BusinessMirror January 9, 2015

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NEW MARY ON ‘downton abbey’

Life

FR. SAL PUTZU, SDB AND LOUIE M. LACSON Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com

Port Congestion Multisectoral Working Group Chairman Ernesto M. Ordoñez warned that the holidays this month would push the yard utilization at Manila’s two terminals past their maximum levels, resulting in worse conditions at the ports if not immediately averted.

The head of the public-private group, working to eliminate the congestion at the ports in Manila, noted

MY SCOTCH EGGS »D3

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Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

Friday, January 9, 2015

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Michelle Dockery’s new Mary on ‘Downton Abbey’

MICHELLE ON MARY:

“She’s got this attitude a little bit with people who are going through something.

There’s no fussing around. So I love that about her.

She doesn’t suffer fools.”

B Y V Los Angeles Times

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ER performance as Lady Mary on Downton Abbey has brought Michelle Dockery many a thing: fans with tales of their own repressed sisterhood memories, a few Emmy nominations and a Twitter account for her eyebrows. The fifth season of the PBS drama premieres in North America on January 4—and the 33-yearold actress said it’s one, in which some color comes back into her character’s life. (Downton Abbey is aired around these parts on cable TV via The Lifestyle Network on SKYcable.—Ed.) There’s a weird and contentious rollout period—Britain gets the show first, and then months later it drops in the US. Are you just constantly on edge about what you can say about the show and to whom?

Oh, yeahhhh. We’re all very cautious not to give the game away and not give away any storylines because it would only spoil it for everyone. But then at the same time, there’s curiosity and people want to know what’s happening. I’m always checking for accents and wondering who I can tell a little more to and who I can’t, depending on what time of year it is.

Where do we pick up?

We pick up...we pick up...gosh, it was so long ago now. See, this is another problem!

I can’t keep track of it all. It’s six months on since the Christmas special. I guess the thing I feel for this series, in terms of Mary, is she’s a new Mary. She’s through her grief. She’s really embracing the social climate. Literally, the color has come back into her life since the death of Matthew. She’s wearing lilacs. She’s picked herself back up again, and she’s moving on with her life. It’s really a new side of her that I love playing. You see more of her with George, now that he’s a little bit older. And she’s taking on responsibilities of the estate with Branson. But she’s also trying to move on romantically.

who are going through something. There’s no fussing around. So I love that about her.

She doesn’t suffer fools. I get a kick out of it, especially the stuff that involves Edith. I just love their dynamic.

It’s like you’re living in the period.

What’s another modern element you wish you could infuse onto the set or into the show?

Sometimes I just want a simple blow dry! The hairstyles on the show take a bit of time. It’s not that I dislike it, it just takes so much time.

life

Downton Abbey is heading into its fifth season—and it’s a show that people are always wondering how long it will span.

Is there a show you’d be sad, or were sad, to see end?

I’m a big fan of Mad Men. And I know it’s on its way out, so I’m really interested to see how everything plays out. It’s such a stunning show.

And I have been known to watch Two and a Half Men—people always find that odd.

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Has Downton Abbey made you think about class or culture differently?

It’s just like any job. You’re always learning.

For me, I’m fascinated by the history and what was happening at the time.

The changes that were happened postWorld War I. I think being part of a show that started in the Edwardian period and is now in the 1920s, it’s a huge leap, and it’s been interesting to see that.

We’re doing this interview in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton—a place I’m sure Mary would stay in if she were around. How do you think you’re LA experience might differ from Mary’s?

I eat a lot of sushi. I don’t really want to eat anything else when I’m here, because it’s the best. I’m at Sugarfish most of the time. It’s great. They have these set menus, so it’s good for a quick lunch. I try to get around as much as we can. I like to get to the beach whenever possible. It’s seems criminal to be in LA and not to go to the beach, especially when you’re a Brit. I think Mary might be into the sushi. I don’t know if she’d be game to lay on the beach.

I think she might find that frivolous. She’s very uptight, you know. ■

The

he near certainty of higher US interest rates down the line has compelled those intending to borrow foreign currency from banks’ foreign-currency deposit units (FCDUs) to do so in the third quarter last

B3-1 | Friday, January 9, 2015 • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

PEOPLE attend a demonstration in solidarity with those killed in an attack at the Paris offices of weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo at the French Consulate in Barcelona, Spain, on January 7. Masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of a weekly newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad, methodically killing 12 people, including the editor, before escaping in a car. It was France’s deadliest postwar terrorist attack. AP/MANU FERNANDEZ

‘JE SUIS CHARLIE’ GOES VIRAL

profi le pictures on Facebook, while Twitter users showed themselves with the slogan on signs with words of support for the 12 victims who were killed at Charlie Hebdo, a weekly newspaper that had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad.

The Je Suis Charlie slogan grew into a trending hashtag on Twitter and spread to Instagram, along with an image of a machine gun with the words Ceci n’est pas une religion, or “This is not a religion.”

One user on Instagram sent out a simple black-and-white drawing of the Eiffel Tower with the message: “Pray for Paris.” Another wrote: “Islam is a beautiful religion. This is not what we see on TV. Terrorists are not real Muslims. #IamCharlie.”

Masked gunmen methodically killed the 12 people, including the newspaper’s editor, as they shouted “Allahu akbar!”—or “Allah is the greatest”—while firing, then fleeing in a car.

The newspaper’s depictions of Islam have drawn condemnation and threats before. It was firebombed in 2011 and also satirized other religions and political figures.

There were also protests in some American cities. AP

Hunt for 2 in Paris shooting that killed 12; 1 surrenders

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ARIS—One man sought in the deadly shooting at a French satirical paper has turned himself in, and police hunted on Thursday for two heavily armed men with possible links to al-Qaeda in the military-style, methodical killing of 12 people at the office of a satirical newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad.

President François Hollande, visiting the scene of France’s deadliest such attack in more than half a century, called the assault on the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo “an act of exceptional barbarism.”

France raised its terror alert system to the maximum—Attack Alert—and bolstered security with more than 800 extra soldiers to guard media offices, places of worship, transport and other sensitive areas.

Fears had been running high in France and elsewhere in Europe that jihadis trained in warfare abroad would stage attacks at home.

French brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, in their early 30s, should be considered armed and dangerous, according to a police bulletin released early Thursday.

Mourad Hamyd, 18, surrendered at

a police station in Charleville-Mezieres, a small town in France’s eastern Champagne region, Paris prosecutor’s Spokesman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said. She did not offer details on Hamyd’s relationship with the men.

Heavily armed police moved into the nearby city of Reims, searching for the suspects without success, Thibault-Lecuivre said. Video from BFM-TV showed police dressed in white apparently taking samples inside an apartment. It was not immediately clear who lived there.

One of the police officials said they were linked to a Yemeni terrorist network, and Cedric Le Bechec, a witness who encountered the escaping gunmen, quoted the attackers as saying: “You can tell the media that it’s al-Qaeda in Yemen.” The masked, black-clad men with assault rifles stormed the offices near Paris’s Bastille monument in the Wednesday noontime attack on the publication, which had long drawn condemnation and threats—it was firebombed in 2011—for its depictions of Islam, although it also satirized other religions and political figures. Shouting “Allahu akbar!” as they fired, the men used fluent, unaccented French as they called out the names of specific employees. AP

World expresses shock at attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’

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ORLD leaders, journalists’ groups and others around the world have expressed horror at the deadly attack on Wednesday by gunmen on the Paris offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

Here are some of their reactions: ■ “I don’t understand how people can attack a newspaper with heavy weapons. A newspaper is not a weapon of war.”—Charlie Hebdo Editor in Chief Gerard Biard to France Inter radio.

■ “This is an act of exceptional barbarism.”—French President Francois Hollande.

■ “The fact that this was an attack on journalists, attack on our free press, also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”— President Barack Obama.

■ “Regardless of the motive, homicidal violence is abominable and never justified. Life and human dignity must be guaranteed with decisiveness, and every instigation of hatred refuted and respect cultivated.”— Pope Francis, according to the Vatican spokesman.

■ “We condemn...this hateful, criminal act....While the terrorists are intensifying their acts to exacerbate the confrontation inside our country, both Muslim and Christians have to intensify their actions to give more strength to this dialogue, to make a united front against extremism.”— Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the Union of French mosques.

■ “We decisively condemn this cynical crime. We reaffirm our readiness to continue active cooperation in combating the threat of terrorism.”—Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a telegram of condolence to Hollande.

■ “This horrific attack was meant to divide. We must not fall into that trap. This is a moment for solidarity around the world.”—UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon.

■ “I think all of Europe is crying today. All the free world is crying. All men and women who believe in freedom and reason are crying.”—Italian

dishonesty and stupidity. ‘Respect for religion’ has become a code phrase meaning ‘fear of religion.’

Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect.”—Salman Rushdie, who spent years in hiding after his novel The Satanic Verses drew a death edict from Iran’s religious authorities.

■ “This abhorrent act is not just an attack on the life of French citizens and the internal security of France. It also represents an attack on freedom of opinion and of the press, a core element of our free and democratic culture.”—German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

■ “This House and this country stand united with the French people in our opposition to all forms of terrorism and we stand squarely for free speech and democracy. These people will never be able to take us off those values.”—British Prime Minister David Cameron in the House of Commons.

■ “Egypt stands by France in confronting terrorism, an international phenomenon that targets the world’s security and stability and which requires coordinated international efforts to eradicate.”—Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Premier Matteo Renzi during a solidarity visit to the French Embassy in Rome.

■ “This is a brazen assault on free expression in the heart of Europe.”—Robert Mahoney, deputy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

■ “This will create fear among people on a whole different level than we’re used to. Charlie Hebdo was a small oasis. Not many dared do what they did.”—Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who lives under police protection after drawing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

■ “I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny,

■ “This is a dark day for freedom of expression and a vibrant press culture. But above all, it is an appalling human tragedy.”—Stephan Oberreit, director of Amnesty International France.

■ “Charlie Hebdo was among the magazines that showed the most solidarity with Jyllands-Posten when the Muhammad crisis was at its peak.

We haven’t forgotten that. Here at Jyllands-Posten we feel strongly for our colleagues in Paris.”—Editorial in Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which faced numerous threats and foiled attacks after it published 12 caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005.

■ “I offer my condolences to the families and friends of those killed— the cartoonists, journalists and those who were trying to protect them.

They paid a very high price for exercising their comic liberty. Very little seems funny today.”—Ian Hislop, editor of British satirical newspaper Private Eye. ■ “All North Atlantic Treaty Organization [Nato] allies stand together in the fight against terrorism. Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations can never be tolerated or justified.”—Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. AP

WORLD

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rivals no more los angeles lakers center robert sacre (left) tries to stop the rampaging los angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin. AP

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Cavs make another deal, get Mozgov from Nuggets

RIVALS NO MORE L

Los Angeles Times

OS ANGELES—Whether Lakers-Clippers qualifies as a worthwhile National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry remains open for debate.

What was not disputable on Wednesday night inside Staples Center was which team enjoyed itself more.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer danced and forward Blake Griffin repeatedly dunked, while the Lakers largely disgusted their pockets of fans during a 114-89 defeat that felt a lot like the record wallopings the Clippers administered on their co-tenants last season.

Griffin finished with 27 points on nine-for-13 shooting to go with nine rebounds and eight assists, his triple-double bid falling short only because he sat out a fourth quarter in which his team led by as many as 43 points.

His dunks continually wowed the crowd during a designated Clippers home game. Griffin took advantage

of the lane mysteriously clearing of Lakers defenders late in the second quarter to drive for a windmill dunk and later added a ferocious left-handed slam.

A noticeably more aggressive Chris Paul tallied 24 points on nine-for-15 shooting as well as 11 assists, to help the Clippers notch their fifth consecutive triumph over the Lakers, tying a franchise record. The Clippers have won nine of the last 10 games in the series.

“It all started with our defensive intensity,” Paul said. “We played with better pace and that starts on the defensive end.”

It was another rough night for Kobe Bryant, who hardly seemed rejuvenated two days after sitting out a game to rest. The Lakers star missed his first eight shots and did not score until making a 10-foot jumper with 5:49 to play in the third quarter and his team trailing by 30 points.

Bryant added a turnaround fadeaway jumper a few minutes later and finished with a season-low four points on two-for-12 shooting to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. He last finished with so few points in December 2013, against Oklahoma City.

MozGoV

“I was trying to rush things, change momentum to get us back in it a little bit,” Bryant said, “but I didn’t play any different than I normally play.”

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said his team’s ball movement, spacing and defensive intensity reminded him of the way it was playing late last season when it was at its best.

“It was one of those flashes from the end of the year, how we were playing,” said Rivers, whose team has been plagued by inconsistency this season, “and that’s what we have to get back to.”

The Lakers were missing guard Ronnie Price (broken nose, flu) and forward Wesley Johnson (strained hip flexor), but it hardly seemed to matter on a night the Clippers reached 100 points in the opening moments of the fourth quarter.

Ballmer boogied in the early going, but it had nothing to do with his team scoring a season-high 70 points in the first half. Pop star Fergie sat next to the billionaire before giving a brief performance during a time-out.

“I’ll put it this way: He danced exactly how I expected him to,” Griffin said of Ballmer. “But

his enthusiasm was fun.”

Hours after tweeting that he was not feeling well in far more colorful language, Clippers forward Matt Barnes played as if he was just fine. He scored 19 points while playing strong defense on Bryant.

“I just felt terrible during the day,” Barnes said, “and once I got moving, running, I felt better.”

Highlights were hard to find for the Lakers.

Rookie Jordan Clarkson scored a team-high 14 points and Jeremy Lin made a buzzer-beater two nights after hoisting a late airball against the Portland Trail Blazers. Too bad this one was a threepointer that pulled the Lakers to within 10 points at the end of the first quarter.

“They came out and punched us, and we were soft ,” Lakers Coach Byron Scott said. “Period.”

Scott didn’t get any argument from Bryant, who had called his team “soft like Charmin” during a recent practice.

“He said the same thing I said,” Bryant said of his coach. “He just didn’t use the toilet paper analogy.”

No matter how anyone phrased it, it was just another night the Lakers would rather flush.

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uST before the Cleveland Cavaliers played their fifth game of 2014-2015 season, a Denver reporter asked Cavs Coach David Blatt about Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov.

Blatt smiled, fondly remember coaching Mozgov on the Russian national team.

“Timofey is a great young man, and I had the pleasure and honor to coach him for a number of years on the Russian national team in the national team environment and we had a lot of great success together, winning medals and titles, and obviously he was a big part of that,” Blatt said last November 7. “Except for tonight, I’ve got a very, very soft spot in my heart for him. Great kid. Great kid.”

Now, Blatt gets to coach him in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Cavaliers will acquire Mozgov from the Nuggets for two protected firstround picks, a person familiar with the deal told USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until the deal was officially announced.

Mozgov, 28, developed into a starter for the Nuggets this season, averaging 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, and will fill a necessary hole in Cleveland’s frontcourt, especially with center Anderson Varejao (torn Achilles) out for the season. The Cavs need more defense at the rim and believe Mozgov can help.

It’s been a roster-altering 48 hours for the Cavaliers. On Monday they acquired guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert from the New York Knicks, getting scoring and defense, and then getting Mozgov, who the Cavs have had interest in since the season started.

Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin deserves credit for a busy week, starting with his defense of Blatt on Sunday, and then two necessary trades.

The Cavaliers, once healthy, could start Kyrie Irving, Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Mozgov with Shumpert (out with a dislocated shoulder), Tristan Thompson, Shawn Marion, Mike Miller and Matthew Dellavedova off the bench.

Denver had been reluctant to trade Mozgov, who is on a team-friendly contract at $4.65 million this season and $4.95 million in 2015-2016. But the Nuggets also have promising big men in 20-year-old Jusuf Nurkic, who is on the roster now, and 19-year-old Nikola Jokic, who is playing in Europe.

The two draft picks going to the Nuggets are protected, and one of the picks will eventually be a first rounder.

ESPN first reported the trade. USA Today

sports

Melo TrUsTiNG oN kNiCks’ TraDe MoVes

By Barbara Barker

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Newsday

ASHINGTON—Carmelo Anthony said he knew it was going to be a rebuilding year when he signed a $124-million contract with the Knicks in July.

What he never imagined is that by early January, the Knicks would have the worst record in the National Basketball Association (NBA), two of his closest friends would get traded and his sore left knee would be giving him so much trouble that he might have to start thinking about surgery or prolonged rest.

Anthony, who missed his fourth straight game last night because of knee pain, told reporters before the morning shootaround that he has not talked to team president Phil Jackson since the three-team deal on Monday that sent J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland. Anthony also said he did not talk with Jackson about the trade before it happened.

Still, as hard as it is for him to lose his friends, he said he has to keep the faith that the organization is on the right track.

“When I first committed back in New York, I said I have to trust that these guys know what they’re doing and believe in those guys,” Anthony said. “That’s

one of the reasons I wanted to come back. Here’s the opportunity with the trust. Everything starts now.”

Despite the dismantling of the roster and the fact that the Knicks have lost 23 of their last 24 games, Anthony said he is hoping to be able to play on January 15 against the Bucks in London. If the knee is still bothering him then, however, he indicated he may have to take more drastic measures.

“I thought these two weeks would really help me out, just as far as seeing if rest is the issue or I need to take proper precautions and get something done,” Anthony said.

He likened the injury to an “annoying pebble in your shoe” because it sometimes bothers him and sometimes doesn’t. He said he’s had a number of “MRIs and scans” since the pain started in the second game of the season.

He is expected to eventually need surgery. The only question is the timetable.

It wasn’t only the knee that had Anthony in a somber mood on Wednesday. Talking for the first time since the trade, the seven-time All-Star painted a chaotic picture of the Knicks’ locker room on Monday night when news of the deal surfaced.

Anthony said he was working out on his own in Memphis when both Shumpert and Smith came to

find him and bring him to the visitors’ locker room.

“It was hard for me to come in that locker room,” Anthony said. “It was a state of confusion not really knowing what was going on. Shock. I had a chance to calm them down.

“Them guys was really hurt. I had to calm them down and let them know everything was going to be all right from their standpoint. They had to move on and get past this. It was more upsetting from a friendship standpoint than a basketball standpoint.

They understood the business of basketball.”

And so does Anthony, although he admits he never thought he would see the team in such a bleak situation.

“It’s hard to see that,” he said. “It’s easy to see it [now], cause it’s obvious and apparent. But it’s hard to see it for me.”

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ietnam, taking the lead in gay rights in Southeast Asia by abolishing a ban on same-sex marriage, has medical doctor Thuan Nguyen planning a wedding ceremony with his boyfriend of two years.

“I am ready to have a wedding,” he said. “Many, many young people in love are optimistic about the acceptance of gay weddings.”

The revised law, while not officially recognizing same-sex mar-

PESO exchange rates n US 45.0320 New York knicks forward Carmelo anthony, right, sits out with a sore ankle as he talks to teammate, knicks forward Quincy acy. AP

Notes and quotes

THE Knicks waived the three players acquired in the three-way deal—former Thunder forward Lance Thomas and former Cavaliers Alex Kirk and Lou Amundson. They signed D-League Westchester guard Langston Galloway to a 10-day contract.

year, when such loans stood 4.3 percent higher to $12.1 billion.

This, compared with FCDU loans totaling only $11.6 billion three months earlier that highlighted the ready availability of low-cost US dollar loans in an environment where See “FCDU loans,” A2

Vietnam finds new tourism niche in Asean: same-sex marriage

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A CARTOON tribute drawn by MacLeod was released in solidarity with those killed in an attack at the Paris offices of the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo after masked gunmen stormed its offices on January 7. As if to prove that pens are mightier than swords, cartoonists around the world reacted to the cold-bloodied assassination of their colleagues as only they can: with powerful drawings worth a thousand words. AP/MACLEOD CARTOONS

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| Friday, January 9, 2015 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Clippers wallop lakers

By Ben Bolch

By Bianca Cuaresma

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World

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F.C.D.U. LOANS CONTINUE CLIMB ON FORESEEN HIGHER U.S. RATES

BusinessMirror

ESSAGES of condolence, outrage and defiance over the Paris terrorist attack on a newspaper office spread quickly around the world on Wednesday with thousands of people taking to the streets to protest the killings and using the slogan “Je Suis Charlie” on social media. Related story on B3-3.

Many who poured into Place de la Republique in eastern Paris near the site of Wednesday’s noontime attack waved papers, pencils and pens.

Journalists led the march but most in the crowd weren’t from the media world, expressing solidarity and support of freedom of speech.

Similar gatherings, including some silent vigils, took place at London’s Trafalgar Square, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, in Madrid, Brussels, Nice and elsewhere.

“No matter what a journalist or magazine has to say, even if it is not what the majority of people think, they still have the right to say it without feeling in danger, which is the case today,” said Alice Blanc, a London student who is originally from Paris and was among those in the London crowd, estimated in the hundreds.

Online, the declaration Je Suis Charlie, or “I Am Charlie,” replaced

that the capital is host to the Feast of the Black Nazarene, which is celebrated today, Friday. Manila would also host the Roman pontiff from January 15 to 19, prompting the local government to close a number of roads to make way for the Church’s activities.

“We are likely to see this situation worsening, as we deal with the Black

After Laura told me how you and she go nuts for Beyoncé and Rihanna, I like to imagine that you two are playing some of their numbers for the cast between takes.

Wouldn’t that be something? It would make for a great extra on the DVDs. We should do that. We’re so limited with our sources of entertainment. There’s no cell signal in Highclere Castle. So it’s like living in that time because you can’t get any reception on your phone, so there’s no point to even bringing it to the set.

World expresses shock at attack We saw Mary go through a lot last season—and then we saw her farming, which was a bit jarring. But how was it to see her suffer at this level?

Mary is not a dweller. I mean, we saw her in Series 4 being in the dark place and Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) and Carson (Jim Carter) having to pull her out of it. But it would only have ever been brief with Mary anyway.

I think she’s stronger than that. So you see her kind of getting her strength back. There’s almost a bit of her from (Season 1) that’s come back, as well.

There’s a very interesting storyline for Edith (Laura Carmichael) this year, and Mary’s attitude toward Edith is kind of like, “Well, I lost a husband, as well as a sister, get on with it.” She’s got that attitude a little bit with people

By Lorenz S. Marasigan & Jae Denise Adolfo

he biggest Catholic Church events for the year —the Feast of the Black Nazarene and the papal visit happening this month—loom as logistical nightmares that could worsen the condition at the country’s main sea gateways in Manila, particularly if preemptive measures were not instituted immediately to prevent another port logjam.

INSIDE

Faith-building and peace mission

P25.00 nationwide | 7 sections 32 pages | 7 days a week

Jan. holidays seen clogging ports

6 DAYS

EAR God, this prayer corner was born on this day, January 9, on the year 2008. It is a faith-building and peace mission movement. We thank the Holy Spirit for sustaining, nurturing and inspiring us to make daily prayers for all who find time to talk to You. The prayers are the well spring of faith and peace that overflowed each moment when we called Your name, Oh God. We promise to expand globally our faith-building and peace mission. Amen!

Tuesday, 2014 10 No. Friday,November January 9,18, 2015 Vol.Vol. 10 No. 92 40

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PUBLIC-PRIVATE ACTIONS NEEDED TO ENSURE PAPAL VISIT WILL NOT LEAD TO LOGJAM AT MANILA PORTS

PAPAL VISIT 2015

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A broader look at today’s business

riage, places the communist country at the forefront of countries in Asia becoming more accepting of gay people. The National Assembly’s move is expected to attract more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers and boost Vietnam’s $9-billion tourism industry.

“This makes Vietnam a leader in Asia,” Jamie Gillen, a researcher of culture geography at National University of Singapore, said by phone.

‘PAHALIK’ Braving the sweltering heat, thousands of Catholic devotees line the stretch of Roxas Boulevard fronting the Rizal Park and the Quirino Grandstand in Manila to take part in the traditional pahalik, where devotees line up to kiss and touch the image of the Black Nazarene. The pahalik is part of the celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene, which is celebrated today. Devotees believe that kissing the image can heal sickness and grant wishes when asked through prayers. ALYSA SALEN/ NONIE REYES

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n japan 0.3780 n UK 68.0479 n HK 5.8068 n CHINA 7.2486 n singapore 33.6688 n australia 36.2227 n EU 53.3089 n SAUDI arabia 11.9996 Source: BSP (08 January 2015)

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Friday, January 9, 2015

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Jan. holidays seen clogging ports Continued from A1

Nazarene and papal visit holidays if the private sector and the government do not act in unison,” Ordoñez said in a news briefing on Thursday.

He was echoing the statement of Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Juan C. Sta. Ana, who said late Wednesday that if yard utilization at the two ports in Manila remains at the current 89-percent utilization level during the next seven days, the terminals would easily see utilization rising to the mid-90-percent level and beyond. The ideal utilization level is below 79 percent.

“Unlike the nine-day Christmas break wherein all roads are open, the papal visit will close almost all major routes to and from the Manila ports to give way to the festivities, which will slowdown, if not paralyze, port operations,” he said.

Closed roads include thoroughfares leading to and from the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in España and the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta, among others.

The activities are expected to attract waves upon waves of people from all walks of life to witness the historic event.

In 1995 Pope John Paul II visited Manila for the World Youth Day and it slowed down port operations for a couple of days. The only difference was, back then, there was no port congestion.

The Cabinet Cluster on Port Congestion and the port body, thus, appeal to cargo owners to clear the shipments to vacate as much space as possible.

“We need the spaces in prepa-

“The PPA Memorandum Circular 12-2014 should be reviewed, because instead of encouraging importers to move their cargoes, it just bottlenecks the process and just keeps importers from moving the cargo with the additional costs being passed on to consumers,” Peña said.

He added: “Importers are now having trouble pulling out cargoes over the weekend because they will not be able to do so without paying hundreds of thousands, if not millions, in cash.”

Latest data from port operators showed that combined yard utilization is at 89 percent from 79 percent on December 24, 2014 which was the start of the nine-day break.

“The government has done a tremendous job in helping solve the problem of port congestion, but if companies and government institutions do not cooperate in the next two weeks, we will be back to square one,” Ordoñez lamented.

Meanwhile, President Aquino and his Cabinet members met with Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and leaders of the Catholic Church on Thursday, as Malacañang reviewed elaborate preparations, including security precautions, for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines next week.

Communications Secretar y Herminio B. Coloma reported at a Palace news briefing, after the meeting that the conferees agreed to further intensify coordination between the Church and government agencies tasked to ensure glitch-free state and apostolic visit of Francis in Manila and Leyte from January 15 to 19.

He confirmed that during the

ration for a worst-case scenario to accommodate the incoming import cargoes from vessels,” Sta. Ana said. “We are anticipating difficulty accessing the ports during the papal visit, but we do not expect the vessels to slow down in bringing in cargoes for the country, so we are asking the participation of each stakeholder to maintain our decongestion efforts.”

To address the looming problem, Ordoñez recommended that the government and the private sector work hand in hand to slowdown the foreseen port congestion.

He said alternative routes to and from the ports during the papal visit should be kept open as truck bans, which threaten to erase gains and dramatically lower the efficiency of trade, will likely be imposed.

“One of the main challenges to importers are the bottlenecks that they face in the cargo-releasing process,” Ordoñez said. “Perhaps, a Bureau of Customs skeletal force composed of all personnel who do the examination and processing of goods should follow the example of the Philippine Ports Authority and port operators by working extended hours and similarly working on weekends.”

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), he added, should streamline the issuance of Import Clearance Certificate and to eliminate seven unnecessary and cumbersome data requirements.

Fernando O. Peña, representing the Management Association of the Philippines said, also urges the government to review the effectiveness of the fines that the port body imposes.

meeting, Palace officials and Church leaders addressed all issues, as well as preparations, related to important events on the papal visit schedule, from the time Francis arrives at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport until the time he flies out to go back to the Vatican.

Coloma announced that the papal events will start on January 16 with a general audience of senior government officials and members of the diplomatic corps at Malacañan Palace; followed by a mass for religious at the Manila Cathedral; and a meeting with their families at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The next day, January 17, the pope will visit Leyte and lead a Mass at the Tacloban Airport, followed by rites blessing the Pope Francis Center for the Poor; meeting with priests, women and men, religious and seminarians at Palo,Leyte, as well as with families representing Supertyphoon Yolanda victims.

Coloma added that on January 18, the pope will be meeting with the youth sector at the UST and officiate a Holy Mass at the Rizal Park.

The Palace official added that those attending the papal events are encouraged to abide by security procedures and other regulations intended to ensure the pope’s safety, as well as those who wish to greet him at these events.

Coloma added that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will be announcing a detailed traffic rerouting plan for areas affected by the January 9 Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo and nearby areas in downtown Manila. With Butch Fernandez

3-DAY EXTENDED FORECAST JANUARY 9, 2015 | FRIDAY

TODAY’S WEATHER

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.

JAN 11 SUNDAY

there is ample dollar liquidity in the market. The BSP attributed the strong demand for foreign-currency loans to prevailing low interest rates, ample liquidity, as well as to positive business sentiment arising from the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals.

The bulk of FCDU loans were medium to long-term in profile accounting for 62.7 percent of total FCDU loans taken out during the period.

Short-term credit, meanwhile, accounted for only 37.3 percent of the total FDCU loan portfolio.

Nearly all the loans taken out were

AC Energy. . . Continued from A8

JAN 12 MONDAY

3-DAY EXTENDED FORECAST

JAN 10 SATURDAY

JAN 11 SUNDAY

JAN 12 MONDAY

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BAGUIO TUGUEGARAO CITY 19 – 30°C

SBMA/ CLARK

BAGUIO CITY 13 – 23°C SBMA/CLARK 21 – 31°C TAGAYTAY CITY 19 – 28°C

TAGAYTAY

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LEGAZPI ILOILO/ BACOLOD 23 – 30°C

TACLOBAN CITY 22 – 30°C

METRO CEBU 23 – 31°C

ZAMBOANGA CITY 24 – 32°C

PUERTO PRINCESA

ILOILO/ BACOLOD CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY 23 – 30°C METRO DAVAO 23 – 32°C

24 – 30°C

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ZAMBOANGA

23 – 30°C

24 – 31°C

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SUNSET

MOONSET

MOONRISE

6:23 AM

5:42 PM

8:58 AM

9:05 PM

23 – 30°C

FULL MOON HALF MOON

23 – 30°C

24 – 30°C

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

CELEBES SEA

LOW TIDEMANILA HIGH TIDE SOUTH HARBOR

7:45 AM

JAN 13 -0.08 METER 12:53 PM 5:46 PM Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers and/or thunderstorms Cloudy skies with rain showers and/or thunderstorms.

Partly cloudy to at times cloudy with rainshowers Light rains

Weekday hourly updates: 6:00 AM on Balitaan, 7:00 AM & 8:00 AM on Good Morning Boss!, 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM on News@1, 3:00 PM, 4:30 PM, and 6:00 PM on News@6

www.panahon.tv

SABAH

24 – 33°C

SUNRISE

JAN 05

24 – 31°C

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LEGAZPI CITY 24 – 30°C

PHILIPPINE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (PAR)

who added that in the past three years, Ayala Corp. has committed over $700 million in equity to build much-needed base-load capacity and to develop renewable-energy sources.

Meanwhile, one of the power projects that is already on line is the 19-MW expansion of Northwind Power Development Corp. (Northwind) in Bangui, Ilocos Norte.

The expansion has brought total capacity of Northwind’s facility to 52MW. The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Certificate of Endorsement for feed-in tariff (FIT) for this expansion.

AC Energy, through its affiliate North Luzon Renewable Energy Corp. (NLREC), also completed its 81MW wind farm in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte in November last year. It has, likewise, been operational and has received the Certificate of Endorsement for FIT from the DOE. Combined, Northwind and NLREC put Ayala’s total wind power capacity at 133 MW.

commence in early 2015, and will be operational by 2017.

AC Energy is also involved in the development of a 2x600-MW power plant in Bataan beside the existing GN Power Mariveles plant, which is 17-percent owned by AC Energy. The new power plant has yet to achieve financial close, which is targeted in 2015.

In the meantime, the first unit of its 2x135 -MW coal-fired power plant in Calaca, Batangas under South Luzon Thermal Energ y Corp.

(SLTEC), a joint venture with TransAsia Oil and Development Corp., is scheduled to start commercial operations by the first quarter of the year.

The second 135-MW unit of the plant is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

“The completion of these projects is quite timely given the anticipated tightness in power supply this year.

We hope these power generation assets will help augment the country’s power requirements,” said Francia,

NORTHEAST MONSOON AFFECTING LUZON. (AS OF JANUARY 8, 5:00 PM)

LAOAG CITY 19 – 31°C

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY 23 – 31°C

private-sector loans representing 99.6 percent of total. The other 0.6 percent was accounted for by the public sector.

Among the major beneficiaries were public utility firms, producers and manufacturers, oil companies and merchandise and service exporters.

Deposit liabilities, also increased by $661 million or 2.2 percent to hit $30.5 billion from the previous quarter’s $29.8 billion in end-June 2014.

Bulk of the deposits continued to be held by residents and essentially constitute additional foreign exchange buffer to the country’s international reserves.

METRO MANILA

LAOAG

METRO MANILA 20 – 30°C

JAN 10 SATURDAY

FCDU loans. . . Continued from A1

@PanahonTV

2:06 PM

0.31 METER

news@businessmirror.com.ph

The Nation BusinessMirror

Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo • Friday, January 9, 2015 A3

Reporter killed, brings 31 slain under Aquino govt ‘POST’ FRANCIS

Commemorative stamps with Pope Francis’s image are shown here after its launch on Thursday by the Philippine Postal Corp. The Philippines is gearing up for the visit of the Vatican head with a series of activities, both religious and commercial. Alysa Salen

At least 25 wrong arrests mar Philippines’s antiterror work

By Jim Gomez

The Associated Press

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ORE than a decade ago, the military declared it had killed an Abu Sayyaf kidnapping suspect named Abdulmukim Idris. Yet, a man authorities accuse of being Idris continues to languish in a maximum-security jail, where the Philippines holds some of its most notorious terror suspects.

In the country’s dogged pursuit of terror suspects, it also has nabbed two “Black Tungkangs,” two “Abdasil Dimas,” two “Hussien Kasims.” Those are just a few of the signs that Philippine law enforcers have made a slew of mistaken arrests in going after Abu Sayyaf and other Islamic militant groups long active in this Southeast Asian nation’s south.

Complaints of false arrests prompted low-key but unprecedented reinvestigations of some of the country’s highprofile terrorism cases by state prosecutors. They have led to the release of more than two dozen people, who were either mistaken for Abu Sayyaf fighters or brought to trial without evidence, according to official findings.

In their latest review, issued last August, state prosecutors said such faulty arrests of villagers, some of whom could not be identified even by a single witness, are “abhorred in civilized societies like ours.”

An Associated Press (AP) investigation that included interviews with prosecutors, key witnesses and a freed detainee shows that dozens more people remain behind bars, despite a lack of evidence against them. For instance, of the two detainees accused of being the Abu Sayyaf militant who used the nom de guerre Black Tungkang, one remains in custody, even though a former hostage has sworn that neither was the right man.

“I really wanted to retaliate, if I had the chance—against the right people,” former hostage Amily Mantec told the AP in an interview. She was among six Jehovah’s Witnesses abducted by Abu Sayyaf gunmen in 2002. Two of the captives, including her husband, were beheaded.

The real culprits “committed horrible crimes, but they’re free because other people are suffering under their names,” said Mantec, who now lives under a government witnessprotection program.

The case involving Mantec had the most releases of mistakenly arrested detainees among the three high-profile kidnappings involving the Abu Sayyaf that prosecutors have reexamined in the last two years. Twenty-two suspects, arrested between 2004 and 2012, were freed in 2013, after Mantec and another former hostage failed to identify them and for lack of evidence. Just three others were returned to trial.

Two detainees were released after prosecutors reexamined the 2000 kidnappings of 52 students, teachers and a Roman Catholic priest on the southern island-province of Basilan, an attack that left three abductees dead. Prosecutors discovered that not a single witness stood against the two suspects as they sat in jail for more than a decade.

In a third case—21 Western tourists and Asian workers kidnapped from a Malaysian diving resort and released in the Philippines’s Sulu province—the review lead to the release of one suspect.

Across the three cases, 120 indictments were sustained.

Senior State Prosecutor Peter Ong said he and other prosecutors also want the remaining Black Tungkang detainee released, but the court has refused because the arresting officer insists he’s the right suspect. Ong said the suspect says he was coerced into giving a false confession. The arresting officer could not be reached for comment.

Ong said he suspects some law enforcers may have forced civilian informants to point to the wrong people to pocket antiterror bounties. He said he has asked government officials to introduce more safeguards to prevent government antiterror bounties from being corrupted.

Mantec told the AP that an arresting officer once pressured her to falsely identify a man as an Abu Sayyaf militant, who had a bounty on his head, but she resisted.

More than P140 million ($3.2 million) in rewards have been handed to informants for the “neutralization” of 115 Abu Sayyaf militants from 2001 to 2013, according to the military.

As recently as 2012, the government was offering a bounty for the capture of Abu Sayyaf militant Pedong Palam, even though a man said to be that suspect had been in jail since the early 2000s. Ong said the detainee was finally released last year, after prosecutors found no evidence against him during a review of his kidnapping case.

Hundreds of Abu Sayyaf militants have been killed or captured since the country’s South became a battleground in the USled war on terror following the September 11, 2001, attacks.

While Manila’s constitution restricts America’s involvement to noncombat support, the countries’ cooperation in the decline of the Abu Sayyaf, dreaded for its bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings, has been regarded as a counterterrorism success story.

But mistakes are a concern in the Philippines’s slow and overburdened law enforcement and criminal justice system, which has a backlog of thousands of cases and is tainted by corruption allegations.

In far-flung Muslim regions in the South, those frailties are compounded by backward conditions, like a lack of birth certificates and other identification papers of poor villagers, hampering the accurate identification of suspects. With spotty intelligence, government forces have often relied on civilian informants, some with questionable backgrounds, who have, at times, pointed to wrong suspects, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chief Loretta Ann Rosales said.

Two men were collared for being a militant named Abdasil Dima two years ago. Another pair was arrested under the militant name Hussien Kasim 13 years ago, according to prosecutors.

The four are currently detained in a heavily secured jail in metropolitan Manila with Idris Ukani. He was arrested 13 years ago, after being tagged as the kidnapping suspect Abdulmukim Idris, even though the military has publicly declared that troops shot dead Abdulmukim Idris in 2003, after he escaped from the main police camp.

Idris, the two Abdasil Dimas and two Hussien Kasims are suspects in the Basilan kidnappings.

Human-rights lawyer Pura Ferrer-Calleja, who represents Ukani, said she has pointed out the anomalous arrest and sought the release of her client years ago, but the court rejected her petition. She said some witnesses previously pointed to her client as among the kidnappers, but said that testimony should be scrutinized at the trial.

A former Abu Sayyaf commander, who has turned state witness, Abu Gandhie, has testified that most of the 94 detainees accused of kidnapping the students, teachers and priest on Basilan island are innocent.

Ong said Gandhie, who has acknowledged involvement in the Basilan kidnappings, has identified only 12 of the 94 detainees as participants. Gandhie has also said far more were arrested than had even taken part in the kidnappings, a number that, he said, was no higher than 60.

Ong said he initially thought that as many as 80 Basilan detainees could be freed, but he added that he was unable to petition the court in nearly all cases because the court had rejected earlier petitions to free them. At this point, he said, those defendants must go through the trial process.

Under a 2007 antiterror law, law-enforcement officials can be fined P500,000 ($11,200) for each day they wrongfully detain a terror suspect. The law has been used at least twice, but Rosales, the CHR official, said officers can avoid it by charging terrorism suspects with common crimes.

Ong said no law-enforcement official has been convicted of falsely arresting an Abu Sayyaf suspect. But the Philippine military and police say personnel, who carry out illegal arrests, will be punished appropriately.

“If there is some evidence, we’ll look into it. We really correct our mistakes,” Philippine National Police Spokesman chief Supt.

Wilben Mayor said.

Still, Manila’s review of major terrorism cases drew praise from a United Nations counterterrorism official, Jean-Paul Laborde, during a recent visit.

“If you arrest innocent people,” Laborde warned at a news conference, “you will catalyze more and more people into going in the wrong direction.”

Manny Ismael, a 38-year-old laborer, was among those freed in 2013, after prosecutors declared there was no proof he was involved in the kidnappings of Mantec and the other Jehovah’s Witnesses.

A father of nine, Ismael wept when he stepped out of jail after 10 years. He said he had been falsely accused by a feuding relative who died while Ismael was in custody.

Ismael remains poor, but can now bask in the sun, sea and his newfound freedom in his coastal Sulu hometown. His thoughts often turn to the dozens of suspects still locked up on terrorism charges—men he believes are innocent.

“There’s food there, but when you wake up in the morning and sleep at night, the first and last thing you will see are the iron bars,” he said. “The constant problem is how to keep your sanity.”

A

correspondent for tabloid Abante was gunned down on Thursday, bringing to 31 the total number of journalists killed under the Aquino administration, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said.

Nerlita Ledesma was shot at around 8:05 a.m. in Barangay Tuyo, San Rafael, Tagnai, Bataan, by a lone gunman who was riding a motorcycle.

Ledesma, 48, was Abante’s correspondent in Bataan, according to Dabet Panelo, coordinator of the NUJP’s media safety office.

Quoting a report from Mhike Cigaral, Panelo said the suspect was wearing a pair of sunglasses, a bonnet and a jacket and was riding a motorcycle sporting black-and-white paint.

Cigaral is vice chairman of the NUJP’s provincial chapter and also working for

Bataan radio station DZXL and CLTV 36.

According to Panelo, other reports said Ledesma was waiting for a ride to work when she was shot and hit four times in the chest. Bullets found near the body came from a .45-caliber pistol, he said, sans citing the source of his information.

If proven to be work related, the Abante reporter’s death brings the number of slain journalists to 172, since the fall of the dictatorship in 1986 and 31 under President Aquino, Panelo said.​ The National Press Club (NPC) also condemned the killing of Ledesma, who was from Balanga City.

“The attack on Ledesma, a local radio personality and provincial correspondent of Abante, is the latest addition to the growing number of journalists who were either maimed or killed under the regime of President Benigno Aquino III,” the NPC said in a statement through its President Joel Egco.

“The incident reminds us of last year’s killing of another female journalist, Rubylita Garcia, in Cavite province, where police investigators have allegedly bungled their investigation by ‘inventing’ suspects in the murder. Several months after the killing, justice remains elusive for Rubie and members of her family, who are under government protection,” Egco added.

Egco said the killing of Ledesma came on the eve of the NPC’s scheduled dialogue with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima regarding the NPC’s role in the Interagency Task Force on Extrajudicial Killings.

“Ledesma’s case will be the first to be acted upon, as the NPC officially assumes its role and clarifies its tasks in the committee,” he said. Rene Acosta

Inmate killed, 19 injured in prison explosion

A

N inmate was killed, while 19 others were injured after an explosion rocked the New Bilibid Prison’s (NBP) maximum-security compound, after key prison officials were dismissed from service.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on Thursday authorities are now investigating the cause and motive of the explosion.

De Lima, whose office oversees the Bureau of Corrections that manages the NBP, also told reporters the situation inside the penitentiary is already under control.

Initial reports reveal the explosion happened around 10 a.m. inside the state penitentiary near the area of the Commando Gang, according to de Lima.

NBP Officer in Charge Supt. Richard Schwarzkopf has asked assistance from the Philippine National Police-Explosives Ordinance Disposal to conduct an investigation.

The explosion happened following a series of raids conducted by the NBI to stop illegal activities within the NBP compound, including drug trafficking involving high-profile inmates allegedly in collusion with some erring prison personnel.

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Franklin Jesus Bucayu also ordered an investigation on the incident, but said he believes it had something to do with their intensified campaign against contrabands and illegal activities inside the national penitentiary.

“We will not be cowed by this incident. We will continue with our drive to cleanse the NBP.” Meanwhile, the Department of Justice ordered the dismissal of a high-ranking official of the NBP for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service for interfering with the official operations of the Security and Patrol Unit (SPU) of the BuCor. Dismissed was Catailno Malinao, Assistant Superintendent for Reformation and Administration of the NBP. De Lima held that there is substantial evidence to warrant Malinao’s dismissal from the service, including forfeiture of retirement benefits, cancellation of eligibility, with prejudice to reemployment in any branch or instrumentality of the government, including government-owned and -controlled corporations, and bar from taking civil service examinations.

Malinao’s dismissal stemmed from a memorandum dated July 7, 2014, which was submitted by

Prison Guard II Ronald Alabado, supervisor of the SPU, to Prison Security Officer 1 (PSOI) Lucio C. Guevarra, commander of the guards.

Alabado recounted that on the said date, inmate David Allen Uy’s makeshift home inside the premises of the Amazing Grace Chapel Building II was searched by the SPU operative upon the order of PGIII Ricardo Sespefle Jr. Since inmate Uy cannot be located, the SPU personnel asked Rommel Deang, a ranking inmate, to witness the opening of the room of inmate Uy. During the search, a number of items were recovered and confiscated, including laptops, DVD writers, external memory drives and cable wires.

Later, inmate Uy arrived with Malinao who requested to see the confiscated items.

When the items were handed to him, respondents said the items were all issued under his name and refused to hand them over to the SPU operatives.

Malinao refused to return the laptop and questioned the search and operations conducted by the SPU personnel when the BuCor issued a show cause order. This prompted the BuCor to initiate administrative proceedings against him for grave misconduct.

As to the contention of Malinao that the constitutional right of Uy to due process and his right to privacy were violated when the search was made, de Lima ruled that the conduct of search and seizure operations by the SPU is an “official act done in the performance of duty and part of the established mandate of the BuCor.” Joel R. San Juan

Economy

A4 Friday, January 9, 2015 • Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon

BusinessMirror

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Solons grill DOTC over rail-fare hike

S

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

By Cai U. Ordinario

everal lawmakers on Thursday scored the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) for the implementation of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 fare increases without a public consultation.

Party-list Rep. Neri J. Colmenares of Bayan Muna, during the House Committee on Transportation hearing on the MRT, LRT fare hike, said the mass transits, being a public service, should be the responsibility of the government and that it should shoulder its cost through subsidy.

“Subsidy is part of efficiency for Filipinos and the government should provide it,” he said.

Earlier, the DOTC said the fare adjustments would enable the government to save P2 billion in annual subsidies, or 17 percent of the P12 billion that it allots each year to subsidize the LRT/MRT train systems.

“MRT earned P2.2-billion ticket sales and only spent P1.8 billion in operation expense last year. LRT earned P2.5 billion but only spent P1.03 billion for operation expense.

Even if it is losing, it is the government’s task to fund mass transport,” Colmenares said.

Colmenares said no public consultation took place for these fare increases, so the public was deprived of due process in challenging the proposed fare hike.

He also said Transportation Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla made at least three “fatal admissions” against the MRT/LRT fare hikes.

“Undersecretary Lotilla admitted that the DOTC does not have the authority to increase fares, so the fare hike is illegal. He also admitted that the MRT/LRT makes profit and that the fare hike would go to the concessionaire,” he said.

“Lotilla also said that, under the concession agreement for the LRT1 extension, this would just be the first fare increase and that, there would be fare hikes every two years,” the senior deputy minority leader said.

“There is treachery and deception on Malacañang’s part because they have not been forthright about these issues and are still doing all they can to justify the fare increase. It is also deplorable that DOTC Sec. Joseph Abaya did not even show up at the hearing but is all over media defend-

ing the fare hike,” Colmenares added.

According to the lawmaker, he would still push for the deferment of the fare hike in Congress.

“I will ask the transportation committee to recommend the deferment of the fare hike, pending the decision of the Supreme Court for the TRO [temporary restraining order]. We will do all we can to stop these hikes because this is just the start of fare hikes, especially LRT1,” Colmenares said.

Lotilla said Abaya asked to be excused from hearing because he is busy with the preparations for the papal visit next week.

“The secretary is, right now, very much involved in the preparations for the papal visit. He had to request to be excused,” Lotilla said.

Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay said it should be Abaya, himself, who should explain the hike.

“We ask Committee Chairman Cesar Sarmiento [of Catanduanes] to compel Secretary Abaya to appear before the committee during the next hearing and personally explain the details of the concession agreement, which was signed by him, for the privatization of the LRT and MRT. He is the only one who can shed light on this all-important issue of the year,” Atienza said.

The fare adjustments took effect on January 4, marking the first such hike in ticket prices for Metro Manila’s train riders in a decade.

The base fare for the LRT lines 1 and 2 and the MRT is now P11. An additional P1 will be charged for every kilometer from the station of origin.

This means that a single- journey ticket from Baclaran station to Roosevelt station will cost P30 from the present fare of P20.

Passengers, who use stored-value tickets for end-to-end trips on the LRT 1 and 2, will get a P1 discount.

For MRT 3 single-journey and stored-value tickets from Taft station to North Avenue station, or vice versa, the journey will cost P28 from the current P15.

Millions of Pinoys looking for better work opportunities

M

Also, National Unity Party Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. of Cavite asked the mass-transit management to explain to the public in writing and in detail how the fare hike shall be spent in the light of allegations that Congress has provided them enough funds for the rail system’s supposed maintenance and rehabilitation.

But, Lotilla said, the fare hike for the LRT was based on the decision of the LRT Board to grant the proposal for a fare hike after two public consultations on February 4 and 5, 2011. It was last December 2013 when the transportation department conducted the public hearing for the MRT fare hike.

According to Barzaga, these consultations alone were not enough to justify the increase.

Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilagan asked the DOTC to use the MRT and LRT advertising revenue in lieu of the rate hikes.

“The LRT and the MRT already have more than P2.1 billion to be collected in advertising revenues, P1.54 billion in earnings in 2013 and a substantial allocation of over P5.4 billion for repair and rehabilitation in the GAA [General Appropriations Act] and the supplemental budget.

Clearly there is no need for the imposition of a rate hike that will further burden the commuting public,” she said during the hearing.

Benefit ON his part, MRT Director for Operations Renato San Jose, in the same

hearing, defended the fare increases.

San Jose told lawmakers that the increase will give the government at least P2.06-billion revenue a year, which can be used to fund the improvement of the rails.

He also said the P2.06 billion would be enough to build 8,240 classrooms, or 82 kilometers of farmto-market roads, or irrigate 11,240 hectares of cropland.

The government is subsidizing P25 for every LRT passenger and P45 for every MRT passenger.

Transportation Undersecretary Rene Limcaoco, meanwhile, said that at least 2.2 million people will benefit from the hikes, as the government will use the additional revenue for the constructions of four additional lines and seven line extensions of the rail system.

Palace defense

Malacañang, meanwhile, labeled as baseless Sen. Alan Cayetano’s claim that the Aquino administration rushed the MRT and fare hikes in a desperate bid to cover collection gaps after plunging oil prices caused a sharp decline in revenue from taxes on petroleum products.

Asked if there was basis to Cayetano’s allegation aired the other day, Communications Secretary recalled that President Aquino had already tackled the need to make upward adjustments in MRT-LRT way back in 2013, when he delivered his annual State-on-the-Nation Address (Sona) before a joint session of Congress.

“It was discussed by the President in his July 2013 Sona way ahead of the global oil-price decline,” Coloma told the BusinessMirror.

Mr. Aquino, in his 2013 Sona, already cited “the consequences of refusing to raise passenger fares for the LRT and MRT.” “Each trip that one passenger makes on the LRT is estimated to cost P40. What does each passenger pay, P15? This means that the government subsidizes the remaining P25,” Aquino had explained then.

“As for the MRT, the true cost of one trip is P60: P15 paid by the passengers, P45 the government—in the end, each and every Filipino pays a share of the subsidy. Whether you live in Mindanao or Visayas, and not once have you ever stepped onto the LRT or MRT, you help to fund this,” he added.

In the same 2013 Sona of Mr. Aquino, he also pinned the blame on past leaders who, he said, “gave away our commercial development rights, each peso that we can earn from the posters and billboards in the stations goes to private companies, instead of going to the government. What we could have used to subsidize the cost of maintenance and operations was given away.”

According to Aquino then, “Perhaps it is only reasonable for us to move the fares of the MRT and LRT closer to the fares of air-conditioned buses, so that the government subsidy for the MRT and LRT can be used for other social services.” With Butch Fernandez

ore than 7 million Filipinos, who worked in 2006 to 2013, hungered for better employment opportunities.

Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed six out of 10 members of the labor force were looking for better employment opportunities.

The PSA said underemployed persons include workers, who expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, or an additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours.

“The total underemployment in the country ranged from 6.6 to 7.5 million for the period between 2006 and 2013 with the highest mark in 2012 [11.9 million],” the PSA said.

“More than half [58.6 percent to 61.8 percent] of the total underemployed worked for less than 40 hours during the reference week, or were visibly underemployed,” it added.

The PSA released its data on the visibly underemployed, or those who worked for less than 40 hours a week, and the invisibly underemployed, or those who worked for 40 hours a week.

The data showed visible underemployment was more common among men who are married but are not breadwinners. More than half of them are between 25 and 54 years old and close to half reached elementary-level schooling.

Around half the visibly underemployed are engaged in agriculture and were considered permanent workers.

Most of them were farm laborers and unskilled workers.

“Those engaged in agriculture also had the highest visible underemployment rate of about one visibly underemployed for every five employed,” the PSA said. Invisible underemployment, on the other hand, was also common among married men, who are in their prime ages.

Further, there were more invisibly underemployed, who were heads of households between 2006 and 2009 and more among nonbreadwinners between 2010 and 2013.

Most of these workers are in the services sector, who were salaried workers. The highest invisible underemployment was observed in the industry sector and trades and related workers.

Meanwhile, Region 5, or the Bicol region, had the highest visible and invisible underemployment rates during the period.

Visible underemployment in Bicol was between 21.8 percent to 25.4 percent, while invisible underemployment was at 11.9 percent to 13.9 percent in the 2006-to-2013 period.

DTI receives help from EU Filipino food, art go global through efforts of BCDA, UAE firm in upgrading PHL products

By Lily O. Ramos

Philippines News Agency

By Catherine N. Pillas

T

he Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has joined forces with the European Union (EU) in the launching of initiatives aimed at improving the competitiveness of the products of local manufacturers.

The trade office, through the Calabarzon regional pool of quality assessors, with representatives of the Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB), consulted experts from the EU trade-related technical assistance (EU-TRTA) on ways to improve product conformity and assessment and certification scheme in the country.

According to a study in 2011 by the EU-assisted EU-TRTA Project Phase 2, the country’s existing components of the national quality infrastructure are inadequate and fragmented.

The Philippines, through the DTI’s bureau of product standards, is implementing the PS Mark

product certification scheme.

Jon Echanove and Valerii Kraisuk, technical experts of the EU-TRTA Project 3 on conformity assessment, recommended improvement of the certification scheme.

Echanove said that, with the adoption of the recommendations aired during the consultation, in particular the simplification of product certification, local small manufacturers can be more costcompetitive.

PAB Director Ernani Dionisio said strengthening the country’s quality infrastructure will ensure efficient consumer protection and at the same time, raise the competitiveness level of the country. This will increase the chances of Philippine exports in accessing global markets.

Calabarzon is second to the National Capital Region in terms of hosting the most number of manufacturers of products under mandatory product certification.

F

or the sake of strengthening culture and art between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), large-scale business is being paved by both countries, with the much-richer UAE substantially contributing financial resources, as well as facilitating the movement of goods and services.

As a start, the vast Al Ahli Holding Group Global Conglomerate of the UAE, headed by CEO Mohammed Khammas, and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), headed by its president Arnel Casanova, signed an agreement on Thursday at the Manila Peninsula for the global distribution and sale of tried and tested Filipino food and products, starting in the Middle East countries before fanning out to other parts of the world.

Al Ahli Holding Group is into construction of plastics, real estate, lifestyle and fitness, retail and trading, publishing, games art and entertainment, and sale of rare items franchised from the US or Canada and the best of Europe.

Among those present for the signing of agreement were CEOs of Binalot, Jay-J’s, Fruitas, Zagu 50, and Muchicereme. They will now be under the “Little Manila” restaurant with a colorful jeepney as a unique attraction.

Asked how these companies were chosen, Al Ahli Group International Business Development top officer Parvez Naqvi said: “They showed confidence, expertise industry and willingness to go beyond their comfort zone into a much-bigger world.

Besides, they are the most-soughtafter food and products by Filipino expatriates or overseas workers.”

Naqvi added his group has inspected the working places and witnessed and tasted the genuine culinary ingredients of the products they have chosen to promote. “We saw the real thing. In some businesses abroad, they claim this and that are Filipino foods but they are actually imitation. What we are presenting are the true and credible eats that make them a class of their own.”

Within three months, a memorandum of agreement will be officially signed between the BCDA and the UAE to give flesh to the project.

They hope to nurture favorable strategic economic alliance, digital as well as technical manpower for both countries, said Teresa Farah, general counsel of Al Ahli Group. ”The Al Ahli Group is extremely proud to be the first to promote Filipino food internationally,” said the well-traveled Khammas, who disclosed he is impressed by the business progress he saw while on a four-day Boracay vacation, which stretched to two weeks instead.

On the other hand, Casanova said the Philippines has two outstanding factors that are continually attracting foreign investments—fun and food—which are very good indicators for economic growth and global competitiveness.

Casanova said the BCDA and the Al Ahli Group want to explore the favorable climate of Clark Field City, Bonifacio Global City, and other places to bring progress and distribute development not only through the big cities but in the countryside, as well.

On culture, art and entertainment, Khammas said, the Philippines will be kept busy with various events that will bring first-class family entertainment, including

the sale of top-of-the-line toys from Disney, books, comic books and digital movies, TV and radioproduced programs.

“We will be learning from each other in advanced-technology productions. Internationally known artists, movie celebrities from movie capitals of the world and music will be coming over, depending on their schedules.

“Your own creative resources and talents will have a wider choice of jobs and they will interact with those of other countries to make the world a better place for all of us.”

He mentioned exchange of knowhow, techniques, talents and movement in movies, theater, radio, TV production, costumes, sets and design, etc., will move faster.

Khammas said his company will have entertainment as its top priority, but they need a little more time. He assured that they will pour substantial amount to make the project a success.” ”Meantime, let’s make do with food first because not only your countrymen are craving for it, but other people who have known and tasted it would want to have more of such delicacies.”

Economy BusinessMirror

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Hearing set on petition to reduce fares

T

he Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will hear today (Friday) the petition to reduce the fares for taxis, shuttle services and public-utility buses that was filed due to recent rollbacks in diesel prices.

“As part of the process for the proper pricing of transport services, the LTFRB will hear petitions for fare rollbacks for bus, taxi and UV express services on Friday. These petitions were prompted by decreasing oil prices,” Transportation Spokesman Michael Arthur C. Sagcal said in a text message on Thursday.

Rep. Manuel M. Iway of the First District of Negros Oriental filed the petition on December 17, 2014. Iway is asking the regulator to reduce the flag-down fare for taxis from the existing P40 to P30, and from the current P3.50 to P2.50 for every succeeding 300 meters.

He also sought the reduction of bus fare from P10 to P8 for the first 5 kilometers, and from P1.85 to P1.50 for every succeeding kilometer.

The petition was based on the continuous decline of the price of diesel, which has been dropping since December as the Organization of 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.

The LTFRB will allow parties contesting or opposing the approval of the proposed fare reduction to file in written form their position prior to the hearing date. Both parties must also appear to submit their position papers on the said date.

The regulator in December last week ordered jeepney operators to reduce the minimum fare by P1 due to declining diesel prices. Lorenz S. Marasigan

LTFRB: E-jeep to modernize PHL public transport

T

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

he Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) sees the introduction of the electric jeep (e-jeep) as one of the measures that would modernize public transportation in the Philippines.

LTFRB Chairman Winston M. Ginez said his office received the franchise application from Global Electric Transportation Services Ltd. to operate Comet Electric Jeepneys with a route starting from SM North Edsa and traversing Mindanao Avenue, Congressional Avenue, Luzon Avenue, Katipunan Avenue up to Aurora Boulevard and vice-versa.

“We support the Department of Transportation and Communications’ modernization program and had been authorized to accept new franchise applications for e-jeeps,” he said.

Ginez, together with Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, inspected on Wednesday the proposed authorized routes of Comet Electric Jeeps.

“Kami ay naniniwala na ang mga environmentfriendly na e-jeepneys ang sagot upang mabawasan ang mga luma at mauusok na public-utility vehicles [PUVs] sa ating mga lansangan,” he said.

The e-jeeps are equipped with modern features,

Nlex Segment 9 completed by March

T

he Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) has started the construction of the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) Karuhatan, Valenzuela Interchange, the last major infrastructure needed to complete the 2.42-kilometer Segment 9 that will link Nlex to MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City.

Now 80-percent complete, the modern four-lane Segment 9 costs P1.59 billion. It features two pedestrian foot bridges, two vehicular overpasses and seven drainage box culverts.

Expected to be completed in March this year, Segment 9 aims to make the expressway more accessible to travelers, especially those from Metro Manila.

“By linking Nlex and MacArthur Highway, we expect to see increased economic activities between Metro Manila and Central and Northern Luzon,” Rodrigo E. Franco, MNTC president and CEO, said.

Segment 9 will dramatically facilitate the movement of people and goods between Central and Northern Luzon and Metro Manila, particularly the Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela (Camanava) area.

“The new tollway will especially be beneficial to the factories and industrial plants in Camanava, since it will improve transport logistics through the more efficient movement of trucks,” Franco pointed out.

Citing an example, Franco said trucks going to Camanava via Nlex can take the west-bound ramp at the Smart Connect Interchange, proceed through Segment 9 and take MacArthur Highway, instead of exiting at the Valenzuela Interchange and passing through the congested Maysan Road. Trucks going to the Port Area, can take the same route and pass by Monumento in Caloocan, instead of exiting at Balintawak and going through traffic-heavy Edsa.

The economic benefits Segment 9 will bring are expected to increase further when Segment 10 of the Nlex Harbor Link is finished in late 2016. Segments 9 and 10 will be linked via the Nlex Karuhatan Valenzuela Interchange. Stretching 5.65 km long, Segment 10 will largely be an elevated expressway, directly linking Nlex and MacArthur Highway to Manila’s Port Area district. Segment 10 will primarily cater to port traffic and is envisioned to significantly speed up and reduce the cost of the transport of goods from Central and Northern Luzon to the country’s premier harbors.

MNTC is projecting an average daily traffic of some 27,000 vehicles for Segment 9 during its first year of operation. However, this number is expected to rise sharply when Segment 10 opens, reaching 53,000 vehicles by the year 2037.

“When Segments 9 and 10 become operational, the country’s port congestion problem will be a thing of the past,” Franco noted.

P1.2B earmarked for start of Clark airport expansion

T

he Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has earmarked P1.2 billion this year for the initial phase of the P7.2-billion deal to construct a low-cost carrier terminal at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

Clark International Airport Corp. President and CEO Emigdio P. Tanjuatco III brushed off perceptions that the government is neglecting the aviation hub up north, saying the state is “serious” in developing the facility.

“The truth is that, we fully support the development of Clark Airport. In fact, the DOTC had already infused an initial P1.2 billion for the construction of our new low-cost carrier passenger terminal building,” he said on Thursday.

Currently, consultants from the Aéroports de Paris, the owner and operator of the airports in France, are concluding the feasibility study for the terminal’s construction.

“The fact that this project is up for bidding this year is proof that the government is serious in developing Clark Airport,” Tanjuatco said.

He explained that Clark Airport has its own catchment area in the northern regions of Luzon, while the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) services the southern portion.

Tanjuatco clarified that the two airports “are not competing since their operations and expansion complement each other.”

Friday, January 9, 2015 A5

“The new terminal is designed to accommodate at least 15 million passengers annually at the price of P7.2 billion. We tapped the services of Aeroports de Paris for the feasibility study not only of the terminal but also other facilities at the aviation complex,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said.

He added that, while the proposed Sangley International Airport is still being studied, the government will focus on aggressively developing both the Naia and Clark.

The government targets to complete the construction of the terminal by the time President Aquino bows out from office in 2016.

In 2013 the gateway to Northern Luzon saw an expansion of its passenger terminal building through a P417-million deal that boosted the annual passenger capacity of the airport to 4 million from 2.5 million passengers per year.

Tanjuatco earlier vowed to draw some 3 million passengers to Clark Airport within the next two years, as well as to attract more airlines to operate at the aviation hub.

He is currently working toward convincing Emirates and AirAsia to return to the 2,367-hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex, and is inviting more airlines to operate at the gateway.

At present, airlines operating out of Clark involve, Cebu Pacific, Tigerair Philippines, Jin Air, Asiana, Dragaon Air and Qatar Airways. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Electric jeepneys deployed by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities currently ply several routes in Makati City. NONIE REYES

including cashless payment system using reloadable cards, fixed stops, Global Positioning System (GPS), provision of Internet connectivity, side entrance for easier boarding, and closed-circuit television cameras to enhance passenger safety, among others.

The LTFRB, Ginez said, supports sustainable PUV services in line with established policies and is man-

dated to hear and rule on the petition for issuance of new certificates of public convenience for e-jeeps.

The introduction of e-jeeps on major roads is also in line with the LTFRB’s implementation of age-limit policy for PUVs. “We hope that this program will usher the replacement of smoke-belching and poorly maintained jeeps with high-tech, efficient, and environmentally friendly e-jeepneys,” Ginez said.

Opinion BusinessMirror

A6 Friday, January 9, 2015

editorial

Oil prices: Don’t get too excited

T

he substantial fall in the global price of crude oil over the last months is certainly good news.

Everyone has more money in his or her pocket with the drop in the price of gasoline, and that is good for each of us personally, as well as for the economy.

The first notable macroeconomic effect for the nation has been a reduction in the inflation rate over the last three months with many prices going down. Because the Philippines is still basically a cash-based economy, this reduction in money directly spent for petroleum products will go for other purchases, rather than simply paying down debt, as is happening in other countries. That will have a positive impact on overall economic growth in the months to come.

The economic follow-through effect of lower oil prices has been quantified by the Oxford Economics Ltd. Group in its latest report. Oxford Economics provides economic forecasting and modeling as one of the world’s foremost independent global advisory firms. In a study of 45 countries around the world, Oxford Economics projected the longer-term effect on the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate through 2015.

The global economic press earlier said, “The biggest winner would be the Philippines, whose economic growth would accelerate to 7.6 percent on average over the next two years” (http://www.bloomberg.com). This is based on an expected increase in the GDP of about 1.5 percent. By comparison, the US would see growth increased by 0.785 percent; Thailand by 1 percent; and South Korea by 0.5 percent. Losers are the major oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia and Russia, both down 3.75 percent.

But don’t get too excited.

These forecasts are based on the price of crude oil going to $40 per barrel, which the price has not yet fallen to, and staying at that price through at the least the rest of 2015 and further in 2016.

The projection of the better GDP figures is based on the previous price of crude oil at $84 per barrel, a price last seen in September 2014.

Therefore, the price of crude oil must continue to fall by over 50 percent, from $84 per barrel. Further, the $40 price per barrel must continue at least through the end of 2015 to gain the full 1.5-percent advantage to the Philippine economy.

That is a lot to expect of developments to happen.

But the importance of this report is an understanding of how critical oil prices are to the Philippine economy, something that we have been saying for months. We transport our goods and people using fuel-inefficient cars, trucks and buses, rather than electric light rail and traditional railways.

Lower oil prices are great, but should not be considered a savior of the economy.

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Drown out the shouting James Jimenez

S

spox

O, it seems that the fireworks started a few days after New Year’s Eve for the Commission on Elections (Comelec). And as fireworks tend to do, the Comelec’s certainly have gotten people talking, some in protest. Unfortunately, when the protest becomes the center of attention, the facts are left by the wayside.

So, here are the facts.

As of this writing, the Comelec hasn’t entered into any contract. All that’s been done is to approve the plan to diagnose and undertake repairs on the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines (“the plan”) currently in storage. In other words, contract negotiations have yet to be undertaken, which may conceivably result in a lowering of the cost, contrary to the misconception that P1.2 billion has practically been spent.

The approval of the plan without going through a public bidding isn’t, as some have been harping, contrary to an opinion of the Comelec’s Law Department. The champions of that erroneous notion seem to be deliberately glossing over the Law Department’s explicit declaration that it is not opposing direct contracting, but merely reiterating the need for certain preconditions to be met. The Comelec

resolution that sparked all the fireworks of the last few days, precisely set out to establish that those conditions have, in fact, been fulfilled: first, the PCOS machines incorporate proprietary licensed technology; second, the manufacturer cannot be held to honor warranties if the PCOS machines are repaired with components sourced elsewhere; and, third, the PCOS machines were procured from an exclusive manufacturer.

But there were other considerations no less compelling. For one thing, there is simply no time to go through a bidding.

Diagnosing and repairing 82,000 machines is expected to take eight months. Remember that. Bidding, on the other hand, normally takes anywhere from 55 days, for a single-stage bidding, to 88 days, for the two-stage bidding ideal for complex projects.

Since there can be no doubt about the complexity of diagnosing and performing preventive maintenance on 82,000 machines, which will be expected to operate without fail in a presidential elections, let’s assume that bidding will take a minimum of 88 days.

This means that the earliest the contract can be awarded will be toward the end of March 2015—assuming that the bidding is immediately successful. Now, when you are planning for the conduct of presidential elections, assuming that everything will fall into place at the first instance is imprudent at best, criminally incompetent at worst. So let’s see what happens if the first bidding results in a failure.

In that situation, a second bidding needs to be conducted, costing an additional 88 days. If that second bidding is successful, the award of the contract will be in the neighborhood of June 2015, or 11 months before the May 2016 elections. Remember how long it takes to service 82,000 machines?

And what if the second bidding fails?

Only then can the Comelec resort to a negotiated contract. Assuming negotiations take a month, the actual work will start approximately in August 2015 and—again assuming no unforeseen delays—end in April 2016, less than a month before the May elections. It is hard to imagine how that state of affairs could be acceptable to anyone.

The Comelec also noted that if the

diagnostics and preventive maintenance contract is awarded to a company other than the original vendor, there is a very high probability that the work might turn out to be deficient for the simple reason that the winner will be working on a machine that it is seeing for the first time.

Remember that these PCOS machines were manufactured from scratch exclusively for the Comelec. There are no other machines that are exactly identical to them in configuration and operation.

Notwithstanding the oversimplification favored by some sectors—the PCOS, they say, is simply a bunch of readily available components thrown together into a box—the truth is that the PCOS is more than just the sum of its parts. There is a very real danger, for instance, that changes or manipulations of the hardware might actually necessitate software changes that will, in turn, require an entirely new source-code review lasting six months or longer.

And, finally, the fact is that the plan actually falls under the warranty, which was part of the deal when the Comelec bought the PCOS machines in the first place. As such, it is essentially just a continuation of the vendor’s contractual obligation to the Comelec.

Those are the facts. Hopefully, they can drown out the shouting.

James Jimenez is the spokesman of the Commission on Elections.

Opinion BusinessMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph

Sabotaging US-Cuba détente in the Kennedy era

Friday, January 9, 2015

A7

The terror of history Tito Genova Valiente

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Inter press service

W

HITE PLAINS, New York—I grew up in Hickory Hill, my family’s home in Virginia, which was often filled with veterans of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion.

My father Robert F. Kennedy, who admired the courage of these veterans and felt overwhelming guilt for having put the Cubans in harm’s way during the ill-planned invasion, took personal responsibility for finding each of them jobs and homes, organizing integration of many of them into the US Armed Forces.

But as the process of détente unfolded, suspicion and anger were so widespread that even those Cubans who loved my father and were always present at my home when I was a boy, stopped visiting Hickory Hill.

To the CIA, détente was perfidious sedition. Adlai Stevenson (at the time US ambassador to the United Nations) had warned President John F. Kennedy that “unfortunately the CIA is still in charge of Cuba.” The agency, he said, would never allow normalization of relations.

JFK was involved in secret negotiations with Fidel Castro designed to outflank Foggy Bottom (Washington) and the agents at Langley (CIA), but the CIA knew of JFK’s back-channel contacts with Castro and endeavored to sabotage the peace efforts with cloak and dagger mischief.

In April 1963 CIA officials secretly sprinkled deadly poison in a wetsuit intended as a gift for Castro from JFK’s emissaries James Donovan and John Nolan, hoping to murder Castro, blame JFK for the murder, and thoroughly discredit him and his peace efforts.

The agency also delivered a poison pen to hit man Rolendo Cubelo in Paris, with instructions that he use it to murder Fidel. William Attwood (a former journalist and US diplomat attached to the United Nations asked by JFK to open up secret negotiations with Castro) later said that the CIA’s attitude was: “To hell with the President it was pledged to serve.”

Many exile leaders openly expressed their disgust with the White House “treachery,” accusing JFK of engaging in “coexistence” with Fidel Castro. Some Cubans remained loyal to my father, but a small number of hard, bitter homicidal Castro haters now directed their fury toward JFK and there is credible evidence that these men and their CIA handlers may have been involved in plots to assassinate him.

On April 18, 1963, Don Jose Miro Cardona, chair of the Cuban Revolutionary Council, resigned in a fusillade of furious denouncements aimed at JFK and my father, saying that “the struggle for Cuba is in the process of being sabotaged by the US government.”

Cardona promised: “There is only one route left to follow and we will follow it: violence.”

Hundreds of Cuban exiles in Miami neighborhoods expressed their discontent with the White House by hanging black crepe from their homes. In November 1963 Cuban exiles passed around a pamphlet extolling JFK’s assassination.

“Only one development,” the broadside declared, would lead to Castro’s demise and the return to their beloved country—“If an inspired act of God should place in the White House within weeks in the hands of a Texan known to be a friend of all Latin America.”

Santo Trafficante, the Mafia boss and Havana casino czar who had worked closely with the CIA in various anti-Castro assassination plots, told his Cuban associates that JFK was to be hit.

On the day JFK was shot, Castro was meeting with French journalist Jean Daniel, editor of the socialist newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur and one of JFK’s secret channels to Castro, at his summer presidential palace in Varadero Beach. At 1 p.m. they received a phone call with news that Jack had been shot.

“Voila, there is the end to your mission of peace,” Castro told Daniel.

After JFK’s death, Castro persistently pushed Lisa Howard (ABC newswoman who served as an informal emissary between JFK and Fidel), Adlai Stevenson and William Attwood and others to ask

Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon Johnson, to resume the dialogue. Johnson ignored the requests and Castro eventually gave up.

Immediately following JFK’s assassination, many clues appeared—later discredited—suggesting that Castro may have orchestrated President Kennedy’s assassination.

Johnson and others in his administration were aware of these whispers and apparently accepted their implication. Johnson decided not to pursue rapprochement with Castro after being told by his intelligence apparatus, including Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) boss J. Edgar Hoover, that Lee Harvey Oswald may have been an agent of the Cuban government. This, despite Oswald’s well-established antiCastro bona fides.

After JFK’s death, my father continued to press Lyndon Johnson’s State Department to analyze “whether it is possible for the United States to live with Castro.”

“The present travel restrictions are inconsistent with traditional American liberties,” my father, then-US Attorney General, argued in a behind-the-scenes debate over the ban on US citizens traveling to Cuba.

In December 1963 the Justice Department was preparing to prosecute four members of the Student Committee for Travel to Cuba who had led a group of 59 college-age Americans on a trip to Havana. My father opposed those prosecutions, as well as the travel ban itself.

In a December 12, 1963, confidential memorandum to then-Secretary of State Dean Rusk, he wrote that he favored “withdraw[ing] the existing regulation prohibiting trips by US citizens to Cuba.”

My father argued that restricting Americans’ right to travel went against the freedoms that he had sworn to protect as attorney general. Lifting the ban, he argued, would be “more consistent with our views as a free society and would contrast with such things as the Berlin Wall and communist controls on such travel.”

Rusk thereafter excluded my father from foreign-affairs discussions. He was still Johnston’s attorney general but the roaming portfolio that had previously empowered him to steer US foreign policy during the Kennedy administration years was now revoked.

The CIA would continue its efforts to try to assassinate Castro during the first two years of the LBJ administration. Johnson never knew it. Castro provided Sen. George McGovern with evidence of at least 10 assassination plots during this period.

In 1978 Castro told visiting congressmen, “I can tell you that in the period in which Kennedy’s assassination took place, Kennedy was changing his policy toward Cuba. To a certain extent we were honored in having such a rival. He was an outstanding man.”

William Attwood later said: “There is no doubt in my mind. If there had been no assassination, we probably would have moved into negotiations leading to a normalization of relations with Cuba.”

When I first met Castro in 1999, he acknowledged the recklessness of his brash gambit of inviting Soviet nuclear arms into Cuba. “It was a mistake to risk such grave dangers for the world.” At the time, I was lobbying the Cuban leader against Havana’s plans to open a Chernobyl-style nuclear plant in Juragua.

During another meeting with the Cuban leader in August 2014, Fidel expressed his admiration for John Kennedy’s leadership and observed that a nuclear exchange at the time of the Cuban missile crisis could have obliterated all of civilization.

Today, five decades later and two decades after the Soviets left Cuba, we are finally ending a misguided policy that at times has done little to further America’s international leadership or its foreign-policy interests.

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fter submitting my review of the film Andres Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo to my editor, this was his comment: “What I find more disturbing about Bonifacio’s story, not the movie, is the thing involving Aguinaldo. Given that and how he has been played here [in the movie], does this more than suggest that it’s in our blood, in our race, to be murderous crooks and cheats?” To this I texted back: “It’s in our historical genes.”

Whether people like it or not, we will always go back to this debate.

And the discussion will be longwinded, tortured and tortuous, and unresolved. Who was, indeed, the first president of this republic? Who was the cheat? Who should get the honor; who deserves the monument.

Facts and details are staring us in the face and the presentations, be they through cinema or lectures, are severely unflinching at present.

There was an election fraud in the 1800s. Somewhere along the way, when people were not looking, some people were murdered. That fact appears to justify, although morally it should not, why we still cheat during elections. We started this republic with all those and we have not come to resolve those troubles at all. If ever, we are resolving the resolutions that have been accepted or at least, reflected on history books, the acts are, at best, intellectual.

The chill of the events is gone; the horrible repercussions are not felt because the causes have not been properly marked.

Marvel at the monuments for that is all the narrative we’ve got.

Bonifacio is forever brandishing the bolo, his costume, for it is a costume, is straight out of a folk-dance concoctions. When we raise the flags to celebrate our republic, we go to the house of Aguinaldo. Given the histories—never just history—of the Revolution, what wellspring of ideologies are we going to? As for Rizal, he is the eternal overseas Filipino worker exhibiting the winter clothes in tropical clime.

Those are but just three of our historical beginnings.

The beginning of any nation is important because without it, that land and its people will have no horizon to follow. Thus, in some nations, the historical past is carefully constructed, so as to instill pride in the hearts of its people. Japan, for example, begins its history with the myth of gods and goddesses, which traces the origins of the people back to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Without this tale, the emperor system loses its philosophical foundation. With this tale also, the notion of a pure race is emphasized and the dangerous point about racial homogeneity is created.

Mircea Eliade in his book, Cosmos and History: The Myth of the Eternal Return talks about the power of the beginning. In the mythical time, the movement of life is cyclical and man is always afforded a return to an origin through a ritual or a ceremony.

Modern man, when confronted with the linear process of history, becomes anxious because the control of time and space is now limited. The cyclic time loses its sacred nature and it is terrifying for man to face such kind of calendar.

History confronts us always. This is the case of Bonifacio and the two sides of history that he presents to us: the brave man who was cheated of the presidency and the hope now dead of someone who could have led us to a different promise land. Away from the republic of Aguinaldo and the more fluid dreams of a Rizal.

There is a third side, and this is for those who do not care at all about

any kind of histories.

And, yet, this is really history, a procession of struggles and strife.

What we are missing is the exit from the narrative of leaders, whose flaws are being rediscovered. Should not heroes be above us all? Not that we want our heroes to be demigods, but, if they are just as weak and selfish, why immortalize them on pedestals?

Perhaps, it is better to accept origins as really chaos out of which possible order can be conjured. Perhaps, as persons, we are broken.

I recall Eleanor of Aquitaine, as played by the great Katharine Hepburn, explaining the scheming by her sons and husband: It’s 1183 and we’re barbarians. How clear we make it...we are the origins of war:

Growth drivers and dampeners for 2015 Dr. Alvin P. Ang and Fernando T. Aldaba

EAGLE WATCH

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appy and prosperous New Year to all!

Our previous two columns talked about structural transformation and sustenance of growth for the coming years.

We focus this column on providing a general overview of what will be the shape of economic growth this 2015. Consistent with what other think tanks and research units are forecasting, we see that growth this year will be higher than that of 2014. This is despite our downgraded forecast for 2014 from 5.8 percent to 6 percent.

This year, as the other forecasters, we see a relatively more robust economy. But what are the growth drivers and dampeners for 2015?

Drivers for the expenditure side: After contracting last year, we expect government spending to increase this year. With the new P2.606-trillion budget signed into law by the President last December 23, the condition for renewed spending is set. The executive, by now, should have adjusted their processes after the Supreme Court’s decision on Priority Development Assistance Program and Disbursement Acceleration Program to be able to accelerate expenditures this year, especially in infrastructure. Because 2016 will be an election year, where there will be constraints and prohibitions that may affect government spending, expenditures may be ramped up. It will also be expected that, in the second half, election spending will already commence among candidates and current officials, who will run in 2016 at the national and local levels.

Remittance growth in 2014 may have surpassed the target of 5 percent, according to the Bangko

Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This will, most likely, be sustained this year as we see a continuous outflow of overseas workers, albeit on the lower skilled side. Together with inflows for the business-process-outsourcing (BPO) sector (now expected to be close to half of the remittances), remittances will continue to fuel consumption in the country.

We can also expect double-digit export growth this year, mostly because of the US recovery and increased global demand. Investments are also seen to expand, especially in manufacturing, as domestic demand continues to rise due to a rising middle class. The preparations for the full implementation of Asean 2015 also set the stage for expansion of exports in the second half.

Drivers on the production side: ON the production side, we see continuous growth of the manufacturing sector and this will be further enhanced by the continuing reduction in fuel and, subsequently, energy

costs. Services will also continue to grow as the BPO sector maintains its expansion. The telecommunication and financial sectors will continue to thrive, due to the burgeoning middleclass market. The housing sector, especially those targeting the low end of the market, will experience a possible advance this year.

Dampeners on the expenditure side: There will be some investment uncertainty as the private sector and foreign capital are not sure whether governance and economic reforms will be sustained during the next administration. So far, there is only one candidate, who has declared his intention to run—Vice President Jejomar Binay. Other contenders, like Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares have continued to keep silent on their plan to run for the presidency.

Because of the recession in Japan and Europe, the growth of exports may not reach its full potential, as both are major trading partners of the Philippines. Some components of the electronics-led exports may also be affected as they come from East Asia, particularly Japan.

Hence, imports may also weaken.

Likewise, a continuing challenge is port congestion, which is largely a coordination and infrastructure issue. It remains a potential dampener to private consumption and a threat to an otherwise benign and falling inflation.

Dampeners on the production side: WE see a continued slide of agriculture because of the ineffectiveness of the Department of Agriculture and local governments to implement designed programs for the

not history’s forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. We carry it like syphilis inside.

Dead bodies rot in field and stream because the living ones are rotten.

Such a dark view of the world is ended by Eleanor of Aquitaine with these words: For the love of God, can’t we love one another just a little —that’s how peace begins.

Propose love as a way to bring peace to this land, and be prepared to hear giggles. Love has no place in politics and heroism. Believe me. Until Valentine’s day comes next month.

By then, politics is well into its other corruptions.

farmers. As a natural outcome of the changing climate pattern, the agricultural sector also continues to be exposed to potential natural disasters, further exacerbating its weak growth. Because of the perennial extension of the agrarian-reform program, investors will continue to keep off the sector. A similar case is happening in the mining sector, where the legal environment continues to be hazy. The real-estate and housing market for the relatively wealthy may have already peaked and stifle the growth of the other services sector.

These are just some of the drivers and dampeners that, we think, will affect overall growth. Overall, we still see that the drivers outweigh the dampeners and, thus, predict a more robust growth of the economy at 6.5 percent to 7 percent this year.

Details of this forecast, including the peso-dollar rate, interest rates, inflation and financial markets, will be covered during our public briefing scheduled on January 22. We will, likewise, provide basic information on the economic directions of potential candidates to give us a broad view of policies after the current administration.

Alvin P. Ang and Fernando T. Aldaba are professors of economics and Senior Fellow of Eagle Watch, Ateneo de Manila University’s macroeconomic forecasting unit. The next Eagle Watch Briefing: Philippine Economic Outlook 2015, with Dr. Luis Dumlao, Dr. Alvin Ang and Dr. Cielito Habito, is on January 22, f rom 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Justitia Room, Ateneo Rockwell campus. For reservations and to avail yourself of early-bird rates, call 2633221, 0916-3532110 (Melani Salbo) or e-mail: info@ifpmphilippines.org.

2nd Front Page BusinessMirror

A8 Friday, January 9, 2015

Asean peers to copy PHL’s PPP Program

AC Energy confident of meeting 2016 goal

By Lenie Lectura

A

C Energy Holdings Inc. (AC Energy), the power arm of Ayala Corp., is close to achieving its goal of putting up 1,000 megawatts (MW) of power-generation capacity by 2016, a company official said.

“We continue to work on a pipeline of power projects together with our partners to meet our goal of assembling over 1,000 MW in attributable generating capacity over the next few years,” AC Energy President Eric Francia said.

These power projects are either operational or under construction. So far, AC Energy’s attributable capacity has reached over 700 MW. The company recently secured financing for the construction of a 4x135-MW coalfired power plant in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte in Mindanao.

The Mindanao power plant is developed

by GN Power Kauswagan Ltd. Co., a limited partnership among AC Energy, the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure (Pinai) fund and Power Partners Ltd. Co. Construction of the plant is expected to See “AC energy,” A2

D

By Cai U. Ordinario

espite delays, the Philippines’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program is still seen as a key component and model of other countries in the region in realizing the Master Plan for Asean Connectivity (MPAC).

The government said a number of the country’s PPP projects—including various airports, railways, roads and ports —would help increase connectivity in the Asean.

The PPP Center said these projects will also help further cut transportation costs and boost tourism in the region, which is one of the goals of the MPAC. “Transportation cost in all segments is expected to be reduced, paving the way for the exchange of more goods and ser-

vices. At the same time, the new infrastructure would facilitate faster and better travel that could potentially boost local tourism,” the PPP Center said.

The PPP Center added that projects, like the operation, maintenance and redevelopment of the Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Davao, Bacolod, New Bohol, La-guindingan and Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the upgrading of the San Fernando Airport and the Davao Sasa Port modernization, will

help realize the MPAC. Also included in the list are the North-South Commuter Railway (South line); operation and maintenance (O&M) of the LRT Line 2; North Luzon Expressway East Expressway; Central Luzon Link Expressway-Phase II; improvement and O&M of Kennon Road and Marcos Highway; and Plaridel Bypass Toll Road.

In the recently concluded Asean PPP Networking Forum in Manila, the country’s PPP Program was highlighted to guide other Southeast Asian countries in their effort to create their respective PPP initiatives.

Countries, such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR and Vietnam, have also expressed their intent for future engagements with the PPP Center of the Philippines to learn more about the country’s experience.

“It [Philippine PPP Program] was regarded as one of the most

mature PPP programs in the region that has established several policy and process improvements, and developed a robust pipeline of projects,” the PPP Center said.

The Philippines has been ranked highest in terms of PPP readiness in the Asean region, given its advanced legal and administrative structure based on the Infrascope 2011 Study of the Economist Intelligence Unit commissioned by the Asian Development Bank.

Since the 1990s, the Philippine government has undertaken PPPs under the build-operatetransfer law passed under former President Corazon Aquino’s term.

The current Aquino administration then renamed the BOT Center as the PPP Center to specifically cater to projects undertaken via BOT, build-leasetransfer, and other private-public sector undertakings.

OBAMA counters REPUBLICAN SURGE Jollibee to help expand Dunkin’s China presence P

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unkin’ Donuts said on Wednesday it struck a deal to open more than 1,400 locations in China over the next 20 years.

The chain said in an e-mail there are currently 16 Dunkin’ Donuts locations in the country.

Parent company Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc., which is based in Canton, Massachusetts, and also owns Baskin Robbins, said it entered into a master franchise agreement with Golden Cup Pte. Ltd. The group is a joint venture between Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd., based in the Philippines, and Jasmine Asset Holding Ltd, a unit of RRJ Capital Master Fund II Lp. The deal was noted on Wednesday by Janney analyst Mark Kalinowski, who cited a report about it in the Nikkei Asian Review.

Kalinowski said the agreement could lead to “a very nice international growth platform”

for Dunkin’ Donuts if successful. He noted that Jollibee is a “premier restaurant operator” and the largest quick-service concept in the Philippines.

A year ago Dunkin’ Donuts also announced a separate agreement with Fast Gourmet Group to develop more than 100 stores in eastern China. And, on Monday, the chain said it signed a franchise agreement to open more than 100 locations throughout Mexico.

Dunkin’ Donuts ended the most recent quarter with about 3,200 international locations. In the US it had about 8,000 locations, giving it more than 11,100 locations. The chain has been expanding domestically as well, and recently opened its first traditional location in Southern California.

Starbucks Corp. had more than 19,700 locations around the world at the end of its most recent quarter. AP

resident Barack Obama opened a tour through three states on Wednesday, aimed at claiming credit for recent economic growth and blunting the momentum of the new Republican congressional leadership.

Obama’s road trip comes amid a surprising burst of momentum for the White House following Democrats’ disastrous showing in the midterm elections, when Republicans won control of the Senate and expanded their majority in the House. Alongside signs of economic progress, the president has also unveiled a series of aggressive executive actions and seen his low approval ratings start to creep up.

“We are entering into the new year with new confidence that America is coming back,” Obama declared at a Ford plant in Michigan, a state at the center of both the downturn and rejuvenation of the US automobile industry.

The president has talked optimistically about opportunities to cooperate with congressional Republicans on issues like trade and tax reform.

But big clashes between the White House and the new Republican leadership will come first.

The White House has threatened to veto two priority pieces of legislation for the Republican Party: a bill approving construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline and another measure that could increase the health-care law’s definition of a full-time worker from 30 to 40 hours per week.

“It seems with every new day we have a new veto threat from the president,”Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday.

Obama and congressional leaders scheduled their first meeting of the new year for Tuesday.

In an effort to counteract the veto threats with new ideas, the White House plans to use the coming weeks to outline proposals the president will discuss in his January 20 State of the Union address. The president said his State of the Union address would focus on what steps the country needs to take over his final years in office to capitalize on recent economic gains.

While the economic recovery has been uneven throughout much of Obama’s presidency, there have been recent surges in growth fueled by hiring gains, falling gas prices and rising consumer confidence. AP

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BIR adds new accreditation requirements for importers

By David Cagahastian

I

nternal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares has prescribed additional requirements on the application of importers and customs brokers for accreditation with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

Henares issued Revenue Memorandum Order 1-2015, which provides that new applications for accreditation for importer’s clearance certificates (ICC) and broker’s clearance certificates (BCC) must carry certification from pertinent BIR departments attesting to the absence of a criminal record or tax deficiency on the part of the applicants.

Among the required attachments to the application are certification from the Regional Legal Division that the applicant has no pending criminal charges; a certification from the Regional Collection Division that the applicant has no delinquent account; and a certification from the Accounts Receivable Monitoring Division (ARMD) that the applicant has no listed tax liability.

The application must also have certification that the applicant has filed the requisite monthly summary list of sales and purchases/ summary list of importations for the immediately preceding eight taxable quarters, and a certification that the applicant had electronically filed the requisite alphabetical list of employees and/or alphabetical list of income recipients subjected to creditable/final withholding taxes for the last two preceding years, and that the same were successfully uploaded on the BIR’s data warehouse.

All certifications issued by the various BIR offices were to be forwarded to the ARMD and any application for accreditation carrying a certification different from the one on file with the ARMD were to be denied automatically.

Importers and customs brokers able to secure provisional ICC/BCC shall also be required to produce the certifications mentioned above, or else the six-month validity period of their provisional ICC/BCC shall no longer be extended, without prejudice to the refiling of a new application once the certifications are already available.

Holders of provisional ICC/BCC who shall submit thecertifications, and verified by the ARMD as authentic, shall be issued a regular ICC/BCC. Henares also removed the requirement for prospective applicants for ICC/BCC to submit a certified copy of the Certificate of Registration issued by the BIR, and a certified true copy of registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Articles of Incorporation.

Vietnam finds new tourism niche in Asean: same-sex marriage Continued from A1

“Singapore just reaffirmed its ban on homosexual behaviors.

Vietnam is trying to pitch itself as a tolerant and safe country.”

Abolished fines

Vietnam’s new marriage law, which went into effect on New Year’s Day, abolished regulations that “prohibit marriage between people of the same sex.”

Same-sex marriages can now take place, though the government does not recognize them or provide legal protections in cases of disputes. The government abolished fines that were imposed on homosexual weddings in 2013.

No other country in Southeast Asia has taken as big a step toward accepting same-sex marriage as Vietnam, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said by phone.

In Thailand efforts to address samesex laws have stalled since the ascent of the military government in May, while Cambodia, Burma and Lao PDR have not put the issue on its legislative agenda, he said. The Philippines is considering laws to ban same-sex marriage. Indonesia and Malaysia have “entrenched discriminatory views”against homosexuals and in Brunei Darussalam, “the new penal code sets out that those seeking to be involved in gay marriage could face whippings and long prison sentences,” Robertson said.

Foreign visitors

Vietnam, which looks to boost an economy that has expanded less than 7 percent annually for seven consecutive years, reduced visa requirements for seven Asian and European countries on January 1 to make the country more attractive to overseas tourists. Foreign visitors to Vietnam are estimated to have increased to 7.9 million last year from 7.6 million in 2013, according to government data.

“It is getting out that Vietnam is a more friendly place”toward gay people, John Goss, director of Utopia Asia, a gay resources web site based in Bangkok, said by phone. “Gays in Vietnam are certainly becoming more open. It has not ruffled any feathers as it might in some other countries in Southeast Asia. It will

have a positive effect on tourism.”

Vietnam is already seeing an influx of LGBT travelers from abroad, said Nguyen Anh Tuan, owner of Gay Hanoi Tours, which has seen bookings increase by as much as 50 percent in the past year.

The new law “indicates to everyone that Vietnam is opening up more and welcomes everyone,” he said. “Vietnam is changing very quickly. There are bigger gay communities and gay events.”

Tourism impact

Twenty-nine percent of the LGBT community in the US take at least five leisure trips a year, according to research by San Francisco-based Community Marketing Inc. The community generates $100 billion in tourism business in the

US alone and many make overseas trips, according to the company. Forty-eight percent of gay households have annual incomes of at least $75,000, it said in its 2014 tourism survey.

“Many of them have double incomes,” Goss said. “Gay travel tends to be recession-proof.” Vietnam’s lawmakers, who initially considered recognizing same-sex marriage, believed the country wasn’t ready for it, said Luong The Huy, legal officer at the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment, known as ISEE, a Vietnamese non-governmental organization that advocates for minority rights.

“They say the society in Vietnam needs some time to accept gay and lesbians in general,” he said. The revi-

sion in the law signals to the country that “same-sex marriage is not harmful to society,” Huy said.

Vietnam, which has a population of about 90 million, has at least 1.65 million LGBT citizens ages 15 to 59, according to the Hanoi-based ISEE.

Vietnamese perceptions

Vietnamese perceptions of gays may also change with the December arrival of US ambassador to Vietnam, Ted Osius, along with his husband, Clayton Bond, and their son, Huy said. “He promotes a very good image of a very successful person who is gay,” Huy said. “We could get more support from civil society in Vietnam because the American ambassador is gay.” Bloomberg News