.85% 0.9% -0.14% -0.7% SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BOND FUND, INC. -A 3.0504 9.86% 3.77% 2.34% -0.8% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY GS FUND, INC. -A 1.6807 8.72% 3.19% 1.68% -1.2% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES ALFM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $468.84 4.46% 2.67% 2.78% 0.18% ALFM EURO BOND FUND, INC. -A Є219.85 3.49% 1.61% 1.3% 0.06% ATRAM TOTAL RETURN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -B $1.2087 6.98% 3% 2.58% 0.2% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $0.0259 4.02% 1.46% 1.28% 0.39% GREPALIFE DOLLAR BOND FUND CORP. -A N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. PAMI GLOBAL BOND FUND, INC -A $1.0986 5.85% 1.26% -0.51% 0.51% PHILAM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $2.4105 10.26% 3.09% 2.89% 0.35% PHILEQUITY DOLLAR INCOME FUND INC. -A $0.0604027 5.93% 2.27% 1.98% 0.09% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ABUNDANCE FUND, INC. -A $3.1943 11.08% 2.56% 2.71% 0.71% MONEY MARKET FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ALFM MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 125.9 4.07% 2.87% 2.19% 0.1% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A,3 1.0295 N.A. N.A. N.A. -0.04% PHILAM MANAGED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 1.249 6.19% 2.87% 1.58% -0.58% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 1.2655 3.73% 2.9% 2.37% 0.11% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR STARTER FUND, INC. -A $1.0377 2.1% N.A. N.A. 0.06% FEEDER FUND PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES ALFM GLOBAL MULTI-ASSET INCOME FUND INC. -B,D,4 $0.99 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. 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 - LAUNCH DATE IS JANUARY 3, 2019. 2 - LAUNCH DATE IS JANUARY 28, 2019. 3 - LAUNCH DATE IS FEBRUARY 1, 2019. 4 - LAUNCH DATE IS NOVEMBER 15, 2019. 5 - LAUNCH DATE IS SEPTEMBER 28, 2019. 6 - RENAMING WAS APPROVED BY THE SEC LAST OCTOBER 12, 2018 (FORMERLY, ONE WEALTHY NATION FUND, INC.). 7 - ADJUSTED DUE TO STOCK DIVIDEND ISSUANCE LAST OCTOBER 9, 2019. 8 - LAUNCH DATE IS DECEMBER 09, 2019. "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."
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Tagum City holds ‘tax festival’ to encourage timely payments By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief
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AVAO CITY—The capital city of Davao del Norte is holding what may be the country’s first-ever Taxpayers’ Festival to recognize the regular paying taxpayers and persuade others to file their taxes regularly and on time this quarter. Among the activities lined up include the following: landscaping of the city hall with Royal Palm Trees on January 11; the “Taxpayers Run” and the “Search for Taxpayers Singing Idol,” both on January 25; a trade fair, a Barangay youth advocacy symposium and the presentation of the business one-stop shop; and, free ride for taxpayers. “It is but fitting to honor and give due recognition to our taxpayers supporting the city’s campaign for efficient tax revenue generation,” City Treasurer Annie G. Beltran said. Beltran added that the series of activity was aimed at generating an atmosphere of a fiesta to attract attention to residents and to remind taxpayers of their duty to pay taxes. “This would cater, not only to the city’s revenue generation partners but also to those who wish to start up their own businesses,” she said. The city government adapted the theme “Taxpayers: Kaagapay sa Tunay na Tagumpay” to start the monthlong festivity “as a tribute to all the taxpayers of Tagum City for their sustained commitment of paying their taxes promptly which
resulted to an increase in the local revenue collection.” Fifteen businesses committed to participate in the trade fair. The local city government said it would also hold again its “Ease of Doing Business.” Business OneStop Shop would be presented anew to taxpayers and the public. That three-step application won for the city the “Most Business-Friendly Local Government Unit” award in 2017. That year, business tax collection reached P121.25 million, more than one-fourth of the previous year’s collection of P95.12 million. The city generated revenue of P214.98 million, an increase of 10.67 percent over the previous year. Business permits were issued to 6,494 that year also, an increase from 5,742 in 2016. Mayor Allan L. Rellon expressed his gratitude to taxpayers saying their taxes “translate to the accomplishment of the programs, projects, and activities of the LGU for the benefit of every Tagumenyo.” He said he would also prioritize continued work on big-ticket infrastructure projects this year as he positioned Tagum City as a highly urbanized city in the coming years. He gathered the employees of the City Planning and Development Office to check on the update on the plans for the city, particularly on the infrastructure projects that are expected to be completed this year. He directed them to fasttrack the execution of the plans and projects “without compromising the quality.”
Associations and ‘The Infinite Game’
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AST Christmas, I got Simon Sinek’s latest book titled The Infinite Game from a colleague. Simon is a well-known British-American motivational speaker and best-selling author of Start with Why, among others, and his TED Talk on “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” in 2009 is one of the most viewed YouTube videos of all time. Since watching this video two years ago, I became interested in his ideas, work and advocacy. In fact, in my May 3, 2018, column on “The Power of Why,” I used Simon’s “Golden Circle” as a visioning framework for a strategic retreat that I conducted. So while reading his latest book, I already had in mind relating his “infinite game leadership framework” to associations. Simon says while a “finite game” aims to play to win, an “infinite” one is to continue playing—the difference between playing for the short-term versus the long term. His infinite game leadership framework has five pillars: advance a just cause, build trusting teams, study a worthy rival, prepare for existential flexibility and demonstrate the courage to lead. By their very nature, associations do exist to advance a purpose, a cause, a mission in order to make a difference. Simon defines “just cause” as a vision to be part of or to contribute something “bigger than ourselves.” This definition augurs well with what associations are or have been doing. The important thing here is to know your just cause, to live by it and to be passionate about it. Behind the just cause are people who believe in it and who actualize it. Building trust and confidence in people and making sure they are secured, inspired, and happy with what they are doing to advance their cause are what infinite game leaders strive for. The infinite game leader is not responsible for making results; rather, he or she is responsible for the people who make results. Recognizing the strengths of
Association World Octavio Peralta a similar-purposed organization and emulating them to enhance in achieving their just cause is what studying a worthy rival is all about. An infinite game mindset enables an association to know its weaknesses and convert these into opportunities to further develop and innovate. Infinite game leaders are risk takers in the sense that they are willing to explore new ways and to redirect their energies, if need be, to follow their just cause. Being flexible and agile in an ever-changing environment is something that associations need to prepare for. Simon admits that to be an infinite game leader is very hard because of its never-ending challenges. Going against the grain is tough and nerve-wracking to do. Temptations of veering away from the just cause are there, too, due to pressure from both internal and external forces. Thus, it takes courage to lead under these circumstances. By having a just cause and sticking to it, building trust among people, studying a worthy rival, being existentially flexible, and having the courage to lead are the foundations by which an association needs to stand on for it to play the indefinite game of making an impact to society and to the world. The contributor, Octavio ‘Bobby’ Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific, founder and CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives and president of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations. The purpose of PCAAE—the “association of associations”—is to advance the association management profession and to make associations well-governed and sustainable. PCAAE enjoys the support of Adfiap, the Tourism Promotions Board and the Philippine International Convention Center. E-mail: obp@ adfiap.org
Friday, January 10, 2020 B3
SSS offers Calamity Assistance Package to members in Bicol
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EMBERS and pensioners of state-run Social Security System (SSS) in the Bicol region devastated by Typhoon Tisoy can now avail of the Calamity Assistance Package (CAP). SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio said affected members and pensioners in Naga City, and provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon may now apply for a calamity loan, a direct house repair and improvement loan, and advance three-month pension for qualified pensioners. Except for the direct house repair and improvement loan, pensioners may avail the financial assistance until March 19, 2020. This, as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) recently declared areas in Bicol region under the state of calamity (SOC) following the
damage caused by Typhoon Tisoy in December. “I know that most of our members and pensioners in Bicol have been waiting for this good news and we’re glad to inform everyone that SSS is now ready to extend our financial assistance to them especially that they were directly affected by the said typhoon,” Ignacio was quoted as saying in a statement released last Thursday. The CAP is a loan assistance program which is a separate loan window from the regular salary loan. Members can borrow up to P20,000 in calamity loan depending on the average of their monthly
salary credit in the last 12 months. The financial assistance is also open to pensioners who can avail of a three-month advance pension Aside from this, members can also apply for a direct housing repair and improvement loan. The calamity loan is payable in two years in equal monthly installments with an annual interest rate of 10 percent and a 1 percent penalty for late payments. To eliminate additional expenses on the part of member-borrowers, SSS waived the 1 percent service fee. Applicants under the advance three-month pension whose present address differs from the address in the SSS database should submit a barangay certification to prove that they reside in a declared calamity area. “Members who would like to avail of the Calamity Assistance Package are required to be registered in the My.SSS application to facilitate their billing requirements in the future,” Ignacio said. However, the SSS chief also clarified that members who still have outstanding loan under the Loan
Restructuring Program and previous CAPs, as well as those receiving pensions for total permanent disability and retirement, and those who have availed of the Pension Loan Program are not qualified to avail of the calamity loan. Aside from the calamity loan, members with damaged properties can also avail of the direct house repair and improvement loan with six months moratorium in amortization and interest payments. Members can borrow up to a maximum of P1 million under this program which will run for one year or until December 19, 2020. To qualify, the applicant must not be more than 60 years old and with at least 24 monthly contributions, of which three contributions were remitted within the last 12-month period prior to the month of filing. “Based on the latest NDRRMC Report, the onslaught of Typhoon Tisoy resulted to more than 346,000 damaged houses. This special program will greatly help our members in rebuilding their damaged properties,” Ignacio said. Bernadette D. Nicolas
PSBank announces 4.5% p.a. peso fixed-rate bond offer
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HILIPPINE Savings Bank (PSBank), the thrift-banking arm of the Metrobank Group, is raising P3 billion in peso fixed-rate bonds from January 9 to 21, 2020, following the bank’s maiden offering in July 2019. With a tenor of three years, the bond is priced at 4.5 percent per annum, with option to upsize, with interest payments made every quarter and the full principal paid out at maturity in 2023. This peso fixed-rate bond will
require a minimum of P500,000 from investors, with increments of P100,000 thereafter. The bond will be officially issued and listed on the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. on February 4, 2020. The Standard Chartered Bank is the sole arranger and the primary selling agent of the bond offer, with PSBank, Metrobank, and First Metro Investment Corp. as other authorized selling agents. “We firmly believe that this bond issuance comes at a most opportune time—at the beginning of an excit-
ing new year and decade, most especially for individual and institutional investors who are looking at new investment alternatives,” PSBank President Jose Vicente L. Alde was quoted in a statement as saying. “As we continue to diversify our funding sources, we remain to be fully committed to upgrading our industry leading products, services, and offerings for the maximum benefit of our customers,” Alde added. PSBank last year reported a highly successful maiden bond offering in
July, which raised P6.3 billion, more than double of the planned P3 billion. In just five days, the total order book was four times oversubscribed, which led the bank to cut the offer period short. The bank said it also made impressive strides as of the third quarter of 2019, as it registered P2.2 billion in net income and P232 billion in resources—strong financial results supported by a 9.3-percent growth in core revenues, composed of interest income and fee-based income.
Thai CB governor vows easing restrictions on capital outflow
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HAILAND’S central bank will take further steps to ease restrictions on capital outflows in coming months as it tries to curb gains in the baht, Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob said. The Bank of Thailand plans to increase the amount of proceeds exporters can hold overseas, liberalize foreign-currency deposit accounts and take steps to enable insurance companies to invest more abroad, Veerathai said in an interview Wednesday at his Bangkok office. The Bank of Thailand has been struggling to rein in the baht after it gained almost 6 percent against the dollar over the past year, making it the best performer among Asian currencies. The appreciation has hurt exports and curbed tourism, denting two key industries in the trade-reliant economy. The baht weakened immediately after the governor’s comments last Wednesday, and was up 0.1 percent against the dollar at 30.314 as of 8:40 a.m. last Thursday in Bangkok. Veerathai, 50, told Bloomberg Television’s Haslinda Amin that the baht hadn’t been moving in line with economic fundamentals last year. While the central bank doesn’t target a specific level, he said, it wants to ensure the currency’s moves are more in sync with regional and other emergingmarket peers. “All in all, we think the baht has appreciated too much,” the governor said. “People might say it has been the best-performing currency, but in Thailand we’re not happy about it. When the baht is not moving in line with fundamentals of the economy, it should not be considered the best performer.” The central bank already has taken several measures to counter the baht’s gains: It cut interest rates to a record low last year, imposed measures in July to counter short-term inflows and, in November, relaxed rules to spur outflows. “It seems that the Bank of Thailand is able to control the baht now,” said Jitipol Puksamatanan, chief strategist at Krung Thai Bank Pcl in Bangkok. “I believe that it would restore the relationship between the baht and other Asian currencies, to support exports.” Veerathai outlined additional steps that will be taken: n In the next one to two months, increase the amount of proceeds exporters can hold overseas to $1 million per lading bill, from the current $200,000 cap, a step that will cover about 80 percent of Thailand’s exports.
with an estimated 2.5 percent for last year. Inflation remains below the new 1 percent to 3 percent annual target. As an oil importer and “energy-intensive” economy—Veerathai said Thailand consumes more energy per dollar of GDP than other countries in the region–the Bank of Thailand is closely watching US-Iran tensions, wary of any spike in oil prices. Still, the governor said the oil market shouldn’t affect monetary policy in the near future. “In the short term, I don’t think it would change the current VEERATHAI SANTIPRABHOB, governor of the Bank of Thailand, stands for a portrait after a monetary policy stance,” which Bloomberg Television interview in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday, January 8, 2020. is still accommodative, he said. BLOOMBERG In addition, he said, “if oil prices are going to go up, that will lead n In the first half of the year, liberalize the to a smaller current-account surplus.” foreign-currency deposit account framework so With the benchmark interest rate already at an individuals and local companies can keep foreign all-time low of 1.25 percent, Veerathai suggested currency in Thailand. the central bank could rely more on macroprudenn Relax rules so insurance companies can intial steps going forward. vest abroad more easily. Overall liquidity in the The baht is seen as a relative safe haven, given financial system is ample, Thailand’s substantial foreign exchange reserves but the bank would considand hefty current-account surplus. Veerathai said er steps to deliver funds to he expects capital flows to be “better balanced” small and medium enterthis year because of plans by Thai companies to prises, and to assist debt invest abroad, and a narrowing in the currentrestructuring for troubled account surplus. companies, he said. A member of Thailand’s monetary policy com“We have to look at mittee said Monday the central bank will aim to more targeted policy inprevent the currency from strengthening beyond struments, making sure 30 to the dollar. Veerathai said the committee that liquidity gets transmember may have been speaking for himself, and mitted to the sectors that didn’t represent the central bank’s view. need liquidity the most,” “The focus is more on looking at the movements, he said. rather than at a fixed level,” Veerathai said. If the Veerathai, whose fivecurrency is moving too fast or out of line with its year term is due to expire peers, “then we would be very concerned about it.” in September, was coy about whether he wanted Monetary policy to extend it. Only when the THE governor said the central bank takes a “dataselection process for a new dependent approach” to monetary policy, and will governor begins in March be ready to take further policy action if economic will he decide whether to growth disappoints. The bank last month trimmed seek another term, he said. its 2020 growth forecast to 2.8 percent, compared Bloomberg News
B4 Friday, January 10, 2020
Technology challenges traditional advertising, says Talkwalker
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ITH trust in traditional advertising continuing on a downward trend, brands and organizations need even more today to invest in technology, according to leading social listening and analytics firm Talkwalker. In its recently released Social Media Trends 2020, a collection of more than 50 global industry experts’ social media predictions co-authored by HubSpot, Talkwalker, notes how across the globe, traditional advertising faces a tough challenge as generation Z and millennials dominate the market scene, giving rise to the age of digital consumerism characterized by technology-driven consumer behavior
and skepticism about advertisements and endorsements. Talkwalker notes that 84 percent of millennials express their distrust in traditional advertising. The same report shows conversational data around advertising has dropped significantly in net sentiment in the past 13 months. “Generation Z and millennials are now seen as high-value targets by brands because of their significant spending power. To get their buy in, marketers in the Philippines, for instance, have been resorting to conveying personalized message and brand purpose. Experts across the globe note, moreover, the need to equally place high value on how and where brands convey these messages,” said Ben Soubies,
head of Sales for Asia Pacific at Talkwalker. More than the message, Soubies underscored the vital role that new and disruptive technologies play in engaging the current generations of consumers. Being first-born digital natives, Gen Zs and millennials place a premium on consumer experience. Gen Zs, in particular, were born with everything at their fingertips. With digital connectivity and the emergence of social commerce very accessible, these digital natives expect seamless consumer journey across touchpoints. The global experts tapped by Talkwalker all agree that brands should leverage technology to put their message across and reach out to their target markets. Using data from more than 50 global experts, PR professionals, social media gurus and influencers, the Social Media Trends 2020 outlines what brands need to know to upscale their marketing potential in 2020. “This e-Book contains predictions by global experts, including industry thought leaders from the Philippines. It also covers other relevant areas such as influencer marketing going small to big, harnessing the power of data privacy and how Tiktok would be vital to marketing strategies, among others,” said Soubies. The Social Media Trends 2020 e-book can be downloaded for free at www. talkwalker.com
INC starts new decade with record charity and assistance event
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ORE than 65,000 attendees flocked to the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, at the start of the new decade on January 5 for the relaunching of "Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko", a humanitarian activity of Filipino homegrown church Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) aimed at providing aid and assistance to various local communities. "We relaunched Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko (KKKK) upon the initiative of our Executive Minister Brother Eduardo V. Manalo as he leads the church to a greater path of service, a direction we have been taking these past years," said Glicerio B. Santos, General Auditor of the INC. Santos mentioned that the weekend Philippine Arena event drew attendees from various church districts -- six from Metro Manila, three from Bulacan, and three from Pampanga. The INC conducted simultaneous Kabayan events in more than 500 venues in 156 countries spanning six continents on that same day. According to Santos, a total of 170 INC districts were involved in this worldwide My Countrymen, My Brethren activities. "While the events were led by INC districts, we also give equal focus and attention to both INC and non-INC members because everyone deserves to receive help and livelihood assistance, especially at the start of the new year," Santos said.
The Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko event distributed "goody bags" which included five kilos of rice, canned goods and coffee. Food, refreshments and entertainment were likewise provided to participants. The INC has also recently offered assistance to several areas in Mindanao after a series of devastating earthquakes struck late in 2019. A parallel acitivity called Aid to Humanity has benefited close to 300,000 people in 220 sites all over areas in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. "Our Executive Minister preaches the urgency of becoming a leading beacon of hope for people. We of course offer spiritual healing and comfort, but we realize that these are not enough. People throughout the world also need tangible assistance -- food, shelter, basic necessities -- and that's we at the INC have been striving to address these past years. It is our duty to help those in need because God commands it. We as a Church feel renewed by this noble direction Executive Minister Manalo has been leading us into," Santos explained. He also revealed that there will be more aid activities for the year both in the Philippines and abroad. "This is a continuing effort on our part. Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko and Aid to Humanity will only get bigger and better for 2020 and the new decade, he said.
Sheraton Manila throws 50% off deals on 1st year anniversary
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T has been a year since Sheraton Manila Hotel opened as the premier gathering place in the country. Sheraton Manila has then become a top choice for people to gather over memorable celebrations, relaxations and indulgence. As an anniversary treat, incredible and flavorful offers are served in their allday dining restaurant, S Kitchen, for the entire month of January. Sheraton Manila is chopping off 50% out of its breakfast buffet rate all week long until January 31. Now at Php 800 only, enjoy a full spread of morning favorites from fresh baked pastries, eggs cooked-your-way, home-cooked
local savories like tapa, tocino, longganisa and sausage, rice porridge, noodles, and pancakes among others. Included also in the buffet are freshly squeeze juices and morning booster drinks. This is a good start to any day as S Kitchen opens as early as 6:30 am and breakfast lasts until 10:30 am – perfect detour to load up for a long day or morning business meeting venue. Also on weekends, their infamous Sunday Fiesta is amplified with more sumptuous food stations. Starting off with one of the private dining rooms turned to an alley of “kalye classics”, that features best
of local street foods like fish balls, kikiam, kwek-kwek, lomi, mangobagoong pairing, ginataang bilobilo, banana cue, and a bounty of lechon paella. Joining their fresh seafood catch are premium Boston lobsters. Over at their dessert island are variety of cakes, chocolates, sorbet, live churros, and refreshing beverages like sago’t gulaman, buko pandan and fruit juices. Going around in a cart are fresh lumpia customized to preference. These are all on top of the already elevated spread every Sunday in S Kitchen for Php 2,650 per person. As if it’s not grand enough yet, Sheraton Manila extends another 50% off to their co-celebrants this month! It is going to be 1st birthday feast every lunch on all Sundays of January at Php 1,325 only – specifically enjoyed by babies’ family and friends. This special promotion is valid for a minimum of 2 and maximum of 5 adults. 2020 is beginning to look right and tasty over at Sheraton Manila Hotel! Join them in celebrating this milestone and create yours too over good food. For reservations or inquiries, kindly call +63 2 7902-1800 or visit their social media pages @ sheratonmanila on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Lenovo Legion is the exclusive PC and monitor of the Apex Legends Global Series
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ENOVO Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) and Respawn Entertainment recently announced Lenovo Legion as the exclusive PC and monitor for the Apex Legends™ Global Series – the official esports program for Apex Legends. This esports program is based on the multiple experiences for The Game Awards “Multiplayer Game of 2019.” As the world’s top PC maker1, Lenovo is committed to providing high-performance equipment for toptier competitive gaming experiences. Lenovo will provide more than 200 highperformance Lenovo Legion desktops and monitors for all Apex Legends Global Series Majors ensuring the best in the world play on some of the best gaming equipment. One way to qualify for the Apex Legends Global Series Majors, the highest tier of competition, is to compete in Online Tournaments. The online elite subsequently
advances to local Challenger events or regional Premier events to showcase their skills at increasingly talented competition. Only the best players in the world will advance to the Apex Legends Global Series Majors, and ultimately the Apex Legends Global Series Championship, where they’ll be greeted with Lenovo Legion equipment to use in the high-stakes competition. The Lenovo Legion T730 tower serves as a stunning powerhouse with up to 9th Gen Intel Core i7 overclocked 9700K processors and supercharged NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super GPUs all optimally cooled via Lenovo Coldfront 2.0 with Liquid Cooling. When paired with the Lenovo Legion Y25 Monitor, the Lenovo Legion T730 towers deliver lightning-fast 144Hz refresh rates for nearinstant responses in the heat of battle, as well as bring out sharp images and details during gameplay. Beyond this powerful esports-ready desktop PCs and monitors, Lenovo will also
be providing Lenovo Legion laptops for the caster’s desks to spectate and commentate on the live performance. The exclusive partnership will kick off at the first Apex Legends Global Series Major on March 13-15, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. For more information and updates, check out Twitch™, playapex.com/algs, as well as @LenovoLegion. These channels are regularly publishing a variety of content from tier-one tournaments to influencers’ gameplay and community challenges. In addition to Twitch, Lenovo Legion and Apex Legends are also on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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FOR TOKYO 2020
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| Friday, January 10, 2020 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao
A JOURNALIST films a cardboard bed in a display room showing furniture for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Villages in Tokyo. AP
NEW EVIDENCE OUT ON FALSE SAMPLES N EW evidence of manipulated doping samples were released by the makers of a German television documentary about alleged corruption in weightlifting. The team behind the program provided further details—including the names of three weightlifters suspected of providing false samples—in response to statements by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and Hungarian Anti-Doping Agency (Hunado). They claim their evidence regarding finance and doping shows that some of the comments made, including by the IOC, were misleading or inaccurate. Meanwhile, Tamás Aján, the long-standing IWF president who was the focus of much of the documentary, refused a request for an emergency meeting of his Executive Board and wrote to all 192 member-federations of the world governing body. Aján wrote he “personally, categorically” denies accusations made against him and the IWF, where he has been general secretary and president since 1976. Accusations made in Secret Doping-The Lord of the Lifters by the German state broadcaster ARD were “very serious and worrying,” the IOC said. There were claims of doping cover-ups and financial mismanagement by the IWF, which it has strenuously denied, and revelations of children taking steroids in Thailand, where weightlifting is the most successful Olympic sport. The Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association, run by the IWF’s first Vice President Intarat Yodbangtoey and his wife, Boossaba, denied allegations of widespread doping of young lifters. Questions were also raised about the performance of Hunado, which was favored for years by the IWF and worked on nearly 80 percent of the 16,000 tests studied by ARD’s team. The new ARD evidence concerns allegations of millions of dollars going “missing” after being placed in Swiss bank accounts accessible only by Aján; and the use of “doppelgangers” by weightlifters whose samples were collected by doping control officers from Hunado. The ARD team also refuted the IOC statement that “contrary to what ARD is claiming, it [the IOC] was not in possession of ‘most of the documents’ on which the film is based.” In a section of their latest report labelled “IOC knows most of the documents,” the ARD investigators said the IOC had long held “documents relating to the transactions surrounding Swiss bank accounts” and that the documentary team had a letter confirming this, signed by then-director of the IOC legal department in 2011. Investigators also contradicted the IWF versions of events regarding the “missing millions”—money paid to the IWF by the IOC, valued at between $5.5 million and $8 million—quoting as evidence a 44-page judgment by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Antonio Urso, the Italian president of the European Weightlifting Federation, had complained about the “missing” money to the IOC and CAS but, as CAS stated: “The IOC President [then Jacques Rogge] refused to refer the case to the Ethics Committee.” CAS ruled at the time that neither the IOC nor CAS had jurisdiction to intervene in the internal accounts of an International Federation; seven years later the IOC claimed it has changed its Code of Ethics and will “properly address” the evidence. The documentary team challenged the IWF statement about the money—”it was finally established that no
OKYO—Tokyo Olympic athletes beware—particularly larger ones. The bed frames in the Athletes’ Village at this year’s Olympics will be made of cardboard. Sturdy cardboard. “Those beds can stand up to 200 kilograms,” explained Takashi Kitajima, the general manager of the Athletes’ Village, speaking through an interpreter. That’s about 440 pounds, and surely no Olympic athlete weighs that much. “They are stronger than wooden beds,” Kitajima added. He also took into account the possibility of a wild room celebration after, say, a goldmedal victory. “Of course, wood and cardboard would each break if you jumped on them,” he said. The single bed frames will be recycled into paper products after the Games. The mattress components—the mattresses are not made of cardboard—will be recycled into plastic products. The mattress is broken up into three distinct sections, and the firmness of each can be adjusted. The idea was to use materials that could be remade after the Olympics and Paralympics. But the cardboard frames and supports should give the rooms a spartan look. Organizers showed off the beds and a few other furnishings on Thursday at their headquarters. The entire Athletes’ Village complex will be completed in June. The Olympics open on July 24 followed by the Paralympics on August 25. “The organizing committee was thinking about recyclable items, and the bed was one of the ideas,” Kitajima explained, crediting local Olympic sponsor Airweave Inc. for the execution. Organizers say this is the first time that the beds and bedding in the Athletes’ Village have been made of renewable materials. The Athletes’ Village being built alongside Tokyo Bay will comprise 18,000 beds for the Olympics and be composed to 21 apartment towers. Even more building construction is being planned in the next several years. Real-estate ads say the units will be sold off afterward, or rented, with sale prices starting from about ¥54 million—or about $500,000—and soaring to three or four times that much. Some fear the apartments will flood the market, possibly impacting property values. The units will be sold off by various real-estate companies. Ads suggest many of the units will be slightly larger than a typical apartment in Tokyo, which is about 60 square meters to 70 square meters—or 650 square feet to 750 square feet. AP
Skater badly injured in Olympic ceremony rehearsal accident
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AUSANNE, Switzerland—A female skater was severely injured after falling to the ice from about 5 meters (16 feet) during a rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Youth Winter Olympics in Lausanne, police said Wednesday. The 35-year-old Russian woman’s life is in danger, police in the canton (state) of Vaud said. An investigation into Tuesday’s incident is being led by police in the city of Lausanne. Police said the woman was being hoisted by a cable attached to the ceiling of the main hockey stadium in Lausanne. The skater suddenly lost balance and fell. The inquiry must try to establish “the GEORGIA’S anti-doping agency refutes claims that Olympic and world champion Lasha Talakhadze (center) did not undergo any out-of-competition tests in 2015 and 2016. While Artiom Pipa is identified as one of weightlifters from Moldova who allegedly manipulates out-of-competitions drugs tests only to be caught for doping at the 2015 World Championships in Houston.
money was missing...”—and said “there was no official clarification of the allegations.” Hunado also issued a strongly worded refutation of the documentary claims about the performance of some of its doping control officers. A team doctor from Moldova claimed that “clean” tests could be bought for between $60 and $200, that doppelgangers would provide urine samples, and that Hunado employees could be bribed. The latest version from ARD is: “Hunado contradicted the ARD reporting...[but] the samples from three Moldovan weightlifters that had been tested by the Hungarian inspectors on October 13, 2014, showed suspicion of urine manipulation in the Cologne doping control laboratory. “A year later, at the 2015 World Championships in Houston, the same athletes—Ghenadie Dudoglu, Artiom Pipa and Iurie Bulat—were exposed as dopers. “The Cologne laboratory also examined older samples of these three athletes and found suspicious moments in the samples from 2014.” One further claim by the ARD team was that Lasha Talakhadze, the super-heavyweight Olympic and world champion from Georgia, had not undergone any out-ofcompetition tests in 2015 and 2016. While that is true of international tests commissioned by the IWF, evidence provided by the Georgian Weightlifting Federation shows that Talakhadze was tested many times in those years, out of competition, by Georgia’s anti-doping agency. Insidethegames
reasons, the circumstances and possible responsibilities in this accident,” police said. The International Olympic Committee said in a statement a female performing artist was evacuated for treatment at a hospital in Lausanne, without detailing the incident. “We are very saddened by this incident and we have been following closely all the developments,” IOC President Thomas Bach said Wednesday at a launch event for the young athletes. Some “slight changes” will be made to the opening ceremony show, Lausanne 2020 Organizing Committee President Virginie Faivre said. “We have been all really very touched about what happened and we want to send our thoughts to her and her family,” Faivre said. The university hospital where the skater is being treated, known locally by its acronym CHUV, is “one of the top-10 hospitals” in the world, said Faivre, a former world champion freestyle skier. The two-week games open Thursday with a ceremony at the new arena, which will also host games at the men’s hockey world championships in May. AP
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AN FRANCISCO—The Milwaukee Bucks own the best record in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Coach Mike Budenholzer still wants far more than what he has seen the past two games. More made shots. More pace. More energy. Better ball movement, too. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 12 rebounds while leading four Milwaukee starters in double figures, and the NBA-best Bucks held off the Golden State Warriors, 107-98, on Wednesday night. “Sometimes you’ve got to find a way to win kind of the ugly games, and I’m proud of the group for doing that,” Budenholzer said. “... We made just enough plays.” Khris Middleton added 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists as Milwaukee—with the NBA’s best record at 33-6—bounced back with a hard-fought victory against the young Warriors after having its five-game winning streak snapped in a 126-104 loss at San Antonio on Monday. Alec Burks scored 19 points, and Glenn Robinson III and Damion Lee added 15 points apiece for the cold-shooting Warriors, who lost their sixth straight game and third in a row at home. Willie Cauley-Stein contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds. Draymond Green was back for Golden State after sitting out Monday with a sprained right ankle and had five points on one-for-7 shooting, eight rebounds and eight assists. “Our pace was not great in the first half and it picked up in the second half,”Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought we were a little tentative in the first half. They’re a great team, obviously the best team in the league and the best defense in the league.” The Bucks overcame a cold shooting performance of 40.2 percent to win their third straight game on Golden State’s home floor, playing for the first
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YDNEY—Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios combined to edge British pair Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury on their fifth match point in the deciding doubles to give Australia a 2-1 win and a place in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Cup semifinals. Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt gambled on sending his two singles players back out for the doubles against the established British team and it paid off after a seesawing 3-6, 6-3, 18-16 victory, sealed in a gripping match tiebreaker. Kyrgios gave Australia the lead with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Cam Norrie in the opening singles.
time at new Chase Center on Wednesday. Antetokounmpo notched his league-leading 32nd double-double after continuing to deal with a sore back. He shot one for seven on 3-pointers and converted nine of 13 free throws. Kerr, meanwhile, was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for verbally abusing a game official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following an ejection. Kerr was ejected late in the second quarter of the Warriors’ 111-98 road loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night after getting hit with consecutive technical fouls by referee Jason Goldenberg. Kerr appeared initially upset about a continuation call that went the Kings’ way, then erupted after Golden State did not receive a similar call. He angrily walked onto the court after the second technical and yelled at Goldenberg before leaving. “I took my punishment and try to move on,” Kerr said. James Harden’s big first quarter, on the other hand, gave Houston a lead that seemed safe. His misses helped give Atlanta a chance. Harden scored 41 points, including 22 in the first quarter, to lead the Houston Rockets over Trae Young and the Hawks, 122-115, on Wednesday night in Atlanta. Harden had 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his second straight tripledouble. He made only nine of 34 shots,
including four of 20 3-pointers. Young kept pace. The Hawks’ second-year point guard had 42 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. He and Harden are the first players to post 40-point triple-doubles in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Harden faded in the second half, when he made only two of 18 shots. He more than made up for the absence of Russell Westbrook, his usual backcourt partner. “I think, obviously, we had a couple guys run out of gas,” said Houston Coach Mike D’Antoni. “...Our legs got tired obviously. We just had to hang on.” D’Antoni said Harden ”just didn’t shoot the ball well. So be it.” Harden had 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double of the season in a 118-108 win over Philadelphia on Friday night. The Hawks pulled within three late in the fourth quarter, the last time at 118-115 on two free throws by Alex Len. Harden sank four free throws in the final 10.4 seconds. “They made shots,” Harden said. “We missed shots. They’re a feisty team.” Clint Capela had 22 points and 22 rebounds, and Ben McLemore had 18 points in Houston’s third straight win. AP MILWAUKEE’S Eric Bledsoe (center) protects the ball from Golden State’s Jacob Evans (left) and Damion Lee in a first-half action of their game on Wednesday. AP
SPAIN’S Carlos Sainz and codriver Lucas Cruz race their Mini during stage four on Wednesday. AP
Peterhansel tops fourth stage, Sainz remains in front
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L ULA, Saudi Arabia—Stephane Peterhansel finally made his mark on the first Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia when he won the fourth stage on Wednesday. The most successful driver in Dakar history, the 13-time winner overcame a flat tire and wrong turn to dominate the second part of the 453-kilometer stage, as the rally left behind the Red Sea and moved east inland to Al Ula. Peterhansel held off defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah by more than two minutes for his 77th stage win. “My [first-time] codriver [Paulo Fiuza] and I are starting to communicate more serenely and accurately, it’s getting better,” Peterhansel said.
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The Australians will play the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between Rafael Nadal’s Spain and Belgium. Australia didn’t lose a match in the group stage as it finished with three 3-0 sweeps in Group F in Brisbane, securing its spot in the playoffs in Sydney with a match to spare. Britain finished atop Group C with a 2-1 record in Sydney. Russia played Argentina later Thursday in the second of the quarterfinals. AP
Williams pushed hard, but still wins in Auckland
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UCKLAND, New Zealand—Top-seeded Serena Williams had her toughest workout of 2020 before beating fellow American Christina McHale, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, to advance to the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic. Williams dropped a set for the first time in singles or doubles this year and at times Thursday appeared to be fully stretched by the 88th-ranked McHale before finding the edge to win in just over two hours. “It was a good match for me,” Williams said. “I really need to play matches like that to get to my goal. Match time is good, but I’m just glad to still be out here after losing that first set.” Williams previously beat Camila Giorgi, 6-3, 6-2, in singles and combined with Caroline Wozniacki in the doubles to beat Nao Hibino and
Mikoto Ninomiya, 6-2, 6-4, and then Caroline Dolehide and Johanna Larsson, 6-2, 6-1, to reach the semifinals. She was under pressure early against McHale, who had two service breaks to lead 4-1 in the first set before Williams broke back. McHale broke again to take the set 6-3 but Williams began the second set strongly, leading 5-1 before leveling the match. If Williams thought the struggle was over, she was mistaken. She broke twice to lead 5-2 in the third set but McHale broke back in the eighth game. Williams finally managed to overpower McHale, converting the second of three break points in the final game. American teenager Coco Gauff was beaten, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, by Germany’s Laura Siegemund.
Neither player was able to take control of the match early on; the first set contained 48 unforced errors and Gauff achieved the only service break in the 12th game. Siegemund played with more consistency in the second set, breaking Gauff at love to lead 4-1 and holding serve to level the match. She gained an early service break to lead 2-1 in the second set and held out Gauff’s attempted comeback. Gauff played too often to the German player’s strong backhand and made too many mistakes, double-faulting to give Siegemund her first match point. “She’s a very good player and lots of good people have lost to her, so I had to really stay composed today and I’m happy with how I performed,” Siegemund said. AP
the motorbike winner after Sam Sunderland, who came in 11 seconds ahead, was slapped with a five-minute penalty for speeding. The British rider dropped to eighth. Ignacio Cornejo worked with Honda teammates Ricky Brabec and Kevin Benavides to stay on course but pushed ahead right at the stony end for his maiden stage win. “It took me 220 or 240 kilometers to catch Ricky,” Ignacio Cornejo said. “We then took turns opening the track. We did a great job, it was physically and mentally exhausting. We won’t be forgetting this stage any time soon because some parts were so rocky that we thought we were going the wrong way.” Benavides of Argentina was second, 35 seconds back. Brabec finished fifth. Ross Branch, the stage two winner who hurt his shoulder in the third and started the fourth last, came a creditable third. Also notable was Paulo Goncalves, who lost more than 10 hours on Tuesday and placed fourth. AP
BARTY PARTY ENDS EARLY
Australia in ATP Cup semifinals But De Minaur lost his three-hour and 23-minute singles encounter to Dan Evans, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (2), after saving four match points, to send the first of the quarterfinals in the new international team competition to the doubles. It was his first loss of the year, and he wanted to make amends immediately. Hewitt gave him the chance, pairing de Minaur with Kyrgios instead of Chris Guccione and John Peers, who were unbeaten in three matches in the group stage.
“This new Dakar is brilliant, it has all the ingredients: superb landscapes, tricky navigation and enough difficulties to make a selection.” Carlos Sainz drove conservatively to be seven minutes back in third, and became the first driver to retain the lead. He was three minutes ahead of Al-Attiyah, who was penalized three minutes before the stage for not letting a competitor pass on Tuesday despite warnings. “The last 100 kilometers were the toughest sector I’ve ever faced in the Dakar. It was insane,” Sainz said. “There were rocks all over the place and I could see the tracks of the bikes, it was devilish. At times like these, making it to the finish without running into trouble already feels like a win.” Peterhansel was less than 12 minutes off the overall pace in third, and nobody else was within 23 minutes of Sainz’s lead. Former Formula One champion Fernando Alonso conceded 26 minutes and dropped nearly three hours behind the leaders. Jose Ignacio Cornejo of Chile was declared
WORLD No. 1 Ashleigh Barty’s new year starts with an upset loss to an American qualifier. AP
RISBANE, Australia—World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty’s new year has started with an upset loss to American qualifier Jennifer Brady at the Brisbane International. The 53rd-ranked Brady, who has no Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament titles, beat French Open champion Barty on her home court at Pat Rafter Arena, 6-4, 7-6 (4), on Thursday. It’s been quite a week already for Brady, who went through three rounds in qualifying and then wild-card entry Maria Sharapova in the first round. Barty was coming off a first-round bye. It’s the first time in three matches the 24-year-old Brady has defeated Barty, who remains in contention in the doubles. Brady’s baseline game was crucial to the win, swinging hard throughout and never letting a rusty Barty break her rhythm.
Kvitova attacker gets 11 years
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RAGUE—An appeals court in the Czech Republic on Wednesday upheld a lower court conviction of a man for knifing twotime Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in her home and increased his sentence from eight to 11 years in prison. The regional court in the city of Brno ruled in March that Radim Zondra caused Kvitova serious bodily harm in December 2016 when he attacked her in her apartment in Prostejov. The state prosecutor requested 12 years
in prison for Zondra, who pleaded not guilty and appealed. The prosecution also appealed and the High Court in the city of Olomouc handed Zondra an 11-year prison term on Wednesday. The verdict is final. Kvitova had surgery on injuries to her playing left hand. It took the tennis star more than five months to recover. Kvitova is at the Brisbane International this week, warming up for the Australian Open, where she reached the final last year. AP
She had a practice hit with Barty earlier in the week, and drew confidence from it. Big back-to-back wins are evidence of that. “I think just going out there and knowing that I can win, playing to win instead of just playing to just hang in there or try and just hold my own,” Brady said. “I think just believing in myself, having the confidence in the game, knowing that I am a player who is able to dictate. “And if I’m able to do that and giving myself the best opportunity at winning—and win or lose knowing that I played within myself and believed in myself, I think I’ll walk off the court pretty happy.” Brady won the opening set in 36 minutes, securing the only service break of the match in the seventh game. Barty, who won the season-ending WTA Finals last season, has failed to get past the second round in five appearances at the Brisbane International. The Australian player’s lack of match play could be seen in her 26 unforced errors but she was also keen to pay credit to Brady, who lost just one point on her first serve and didn’t have to face a single break point. “You can call it rust or you can just call it a bit of execution,” Barty said. “For me it was on those returning games. I had probably had half a dozen second-serve returns where I failed to make it into the court, in that first set in particular. And then Jen grew in confidence. You have to give credit where credit’s due.” The 23-year-old Barty will continue playing doubles in Brisbane and is in the field for next week’s Adelaide International before starting her Australian Open campaign. “It’s rare in sport that you get an opportunity every single week and so quickly...that’s one of the beautiful things about tennis is that next week you get a chance in Adelaide to kind of come out there and try and execute that little bit better,” Barty said. AP
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Hoops body names Magsanoc as coach of national 3x3 squad
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HE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) on Thursday announced Ronnie Magsanoc’s appointment as head coach of the national 3x3 men’s team for the Fiba 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) from March 18 to 22 in New Delhi. But will Magsanoc see a smooth relationship with the Chooks to Go-backed national pool which earned the ticket to the qualifiers under another coach? The members of the current pool belong to a group sponsored by Chooks to Go, which, after actively funding multiple local 3x3 tournaments and sending Filipinos to international meets, was offered a cold treatment by the basketball body. The rift between the SBP and Chooks
to Go turned obvious when the SBP fielded Philippine Basketball Association players CJ Perez, Mo Tautuaa, Chris Newsome and Jason Perkins in the 30th Southeast Asian Games last month. They convincingly won the gold medal. The SBP, however, couldn’t field PBA players to the Fiba OQT just like that. The Fiba allows only the top 10 3x3 players of each country to play in the tournament. Chooks to Go, owned by Ronald Mascariñas, and now a title sponsor of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, “owns” all the top 10 players in the country by virtue of the tournaments the company sponsored in recent years. Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol, Dylan Ababou, Karl Dehesa, Leonard Santillan, Chris
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GINEBRA EYES 2-0 SERIES LEAD
ARANGAY Ginebra Head Coach Tim Cone knows a series against a team they have beaten in twice in the championship would never be a walk in the park. That was evident in Game One of the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup Finals, where the Gin Kings needed to dig deep in their bag of defensive tricks to escape with the victory. Game Two will be as hellish, and so would the succeeding matches of the best-of-seven showdown. “I honestly feel this is the way it’s going to be every game. It’s going to be a grindout, fight-to-the-end of series,” Cone said. The Gin Kings, who beat the Meralco Bolts in the 2016 and 2017 Finals of the same conference, took Game One—a hard-earned 91-87 victory—and are eyeing a 2-0 edge in Game Two at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City. Barangay Ginebra withstood Meralco’s tough stance in Game One, urging Cone
to laud the efforts of their opponents who pushed them to their limits. It all boiled down to that now iconic Japeth Aguilar block on Meralco import Allen Durham with 11 seconds remaining. “It was really a tremendous play, one of the best I’ve seen in a long time,” Cone said. That single defensive gem proved the series won’t be an easy ride for either team. “Meralco is so disciplined, and it’s hard to really get them out of their tempo,” the most
de Chavez, Gab Banal, Jaypee Belencion, Leo de Vera and Ryan Monteclaro are the country’s top 10 players in the Fiba ranking. In a press conference early this week, Mascariñas said the members of the pool are training with two Serbian coaches, and are coached by Eric Altamirano, a former teammate of Magsanoc at University of the Philippines and in commercial leagues and the PBA. The Philippines is bracketed in Group C in New Delhi with Slovenia, France, Qatar and the Dominican Republic. The top 2 teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, and the top 3 teams in the tournament will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in July.
Ramon Rafael Bonilla
successful PBA coach said. “It really just goes down to each possession. If you blow one possession, you might blow the game.” Meralco Head Coach Norman Black singled out the Gin Kings defense as key to their loss in Game One. “Ginebra does a good job clogging the paint defensively. They want you to shoot from the outside,” Black said. Meralco did what was expected—shoot from the three-point range. But their shots
MAGSANOC
were off—tons of them in a seven-of-32 clip. “Even if we had some open shots, we couldn’t make it,” he said. Durham vowed that they are going for redemption in Game Two. “We’ll come back stronger in Game Two,” he said. “I got to shoot better. I didn’t perform to the best of my ability, so I got to be better next game,” admitted Durham who logged 25 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists on Tuesday night.
WOOK, MALIXI ZERO IN ON STROKE PLAY TITLES W OOK GWON-MIN toughened up at the back to salvage a 75 and keep his seven-stroke lead intact, while Rianne Malixi hiked her lead to three with a brave 71 in a wind-blown third round of the National Stroke Play Championship at the Riviera Golf and Country Club in Silang, Cavite, on Thursday. Playing virtually pressure-free after posting a big cushion halfway through the kickoff leg of this year’s PLDT Group National Amateur Tour, Wook yielded a number of strokes at the front in a punishing day at Langer, but preserved his four-over card with a two-birdie, two-bogey finish for a 39-36, keeping the Korean way ahead of the pack at 216. That moved the 17-year-old Wook 18 holes away from reclaiming the crown won by compatriot and now pro tour campaigner Kim Jo-hyung in 2018, as Japanese Atsushi Ueda stood too far behind at 223 after a 72, the best under exacting conditions in men’s division. “Despite the wind, my game was okay. I hit good putts but had another problem on No. 8, which I double-bogeyed,” said Gwon, referring to the par-3 hole, where he made a six Wednesday. Junior World titlist Aidric Chan dropped to third at 225 after a second 77 in three days, while Southeast Asian Games bronze-medal teammate Sean Ramos shot a 73 to gain a share of fourth at 226 with Ryan Monsalve, who stumbled with a 77. Carl Corpus also skied to a 77 for joint sixth at 227 with Weiwei Gao, who fumbled with a 79, Davaoeño Elee Bisera carded a 75 for solo eighth at 228 and last year’s champion Gen Nagai hardly improved from two 77s with a 75 for 229 in a tie with fellow Japanese Kyosuke Yoshida, who hobbled with a 78. Malixi, meanwhile, continued to stun the field with superb shotmaking and poise rarely seen in a 12-year-old campaigner, holing out with back-toback birdies to save an even par card for a 214 as she padded her lead to three over Abby Arevalo, who fought back from a 38 start with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 for a 72 and a 217. “My shots were better than yesterday [Wednesday]. I hope to sustain this kind of game tomorrow [today],” said Malixi, who actually made a butterfly on No. 16 for a double bogey. That practically set the stage for their head-tohead duel in the final 18 holes as Laurea Duque fell 12 strokes off Malixi at 226 after a 76 for third with last year’s champion and first day leader Lois Kaye Go failed to mount a comeback with a 77 for a 227. Junia Gabasa and Korean Kim Seo-yun matched 74s for identical 228s, Bernice Ilas recovered with a 74 for a 230, Nicole Abelar skied to an 82 for a 232, Samantha Dizon rallied with a 72 for a 233 and Eagle Ace Superal carded a 76 for a 234.
Malixi, out to match or surpass her three-title feat in the National Golf Association of the Philippinessanctioned tournaments last year, rebounded from a twoover start with birdies on Nos. 10 and 15. She then overcame that double-bogey miscue on the par-five 16th with birdies in the last two, frustrating Arevalo, who pulled to within one. But the San Jose State U product and member of the SEA Games gold-medal winning team with Go, and gold medalist and now pro Bianca Pagdanganan is expected to press her bid early in an attempt to relive her glory days at Riviera where she reigned as champion in a pro tournament on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour in 2017. WOOK GWON-MIN keeps his sevenstroke lead intact.
MERALCO import Allen Durham, shown above trying to escape a tight Ginebra defense, says they are going for redemption in Game Two.
NCAA VOLLEYBALL ON
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RELLANO University begins its campaign for a fourth straight title as Season 95 of National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s volleyball action kicks off on Friday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. First to test the Lady Chiefs, bannered by Season 94 MVP Necole Ebuen and Season 94 Finals MVP Regine Anne Arocha; are the Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates, led by Monica Sevilla and Mary Joy
Onofre. They take the floor at 12 noon. Two former champions—Season 94 runner-up University of Perpetual Help and College of Saint Benilde—tangle at 2 p.m. The opening ceremony and matches air live via ABS-CBN’s streaming service iWant starting at 11 a.m. Completing the field are Letran of Marie Charlemagne Simborio; Emilio Aguinaldo College led by Cathrine Almazan; Jose Rizal
University of Dolly Verzosa; Mapua University Lady Cardinals bannered by Lorraine Barias; San Beda of Nieza Viray; and San Sebastian College-Recoletos of Jewelle Bermillo. ABS-CBN Sports will carry the entire NCAA 95 women’s volleyball tournament on iWant. Fans could also livestream the matches on the ABS-CBN Sports web site (sports.abs-cbn.com) while those abroad can catch the action on TFC.tv. ABS-CBN’s sports channel S+A, meanwhile, will broadcast the semifinals and finals of the women’s volleyball tournament live.
Baby Tamaraws make mincemeat of Tigers
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AR Eastern University (FEU) kicked off its drive for a 10th straight University Athletic Association of the Philippines high-school boys football championship with a clinical 6-0 domination of University of Santo Tomas (UST) Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. Edmar Adonis tallied a brace in the first half to set the tone for the Baby Tamaraws. The forward started in place of Tarshish Garciano, who incurred a freak injury during the warm-ups. “Actually, it is not about the nine-peat or 10peat, they just have to be humble and I want them to improve their quality of football,” Head
Coach Park Bo-bae said. Adonis scored in the 11th minute, and another one four minutes later before Josh Laurens closed the first period with a 43rd-minute strike. Stephen Soria, Karl Absalon and Andrei Sabejon netted a goal each in the second half to complete the rout for FEU. Park was pleased to see his side win their opening match in convincing fashion. “For me, the most difficult game to play is the first, so I continue to encourage them and tell them to enjoy [playing] with our system,” he said. Ateneo High School, meanwhile, took its second win of the season at the expense of last
year’s runner-up National University-Nazareth School, 1-0, in the days’ other match. Enzo Lucindo scored the match’s lone goal in the 35th minute. The Bullpups had chances in the second period, but just like in their first game against UST, Blue Eaglets goalkeeper Artuz Cezar came up big for his squad. Ateneo will shoot for its third consecutive victory against De La Salle-Zobel at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. The second game will be a rematch of last season’s final between FEU and National University at 4 p.m. Both will be played at FEU Diliman Football Field.
Sports BusinessMirror
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| Friday, January 10, 2020 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao
SAUDI Arabia women get the rare privilege to watch a soccer game as Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos (right) celebrates with Raphael Varane after scoring the opening goal during their Spanish Super Cup semifinal match against Valencia at the King Abdullah stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday. AP
SUPER CUP IN SAUDI ARABIA
FOR THE MONEY J EDDAH, Saudi Arabia—Barcelona Coach Ernesto Valverde didn’t try to sugarcoat the reasons that prompted the Spanish soccer federation to take the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, acknowledging Wednesday that they were there for the money. Valverde made his comments a day before Barcelona faced Atlético Madrid in the revamped competition that was being played for the first time in Saudi Arabia thanks to a lucrative three-year deal reached by the Spanish federation despite criticism from human-rights activists. “I know a lot is talked about what happens here, but you have to understand that football is an industry today,” Valverde said. “There is always the need to find new sources of revenue. That’s really why we are here.” Real Madrid was set to play Valencia in the first semifinal on Wednesday. Valverde said he would rather keep the old format of the competition, when only the Spanish league champion and the Copa del Rey winner participated and the final was played in Spain with home-and-away games. “It’s not the same thing as playing at home, but here we are,” Valverde said. “If I could choose, I would prefer the old format, but it’s the federation that makes these decisions.” The Super Cup was also played abroad last season, when Barcelona beat Sevilla in Tangiers, Morocco, in a single-game final. Barcelona’s news conference was delayed as the team had difficulties arriving at the venue because of traffic. The federation’s deal to play in Saudi Arabia was reportedly worth €120 million ($134 million). The federation said the agreement will help Spain in its attempt to host the 2030 World Cup in a joint bid with Portugal. The decision to play in Saudi Arabia went against advice from UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin for European soccer teams not to play in countries “where the basic rights of women are not respected.” Amnesty International organized a small peaceful protest in front of the Saudi Arabia embassy in Madrid on
Lazio fined for racist words aimed at Balotelli
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ILAN—Lazio was fined €20,000 ($22,000) and at least temporarily avoided a stadium closure on Wednesday after its fans targeted Brescia striker Mario Balotelli with racist chants. Serie A judge Gerardo Mastrandrea requested that further details on the case be handled by the Italian soccer federation prosecutor to determine exactly where in the stadium the chants came from, and to what extent Lazio collaborates in terms of identifying those responsible, before possible further punishment. Sunday’s game was halted for a few minutes shortly after the half-hour mark and an announcement to stop the chants was made to fans at the stadium in Brescia. Brescia was leading 1-0 at the time following a goal scored by Balotelli, who had also been subjected to racial abuse earlier in the match. Balotelli posted a video of his goal on Instagram after the match and wrote: “Lazio
Wednesday to call for the release of women activists who have been fighting for their rights in Saudi Arabia. Barcelona is the most successful club in the Spanish Super Cup with 13 titles, three more than Real Madrid.
COMFORTABLE WIN BY REAL MADRID
HELPED by a clever goal by Toni Kroos directly from a corner kick, Real Madrid comfortably defeated Valencia, 3-1, on Wednesday to kick off the revamped Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. Francisco “Isco” Alarcón and Luka Modric also scored for Real Madrid as it advanced to Sunday’s final against either Barcelona or Atlético Madrid, who will play on Thursday. Kroos curled in an exquisite right-footed shot from the corner flag in the 15th minute after spotting Valencia goalkeeper Jaume Domenech out of position. Domenech was talking to a defender when Kroos curled in the corner, and couldn’t get back in time to stop the ball from crossing the line. He punched the ball but it still went into the top of the net. “It was a lack of concentration by all of us,” Valencia forward Denis Cheryshev said. “I think mentally it affected us. After this goal everything became harder.” Isco added to the lead with a shot from inside the area in the 39th, and Modric sealed the victory with a neat strike with the outside of his right foot into the far corner in the 65th. Valencia’s lone goal came through a penalty converted by Dani Parejo in second-half stoppage time after a handball by Madrid captain Sergio Ramos. “We were in control from the start,” Madrid midfielder Casemiro said. “We wanted to control possession and that’s what we did. Everything went as planned. We can start thinking about the final now.” Madrid’s victory came in a less-than-packed King Abdullah Sports City stadium, which seats 62,000. Real Madrid said before the tournament that only about 20 of its
NAZI CHANTS SLAMMED
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ADRID—The Spanish league on Wednesday denounced another case of fans calling Ukrainian striker Ramon Zozulia a Nazi during a match. The league said this time the chants came during the first-division game between Osasuna and Real Sociedad in December, a week after the second-division match in which Zozulia was playing was suspended at halftime because of similar taunts. Zozulia, a former Ukraine international, plays for Albacete. His team’s game at Rayo Vallecano on December 15 was interrupted after the insults by Rayo fans. Zozulia told a news conference four days later that he has no connections to radical political groups in his home country and insisted that “I don’t have any political views.” The Spanish soccer federation initially fined Rayo Vallecano and said the game would be concluded behind closed doors, but the ruling has been appealed. The chants in the Osasuna-Sociedad game were denounced to the Spanish federation’s competition’s committee, which is in charge of handing out punishments. The league said some 400 Osasuna fans chanted “Zozulia, you are a Nazi” for about 10 seconds in the sixth minute of the match. AP
fans were expected to make the trip from Madrid to Saudi Arabia, though most of the local crowd was pro-Real Madrid. “The fans showed their support,” Casemiro said. “We have to thank them for how well they have welcomed us here.” The Spanish federation took the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia in a three-year deal reportedly worth €120 million ($134 million). It made the move despite criticism from human-rights activists and advice from UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin for European soccer teams not to play in countries “where the basic rights of women are not respected.” Valverde acknowledged earlier Wednesday they were playing in Saudi Arabia for the money, saying “football is an industry today.... That’s really why we are here.” The Spanish federation praised the fact women are being allowed to watch the Super Cup games, something that was part of the deal when it accepted to play in Saudi Arabia. Many women and young girls were at the King Abdullah stadium on Wednesday. This is the first year the Super Cup is played with four teams. It used to feature only the Spanish league winner and the Copa del Rey champion. Valencia, last season’s Copa winner, had complained about the change because it would have to play an extra match to try to win the title. Madrid got the win despite traveling to Saudi Arabia without injured forwards Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema. Coach Zinedine Zidane used 22-year-old striker Luka Jovic up front, with five players forming the midfield. Valencia also was depleted by injuries, and striker Rodrigo was among those absent. AP
fans that were today at the stadium SHAME ON YOU!” The 29-year-old Balotelli was singled out by Lazio fans for abuse all match with other offensive chants, that weren’t specifically racist, against him and his family. “As has always happened in the past, Lazio dissociates itself in the most exhaustive way possible from the discriminatory behavior carried out by a very small minority of fans during the match against Brescia,” Lazio said in a statement after the game. Lazio won 2-1. Balotelli was also the target of racial abuse earlier this season when he threatened to leave the field because of racist chants directed at him by Hellas Verona fans during a match in November. Racism has been a problem all season in Italy with offensive chants also aimed at Romelu Lukaku, Franck Kessie, Dalbert Henrique, Miralem Pjanic, Ronaldo Vieira and Kalidou Koulibaly. All of the players targeted—except for Pjanic, who is Bosnian—are black, and many of the incidents have gone unpunished. AP LAZIO’S Danilo Cataldi and Brescia’s Mario Balotelli (left) vie for the ball during their Italian Serie A match. AP
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Oh God
EAR God, who see how Your people faithfully await the feast of the Lord’s Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives in reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. GIVE US THIS DAY SHARED BY LUISA LACSON, HFL Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com
Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com
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SAM ROCKWELL FINDS ANOTHER ‘JEWELL’ S
AM ROCKWELL has established himself as one of the most versatile actors of his generation, with an array of emotionally searing and complex roles defining his body of work. He won the Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Officer Dixon in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, opposite Frances McDormand. Now, Rockwell plays Watson Bryant, the crusading lawyer who defends a wrongly accused man, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ suspenseful real-life drama Richard Jewell. The world is first introduced to Richard Jewell as the security guard who reports finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta Games bombing—his quick thinking making him a hero whose swift actions save countless lives. But within days, the law enforcement wannabe will become the FBI’s No. 1 suspect, vilified in the court of public opinion, his life ripped apart. Directed by Clint Eastwood, Richard Jewell centers around the events that forever made his name synonymous with that terrible act. What made you want to take on the role of Watson Bryant in this film? Well, Clint Eastwood, No. 1. And I heard Paul Hauser was in it and he was such a scene-stealer in I, Tonya, so that was exciting. And then I really liked the part of Watson Bryant, I thought it was a great role and a different part for me. I think the closest I’d gotten to playing someone like him was in Frost/ Nixon, where I played Jim Reston. Watson is a very interesting character and the script was amazing, and really felt like a two-hander and, at the same time, an ensemble with Paul as the lead as Richard. Were you able to meet the real Watson Bryant? Yeah, he’s a fabulous character to play, like
was blown away by her.
“The court of public opinion is a dangerous thing, and I think it’s an important theme that never gets old, because it keeps happening in real life like it happened to Richard,” says Oscar-winning actor about the real-life title character in Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell.
You and Paul, Kathy, and so on, you’re playing real people, and you also filmed in on location in Atlanta, Georgia, where the real events took place. What was that like? When you’re playing these real people, there’s a huge responsibility to represent them. It’s daunting. So, I think it’s extraordinary if you can also film in the actual locations, because it helps you get the spirit of the story and what they went through. You can’t always do it, but it’s a real plus, I think. It helps you rise to the occasion, and for a story like this, that’s really important.
This is your first film with Clint Eastwood. What was it like working with him? Whenever you’re dealing with an actor-director, you get a lot of compassion because they know what it’s like to be in front of the camera, and Clint is no exception. He trusts you, he lets you play, but Clint is also very sharp, he picks up on the littlest things, and he’ll say things that only somebody who’s been doing movies as long as he has would think to say. One thing I loved is that while he’s directing, you can see he’s thinking about the editing, because he’ll ask you to go through a door faster, or start the car faster, that sort of thing, knowing it’s just a quick connect from one scene to the next; it doesn’t need to be a Doctor Zhivago moment.
What you mean by that? Well, someone like Richard Jewell, for instance. He was underestimated. He was misunderstood, for sure. But he stepped up, he rose to the occasion and he was a hero, and then a victim of a terrible injustice, being wrongly accused by not only the FBI but the media, as well. So, as actors, you really want to do right by him, and Watson and Bobi, everyone who went through this with Richard.
something out of a Tennessee Williams play. He’s very smart, very excitable and opinionated. He loves to argue, which, for a lawyer, is a great quality to have, I suppose. Reportedly, you and Paul got together in New York ahead of filming? Yes, we booked a hotel and we spent like three days, almost inseparable, reading the script out loud together, having coffee with (screenwriter) Billy Ray, and working with my dialect coach to get that down. It was really beneficial for both of us. We bonded. The real Richard and Watson had bonded early on, before the events of 1996, correct? Yes. For much of the film, Watson is an underdog, this one man fighting for this guy’s life against the entire government, but you also see how they’d met much earlier. I think the reason why Watson was a good fit for Richard, as an attorney, is because of what they developed in that previous interaction. Not just a friendship, because Watson was more of a father figure or older brother archetype for Richard. Their relationship is part of the heart of the film, I think, because they always had trust between them.
Your character interacts quite a lot with Richard’s mom, Bobi. Did you enjoy working with Kathy Bates? Kathy is phenomenal. During a press conference sequence we were shooting, I saw her maintain this very emotional state of mind for six hours straight, without taking a break. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody do something like that so well, and it was a very emotional scene. She’s a very powerful actress. I
Clint seems to be very interested in everyday heroes like Richard, don’t you agree? You’re right. He’s got an interest in injustice, for sure, it’s definitely a theme in his films, bringing to light people who have been underestimated but have risen to the occasion to perform a heroic act, and the media circus that surrounds them, and gets out of control. The court of public opinion is a dangerous thing, and I think it’s an important theme that never gets old, because it keeps happening in real life like it happened to Richard. n In Philippine cinemas January 15, Richard Jewell is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures.
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A star-studded, smile-filled birthday O NE of the country’s finest dental practitioners, Dr. Steve Mark Gan of GAOC, welcomed his golden 50th year with a grand birthday bash at Revel at The Palace in Taguig City, which saw some of the hottest names in showbiz grace the event. Among those who partied with Gan until the early hours of the morning were his celebrity clients and friends, including Vina Morales, Sam Milby, Erich Gonzales, Ruffa Gutierrez, Coleen Garcia-Crawford, Janeena Chan and Gab Valenciano, just to name a few. Media friends who attended include Ben Tulfo, Tim Yap, Mocha Uson, Wilson Lee Flores and Dolly Anne Carvajal. Making his birthday celebration even more memorable were cherished loved ones, close friends and colleagues, some of which flew in from different parts of the world to personally extend their wellwishes to Gan. Gan marked an important milestone in his life with close family and friends in a memorable celebration full of love and laughter. n
Today’s Horoscope By Eugenia Last
CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Evan Handler, 59; Pat Benatar, 67; George Foreman, 71; Rod Stewart, 75. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Refuse to let the past hold you back. It’s time to make changes that will encourage you to build better relationships with positive people who have just as much to offer in return. New beginnings will recharge you mentally and physically, and give you greater insight into new possibilities. Walk away from people who bring you down or use emotional blackmail. Your lucky numbers are 8, 15, 19, 27, 30, 36, 45.
a
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Pour your energy into something constructive. Personal change that will help you explore new ways to be the best that you can be will help you bypass someone who is eager to make you look bad. Strive for peace. HHH
b
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t let stubbornness stand in your way. Look for the positive in every situation and work alongside instead of against those trying to accomplish similar goals. HHHH
c DR. Steve Mark Gan and Vina Morales
PATRICK GARCIA and his wife Nikka Martinez-Garcia
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gather information and verify its legitimacy before you take action. An opportunity is only worth your while if it will bring about positive change for everyone involved. Romance will relieve tension and bring you closer to someone you love. HH
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CANCER (June 21-July 22): Explore your options and try something new. Treat others with respect, and be willing to compromise. Don’t take offense if someone wants to do things differently. Concentrate on what you are doing, not on what others are up to. HHHHH
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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Personal improvements will lead to unexpected gain. A makeover, fitness program or planning a romantic encounter will lift your spirits and encourage you to make positive lifestyle changes. Set a budget, and say no to a slick, misleading sales pitch. HHH
f ERICH GONZALES
SAM MILBY
JANELLA SALVADOR
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A change of scenery will make you realize what you’ve got. Look around and consider the changes you can make to improve your life or your relationship with someone who hasn’t been as open with you as you would like. HHH
RYAN BANG
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Refuse to let anger lead to a mistake you’ll regret. When dealing with people you love, you are best not to make accusations or ultimatums. Concentrate more on self-improvement and make physical changes that will make you look and feel good. HHH
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Learn from those with more experience. Talking to older relatives or friends will give you a better understanding of life and how best to handle domestic situations. Approval will be offered if you include the person standing in your way. HHHHH
i j
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Take care of your responsibilities to avoid complaints. Discuss what’s expected of you before you enter into something that may turn out to be more than what you want. HH MCCOY DE LEON
BUGOY DRILON, Liezel Garcia and Hansen Nichols
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ll be taken advantage of if you are too accommodating or you share your personal information or secrets freely. Being a good listener will stimulate your mind. An idea you come up with will give you something to look forward to. HHHH
MEG IMPERIAL
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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Tidy up loose ends, and do your best to get ahead. An unexpected opportunity should be taken advantage of. He who hesitates is lost, so get moving and take what belongs to you. HHHH
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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Offer your services, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you. Make what you are offering clear, and don’t take on any more than you can afford to do. Someone you’ve collaborated with will make a good suggestion. HHH
JANEENA CHAN
CINDY MIRANDA
ALBERT MARTINEZ
BIRTHDAY BABY: You are resourceful, sensitive and playful. You are creative and excessive.
RUFFA GUTIERREZ
‘mistakes were made’ BY ADAM NICOLLE The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg
ACROSS 1 Field where many plays happen? 6 Treated, as a sprain 10 Jamaican genre 13 One may hold socks 14 “You” of yore 15 Leather color 16 Wacky writing implements (letters 6-9) 18 End of Wikipedia’s URL 19 Orangutans and gibbons 20 Happening spots in dorms (4-7) 22 Around the World toy 23 D sharp equivalent 24 Lug 28 “Where’s the ___?” 30 Mermaid who trades her voice for legs 31 Vaper’s device 33 Otherwise 37 They reward regular shoppers (6-9) 40 McGregor of Trainspotting 41 Sheeple, e.g. 42 Romulus’s twin 43 Articulates 45 Attempted, with “at”
6 Emotionally detached 4 49 J.Lo’s bae 51 Deteriorating (6-9) 54 Unleashes (on) 58 Juniper drink 59 Companion of Hermione Granger (4-7) 61 Tattoo machine filler 62 As well 63 Cookie-flavored cereal 64 Self starter? 65 Bright color descriptor 66 Mistakes in the starred answers? (read the “wrong” letters in order for a bonus!) DOWN 1 Let go of 2 Glowing review 3 Really impresses 4 Voice actor Blanc 5 Lady Gaga album with “Applause” 6 Tech support whiz 7 Nickname that anagrams to “tech” 8 Start of a counting rhyme 9 “You Gotta Be” singer 10 Comedian’s seat
1 Cosmic fate 1 12 High-school feeling 13 Crime lab sample 17 “I did it!” 21 Made available 22 TALK LIKE THIS 24 “Buy one, get one free,” e.g. 25 Cornfield pest 26 “Yo!” 27 Uses for support 28 Cardinal or cormorant 29 Applause may boost it 31 Optometrists look at them 32 Lifeguard’s skill, briefly 34 Dalai ___ 35 Like many a mansplainer 36 Canadian gas brand 38 “Love ___ neighbor” 39 Reunion attendee, for short 44 Kabul resident 45 Chinese dish that customers cook 46 Texas A&M athlete 47 Pork cuts 48 Sty noises 49 Cover-up for Martha Stewart 50 Pam’s ex on The Office
2 Legend 5 53 Approximately 54 Part of a process 55 Langston Hughes poem about inequality 56 Cook and Zuckerberg, e.g. 57 Soon-to-be alums 60 Suffix for “direct” Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:
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SOMETHING LIKE LIFE
MA. STELLA F. ARNALDO
AXA PHILIPPINES EMPLOYEES MAKE SOLAR LAMPS FOR MINDORO-BASED WOMEN COOPERATIVES
AS part of its continuing commitment to give back to the community, leading insurance provider AXA Philippines held its annual Corporate Responsibility Week (CR Week). During the event, AXA employees made Liter of Light solar lamps for women in Mindoro who do not have access to light, and to help some of them generate extra income. In addition to solar lamp-making, there was also blood donation, safety drills and training, family day activities, and financial literacy sessions for high-school students in Cebu and Davao to celebrate CR Week. Leading the lamp-making activity held in the AXA head office in Makati City was Liter of Light Ambassador Illac Diaz (center) with AXA Philippines President and CEO Rahul Hora (left) and chief human resources officer Jaspreet Kakar.
EDC HELPS ADDRESS MINDANAO QUAKE SANITATION AND WATER NEEDS ALMOST a month since the first of a series of highintensity earthquakes struck the province of Cotabato on October 16, proper sanitation and drinking water facilities remain a top priority among displaced residents in evacuation centers across the Mindanao region, according to local government officials. In Barangay Ilomavis in Kidapawan City, Barangay Captain Datu Jimmy Mantawil identified around 1,400 evacuees from Purok 7, 6A, and 6B in need of toilets and access to potable water. With assistance from the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team of the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) and employee-volunteers from its Mount Apo Geothermal Project and Southern Negros Geothermal Project, and from the local community led by Datu Henry “Siakolon” A. Ambas, six makeshift comfort rooms were constructed at the evacuation site at Ilomavis basecamp where the evacuees were transferred to ensure their safety. EDC’s Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Unit from its Manila head office was also deployed to provide the necessary assistance to employees, as well as to aid in continuous clearing operations of the local government of Kidapawan City. More than 4,000 residents of Barangay Ilomavis and Balabag have received relief goods of rice, canned food, noodles, bottled water, medicines and tents from EDC. “We are thankful to EDC for initiating this project to help our evacuees,” said Datu Mantawil. Employees of EDC from its various sites, as well as employees of other Lopez Group of Cos., namely, First Philippine Holdings, FirstGen Corp., FPIP, Rockwell, Lopez Inc., Lopez Holdings, LGFI, and private individuals pooled together their cash donations for the affected residents of Barangay Ilomavis. “The Kapamilya spirit was certainly evident as employees wasted no time in doing what they could to help our communities in Kidapawan,” said Atty. Allan V. Barcena, head of EDC’s CSR-Public Relations Group. EDC is also working closely with the local government of North Cotabato, Kidapawan City, its Barangay Emergency Response Teams, as well as local chapters of relevant government agencies and other civic organizations to continuously monitor the situation in the area and to provide necessary assistance. Cotabato was first struck with a 6.3-magnitude earthquake on October 16, followed by a magnitude 6.6 and a magnitude 6.1 on October 29, and the latest with a magnitude of 6.5 just two days after on October 31. The epicenter was recorded in the vicinity of the municipality of Tulunan, affecting several nearby provinces and felt in many areas across Mindanao. EDC operates the 108.48-MW Mount Apo Geothermal Project and supplies clean and reliable power to Mindanao. It is a global pioneer in the geothermal energy industry and the country’s largest vertically-integrated geothermal developer, delivering 1,457.8 MW of clean and renewable energy to the Philippines.
@akosistellaBM
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S someone who has come to appreciate statistics due to my work as a business journalist, numbers are everything. Numbers tell us how much money we have (or don’t have) in the bank. They tell us how much faster (or slower) are prices of rice, meat, and vegetables rising in the market. They tell us how many Filipinos there are in the country today, how much money or government funds are needed to sustain us and ensure we have jobs, are paid properly, able to eat three square meals a day, and have decent roofs over our heads. Also, the numbers tell us how many of the 108 million Filipinos are living below the poverty line, need more financial assistance or eight-hour jobs, need access to health care, can’t eat even one decent meal a day, and how many of them are actually getting social services versus the count of those who don’t. Many of these data, usually churned out by surveyors and statisticians, are then studied by economic planners and government officials who are in charge of making policies, or by lawmakers who craft legislation as a response to problems arising from what the statistics have indicated. Of course, in studying the statistics, there needs to be a careful check into the source of the numbers. Is the source credible enough and its data trusted for government planners to use in their policy-making? As a business journalist, I tend to rely on the data gathered by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and the Department of Tourism/Bureau of Immigration. PSA’s data, for instance, will tell us what sectors in the economy have been performing (e.g., agriculture, manufacturing, services). Data gathered by the BSP will indicate if foreign businesses are investing in the country by setting up their own companies, or just playing in the stock market. Using the BI’s data, the DOT reports how many foreigners have arrived in the country, how many of them are still Philippine passport-holders despite living abroad, and how many are visiting from other countries. Using these statistics, for example, government planners have conducted road shows abroad to attract more foreign direct investments. When inflation rates were spiking because of high prices of rice, as shown by statistics, government economic managers finally addressed the problem by fully liberalizing the importation of rice. When the BI data indicates promising double-digit growth in the arrivals of Scandinavians, Middle Easterners, or Australians, for instance, the DOT goes to work by ramping up missions to those countries, or joining travel fairs to get the arrival numbers up from those markets. Which brings me to the point of this piece: in her recent report as cochairman of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), Vice President Leni Robredo asserted that correct data and statistics were desperately needed to find out just how many drug users there are in the country,
so a proper government anti-illegal drugs program could be successfully implemented. She rated the present government campaign only “1 out of 100,” echoing President Duterte’s own pronouncement at a campaign rally in Malabon in April 2019 that his antiillegal drugs program had failed. In her report released on Tuesday, Robredo said, “Various figures have been floated to account for the number of drug users in the country, from 1.8 million in 2016 [based on a survey by the Dangerous Drugs Board], to as high as 7 million to 8 million [according to Duterte’s speech in February 2019].” She added the administration currently uses 4 million (as confirmed in the ICAD conference in November 2019), which according to the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) is a number based on mere extrapolation. A more accurate, evidence-based number has yet to be resolved. Using a credible baseline is an important first step because an evidence-based campaign against illegal drugs should assess whether the number of drug users in the country is declining. “If the government insists on using the 4 million figure,” she noted, “then the implication for government is that the number has increased since 2016 despite an aggressive and costly campaign against illegal drugs. Furthermore, if the PNP
(Philippine National Police) says that only 1.5 million have been accounted for, then where are the remaining 2.5 million [users]? An evidence-based campaign should involve tracking not just the number of surrenders and arrests, but all subsequent actions and interventions for surrenderees and arrestees— whether they were successfully prosecuted, if such is warranted, and/or properly rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.” Robredo, citing the PNP’s figures, said “the approximate minimum consumption of illegal drugs in the country every week is 3,000 kilograms, using the estimate of 3 million users or 0.001 kilograms per user.” And yet, she pointed out, citing PNP figures again, the volume of shabu seized in the country was 1,053.91 kilos in 2017, dropping to 785.31 kilos in 2018, and rising to 1,344.87 kilos from January to October 2019, clearly showing that shabu seized was less than 1 percent of the estimated consumption in the country. Clearly, something is wrong somewhere. If we must trust the PNP and relevant government agencies with the figures and data they have submitted to the ICAD, then we must agree with both Duterte and Robredo that, indeed, the government campaign against illegal drugs is a failure. And that’s putting it mildly. To my mind, it is actually a fiasco. Numbers don’t lie. n
T.S. Eliot letters to muse to be unveiled after 60 years BY CHRISTINA PACIOLLA The Associated Press AFTER more than 60 years spent sealed up in a library storage facility, about 1,000 letters written by poet T.S. Eliot to confidante Emily Hale was unveiled last week, with scholars hoping they will reveal the extent of a relationship that’s been speculated about for decades. Many consider Hale to not only be his close friend, but also his muse, and they were hopeful the correspondence will offer insight into the more intimate details about Eliot’s life and work. Students, researchers and scholars can read the letters at Princeton University Library. “I think it’s perhaps the literary event of the decade,” said Anthony Cuda, an Eliot scholar and director of the T.S. Eliot International Summer School. “I don’t know of anything more awaited or significant. It’s momentous to have these letters coming out.” Lifelong friends, Hale and Eliot exchanged letters for about 25 years beginning in 1930. The two met in 1912 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but did
not rekindle their friendship until 1927. Eliot was already living in England and Hale taught drama at US universities, including Scripps College in California. In 1956, Hale donated the letters under an agreement they wouldn’t be opened until 50 years after either her or Eliot’s death, whichever came second. Eliot died in 1965. Hale died four years later. Biographers say Eliot ordered Hale’s letters to him to be burned. Their relationship “must have been incredibly important and their correspondence must have been remarkably intimate for him to be so concerned about the publication,” Cuda said. T.S. Eliot was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, in 1888 and gained notoriety as a poet early in life. He was only 26 when “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” became his first professionally published poem. Eliot’s 1939 book of whimsical poetry, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, was adapted into Cats, the awardwinning musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The play opened in London first in 1981 and then on Broadway the next year. It was then turned into a
feature film starring an ensemble cast that includes Judi Dench and James Corden just released in December. The first poem in the “Quartets” series, called “Burnt Norton,” piques the interest of enthusiasts of the poet, said Eliot scholar Frances Dickey, because of lines that suggest missed opportunities and what might have been with his muse. The poem is named after a home in England that Eliot visited with Hale in 1934. “His relationship with her seems to be deep and meaningful and it’s a door he chose not to open,” she said. The letters could also reveal details about Eliot’s conversion to Anglicanism, something he deeply cherished, Dickey said. Dickey, who served as one of the editors on The Complete Prose of T.S. Eliot, said the poet was deeply ashamed of his marriage to his first wife, Vivienne Haigh-Wood, whom he was with for more than 15 years. Dickey said the letters could reveal just how close he and Hale were and if the two ever considered marriage. “Was this an epistolary romance they would carry across the Atlantic?” Dickey said. “What role did she play in his
emotional life?” Eliot’s letters to Hale began after that first marriage ended. Whatever else she was, Hale was a link to the life Eliot had left behind in the United States as a young man, Dickey said. “He was really thinking more about the United States and his childhood during the period where he was in correspondence with Hale,” said Dickey. “I have a feeling that having a relationship with an American woman helped him to uncover his past in a way.” The unsealed boxes, which also contain photographs, clippings and other ephemera, were actually opened at the library’s special collections area called Firestone Library in October for cataloging and digitizing. Daniel Linke, interim head of special collections at the library, was part of the team working on the 14 boxes. He said there was very minimal, if any, reading. He said that scholars from around the world will be traveling to Princeton in the first days they are available since they are copyrighted and won’t be made available online.
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Show BusinessMirror
Friday, January 10, 2020
www.businessmirror.com.ph
ALDEN RICHARDS
‘KAPUSO COUNTDOWN TO 2020’ IS MOST-WATCHED NEW YEAR SPECIAL CHRIS HEMSWORTH
ELTON JOHN
Celebs donate millions to help Australia wildfire efforts BY JONATHAN LANDRUM JR. The Associated Press
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OS ANGELES—Elton John and Chris Hemsworth are among the celebrities donating big bucks for relief efforts as wildfires engulf Australia. Hemsworth, the Australian actor who plays Thor in the Marvel movie franchise, took to social media on Monday to share that he will donate $1 million and asked his millions of followers to show support, as well. He said that “every penny counts.” So far, the wildfires have scorched an area twice the size of the US state of Maryland. The blazes have killed 25 people and destroyed 2,000 homes. The fires, fueled by drought and the country’s hottest, and driest, year on record, have been raging since September, months earlier than is typical for Australia’s annual wildfire season. John announced during his Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert in Sydney, Australia, that he will also donate $1 million. The singer said he wanted to bring attention to the devastation that wildfires have
caused, saying it has reached a “biblical scale.” Hemsworth and John join a growing list of celebrities who have pledged to donate toward relief efforts, including Nicole Kidman, Pink and Keith Urban. “I am totally devastated watching what is happening in Australia right now with the horrific bushfires,” Pink wrote in a recent social-media post. “I am pledging a donation of $500,000 directly to the local fire services that are battling so hard on the frontlines. My heart goes out to our friends and family in Oz.” Metallica announced a donation on Tuesday night of $750,000 to a firefighting agency and emergency services agency in Victoria. An emotional Rose Byrne, who is Australian, spoke about the crisis and the relief efforts on Tuesday night at the New York premiere of her movie Like a Boss. “Really what people need is just donations because it’s all volunteer-based; the firefighters and all the rural services and the wildlife services [are] trying to rescue the animals,” she told the Associated Press. She added: “It’s devastating. It’s such a beautiful country. There’s always drought, but this is the hottest year on record and they need rain—but a lot of rain,
not just a little bit which is what’s happening now. They need like a downpour, downpour and it’s just getting hotter, and it’s getting more and more out of control. It’s a climate crisis is what it is.” At the Golden Globes on Sunday, Phoebe WallerBridge said she would auction off her Globe outfit and have the proceeds go to firefighter relief. Russell Crowe wasn’t at the Globes to accept his trophy for best actor in a limited series or TV movie for playing former Fox CEO Roger Ailes in the Showtime miniseries The Loudest Voice. Instead, the actor was in Australia trying to protect his home from the wildfires, sending a speech that Jennifer Aniston read. “Make no mistake, the tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change-based,” Crowe’s statement said. “We need to act based on science, move our global work force to renewable energy and respect our planet for the unique, and amazing, place it is. That way, we all have a future.” n Writer Jill Dobson contributed to this report from New York.
ABS-CBN forges ahead despite uncertainties
CNN settles lawsuit with Kentucky teen in demonstration
GAB FAB JET VALLE
@jetvalle
UNLESS you have been living under a rock, you know that March 2020 will mark the end of the franchise of ABS-CBN. I promise to write more about that issue when the right time comes. In the meantime, the Kapamilya network continues to launch new programs including teleseryes starring the biggest names in the industry, the return of well-loved reality singing competition and the premiere of the biggest Asian dramas. They even renewed contracts or signed new talents to their fold. After more than a year of waiting, the tandem of Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil finally makes their TV comeback this January in the upcoming series Make It With You, which was shot in Croatia. Gerald Anderson, Nash Aguas, Yves Flores, Elmo Magalona, Vin Abrenica, Jerome Ponce and Carlo Aquino come together in a drama which will bear the stories of brave soldiers: A Soldier’s Heart, which will air in prime-time block. Set to rule the TV time slots are new Asian dramas, including the most awarded in 2019, Yang Xi; and Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency, starring South Korean actor and rapper Kim Min-jae. Meanwhile, reality singing competition The Voice Teens, now with returning coach apl.de.ap, comes back for a new season in February. Love will fill the air in March as Maymay Entrata
MORE viewers welcomed the New Year and the new decade while tuned in to GMA Network’s Kapuso Countdown to 2020: The GMA New Year Special on December 31. Based on Nielsen Philippines TV Audience Measurement’s overnight ratings data, GMA’s New Year countdown won over competition after it recorded a people rating of 7 percent in National Urban Television Audience Measurement (Nutam). ABS-CBN’s 2020 Rising BGC Taguig Is Where It Starts: The New Year Countdown only managed to get 6.8 percent. Viewers from all over the country commended the Kapuso New Year special, which received various positive feedback online. Facebook user Alice Fernandez said, “Yes enjoying the show watching with a joyful heart!!! Tnx so much for this kind of entertainment. God bless everyone.” On Instagram, @chiqui.concepcion said, “Galing ng GMA Kapuso 2020 countdown. I like ’yung nakikita ang names ng performers kasi marami ding new talents. Happy New Year Kapuso Network. And thank you po for Alden Richards.” @KimLie tweeted, “Ganda ng stage at ang daming nagpunta sa MOA para makisali sa yearend countdown.” GMA top star Alden Richards led the New Year Countdown celebration, together with Julie Anne San Jose, Aicelle Santos, Mark Bautista, Katrina Halili, Kris Bernal, Rocco Nacino, Sanya Lopez, Sef Cadayona, Betong Sumaya, Kristoffer Martin, Jak Roberto, Migo Adecer, Klea Pineda, Kyline Alcantara, Arra San Agustin, P-POP Generation, Buganda and Miss World Philippines 2019 Michelle Dee. GMA Music recording artists Golden Cañedo, Hannah Precillas, Garrett Bolden, Jong Madaliday, and XOXO; with StarStruck Season 7’s Shayne Sava, Kim de Leon, Allen Ansay, Lexi Gonzales; and The Clash Season 2’s Jeremiah Tiangco, Thea Astley, Antonette Tismo, Nef Medina and Jeniffer Maravilla also performed during the countdown special. The media giant also shared a sneak peak of its upcoming programs this 2020, and the much-awaited teaser of the live-action adaptation of the anime series Voltes V Legacy during the special.
LIZA SOBERANO and Enrique Gil in Make It With You.
and Edward Barber make their teleserye debut in When We Fall In Love, which was shot in Japan. Of course, insiders also whispered to me that Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo will also return to TV via a teleserye to be shot in Mexico. James Reid, as well as Nancy of Momoland are also slated to do a TV romatic drama. The Faithful Wife is also currently being shot with Kim Chiu, Yam Concepcion and Xian Lim, and is expected to air soon. Meanwhile, a number of Kapamilya personalities had a contract signing with the network recently. These include Jake Cuenca, who teased that he is doing a show with Dreamscape right now and gearing up for another one come February. Sue Ramirez also renewed her contract with ABS-CBN, and announced that she will have an upcoming TV show. Elisse Joson, meanwhile, inked a five-year contract with ABS-CBN.
Other personalities signed with ABS-CBN are teen heartthrob Grae Fernandez; Hashtags member Jameson Blake; sexy star Enzo Pineda; character actor RK Bagatsing; and promising actresses Heaven Peralejo, Barbie Imperial and Louise Abuel. The kids are alright, too, as child stars Sophia Reola, famously known as Mikmik, in the teleserye Nang Ngumiti Ang Langit; and Angelika Rama, who was last seen in The Killer Bride, also shared their happiness and enthusiasm about inking their respective contracts for the network. Present in the signing were ABS-CBN Chairman Mark Lopez, ABS-CBN President and Chief Executive Officer Carlo Katigbak, chief operating officer of broadcast Cory Vidanes, TV production head Laurenti Dyogi, Star Magic Head Johnny Manahan and head of treasury Rick Tan.
NEW YORK—CNN has settled a lawsuit with a Kentucky teen who claimed media organizations falsely labeled him as a racist, following a wellpublicized encounter with a Native American last year at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The network confirmed the settlement on Tuesday, as did Todd McMurtry, a lawyer for Nicholas Sandmann, a student at Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky. Neither side would give details of the settlement. Sandmann had sued CNN, The Washington Post and NBC Universal for how he was characterized in the incident. Cases against the Post and NBC continue. Sandmann and his classmates entered the national spotlight after video and photos appeared of him wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat in support of US President Donald J. Trump near a Native American man, Nathan Phillips. Sandmann and his fellow students were in the city for an anti-abortion March for Life, while Phillips was with an Indigenous People’s March. Media commentary in the aftermath depicted Sandmann and his classmates as racially insensitive. Sandmann and Phillips later said they were both trying to defuse tensions among conflicting groups converging at the Memorial. Video of the encounter showed Sandmann and Phillips standing close to each other, with the young student staring and, at time,s smiling at Phillips as he sang and played a drum. AP
Motoring BusinessMirror
Henry Ford Awards Best Motoring Section 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 2011 Hall of Fame
Editor: Tet Andolong
Friday, January 10, 2020 E1
CHERY ROLLS OUT TIGGO CROSSOVER LINEUP
TIGGO 8 and Tiggo 5X
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Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino
HERY Auto brand recently staged a comeback after years of absence in the country. Now under the helm of Foton Philippines distributor and manufacturer, United Asia Auto Group Inc. (UAAGI), the company is determined to regenerate the presence of the second Chinese automotive brand. Back in 2007, the Chery brand initially attempted to penetrate the local market as the first Chinese automaker in the country. Unfortunately, the local market was not yet ready for a China-based auto brand at the time. But now, particularly the year 2019, saw a resurgence of Chinese automakers entering the local market. In just 12 months, close to half a dozen China auto brands have already established in the Philippine market. “The time is ripe for us to bring in a second automotive brand, and we are convinced that Chery Auto now has the right mix of design, features, technology and pricing in its product line to make a strong impact on the Philippine market,” said UAAGI President Rommel Sytin during the official media launch. “History and experience are the best teachers, and we have learned a lot from Foton’s success in the Philippine market, as well as where previous efforts to market Chery have failed—and we have taken all that to heart,” added Sytin.
Introducing the Tiggo crossover lineup
CROSSOVERS are one of the most sought-after vehicle segments today. So, the move of UAAGI to initially bring in myriad of Chery crossover models was simply on point. All the Tiggo models are made in Chery’s world-class stateof-the-art fully robotized plants in Wuhu, China. Donning a contemporary styling and modern comfort, convenience and safety features, the higher end models boast luxury car features, such as 10-inch
UHD touchscreen displays, footsensing automatic power tailgates, automatic LED headlamps, LED taillamps, cruise control, smart key entry system, six-way poweradjustable seats, LCD instrument panel, panoramic sunroof, leather seats, 18” alloy wheels, among others. Among the four models unveiled, first was the Tiggo 2. As the smallest in the roster, it measures 4,200-millimeter long, 1,760-mm wide, and 1,750 tall with 186mm ground clearance. Motivation comes from a 1.5-liter gasoline motor producing 106 hp and 135 N-m of maximum torque. There’s an option for a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Some of the advanced safety and driver-assist features are electronic stability program, hill assist control, emergency brake assist, traction control system, and smart shift reminder (for MT variant), to name a few. Next was the Tiggo 5X. Measuring at 4,358-mm long, 1,830mm wide, and 1,670-mm tall, this subcompact crossover is powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine. But output ratings are higher at 114 hp and 141 N-m of maximum torque. Aside from a CVT variant, there’s also an option for five-speed manual. Equipped with the same advanced safety and driver-assist features as with the smaller Tiggo 2, several were added, such as the dynamic track reverse image, tire pressure monitoring system, and cruise control. Of course, there are more comfort and convenience features. Third in the lineup is the bigger
TIGGO 7 and Tiggo 2
THE Tiggo 8’s luxurious interior
Tiggo 7. Overall dimension is at 4,505-mm long, 1,837-mm wide, and 1,670-mm tall with 210-mm ground clearance. Under the hood is a more powerful 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline motor dishing out 145 hp and 210 N-m of maximum torque. This model only comes in six-speed auto dual clutch transmission. Sharing several of the Tiggo 5X’s advanced safety and driverassist features, this model gets the front and reverse radar. Further, comfort and convenience functions are more advanced like rain-sensing wipers, remote control window, and automatic adjusted headlamps, among others. Last, is the flagship model
TIGGO 8’s 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine
Tiggo 8 seven-seater crossover. Being the biggest among the lineup at 4,700-mm long, 1,858mm wide, and 1,746-mm tall, it offers state-of-the art technology and exquisiteness that surely the town will talk about. Sharing the same 1.5-liter turbocharged engine with the Tiggo 7, output ratings are the same. Likewise, it comes with a six-speed auto dual clutch transmission. Additions to the long list of advanced safety and driver-assist features are 360-degree panoramic view camera, hill descent control, along with the long list of functions. Convenience-wise, there’s intelligent keyless entry with key sens-
ing tailgate function along with other luxury features. Sold over 750,000 units last year, Chery has been China’s biggest exporter of passenger cars in the last 16 years with a total of over 7.2 million vehicles sold in over 80 countries. Also, it’s the leading manufacturer of hybrid and full electric vehicles globally. “We are excited to bring in Chery. The new cars possess all the brand values Filipinos now look for and we are convinced that the local market will warmly receive these latest models,” Sytin concluded. In order to earn back customer trust and confidence in the brand, Chery Auto Philippines is offer-
ing an industry-leading 10-year/1 million-kilometer powertrain warranty on top of a five-year general vehicle warranty. Now that’s impressive and attractive. What is more, a three-year free preventive maintenance service is also offered to all buyers of any Tiggo model. Price points of the new models start at P695,000 for the Tiggo 2, P818,000 for the Tiggo 5X, P1.195 million for the Tiggo 7, and P1.280 million for the seven-seater Tiggo 8. The Chery dealership and service network will be announced soon. For more info, visit Chery Auto Philippines’s Facebook and Instagram pages on CheryAutoPhilippines to know more.
Moto
FORD BRING
Business
E2 Friday, January 10, 2020
MOTORING ’MINDER
WAZE PARTNERS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM
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AZE, the platform that brings communities together on and off the road, and the Philippines’s Depar tment of Tourism (DOT) have teamed up to promote the cultural and natural wonders of the Philippines with the launch of the “100 Days in the Philippines” campaign. With the aim of spreading awareness and appreciation for the abundant wonders in the Philippines, different tourist destinations, local traditions and exquisite cuisines will be showcased through interactive Waze zero-speed takeovers. When traffic arises, Wazers will have the oppor tunity to learn more about the various scenic spots in the countr y and discover hear twarming local traditions. Wazers will also be able to explore and experience each of the intriguing wonders, one place at a time, through zerospeed takeovers containing over 100 images of the must-see tourist destinations along with the location details. Similar to a digital billboard, all of the information will appear when drivers are at a complete stop. “We are excited to be able to partner with the DOT to inspire our drivers to explore the unique and diverse wonders of the Philippines,” said Sarah Rodriguez, country manager of Waze Philippines. “Through this partnership, we hope to see more Filipinos taking trips of wonder, especially during this holiday season.” “The Philippines has garnered a lot of international travel awards and accolades
this year. It’s the best time to experience what our country has to offer.” said Assistant Secretary Howie Uyking of the Department of Tourism. “Our collaboration with Waze will enable us to reach more Filipinos and inspire them to travel within the country more often.” Known as the bayanihan of its community, Waze helps over 3 million monthly active drivers in the Philippines to navigate through extreme traffic conditions and provide ease as they get to their destinations. The 100 Days in the Philippines zero-speed takeover ads will be available on the Waze app starting today until March 31, 2020. Download the Waze app and explore the wonders of the Philippines!
About Waze
WAZE is where people and technology meet to solve transportation challenges. It’s a platform that empowers communities to contribute road data, edit Waze maps and carpool to improve the way we move about the world. Thanks to Wazers everywhere, Waze is able to partner with municipalities and transit authorities to reduce traffic and congestion—leveraging current infrastructure while impacting city planning. A world with better transportation doesn’t have to be in the distant future. By harnessing the power of community to reverse negative trends in transportation, Waze can create a world where traffic is history.
ALL-NEW T F
Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino
ORD Philippines finally brought in its entry to the light commercial bus and van segment—the all-new Transit. As the brand’s most spacious, intelligent, capable, and costefficient vehicle to date, the all-new Transit is also designed to help businesses succeed, particularly in the transporting operations. The all-new Transit not only presents a built-for-purpose design with a distinctive look and smart power side step, but boasts a massive size and spacious 15-seating capacity.
THE massive 15-seater all-new Transit is Ford’s entry to the light commercial bus and van segment
NISSAN BRINGS ARIYA CONCEPT, JAPANESE HOSPITALITY TO CES
FORD Philippines Sales Director Jonathan Legaspi (from left), Marketing Director Ryan Lorenzo and Managing Director PK Umashankar during the launch of the all-new Transit.
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ISSAN is bringing a touch of Japanese hospitality to CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2020 with exhibits that show the brand’s vision for the future of mobility, from the Ariya Concept electric crossover to a zero-emission ice-cream van and a selfsinking golf ball. The Nissan Ariya Concept is making its North American debut at the Las Vegas trade show. Bringing together advanced technologies on an all-new EV platform, the zero-emission crossover embodies Nissan Intelligent Mobility, an expansive lineup of vehicle technologies and services that deliver an innovative, future-thinking driving and ownership experience for the customer, today and tomorrow. “The Ariya Concept highlights Nissan’s promise of an entirely new driving experience that’s just on the horizon,” said Takao Asami, senior vice president for research and advanced engineering at Nissan. “This zero-emission crossover isn’t a concept car based on far-off ideas; it’s a showcase of technologies available in the very near term.” To show they’re real, Nissan has also taken these technologies out of the car and developed
new, creative uses for them. Nissan is showing these at CES so the guests can experience them through fun, everyday activities. To welcome CES visitors, the design and layout of Nissan’s booth— and even the fragrance (a subtle scent of bergamot and green tea)—reflect traditional Japanese hospitality and attention to detail. “Omotenashi is a Japanese philosophy of hospitality that manifests in careful attention to detail that may be undetectable to guests, but contributes to the most memorable experience possible,” explained Alfonso Albaisa, senior vice president for global design at Nissan. “That’s what we want to offer our customers and, of course, our guests at our booth. We’ve tried to create an immersive experience that gives you the same feeling of hospitality, excitement and Japanese craftsmanship that you will feel behind the wheel of our latest vehicles and technologies that bring the future to life today!” Highlights of Nissan’s CES exhibit include the Nissan Ariya Concept electric crossover, the Nissan’s zero-emission ice-cream van, the ProPILOT golf ball, the Power Sylphy, the Formula E race car and the Nissan Leaf e+.
UNDOUBTEDLY generous cabin space for all occupants
Launched back in 1965, over 7 million units of this model have been built globally and running six generations since. Introduced first in Europe, the all-new Transit also made its way across other regions over the past few years and garnering several awards for its fuel-efficiency, design and value. “Given its global success in boosting productivity for businesses, we at Ford are excited to bring the all-new Transit with the continued growth of the light commercial bus and van segment
[LCBV] in the Philippines. The allnew Transit offers unique appeal to businesses and relevant sectors, and is poised to help drive productivity and business growth,” said Ford Philippines Managing Director PK Umashankar.
Purpose-built design
IT’S not only massive in size but also bold and utilitarian. These are distinctive exterior design to suit daily business operations. The front end, of course, has that Ford signature design. From the
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torque. These figures plus coupled with a six-speed manual gearbox power is transferred fully at the rear wheels in order to meet the performance demands while maintaining fuel efficiency.
Safety and convenience
FOR its primary application, the allnew Transit has to be equipped with a selection of safe and convenient features for both driver and passengers. For maximum convenience and comfort, doors were made extra wide for easy ingress and egress including the rear cargo doors with 180-degree opening capacity. All these aside from the easy-to-clean nonslip rubber flooring and power side step, of course. As for driver stress prevention, these features include a rearview camera, power folding side mirrors, hill launch assist and load stabilization. Safety-wise, meantime, the allnew Transit comes with the Electronic Stability Program (ESP), 15 three-point seatbelts with head rests, as well as an escape hatch for emergency situations.
Cost efficient with extended warranty
pronounced three-bar trapezoidal grille, halogen reflector headlamps with daytime running lights, fog lamps, steel wheels with hub caps, black bumpers and side moldings, to the rear bumper.
and multiple power sockets. All these points make the all-new Transit an ideal transport inside or outside the city, which also offers space efficiency and increased productivity through its massive size.
Generous cabin space
Reliable performance
SO where exactly is the all-new Transit getting its 15-seating capacity? Well, with overall dimensions measuring 5,981-mm long, 2,474-mm wide, and 2,517-mm tall, that already translate to generous cabin space. Moreover, it has 21 stowage bins, 12 cup holders
SEVERAL dashboard elements remind us of the first-gen EcoSport and Fiesta
HAVING that size and purpose, the Transit only necessitate and is not only reliable, but also a fuel-efficient powertrain. Motivated by Ford’s proven 2.2-liter Duratorq turbodiesel engine, power outputs are rated at 133 hp and 385 N-m of maximum
THE all-new Transit offers outstanding after-sales value. It has been engineered for minimum maintenance and repair labor times, only requiring a once a year scheduled service interval. Thus, more operation time and good for the business. On top of this, for all those customers purchasing the all-new Transit this year, Ford is giving a free five-year scheduled service maintenance plan to further boost growth and productivity of business customers. “Offering work-ready capability and space capacity to meet the shifting demands of businesses, the allnew Ford Transit is set to become a benchmark for the LCBV segment in the country,” Ford Philippines Marketing Director Ryan Lorenzo added. There are three colors available namely: Frozen White, Moondust Silver and Magnetic Metallic. The allnew Transit is priced at P2.3 million, and is now available in Ford dealerships nationwide. To know more, visit www.ford.com.ph/van/transit or any Ford dealership.
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OLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars has delivered a historic annual sales record in 2019, with a global performance unequalled in the company’s 116-year history. A total of 5,152 cars were delivered to customers in over 50 countries around the world, an increase of 25 percent on the previous high set in 2018. With these historic results, Rolls-Royce continues to make a meaningful contribution to the overall performance of its shareholder, BMW Group. Commenting on the results, Torsten MüllerÖtvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “This performance is of an altogether different magnitude to any previous year’s sales success. While we celebrate these remarkable results, we are conscious of our key promise to our customers, to keep our brand rare and exclusive. We are
pleased and proud to have delivered growth of 25 percent in 2019. Worldwide demand last year for our Cullinan SUV has driven this success and is expected to stabilize in 2020. It is a ringing testament to the quality and integrity of our products, the faith and passion of our customers and, above all, the skill, dedication and determination of our exceptional team at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood and around the world, and our dedicated global dealer network.”
Worldwide sales growth
SALES grew across all regions during the year, driven by strong customer demand for all Rolls‑ Royce models. The company reported significant sales growth in every one of its key global markets. North America retained top status
(around a third of global sales) followed by China and Europe (including UK). Individual countries that achieved record sales results included Russia, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Qatar and Korea. In 2019, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars were sold in more than 50 countries worldwide through a global network of 135 dealerships. As par t of its commitment to long-term sustainable growth, Rolls‑Royce announced two new dealerships during 2019—Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Brisbane and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Shanghai Pudong. Development of the new Rolls-Royce Motor Cars flagship dealership in Berkeley Street, London—more than twice the size of the previous location—is under way and is due for launch later in the year.
CAROUSELL PARTICIPATES IN MANILA AUTO SALON
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AROUSELL Philippines, the countr y’s leading classifieds platform, recently took part in the Manila Auto Salon 2019 held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The Manila Auto Salon is touted as the largest automotive aftermarket show in the country. For this year’s annual convention, event attendees visited the Carousell Philippines booth to check out its extensive listing of used cars, motorcycles and vehicles; and to join its exciting games and win great prizes.
HYUNDAI DELIVERS 50 BUSES TO VICTORY LINER
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HE Philippines’s No. 1 Korean automotive company, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (Hari), has strengthened its longtime partnership with one of the largest provincial bus companies in the country, Victory Liner, Inc. (VLI). Hari recently delivered 50 brand-new luxury Hyundai Universe buses as part of the bus company’s upgrading program. Both Hari and VLI firmly support the government’s thrust to modernize the country’s public transport system. Hari President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo said, “It has been our great pleasure and privilege to be Victory Liner’s key transportation partner. We are grateful for their continued trust and support in Hyundai since we first forged our partnership. Our tried-and-tested buses, such as the Hyundai Universe, provide a safer, faster and more comfortable mode of mass transport for Filipinos.” “Victory Liner’s mission is to move people better, safer by providing timely, cost-efficient and quality transport services. Working closely with Filipino-owned companies, such as Hari, brings us one step closer to our goal,” Victory Liner Inc. President Johnny T. Hernandez added. The Hyundai Universe is a heav y-dut y bus that combines dynamic performance and luxurious style. Manufactured in one of the biggest plants for commercial vehicles in the world, it is durable and has high-quality thanks to Hyundai’s cutting-edge technology on automatic welding utilizing robot and cathodic electrodeposition system. Hyundai Universe is powered by a 12.3-liter Euro 4-compliant electronic diesel engine with 380 PS max power for better fuel efficiency resulting to maximized business profits and cleaner emissions. The ride on a Hyundai Universe is comfortable with its 49-plus-one seating capacity and secure, thanks to its highly rigid monocoque body. The Hyundai Universe Bus belongs to Hari’s Commercial Vehicle lineup that provides various mobility solutions for people and goods to spur
economic activity. Hyundai buses make up almost a third of Victor y Liner’s 1,100 bus fleet that move thousands of Filipinos daily underscoring reliabilit y, ease of owner ship; including maintenance and af ter sales. Hyundai commercial vehicles are suppor ted by a threeyear, 200,000-kilometer mileage warranty (whichever comes first). Additionally, Hyundai supports its business partners with programs, such as the Call for Ser vice Inspection (CSI) that bring in highly trained technicians to repair Hyundai trucks and buses fleet right at the customer’s doorstep. Recently, the Hyundai H-10 0 Modern Jeepney Class 1 and Hyundai HD50S Modern Jeepney Class 2 were awarded Cer tific ate of Compliance from the Depar tment of Tr anspor t ation, signaling that the models
are ready to ser ve the public . Hyundai’s CV segment continues to drive the company’s business growth. In the first 11 months of the year, Hari’s CV business grew by nearly 80 percent. This segment is expected to significantly gain with the introduction and deployment of Hyundai Modern Jeepneys. “Through our continuous commitment to serve the Filipino riding public and also transportation businesses, such as Victory Liner, we are poised to contribute not only to the economy, but also to nation-building. Hyundai is revved up to move people, industries and the entire nation forward,” Agudo added. In 2017, Hyundai initially supplied 50 Hyundai Universe buses to Victor y Liner during a special turnover ceremony which was attended by the representatives of Hari, HTBCommonwealth Ave. and VLI.
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Says Vince Socco: ‘Ghosn with the wind’
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ISSAN recently hogged headlines not for its surge in sales last year, but with a Hollywood-script like drama. Former Nissan top gun Carlos Ghosn, awaiting trial in Japan on financial misuse charges but who was out on bail, escaped from house arrest in Tokyo in a daring flight to freedom at year-end. How he managed to elude Japan’s strict airport and immigration rules remains a puzzle. Initial probe by police indicated he disguised as a musician, and was smuggled out in a large instrument case. Another theory was security operatives from different countries conspired to ship Ghosn (pronounced “Goon”) out with help from Japanese supporters, with tons of money spent by the super wealthy Nissan exec of Brazilian and Lebanese descents to ensure his undetected escape. However, flight documents
showed that Ghosn boarded private jets from Osaka, Japan, to Istanbul, Turkey, en route to Beirut, Lebanon, where he owns a house. Almost immediately, Lebanon authorities gave Ghosn, who holds a Lebanese passport, an asylum and since Lebanon has no extradition treaties with Japan, Ghosn is free as a bird to stay in Beirut. Ghosn was arrested in 2018 right after his private jet had touched down in Japan, and was held for questioning of his alleged illegal colossal salaries from the car company and diversion of Nissan funds into his own private accounts. Japan’s stringent justice system laws had put Ghosn, 65, behind bars and, later, under house arrest while lawyers figured out a way on how to put the suspect on trial.
And while Ghosn is under detention, Nissan executives grappled with uncertainties. The company’s merger with Renault would soon be buffeted by declining sales—almost for both brands. But just recently, Nissan recorded a stunning rebound and recaptured its lofty standing in the Japan market. Even on Philippine soil, Nissan continued to climb up the billboards securing third spot anew, behind Toyota and Mitsubishi, in the year-end standings based on new data. If Hollywood goes on to make a movie on Ghosn, Vince Socco, the brand-new chairman of GT Capital Financial, has already a title to it: “Ghosn with the wind.” Expect a blockbuster should it push through.
Koko comes up strong
SEN. Koko Pimentel quickly defended his endorsement of JoyRide when critics believed to be JoyRide’s rivals surfaced. Said Pimentel: “In the name of competition—since monopolies are prohibited—I endorsed the request of one company [JoyRide] for the DOTr to include it in the pilot testing.” The government program is to test three motorcycle taxi services for three months of their capacity and sustainability in maintaining a public-utility mobility on two wheels, based mainly on safety of their passengers. “There should not be just one company,” said Pimentel, referring
Model with Variant
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City 1.5 VX Navi CVT
Php 985,000
Php20,000
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New BR-V 1.5 S CVT
Php 1,035,000
Php 30,000
Php 10,000
All-New Brio 1.2 S MT
Php 598,000
New Civic 1.8 S CVT
Php 1,115,000
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CR-V Touring Diesel 9AT
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Php 107,000 -Plus Php 10,000 worth of fuel
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to front-running applicant Angkas. “That is prohibited. They should compete in the marketplace. Beat your competitor by getting the people to prefer your app, download it and use it. It should not be the government declaring at the outset that you’re the winner [Angkas], and saying that you’re the only one allowed to operate.” Angkas was the only player on the first stage of the testing last year, but JoyRide and Move It were later included when the pilot period was extended up to three months from December. The DOTr allowed 30,000 drivers, of 10,000 each for the three applicants. Angkas protested, as it said it had a cap of 27,000 drivers already, adding it hated seeing its 17,000 drivers suddenly becoming jobless. In a radio interview over DWIZ, Pimentel said his Senate office has received a lot of requests for him to
Php 28,000
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allow more applicants. The ticklish issue will be resolved in March—hopefully.
Honda hot still on deals
HONDA is still hot on its “Cheers for Deals,” extending its discounts bonanza to its City, BR-V, Brio, Civic and CR-V. Check it: Spokesman Arianne Colene L. Jalalon said customers can avail themselves of the discounts through more than a dozen banks, including BPI Family Savings Bank, RCBC, Security Bank Corp., East West Banking Corp., PNB Savings Bank, Philippine Savings Bank, China Bank Savings, Bank of Commerce, Sterling Bank of Asia, Maybank Philippines Inc., BDO Unibank Inc., United Coconut Planters Bank and Robinsons Bank only. “Also included in our promos are the three-year LTO registration and chattel mortgage, one-year free one comprehensive insurance,” Jalalon
said, adding that the deals are only up to January 31. What are you waiting for, Honda lovers?
PEE STOP The “musical chairs” phenomenon a.k.a. rigodon in the motoring industry continues as Demosthenes “Bob” Rosales is now the president of Peugeot, replacing Glen Dasig. Dasig is now with the company’s Board as a key cog. Maybe, Dong Magsajo, Peugeot’s communications top gun, will soon be promoted, himself?...Late is never late, especially if the kudos being showered are of the positive kind. And so, here’s a glass anew to Anthony de Leon, the dapper general manager of the swanky Baguio Country Club, for having successfully steered— again—the staging of the just-ended Fil-Am Golf Invitational in the Pines City, in tandem, of course, with Tim Allen of Camp John Hay. Cheers, guys! Happy New Year!
AFFORDABLE ARMORED PROTECTION BY IMPENETRA
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TART the year right with self-protection. With the countless acts of random killings, armored protection is the most viable solution. Despite lawenforcement efforts to curb terrorism, politically motivated killings, kidnappings and road rage, your best option is affordable vehicle armoring. Impenetra Armor Protective Systems (Impenetra), a company based in Bacoor, Cavite, has been in the armoring business for quite some time and they
are recognized also as the premier supplier of personal armor protection. With armor and bombproofing technology currently in use by European and US security forces, Impenetra’s array of bullet proofing, armoring and personal protective equipment are battlefield tested and has been certified by the Comite Europeen de Normalisation 1063 (CEN 1063). Impenetra’s ballistic protection meets EU Standards BR6, BR4 and road rage pro-
tection. Level BR6 protects the occupants from assault rifles and handguns of up to .44 magnum.
The best thing about Impenetra’s armored vehicles is that they are designed in such a way that it looks like a normal
car. Their current armoring protection program can equip light SUVs, such as the Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Montero, Nissan Terra, and pickups like the Nissan Navara and Toyota Hi-Lux. They also have ballistic protection for vans such as the Kia Carnival and Toyota Hiace Grandia. “We use lightweight composite ballistic panels, which is the strongest in the World now,” said Paulo Villarta of Impenetra. Their armoring is light, so suspension and engine modifications are no longer necessary. ‘Although with higher level of armoring, we may need to improve the vehicle’s overall performance,” added Villarta. Aside from vehicle armoring, Impenetra also offers armored vehicle maintenance, leasing services for bulletproof vehicles, armored vehicle maintenance and after-sales parts, tactical personal protective solutions and vehicle performance upgrade for safety solutions. For details visit Impenetra’s Facebook @impenetraPH, or log on to www.impenetraph.com.
VOLVO XC90 PLUG-IN HYBRID NAMED MIDSIZE LUXURY SUV OF TEXAS
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HE Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle has been named midsize luxury SUV of Texas by the Texas Auto Writers Association, marking the fifth consecutive year a Volvo SUV has won a category or overall award from the 32 year old media organization. Recharged and refreshed for 2020, the Volvo XC90 is the Swedish luxury automaker’s flagship model, equipped with the design, features, technology, utility and safety today’s luxury buyers expect. The XC90 features a confident, luxurious take on traditional Scandinavian design. The exterior has a strong stance with a subtle, timeless quality and balanced proportions, while the interior is a masterful composition of relaxing design, beautiful materials, and the latest technology—all perfectly blended together. Highlights for 2020 include a newly available six-seat configuration that provides easier access to the third-row seats, updated styling, colors, and finishes, and a new Tailored Wool Blend interior option that expands the definition of luxury. The XC90 is also available in the Philippines as a 407 horsepower plug-in hybrid with over 400 miles of
total range. This luxury SUV has been launched together with its equally amazing siblings, the Volvo XC60 compact SUV and the stately Volvo S90 sedan. All three models are available as plug-in hybrids. Volvo’s IntelliSafe suite of driver assis-
tance features comes standard, including Collision Avoidance by City Safety, Pilot Assist with Adaptive Cruise Control and Distance Alert, Oncoming Lane Mitigation with Steering Assist, Blind Spot Information System, and Cross Traffic Alert with Autobrake.