Businessmirror october 18, 2015

three-time rotary club of manila journalism awardee 2006, 2010, 2012

U.N. Media Award 2008

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A broader look at today’s business

n Sunday, October 18, 2015 Vol. 11 No. 10

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Central bank trims losses New credit-card fraud T protection creates

By Bianca Cuaresma

week ahead

ECONOMIC DATA PREVIEW

HE Bangko Sentral was able to trim its net losses in the first eight months of the year, as gains in both interest and miscellaneous income continued to catch up and covered more of its expenses during the period.

Balance of Payments (September 2015) October 19, Monday

n August BOP: The Bangko Sentral reported that the country’s BOP hit a deficit of $450 million in August 2015. August’s deficit was a reversal of the $354-million surplus seen in July this year, and the $114-million surplus in August last year. The deficit during the month also put the total BOP surplus for the year below target at $1.588 billion. The $450-million deficit in August was the lowest point of the country’s BOP position since January 2014, when it hit a deficit of $4.48 billion.

Global developments in August—particularly in the Chinese economy and its currency, and the speculations going around the Federal Reserve’s decision to hike or not—have rattled the foreign-exchange market and the stock market during the period.

n September BOP: Volatilities continued in the local markets in September this year as caused by global developments. However, if the country’s foreign portfolio investments—or more popularly known as “hot” or speculative money—was to be an indicator, the country’s foreign transactions might be seeing a certain degree of recovery from its August beating. Hot money that flowed in and out of the country still yielded a net outflow of $323.98 million in September this year, data from the BSP showed. This is a recovery from the $323.98 million seen in the previous month. Bianca Cuaresma

BusinessMirror media partner

Nonie Reyes

n Foreign exchange: The peso still displayed overall strength against the US dollar in the previous week. In particular, the peso closed trading at the start of the week at the 45 territory at 45.8 to a dollar. It then rallied on Tuesday to 46.075 to a dollar and back to 46 flat to a dollar on Wednesday. A sideways depreciation was seen on Thursday at 46.05 to a dollar. The peso then ended the week at 45.85 to a dollar. Its total traded volume was at $3.97 billion during the week. Its average value was at 45.955 to a dollar, up from the previous week’s value of 46.214 to a dollar.

n Week ahead: Market players are still expected to trade within close range as the previous week, as players look for fresher leads in trade. In the local scene, among the expected data release in the coming week is China’s third-quarter GDP growth and the US consumers’ sentiment report. Locally, the balance of payments (BOP) of the country is for release this week.

confusion–even for FBI

In the most recent data on the central bank’s statement of income and expense, the agency showed that it was able to keep its net losses to P1.78 billion. This is about 61 percent lower than the P4.54-billion losses that it sustained in the same eight-month period last year.

While this is an improvement, the central bank was still unable to keep its statement in the black, as expenses were larger than its income in the first eight months of the year.

If the central bank ends 2015

with a net loss, it would be the sixth consecutive year for it to register a loss.

It was in 2012 when the central bank incurred a record-high net loss of P95.38 billion. The last time that the BSP posted a net income was in 2009, amounting to P13.13 billion.

The total revenues for the period grew 23.6 percent, a significant reversal of the 27.7-percent decrease seen in the same period last year.

See “Central Bank,” A6

No energy secretary, no petro service contracts

By Lenie Lectura

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HERE is a delay in the awarding of new petroleum service contracts and renewable-energy deals, because Malacañang has yet to appoint a new energy secretary.

At present, the Department of Energy is headed by an officer in charge (OIC), Zenaida Y. Monsada, who was appointed to act as caretaker in place of former Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla in July. As OIC, Monsada could not sign those deals. Thus, the OIC has no recourse but to wait for further instructions from the Palace.

“I am trying to help her get

PESO exchange rates n US 45.7960

PETILLA: “I started a program to fast-track the processing of contracts, and yet, these are not moving forward.”

the signing authority from Malacañang. I started a program to fasttrack the processing of contracts, and yet, these are not moving forward,” Petilla said.

Petilla is confident that “she will get the signing authority” soon.

“In a short period of time, she See “Energy,” A6

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ASHINGTON—The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took a step backward over the past week in the effort to combat creditcard fraud. First, the agency told consumers a week ago that new microchip-installed credit and debit cards designed to better thwart fraud might still be vulnerable.

Don’t just sign your receipt, was the message of its initial warning. Use your personal identification number (PIN) with the new chip cards, because “these cards can still be targeted by fraud.”

But the FBI had to reverse field a bit this past week: It turns out that most of the new chip cards in the US do not use PINs.

The newly designed chips cards are known as EMV, a partnership of Europay—a European credit-card company—MasterCard and Visa to establish an international security system for detecting credit-card fraud.

The technology in the cards enables it to block information about a person’s credit-card account, if hacked, from being used to replicate a counterfeit card for more purchases.

US banks were supposed to issue new chip-installed cards by October 1 to avoid fraud liability.

The microchip has already been in use in Europe

and elsewhere around the world.

The recent hacks of Target, Neiman Marcus and other big retailers have drawn attention to how widespread credit-card fraud has become.

In 2012, of 23.8 billion credit-card transactions, 13.5 million, or 5.68 percent, were fraudulent, according to a study by the Federal Reserve System.

The same study also showed that only 2.72 percent of debit, prepaid and automatic teller-machine transactions, which require PINs, were fraudulent.

The Fed found that fraud was more pronounced among signature and prepaid transactions than among those that used PIN numbers.

“The percentage of signature transactions that were fraudulent was more than seven times that of PIN transactions in 2011,” it said.

The “chip-and-PIN” method is the best security technology available, according to Brian See “Credit Card,” A6

n japan 0.3852 n UK 70.9380 n HK 5.9092 n CHINA 7.2165 n singapore 33.2192 n australia 33.5330 n EU 52.1204 n SAUDI arabia 12.2155

Source: BSP (16 October 2015)

NewsSunday

A2 Sunday, October 18, 2015 • Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo

BusinessMirror

Prominent personalities join Senate race

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ORMER Sen. Richard J. Gordon, former military rebel Diosdado Valeroso, businessman Richard Penson and former Party-list Rep. Walden Bello joined the race for the Senate in next year’s election.

Gordon, long-serving chairman of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), filed his certificate of candidacy as an Independent running under his own Bagumbayan-Volunteers for a New Philippines political party accompanied by close family members and a throng of supporters.

Gordon said he would bring his long experience in local politics and administration, the Executive branch, national politics, and life-long work as a PRC volunteer to confront the pressing problems of poverty alleviation, jobs

creation, infrastructure development, and the improvement of basic services.

While set to run as an independent candid ate, Gordon said he was gordon open to invitations from other political parties that have invited him into their own senatorial lineups.

“We will work with all groups who have our people’s interests at heart.

Much work remains to be done so we can create more jobs and give our people better basic services and a greater quality of life.”

Gordon served as senator from 2004 till 2010. Gordon’s measures in the upper chamber resulted in laws on poll automation and greater Philippine tourism development. Gordon successfully lobbied with the US government and passed a local counterpart law to grant World War II veterans their long-awaited pensions from the US. Gordon also successfully fought off attempts to push charter change for political purposes and fought to uphold the Senate’s powers to investigate the executive branch in aid of legislation.

Retired Chief Supt. Diosdado Valeroso, the first captain or baron of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1982, filed his certificate along with

his wife and six children at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Intramuros, Manila.

Valeroso, together with former retired Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and Sen. Gregorio B. Honasan II founded the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM). In 1986 the RAM went with former Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and then-Lt. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos and fought the Marcos regime. Their action precipitated the now globally recognized 1986 People Power Revolt.

In 1988 Valeroso founded the Young Officers Union (YOU), a group of young officers, mostly lieutenants and captains and led several coups against the administration of Corazon Aquino for two years (1987-1989).

In 1990 Valeroso was caught and detained. He was eventually granted pardon by Ramos.

A coalition of legitimate political parties unfurled its banner and launched the candidacies of three of their members who vowed to bring

the “struggle of the people” before the halls of the Senate.

Called “The New Third Force,” the coalition party describes their campaign as against the ruling of traditional politicians, whom they accused of betraying the Filipino people in exchange for the interests of big business.

The New Third Force coalition is composed of the national political parties of the Partido ng Lakas ng Masa (PLM), Buklod, Alliance for Truth Integrity and Nationalism (ATIN), ang NARS, Sanlakas and the Democratic Party of the Philippines (DPP). Both the PLM, ATIN and the DPP have successfully launched a nationwide campaign for the past two elections, even elected several of their members in Congress and local government posts. While the Buklod is a registered political party under the Comelec, and the second time to take part in a nationwide campaign.

Valeroso, Penson and Bello are the movement’s candidates for senator.

LTFRB extends prequalification phase of bidding for IT upgrade

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

T

HE submission for the prequalification documents of prospective bidders for the multimillion-peso deal to upgrade the computer system of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has been pushed back to end-October.

The 18-day extension of the

deadline, according to LTFRB Chairman Winston M. Ginez, was given to the bidders to give them ample time to prepare their documents.

The P298-million public-private partnership (PPP) project will upgrade the existing information technology infrastructure of the LTFRB. It intends to computerize the agency’s manual processes, as well as the development, supply and

operationalization of its network infrastructure (hardware) and database and applications (software).

The computerization efforts will help clean up existing data of the LTFRB, enhance data collection and processing. It is also envisioned to effect integration within the regulatory body and among related agencies.

This will lessen the processing time for its transactions, promote

and improve access to public information and provide channels for feedback.

Based on the latest data from the PPP Center, around 12 PPP projects worth P284.98 billion are now under implementation.

This includes the 10 projects worth P189.02 billion that have been awarded to private companies and two other projects worth P95.96 billion that are

also for implementation.

The main pipeline, or the list of projects that have not been awarded, includes 40 projects worth P811.71 billion.

This includes 14 projects worth P518.28 billion that are under procurement and 12 projects worth at least P67.45 billion with ongoing studies and procurement of consultants for preinvestment studies.

Chinese general dismisses South China Sea concerns

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EIJING—A top Chinese general said on Saturday that China’s newly created islands in the disputed South China Sea are intended mainly to aid shipping and dismissed concerns that Beijing is seeking to strengthen its control over the strategically vital region.

Gen. Fan Changlong’s remarks came as expectations grow that the US might directly challenge Chinese claims in the South China Sea by sailing a Navy ship inside the 12-nautical mile (21-kilometer) territorial limit surrounding one of the man-made islands.

Concerns have been growing over the rapid appearance of islands created by piling sand atop reefs and atolls controlled by China, which is now adding harbors, airstrips and large buildings. The US and others have called on Beijing to halt those projects, saying they are destabilizing an increasingly militarized region.

Fan said concerns that the island construction could affect freedom of navigation were unfounded.

“In fact, those construction projects are mainly carried out for civil purposes,” Fan told the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing. “As we have promised, the projects will not affect freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Instead, they will enable us to provide better public services to aid navigation and production in

the South China Sea.” China’s assurances have failed to gain much traction abroad, and speaking shortly after Fan, Adm. Gary Roughead, the former US chief of Naval Operations, said the rapid expansion of the islands and a lack of clarity from Beijing “heightens suspicions and presents the potential for miscalculations.

While Beijing’s assurances are welcomed, confidence measures and increased transparency are needed to assuage China’s neighbors of its peaceful intent, Roughead said.

Fan cited the recent launch of operations by two new lighthouses on Chinese island holdings as evidence of good intentions, and said Beijing was committed to resolving disputes peacefully.

“We will never recklessly resort to the use of force, even on issues bearing upon sovereignty, and have done our utmost to avoid unexpected conflicts,” said the general, a vice chairman of the powerful commission controlling the military that is headed by President Xi Jinping.

Fan also said China would accelerate the establishment of an 8,000-member standby force for United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions promised by Xi at the UN last month, as well as a commitment to train 2,000 foreign peacekeepers over the next five years. AP

www.businessmirror.com.ph

AES bags power supply of seven co-ops

By Lenie Lectura

A

ES Philippines will supply the power requirements of seven electric cooperatives (ECs) from Region 1 and the Cordillera Administrative Region (collectively, the R1+CAR ECs) for 20 years.

Under the power supply agreements (PSAs) between the power company and the ECs, the former will provide 92 megawatts (MW) of aggregate capacity to the ECs starting 2019. The power supply will be sourced from AES’s 300-MW expansion of the Masinloc power plant in Zambales.

The R1+CAR ECs—which are composed of Abra Electric Cooperative Inc., Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative (Iseco), Kalinga Electric Cooperative, La Union Electric Cooperative, Mountain Province Electric Cooperative Inc. and the Pangasinan III Electric Cooperative—decided in 2014 to aggregate their requirements and conduct a competitive selection process (CSP) to source power from a new facility.

Egdon A. Sabio, general manager of Iseco and President of the Region 1 Electric Cooperatives Association, said the PSAs will result in up to 20 percent to 30 percent reductions in the retail and generation rates for an estimated 3.5 million electricity consumers.

“We are pleased to enter into this long-term relationship with AES Philippines. We pursued aggregation because, individually, we are small and weak, but as a group, we are strong. The objectives of the aggregation are to secure the supply of electricity for our captive customers, achieve the least-cost price of power through CSP to benefit our consumers, and manage our market risks.

Today we accomplished all these objectives,” Sabio said.

Several generators qualified for the CSP, but AES Philippines won the bidding by providing the most competitive long-term rate from the planned expansion of its Masinloc plant.

“We are excited to add the R1+CAR ECs to our list of customers. We applaud their vision and initiative in organizing this aggregation. The design, evaluation and execution of the entire bid process was competitive, transparent, fair and conducted with integrity.

As a result, these ECs and their customers will enjoy the most competitive generation rate ever signed for a new power plant in the Philippines,” AES Philippines Managing Director Neeraj Bhat said.

The 300-MW expansion of the Masinloc power plant has secured all key permits to start construction and discussions are underway with lenders and engineering, procurement and construction contractors. Commissioning is expected in 2019 to meet power-supply obligations.

In addition to the R1+CAR ECs, the Masinloc expansion has already signed PSAs with other customers, and is actively marketing its remaining open capacity to additional ECs, distribution utilities and contestable customers.

Makati house: 1,449 years worth of average Pinoy worker’s salary

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

A

N average Filipino worker with more than two decades of experience under his belt will require more than a century worth of his current salary in order to afford a house in Makati, the Philippines’ most expensive housing market, a global property listing provider said.

But the same man only requires 4.16 months’ worth of his salary to afford a home in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, a second quarter industry report from Lamudi Philippines showed.

On the other end of the salary spectrum are minimum-wage earners, who need to work a staggering 1,449 years in order to afford Makati’s overly expensive houses, while three years’ worth of their income can buy a house in the same place in Bulacan.

Minimum-wage workers, on the average, earn P126,984 a year, while the ones with 20 years of experience of work make P215,383 annually.

“A lthough the results of this study does not represent all employees across all industries, it gives future Filipino homebuyers a picture on

how far their income could go based on average home prices in the cities and municipalities included. Average house price range from a very high of P184 million for Makati, to a low of P495,999 for San Jose del Monte, Bulacan,” the report said.

Following Makati as the most unaffordable housing market is Muntinlupa City, where average house pr ice stands at P42.4 million.

Lamudi ’s analysis focused on the top 32 cities and towns w ith more than 100 for-sa le inventor ies.

NewsSunday

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo

BusinessMirror

SGV enjoins big companies’ smart boards in combat vs cyberattacks

By Roderick L. Abad

T

HE fight against cyberthreats is everybody’s business, according to SGV & Co., which enjoins not only the small players, but the big organizations as well to protect their trades from any form of attacks on the Web. Leonardo J. Matignas, the company’s chief risk officer and head of risk services, said that even the best-run companies are susceptible to this that they need to act now to avoid disruption in their business if ever it happens to them in the future.

“There’s no way to avoid cyber and digital in business today. This means that it’s important to have a response plan in case something goes wrong,” he noted.

The fast pace of change in technologically driven environment nowadays is introducing one of the biggest shifts in mind-sets in the boardroom.

This is to accept the fact that protecting their network infrastructure is part of their job, and that cyber risk is an important component of enterprise-risk management.

At present, they should be aware and ready for cybersecurity given its legal consequence.

Considering that the best offense is a strong defense, the leadership board and audit committee of a certain enterprise need to have a concrete oversight on the organization’s resilience to cyber breaches, as well as concrete strategies, plan and execution.

Online protection should not be seen as just an information-technology (IT) concern, Matignas added.

“The IT function plays an important part, but cybersecurity is a shared responsibility and certainly a business imperative. It would not be a stretch to say that the first step to cyber resilience is to drive a commitment to cybersecurity at the board level,” he explained.

He recommends that both the board and the audit committee should lead the initiative by redefining cybersecurity governance and changing the mind-set in the entire organization.

It involves culture transformation so that cyber security is viewed as an enterprise-wide business risk that can be handled and infused to the overall business strategy.

Web risk considerations should be included in all major discussions and decisions at the boardroom, whether merger or acquisition, new product launch, entrance to new markets, or new software implementation.

Cyberthreats evolve as organizations change, so the boards ought to cope up with these by constantly evaluating, balancing and embracing all risks, including those related to the company’s wide network or ecosystem.

Matignas said EY’s Global Information Security Survey in 2014 found out that “less than 20 percent of organizations have realtime insight on cyber risks, and cybersecurity tasks are generally not adequately resourced or performed by skilled people.”

“It is the board’s responsibility to challenge management so that there is appropriate allocation of resources to address cyber risks that are commensurate with the risk levels. It is also important for the board to expand their own understanding of what cybersecurity entails,” he said.

Sunday, October 18, 2015 A3

PLDT, PCE bring entrepreneurship drive to Filipinos in Hong Kong

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By Lorenz S. Marasigan

ONG KONG—The global marketing arm of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has partnered with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) to bring to overseas Filipinos in Hong Kong the Smart Pinoy-Go Negosyo caravan.

The event, spearheaded by the PLDT Global Corp. (PGC), aims to provide entrepreneurial ideas and insights on possible business opportunities which they can explore in the Philippines, PLDT Executive Vice President Eric R. Alberto said.

“This is our way of providing our overseas Filipinos a viable option when they return home and decide to start a business in our country,” he said.

The first leg of the Smart Pinoy-Go Negosyo caravan will be held today in Hong Kong.

It will be held in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General.

Nearly 200,000 Filipino household workers and professionals with their families are currently living in this former British Crown Colony.

The caravan will include talks on financial literacy, basics of franchising and developing the right mind-set to be conducted

by Ramon Lopez, executive director of Go Negosyo; Armando Bartolome, chairman of the Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc.; and Mon Abrea, chief strategy officer of Abrea Consulting.

There will also be a forum featuring the successful entrepreneurs led by Myrna Padilla, a former migrant worker and the founder of Mynd Consulting—a business-process outsourcing company based in Davao City; Celestino Reyes, chairman and CEO of Reyes Haircutters; and Ginger Aganon, owner of Lagalag Outdoor Co., who have successfully expanded their business through the digital platform. Plus, there will be an exhibit that will showcase the various Philippine businesses, where caravan participants can sign up for more information or possible franchising.

“It will be a whole day of learning and fun for our entrepreneurial overseas Filipinos and we’re giving them access to the Smart PinoyGo Negosyo caravan for free,” PGC President Alex Caeg noted.

The event to be held at the Bayanihan Center on Victoria Road targets around 300 participants consisting of overseas Filipinos in Hong Kong with Philippine Consulate representatives. “We are pleased to bring the Go Negosyo know-how to our overseas Filipinos.

We hope that the stories from our successful entrepreneurs will inspire them to plan for

their future and prepare for their eventual return to their home country,” PLDT First Vice President and Head of PLDT SME Nation Kat Luna-Abelarde said.

Smart Pinoy has been serving overseas Filipinos in Hong Kong since 2004, following a partnership with HKT, a subsidiary of PCCW Hong Kong. “Through Smart Pinoy, we are able to service the needs of our overseas Filipinos with our wide range of telco and digital services distributed via a strong and strategic retail channel,” PGC Hong Kong General Manager Edith Gomez said.

Aside from vast data and voice offers, Smart Pinoy empowers its customers to prepare for their return to the Philippines.

“Through our Load & Save Program, our customers earn peso rewards for every reload, which is credited to their Smart Money account. Peso rewards can be remitted to their loved ones in the Philippines or save it for future business engagements,”Gomez added.

PLDT Hong Kong’s advocacy on OFW Reintegration Program started in 2013.

PGC hopes to bring the Smart Pinoy-Go Negosyo caravan to other territories where it operates, namely Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Guam, Macau, the UK and the US. Go Negosyo is the advocacy of the PCE, which was organized by top business leaders, to popularize entrepreneurship among Filipinos as an alternative to unemployment, job-seeking or migration.

“The Smart Pinoy-Go Negosyo caravan for our overseas Filipinos is actually an expansion of our partnership with Go Negosyo, as we both aspire to empower our people by providing them the tools that they need to start their own business,” Alberto said.

SundayV

Busine

A4 Sunday, October 18, 2015 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

editorial

Joker Arroyo: David and the Philistines

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HE news was received quietly and sadly by a population impressed by his intellectual ability, spiritual sincerity and moral integrity—that former Sen. Joker Arroyo had passed away.

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon announced that honors were awaiting the departed senator in the Senate, but that these had to await until official confirmation of the death was given by the senator’s family. Malacañang said more or less the same thing: that the Palace was awaiting word from the family before the President could issue a statement.

There is something curious about these developments. Why is no confirmation of the senator’s passing coming from his family? Why the apparent reluctance, perhaps refusal, on the part of the family to have anything to do with these institutions of the government?

The puzzle is not as baffling as appears on the surface.

Recall that Joker, who was in the Senate for 12 years (2001-2013), was one of two senators—the other being Sen. Panfilo Lacson—who refused to accept their annual P200-million pork barrel, concealed in the noble-sounding name of the Priority Development Assistance Fund. He never touched the money, totaling P2.4 billion during his tenure. He was one of three senators—the other two being Sens. Miriam Defensor Santiago and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.—who could not be bribed into convicting Chief Justice Renato C. Corona in 2012.

His colleagues were each paid from P50 million to P100 million for handing a guilty verdict.

He was the only senator known to have turned down (or resigned from?) the chairmanship of the powerful Senate Blue Ribbon Committee—for the reason that the committee had continuously been used by its leadership not to enforce high standards of service in the government but to persecute political enemies, and he was not interested in continuing that practice.

When he was in the House of Representatives for nine years (1992-2001), representing the district of Makati, Joker refused to accept any pork barrel and barely touched his annual allocation for staff and travel.

Prior to all these, Joker was a human-rights lawyer, defending victims of martial law.

These vignettes in the life of Joker shed light on the moral integrity and courage of the man. Joker had hardly anything in common with his peers in Congress. He was a giant among pygmies. If he despised the people he found himself working with, who could blame him?

Here, we advance the conjecture that prior to his passing, Joker gave his family instruction not to accept any honors from the leadership of the government, particularly Malacañang and the Senate, on the occasion of his passing.

This explains the total silence of the Arroyo family on the senator’s death.

Even in death, Joker could not accept the tributes of people for whom he had nothing but contempt.

The majority of the Filipino people pay homage to Joker Arroyo for his selfless service to country and the people, and his unbending refusal to be influenced by the values of the Philistines that surrounded him.

Shutting down debate on climate change

By Hans Von Spakovksy & Hope Steffensen The Heritage Foundation TNS Forum

A

RE you skeptical of humancaused global warming or climate change like many respected scientists and climate experts? Then you should be prosecuted like a mafia mob boss, according to 20 academics at ivory towers, such as Columbia, Rutgers and the University of Washington.

Apparently, these professors either don’t believe in the First Amendment or are profoundly ignorant of the basic rights it protects.

They recently wrote an open letter to President Barack Obama and Attorney General Loretta Lynch asking for anyone who questions the climate-change dogma to be criminally prosecuted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico) because they have “knowingly deceived the American people about the risks of climate change.”

Rico is a federal law passed in 1970 as part of the Organized Crime Control Act. It was intended to be used as a tool to go after organized crime, including dangerous drug cartels and mafia operations. The letter writers believe that any individuals and organizations involved in questioning the “science” behind global warming are the equivalent of the racketeers the Rico law was supposed to stop—racketeers like the kind Marlon Brando portrayed as Vito Corleone in The Godfather or Edward G. Robinson played as Enrico Bandello in Little Caesar.

In fact, the acronym for the federal law, Rico, comes from that Edward G. Robinson character.

Gospel

Sunday, October 18, 2015

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These professors are trying to foster the exact opposite of a “free exchange of facts, theories and ideas.” They want to end all scientific debate.

These academics could also use a remedial course in the history of scientific development.

There have been many fierce debates over new scientific theories that have occurred over the past 2,000 years of human development.

The professors seem totally oblivious to the fundamental infringement of free speech they are urging. Not only that, but they seem completely insensible to the basic mission of academic institutions, which is to foster, as the University of Washington—where two of the academics who signed this letter teach-mission statement says, “an environment for objectivity and imaginative inquiry and for the original scholarship and research that ensure the production of new knowledge in the free exchange of facts, theories and ideas.”

These academics are trying to foster the exact opposite of a “free exchange of facts, theories and ideas.” They want to end all scientific debate. These academics could also use a remedial course in the history of scientific development. There have been many fierce debates over new scientific theories that have occurred over the past 2,000 years of human development. There are countless examples of theories that became accepted wisdom that later turned out to be completely wrong,

ND James and John, the sons of Zeb’edee, came forward to Him, and said to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And they said to Him, “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.”

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

And they said to Him, “We are able.”

And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am

in which dissenters from the original “accepted wisdom” were greeted with a range of reactions from skepticism to derision.

Suggesting, however, that socalled dissidents on the climate issue be prosecuted is a whole different story and amounts to a modern-day academic Inquisition. Have these professors never heard of Galileo Galilei? Galileo was attacked by the Inquisition for advocating the Copernican theory of the universe, which violated the consensus of the times.

Like the supposed “consensus” of the “overwhelming majority of climate scientists” today (which actually isn’t true), these lofty academics know what the absolute truth is about climate change—just like Pope Urban VIII knew what the absolute truth was about the nature of the universe and our solar system.

These academics want anyone who disagrees with their “absolute” truth to be prosecuted, just like Galileo. Should the skeptics be put in prison? Or would these professors be satisfied with the skeptics being confined to house arrest and formally abjuring their errors, as Galileo was? The final word here is this: The heads of George Mason University, the University of Washington, Rutgers University, the University of Maryland, Florida State University, the University of Miami, the University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University should be embarrassed to have professors on staff with such a profound ignorance or intentional disregard for the First Amendment.

The need for robust, unchecked, vibrant debate—not just in the university setting, but in American society, culture and politics—has never been greater.

baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

And when the 10 heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, “You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give His Life as a ransom for many.”—Mark 10:35-45

Voices

essMirror

opinion@businessmirror.com.ph • Sunday, October 18, 2015 A5

Time to let go W Free Fire

By Teddy Locsin Jr.

ITH apologies from me for breaking it a little, but complete privacy was Sen. Joker P. Arroyo’s express wish.

But it was a last-minute wish, for he loved his friends and he particularly loved the Senate. There he could be at his most naughty. He loved to encourage neophyte colleagues to attempt what they did not think possible, and warmly applauded their success.

Me in the House, he taught to value the occasional and unexpected contributions of lackluster colleagues; to forget what they had done in the past so I could see their good deeds in the present. A man is not just everything that he did. If

you keep looking back, you cannot see in front of you the man who has done better.

He marveled at the new ones— men about town in their youth; lazy students, if even that; yet suddenly sitting down to serious and important work in the Senate.

They loved Joker for it. For him, everyone had a virtue, including the energy to restart their campaigns for reelection the day after their proclamation. From him, I learned to always give credit, even where it is not due because you did most of the work. The credit will gladly be given back to you many times over. There is noblesse oblige in both houses of Congress; but a

bit less of it in the Senate, which is more contaminated by the lack of breeding in this government.

In a way, we have achieved what Karl Marx wanted, a classless society, one totally bereft of the slightest distinction of high class.

And so someone in the Senate just had to lie that family had spurned a necrological service for the late Senator. But no one in the Senate got in touch with the family. They couldn’t.

They were still in San Francisco. What happened was that in the course of another conversation, someone interjected the demand that Joker’s remains be surrendered instantly to the Senate or he would be denied a necrological service. The Senate

was dying to adjourn, this someone said, and had no intention of seriously resuming—if ever, let alone for a necrological service.

Yet, even if that was possible, Joker would not have wanted what he wanted only if he could attend his own funeral. That way he could laugh alongside his colleagues, as they tried to express with awkward eloquence, a simple and sincere grief. The truth of the matter is that Joker had just seen how loss so deeply affected his family. They had also lost someone dear to them not so long before. He did not want to prolong the agony. He wanted to speed up the time of acceptance. He knew that wakes merely awaken grief, and every condolence

given but revives the pain of loss.

Joker made a bad enemy but was ever a kind man. He made light of his accomplishments in human rights and his success in keeping Cory C. Aquino safe from servitude to the army and big business. But he did it with a touch unrelenting but so light that none felt aggrieved and sad for too long. The privacy is just Joker’s way to ease for his family the pain of his passing. He and I have always talked, that anyway, glory is fleeting—and flies faster the longer you try to hold on to it. In the words of The Blade Runner, who had seen it all, including starships on fire off the shoulder of Orion, “time to die,” time to let go.

Even Hispanics agree: Trump’s immigration policies aren’t all hogwash

By Yuri Vanetik & Thomas Tucker The Philadelphia Inquirer TNS Forum

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OLLS indicate that support for Donald Trump is plateauing, while key challengers like Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio are quickly gaining ground. If this trend continues and Trump flames out, the Republican establishment shouldn’t simply dismiss his candidacy as a fad. There are lessons to be learned from Trump’s unexpected popularity. The most important one is that there is broad support for some components of his immigration platform, even among Hispanics.

Yes, you read that right. Polls show that many Hispanics agree with Trump that illegal immigration is a huge problem. The eventual GOP nominee should, of course, reject the divisive, inflammatory language Trump and his

supporters have often used to make the case for reform.

But there are smart policy ideas buried under all that rhetoric. They ought to be incorporated into the official party platform. A recent poll by Survey USA shows that Trump commands the support of 31 percent of Hispanics. That’s not only a higher share than Mitt Romney received in 2012—it’s more than Republican George H.W. Bush received in 1988 when he won the general elections.

Most Hispanics aren’t single-issue voters when it comes to immigration. A recent Gallup poll found that among registered Latino voters, 67 percent are at least willing to support a candidate who doesn’t share their views on immigration. And 18 percent don’t consider the issue important at all. What’s more, many Hispanic citizens have little sympathy for immigrants who haven’t played by the rules.

Especially among Latino voters

born in the US, resentment of immigrants who have entered the country illegally can run deep.

Forty-two percent of American-born Hispanics disapprove of President Barack Obama’s executive actions to prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants. So while Trump has certainly been insensitive and incendiary, his message has nonetheless resonated with a significant share of Hispanic voters. Most immigrants to this country played by the rules. It’s no surprise that they disapprove of people who didn’t.

With Trump on the wane, the GOP should pluck the good from his immigration stand and propose specific reforms to the existing system. Border enforcement should be a primary goal. Trump’s signature proposal, after all, is a wall along the Mexican border with “a big, beautiful door...so that people can come into this country legally.” The GOP should fill in the details.

For example, officials need a strategy for finding and holding accountable immigrants who remain in the country longer than the law allows. Systems, such as biometric exit points, which would track visitors through their fingerprints or photographs, could help ensure that the person leaving the country is the same one who entered. A smart immigration platform would also include a more economically viable plan to deal with America’s current population of undocumented workers. Trump has said that after deporting such workers—who make up 5 percent of the US labor force—he would be willing to invite “the good ones back to get documentation and become legal.”

It would be cheaper and more effective to skip the mass deportations and simply grant temporary work permits to certain illegal immigrants who pass a rigorous qualification process. These individuals would

need to learn English and pay hefty monetary penalties for violating the law. And to weed out genuinely dangerous criminals, a thorough background check would be essential.

There’s an appetite for humane immigration policies that still afford people from all over the world the opportunity to come and thrive in the US. During the most recent TV debate, the National Immigration Forum Action Fund ran an arresting ad contrasting the positive, welcoming “city upon a hill” immigration vision outlined by Ronald Reagan and the divisive, isolationist language deployed by Trump and other GOP contenders. Reforming America’s broken immigration system does not require abandoning that optimism.

The GOP should reject Trump’s hateful rhetoric while prioritizing serious immigration reform. Such a strategy would drive voters of all stripes, including Hispanics, to the polls come November 2016.

Will the SDGs serve to bridge the gender gap?

By Paloma Duran InterPress Service

U

NITED NATIONS—Increasingly gender equality, rooted in human rights, is recognized both as a key development goal on its own and as a vital means to helping accelerate sustainable development. And while the field of gender has expanded exponentially over the years, with program focused exclusively on women and girls and greater mainstreaming of gender into many development activities, a range of challenges remain.

Women are still facing unequal access to economic and environmental resources. They often face numerous barriers linked to clear discrimination, as well as bear the burden of low wages or unpaid work, and are susceptible to gender-based violence.

So despite the significant advances for women, the fact is that unless women and girls are able to fully realize their rights in all facets of society, human development will not be advanced. The year 2015 is a crucial time to further equality, and if the new post-2015 development agenda is to be truly transformative, women must be at the front and also at its centre.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contain a stand-alone goal on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

All the goals are intrinsically interrelated and interdependant—and ideally gender will be addressed and

mainstreamed amongst all goals.

SDG 5 calls on governments to achieve, rather than just promote, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

The proposed targets include ending violence; eliminating harmful practices; recognizing the value of unpaid care; ensuring that women have full participation—and equal opportunities—in decision-making; and calling for reforms to give women equal access to economic resources.

The new post-2015 agenda is a universal idea with high hopes to “leave no one behind,” but to make this a reality, we must keep pressure on governments to follow through on their commitments.

The SDG Fund has placed gender equality and women’s empowerment at the heart of its efforts to accelerate progress toward the SDGs. By directly empowering women and by bringing a gender perspective to all development work we can build a more equitable, sustainable future for all.

Stemming from the comitments established in 1995 at the UN’s Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the SDG Fund adopted a dual strategy for advancing gender equality to support both gendertargeted programs while simultaneously mainstreaming gender as a cross-cutting priority. Gender mainstreaming entails transforming existing policy agendas by integrating a gender perspective into all policies

and programming.

There is no set recipe to creating programs that will solve gender inequality, and, perhaps, it would be good if there was one single universally applicable and empirically proven method for achieving gender equality in every country around the world. A multidimensional issue, such as gender inequality, is deeply rooted in economic and cultural structures of society and it requires comprehensive approaches. One needs to explore the issue in the specific context of the country in question to effectively improve the quality of life for women and girls everywhere.

The private sector, non-governmental organizations and governments are key actors in addressing the variable causes of gender inequality. In other words, achieving equality and empowerment for women is a challenge that requires the synergistic intervention of multiple actors.

For example, the SDG Fund is working in Bangladesh, where women are employed at the lower end of the productivity scale. Labor force participation of rural women is only 36.4 percent compared to 83.3 percent of men. Creating employment and income-generating opportunities for women, as well as enhancing women’s access to social protection, will help reduce gender disparities which are exacerbated by women’s poverty and vulnerability.

The SDG Fund program entitled

“Strengthening Women’s Ability for Productive New Opportunities” is led by the UN Development Programme, in partnership with the International Labour Organisation, local governments and private partners with the overall goal to assist 2,592 women from ultrapoor households. As part of a pilot program, women are trained in maintenance or rehabilitation of key community assets, public works and community-service activities.

The program is targeting 2,600 women in Kurigram District which has the highest incidence of poverty in Bangladesh. In particular, it aims to assist those who are alone because they are divorced; have been abandoned by their husbands or widowed; and/or with low economic status, including those with no assets or forced to beg due to poverty. The results will be replicated, targeting 1,900 women, in Satkhira district and the government is further committed scale-up this pilot in a further 20 districts. Overall, the 18-month program is designed to: n Helping primary beneficiaries permanently move out of poverty. n Support human capital with activities to boost knowledge, skills, and confidence. n Enhance economic inclusion with vocational-skills training linked to viable job placement. n Provide livelihoods options that are resilient in the face of climate change.

n Encourage wage saving or issued as a graduation bonus. n Facilitate partnership linkages with small and medium enterprises and public-private partnerships to hire participant women after the program ends. n Integrate social protection, disaster-risk reduction and climatechange adaptation. n Enhance good local governance and develop the capacity of local government institutions.

Gender equality is often seen as the key to addressing the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals and accelerating global development beyond 2015. There is strong evidence that closing gender gaps accelerates progress toward other development goals. Poverty, education, health, jobs and livelihoods, food security, environmental and energy sustainability will not be solved without addressing gender inequality.

Urgent action is needed to empower women and girls, ensuring that they have equal opportunities to benefit from development and removing the barriers that prevent them from being full participants in all spheres of society. In the words of UN Women’s executive director, “equality for women, is progress for all” and so let us embark on this journey together.

Paloma Duran is director of the Sustainable Development Goals Fund.

A6 Sunday, October 18, 2015

News BusinessMirror

Energy…

will have the signing authority. It shall be given. I hope that it will happen this month. Malacañang is aware of the delay,” Petilla added.

For her part, Monsada said she would rather wait for an official announcement before issuing any comment. But she is concerned with the delay and hopes that “this will be resolved soon so the agency can proceed to award the deals.”

The DOE launched in May last year the fifth Philippine Energy Contracting Round (PECR5) for petroleum.

PECR5 is a transparent mechanism that allows the government to develop and use indigenous petroleum resources under a service contract regime through partnerships with qualified local and international exploration companies.

Under this bid, 11 petroleum blocks, with a total of more than 4.7 million hectares in West Luzon, Southeast Luzon, West Masbate-Iloilo, East Palawan and Recto Bank, were offered for exploration and development.

The areas for petroleum exploration include Area 1 in Southeast Luzon; 2 and 3 in Masbate-Iloilo;

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Continued from a1

4 and 5 in Northeast Palawan; 6 in Southeast Palawan; 7 in West Palawan; 8 to 11 in West Luzon.

Two of the blocks are located close to the contested Spratly Islands.

Ratio Oil Exploration Ltd. of Israel submitted an offer for Area 4, which covers 416,000 hectares in waters east of Palawan.

Colossal Petroleum Corp., an affiliate of listed Coal Asia Holdings Inc., submitted bids for Area 5, a 576,000-hectare block in waters east of Palawan; and Area 7, a 468,000-hectare block within the disputed Reed Bank.

There were no offers received by the DOE for other areas. The awarding of contracts was supposed to take place last month.

Yulaga Oil Exploration Enterprises, which bid for Area 1, was disqualified because it failed to submit complete documents.

Director Rico Abad of the Energy Resources Development Bureau said during the opening of bids that unstable oil prices in the world market and an ongoing territorial dispute between the Philippines and China have led to a low turnout of investors in the PECR5 for petroleum.

The DOE earlier said there

Credit card…

Dodge, executive vice president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, a trade group. He said banks that issue credit cards do not issue PINs with them, and card networks do not require PINs because there is no incentive for them to do so.

One of the two main card networks, MasterCard, allows, but does not require, consumers to choose between signing or entering a PIN when using the EMV chip, said Carolyn Balfany, a MasterCard senior vice president.

“Ultimately, it’s up to the issuing bank to decide,” Balfany said in an e-mail. “Chip transactions

were six interested companies.

The PECR aims to showcase the exploration of potential coal and petroleum areas in the country.

“We can’t deny that there are problems being encountered in the areas of oil and gas exploration sites. They are also looking at their budget. Like any company, the bidders are monitoring oil prices. They are doing some adjustments in their budget,” Abad said.

According to the DOE, a petroleum service contract has a seven-year exploration period, which could be extended to up to 10 years. If exploration activities were successful, the parties could enter into a contract for a 25-year production period.

Currently, there are 29 active petroleum service contracts in the Philippines with Shell Philippines Exploration, Total E&P, Otto Energy, PNOC-EC, Nido Petroleum, Philodrill, Pitkin Petroleum and Galoc Production Co., to name a few of DOE operator-partners.

The Philippines is home to the Malampaya deep-water gas-topower project, the largest and most successful natural-gas industrial project in Philippine history.

Continued from a1

protect consumers from counterfeit which is, hands down, the prevalent form of fraud in the US. PIN also protects against lost and stolen card fraud.”

While merchants realize PINs add extra security, the new method could result in consumer confusion, said Al Pascual, director of fraud and security at Javelin Strategy and Research, a financial consulting firm. Because swiping cards is more natural for users, a new maneuver and an extra step could cause “friction in checkout lines.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of merchants wait to turn on the new terminals until after

Christmas,” he said.

The FBI’s revised warning this week added that customers will still be able to swipe the magnetic strip on their credit or debit cards if they choose, or if merchants have not yet installed upgraded payment terminals.

However, the chip provides more security, the agency said.

The migration from the magnetic strip to the microchip needs to happen quickly, said Carol Alexander, a top marketing official at CA Technologies, a software company. Otherwise, the movement might fade out “like the integration of the metric system.” TNS

Central bank…

Continued from a1

In particular, the total revenues for the eight-month period hit P39.01 billion, up from the P31.56 billion in 2014.

This is the result of the bank’s increased income from interest—P24.67 billion in the first eight months of the year from the P21.25 billion during the same period last year.

The BSP was also able to collect about P14.34 billion from other sources of income, also up from the P10.31 billion seen in the previous year.

However, the central bank was still not able to garner enough income to cover for its also expanding expenses during the period.

In particular, the BSP reported that its expenses grew by 7.3 percent in August this year, from P44.26 billion in 2014 to P47.52 billion in 2015.

The increase in its expenses largely emanated from the interest payments—hitting P32.55 billion from the P29.72 billion in the previous year. Other expenses remained relatively stable at P14.97 billion from the P14.54 billion last year.

The BSP pays interest to the depositors who put money in their special deposits account (SDA) facility. The BSP has made significant measures in 2014 to siphon liquidity back to its vaults.

In particular, the Monetary Board increased the SDA rate from 2 percent to 2.25 percent in June last year. This was followed by another 25-basis-point hike in September last year to hit its current level at 2.5 percent.

Money parked in the BSP’s facility is at P935 billion as of midSeptember this year.

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

Life

BusinessMirror

Sunday, October 18, 2015

‘Goosebumps’ a different experience for Jack Black L

By Rick Bentley The Fresno Bee

V​ oice acting in ‘MTRCB Uncut’

T

HIS Sunday, at 7 pm, on MTRCB Uncut, which airs on Net 25, hosts Bobby Andrews and Jackie Aquino take a closer look into the lucrative and challenging job of voice acting, also called “dubbing.”

Get up close and personal with some of the country’s successful voice-over experts—talent Jo-Anne Chua and dubbing supervisor Lucy Quinto—together with Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) Board Member Manny Buising.

An engaging “Prangkahan” awaits viewers as the guests share how they make a living from voice acting.

Gladys Reyes chats with Pinoy Big Brother: All In housemate Fourth Solomon, one of the voice talents for anime and Asianovela programs dubbed in the vernacular. Discover this interesting side of Fourth as he discusses how he started in the business.

Meanwhile, a question arises: Does MTRCB have a jurisdiction over live concerts?

Does the agency have the right to regulate the content of these shows? Know MTRCB Chairman Toto Villareal’s take on this and other queries in “I-Share Mo Kay Chair.”

OS ANGELES— Jack Black is seated next to a real dummy.

That’s not an insult to one of his costars from the new Goosebumps movie. The actor is in the chair next to Slappy, the ventriloquist dummy who comes to life in the film.

Lots of creatures come to life in Goosebumps, where Black plays R.L. Stine, the author who has created countless nightmares for children through his preteen horror books. The film looks at what would happen if Stine’s stories were real and the creatures escaped from his books.

The monsters include the Abominable Snowman, a werewolf and some pesky yard ornaments. Slappy is the only one invited to help promote the film.

“You don’t have a microphone, Slappy. Can they still hear you?” Black asks his costar.

The dummy whips around, raises his eyebrows and explains, “I swallowed it so I’m always miked no matter where I go.”

Despite the internal amplification for Slappy, it’s Black who ends up doing the majority of the talking. Black certainly has far more acting credits than Slappy, having worked on projects from the big-screen update of King Kong to the cable series The Brink.

Working on Goosebumps was a different experience for Black.

“It was a lot of fun on the set because we had a different monster every day,” Black says. “It was like ‘Today is mummy day.’ Then it was ghouls and zombies.”

Director Rob Letterman is happy with the number of characters from Stine’s books that they were able to put in the film. He would have added more had the

Ryan Lee, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush and Jack Black in Goosebumps

film budget allowed it.

“We did get in all of the important ones,” Letterman says. “We had this war room in the production offices where we had pictures of every Goosebumps monster. We worked it and shaped it that way.”

This is the third time Black has worked with Letterman. They previously collaborated on Gulliver’s Travels and Shark Tale.

“The best thing about working together so much is the shorthand we have created over time. I really trust his instincts. I have real control issues, but now that we are on our third movie, I was just ‘Let him do his thing,’” Black says. “His greatest strength

is his calm in the eye of a storm. That has a relaxing affect on the whole set.”

Black’s introduction to the scary world of Stine came through his two sons, who are 7 and 9 years old. They listened to a few books on tape on the way to a camping trip.

“I had never read any of the books or seen any of the television shows,” Black says. “But I loved the screenplay and jumped into it.

Then I read some of the books as research.

They are fun to read. If you never have read them you should check them out.”

Slappy interrupts Black to point out that he was in them so he didn’t need to read any of the books.

Another part of Black’s research was meeting with the real Stine before filming started.

“We asked him for his notes on the script and for his blessing,” Black says. “He didn’t mind that I was doing a much different characterization of him. He’s got a great sense of humor and was fine with me playing him as this antisocial grouch.”

Black was cast to play Stine. But Slappy ended up playing himself. A suggestion that Chucky, the doll that comes to life in the Child’s Play movies, might have been approached for the role gets a quick response from Slappy.

He says that he was made to play the part.

“And yes, I hate Chucky,” Slappy says.

‘Knock Knock’ is the evolution of Eli Roth

REGINE VELASQUEZ-ALCASID

Regine dedicates upcoming major concert to loyal fans

D

By Tirdad Derakhshani The Philadelphia Inquirer

I

N the 13 years since he released his breakout horror picture, Cabin Fever, director Eli Roth’s name has become synonymous with torture, bloodletting and mass murder.

He gained international notoriety with 2005s Hostel. That movie captured with clinical precision the most horrific ways the human body can be beaten, torn, cut, stabbed, pulped and sliced.

Yet, nothing in Roth’s oeuvre is more disturbing than his latest picture, Knock Knock, a home-invasion thriller that scrupulously avoids even a single act of physical violence.

A minor character does die, but it’s the result of a childish prank.

And that is the essence of Roth’s film. A pair of young, nubile women (Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas) play a series of increasingly sick practical jokes on a well-to-do middle-aged architect (Keanu Reeves).

Tracing its lineage to the films of Luis Buñuel and Michael Haneke that enact surreal, savage critiques of bourgeois morality and mass culture, Knock Knock opens on an aerial shot of the Hollywood sign before taking us into an affluent housing development and to the home of Evan Webber (Reeves) and his family, a loving unit so happy, so idyllic, one wonders whether they mainline saccharine at night.

A7

KEANU REEVES plays a well-to-do middle-aged architect who should have never answered his door one rainy night in Eli Roth’s Knock Knock.

One weekend, Evan’s wife (Ignacia Allamand) and two kids go to their vacation home, while Evan stays back to work. He is disturbed by two sweet-looking women who say they’ve been stranded by their cabdriver.

Soaked-through in a torrential downpour, they ask him for help. Ever the nice guy, Evan obliges.

The women eventually seduce him, then refuse to leave the house in the morning.

Claiming they are underage, they threaten to call the police unless Evan plays along. Alternately savage, manic, depressed, suicidal,

and homicidal, the girls trash the house, force Evan to baby them as if they were his kids, then seduce him again and finally force him to submit to a mock trial for statutory rape.

Knock Knock has more than a passing resemblance to Haneke’s Funny Games— about two young male intruders who hold an entire family hostage. It mounts an intelligent, if not altogether successful, attack on consumer culture, the mass media and middle-class moral values.

The film uses Evan’s attackers, who are obsessed by childhood sexual abuse, to attack

the constant barrage of media images that sexualize girls at a young age.

The girls are schizoid creatures, taught to present themselves as objects of desire, yet, at the same time, worthy of parental love and protection.

While its message is a little simplistic, Knock Knock is shot through with a brilliant, gleefully anarchic dark humor that’s equally fun and disturbing. Roth’s best film to date, Knock Knock, proves even the most notorious purveyor of torture porn can evolve as a thinker and artist.

UBBED Asia’s Songbird and a PLDT Home Ambassador Regine VelasquezAlcasid is one artist who certainly knows how to show appreciation to her fans and loyal followers.

Grateful for the highly successful Regine Series Mall Tour for PLDT Home subscribers recently, Regine is set to thrill her audience on a bigger scale via her much-anticipated concert comeback, “Regine at the Theater,” slated on November 6, 7, 20 and 21 at The Theater in Solaire.

And just like in the Regine Series Mall Tour, PLDT Home subscribers get the first volley of good tidings. During a meet-andgreet session with the Original Pilipino Music icon on September 24, lucky Regine Series subscribers were given free concert tickets.

More free concert tickets for the November 20 playdate will be raffled off to PLDT Landline subscribers who upgrade to one of The Regine Series Telset (pldthome.com/landline) on or before November 9.

Regine says, “I’d like to say thank you to them who made the mall tour successful and the PLDT Home Regine Series campaign an even bigger success. I was very happy because they told me that units even went out of stock and subscribers have to line up to wait to get my favorite, the red classic phone unit. Who would have thought of this reaction to the landline?”

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. Vice President and Home Marketing Head Gary Dujali said, “With no less than the Regine Velasquez as the ambassador for our landline campaign, it was only fitting to shine the spotlight on her by letting her do what she does best—delight audiences with her remarkable live performances. We look forward to sharing more of these musical experiences with our subscribers.”

Sports BusinessMirror

A8 | S

unday, October 18, 2015 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

DOUBLES VICTORY F

RANCIS CASEY ALCANTARA and Johnny Arcilla stunned the No. 1 Japanese tandem of Katsuki Nagao and Hiromasa Oku, 6-2, 6-2, to bag the men’s doubles crown of the 34th Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open-Cebuana Lhuillier International Tennis Federation (ITF) Men’s Futures 2 on Saturday at the PCA clay courts in Paco, Manila.

Drawing inspiration from the hometown crowd, the Alcantara-Arcilla duo breezed through to the finals by beating Soichiro Moritani and Masato Shiga of Japan, 6-1, 6-3, in Friday night’s semifinals of the tournament, supported by Cebuana Lhuillier, Puma, Dunlop, Head, Babolat, Compass/IMOSTI and Rep. Manny Pacquiao of Sarangani.

“Siniguro lang namin na hindi kami magre-relax ngayon kasi we’re playing with nothing to lose. Sobrang ganda ng partnership namin, mabilis si Johnny, mabilis din ako kaya medyo nagugulat ’yung kalaban namin sa mga returns namin,” said the 23-year-old Alcantara, who, along with Arcilla, surpassed their semifinal-round finish in the Manila ITF Men’s Futures 1. It was the first ITF title for Alcantara and Arcilla.

NU, UP capture crowns NATIONAL University hammered out a 3-1 victory over a gritty De La Salle side to capture its second-straight men’s badminton crown in University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 78 on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

University of the Philippines (UP) also completed another perfect season in women’s play as double specialists Bea Bernardo and Mary Ann Maranon steered the Lady Maroons to a 3-1 victory over Ateneo.

UP also bagged its second straight women’s championship with the Diliman-based shuttlers going unbeaten in 18 ties.

Roslee Pedrosa and Paul Gonzales escaped past brothers Kenneth and Prince Monterubio, 18-21, 2115, 22-20, in the second doubles to clinch the title for the Bulldogs.

Also unbeaten in 18 ties since last season, NU has won three titles in the last four seasons, cementing its status as the league’s new power in men’s badminton.

De La Salle finished runneru p fo r t h e s e c o n d - s t r a i g h t year while NU’s Peter Magnaye hoisted the men’s Most Valuable Player and teammate Roslee Pedrosa snatched the Rookie of the Year honors. In beach volleyball, De La Salle moved closer to the women’s championship for the second straight year after Kim Fajardo and Cyd Demecillo repeated over Ateneo’s Alyssa Valdez and Bea Tan, 21-16, 2119, in Saturday’s playoff for the second twice-to-beat semifinals incentive at the Sands SM By The Bay. It was a fruitful day for the Lady Spikers, who are making waves despite having limited training on the brand-new Mall of Asia sand court. Fajardo and Demecillo helped La Salle clinch a Final Four spot by dethroning University of Santo Tomas’s Cherry Rondina and Rivera, 19-21, 22-20, 16-14, earlier in the day.

Far Eastern University’s Bernadeth Pons and Kyla Atienza finished the elimination round in first place after dispatching Adamson University’s Mylene Paat and Jessica Galanza, 21-9, 21-14.

“Maganda ang chemistry namin. Mabilis kaming magka-intindihan sa loob ng court kaya sobrang saya ko dahil first time namin magkapartner ni Niño [Alcantara] tapos champion pa. First ITF title ko ito sa buong career ko,” the 35-year-old Arcilla said.

The top-seeded combo of Nagao and Oku defeated No. 3 Harry Bourchier of Australian and Lin WeiDin of Chinese Taipei, 6-2, 6-2, in their semifinal match of the event, supported by Whilpool/ Fujidenzo, Broadway Motor Sales Corp. Coca-Cola Femsa Philippines, Tyrecorp Inc., Pearl Garden Hotel, Metro Global Holdings Corp., Avida, PVL Restaurant, Mary Grace Foods, Inc., Seno Hardware and Wire Rope Corp.

In men’s singles, top seed Enrique LopezPerez of Spain and third pick Kento Takeuchi of Japan booked hard-earned victories to arrange a titular showdown on Sunday.

Lopez-Perez, 24, needed an hour and 43 minutes to beat fourth seed Arata Onozawa of

JAPAN’S Kento Takeuchi books a finals seat in men’s singles. ROY DOMINGO

Japan, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, while Takeuchi shook off a lousy start to trounce counrtyman Makoto Ochi, 2-6, 6-0, 6-1.

The Spaniard, who will face off with Takeuchi beginning at noon, is seeking a followup to his singles victory in Chandigarh, India, in March.

A total of $15,000 is up for grabs with the champion getting $2,160 and the runner-up bringing home $1,272.

COHESIVE BLUE EAGLES

NAVY’S Lilet Mabbayad hits through the block of Coast Guard’s Kamille Ogana (17) and Samantha Dawson (16). NONOY LACZA

Mabbayad powers Navy past Coast Guard

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HILIPPINE Nav y relied on Lilet Mabbayad’s game-long brilliance in beating Coast Guard, 25-20, 25-23, 2521, on Saturday and bounce back into contention in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12

ADAMSON University’s Joseph Nalos commits a disqualification foul against Ateneo’s Vince Tolentino. KEVIN DELA CRUZ

Reinforced Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.

Mabbayad and Pau Soriano combined for a 29-hit game, while skipper and setter Janet Serafica produced 34 excellent sets for the Lady Sailors, who bounced back from a disappointing four-set setback to the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons last week in a match they controlled early on.

The Lady Dolphins kept the game close by pouncing on the Lady Sailors’ errors and mishits, but the latter showed composure to fashion out the victory and move to solo fourth behind joint leaders PLDT Home Ultera , Army and UP in the season-ending conference, sponsored by Shakey’s.

“We just wanted to get the win after our heartbreaking loss to UP. But it took a lot of effort, teamwork and trust in ourselves to clinch this victory,” said Mabbayad, who finished with 15 points she spiked with two blocks and one ace.

Navy made up for its erratic game

marred by 34 errors, with superb court coverage behind libero Jennifer Fortuno, who accounted for 14 of the team’s 34 excellent digs, 11 more than their opponents.

Team captain Rossan Fajardo had nine hits while Hyrize Macabuhay and Samantha Dawson combined for 13 points for Coast Guard, which dropped to 0-2, counting its straight-set setback to PLDT last week.

The Lady Sailors will now need to win at least three of their last four games to gain a crack at the fourth semifinals berth in the tournament, presented by PLDT Home Ultera and backed by Mikasa and Accel.

Army and UP, meanwhile, dispute the lead as they collide on Sunday at resumption of the weekend volleyball festival, featuring matches aired live over GMA News TV Channel 11.

The Lady Troopers and the Lady Maroons tangle at 12:45 p.m., while PLDT Home Ultera tries to gain a piece of the lead as it faces newcomer KIA Forte at 3 p.m.

CIGNAL IN FULL THROTTLE

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By Joel Orellana

EWS that Bo Perasol is on the way out as head coach of Ateneo worked wonders for a Blue Eagles squad that played cohesively as a unit on Saturday.

The Blue Eagles pulled off a solid performance as a team—from their leader Kiefer Ravena to their second unit—to shoot down the Adamson University Falcons, 87-72, in Season 78 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball action at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Ravena had a near triple - double performance of 20 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in Ateneo’s first victory since word broke out that Perasol was given the pink slip by Ateneo officials and alumni for the team’s lackluster start in the season.

“That’s one thing I told my teammates that we need to stick together and give our best for Coach Bo,” Ravena said. “And it’s one quality of this team that I am proud of. We’re

one in supporting our coach.”

Von Pessumal, the other veteran on the Ateneo roster, also dished out a strong performance with 17 points, but the bench made the big difference, led by rookie Aaron Black, who scored a career-high 14 points.

“The help that Kiefer is getting is a welcome development for us,” said Perasol, who also drew 13 points from Gwayne Capacio off the bench.

“This is a very important win for us. We’ll try to stay positive for our Final Four goal. We just tied La Salle with this win,” he added.

The Blue Eagles and the Green Archers are now tied at third spot with a 5-4 winloss record each with Ateneo heading to a crucial week against University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday and National University on Sunday. Ateneo bucked a slow start before finishing strong in the second period for a 50-41 halftime lead. The Blue Eagles then scored the first eight points in the second half and started to pull away, 58-41, with 6:44 remaining in the third.

Joseph Nalos’s disqualification foul on Ateneo’s Vince Tolentino at the 5:23 mark of the third period interrupted the Blue Eagles’ momentum with Ravena receiving his first unsporstmanlike foul of the season for pushing Nalos.

“It’s a teammate instinct,” said Ravena, who apologized to Adamson University Head Coach Mike Fermin during the lull.

The Soaring Falcons tried to get closer on Harold Ng’s baseline drive, 51-63, but the left-handed Black, probably inspired by the presence of his father, Meralco Head Coach Norman, unloaded 12 points in Ateneo’s 19-7 exchange for their biggest lead at 79-58 entering the final period.

The Soaring Falcons, who dropped to 1-8, scored the first eight points of the fourth period but couldn’t stop the Ateneo offense.

Papi Sarr led Adamson University with 16 points, while Frederick Tungcab added 12. Jerome Garcia and Nalos contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Soaring Falcons.

Accel strengthens partnership with pro league

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RELIABLE partner of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for more than a decade, Accel plays a vital role in league history as the leading local sports apparel brand religiously supports all the programs of the PBA on and off the court. Accel, which served as official outfitter of the pro league for a long time, has also partnered with teams including Mahindra (formerly Kia) and San Miguel Beer. The

Beermen also had Accel as outfitter in their back-to-back championships last season.

Through the years, big names like Jayjay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa, Mark Pingris and Asi Taulava, have been part of Accel, including Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, playingcoach of Mahindra.

Accel has worked hand-in-hand with the PBA Press Corps on its projects for more than 10 years.

Committed to the fans of the PBA, Accel will launch a new line of official replica jerseys soon in the market will be manufactured with lightweight and durable materials.

“As the official partner of the PBA in its merchandise, we never stop improving our product line to better serve the league’s millions of fans,’’ said Sporteum Philippines Inc. President Willie Ortiz, the company that manufactures Accel.

IGNAL kept its hold of the No. 1 spot after dismantling Meralco in straight sets, 25-17, 25-18, 25-17, on Saturday in the 2015 Philippine Super Liga (PSL) Grand Prix women’s volleyball tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

The HD Spikers continued to make noise and booked best start—3-0—in the league while extending the misery of Meralco, which has yet to win after four outing in the event presented by Asics and powered by Milo with Mikasa, Senoh and Mueller as technical partners.

Cignal breezed through the first two sets but struggled early in the third and trailed 6-7. But star reinforcement Amanda Usher and local Fritz Gallenero delivered the big blows and propelled the team to 19-9 and never looked back.

The Power Spikers mounted a rally behind import Liis Kullerkann and team captain Cha Cruz and trimming

the deficit to four, 21-17. But the HD Spikers remained unstoppable and scored four straight points led by Usher and Gallenero to seal the victory.

Usher dropped another monstrous performance with 24 hits, including 22 spikes and two blocks. Gallenero chipped in 11 markers on four service aces while the other import, Amanda Anderson, also had 11 points.

“We have a good family. ‘Yung dalawang imports ko hindi nila konokonsider ‘yung sarili nila bilang imports. Ang dine-develop ko lagi ‘yung isang strong na family,” Cignal Head Coach Sammy Acaylar said.

After an error-filled opening set, Meralco stayed within striking distance of Cignal in the second set and tied the game at 17-all. But the HD Spikers uncorked seven straight points to gain control.

Kullerkann and Cruz led the Power Spikers with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Lance Agcaoili

ACID TEST FOR STAR’S WEBB

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ASON WEBB debuts as a head coach for Star which battles Rain or Shine in the lone game kicking off the 41st season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Webb replaced the multititled Tim Cone, who transferred to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel during the off season. He will be tested by the veteran Rain or Shine mentor in Yeng Guiao, who is still searching for his first All-Filipino crown in nearly two decades in the PBA. The Hotshots and the Elasto Painters square off at 5:15 p.m. right after the traditional parade of the 12 teams with their respective muses. Chito Narvasa will also be welcomed as the league’s ninth commissioner.

Focus will be on Webb, whose father Freddie was a pioneer of the league when it opened in 1975, who will be steering a rejuvenated Star that failed to defend any of its three titles last season after scoring a grand slam two seasons ago.

“There’s no doubt the pressure is there because I’m replacing Tim Cone who is the league’s most successful coach. Those shoes

are hard to fill but I’ll try to become the best coach that I can be for this team,” Webb said in a previous interview.

Webb added that Cone’s vaunted triangle system won’t be the backbone of his offense.

“We will be running some of those [triangle] but not all. We’ll run something different but I want my players to be the most hardworking on the court,” he said.

Star will be playing a Rain or Shine side sans Paul Lee, who will be sidelined for two months after a slight tear as found in his ACL. The Star’s roster got bigger and stronger with the selection of former De La Salle center Norbert Torres from the rookie draft and the acquisitions of Ronald Pascual and Jake Pascual via trade. Ian Sangalang is also returning to the Hotshots’ fold after missing majority of last season due to an ACL injury.

Team Governor Rene Pardo said Star is eager to bounce back this season after a titleless campaign and he feels that Webb is the right man for the Star at this point. Two-time Most Valuable Player winner James Yap is also determined to lead his team to another championship. Joel Orellana