BusinessMirror January 2, 2015 by BusinessMirror

FAR left photo shows supporters of Greece’s extreme right party Golden Dawn holding torches during a rally to commemorate a 1996 incident that cost the lives of three Greek navy officers and brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war in central Athens on Saturday. The extreme right, anti-immigrant Golden Dawn party, which has Nazi roots, received the third-place in Sunday’s election. Left photo shows people gathering in the main square of Madrid during Spain’s radical leftist party Podemos’s (We Can) march on Saturday, which hopes to emulate the electoral success of Greece’s Syriza party in elections later this year. AP

Why Greece went left while Europe turns to right Perspective»E4

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TfridayNovember 18,2,2014 Monday, February 2015Vol. Vol.1010No. No.40116

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PSA DATA SHOW INFLATION FOR BOTTOM 30% OF POPULATION AT 6% IN 2014, FASTER THAN OVERALL AVERAGE OF 4.1%

Poorest Pinoys still pay more for less T

By Cai U. Ordinario

he irony continues—the poorest Filipinos had to pay more for less. Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the poorest 30 percent of the Philippine population saw the prices of the goods they buy rising at an average rate of 6 percent in 2014, way faster than the 4.1-percent inflation posted last year.

According to the PSA data, the inflation experienced by the bottom 30 percent of the population in 2014 was the highest since 2008, when the average rate in the price adjustments was at 13.9 percent. The inflation rate for the bottom 30-percent income households in 2013 was at 3.7 percent. The lowest inflation rate for this household

group since 2008 was recorded in 2012, at 2.9 percent. The poor spend more than 50 percent of their income for food products, which are among the items that saw the fastest rates of price hikes in the basket of goods gauged in the Consumer Price Index. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the impact of the decline in global Continued on A2

CHINA’S FACTORY GAUGE SINKS TO TWO-YEAR LOW

Chinese manufacturing gauge sank to a more than two-year low in January, adding pressure on the government to stimulate an economy that last year expanded at the slowest pace since 1990. The government’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 49.8 in January from 50.1 in December, according to data released on Sunday by the statistics bureau and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) in Beijing. That missed the median estimate of 50.2 in a Bloomberg News survey of analysts, and is below the 50 level that separates expansion and contraction. China’s fiscal revenue increased the least since 1991 last year due to a property slump and declining factory profits, curbing scope to boost growth with government spending. That may

leave the onus on the central bank to spur the economy. “China’s economic downturn will continue in the first quarter, and manufacturing activities will stay in a contraction,” Hua Changchun, a China economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Hong Kong, said before Sunday’s data release. The nonmanufacturing PMI fell to 53.7 in January from the previous month’s 54.1, according to a separate report on Sunday from the NBS and the CFLP. Services made up 48.2 percent of the economy in 2014, up 1.3 percentage points from a year earlier. The government’s manufacturing index was based on a survey of purchasing executives at 3,000 companies. The Chinese economy grew 7.4 percent last year and 7.3 percent last quarter, according to an NBS release last month. AP

PESO exchange rates n US 44.1320

RUN FOR HEROES Saluting as they pass by police officers holding photographs of the 44 police officers killed in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, an estimated 15,000 runners joined the midnight Condura Skyway Marathon 2015, which started at the Skyway Alabang Tunnel on Alabang-Zapote Road and ended at Spectrum Midway Extension, Filinvest City, Alabang. The marathon’s main beneficiary is the Help Educate and Rear Orphans Foundation, which, since 1988, has been sending children of fallen soldiers to school. NORIEL DE GUZMAN

Villar spending ₧6B for new retail-format All Home VILLAR: “The performance of our initial stores is very encouraging; so we decided to go full blast on our expansion for this year and the next.”

By VG Cabuag

ll Value Holdings Corp. of the Villar Group said it will spend some P5.5 billion to P6 billion in putting up its All Home stores—a new retail format that serves the needs of contractors and homeowners—around the country. Manuel Villar, chairman of All Value and publicly listed Vista Land

& Lifescapes Inc., said over the week-end the company targets to open six stores this year and and another six in 2016, as it expands its portfolio. “The performance of our initial stores is very encouraging; so we decided to go full blast on our expansion for this year and the next,” Villar told reporters during the opening of the seventh branch of All Home in Molino, Cavite.

The average cost of each store is between P400 million and P500 million, including the inventory cost of about P200 million, depending on the size of the store. All Home will have an average floor size of 7,000 square meters to 10,000 sq m, the biggest of which is in Molino. The stores can be expanded to up to 12,000 sq m, he said. See “Villar,” A2

n japan 0.3729 n UK 66.4849 n HK 5.6930 n CHINA 7.0646 n singapore 32.6058 n australia 35.2127 n EU 49.9574 n SAUDI arabia 11.7419 Source: BSP (30 January 2015)

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Poorest Pinoys still pay more for less by its quarter-to-quarter change of zero percent. “Rollbacks in the prices of gasoline, diesel, kerosene and LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] all over the country and lower charges in the electricity rates were noted in many regions during the quarter. Declines in the prices of food items in the NCR [National Capital Region] such as fruits, vegetables, chicken, pork, crabs and shrimps, were also observed,” the PSA said. One of the main reasons for the uptick in the average inflation rate for bottom 30-percent households was the higher cost of food, which accounts for over 50 percent of their

Continued from A1

oil prices kicked in, with inflation averaging 5.1 percent. This was higher than the 4.8 percent posted in the last quarter of 2013 and the lowest since 2011’s 5.2 percent. But the fourth-quarter inflation for the poorest 30 percent of households represented a slowdown from the 6.8 percent posted in the third quarter of 2014. The PSA said prices of items for consumers belonging to the bottom 30-percent income households were generally stable compared to the 1.9-percent growth in the previous quarter, as exhibited

household expenses. The PSA said the 2014 annual average growth of the food alone index at the national level went up to 7.5 percent. It was reported at 3.4 percent in 2013. In the fourth quarter, the average year-on-year increase in the food alone index was at 6.8 percent. This was lower than the third-quarter average annual inflation of 8.7 percent. Meanwhile, the poorest 30 percent of households living in the NCR saw inflation reach 5.3 percent in 2014, from 2.2 percent in 2013. In the fourth quarter, inflation slowed to 3.6 percent in 2014 com-

pared to 6.8 percent in the third quarter of 2014. However, this was higher than the 3.5 percent posted in the fourth quarter of 2013. “Slowdowns in the annual increments in the heavily weighted FBT [Food, Beverage and Tobacco] and services also contributed to the downtrend,” the PSA said. Members of the bottom 30 percent of income households in Areas Outside the National Capital Region (AONCR) saw inflation climb to 6 percent in 2014, from 3.7 percent in 2013. In the fourth quarter, inflation for the poorest Filipinos living in AONCR slowed to 5.1 percent in the

desist orders; conduct administrative proceedings, impose administrative fines; issue advisory or legal opnions; and is mandated to submit reports to Congress, including proposed legislation for the regulation of commerce, trade and industry,” he added. He said that in determining whether anticompetitive agreement or conduct has been entered into or committed, the commission shall observe the following guidelines: ■ Define the relevant market allegedly affected by the anticompeti-

tive agreement or conduct; ■ Determine if there is actual or potential adverse impact on competition in the relevant market caused by the alleged agreement or conduct, and if such impact is substantial and outweighs the actual or potential efficiency gains that result from the same; ■ Adopt a broad and forwardlooking perspective, recognizing future market developments, but also taking account of past behavior of the parties involved and prevailing market conditions;

■ Balance the need to ensure that competition is not prevented or substantially restricted and the risk that efficiency may be deterred by overzealous intervention; and ■ Assess the totality of evidence on whether it is more likely than not that the entity has engaged in anti-competitive agreement or conduct. A person who fails or neglects to comply with any term or condition of a binding ruling, a cease and desist order or an order for readjustment issued by the commission,

3-DAY EXTENDED FORECAST FEBRUARY 2, 2015 | MONDAY

TODAY’S WEATHER

21 – 30°C

21 – 31°C

TUGUEGARAO

20 – 30°C

LAOAG

BAGUIO

LAOAG CITY 20 – 30°C

TUGUEGARAO CITY 20 – 30°C

BAGUIO CITY 12 – 23°C

SBMA/ CLARK

SBMA/CLARK 22 – 31°C METRO MANILA 21 – 30°C

FEB 3 FEB 4 FEB 5 TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

21 – 31°C

METRO CEBU

23 – 31°C

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24– 31°C

19 – 29°C

TACLOBAN

24 – 31°C

20 – 31°C

CAGAYAN DE ORO

TAGAYTAY CITY 19 – 28°C

TAGAYTAY

20 – 31°C

12 – 23°C

22 – 31°C

19 – 28°C

20 – 31°C

23 – 31°C

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METRO DAVAO

13 – 23°C

23 – 30°C

24 – 32°C

23 – 32°C

23 – 34°C

24 – 34°C

18 – 28°C

13 – 23°C

23 – 32°C

LEGAZPI ILOILO/ BACOLOD 23 – 30°C METRO CEBU 24 – 30°C

TACLOBAN CITY 23 – 29°C

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY 24 – 30°C

ZAMBOANGA CITY 23 – 34°C

PUERTO PRINCESA

ILOILO/ BACOLOD

24 – 29°C

23 – 30°C

24 – 30°C

SUNRISE

SUNSET

MOONSET

MOONRISE

6:24 AM

5:55 PM

4:48 AM

4:36 PM

HALF MOON FULL MOON

JAN 27

24 – 30°C

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FEB 4

7:09 PM

CELEBES SEA

5:00 AM

-0.13 METER

9:12 PM

1.03 METER

Partly cloudy to at times cloudy with rain showers and/or thunderstorms Partly cloudy to at times cloudy with rainshowers

24 – 30°C

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25 – 31°C

Cloudy skies with rain showers and/or thunderstorms Light rains

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Watch PANAHON.TV everyday at 5:00 AM on PTV (Channel 4).

METRO DAVAO 24 – 33°C

ZAMBOANGA

19 – 29°C

LEGAZPI CITY 24 – 29°C

PHILIPPINE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (PAR)

3-DAY EXTENDED FORECAST

paper filed with or submitted to the commission. The bill also provides that an entity that enters into any anticompetitive agreement or conduct as defined under this act shall, for each and every violation, be penalized by imprisonment of five to 10 years, or a fine up to 10 percent of the annual turnover of infringed during the previous fiscal year or up to 10 percent of the value of the assets of the infringed, whichever is higher, or both imprisonment and fine.

NORTHEAST MONSOON AFFECTING LUZON AND EASTERN VISAYAS. (AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 5:00 AM)

Northeast Monsoon locally known as “Amihan”. It affects the eastern portions of the country. It is cold and dry; characterized by widespread cloudiness with rain showers.

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY 24 – 30°C

Officials said the establishment of All Home will serve as the initial phase of the group’s main retail development, which could either be developed by Vista Land or Starmalls Inc., also headed by Villar. In the Molino branch, for instance, another branch of Starmall will rise. All Value, however, is still a private company owned by the Villar family. It will later be folded into Vista Land as it grows. Villar said, for the year, the company will open a branch in Imus in Cavite; Santa Rosa in Laguna; and in Las Piñas. He declined to give the other locations as these are not yet final. “All Home is the logical extension of our real-estate business. We should have done this long ago,” Villar said.

Continued from A12

shall pay a fine of not less than P50,000 and not more P200,000 for each violation. The measure, however, said the decisions of the PCC are appealable to the Court of Appeals, with the Supreme Court as the court of last resort. The commission may also impose upon entities fines of not less than P5,000 to not more than P100,000, where, intentionally or negligently, they supply incorrect or misleading information in any document, application or other

FEB 3 FEB 4 FEB 5 TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

METRO MANILA

Continued from A1

October-to-December period in 2014 from 6.8 percent in the third quarter of 2014. However, this inflation rate was still higher than the 4.8 percent posted in the fourth quarter of 2013. “This was mainly brought about by the negative annual adjustment in the FLW Fuel, Light and Water] index. Moreover, the rest of the commodity groups, except the clothing index, had lower rates during the quarter,” the PSA said. The PSA said the first and second survey reports for the bottom 30-percent income households from Basilan for October, November and December 2014 were not received as of January 28, 2015.

House vows passage of competition law in March. . . restricting or distorting competition. Further, the bill provides for a Transitional Clause in order to allow affected parties time to renegotiate agreements or restructure their business to comply with the law. According to del Rosario, the PCC is an independent body which shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction to enforce and implement the competition law. “Likewise, the PCC is empowered to investigate violations of the competition law; issue subpoena duces tecum and testificandum, cease and

Villar. . .

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Palace denies Aquino capitulated as probe on SAF deaths hastened

By Butch Fernandez & Rene Acosta

S the inquiry into the killing of 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNPSAF) is moving swiftly, Malacañang on Sunday debunked reports a Palace adviser prevailed on President Aquino to abort sending timely reinforcements to the besieged SAF commandos. Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr., speaking over a government radio station, ruled out the information as “speculation without basis.” Coloma was referring to earlier reports that Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles dissuaded Mr. Aquino from exercising his option as Commander in Chief from ordering immediate military and police reinforcements to the beleaguered SAF commandos on a mission to arrest high-value terrorist targets hiding out in a known MILF territory. The information said sending reinforcements could have had an adverse effect on the ongoing peace negotiations and breach a cease-fire agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). President Aquino earlier admitted having direct knowledge of the operation carried out on January 25, but which was reportedly

planned during the time of suspended PNP chief Director General Alan LM Purisima. Meanwhile, SAF commander Chief Supt. Noli Talino said a Board of Inquiry has already asked officers and other SAF personnel who have a hand in the operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, and its tragic results. Talino said even the 12 commandos who survived from the ambush have also already given their statements to the board. The board, according to him, would also determine the liability of the MILF and the BIFF over the carnage other than looking into the issues of coordination and possible lapses that resulted in the biggest casualty in the history of the SAF. Headed by PNP Officer in Charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, the board also has Director Benjamin Magalong, chief of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, as a member. Earlier, Espina claimed they were not informed of the operation that was carried out by the SAF against Jema’ah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir alias Abu Marwan, who reportedly died during the operation. Espina said he was only informed by Director Getulio Napenas, the relieved commander of the SAF, while the operating police forces were already fighting with members of the MILF and the breakaway BIFF.

Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo • Monday, February 2, 2015 A3

CA upholds detention of police exec in 2014 Edsa kidnap-robbery incident

By Joel R. San Juan

HE Court of Appeals (CA) has denied the petition for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus filed by a Caloocan police official implicated in last year’s brazen kidnapping-robbery incident along Edsa. In a 10-page ruling penned by Associate Justice Carmelita Salandanan Manahan, the CA’s 10th Division, held that the continued detention of Senior Inspector Allan Emlano at the Philippine National PoliceRegional Holding and Accounting Unit in Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig, is legal. Emlano sought the issuance

of a writ of habeas corpus after he received a copy of the decision dated September 24, 2014, which dismissed him from the police service for serious neglect of duty after going on absence without leave from November 26, 2012 to January 18, 2013. The administrative case is different from another administrative

case that was filed against him on September 22 for grave misconduct for violation of Article 306 (brigandage) and Article 267 (kidnapping and serious illegal detention) under the Revised Penal Code. Emlano argued that he is no longer a police officer by virtue of the September 24 decision dismissing him from the service and, thus, the Philippine National Police (PNP) restrictive custody over him is already without basis. Emlano’s camp insisted that no warrant of arrest or commitment order has been issued by any court against him, thereby allowing the PNP to place him under restrictive custody for his alleged involvement in the Edsa kidnapping-with-robbery incident. However, the court noted that the September 24, 2014, decision imposing the penalty of dismissal from the service against him is not yet final and executory as his motion for re-

consideration is still pending before the National Police Commission. It added that the order of restrictive custody should remain in effect, despite Emlano’s separation from service either through dismissal as penalty in another administrative case or by resignation. “Restrictive custody is a nominal restraint beyond the ambit of habeas corpus. It is neither actual nor effective restraint that would call for the grant of the remedy called for. It is a permissible precautionary measure to assure the PNP authorities that the police officers concerned are always accounted for,” the CA ruled. Last year a photo uploaded on a social-media web site showed several armed men surrounding an SUV along Edsa prompted authorities to investigate and discover at least 10 policemen were involved. The probe later also revealed two men were illegally detained and robbed of P2 million in cash.

Is he dead? Philippines awaits answer of costly terror raid T

HE cell-phone message of the Filipino police commandos to their base was triumphant: “Mike 1 bingo,” a code meaning they have killed one of Southeast Asia’s most-wanted terror suspects, Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Abu Marwan. But the euphoria among police generals monitoring the January 25 dawn assault in a southern swampland was brief. As daybreak lifted their night cover, the young commandos came under intense rebel fire, trapped in the marshy fringes of Mamasapano town, a Muslim-rebel stronghold about 2 to 3 kilometers (1.2 to 1.8 miles) from where backup police forces waited. Unable to carry Marwan’s body, one of the commandos chopped off his finger and another took pictures as proof of his death, according to police officials. Another policeman kept frantically calling for reinforcements by radio, but standby forces failed to penetrate the battle scenes, and the pleas for help eventually vanished. “There was radio silence, a very long silence,” Chief Supt. Noli Talino, who helped oversee the operation, said in Friday’s eulogy, his voice cracking. The fighting left 44 commandos dead—the biggest single-day combat loss by government forces in recent memory—and a familiar question: Is Marwan dead or alive? Commanders and a confidential police intelligence report say Mar-

wan was killed, something they expect to be validated by DNA tests. A purported picture of the slain militant circulating in the local media closely resembled Marwan’s profile in wanted posters. But many remained skeptical. In 2012 the Philippine military announced that Marwan and a Singaporean militant, known as Mauwiyah, were killed, along with a Filipino Abu Sayyaf extremist commander, in a US-backed air strike on southern Jolo island. The operation employed American-supplied smart bombs for the first time. Filipino police intelligence officials, however, believed Marwan and Mauwiyah survived, and continued hunting them. They have since launched at least two major secret attempts to capture Marwan in southern Philippines, where, according to US authorities, he has been hiding since 2003. A US-educated engineer, believed to have been born in Malaysia’s Muar town in Johor province in 1966, Marwan is among the last few known surviving militants of his generation of al-Qaeda-inspired extremists who survived the antiterror crackdowns in Asia following the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US. Known as a master bomb-maker, Marwan also was very skilled in evading capture. He had more than two dozen aliases and spoke the languages of Malaysia and the Philippines, along with English and Arabic. Marwan used to head a terror-

IN this February 2, 2012, file photo, then-Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Col. Marcelo Burgos shows a picture of Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Abu Marwan which during a news conference in Quezon City. Southeast Asia’s top terrorist suspect has evaded capture and survived several military assaults in southern Philippines, where the police now await DNA results to confirm if he is the man killed in the January 25 raid, also left 44 police commandos dead. AP

ist group called the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia, and also was a senior member of the Indonesiabased Jema’ah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network, according to the US State Department, which offered a $5-million bounty for his capture and prosecution. The JI was blamed for the 2002 nightclub bombings that killed 202 people in Bali, Indonesia. It was in the southern Philippines, though, where he stayed longest, ta k ing cover among

Muslim separatists fighting a decades-long rebellion. He had three Filipino wives, who helped him assimilate and blend in. He struck alliances with Muslim insurgents from virtually all groups and provided bomb-making and religious training in exchange for sanctuary, according to government terrorism reports. He allegedly helped plot numerous bombings and other attacks. But after surviving the 2012 air strike, Marwan proved to be a li-

ability for the Abu Sayyaf, one of four rebel groups operating in the South. He was reportedly expelled from Jolo island by an Abu Sayyaf commander, Radulan Sahiron, who believed that the Malaysian was a magnet for military attack, according to a government interrogation report of a captured militant commander, Khair Mundos. From Jolo, Marwan traveled to the marshy heartland on the main southern island of Mindanao and strengthened his alliance with a notorious local bomb-maker, Abdul Basit Usman. The police said that Usman and Marwan were together during Sunday’s assault, but Usman escaped. “There are reports that they run factories of improvised explosive devices, which they sell to fellow terrorists,” President Aquino said this week. “They have injured and killed many people, and they continue to threaten the safety of our citizens as long as they roam free.” Police commandos nearly caught him in July 2012, in a remote farming village off Butig town, near a key camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest rebel group that signed a peace deal with the government last year. The group has agreed to a cease-fire that requires government forces to notify the insurgents in advance of any planned anti-terror raids to avoid accidental clashes. The commandos missed Marwan that time, but they did seize a huge cache of explosives, electronic bomb

parts, assault firearms, ammunition, Islamic extremist books and two laptop computers, according to a confidential police report. The laptops contained old US Army manuals on counterintelligence, combat, explosives and survival techniques. Washington has increasingly grown worried about Marwan. US security officials were concerned when Marwan’s character was depicted in a 2012 video war game, in which he narrowly escapes US forces in southern Philippines, but later dies in a suicide attack on a train. They feared that the video may raise Marwan’s stature among foreign jihadis and help him raise terror funds, a Philippine security official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. Even before the latest raid, the commandos tried, but failed, to capture him near the corn-growing community last year. Military officials have long suspected that Marwan eluded arrest by taking cover near rebel strongholds. On Sunday night the police commandos did not notify the Moro rebels of the raid, officials said. Was it worth sacrificing 44 elite police troopers to get an international terrorist, Talino, the police commander, posed a question at the eulogy. “We live by our motto: ‘We save,’” he said, holding back tears. “I’m sure if you will ask them, it is worth it.”

Economy

A4 Monday, February 2, 2015 • Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon

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PHL wants greater Apec integration in services

By Cai U. Ordinario

he Philippines is pushing for greater integration in the services sector among AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) economies, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). Neda Deputy Director General Emmanuel F. Esguerra, who serves as the convener of the Apec Group on Services (GOS), said this will boost the country’s own services sector and contribute to the government’s goal of attaining inclusive

economic growth. “Services is the largest economic sector and is a major employer in most Apec economies, including the Philippines,” Esguerra said. “This is a manifestation of how big our services sector is. Yet, there

are still underlying potentials that must be tapped and developed. The Apec fora provide good venues to pursue these,” he added. For the First Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1) of the GOS, the Philippines, along with other Apec member-economies, aims to enhance current initiatives by building on last year’s developments and focusing on the integration of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into the services global value chains (GVCs). Many services are being undertaken in the production and sale of a product, whether it is a good or a service. Other sectors, such as manufacturing, have a number of services embedded in their processes. These include design, quality control, inventory systems, transport, logistics, wholesale/retail, market-

ing/advertising, repair/maintenance, installation/construction and finance after-sales services. Firms in the services sector, themselves, also outsource or move their noncore services functions offshore to their affiliates, as they seek to move up the value chain. The services then become value added to the final product. “This ‘tasking’ in the production process of firms, or in the GVCs, are where opportunities for SMEs in the services industry reside,” Esguerra said. “These are only among the reasons the government is keen on enhancing regional cooperation and engaging in partnerships in services. In our pursuit of inclusive growth, services open numerous opportunities for employment generation and poverty reduction—goals

that we have set in the Updated Philippine Development Plan 20112016,” he added. Neda data showed that in 2014, services grew by 6 percent and generated 599,000 jobs, the highest among the country’s major sectors. Esguerra said the country’s services sector accounted for 56.7 percent of its gross domestic product and 53.6 percent of total employment in 2014. For the Apec region, total services exports account for 20.27 percent. However, when viewed through a value-added lens, services share to total exports increases to 39.08 percent. The Neda is also host to four other related meetings of the Apec SOM1 from January 31 to February 7, in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.

60-day moratorium on payment of bills in disaster areas pushed By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

measure seeking the implementation of a moratorium on payment of utility bills for victims of natural disasters to help them recover from their losses has been filed at the House of Representatives. In House Bill (HB) 5318, Liberal Party Rep. Eric L. Olivarez of Parañaque City said every Filipino family becomes vulnerable to countless problems brought about by strong typhoons and/or other natural disasters. Under HB 5318, persons affected by typhoons and other natural disasters in areas declared to be in a state of calamity will be granted a grace period of 60 days to pay utility bills that have fallen due during the time the area has been hit by a natural disaster or declared to be in a state of calamity. As defined under the measure, natural disasters shall include typhoons, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and their analogous events. The bill mandates the Department of Energy, National Telecommunications Commission and the Department of the Interior and Local Government in coordination with the concerned local government units to issue and promulgate the Implementing rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act. According to Olivarez, it takes a considerable number of months before the whole affected community could regain an ounce of strength to start recovering. “In 2013 [Supertyphoon] Yolanda left hundreds of our fellow Filipinos homeless and thousands of them dead,” the lawmaker noted. He said in a state of calamity, it is therefore understandable for those affected people to prioritize obligations and responsibilities one by one. “The affected area by such disaster is declared to be in a state of calamity by the proper authorities. Utility bills covered under this Act include water, electricity, telephone, Internet, cable and other similar bills,” Olivarez said. Olivarez added that through the approval of the measure, the victims of typhoons and other fortuitous events would be able to focus on securing their basic and primary needs first before anything else. “They will not have to worry about the due bills which they have to pay and so they can make use of their money, or what’s remaining thereof wisely,” Olivarez said. Olivarez said during these moments, it is hard enough for the head of the family, or a person living alone, to recover from their losses. “It is the obligation of the State to help every one affected by such calamities and to lessen their burdens as much as possible,” he said.

THE NEW ALPHARD

Toyota executives (from left) Yohei Murase, executive vice president for Marketing; Dr. David Go, senior executive vice president; Alfred Ty, vice chairman; Michinobu Sugata, president; Jose Ariel Arias, senior vice president for Marketing; and Raymond Rodriguez, first vice president for Marketing, present to the media the new Toyota Alphard, developed to incorporate the idea of a roomy and luxurious saloon space with a new and unprecedented sense of refinement. NONIE REYES

Filipino nurses remain most active job seekers in US

leader of the House of Representatives on Sunday said Filipinos remain the most active job seekers in America, as a total of 4,580 Philippine-educated nurses took the US National Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for the first time in 2014. House Assistant Majority Leader and Cebu Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. said the number of nurses who hope to obtain gainful employment in America is higher compared to the 4,034 Filipino nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time in 2013. The number of Filipino nurses taking the NCLEX for the first time is considered a reliable indicator as to how many of them are trying to enter the

profession in America, he said. “The number is up 13.5 percent when compared to the 4,034 Filipino nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time, excluding repeaters, in 2013,” said Gullas, vice chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education. The NCLEX refers to the National Council Licensure Examination administered by the US (National Council of) State Boards of Nursing Inc. “A growing number of Filipino nursing graduates are taking the NCLEX so they can add having passed the exam to their credentials when they apply for jobs elsewhere, not necessarily because they expect to get hired by US hospitals anytime soon,” Gullas said.

Besides the Filipino nurses, the lawmaker said 915 Indians, 652 Canadians, 595 Puerto Ricans and 424 South Koreans also took the NCLEX for the first time in 2014. Since 1995, a total of 157,368 Filipino nurses have taken the NCLEX for the first time. At the height of the nursing boom in 2007, a record-high 21,499 Filipino nurses that took the NCLEX for the first time, Gullas said. Meanwhile, Gullas urged Filipino nurses searching for greener pasture overseas to instead apply for jobs in the United Kingdom and the Middle East, where there is still ample demand for their skills. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

Globe gains ground in campaign vs repeaters By Lorenz S. Marasigan

ISTED mobile-services operator Globe Telecom Inc. said its drive to bust the use of illegal repeaters, or signal boosters, has been gaining ground after the company resolved eight such cases recently. These illegal repeaters were found and confiscated in Marulas, Valenzuela City, Caloocan City, Quezon City, Tuguegarao City, Davao City and two sites in Makati City. Following the discovery of the illegal equipment, Globe agents initiated separate discussions with building administrators and or owners concerned and they were able to secure their commitment to dismantle the illegal repeaters. “The repeaters, or signal boosters, without any permit from the National Telecommunications Commission [NTC], is illegal as such equipment hampers the flow of communication among our customers. Globe will continue to intensify its drive against the use of illegal repeaters or signal boosters and report the same to the NTC,” Globe General Counsel Froilan C. Castelo said. The use of illegal repeaters hamper seamless connectivity, prompting Globe to launch a campaign to rid the network of signal interference and provide wonderful customer experience. The use signal of booster without any NTC license, Castelo said, causes network interference that result in mobile-phone subscribers to experience dropped calls, garbled lines and weak signal. He emphasized the company’s campaign against signal interference is in support of the Globe’s recent network modernization program intended to provide a robust and reliable network for voice, text and data services. In recent years, numerous incidence of interference had been noted particularly in the metropolitan Manila area. Illegal repeaters come in the form of indoor or outdoor antennas and wireless adapters which boost network coverage and signal by hogging bandwidth from a legitimate network infrastructure. In 2013 the proliferation of signal interference prompted the NTC to issue a memo, prohibiting the sale, purchase, importation, possession or use of signal boosters operating on the 800 megahertz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz frequency bands without the approval of the regulatory agency. Violation could entail penalties and even imprisonment.

UN helping fund Mindanao peace process

OFWs BUCK TERMINAL FEE

The Coalition No to 550, composed of Church and civil-society groups, voice their opposition to the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) memorandum circular notifying all travel and airline establishments on the implementation of the International Passenger Charge, or terminal-fee integration on Sunday. The groups said the memorandum is a deliberate act to violate the grant of exemption to overseas Filipino workers from paying terminal fees as mandated by the Migrant Workers Act of 1995. Photo shows key personalities that expressed their opposition to the Miaa order, including Susan Ople (fifth from right) of the Blas Ople Training Center. ROY DOMINGO

he Philippines is set to receive $3 million from the United Nations (UN) through the UN Peacebuilding Fund to support the Mindanao peace process. UN Philippines Resident Coordinator Terence Jones said the assistance will be extended over a period of 18 months. Jones added that there will be additional funds in the next few months but will still be subject to a formal approval from the UN Headquarters in New York. “The United Nations, through the UN Peace Building Fund, will be releasing resources to support various aspects of the p e ace process and looks forward to further progress through the combined efforts of all involved parties,” the UN said. The UN team in the Philippines joins in mourning those who lost their lives in the tragic incident on Janu-

ary 25 in Mamasapano in Mindanao, and expresses its condolences to the affected families. The UN welcomed the conduct of investigations by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)into the incident, as well as the commitments expressed by President Aquino, MILF Chairman Ebrahim Murad and other concerned parties, in regard to sustaining focus on the peace process. “We welcome also the [recent] reaffirmation by the peace negotiating panels to ‘strengthen their cooperation and coordination in addressing security concerns in the most effective and appropriate manner, and also in rebuilding trust and public confidence in the peace process,’” the UN said. The UN Peacebuilding Fund was established in 2006 as the UN Secretary-General’s Fund. The United Nations Development Programme’s

Multi Partner Trust Fund Office administers the fund. The fund has extended support to mostly African countries, like Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Somalia and Sierra Leone. However, it has also extended funds to Asian countries, like Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste. The UN peacebuilding fund extends support for activities designed to respond to imminent threats to the peace process and the implementation of peace agreements or Priority 1 areas, as well as undertakings, to build or strengthen national capacities to promote peace, or Priority 2. The fund also supports activities that seek to revitalize the economy, or Priority 3, as well as to establish, or reestablish essential administrative services, among others, or Priority 4. Cai U. Ordinario

Economy BusinessMirror

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Monday, February 2, 2015 A5

‘Aviation industry can’t take advantage of cheaper oil’

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

he expected growth in air travel this year, driven by the continuous drop in jet-fuel prices, will be stunted by the insufficient capacity of the key gateways around the country, a senior air-services regulator said.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla said the country’s gateways would find it hard to meet the increase in demand for air travel, given their current state. “Our passengers are price-sensitive, hence there will be competition and more passengers looking for flights. But the infrastructure is not yet there. We have a deficiency on that area,” he said. “There is a network system that involves flows or passengers and the grid which is the infrastructure. They have to go together. The problem with the grid, will affect the flow,” Arcilla said. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (Naia) four terminals and runways are already operating beyond their capacity, causing numerous cancellations or delays in flight operations—whether do-

mestic or international. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) even predicted that this year would mark the start of the main gateway’s dark days. The airport is expected to handle some 37.78 million passengers by year-end, way beyond its 30-millionannual-passenger capacity and a few notches up from its maximum capacity of 35 million passengers per year. Thankfully, he said, the government is coming up with near-term solutions to address the problem. “The government is doing its best to address this problem. Some examples are the plan to build a new airport in Manila and Clark; and the Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management, or the CNS/ATM, the traffic system that would improve the capacity of our runways,” Arcilla explained. Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya earlier said his of-

fice is planning to build a new Naia terminal somewhere on C-5 Road, which is the fifth beltway in Manila. The government is also planning to construct a low-cost carrier terminal in Clark International Airport. “But the ultimate solution is the new airport,” Arcilla said. The transport agency is now awaiting the completion of the feasibility study being conducted by Jica for the construction of an $11-billion airport in Sangley Point, Cavite. The consultancy firm has vowed to present in June the final study for the aviation hub, which will have to be approved by the various committees of the National Economic and Development Authority, such as the Investment Coordination Committee, the Cabinet Committee and the Neda Board, which is chaired by President Aquino. Jica proposed that the new international gateway be constructed in Cavite to meet the parameters set by the transportation agency. The future airport will boast of four runways, which can handle 700,000 aircraft movements per year. It will have a rated capacity of 130 million passengers annually. The consultants noted that the deal can be bankrolled through

the government’s Public-Private Partnership Program, mixed with funding from official development assistance. The commercial operations of the new airport should start by 2025. Local airlines expect the local aviation industry to expand even further, as demand for air transport grows due to lower ticket prices. For flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), passenger traffic would likely grow at the mid to high single-digit pace, proportionate to the country’s economic expansion. “With the declining prices of oil and airline-ticket prices, we expect passenger volume to grow by 5 percent to 7 percent this year,” PAL President Jamie J. Bautista said in an interview. The legacy carrier served roughly 12 million passengers in 2014. AirAsia Zest, meanwhile, expects to increase its passenger volume by almost 70 percent this year, as the airline was able to further reduce its fares due to lower fuel prices. “We expect to carry 4 million to 5 million this year, from last year’s 3.12 million passengers,” AirAsia Zest President Joy D. Cañeba said. “The steady decline in fuel prices is giving us a breather

in terms of operating expenses. Fuel takes the a large percentage of our expenses.” In December last year the Philippines’s airline regulator struck out the authority of carriers to impose surcharges in fuel due to the declining gasoline prices. A fuel surcharge is a temporary relief granted to airlines to help them recover losses incurred from higher jet-fuel prices. It ranges from P500 to as high as P15,000, depending on the destination. Fuel accounts for as much as 60 percent of an airline’s operating cost per passenger, and is the second-highest expense next to labor. Since December, fuel prices have been dropping as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to maintain current production levels despite a glut in the market with an estimated oversupply of 1.5 million to 2 million barrels daily. Following a period of relative stability of above $100 per barrel, oil prices have plunged since mid-2014, falling by more than $40 per barrel to five-year lows. Data from the International Air Transport Association showed jet-fuel cost was at $64.9 per barrel as of January 23, down by 13.4 percent from the preceding month and 47.8 percent less than the yearago price.

Allow foreign vessels to ply local routes–Peza

he Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) is backing changes to the cabotage law, saying the opening up of domestic routes to foreign vessels will jumpstart the development of other ports and provide relief to the bottlenecks in Manila’s ports. “There’s a need for that. I am for the amendment of the cabotage law, because there are so many ports now. Because of the port congestion in Manila, opening up other ports will really ease the situation here. It could be an opportunity for us,” Peza Director General Lilia B. de Lima told reporters at the sidelines of the Asian Institute of Management’s Asean Leaderspeak Forum. Aside from lowering transportation costs, Peza’s Head of Promotion and Public Relations Elmer San Pascual added that changes in the cabotage law will boost the ease of doing business in the country. He said reviewing principles of the country’s cabotage law will offer a long-term solution to the port-congestion dilemma in Manila’s ports, which, in 2014, led to the sky-rocketing of costs of Peza locators. In the Philippines cabotage—or the right of vessels to carry cargo or passengers within a country, via sea or air—in the maritime-transport sector, is limited to national flag vessels. The said principle is enshrined in the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines and strengthened by the Domestic Development Shipping Act, and serves to protect the domestic shipping industry. The laws provide that any foreign vessel coming from abroad and making calls to an international port, such as Subic or Manila, must transfer the cargo to local ships if the cargo’s final destination is in the Visayas or Mindanao, instead of going directly to the destination. President Aquino has included the amendments to the cabotage law in his priority measures to increase competition in the shipping industry,leading to lowering of transportation costs. Catherine N. Pillas

Tourism

A6 Monday, February 2, 2015 • Editor: Gerard Ramos

TAIWAN

SEVEN DESTINA

B K A B | Oyster.com

AST year was great for traveling. But we’ve already got a sharp sense of where we want to be in 2015. From shiny skyscrapers and ancient ruins to well-trodden paths and emerging favorites, to that perfect storm of culture, beauty and timing, these are the seven can’t-miss, must-see, Go now destinations for 2015. Pull out those passports and get to it—a year can slip by fast when you’re having fun.

BUDAPEST. Tying for second place as one of the world’s best destination cities in last year’s Conde Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards, Hungary’s capital city of Budapest is already clearly beloved by many. With an outstanding collection of baroque, neoclassical and secessionist architecture, picture-perfect sightseeing spots and sophisticated food and wine menus, it’s easy to see why. And, as luck would have it, last year, UK’s Telegraph listed it as its top Cheapest European City Break. So, even though Brits have the heavy weight of the pound in their travel pockets, tourists from all over can take advantage of the cities falling prices—making it a must-see on our 2015 list. For a real treat, stay at the five-pearl Boscolo Budapest, Autograph Collection, where you can get a glamorous taste of old-world Hungary.

m&Entertainment BusinessMirror

tourism@businessmirror.com.ph • Monday, February 2, 2015 A7

GREECE

BUDAPEST

OMAN

MYANMAR

ATIONS YOU MUST SEE IN 2015 Tip: Head here during the winter for snowcapped storybook scenery, February’s locally sourced Mangalica food festival, an opulence of hot-tub soaking and less crowded performances at the Budapest Opera House.

Award winner for Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction) and a plethora of ancient living history spots are served up with a friendly helping of hospitality and ouza, making Greece a must-visit in 2015 — even if you’ve already been there.

GREECE. Greece is another European destination, where a growing tourism industry has been sparked by its own unfortunate economic downfall. For the past six years, this country has been struggling to overcome a severe recession—and travelers have been all too happy to do their part in its recovery by taking advantage of some of Europe’s most stunning views, ancient architecture and tasty cuisine at bargain prices. Low prices and ridiculously beautiful volcanic island chains, tree-coated mountain ranges, unforgettable 360-views from the Acropolis (this year’s World Travel

OMAN. Surprised to see Oman on this list? You shouldn’t be. Oman has been working hard to increase tourism numbers over the last few years—and it’s working! Last year tourism rose 15 percent and the country welcomed nearly 2.5 million tourists to their jaw-dropping beaches, four World Heritage Sites, numerous natural attractions and historical hot spots. Lonely Planet says, “Oman is the obvious choice for those seeking out the modern face of Arabia, while wanting still to sense its ancient soul.” So make some time in 2015 to soak up some truly Bedouin

vibes, marvel at the award-winning architecture of Muscat’s Grand Mosque, and, maybe, fi nd time to race a camel or two in between whale watching and traipsing down the ancient Frankincense Trail.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN. Taiwan’s capital city Taipei has long been overlooked in favor of highly popular Asian locales, like Japan, Th ailand and Hong Kong. At only 300 years old, Taipei is one of Asia’s youngest cities, but don’t let that fool you. With influence from China, Japan and the West, this modern melting pot is full of history, culture and some of the best food around. Foodies, be sure to hit up the Shilin Night Market for stall after stall of delicious local specialties, including irresistibly slurpable noodles. If you are still hungry for more, check out Taipei’s museums and temples, snag some crazy de-

signer deals (for you and your pets) at Wufenpu and explore some beautiful scenery on day trips to natural hot springs and mountainsides. There’s no rest for the wicked in Taipei, where at night cocktails are cheap, clubs are bumping and the skyscrapers shine.

MYANMAR. Although Myanmar is growing as a popular Asian destination, it remains slightly off the map for most people. However, with several high-end hotel chains planning (or already starting) to break ground in Myanmar over the next few years, this surreal, beautiful place is set to take off. For now, the effects of globalization are minimal and visitors are still privy to traditional ways of life, genuinely friendly people, ornate pagodas and unspoiled scenery. In fact, one of the best angles to view the country is from above, in a hot-air balloon.

Even if you choose to stay on the ground, Myanmar has never been so accessible to foreigners, making 2015 a perfect time to visit.

SOUTH AFRICA. It’s been a few years since South Africa’s makeover for the World Cup, and this rainbow nation is still one of our favorite spots. It’s a fantastic budget destination (although fl ights are pricey) fi lled with outstanding scenery and wildlife encounters, luxury shopping and craft markets, history, culture and cuisine. Th is diverse country (there are 11 official languages!) offers tons of unforgettable experiences, like moonlit mountain hikes, ostrich rides, caving, wine-tasting, whale watching, cultural excursions and, of course, the chance to spot the Big Five on a sweet safari, or a colony of penguins on the beach. Plus, 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of Nel-

son Mandela’s release, and we can think of no greater way to honor the hero than visiting his homeland.

NICARAGUA. Nicaragua has been popping up on all kinds of 2015 must-travel lists, and we couldn’t agree more. With rising prices in well-trodden areas, like Costa Rica and the Caribbean, tourists have been turning to the sparkling shores, clear waters and cheaper prices in Nicaragua, instead. Th anks to the increased tourism due to the country’s fi rst five-star resort opening in 2013, Nicaragua has been slowly washing away the stains of its war-torn past and is becoming a hot spot for luxury ecotourism, culinary surprise and adventure travel. Do you dare to go volcano surfi ng down the side of western Nicaragua’s Cerro Negro, an active volcano? There’s only one way to fi nd out.

Celebrate a weekend of fun-flying, love and excitement at Widus B M I E

LARK FREEPORT—Widus Leisure Inc., proprietor of Widus Hotel and Casino, celebrates the 19th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival (PHABF) with special promos and gastronomic offers exclusively slated for the “weekend of everything that flies”. The widely anticipated aviation event, which annually draws huge crowds from families, group of friends to aviation fans, is making its return to Clark from February 12 to 15, guaranteeing this year to be bigger and better than previous stagings. Accessibly near the PIHABF site, Widus Hotel and Casino offers this year’s event attendees its signature luxury lifestyle experience like no other with its exceptional PIHABF promos. Widus, which was recently ranked on Trip Advisor as the top hotel choice in Clark, offers special room accommodation

packages starting at P10,000, inclusive of buffet breakfast, complimentary PIHABT tickets, event site transfer, packed snacks, and more. Moreover, love is also truly in the air as The World Famous Platters performs live at the Widus Convention Center on February 13 at 8 pm. Ticket prices start at P2,000 and are available at SM City Clark, Pampanga and Tarlac. For a romantic Valentine’s Day experience, delight at Salt, Widus’s all-day casual dining restaurant, with an indulgent buffet dinner for only P888 net per person. Widely known as Clark’s one-stop leisure destination, Widus Hotel and Casino truly provides the perfect weekend-getaway experience with its wide range of amenities, affordable promos and highquality service. For more information, call Widus at (6345) 499-1000 or (632) 847-1430, or visit http://www.widus.com.

BusinessMirror

TheElderly

Monday, February 2, 2015 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Iwahig inmate wishes for life outside of prison

By Oliver Samson | Correspondent

IBERTY is alien to the people living in this place. The 26,000-hectare Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, covers a vast virgin rain forest, fertile rice fields and plots, wild parks and beautiful ponds. Life here is remote from the clutters of the restless cities—one’s perfect retirement place.

But Cesar Felixia, 60, who freely walks within the confines of this immense place, wishes nothing more than the liberty to move out and live somewhere else. Cesar is one of the over 3,000 inmates serving their term for various offenses in Iwahig. He has been here for 11 years now, taken to this penitentiary at the age of 49, after serving two of his 17 years in Bilibid Prison. Cesar took the life of the person with whom his brother-in-law had a fight. It was in Quezon City, about 13 years ago. His family did not make any attempt to connect with him in recent years, or even ask about him. As every inmate does, Cesar raises his hand over his eyebrow to salute to everyone who visits the penal colony. A deep sadness filters through his eyes that hide the sorrow when he speaks, and perhaps the regret of being isolated in this penitentiary for his crime. Cesar left six children when he

went to serve his sentence. He recalled six grandchildren when he was in Bilibid Prison. Eleven years without hearing anything about his family, he does not even know whether his wife lives with another man at present. “I do not ask for anything else, but my liberty,” Cesar said in Filipino. “Life is so tough here.” The tired look in his eyes spoke of a life that painfully crawled through the years of hard labor in the penitentiary. The inmates are treated well by the administrators of the penal colony, but nothing in this world can compensate for one’s loss of liberty. Cesar is sorry. He had regretted his mistake a long time ago. “If I would have another life, free and clean again, I would avoid any situation that would confine me in this place,” he said. With the loneliness and the painful detachment from the free world,

CESAR Felixia, 60, at an old recreation building in Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. OLIVER SAMSON

some of his inmates have found company and comfort in Jesus Christ, he said. “Since they brought me here in 2004, I have neither set foot nor seen free society,” Cesar said. “Not even once.” Though the penal colony is immense, the inmates move in a closed circle endlessly each day, he said. Unshackled in the minimum-security compound, the inmates enjoy the liberty of climbing the mountain, which is part of Iwahig, to cut bamboo trees, which provide them with several uses, such as poles upon which they fly flags in different colors, for one. But they cannot cross the borders that confine them within the sprawling penal colony, he said. Some inmates whose health conditions had required them to be hospitalized outside the penitentiary had seen the outside world, but they could not

savor being reintegrated in free society because they were sick. “The administrators do care about our health,” he said. As part of the wellness program, inmates play basketball and billiards, Cesar said. They also play board games, like chess and scrabble. And despite the isolation and restraint, inmates prefer Iwahig over national correction facilities, like the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, where cells are hot and riots may break out at any time, he said. “We are one group here, unlike in Bilibid, where fights arise among gangs,” he said. Cesar, who is thin, dark and losing his hair, has served most of his term. Seventeen years to pay the life he took. Soon, he hopes to be free. Just a few more years to regain his freedom.

US programs help boomers work their way back

POKANE, Washington—Baby boomer Mike Ball couldn’t find a job when he moved to Spokane, even though he had many skills and a strong résumé: college degree, US Air Force veteran, 16 years in the insurance industry working with asbestos litigation and two decades as a professional pilot. Too old. Not the right skills. Out of the work force too long. All rejections commonly heard as he applied for more than 175 jobs in a year, while the recently divorced Ball maxed out credit cards to pay the mortgage and feed his two teenagers. Connecting with the Senior Community Service Employment Program saved him and helped him land secure, long-term employment so he can rebuild his life at age 61. “You can land an airplane on the moon, but if that doesn’t generate any profit [for the company] that talent doesn’t go that far,” said Ball, who now works for Aging and Long Term Care of Eastern Washington, the same agency that runs the senior employment program. Today Ball helps people figure out Medicare and health-care plans through another program run by the regional aging program. His supervisors commend Ball for his ability to work with the millionaire as well as the homeless. Ball said his personal hard times help him understand and empathize with his clients who are often frustrated and upset. Currently, the senior jobs program has 12 people age 55 or older working 20 hours a week for local nonprofits and government agencies, including local food banks and senior centers. About 21 people are on a waiting list for job placement. The workers are paid minimum wage and have the opportunity to learn job skills; this including taking computer

classes through the Community Colleges of Spokane Act 2 program. The goal is to help seniors ease back into the work force and reconnect with the community. Ultimately, the idea is to help seniors find a nonsubsidized job or volunteer work, depending on their financial needs. The work program also helps area nonprofits expand their programs or help more people, said Jamie McIntyre, who oversees the work program and initially hired Ball to work as her assistant screening senior job applicants. “He just has a wonderful way with people,” McIntyre said about Ball, adding that when a job opened up in the aging and long-term care agency’s Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors program, he was a natural fit. Ball isn’t the only graduate from the senior worker program who has been hired by Aging and Long Term Care of Eastern Washington. The agency’s main janitor, an immigrant who was just learning English when he applied for the program, now works full time cleaning the building on North Post Street. McIntyre said in this economy and with the skyrocketing number of aging adults, it’s important to have programs to help seniors find work so they can live independently. Besides helping with work skills and resume building, the program can also provide new eyeglass prescriptions and even work shoes or transportation costs, important details people often overlook when trying to find work. The senior work program is funded by the federal Older Americans Act, which is the main funding source for many of the aging and long-term care agency’s services aimed at helping people 60 and older and those with disabilities living in Spokane and

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Social pension eases life agonies of elderly in distress

ARAGA, Albay—A shabby house, which is almost empty of furnishings except for a folding plastic bed where 85-year-old Quintin Alegre is confined with his 81-year-old wife Edith sitting by his side, presents a gloomy scene of old-age poverty. He has been bedridden for almost a year, after sustaining a crippling sprain from a stair fall with no one left to pay close attention but her. The old couple has seven children also languishing in poverty with their own families. Only their youngest son, a tricycle driver, would occasionally come to deliver a handful of basic goodies and a small amount of money, hardly enough for their food. “Living has been very difficult for the two of us at our age and situation, as we wait for the final day that our lives will be taken back by God. Our hope to die at least a happy death has been fading away until one day, in the middle of last year, when some government people came doing a survey,” Editha said in the local dialect, when reached by the Philippines News Agency. The couple lives in a faraway communist insurgency-infested rural barangay here and their house can only be reached by foot after one hour over a muddy path passing through a rolling terrain. The “government people” she was referring to were enumerators fielded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to reach out to the poor in the 3,471 barangays within 107 municipalities and seven cities of Bicol’s six provinces. Their tasks were to find the 10,643 senior citizens listed as beneficiaries of the government’s Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens program and validate their life status and social condition. The program falls under the poverty-alleviation thrust of the administration of President Aquino being carried out by the DSWD. “We located these beneficiaries to determine through firsthand information their status. Our field workers, especially hired for this job, were sent out to interview them right where they reside, wherever it is, and notwithstanding the distance and terrain,” Legazpi City-based DSWD Regional Director Arnel Garcia said. This special validation process involved 300 enumerators hired by the DSWD and fielded in all barangays—up to the farthest—of the region where the beneficiaries reside. Some areas took one whole day for validation teams to reach and another day to conduct the interview on target beneficiaries who were scattered in barangays and have to be reached by way of trekking rolling hills and muddy paths, Garcia said. The purpose of this special validation was to verify the poverty status of the pensioners who were not registered in the DSWD’s Listahanan database of poor households and, when verified according to the requirements of the social pension program, they continue receiving their monthly pensions. The Alegre couple has been a beneficiary of the program since 2011, but their pension was put on hold as of January 2014, after it was found out they were among the 10,643 social pensioners in Bicol who were discovered to be not included in the database. The 2011 Listahanan listed 775,014 households in Bicol and 59.5 percent, or 461,242, of them were identified as poor. PNA

Break free from gout this 2015

Oblivious An elderly man reads a newspaper under the flyover of FVR Road in Marikina City on the morning of January 31. KEVIN DE LA CRUZ

surrounding counties. In 2014 the senior work program received $156,000, while the agency as a whole received $2.3 million. The agency is hopeful Congress will reauthorize the Older Americans Act that has been fully funded since 2011. Without the additional federal cash, agency director Lynn Kimball said pro-

grams such as providing food to the elderly and disabled are in jeopardy. So far the agency has avoided waiting lines for food programs—a problem that has plagued other areas of the country— through private fundraising efforts by groups such as the Greater Spokane County Meals on Wheels. Tribune Content Agency Llc.

T’S the start of another year. Your 2015 social calendar will naturally be filled with birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions that call for celebration. Soon, you’ll get invitations to another round of parties and get-togethers with lots of foods and drinks to indulge in. But before you take part in all these, remember to watch what you eat. Certain foods and beverages can trigger a gout attack. Suffering from excruciating pain and swollen joints caused by gout won’t make for a happy new year. Ronnie Litiatco knows all too well the misery one experiences when gout attacks. He used to suffer from severe attacks for a week each month for as long as he can remember and had to be on pain relievers with severe side effects on the liver. He would be unable to attend business meetings for several days a month. If you are prone to gout, it would be best to watch your diet, eat in moderation, drink plenty of water, and manage your gout with natural nutrients, such as those contained in Goutritis that safely reduce the pain and inflammation associated with gout. Three capsules of Goutritis taken daily before breakfast can help ward off painful attacks associated with gout because its main ingredient, tart cherries, contains a lot of healthy substances that combine to ease this painful affliction. Because it’s all-natural, Goutritis has no side effects commonly associated with prescription drugs, such as drug-induced liver disease. It is available at Mercury Drug stores nationwide in blister packs of 10 capsules (P100) and pharmacist packs containing 10 blister packs (P1,000). It also comes in jars of 90 capsules. Goutritis, is Food and Drugs Administration-approved and 100-percent organic. Litiatco has been taking Goutritis regularly, and says his gout attacks have become more manageable that these no longer interfere with his normal activities. Robert Liao has also discovered the benefits of Goutritis and has been recommending it to friends and relatives who suffer from gout and arthritis.

news@businessmirror.com.ph

The Regions BusinessMirror

Informal settlers in Cabanatuan benefit from government services

ABANATUAN CITY—Some 478 families in this city’s informal waste sector (IWS) have benefited from the city government’s social-services program for the poor and marginalized. The IWS comprises small-income families whose means of living is collecting waste from households and dumps, and selling them to junk shops. “Our caring government, headed by Mayor Jay Vergara, provided us PhilHealth cards,”said Emily Oliva, the president of the 478-strong Association of Recyclers of Cabantuan City (ARCC), adding that“the card entitles the holder to free medicine and hospitalization.” Through its so-called ConditionalCash Transfer, or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the government also provided the ARCC members financial assistance to defray the cost of their pressing and immediate needs, Oliva said. As of now, the ARCC members are undergoing training on alternative livelihood to enable them to earn extra income and, thus, improve the quality of their lives, City Administrator Roy Balagtas said. The training

program is administered by the Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines, in cooperation with the city government and other concerned government and private development agencies. “That training on alternative livelihood has come at a very opportune time,” Balagtas said. The city government, he said, plans to develop the city’s recently closed dump into an ecopark, funded by a P12.5-million grant from the World Bank. If the plan materializes, this would mean loss of job for some ARCC members, who depend on the dump for their main source of livelihood. “The affected ARCC members should not worry; the alternative livelihood on which they are now being trained would give them a fallback,” Balagtas said. ARCC members who are now undergoing training on doormat-making, urban gardening, strawberry farming, construction works, basic computer and other alternative livelihood are expected to become microentrepreneurs, which would give their families better income and, consequently, better quality of life. Prudencio E. Magpayo

Monday, February 2, 2015

Garbage along Pampanga town riverbank cleared up

20 Ilocos Norte fishers deputized as ‘Bantay Dagat’ A

T least 20 fishermen, led by a retired member of the Philippine Marine, were recently deputized as “Bantay Dagat” to protect Ilocos Norte’s fishing grounds. “I returned to my hometown of Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte, to live my days in peace. But fighting is in my blood,” Armando Pante said. Pante, who saw action during the military’s takeover of Camp Abubakar in 2000, declared war against illegal-fishing activities, as he vowed to stop them from destroying the province’s fishing grounds. The deputization of the Bantay Dagat—a result of a partnership between the local government units (LGUs) in Ilocos Norte, Century Tuna and World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature Philippines—is expected to augment troops that protect the seas against destructive human activities, particularly illegal fishing. The famed Bantay Dagat system began in the 1970s. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Fisheries Regulatory and Law Enforcement Division Head Mary Ann Solomon said members of Bantay Dagat are drawn from fishing communities who undergo three days of standardized training.

Upon graduation, they are issued ID cards sanctioned by the BFAR, giving them a three-year window of authority to enforce the Fisheries Code when operating in their respective areas. Dynamite or blast fishing, which became rampant in the Philippines after the Second World War, is a highly destructive means of collecting fish. Powdered ammonium nitrate, kerosene and small pebbles are packed inside a glass bottle and covered with a blasting cap. New designs integrate long metal rods which absorb sound and act as sinkers, WWF said. The blast’s shockwave which travels at about 1,500 meters per second—or the length of 15 football fields—kills or maims fish—sometimes liquefying their internal organs. In 1999 alone, an estimated 70,000 Filipino fishers engaged in dynamite or blast fishing. “Every day about 10,000 blasts are still recorded throughout the archipelago. The explosions pulverize fragile hard and soft corals, destroying the productivity of our coral reef,” said Gregg Yann, communication and media manager of WWF. Section 88 of Republic Act 8550, or the Fisheries Code of 1998, prohibits dynamite or blast fishing. Jonathan L. Mayuga

A SIMULTANEOUS river cleanup in Sasmuan, Pampanga, was held on January 30, which was participated in was by students of Santo Tomas High School, municipal employees, barangay officials and volunteers. PHOTO COURTESY OF SASMUAN TOWN By Joel R. Mapiles

Correspondent

ITY of San Fernando— “There are no more illegal dumps in Sasmuan, and no more garbage in riverbanks.”

So said Mayor Nardo Velasco on Friday, as he led the clearing operations and closure of the illegal dump sighted by Gov. Lilia Pineda ,when she made an inspection on the dredging operations of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on the Sasmuan River. Recently, upon seeing the big volume of garbage dumped in the Sasmuan riverbanks, Pineda expressed

dismay and immediately ordered Velasco and Arthur Punsalan provincial government environment and natural resources officer to clean and close the illegal dump. With this, the mayor immediately instructed his municipal personnel to lead the clearing operations of the illegal dump. He also notified the residents and barangay officials that the illegal

dump is already closed and no one is allowed to dump his or her waste, both from residential and commercial establishments. Ask where to dump the generated waste, the mayor said that barangay officials will operate their own barangay material recovery facilities (MRFs), where they will do the proper segregation of biodegradable from nonbiodegradable and, if possible, do the segregation at source—from their respective houses and establishments. He said the residents had been forced to bring their waste at the said dump due to the closure of the MRF in Barangay Santa Lucia, as the road leading to the MRF is under construction for more than six months. With regard to the clearing operations mandated by the Supreme Court, Velasco clarified that their

Peace advocates, ARMM leaders back continuation of peace process C C

role is only to assist the DPWH in the demolition of illegal fishponds. He said that on certain Eduardo Santos, fishpond owner, aired his willingness to demolish his fishpond situated beside the riverbanks. The DPWH will start the demolition of illegal structures on Tuesday to clear the waterways, and the municipal government is willing to assist the agency should they ask assistance. The mayor said he also met with the informal settlers to reiterate the order of the Supreme Court and the assistance that would be given by the provincial government. “Informal settlers are not natives of Sasmuan. They came from Bulacan, but they are now residents of the town, as they were here for so many years now. They are now speaking in Capampangan,” he said.

Mayor orders another bidding for ₧1.5-B new Cebu City hospital

OTABATO CITY—Leaders of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), as well as peace advocates, on Saturday said the Mindanao peace process of the Aquino government must continue despite the Mamasapano massacre. Many believed that the bloody skirmish in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, that claimed 44 police officers, 14 Moro rebels and four civilians dead should not hinder the attainment of peace in Mindanao.Government elite police units were to arrest Malaysian terrorist Zulfikli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and his Filipino aide Abdul Bassit Usman when the carnage erupted on Sunday. Marwan was reportedly killed in the attack. Muslimin Sema, chairman of the bigger faction of the Moro National Liberation, said abrogating

the talks will worsen the situation. “The peace process must continue,” Sema said, admitting that the Mamasapano incident was unfortunate both for the government and the rebels. “We have lessons learned from there. We must continue the process, because it remained to be the only way to attain peace. Abrogating the peace talks will only complicate further the already complicated situation,” Sema said. The Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), in a statement issued here, believed that the Mamasapano incident should not serve as a hindrance to pursue peace. Salma Pir Rasul, PCID executive director, said, “The peace process cannot and should not be held hostage by the Mamasapano incident, tragic though it may be.” Rasul also urged the public to

refrain from issuing statements that will only add confusion to an already complex situation. “Incendiary statements are reckless and serve no purpose but to unnecessarily fan the flames in an extremely tense environment,” Rasul said. Annabelle Santiago, a local non-govermental organization leader working for peace in the grassroots in Maguindanao, said decisions by national leaders, including the military and the police, should not be in haste as this will worsen the situation. “Cooler minds are what we need now,” Santiago said. “We should not be carried by our emotions. The Mamasapano incident was very unfortunate; it happened and cannot be undone.” His Eminence Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, a known peace advocate in Mindanao, also called for sobriety and

calm. “I urge the faithful not to be carried away by their emotions which might compromise the peace talks,” he said in a brief statement. Virgie de la Cruz, an educator in North Cotabato, believed talks must be suspended first until the Moro Islamic Liberation Front surrenders those involved in the clash and all the terrorists and bombers the police suspected to be hiding in the rebel camps. “In the meantime, suspend the talks until the MILF surrenders Basit Usman to erase doubts on the group’s sincerity in talking peace,” de la Cruz said, adding that she does not believe the MILF explanation that it did not know Marwan was there. Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the ARMM, said the ARMM employees are in favor of diplomatic resolution of the Mamasapano incident. PNA

EBU CITY—Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has ordered another bidding for the construction of the new P1.5-billion Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) on Natalio Bacalso Avenue, Cebu City. Rama has earlier declared the first bidding for the project a “failure.” A seed money of P300 million for the construction would be augmented with this year’s P300-million budget appropriation for CCMC; the P23million financial assistance from the Department of Health; P5 million from Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.; the P17.2-million proceeds from the “Piso Mo, Hospital Ko” fund drive; and other pledges from private sectors. “With that amount, we will have it rebid with utmost urgency,” Rama said. He said documentations for the rebidding are already under way, vowing “we will continue with our endeavor, which, is to rebuild the people hospital.” The construction of the 10-story hospital building, worth P1.5 billion, Rama said, has to start, especially with the upcoming international events that the city will be hosting, such as

the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this year, the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in 2016, and the Meetings Incentives Conferences and exhibitions (MICE), among others. Last year Rama has declared a “failure of bidding” for CCMC’s first phase of construction. Cebu’s WTG Construction and Development Corp. and Manila’s E.M. Ureta then won the bid for offering P274,975,904, but they were postdisqualified for allegedly being “nonresponsive,” after the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) found out that the documents submitted contained “discrepancies and false information.” Rama said the competitive bidding process, such as the advertisement, prebid conference, eligibility screening of prospective bidders, receipt and opening of bids, evaluation of bids, postqualification and award of contract be conducted anew. In a memorandum order addressed to the BAC, the mayor ordered to conduct the bidding again this year to avoid “suspicion of favoritism and anomalies.” PNA

Opinion BusinessMirror

A10 Monday, February 2, 2015

editorial Government and business need each other

HE relationship between the ‘for-profit’ private sector and the ‘non-profit’ government has been a dilemma since the Industrial Revolution. That period marked a turning point because businesses were able to move beyond the grip of the government’s control on the economy. This was because prior to industrial manufacturing, economies were agriculturally dependant. Further, the governments, primarily monarchies, owned the land. But then a private business owner with a factory and a few employees could create as much economic wealth as many hectares of agricultural production and usually with fewer workers. However, government still had a vital role to play in opening up economic opportunities in various ways. The United States government as owners of huge tracts of land began selling this land to private people who then built cities. Further, for example when there was not any profit incentive to build a particular road, the government could do this which then supported private business. Health care services delivery has been a great problem in the Philippines for decades. From the private sector viewpoint, there was not enough potential for business-sustaining profit except for the relatively small higher economic groups. Government was forced to fill the gap with publicly owned medical centers. Now we see major companies moving rapidly with large amounts of investment into health care. The Businessmirror reported that “Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) is stepping up its efforts to meet its health-care subsidiary’s 5,000-bed target through the acquisition of 12 more hospitals around the Philippines.” While many of the hospitals MPIC is buying are “private hospitals owned by families,” MPIC’s investment capability will substantially grow the industry. Further, “Property developer Ayala Land Inc. said it plans to build at least 20 clinics and hospitals in the next five to six years, as setting up such health facilities will complement the company’s mixed-use developments by generating more foot traffic in its malls.” Why the sudden push into health care? The Philippine government has made excellent strides in expanding the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), created in 1995, to provide universal health coverage for Filipinos. This program actively complements the private sector being able to provide health care services with a sensible and sustainable business model. The health insurance business has also expanded exponentially as the callcenter and outsourcing business has grown through the years with perhaps several million more employees and their families now covered with health care programs than a decade ago. The generous financial incentives given to the call-center companies had the unintended consequence of bring health insurance to its employees. That created more people now able to pay for higher quality health care which has led to the private sector moving into this business because they can make a profit to sustain and grow the health services industry. The government-private sector relationship is vital for a strong economy.

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PCSO to celebrate NCL department anniversary Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

RISING SUN

AST year, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office marked its 80th anniversary, a milestone that testifies to the commitment of the women and men of PCSO to their mission of providing medical- and healthcare-related service to Filipinos around the country. The agency also celebrates other significant occasions, such as the anniversaries of departments. The Branch Operations Sector, headed by Assistant General Manager Remeliza Gabuyo, which manages and monitors the operations of PCSO branches and Lotto outlets nationwide, looks forward to the “birthdays” of its departments this year. Northern and Central Luzon (NCL), headed by Romeo S. Rigodon, marks theirs on February 7 in Baguio, which will coincide with the blessing ceremony of the Benguet branch. The other departments under Branch Operations sector are: National Capital Region headed by manager Josefina A. Sarsonas, Southern Tagalog and Bicol Region (STBR) department under Irma Guemo, Visayas department headed by Federico A. Damole, and Mindanao department under Mario S. Pelisco. There are 13 branches under NCL: Isabela under branch manager Reynaldo Martin, Pangasinan

(Yamashita Japinan), Cagayan (Herson Pambid), Benguet and Mountain Province (both under Ernieli Dancel), La Union (Lalaine Figueroa), Ilocos Norte (Marthia Miranda), Bataan (Erlinda Yano), Bulacan (Editha Romero), Nueva Ecija (Reynaldo Carbonel), Pampanga (Ma. Lourdes Soliman), Tarlac (Lolito Guemo) and Zambales (Pierre Ferrer). We advise residents of those areas to visit the PCSO branches nearest to them to avail of the agency’s products and services. There is no need to visit the head office in Manila to file requests for medical assistance, applications for Lotto outlets, and the like. The PCSO branches provide these and other regular agency services. Perhaps the only transaction that would need to be conducted personally at the PCSO head office in Mandaluyong City would be to collect Lotto jackpot winnings, because only prize claims up to a certain amount are entertained at the branches.

Congratulations to the PCSO family in NCL on having reached another landmark occasion in the history of the agency, and may their commitment to public service remain strong and steadfast. nnn

PCSO recently unveiled its new lottery game, the Ultra Lotto 6/58, which is anticipated to add a challenging flavor to the lineup of existing Lotto games. The game has the highest minimum jackpot among PCSO’s Lotto games, at P50 million. There are consolation prizes as well for three, four and five out of six winning numbers. The mechanics of Ultra Lotto 6/58 are similar to those of other Lotto games. A player selects six numbers from 1 to 58 for only P20 per combination. Want to be the first Ultra Millionaire? The first selling date for the Ultra Lotto 6/58 is on February 7, Saturday, with the first draw on February 8, Sunday, and on every Friday and Sunday thereafter. nnn

CONGRATULATIONS to the seven newly-appointed members of the Philippine Racing Commission: Andrew A. Sanchez as chairman and, as members, Bienvenido C. Niles Jr., Lyndon Guce, and lawyers Ramon S. Bagatsing Jr., Victor V. Tantoco, Wilfredo JA de Ungria and Jose Gutierrez Santillan Jr. We wish them all the best as they begin their 4-year term serving the horseracing industry and the Filipino people. Our acknowledgement also goes

Work is a big part of making a life By Gina Barreca The Hartford Courant/TNS

‘W

HAT’S your goal in life?” I asked a cheerful young man at an alumni event. “I want to retire by 35” was his snappy answer.

He smiled, cocked his head as if auditioning to play George Clooney’s kid brother and waited for what he clearly expected to be my delight. The line was rehearsed and he was close to 25; obviously it had played well before other audiences. I wasn’t impressed. “Let me put it another way,” I said. “From what kind of work would you like to retire?” “Something creative. Something where my passions and my talents are showcased. I don’t want some soulless, mind-numbing office job.” “Ever had an office job? Is that how you know they’re all soulless?” “I don’t need to do a 9-5 to know it. Do you need to work in factory or dig ditches to know those are jobs you wouldn’t want?” He wasn’t necessarily a fool, this young man, but he was either ignorant

or innocent–or both. And I thought about how his family, his college and his culture had all failed him. By encouraging him to believe in his own exceptionalism, the adults who brought him up did him a disservice: By permitting him to believe, as the old expression put it, that the world owed him a living, they might have made it much more difficult for him to earn one. That’s why, instead of searching for his vocation, he was standing on the world’s platform waiting for the Fame Train to arrive. He thought all he had to do was hail it by waving his arm. This was not the scion of an aristocratic household, either, brought up by nannies and fawned over by tutors; this was a child of the suburbs, not of the landed gentry. Yet he made it obvious that he was meant for greater things than every-

day work. He made it clear he thought of tedious work as something done by others: by the ungifted, the ordinary and the common. His mistake about work is what’s common. My father worked in a small family factory with his brothers, brothersin-law and a sister. When the place couldn’t compete with larger companies, they went out of business and, at 60, my father started working retail. When he very ill at the end of his life, I asked my father if he had any unfulfilled wishes, things he secretly would’ve liked to have done. “I wish I could’ve been a mechanic,” he shrugged. “I would’ve liked to work with cars.” His last dreams weren’t about voyages or extravagances. They were about what other kinds of hard work he would’ve done and how he might have liked it a little more. He would have preferred working on automobile engines to working on sewing machines. People once talked about the dignity of labor. Now the word “labor” is usually associated with birth and “dignity” is usually associated with aging and death.

to outgoing commissioners Angel L. Castaño Jr., Jesus B. Cantos and Eduardo B. Jose, who with their fellow officials steered the industry through the difficult adjustment period with the entry of a third racetrack on the scene. They also upheld government standards related to the administration of the office, as well as performed other accomplishments. Many will recall that before PCSO introduced computerized lotto in 1994, the results of the Sweepstakes, PCSO’s only product back then, were tied to the results of designated horse races called “Sweepstakes races.” PCSO, by virtue of its charter, remains a partner of the industry to this day. PCSO’s racing program sponsors horse races throughout the year. Its flagship event is the PCSO Presidential Gold Cup, in honor of the incumbent head of state. The Gold Cup, which is on its 43rd running this year, is the most prestigious in the sport. As far as we know, it is the longest continuouslyheld sporting event in the country, a tradition and legacy that the agency proudly upholds. The first PCSO race of this year was held last Saturday at the Manila Jockey Club’s San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite. The next, the PCSO Freedom Cup mile, is set for February 8 at the Philippine Racing Club’s Santa Ana Park in Naic, Cavite. Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II is vice-chairman and general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Birth and death are serious occasions, true, but work is also a big deal, or it should be. You spend more time at work than you do birthing and dying if you’re only a little bit lucky. How can you tell that being able to get a job and going to work is important? For much of history, women and those marginalized by the culture were prohibited from doing it. Women, people of color, the very poor or those seen as being of the “wrong” religion were barred from being able to walk through the gates and apply for work. These jobs remained not as much out of reach as they were out of bounds. Laws had to be passed so that hard-working people would be permitted the privilege of being able to get them. There were a lot of things I wanted to say to the graduate (including, of course, “One word: plastics”) but all I said was that getting a job he didn’t like would still be better than hanging around hoping to be discovered. Work is an essential part of life’s conversation. If you sit at the grown-ups’ table, it should be an experience you are able to discuss first hand. It’s OK if those hands are a little rough.

Opinion BusinessMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph

Will US protect its Syrian rebel army?

It’s all about work

By Josh Rogin

HE long-awaited Syrian train-and-equip program that President Barack Obama sold to Congress as the way to keep American boots off the ground in Syria is finally about to start training its first troops. Three Obama administration officials who work on the Middle East told me that after months of preparations, the vetting of rebel troops for the first tranche of training is nearly complete. About 1,800 soldiers from Free Syrian Army brigades in southern Syria will soon move to a training camp in Jordan to undergo weeks of preparation for a coming fight against Islamic State inside Syria. But here’s the problem: The administration hasn’t figured out what to do if and when those troops are attacked by Bashar al-Assad’s air force, after they get back into Syria. One Obama administration official described that prospect to me as the “Achilles’ Heel” of the whole program, calling the deployment the administration’s last and best chance to make the Syria component of its anti-IS strategy work. On Thursday, administration officials met to ponder how to protect the new US-trained Syrian rebel army from barrel bombs and other air attacks. Next Monday, Obama will preside over a meeting of his National Security Council on the campaign against Islamic State where this issue could be debated. The Pentagon has prepared a memo that sets out a few basic options. The US could use its formidable air assets to cover these rebels, but that would mean engaging militarily against the Assad regime, an act with big political diplomatic, and legal implications. Alternatively, the US could provide its new rebel army with anti-aircraft weapons, such as Manpads, so it can defend itself. But the risks of proliferation of those weapons to extremists would be dire. Some inside the administration favor warning the Assad regime not to attack these specific brigades, hoping that Assad will realize that they are only targeting Islamic State. Assad himself rejected that idea in a recent interview with Foreign Affairs, when he said the Western-trained force would be fair game for attacks. “Any troops that don’t work in cooperation with the Syrian army are illegal and should be fought. That’s very clear,” Assad said. “Without cooperation with Syrian troops, they are illegal, and are puppets of another country, so they are going to be fought like any other illegal militia fighting against the Syrian army.” Michael Nagata, the general in charge of the $500 million Syria train-and-equip program, heavily favors either giving the new rebel force the means to defend itself from air attacks or using US air power to protect them. He has told lawmakers and congressional aides in briefings that the US has a responsibility to protect the fighters it is sending in on behalf of the international community. Many experts doubt that any

strategy that relies on Assad not to attack the new Syrian rebel army would work. “If President Assad said he’s going to attack those troops, we have to take him at his word,” said Andrew Tabler, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “This begs the question: Can you hit Assad’s forces and under what circumstances? That was always going to be a key question in this policy.” The White House has real concerns about the legal implications of attacking Assad’s forces. More broadly, its desire to see Assad go also seems to have waned, given that under current conditions extremists might end up taking control. Also, especially in the South, rebel forces are likely to find themselves fighting IS and the regime at the same time, even if the US only wants them to fight the former. “The White House doesn’t want to get in the middle of that, they want something that deals with Isis only,” Tabler said. “The regime’s collapse right now, they feel, would lead to the spread of ISIS. But at the end of this, if Assad doesn’t go, you can’t put the pieces of Syria back together again. That’s the conundrum.” There’s deep frustration within the top ranks of the US military about both the White House’s policy constraints on the mission to fight Islamic State in Syria as well as its insistence on micromanaging all aspects of the campaign. “There are many sincere people in our government who frankly are paralyzed by this complexity,” General Michael Flynn, the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told a Washington industry conference this week. So they “accept a defensive posture, reasoning that passivity is less likely to provoke our enemies.” The National Security Council declined to comment for this article. The White House’s concerns are real. Attacking Assad’s forces could have unanticipated consequences. Although the US has covertly been arming rebels to fight Assad for years, the legality of fighting the regime directly is questionable. Giving Syria rebels heavy weapons would be risky, considering their poor track record on handling such weapons so far. But US policy toward Syria can’t continue to straddle the fence. Defeating Islamic State requires dealing with the problem that is the Assad regime one way or the other. Leaving the regime in place might result in the emergence of perhaps even worse extremists down the line. The political reconciliation process is nonexistent. If Assad is going to attack US-trained rebel forces in Syria, the White House must have a real plan for how that army, and through it the overall US Syria policy, can survive.

Bloomberg View

OOGLE released its fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday, and those results were pretty lackluster. The company delivered decent, if disappointing, growth. GAAP earnings per share rose to $6.91 in the fourth quarter from $4.95 a year ago, but Wall Street expected $7.11 a share. Revenue rose by 15 percent over the previous year to $18.1 billion. The company still makes most of its money by selling cheap online ads. Paid clicks in aggregate increased by about 14 percent over the past year. But the average cost per click–the price advertisers

are willing to pay Google to host an ad– decreased by 3 percent. This slowdown in growth and in pricing is in keeping with the company’s last few quarters. Ultimately, the stock market shrugged.

people have come to believe that time is money, the more time you spend working, theoretically the more money you make. But William James never heard of Filipino politicians who work less and make more. There is Thorstein Veblen’s classic, The Theory of the Leisure Class, an finely written book devoted to the phenomenon in the title; a certain de Grazia concluded his book Of Time, Work and Lei-

sure with the injunction to “lean back under a tree, put your arms behind your head, wonder at the pass we’ve come to, smile and remember that the beginnings and ends of every great enterprise are untidy.” So stop looking for loose ends to tie up and give it a rest. Unless you work 24/7 in an Asian or US sweatshop for Mango or H&M or any of the other fashion houses that cater to the lower end of the market that want to look, even if they cannot afford to be as fashionable as the upper end of it. But the real reason people work so hard—aside from sweatshop workers who risk starving to death faster than ever—when they can afford to take it easy is that, if they aren’t working they will be bored with themselves. Believe it or not there really isn’t that much that’s interesting outside work. Think of it: even rock climbing is a lotta work and

dangerous too though thoroughly pointless. Man is made to work. The only real concern is if he or she is paid decently to do it or not like the sweatshop workers of Swedish fashion houses. It all comes down to the just wage for the worker in the vineyard, as Jesus said. The rest is just poop. It isn’t anything grand like “work defines man” or in work he discovers himself. None of that’s true. The practice of law should be interesting but it isn’t, unless you are fabulous like Amal Clooney taking on genocide cases. Law is humdrum work just a notch more interesting than accountancy which isn’t at all though law is paid less. We work because it is what we know how to do aside from being the only source of income for most people. Other than that, work isn’t anything much yet it is still a whole lot more interesting than doing nothing.

to doom it for many years. The numbers will feel perfectly fine in the way that a burger from room service is perfectly fine: It’ll get the job done, but it won’t be an InN-Out. As with any older company with lots of cash, a steady business and slowing growth, it’s time for Google to issue a dividend. When an analyst asked about the possibility of a shareholder payout, the company’s finance chief, Patrick Pichette, said he had “nothing to announce” on the issue. He did make reassurances that the company cares about share price and that it reviews the topic on a regular basis. Pichette’s reassurance was nice, but let’s face it, nice doesn’t mean very much.

His company, after all, spent untold hundreds of millions of dollars on a mysterious but ultimately scrapped barge project and the intriguing but ultimately doomed Google Glass. Google has $64.4 billion in cash on hand and it produced $2.81 billion in free cash flow in the fourth quarter. That’s a lot of money for the moonshot stuff that Google says keeps the spirit of innovation alive at the company. It’s a lot of money for new business lines that could pay off, such as Google Fiber, the company’s plans to become a wireless carrier, or investments in companies that connect the world to the Internet

via satellite. And it’s cash that can cover huge capital expenditures on the real estate and data centers that it needs to compete in the cloud. But that kind of cash should also be enough to cover a modest dividend to reward investors who don’t mind slow growth, or who are patiently waiting for a balloon project, a satellite investment or a Wi-Fi carrier plan to pay off big time. Google’s results weren’t that exciting, but there are plenty of reasons why investors gravitate toward unexciting companies. Dependability is one. Dividends are another. It would be nice if Google could offer both.

Teddy Locsin Jr.

Free fire

ERE is totally useless research and yet there is a lot of it even from places like Princeton and people like Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz.

W hile labor- and therefore time-saving devices are giving people more time to chill out the same people are spending more time working as if making up for time gained by losing more time working harder than ever. William James, brother of Henry, my favorite novelist, said the sense of time is comparative. Something takes a longer time only in relation to another thing that takes a shorter time. And since

Where’s the payoff for Google investors? By Katie Benner

Monday, February 2, 2015 A11

If you’re an investor who wants to put money into a potentially volatile but fast-growing tech company, then Google is not the stock for you. Go buy GoPro or Lending Club. If you want a staid company that’s a leader in a lucrative market–say, selling cheap ads against search results and Web videos–you might find Google very attractive. It could deliver not-terrible but not-spectacular numbers for many quarters to come. Google may not end up dominating mobile search, and it will cede some online-search market share to the likes of Yahoo. But those trends won’t be enough

2nd Front Page BusinessMirror

A12 Monday, February 2, 2015

GLOBAL BANKS UPGRADE PHL GROWTH PROSPECTS By Bianca Cuaresma

esurgent growth in the final three months of 2014, from a rather tepid growth performance three months earlier, allowed some private foreign bank analysts to recast the likely growth path of the Philippines somewhat higher this year. In separate research notes Jp Morgan and Standard Chartered Bank both expressed optimism on the country’s growth prospects, saying the Philippines can sustain its growth momentum no matter more recent structural challenges, such as supply-side shocks and the government’s reluctance to boost local output with heightened public disbursement activities. Both were of the view the Philippines may not attain the target expansion set higher by the government to 7 percent or 8 percent this year. In particular, JPMorgan revised its 2015 gross domestic product (GDP) growth estimate for the $270-billion economy, from 5.4 percent to 6.4 percent. Standard Chartered, meanwhile, said it expects growth averaging only 6 percent in 2015 but with upside risks to the forecast, particularly if the government accelerates its expenditure program and more infrastructure projects move into the construction phase. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported just last week that the economy rebounded to growth averaging 6.9 percent after a disappointing 5.3 percent performance in the third quarter of the year.

Following the GDP release, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan also said the 7-percent growth path seen this year remains very likely, and that the worst was over in terms of the government’s underspending. “Growth is likely to be supported by the domestic and external sectors, with low oil prices providing additional upside. Our macro tracker for the Philippines shows that the economy has continued to benefit from solid external demand in recent months. At the same time, inflationary pressures have eased, most notably from energy,” analysts at Standard Chartered said. “We remain confident on growth over the next few quarters, as consumption remains robust and the government is expected to accelerate spending ahead of the six-month moratorium on project approvals prior to the May 2016 national elections,” analysts at JP Morgan also said. While the dollar was seen gaining strength toward the end of the year, the macroeconomic underpinnings of the Philippine economy were seen helping lift the foreign-exchange market and provide strength to the peso, according to Standard Chartered analysts. “The latest GDP and trade balance figures are further evidence of the Philippines’s strong domestic fundamentals…. In line with this, we expect US dollar [USD]Philippine Peso [PHP] to remain range-bound even in a stronger USD environment. We forecast USD-PHP at P45 in mid-2015 and P43.50 at end-2015,” Standard Chartered said.

Govt, insurers forge microinsurance pact

By David Cagahastian

manifesto containing the master plan to expand microinsurance coverage in the Philippines was signed by the government and the private sector to ensure that even marginal-income Filipinos are protected against risks associated with climate change. The Microinsurance Manifesto was signed by six key government agencies, led by the Department of Finance (DOF), and the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (Pira), representing the private sector, in a ceremony on Friday night at the Philippine International Convention Center. “Microinsurance is the best we can give to our poor countrymen to help them adapt to climate change,” Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said. “With microinsurance, they

have a better chance of recovering from financial shocks caused by typhoons, floods and other calamities,” Beltran added. The Philippines is the global model for microinsurance, with the industry covering about 19 percent of the population, or a marketpenetration rate that is even higher than India’s, according to the Insurance Commission (IC). Microinsurance coverage costs as low as P25 and provides payouts as low as P5,000. They are sold to low-

income groups to protect against sudden loss of income due to calamities. The Microinsurance Manifesto will ensure cooperation between the government and the private sector in making sure that action plans toward making microinsurance available to all poor Filipinos are realized. Pira Chairman Michael Rellosa said that the private sector has always been supportive of microinsurance and has helped draft the action plans included in the manifesto to ensure that poor Filipinos are protected against the “new normal” of powerful typhoons devastating the Philippines annually. Aside from the DOF and Pira, other agencies that signed the manifesto include the IC, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Securities and Exchange Commission the Cooperatives Development Authority, the Climate Change Commission, and representatives of the Japanese and German governments. The total market penetration of insurance in the Philippines has risen from 14 percent in 2009 to 28 percent in 2014, mostly because of the inroads made by microinsurance.

SAF44 FUND DRIVE

Support the families of the slain Special Action Force officers. Cash and check donations may be deposited to Citystate Savings Bank Account 001-11-000038-9 and BDO Savings Account 90173473. Anonymous donations are welcome.

BEST IN PRINT The nonprofit Universal Peace Federation cited on Saturday the collective effort of the ALC Group of Companies under its founder, Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, in promoting harmony among Filipinos and transparency in both the government and the private sector, and as, a result, conferred on the BusinessMirror the citation as Best Newspaper. Also cited was the special coverage done by the Philippines Graphic, sister publication of the BusinessMirror, on the recent visit of Pope Francis, who attracted millions of adoring Catholic faithful. Philippines Graphic Editor in Chief Joel Pablo Salud (left) and BusinessMirror Editor in Chief Jun Vallecera were Peace awardees in ceremonies at the Manila Hotel. Sister institution and radio station dwIZ, with Rey Langit as vice president and station manager, was similarly cited as Best Radio Station in the broadcast category.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

House vows passage of competition law in March By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

he leadership of the House of Representatives has committed to passing the proposed Philippine Fair Competition Act (PFCA) in March, after the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) and Philippine business groups urged law makers to prioritize the passage of the key economic measure. Liberal Party Rep. Antonio Rafael del Rosario of Davao del Norte, one of the authors of House Bill (HB) 5286, or the consolidated version of the proposed Philippine Fair Competition Act, said the measure is the product of the joint efforts of the committees on Trade and Industry and Economic Affairs, after conducting one executive briefing, four public hearings, three technical working group meetings and countless hours of consultations with various stakeholders over the course of seven months to come up with the final product. “[After this long committee deliberations] we’re hoping to get the bill approved on third and final reading before our March break,” del Rosario, who sponsored the measure on floor, told the BusinessMirror. Congress will take a break from March 21 to May 3. Earlier, the JFC and Philippine business groups have repeatedly urged the leadership of the House of Representatives to prioritize the passage of several economic measures, including the proposed PFCA. Alfredo Yao, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said during the House of Representatives meeting with the business organizations, said the Congress should treat the proposed Philippine Fair Competition law with urgency. “There should be a level playing field for businesses to provide better services and products,” he said. Del Rosario said a competition law will be passed in preparation for 2015 Asean Integration, which seeks to establish “a single-market and production base with free movement of goods, services, labor and capital.” He said the measure aims to minimize, if not totally eradicate, unfair competition, monopolies and cartels. The bill also heavily penalizes monopoly, anti-competitive mergers and other unfair trade practices. The measure defines monopoly, a a form of market structure in which one entity has earned a privilege or obtained advantage over others in the sale of a good or service. As defined under the measure, a mergers is a situation where two or more entities, previously independent of one another, join. These include transactions whereby: two entities combine, one entity takes control of the whole or part of another, two or more entities acquire control over another entity and other transaction whereby one or more undertakings acquire control over one or more entities. The bill also proposes to create the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) that will prosecute those engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices with the purpose of preventing, See “Competition,” A2