B VG C

FUNDING for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7 project could be delayed by the ongoing tussle on where the

common station will be situated, as conglo-merate San Miguel Corp. (SMC)said it cannot talk to funding agencies until the issue is resolved.

Raoul Eduardo C. Romulo, San Miguel Holdings Corp. CFO, said they cannot conclude discussions for a possible official development assistance (ODA) package for the multibillion-dollar project, as lend-ers will ask many things that the company could not answer.

“We are still going to put the finan-cial group together. It doesn’t make sense for us to put that up right now. There are so many questions the lend-ers will ask that we cannot answer, like where will it end? Will the ridership be divided? Will MRT 7, 3 and 1 be to-gether, or will they be separate? There

are rumors that they will be separated. We cannot confirm rumors, because we are not party to that,” Romulo said on Friday at the sidelines of the company’s bond listing on the Philip-pine Dealing & Exchange Corp.

“We’re exploring a lot of possi-bilities but we cannot also commit with the institutions because there is nothing to commit in terms of many details. There are many mov-ing parts. There will be an impact on costing, the details of which I have no details. But it will have an impact,” he said.

www.businessmirror.com.ph n�TfridayNovember 18, 2014 Vol. 10 No. 40 P. | | 7 DAYS A WEEKn�Monday, May 25, 2015 Vol. 10 No. 228

A broader look at today’s businessBusinessMirrorBusinessMirrorTHREETIME

ROTARY CLUB OF MANILA JOURNALISM AWARDEE2006, 2010, 2012U.N. MEDIA AWARD 2008

ROTARY CLUB

JOURNALISM

S “MRT ,” A

S “T,” A

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 44.5100 n JAPAN 0.3677 n UK 69.7160 n HK 5.7410 n CHINA 7.1828 n SINGAPORE 33.3184 n AUSTRALIA 35.1053 n EU 49.4595 n SAUDI ARABIA 11.8693 Source: BSP (22 May 2015)

SMC sees delay in MRT 7 fundingTUSSLE ON COMMON STATION DISCOURAGES PROPONENT FROM APPROACHING POSSIBLE LENDERS

‘Timta to help SMEs comply with BIR regulations’

INSIDE

Life Life Life Life Life D1

Life BusinessMirror

Life Life ALL ACCESS:HANGING

QUESTIONS»D3 Life Life Life Life EXPLORING GOD’S WORD, FR. SAL PUTZU, SDB AND LOUI Life OUI Life Life E Life Life M. Life Life L Life Life ACSON Life Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com Life teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com Life Life Life Life Life Life Life Magisterial roleof the Catholic Church

DEAR Lord, knowing that in Catholicism, the Magisterium is the authority that lays down what is the authentic teaching

of the Church. For the Catholic Church, that authority is vested uniquely in the pope and the bishops, who are in communion with Him. The Second Vatican Council states, “For this reason, Jesus perfected revelation by fulfilling it through His whole work of making Himself present and manifesting Himself through His words and deeds, His signs and wonders, but especially through Life through Life His death and glorious resurrection from the dead and final Life His death and glorious resurrection from the dead and final Life sending of the Spirit of truth.” Amen.

Monday, May 25, 2015• lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

Life • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

Life Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

TTHINK of Italy and all things luxurious come to mind—Ferragamo, Gucci, Armani, Prada, Valentino. When an item is “Made in Italy,”

there is the assurance of sophisticathere is the assurance of sophistica-tion, class and uniqueness. And even tion, class and uniqueness. And even if a product is somehow inspired by a if a product is somehow inspired by a legendary legendary Italian street, it would be just as gorgeous.just as gorgeous.

SAVE MY BVE MY BSAVE MY BSA AGAFTER the influx of fast-fashion

brands such as brands such as H&M from Sweden, Uniqlo from Japan, Forever 21 from Uniqlo from Japan, Forever 21 from

the US, and SuiteBlanco from Spain, the US, and SuiteBlanco from Spain, The SM Store is introducing Save My The SM Store is introducing Save My

Bag from Bag from Italy.

Founded by Stefano Agazzi and Valen-tina Azzia, the eye-catching accessories line is made of poly-lycra, a material lighter and more durable than neoprene.

“An excellent craftsmanship to guaran-tee international success, Save My Bag is designed, manufactured and produced in Italy, in our hometown Bergamo,” the young couple stated in their web site, savemybag.it.

�e bag was �rst designed as a stylish protection for luxury designer bags. But when it was “discovered” by fashion vision-ary Patricia Field, Save My Bag became a regular bag.

“Love at �rst sight! �e ‘Icon’ bag is everything a bag should be: lightweight, strong, happy and gorgeous! Grab one; I did!” gushed the stylist for

That Italian flairThat Italian flairThat Italian flairThat Italian flairThat Italian flair

»DVIA VENETTO

LYCRA Nirvana

www.businessmirror.com.ph Monday, May 25, 2015 E 1

© 2013 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp. (Distributed by �e New York Times Syndicate)

WHAT MAKES A GREATCHIEF STRATEGTRATEGTRATE Y OFFIGY OFFIG CY OFFICY OFFI ERCERC

Here are three ways that chief strategy officers (CSO) can craft f lexible, comprehensive strate-gies to weather large-scale chang-es as well as occasional shocks to the system:

Move beyond strategic planningTR ADITIONAL strategic plan-ning—picture a march in lockstep toward a series of review meetings and deliverables—can’t absorb the disruptions of today’s vola-tile markets or stimulate the kind

of deliberations that businesses now require. Organizations need to transform their strategy devel-opment into an ongoing process. This means encouraging more fre-quent conversations among senior leaders and reallocating resources throughout the year. According to our research, companies with higher profitability than their competitors are twice as likely to review strategy on a continuing basis as opposed to either annually or every three to five years.

Develop signature strengthsWHATATA makes a great CSO? To find out, we applied cluster analysis to the 13 roles and responsibilities that today’s CSOs described as most im-portant. We identified five strategist archetypes:n Architects look for industry

shifts and try to evaluate their com-panies’ competitive advantage.n Visionaries are experts at

trend forecasting and innovation.nAurveyors focus on long-range

topics such as regulatory or reputa-tional risk that potentially change the industry.nMobilizers build what one CEO

called a “higher organizational IQ on strategy” by, for example, train-ing key staffers to create a business plan, essential to a well-informed strategic proposal.n Fund managers optimize

corporate portfolios. They also help the executive team direct resources toward a technology that represents the future of the business.

Not all these archetypes are appropriate for all strategists or all organizations, which can make it difficult to decide which strengths to develop. But beware the familiarity trap: Many new

strategists gravitate toward what they already know.

PrioritizeCSOS have a vast potential portfo-lio, so they and those who hire them need to make choices based on the organization’s circumstances and, to some extent, the strategist’s capabilities. In some cases there might be a reshuffling as a CSO takes on roles previously desig-nated to other executives. But the team should keep discussing the division of responsibilities. This pays off: CSOs are up to four times more effective at facets of their role that they prioritize.

Strategists have a range of power-ful options for adding value to their organizations. But over time it’s easy for mismatches to develop between those focus areas and a company’s needs. By reprioritizing according-ly, strategists, chief executives and other members of the team can boost the quality of their strategy.

Michael Birshan is a principal in McK-Michael Birshan is a principal in McK-Michael Birshan is a principal in McKinsey’s London office. Emma Gibbs is an associate principal in McKinsey’s London office. Kurt Strovink is a director in McK-office. Kurt Strovink is a director in McK-office. Kurt Strovink is a director in McKinsey’s New York office.

B B G

IN April 2010, Mars, one of the world’s largest privately owned businesses, embarked on a breakthrough initiative. Jessica Eliasi, then

the director of competitive intelligence (CI) at Mars Chocolate, traveled the world for a year to run “competitive simulation” games with local market teams from Russia to Mexico to Turkey to England. These simulations weren’t some computer-based hypothetical games.

They were intense, intelligence-based, role -playing workshops whose results enabled the Mars leadership to see the market from a different and unfamiliar perspective. By connecting the dots across a series of markets, brands and competitors, Eliasi identified risks, as well as opportunities for the company—global insights that have influenced how Mars develops strategy.

This is just one example of how a company can create and sustain agility through CI. It is a perspective on changing market conditions. This means identifying risks and opportunities early enough to allow a company to adapt its strategy or change it.

Information alone is not a perspective on change and doesn’t automatically lead to insights. Yet the vast majority of companies and executives confuse these two. In recent years, collecting digital data has replaced strategic intelligence.

Many companies waste millions on massive databases or research projects that don’t yield useful insights, missing out on the value of CI as a source of strategic change. If you want your company to become more agile in adapting to changing market circumstances, start by rethinking your CI process. That means understanding its scope and role. It also means mandating intelligence reviews at critical decision stages, ensuring that your CI analyst has input in strategic meetings and reviews, and tapping an informal internal community of CI experts. Focus on building a strategic early warning capability so you don’t miss the big picture.

Benjamin Gilad is the co-founder and president of the first training institution dedicated to the CIP competitive intelligence certification. He is author of Business War Games, among other books.

B C F-A

N EW reports from McKinsey EW reports from McKinsey EWand PricewaterhouseCoopers () paint a bleak picture of C-

suite (chief officers) succession practices in today’s corporations. According to McKinsey’s survey of 1,195 executives, nearly half the top executives in their firms said they were unable to align col-leagues around the goals they set out in their new role, while more than a third admitted they had failed to meet those initial objectives. PwC calculated the cost to large global companies who get it wrong when making their most im-portant C-suite appointment, the CEO: more than $100 billion.

Would you hire a surgeon who wasn’t

trained in medicine or delegate a major investment decision to someone who hadn’t studied finance?

All too often organizations leave their most consequential hiring de-cisions to board members who are woefully inexperienced in evaluating C-suite talent. Recently, I met with the nominating committee chairs of some of the largest companies in the world. Less than 30percent had studied the basic concepts of assess-ment. Studies we’ve conducted also show that most corporate directors have participated in no (or only one) previous CEO succession.

This means that many of those re-sponsible for key corporate appoint-ments—decisions that affect not only

careers and companies but also indus-tries and economies—don’t clearly un-derstand how to evaluate performance, competence and potential.

Few have studied research on effec-tive hiring processes, and even fewer understand the reliability of various assessment methods and the best prac-tices for conducting them. Many are also unfamiliar with the most important leadership competencies and cannot map them to their company’s particular situ-ations. This isn’t entirely their fault.

Erich C. Dierdoff and Robert S. Rubin of DePaul University conduct-ed a study to check the relevance of the typical MBA education. Only 29 percent of programs offered two or more courses in managing human

capital, and a mere 19 percent had two or more focused on managing decision-making processes. By con-trast, 87 percent gave that same high weight to managing administrative activities. In an age where the ability of employees and managers to inno-vate determines the future of most organizations, corporate directors must educate themselves on talent assessment. C-suite appointments should not be made based on cursory evaluations. Directors must master and implement the best practices for making the right hiring decisions.

Claudio Fernández-Aráoz is a senior ad-viser at Egon Zehnder and author of It’s Not the How or the What but the Who.

B N T

IT’S nearly impossible to translate—let alone execute—a strategy that you don’t understand. Yet, according to research,

almost half of top executives cannot connect the dots between their company’s strategic priorities; and two out of three middle managers say they don’t understand their firm’s strategic direction. So most leaders just don’t get what their organizations are trying to do.

Leaders can improve the situation by borrowing a technique from teachers: “compare and contrast.” Planning processes may do a fine job of requiring leaders to spell out what the strategic objectives are, but they rarely require leaders to focus on what they are not.

As a result, most leaders don’t fully comprehend their company’s strategic goals. To remedy this, I suggest adding a wait list to your planning process—a list of objectives that you’ll put on hold for three to six months.

Let’s assume your planning process has revealed a list of key growth drivers, including the launch of next-generation product lines, enhancing the quality of existing products, tightening up the supply chain, and many others. Before team members divvy up those

goals, discuss which priorities should go on your wait list. Even though all these initiatives will affect your growth for the year, challenge yourself and your team to put at least half of them on a wait list for three to six months.

Evaluating those priorities side-by-side will encourage your team to use comparative learning. If your team puts launching the next-generation product line on the wait list but includes enhancing the quality of existing products as a near-term priority, that contrast makes an invaluable distinction. You have clarified that even though your team values innovation, this year’s strategy is focused more on innovating the core product lines than creating the new products.

Slowly but surely, through this repeated act of comparing and contrasting top priorities, a common theme will emerge. In the minds of your team members, a hodgepodge list of projects begins taking shape as a bona fide strategy. All of the sudden, they get it.

To be sure, execution will always be multifaceted. No one trick or tool will tame it. But a wait list can give your team a much better grip on the reigns.

Nick Tasler is an organizational psychologist and author of Domino: The Simplest Way to Inspire Change.

‘COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE’ SHOULDN’T JUST BE ABOUT YOUR COMPETITORS

EXPLAIN YOUR NEW STRATEGATEGA YBYEMPHASIZING WHAT AT A IT ISN’T

Why boards get corporate succession so wrong

BusinessMirror

B M B, E G K S

CREATING good strategy is more important (and more challeng

good strategy is more important (and more challeng

good strategy is more -important (and more challeng-important (and more challeng

ing) than ever. important (and more challenging) than ever. important (and more challeng

Global forces—important (and more challeng

lobal forces—important (and more challeng

game-changing technologies, unprecing) than ever.

game-changing technologies, unprecing) than ever.

-edented growth in emerging markets game-changing technologies, unprecedented growth in emerging markets game-changing technologies, unprec

and rapidly aging populations, to name edented growth in emerging markets and rapidly aging populations, to name edented growth in emerging markets

a few—are transforming the world and rapidly aging populations, to name a few—are transforming the world and rapidly aging populations, to name

economy, and with it, the way compaa few—are transforming the world economy, and with it, the way compaa few—are transforming the world

-nies plan for and conduct business.

BusinessMirrorPerspective

Monday, May 25, 2015E4

Hollywood’s favorite geologic bad guy is back in San Andreas—a fantastical look at one of the world’s real seismic threats. � e San Andreas has long been considered one of the most dangerous earthquake faults be-cause of its length. At nearly 800 miles long, it cuts through Cali-fornia like a scar and is respon-sible for some of the largest shak-ers in state history. In the � lm, opening this Friday, a previously unknown fault near the Hoover Dam in Nevada rup-tures and jiggles the San Andreas. Southern California is rocked by a powerful magnitude-9.1 quake fol-lowed by an even stronger magni-tude-9.6 in Northern California. US Geological Survey seismol-ogist Susan Hough accompanied � e Associated Press to an advance screening of the � lm. Despite the implausible plot, she said the San Andreas will indeed break again, and without warning. “We are at some point going to face a big earthquake,” she said.

Just how big?THE San Andreas is notorious for producing big ones, but a magni-tude-9 or larger is virtually impos-sible because the fault is not long or deep enough, Hough noted. � e most powerful temblors in recorded history have struck along o� shore subduction zones where one massive tectonic plate dives beneath another. � e 1960 magni-tude-9.5 quake o� Chile is the cur-rent world record holder. � e San Andreas has revealed its awesome power before. In 1906 a magnitude-7.8 reduced parts of San Francisco to � ery rubble. Near-ly � ve decades earlier, a similar-sized quake rattled the southern end of the fault. In 2008 the USGS led a team of 300 experts that wrote a script detailing what would happen if a magnitude-7.8 hit the southern San Andreas. � ey wanted to create a science-based crisis scenario that can be used for preparedness drills. � e lesson: It doesn’t take a magnitude-9 or greater to wreak havoc. Researchers calculated a magnitude-7.8 would cause 1,800 deaths and 50,000 injuries. Hun-dreds of old brick buildings and concrete structures and a few high-rise steel buildings would collapse. Computer models show the San Andreas is capable of produc-ing a magnitude-8.3 quake, but

anything larger is dubious.

Will there be a warning?IN the � lm, Lawrence Hayes, a � ctional seismologist at Caltech (a real university), notices spikes in “magnetic pulses” that light up California like a Christmas tree, heralding a monster quake. Despite a century of research, earthquake prediction remains elusive. Scientists can’t predict when a jolt is coming and are gener-ally pessimistic about ever having that ability. Every warning sign scruti-nized—animal behavior, weather patterns, electromagnetic signals, atmospheric observations, levels of radon gas in soil or groundwater—has failed. “We wish it were as simple as the movie portrays. It isn’t. Re-searchers have scoured every imag-inable signal trying to � nd reli-able precursors, but nothing has panned out,” Hough said. � e latest focus has been on creating early warning systems that give residents and businesses a few seconds heads up after a quake hits, but before strong shak-ing is felt. Japan has the most advanced seismic alert system in the world while the US is currently testing a prototype.

A tsunami in San Francisco?UNLIKE the � lm, the San Andreas can’t spawn tsunamis. Most tsunamis are triggered by underwater quakes, but they can also be caused by landslides, volca-noes and even meteor impacts.

Giant tsunami waves are formed when the Earth’s crust violently shifts, displacing huge amounts of seawater. � e larger the magnitude, the more these waves can race across the ocean without losing energy. � e San Andreas is strike-slip fault, in which opposing blocks of rocks slide past each other hori-zontally. A big San Andreas quake can spark � res and other mayhem, but it can’t displace water and � ood San Francisco. Hough said the movie got one aspect right: � e tide suddenly ebb-ing out signals a tsunami is coming. More than 80—mostly small—tsunamis have been ob-served along California’s coast in

the past, triggered mainly by far-away quakes.

Will the East Coast feel it?IN the movie, the scientist warned that shaking would be felt on the East Coast. Even the largest possible San Andreas quake won’t rattle the East Coast (Sorry New York). While seismic waves from great quakes can make the Earth reverberate like a bell, the ringing can only be detected by sensitive instruments because it’s so low. Historical accounts show shaking from the 1906 San An-dreas quake was barely felt in west-ern Nevada and southern Oregon, Hough said.

Drop, cover and hold on!WHEN the ground starts to shake, the seismologist played by Paul Giamatti makes the ideal public service announcement: “Drop, cov-er and hold on.” Since 2008, millions of people in California and elsewhere have participated in yearly disaster drills in which they practice diving under a table and learn other pre-paredness tips. If you’re outdoors when the ground moves, experts recommend bracing against a wall, similar to what search-and-rescue helicopter pilot Ray Gaines, played by Dwayne “� e Rock” Johnson, told scared survivors in the movie. “Having Paul Giamatti shout-ing, “Drop, cover and hold on!” and � e Rock telling people to crouch against a wall if they can is one heck of a PSA,” Hough said.

B A C | � e Associated Press

LOS ANGELES— e San Andreas Fault awakens, unleashing back-to-back jolts

that leave a trail of misery from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Skyscrapers crumble. Fires erupt. e letters of the Hollywood sign topple. Tsunami waves swamp the Golden Gate Bridge.

SEPARATING EARTHQUAKE FACT FROM FICTION IN ‘SAN ANDREAS’FROM FICTION IN ‘SAN ANDREAS’FROM FICTION

© 2010 MCTSource: Doctors Without BordersGraphic: San Jose Mercury News

Outpatient careDoctors see patients, dispense drugs; separate tents may be needed for men, women and children

Setting up a field hospital

FacilityExisting structure,such as a school, is preferable, but a hospital can be built with tents

TriageIn waiting area, doctor determines who needs most urgent care

Inpatient careEach tent holds about 15 overnight patients who sleep on cots or mattresses

WaterFrom wells, or “bladder tank” of purified water

VaccinationTo prevent outbreaks of diseases, such as measles

Field hospitals are set up to provide emergency care when hospitals in a disaster zone are overwhelmed. Some considerations in setting up and operating a field hospital:

StorageFor medical supplies, drugs; refrigeration of vaccines

Isolation areaFor those with highly infectious diseases

Infected wounds

Top health concernsShock, trauma

Respiratory illness

Epidemics, risk of vector-borne diseases

LatrinesLocated away from patient areas, water supply

© 2010 MCTSource: U.S. Geological Survey, CaltechGraphic: Orange County Register

Firsrsr t hitst hits Major jolt Finishing up

Energy transferred into sound waves makes windows rattle

Seismic energy waves

S wwaves can be strong enough to knock people over

Deciphering the waves rolling inHow an earthquake feels depends on factors such as distance from the fault, surrounding geology and quake magnitude. It also varies among individuals. Depending on their sensitivity to motion, a quake can feel much stronger to some people.

The first bump is the fastest of the seismic waves, called primary, or P, waves; if you are close to a quake’s epicenter, the first thing you might notice is a thunderous clap and rattling windows; this is P wave energy transferring inerring inerring into the air and the air and creating a sound wave

Surface waves are the slowest and usually come last. If a quake is close to the surface, these waves can be very large

The next set of energy waves are usually larger, called shear, or S, waves; S waves pack the most energy and the most shaking

EARTHQUAKES 101

123 Ib.(56 kg)

4,000 Ib.(1,800 kg)

12,300 Ib.(56,000 kg)

4 million Ib.(1.8 million kg)

123 million Ib.(56 million kg)

4 billion Ib.(1.8 billion kg)

123 billion Ib.(56 billion kg)

4 trillion Ib.(1.8 trillion kg)

123 trillion Ib.(56 trillion kg)

Energy releaseMagnitude

Chile (1960)

Earthquake frequency and destructive powerLeft side of the chart shows the magnitude of the earthquake and ke and k right side represents the amount of high right side represents the amount of high r explosiexplosie vevevrequired to produce the energy released by the eaby the eab rthquakekek . The middle of the chart shows the relative frequencieve frequenciev s.

(equivalent of explosive)Notable earthquakes Energy equivalents

Great earthquake; near total destruction, massive loss of life

Major earthquake; severe economic impact, large loss of life

Moderate earthquake;property damage

Strong earthquake; damage ($ billions), loss of life

Light earthquake;some property damage

Minor earthquake;felt by humans

Hiroshima atomic bomb

Average tornado

Large lightning boltOklahoma City bombing

Moderate lightning bolt

Mount St. Helens eruptionWorld’s largest nuclear test (USSR)

Krakatoa volcanic eruption

Alaska (1964)

New Madrid, Mo. (1812)San Francisco (1906)

Japan (2011)

Loma Prieta, Calif. (1989)Kobe, Japan (1995)

Northridge, Calif. (1994)

Long Island, N.Y. (1884)

1,000,000

100,000

12,000

2,000

200

20

3

<1

Number of earthquakes per year (worldwide)Source: U.S. Geological SurveyGraphic: Pat Carr, Tim Goheen

2

6

4

8

10

9

7

5

3

© 2011 MCT

DWAYNE JOHNSON, as Ray, and Carla Gugino, as Emma, in a scene from the action thriller San Andreas.

COURTESY WARNER BROS. PICTURES VIA AP

THIS February 16, 2000, � le image from Nasa, acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission aboard space shuttle Endeavour and combined with a Landsat image, creates this perspective view Endeavour and combined with a Landsat image, creates this perspective view Endeavourto the northwest along the San Andreas Fault near the city of Palmdale, California (center right).

NASA VIA AP

THAT ITALIAN FLAIR

STRATEGY OFFICERS

EARTHQUAKES 101

LIFE D1

MONDAY MORNING E1

HANDSHAKE FOR PEACE Thousands join hands in the Handshake for Peace at the Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City. With the theme “Saving the World with Good Vibes,” the event celebrates the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, and aims to bring people together to educate them about the effects of wars and how they can promote peace. ROY DOMINGO

PERSPECTIVE E4

NO matter the contentious points raised against certain provisions of the Tax Incen-

tives Management and Transparency Act (Timta), the proposed legislation was seen to give wiggle room for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to comply with stringent Bureau of In-ternal Revenue (BIR) regulations.  In a recent hearing held at the House of Representatives on Timta, lawmakers and government agencies agreed on a six-month extension on the electronic-filing (e-filing) of income-tax returns (ITRs) to give room for SMEs to comply with the mandatory provision.  The Timta, a transparency mea-sure authored by Rep. Maria Le-onor Gerona-Robredo of Camarines Sur, hurdled the committee level on Wednesday, but not without a struggle arising from the sharply

contrasted viewpoints of the Depart-ment of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Finance (DOF).  A significant provision on the Timta mandates all companies, not just large enterprises, registered with investment promotion agen-cies to comply with the BIR’s e-filing mandate by April 15 each year.  On this point, Board of Invest-ments (BOI) Gov. Lucita P. Reyes feared that the SMEs may not meet the e-filing deadline every time their limited resources and the sup-posed instability of the BIR’s online e-filing system. 

“We have been getting reports from small companies that have not been able to access e-filing, especially in the provincial areas. A lot of the companies registered with the BOI are in the provinces, [and are] having difficulty. That’s why we’re pushing

REYES: “We have been getting

reports from small companies that

have not been able to access e-filing, especially in the

provincial areas.”

for a clause that will give some lee-way,” Reyes said at the hearing.  Ninety percent of companies reg-istered with the BOI are SMEs. Reyes said that during an earlier private discussion—which was at-tended by Robredo, Internal Revenue chief Kim Jacinto-Henares, Finance Undersecretary Jeremias N. Paul Jr., Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima and Trade Secretary Gregory L. Do-mingo—trade officials pushed for

the inclusion of a clause declaring “that companies can be penalized for not meeting the e-filing, unless it is not the fault of the company in com-plying with the deadline.” In that discussion, however, Hena-res thumbed down the “unless” clause. The BIR wanted to make e-filing im-mediately enforcible by April 15 for all investment-promotion agency (IPA)-registered enterprises, or risk the forfeiture of incentives. 

The DTI, on the other hand, crafted an alternative deal: a six-month grace period after the April 15 deadline just for e-filing, to pre-vent smaller companies from being penalized that may bar them from applying for incentives.  “The six-month period is impor-tant, since registered enterprises will have to apply for availment of the income-tax holiday [ITH] with

the BOI also after the deadline. And we cannot process, under the bill, if they do not have proof of e-filing. If we give six months for application of availment, the effect should be that the e-filing should also be extended,” Reyes explained.  Robredo sided with Reyes, say-ing, “This bill will force enterprises to comply with e-filing. But, if the DTI is asking for a transition period to assuage the fears of SMEs in avail-ing [themselves] of incentives, then I’m going with the suggestion of the BOI to extend a break period.” The point of the bill, said Robredo, is transparency through automa-tion and migration to an electronic system. Reprieve must be given to smaller companies that may be ad-versely affected by the aim of the bill, she added.  

BusinessMirror news@businessmirror.com.ph Monday, May 25, 2015 A2

NewsTimta. . . Continued from A1 MRT 7. . . Continued from A1

Lawmakers and the agencies agreed that all IPA-registered companies must file ITR, either elec-tronically or manually, by April 15 or face penalties. But, as wiggle room, companies only able to file manually are given an extra six months to revert their ITRs electronically so the entire system can migrate to electronic filing. The e-filing provision of the Timta covers income-tax based incentives claimed by enter-prises such as the ITH and the 5-percent gross income earned.

DOF to forecast tax incentives Yet, another provision in the Timta that sparked a DTI-DOF debate was Section 5 of the measure detailing the obligation of the former to project or estimate tax incentives for the following year. The DOF insisted the DTI release an estimate of how much monetary incentives it will extend the following year, a mandate the trade department previously trashed as burdensome and useless. “The DOF explained to us that we need to

predict the incentives to follow the format of the Department of Budget and Management in making the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing [BESF]. But that does not explain substantively why we need to predict,” Reyes said during the same hearing. Protocol mandates that in any proposed pub-lic program involving the disbursement of funds, a definitive BESF must be presented. Estimating the amount of tax incentives will require IPAs to cull information from each and every enterprise and analyze their investment plans, a herculean task for all IPAs. The DOF was willing to take over that respon-sibility and ease the work of the DTI, if only to have a better picture of how much “foregone revenues” in the form of tax breaks will be lost the following year. But the IPAs reject the authority of the DOF to make estimates on tax incentive altogether. “Our concern now is identifying projections [on the granting] of incentives. Since the DOF

volunteered to do it, the projections may not be accurate because the information must come from IPAs. We have the information and the in-vestment plans of the companies. They don’t have the sound basis to project,” Clark Development Corp. Officer in Charge for Corporate Planning Mariza Mandocdoc said. House Ways and Means Committee Chair-man Rep. Romero “Miro” S. Quimbo of the Sec-ond District of Marikina, settled the matter by giving the DOF the duty to forecast incentives “on whatever information they have in the BIR on the enterprises.” “There is a clause that, ‘nothing in this act shall be construed to diminish or limit in what-ever manner, the amount of incentives that IPAs may grant pursuant to their charters.’ Let’s take comfort in that overriding clause. Leave the DOF to its forecast,” Quimbo said. The various IPAs said they will seek further clarifi-cation on that issue during the drafting of the bill’s implement-ing rules and regulations. Catherine N. Pillas

The project was estimated to cost at least $1.6 billion based on 2008 prices and SMC will have to make the necessary adjustments, Romulo said. The ODA’s performance undertaking will expire by February next year, 18 months after being issued by the government in August last year. The much-delayed MRT 7 project is a 22-kilometer elevated railway that will start in North Avenue in Quezon City, traverse the entire stretch of Commonwealth Avenue and some parts of Caloocan that will end in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan. When it was approved in 2007, it was estimated to serve about 2 million riders who live north of Metro Manila where transportation to the financial centers is most difficult. SMC came into the picture in 2010 when it acquired a 51-percent interest in Universal LRT Corp. Ltd., a company in charge of developing the line. “Hopefully we will clean up and get the MRT 7 project rolling this year pending the resolution of the problem in the common station. One of the major problems is whether the common station will remain a common station. We don’t know. And there is a legal challenge from SM,” Romulo said. Passengers from Light Rail Transit Line 1 and from MRT 3 were earlier proposed to meet at a common station that until

now has not been satisfactorily settled. Originally, this station were to be built in the SM North Edsa Station, with the SM group paying some P200 million for the naming rights. For some reason, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) moved the planned common station to the nearby TriNoma Mall, operated by rival Ayala Land Inc. SMC President and COO Ramon S. Ang has since said the company may create two separate stations to appease the contending parties. But this was criticized by officials of Metro Pacific Investment Corp. (MPIC) calling it as an “inefficient exercise.” MPIC owns controlling interest in the MRT 3 operator. The SM group challenged the DOTC decision and sought redress of its grievance before the Supreme Court. “Our concession agreement mandates and requires us to be there [SM North Edsa]. That was the original agreement. If we move out of that, that is a violation of the agreement. We have to adhere to that,” Romulo said. SMC also owns the South Luzon Tollway Corp. in the process of completing a new 57.6-km four-leaf toll-road extension of its South Luzon Expressway concession connecting Santo Tomas, Batangas, and Lucena, Quezon. It also owns the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

MORE than 63,000 people displaced by the month-long fighting in March

between government security forces and armed groups in Maguindanao province received relief assistance distributed by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the International Com-mittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.

From April 28 to May 20, PRC volunteers and ICRC staff reached almost 15,000 families living in evacuation centers or sheltered by host families and relatives, in the municipalities of Datu Salibo, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Unsay, Ma-masapano, Sharif Aguak and Sharif Saydona Mustapha, the ICRC said.

“While many families have since returned to their homes, thousands remain scattered in evacuation cent-ers. We supplemented the support given by the authorities because the prolonged displacement has had an impact on the people’s livelihoods, putting a strain on their ability to meet their basic needs,” Sabine Gral-la, head of the ICRC office in Cota-bato, was quoted in a statement as saying. “In addition, the majority of them rely on farming, which has been adversely affected by the dry spell.”

Each family received 25 kilograms of rice, 12 tins of sardines, 5 liters of oil, 1 liter of soy sauce, 1 kg of sugar, half a kilogram of salt, 300 grams of coffee and a hygiene kit. These should support a household of six persons for one month, according to the ICRC.

“This is a big help for all evacu-ees, especially those of us who have

DND Executive Fernando Man-alo said there is no truth to the claim of Rhodora Alvarez that they asked for a 15-percent cut from the winning bidder out of the project’s total amount.

Alvarez was the local representa-tive of Rice Aircraft Services Inc. (Rasi) and Eagle Copters Ltd., the joint venture that bagged a P1.2-billion contract to supply the AFP with 21 refurbished UH-1D helicop-ters. Alvarez allegedly asked her em-ployers an amount equivalent to 15 percent of the total project cost and saying the money was for officials of the DND.

Alvarez, however, was fired by Rasi after she allegedly failed to explain and liquidate the money, which ran in millions, according to Manalo, DND undersecretary for finance, munitions, installa-

tion and materiel.Alvarez alleged that the DND

favored Rasi over other bidders for the project. She also claimed the helicopters delivered to the Philip-pines were not working.

The Philippine Air Force, being the helicopters’ end-user, denied the claim and said they also subjected the choppers to flight tests.

The DND, through Arsenio An-dolong, director of its public affairs service, said Alvarez’s claims were “false and misleading” and asked her to substantiate them.

“We thus question Ms. Alvarez’s motive for smearing the reputation of the department and its officials. We challenge her to go beyond her rhetoric and back her statements with concrete proof,” Andolong said.

Andolong said any bidding in-volving projects of the DND is being

news@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo • Monday, May 25, 2015 A3BusinessMirrorThe Nation

conducted with utmost transparency wherein third-party representatives are even present in order to ensure that the process is not tainted.

“We reiterate that the procure-ment processes in the DND are aboveboard, transparent and con-ducted in accordance with existing rules and regulations under law. In line with this, it is the practice of the DND to invite third-party observ-ers, such as the Coalition Against Corruption [CAC], the Samahang Magdalo, and members of the media to witness the procedures conducted by DND’s Bid and Awards Commit-tee [BAC],” he said.

“The UH-1 Acquisition Project is no exception,” Andolong added.

Late this week, Alvarez reiterated her claims against the DND over the project in a radio interview.

However, DND Spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said, “the secretary of national defense [Voltaire T. Gaz-min] categorically states that he has strict instructions to all DND officials to avoid acts of impropriety in all their dealings.”

He added Gazmin “has never is-sued instructions to seek favors from any entity nor manipulate transac-tions that would violate the public trust and result in a disadvantage to the government.”

The DND official lamented the department is being dragged by

Alvarez into her “quarrel” with Rasi, purposely because she could not force her former employer to give in to her demand.

Rasi President Robert Rice Jr. had informed defense department offi-cials that the company will file crimi-nal charges against Alvarez for her actions and “malicious” claims that partly prompted the DND to cancel its acceptance of the remaining 14 choppers, which are already in the country. The DND had already ac-cepted and paid for seven helicopters.

Gazmin had moved to cancel the acceptance of the remaining chop-pers after Alvarez hurled accusa-tions, claiming among others, that the contract was tainted by anom-aly, or that Rasi had been favored by members of the DND’s BAC and had its members asked commissions from the winning bidder.

Galvez said the DND “laments that the project was a ‘casualty’” in Alvarez’s tussle with her former employer, from which she was alleg-edly “extorting” money or that she was even using the whole chopper contract to force Rasi to give in to her demand.

Rice said he has written to Manalo, wherein he clarified Alva-rez’s standing with the company and, at the same time, enumerated the alleged violations she committed and which led to her termination.

In his letter dated March 3, 2015, Rice claimed they took Alvarez as the company’s representative in Manila in October 2013, wherein she was also tasked to create a local company that would pay for expenses relating to the payroll of the local employees of Rasi, who would assemble the choppers, equipment, performance bond, purchases, food and lodging of employees and other expenses.

In between June and October 2014, Rice claimed they sent Al-varez a huge amount of money in order to cover for such expenses. Last December she requested an ad-ditional amount from the company, Rice said in the letter.

Rice added they did not expect the request, considering that Al-varez had been given with a huge amount, and as such, they asked her to submit documents enumerating where the money went.

The local representative alleg-edly submitted “insufficient data” prompting Rasi to tap the serv-ices of a local auditing firm, which found half of the amount given to her unaccounted.

The firm also found out that the local representative had “outstand-ing bills with vendors” that were sup-posed to have been paid, Rice said.

He claimed that when they ap-proached Alvarez with the un-accounted amount, she became

“aggressive and began to extort Rasi for money, threatening to cancel the contract.”

She also demanded that “Rasi pay her 15 percent of the contract right away.” If the money is not sent to her, Rice claimed that Alvarez would have the production or assembly or the helicopters stopped. But Rasi dis-missed her demands until she could account for the money, according to Rice. “Then she began to employ tac-tics,” Rice said.

Alvarez allegedly sent home the crew that were assemblying the helicopters and told them not to report for work until fur-ther notice. She also revoked the performance bond covering the project wherein she had as-signed herself as the signatory of the bond. “This has stopped the payment on multiple accepted aircraft,” Rice claimed.

Rice also said Alvarez had an af-fair with an Air Force officer, who is a member of the evaluating team, which Rasi deemed “inappropriate and ground for termination.” All of these transactions hap-pened while Alvarez is an employee of the government, working with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Months later, or in April this year, Alvarez came out in the media claiming that the helicopter deal was tainted with corruption.

DND denies execs sought favors in helicopter dealBy Rene Acosta

DEPARTMENT of National Defense (DND) officials denied that they sought favors

from a former employee of a firm that bagged a contract for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

THE chairman of the House Ad hoc Com-mittee on Bangasamoro basic law (BBL) on Sunday urged President Aquino to certify as

urgent the proposed basic law of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

Centrist Democratic Party Rep. Rufus B. Ro-driguez of Cagayan de Oro, in a radio interview, said the President should certify as urgent the bill to ensure its passage before Congress sine die ad-journment on June 11 and before Mr. Aquino’s last State of the Nation Address on July 27.

Under the rules, if the bill is certified as urgent, it can be approved on second and final readings on the same day.

“We are going to write [to] the President, at-taching the approved substitute bill and ask if it can be certified as urgent,” he said, adding the let-ter signed by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. will be sent to the President on May 25.

Rodriguez said he is open to conduct a special session to pass the bill on time.

The lawmaker said the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Ways and Means are expected to approve the funding and taxation provisions of the peace measure this week.

After the approval at the two panels, Rodriguez said the plenary will hold marathon deliberations.

“We will hold marathon hearings from June 1 to 4, and from June 8 to 11, that is Monday to Thursday, and we are willing to start our delib-erations at 10 a.m. and finish at 12 midnight,” Rodriguez said.

The basic law aims to create the new Bangsamoro juridical entity replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

Lawmakers to prod Aquino to certify BBL as urgent

returned to our village. Our fields and crops have since dried up, so we have to start from scratch. It will take some time before we can replant,” explained Mariam Talusan Sulaiman of Malangog village in Datu Unsay.

Over 60 PRC volunteers and ICRC staff were involved, using a new electronic reg-istration system that reduced the registra-

tion time for beneficiaries and accelerated the distribution of relief. Community lead-ers also played a major role in validating the identities of those who were unable to present identification documents.

Meanwhile, the ICRC continues to provide displaced persons with 110,000 liters of po-table water daily from 49 tanks installed in

27 evacuation sites. The ICRC is a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organization whose mandate is to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence. It has had an established presence in the Philippines for over 60 years, and a permanent presence in Mindanao since 1986.

Displaced people in Maguindanao receive relief aid from Red Cross

This May 20 photo shows a woman walking past staff of the international Committee of the Red Cross preparing relief goods for displaced people of Maguindanao. Photo courtesy Icrc/BusInessMIrror

BusinessMirror news@businessmirror.com.ph A4

Economy

By Bianca Cuaresma

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi-nas (BSP) will launch a real- estate price index as part of

efforts to ensure the stability of the country’s real estate market. In an e-mailed response to the reporters, central bank governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said the BSP will likely evaluate the “bubble component” of real-estate prices in the country, after the launch of the residential real-estate property in-dex (RRePI). “The [RRePI] tracks property prices. To be able to assess the state of the real-estate sector, we need another model to evaluate the bubble component of the [RRePI],” Tetangco said. “That is the next part of the project,” he added. Asset bubbles are usually formed with a surge high demand, fol-lowed by the shift of property prices increasingly upward due to this. eventually, this asset bubble is likely to become a threat to the economy once speculators enter the market without a clear forecast of the future of the property sector, thus investing more in the sector. This will further drive up demand. Once demand decreases or stagnates, demand will decrease this, resulting in a sharp drop in prices causing the bubble to “burst.” This causes instability in the economic stream. Tetangco also said the RRePI will likely be made available and released to the public by June this year. The RRePI is an initiative of the BSP, which aims to create a stand-ard price index as an official guide for the price valuation of residential properties in the country. The index is said to be a ‘function of several indicators’, including both from the supply and demand curve of the industry. In terms of supply, BSP officials earlier cited the cost of materials and business permits as some of the considerations, while, in terms of demand, they are gauging it through the number of applications of permits, among others.

Monday, May 25, 2015 • Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon

house Deputy Majority Leader and Liberal Party Rep. Karlo Alexi Nograles of Davao made his call, following the revelation that most of the workers in the Valenzuela slipper-factory-fire, which killed 72, were hired through an unlicensed manpower subcontractor. Nograles said there is a need to amend some provisions of the Labor Code, which allows the practice of hiring contractual workers in order to protect the workers, without compromising the viability of doing busi-ness in the Philippines. “Our committee is currently harmonizing several pending bills seek-ing various amendments to the contractualization provisions of our La-bor Code and some measures on the issue of occupational safety. We are giving priority to these bills,” Nograles said. In last week ’s investigation of the Kentex slipper-factory fire that resulted in the death of at least 72 workers, Nograles said his panel established that many of the workers were sub-contracted from an unlicensed manpower pooling firm called CJC Manpower Agency. The lawmaker said the panel also discovered that the Department of Labor and employment (DOLe) conducted three inspections through its labor law compliance officers (LLCO) on the Kentex facility, but failed to verify the background of the manpower agency that supplied the workers. “If only the LLCO checked with DOLe records, he would have found out that CJC is not registered as a legitimate subcontractor and, there-fore, illegal,” Nograles said. After the hearing, one of the many schemes that some business-men would purportedly use to skirt the country’s existing labor laws was revealed. “ They hire from third-party manpower pooling firms not only to avoid the additional cost of wage and non-wage ben-efits due to the hiring of new workers, but also to avoid re-sponsibilities on matters related to occupational safety. The legal issue as to who should take responsibility on the welfare of an employee is obscured by this policy on contractualiza-tion,” Nograles said.

Lawmaker calls for review of Labor CodeBy Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

The Chairman of the house Committee on Labor and employment said on Sunday

that the government should review and revisit the country’s Labor Code and fine-tune provisions that allows the hiring of contractual workers.

SAFETY GEAR Colorful ring buoys or salbabida are sold at affordable prices along Maharlika Highway in Calamba, Laguna. The ring buoys are a popular safety gear during summer. ROY DOMINGO

By Lenie Lectura

T he Manila electric Co. (Meralco) was allowed by regulators to source up to 64 megawatts (MW) of additional capacity from interim bilateral supply

agreements with the units of Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC). “The [energy Regulatory Commission or eRC] finds that the approval and implementation of the subject Interim Power Supply Agreements [IPSAs] will be beneficial to Meralco’s customers by way of reliable, continuous and efficient supply of power within its franchise area at reasonable costs,” said the eRC in its 49-page decision released last week. In particular, the utility firm sought the green light to source up to 37 MW from Toledo Power Co. (TPC) and 27 MW from Panay Power Corp. (PPC). TPC owns the 40-MW diesel-fired power plant in Toledo City, Cebu. The 72-MW diesel-fired power plant in La Paz, Iloilo City, is owned by PPC. The IPSAs are meant to mitigate exposure to the Wholesale electricity Spot Market (WeSM) until July when reserve capacity, according to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, will be below the required contingency reserves due to scheduled maintenance shutdowns and forced outages of major base-load coal-and gas-fired power plants in Luzon. “The simulated delivered price in Meralco and PPC’s IPSA, upon consideration of the interim mitigating measure in the WeSM (Wholesale electricity Spot Market), would result to an overall savings of P0.0170/kWh for the period of March 2015 to July 2015,” said the eRC. The IPSA between Meralco and TPC will, likewise, result in overall savings of P0.0213 per kWh. If these IPSAs are not implemented, Meralco will be constrained to source from the WeSM, where prices are volatile, especially during March to July this year.This can be further aggravated and would likely result in higher WeSM prices in light of the very tight supply under thin reserve margin conditions during said period. The IPSAs, Meralco said, will ensure continuous and reliable electricity at reasonable prices for Meralco customers during the critical period until July this year.

Meralco secures additional power supply from 2 firms

BSP to roll out ‘real-estate price index’

Monday, May 25, 2015 • Editor: Gerard RamosA6

Tourism& Entertainment

THE hidden beach

A PICTURESQUE view from a cli� in Matinloc

Tourism& Entertainment

B C J F. B | Photos by Jose Paolo Escobedo

FROM its crystal-clear waters, towering cliff s and white-sand beaches, El Nido in Palawan is a

perfect spot during summer season. It is known as a paradise with its rich natural resources and marine life. It is also a top destination for scuba divers and island-hoppers.

tourism@businessmirror.com.ph • Monday, May 25, 2015 A7BusinessMirror

One of its beaches has been named as one of the best in Asia re-cently by the world’s largest travel web site, TripAdvisor, in its 2015 Traveller’s Choice Awards.

I have so much to boast of this town, from the nice people popu-lating the town to how local and foreign tourists are mesmerized by this paradisiacal gift of the heavens to mankind.

Tourists often wonder if they have the budget for such an escapade. Of course, everyone can enjoy El Nido. Summer is still here, and what follows are my top 5 tips for an enjoyable re-spite in El Nido.

1Accommodation. Find a cheap room online. � ere’s a lot to choose from that will be right for your needs.

If you are on a tight budget, book a fan room since you’re there to discover the beauty of the place, especially if you have limited days of stay. Fan-room accom-modation ranges P500 to P1,000.

2Island-hopping. If you’re on your own or with just a companion, it’s okay to ride with others

than rent a boat by yourself. Wouldn’t you say meeting perfectly agreeable strangers is better than being alone by your lonesome? Make some friends and cut down on those boat fees.

3Airfare. � ere are a lot of promos. Piso fares and even centavo fares can be found if you look hard

enough. It can be Air Asia, Cebu Pa-ci� c, Tigerair and � ag-carrier Philip-pine Airlines. Check their web site regularly because most of these low-fare o� erings are for a limited num-ber of seats only.

4Land travel. From Puerto Princesa City to El Nido, riding a Roro bus may save your budget. It ranges

from P300 to P400. If you want a hassle-free ride, there’s also a shuttle, an air-conditioned van that may take four to � ve hours of travel for only P500 at the cheapest fare price.

5Foods. To savor all the fresh sea foods, some of the inns in El Nido o� er an inclusive gas range.

Just cook your own dishes. Enjoying the same at restaurants can quickly add up.

For all the � rst-timers, you must watch out for those extra charges that can creep into your airfare. If you don’t need to, like if you’re the backpacker sort, look for features and o� ers that you don’t want or need.

On the other hand, scuba diving is one of the popular activities in El Nido, with over 30 dive sites for vari-ous levels of expertise, from taking

� e Last Frontier: El Nido, Palawan

A HALO-HALO toast at Seven Commandos

AN abandoned hotel in Matinloc THE enchanting big lagoon

SUNSET at Seven Commandos Beach

the plunge for beginners to advancing your skills and perfecting your dive.

El Nido has so many di� erent trea-sures to o� er. You can also do snorkel-ing, cli� climbing, waterfalls, kayak-ing, cave exploration and windsur� ng. If you want to discover the surround-ing north of Palawan, you can also rent a motorbike.

With 50 beaches to discover, El Nido is the top destination for island-hopping in the Philippines. You can � nd enchanting lagoons with tranquil turquoise green water, caves that can take you to hidden beaches, and a very diverse variety of marine life.

KAYAKS

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Casey Kasem’s widow won’t face criminal charges

Sagada’s senior citizens borrow the spaces of the different offices of the municipal government of Saga-da in holding their assemblies and meetings, Roshelle C. Linggayo said.

They have to climb the steps to the upper floors of the local gov-ernment building to convene their regular meetings and the general assembly, she said.

Their old building, which used to serve as a venue for their meetings and activities, has long become too small to accommodate their growing number, she added.

Sagada currently has 1,225 registered seniors from its 19 ba-rangays, Linggayo noted. About 400 are members of the municipal federation of senior citizens, and

a total of 202 receive quarterly the P500 monthly pension from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The number of seniors will continue to grow, as about five people apply for registration daily, she said.

A new and spacious building will also serve as a venue of interaction and cooperation among the town’s older citizens, who wish to make themselves useful in their private life and for the community.

Sagada seniors, at their retire-ment age, continue doing their share in building their town, Ling-gayo said. They are involved in a clean and green drive in their re-spective barangays.

Sagada’s elders ask govt for bigger home

SAGADA’S growing population of seniors requires a new and spacious building of its own to

hold activities directed toward the achievement of its welfare, a staff at the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca) in this tourist destination said in a recent interview.

ElderlyBusinessMirror

The

By Oliver Samson | Correspondent

Monday, May 25, 2015 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

GenSan dad seeks special ward for elderly at city hospitalRWM gives love, hope to elderly residents of Hospicio de San Jose

Seniors undergo free computer lessons from Butuan tutors

In Barangay Poblacion, the cen-ter of the town, the seniors pick up garbage on the streets littered by tourists, she said.

They are most occupied on street cleaning during the Holy Week due the volume of tourists that come from different parts of the country and the world, she said.

They also help the local govern-ment clean up the streets after the celebration of the town fiesta in February.

Despite their continuing ser-vices in the community, which de-serve due recognition, their fare-discount privilege has not been and continues to be not honored by some public-utility jeepneys that run from the town to Bontoc, the capital of Mountain Province, Linggayo said.

The Osca in Sagada expressed dismay over the refusal of some jeepney drivers to honor the se-niors’ privilege.

The Land Transportation Of-fice (LTO) in the province assured Osca they will deal with this issue, Linggayo said.

Meanwhile, Sagada Mayor Edu-ardo T. Latawan Jr. has been aware of the need of the senior citizens in his city for a new and spacious build-ing, she said.

But the town currently has not enough fund in its coffers to finance the construction of the building, Linggayo added.

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles prosecutors said on Friday that they won’t file elder

abuse charges against Casey Kas-em’s widow, despite efforts by three of the radio personality’s children to have her prosecuted.

A charge evaluation sheet re-leased by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Casey Kasem had received consis-tent medical care in his final days and that it wouldn’t be appropriate to charge Jean Kasem.

“Because of Mr. Kasem’s long-standing profound health issues, this case cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury,” the deci-sion read. Jean Kasem was married to the celebrity announcer for more than 30 years but was stripped of control over his medical care in the final days of his life.

Casey Kasem died in June 2014 in Washington state, where Jean Kasem had taken him after checking

him out of a Los Angeles-area medi-cal facility, where he was receiving around-the-clock care.

The longtime American Top 40 host had a form of dementia and a severe bedsore when he died.

Shortly before his death, Casey Kasem’s daughter Kerri Kasem was appointed as his conservator. She and his two other children from a previ-ous marriage called for elder abuse charges against their stepmother at a news conference in January.

Los Angeles police looked into the allegations, but prosecutors declined to bring charges.

“The development of a bedsore by itself is insufficient evidence of abuse or neglect because of Mr. Kasem’s overall weakened health,” the document stated.

Jean Kasem said her decision to move her husband to Washington was made to protect his privacy, the decision states.

Kerri Kasem said in a statement

on Friday she was upset by the decision and would seek charges against her stepmother in Wash-ington state.

“The Los Angeles County Dis-trict Attorney, with her professed interest in ending elder abuse, could do more,” Kerri Kasem’s state-ment read.

A spokesman for Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey said the office wouldn't have any com-ment beyond what was in the charge evaluation worksheet.

An e-mail message sent to Jean Kasem’s attorney wasn’t returned on Friday afternoon.

T he announcer ’s youngest daughter, from his marriage with Jean Kasem, however, has support-ed her mother in the family dispute.

Casey Kasem’s legacy reached well beyond music. His voice was heard as the character Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo TV cartoons and in numerous commercials. AP

A8

taking grandpa for a ride Mark Batton of Banaue, Ifugao, drives a tricycle in the biking area in Burnham Park in Baguio City with Sagani, his 93-year-old grandfather. MAU VICTA

RESORTS World Manila (RWM), the country’s pioneering inte-grated resort, recently held its

“Love Grants” program at Hospicio de San Jose through its League of Vol-unteer Employees (LOVE) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative by visiting the elderly residents of the Manila nursing home.

Love Grants provided the elderly beneficiaries with donations of food, toiletries, towels and diapers from the employees.

The elderly, whose visitations have suffered lately due to road clo-sures caused by the rehabilitation of Ayala Bridge, were also treated to a short program performed by the employees.

“Even the closed traffic at Ayala Bridge did not prevent these RWM employees from reaching out to us here on our island,” said Mother Supe-rior Maria Socorro Pilar G. Evidente, DC of Hospicio de San Jose. “This is the true fruit of genuine love. These RWM employees really brought and gave love to our residents. The kind of love and care that has kept the doors of Hospicio de San Jose open to those who need them.”

Employees also offered flowers and fruits to the ladies of Hospicio de San Jose, further adding cheers and love to the grateful elderly.

“Love Grants is an offshoot of RWM’s League of Volunteer Emplo- yees, a collective from the different departments who set out on its CSR Day every month to make a differ-ence in social empowerment and envi-

ronmental advocacies,” RWM Director for Corporate Communications Owen Cammayo said. “It is part and parcel of RWM’s CSR vision to make communi-ties win and in this case, brightening the day of those in their twilight years.”

RWM is the first one-stop, nonstop entertainment and leisure destination in the Philippines that fea-tures recreational thrills, world-class performances, unique events and ex-citing lifestyle options. Conveniently across the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, RWM is an instant gateway to world-class Philippine hos-pitality and is home to three interna-tional lodging brands, (Maxims Hotel, Marriott Hotel Manila, Remington Hotel) with two more hotels (Sheraton Hotel Manila and Hilton Hotel Manila) currently under construction.

Also home to RWM is The New-port Mall, which features interna-tional luxury brands, state-of-the-art movie theaters the Newport Cinemas, an award-winning, ultra-modern Newport Performing Arts Theater, and a cozy, 24/7 entertain-ment hub at Bar 360. Dine in one of almost 50 restaurant outlets offering a diverse selection of local and world cuisine, prepared by top Filipino and foreign chefs and paired with a wide selection of the finest wines and popular liquors.

Amp all the thrills offered exclu-sively by RWM by becoming a card-holder! Membership at RWM is free and provides an instant pass to numer-ous discounts, freebies, and exclusive invites to RWM events.

SAGADA seniors during the pain-relief medical mission conducted in April by the Kanlungan ni Maria -Home for the Aged’s “Aba Muna Bago Ako.” OLIVER SAMSON

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—In a bid to ensure the delivery of proper health-care ser-

vices to elderly patients here, a city council member here is pushing for the establishment of a separate ge-riatrics ward at the city hospital.

City Councilor Rosalita Nuñez, chairman of the council’s commit-tee on health and sanitation, filed a proposed ordinance during its regu-lar session on Tuesday seeking the immediate creation of a special unit at the city hospital that will especially cater to elderly or senior citizens.

She said the move is in adherence with the government’s general policy for the enactment of measures that will promote the welfare of elderly people. Nuñez specifically cited the provisions of Republic Act 7876, or the Senior Citizens Act of 1995, and Presidential Proclamation 470.

“Taking proper care of the elderly is very important as they are con-sidered among the most important contributing factors in the molding of a person, family, the community, as well as the historic development and continued progress particularly of the city,” she said.

Under the proposed ordinance, a separate geriatrics ward will be established at the city hospitals, where senior citizens will be treated by duly designated geriatricians dis-tinctively from the other patients.

Geriatrics is a branch of medicine or social science that deals with the health and care of old people.

The special unit will be manned by authorized geriatricians who will be supervised by the city hos-pital administration and the City Health Office.

“The geriatric crew or team shall have similar functions with other hospital employees such as nurses, psychologists and care givers, except that they will especially attend to pa-tients who are confined with medical conditions due to the effects of nor-mal aging and other illnesses,” it said.

Nuñez noted that one of the most important aspects of giving care to senior citizens is on the manner of their confinement in hospitals that differs from the usual adult and pe-diatric medicine.

She said aging patients mostly take multiple medications or the so-called polypharmacy that at times bring increased risks of drug inter-actions. PNA

B UTUAN CITY—About 20 senior citizens had undergone a one-day free computer tutorial program on May 20, at a central

mall here in the city.Bayan Telecommunications Inc. (BayanTel)

under its “Tayo Na Mag-connect: Teach Lola Activity” program, in cooperation with Colum-bia Computer Center and the Robinson’s Place here in Butuan, conducted the activity as part of their corporate social responsibility, which was also timed with the city’s celebration of the monthlong “Balangay Festivals,” said Red R. Sa-mar, Bayan Telecommunications Inc. (BayanTel) corporate brand and communications manager.

Teresita Moreno, the “poster grandma” Lola Techie, the BayanTel’s ambassador for senior citi-zen’s affairs, attended the activity along with the communication firm’s regional and local execu-tives and staff. Robinson’s Place Butuan hosted the activity at its central atrium lobby, with the participation of the tutors from Columbia Com-puter Center. The senior citizen-recipients were taught on the basic knowledge about computers during the first session and the use of the Internet in the second session.

In her message to the recipients during the opening program, Lola Techie said the training will open doors, more opportunities and may bridge senior citizens, like, her to the world of modern communications technology. Samar said they had conducted similar trainings in some key cities of the country since 2010, such as Naga, Legaspi, Bacolod, Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro. PNA

RESORTS World Manila volunteer employees had to board a boat to reach Hospicio de San Jose and visit elderly beneficiaries for “Love Grants” as Ayala Bridge, the only access to Isla de Convalescencia, was under rehabilitation.

news@businessmirror.com.ph BusinessMirror�e Regions

A9 Monday, May 25, 2015 • Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo

THE Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said farmers fear losing their land and

livelihood more than the threats of a strong earthquake.

Farmers fear losing land, livelihood more than threat of strong earthquake–KMP

  KMP said in a statement that even farmers whose villages are di-rectly above the West Valley Fault such as barangays San Isidro, for-merly part of Norzagaray town, and San Roque in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, are not bothered much by the possibility of a strong earth-quake, but are fretting over the strong possibility of losing their land to the Bangko Sentral ng Pili-pinas (BSP) because of the Compre-hensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).  KMP Secretary-General Anto-nio Flores was reacting to reports by the Philippine Institute of Vol-canology and Seismology that the West Valley Fault could possibly generate a 7.2-magnitude earth-quake, almost as strong as the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal last month.

  “For farmers living on top of the fault line, the sham CARP is like a 10-magnitude quake. This fake agrar-ian-reform program is perpetually be-ing used and abused by big landlords and landgrabbers to bleed, evict and kill farmers,” Flores said.  “The Aquino administration’s plan to revive the CARP from the dead is tantamount to a death sentence to farmers,” he added.  Sherylene Koyano, spokesman of the Samahang Pinagbuklod ng Magsasaka sa San Isidro (Pinagbuk-lod), a local organization of farmers in Barangay San Isidro, accused the BSP of land-grabbing more than 700 hectares in the area. In October 2014 the farmers in Barangay San Isidro received a letter from BSP Managing Director Augus-to C. Lopez-Dee informing farmers that the BSP will conduct technical

survey activities on a property in Ba-rangay San Isidro, Norzagaray, Bula-can, with Transfer of Certificates of Titles (TCTs) T-48694 to T-48702, with an aggregate area of more or less 700 hectares.  The lands being sought by the BSP to be surveyed in Barangay San Isidro were originally being claimed by the Manila Brickworks Corp. of the Puyat family and was sold to the Villar family-owned Capitol Bank, which was later renamed as Optimum Bank. In 1998 the lands allegedly owned by the Manila Brickworks Corp. and Capitol Bank were mortgaged to the BSP. The old TCTs were canceled and nine new titles, TCTs T-48694 to T-48702, were issued to the BSP. Koyano said their ancestors were already occupying and cultivating the lands since the 1960s.  “The Department of Agrarian Re-form placed our lands under CARP in 1996, or two years before the highly illegal mortgage to the BSP. But, only after a year in 1997, the DAR [Department of Agrarian Re-form] immediately issued an order exempting our lands from coverage. This clearly shows how the CARP was used against farmers in order to strengthen the illegal and dubious

claims of landlords,” Koyano said. Koyano said that, in spite of the exemption order, the farmers were forced to pay land amortizations.  In fact, many farmer-beneficiaries have fully or partially paid their amortiza-tion dues under the CARP,” Koyano said. In October 2014 the regional DAR office in Central Luzon again used the CARP law itself and issued another order exempting the lands from the land-transfer program, Koyano said. “Clearly, the DAR added insult to the injury by using an expired law against farmers,” Koyano said.  Koyano said the provincial and municipal agrarian-reform officers are now acting as agents and imple-mentoes of the BSP’s alleged “land-grabbing” spree. “The DAR is doing this despite their full knowledge that the farm-ers have the legitimate and rightful claim over the lands,” Flores said.  Members of KMP and Pinagbuklod are set to stage “peasants camp-out” in Congress next week against House Bill 4296, or the proposed bill seek-ing to extend the “expired CARP.” They maintained that CARP failed to break land monopoly and that a mere extension bill cannot extend an expired law.

PCSO OPENS ILOCOS SUR BRANCH Philippine Charity Sweepstakes O�ce (PCSO) General Manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II (left) is briefed by Ilocos Sur Second District Rep. Eric Singson during the formal opening of the agency’s 43rd o�ce at the ground �oor of the City Hall of Candon City on Monday. PCSO now has 44 branches nationwide. Rojas also turned over two ambulances under the PCSO Ambulance Donation Program to mayors Leopoldo Geronilla Sr. of Salcedo, Ilocos Sur, and Cli�ord Patil-ao of Quirino, Ilocos Sur. JOSEPH MUEGO

THE Export Marketing Bu-reau (EMB) under the De-partment of Trade and In-

dustry (DTI) is on pace to meet its 2015 target of 175 informa-tion sessions before the year-end. During the first three months of the year, EMB had successfully conducted 73 sessions for 1,569 companies and 5,509 participants.

The participants represented exporters, business groups, aca-deme, individual companies, local government units (LGUs) and gov-ernment line agencies nationwide. EMB resource teams including their partners from the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Tariff Commission, and other government agencies and private organizations had con-ducted sessions in Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Angeles City, Tarlac, Butuan, Baler and the National Capital Region.EMB also held an outbound mission to Manado and Jakarta, Indonesia, in April this year.

Senen M. Perlada, EMB director, expressed elation at the number of sessions and participants the EMB advocacy continues to generate.

“The attendance and partici-pation of companies—including exporters and would-be export-ers, individuals, business groups, LGUs—to these sessions, and the questions and clarifications they seek from the resource speakers are a testimonial to the tremen-dous interest our public aware-ness campaign regarding export opportunities abroad generates,” he said.

Since the Doing Business in Free Trade Areas (DBFTA) program started in 2010, the EMB has con-ducted 613 sessions participated in by 72,150 people representing 21,244 companies.

The EMB conducts these infor-mation sessions at the request of its regional offices, private busi-ness groups, schools, and individ-ual companies, with the end goal of making existing and potential

exporters aware of the rules and regulations of trade and the govern-ment programs and services that local manufacturers can avail them-selves. Currently, the EMB’s public awareness campaign on its export development advocacy is anchored on its programs called DBFTA, “Trade with the European Union under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (EU GSP+),” and the Integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) 10 member-countries into a single economy called the Asean Economic Community starting this year.

To facilitate trade, the country has signed FTAs with other Asean member-nations and with Asean partner-economies, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

Sessions concerning these trad-ing partners focus on particular products that can be exported to each country, trade rules and regulations in effect that need to be followed, and the competitive advantage Philippine exporters can exploit vis-à-vis these trading partners.  In the case of Muslim countries, the EMB also conducts sessions on halal foods and prod-ucts. The Philippines started to enjoy the GSP+ preferential status effective December 25, 2014.

This gave the country, along with 12 other countr ies, the privilege of exporting to the EU’s member-countries at zero or vast-ly reduced tariffs for more than 6,000 product lines.

The EMB’s information ses-sions on EU GSP+ discuss specific EU standards on exports, rules of origin, tariffs, customs regulations and other trade-related topics.

Sessions on Asean economic integration focus on doing busi-ness with the Asean as a group or as individual countries and their specific export requirements.

The EMB will continue with its DBFTA and EU GSP+ information sessions every last Thursday of the month until June 2015.

EXPORT Marketing Bureau Director Senen M. Perlada leads the European Union Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus information session in Cebu.

DTI-EMB on pace to meet 2015 target information sessions by end-December

B H ECorrespondent

SAN FELIPE, Zambales—An Air Force helicopter plucked a victim from a turbulent sea, while divers ran relays

bringing other passengers of a capsized ship to shore. At the beach, more rescue teams launched rubber boats to join the search, as medics started giving first aid to survivors.

The above scenario was just part of the realistic training undertaken by some 200 rescue personnel from all over Central Luzon here last Thursday during the second day of the seventh Central Luzon Water Search and Rescue (Wasar) Olympics at the Montecruz Beach Resort in this town.

The event, organized by the Region 3 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, drew a total of 27 teams from various barangays, municipalities, cities and agencies in the seven provinces of Central Luzon.

Supt. Jonas Silvano, Zambales provincial fire marshall and head of the organizing committee, said the three-day exercise was designed to hone the skills of rescue teams in water operations.

These included Wasar teams from Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cabanatuan City, Balanga City, Malolos City, Meycuayan City, Palayan City, San Jose del Monte, Apalit, Baler, Bocaue, Calumpit, Norzagaray, Pulilan, Santa Maria, Subic, Barangay Pagas, Barangay Loma de Gato, as well as teams from the Philippine Army and the Philippine Air Force.

T h e t e a m s j o i n e d c o m p e t i t i o n s i n s w i m m i n g , b o a t p a d d l i n g a n d b o at m a n e u ve r i n g, c a rd i o p u l m o n a r y resuscitation, rescue with and without equipment, as well as a demonstration on search and rescue operations on air, ground, surface and limited hoist operations using the Bell 205 Alpha helicopter. There was also

a static display of various rescue equipment used by participating local government units (LGUs) in Central Luzon. Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., who attended the opening ceremony, said the exercise was an important event that LGUs and residents should watch and learn from because the country is often hit by typhoons, floods and other calamities.

“It is equally important that the ordinary people should witness these exercises so that those who are to be rescued would know and understand what is being done and what the procedures are. Understanding would make any rescue operation easier and more efficient,” Ebdane said.

He added that while the Olympics would show off the skills of the various Wasar teams in the region, it should also show their limitations. “That, for me, is more important because it will determine what needs improvement and further training,” he added. San Felipe Mayor Carolyn Fariñas said, meanwhile, that the exercises served as an eye-opener for local executives on the need to strengthen the capacity of local rescue teams.

“Now I better understand what kind of support and management is needed to be given to our rescue volunteers and personnel so that they can be more effective and efficient,” Fariñas said.

Romeo Hernandez, who heads the Public Order Safety Office in Subic town, said the exercise gave members of his team a chance to improve their teamwork and trust, especially since it was their first time to join a Wasar Olympics. “There’s better bonding now, and we have come to trust each other’s capability better. That is a very important experience, especially for a team working in a place surrounded by rivers and the sea,” Hernandez added.

Director Josefina Timoteo, who chairs the Region 3 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the training seeks to establish, equip and strengthen the capabilities of rescuers and rescue groups. “Activities like these increase our level of preparedness and further improve our capability to respond to disasters through the introduction and practice of local and international recourse methodologies.”

Zambales hosts Central Luzon water-rescue exercises

UNITED States Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg led the inauguration of a climate-resilient school building and

health facility, as well as 100 new sari-sari stores in Tacloban City. These projects are part of the US government’s over P6.3-billion ($143-million) Supertyphoon Yolanda assistance implemented through the US Embassy Manila’s US Agency for International Development (USAID) Rebuild project. Goldberg said, “The resilience, courage and determination of the people of Leyte to recover and build back better truly inspire all of us.  The US government remains committed to restoring normalcy to the lives of affected families and we will continue to work closely with our friends in the Philippines to help rebuild this region better and stronger.”

Goldberg and USAID Deputy Mission Director Reed Aeschliman turned the building over to the Department of Education (DepEd) and the city government of Tacloban, represented by DepEd Assistant Regional Director Roan Orevia, DepEd Tacloban City Division Superintendent Dr. Gorgonio Diaz, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez and Leyte First Congressional District Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.

Over 1,850 children and teachers in San Fernando Central School will benefit from the eight new classrooms. The assistance also includes classroom furniture and teaching kits and is part of the US government’s larger effort to construct and furnish more than 250 classrooms in Tacloban City and Leyte province, which will benefit approximately 30,000 students. Goldberg also inaugurated a two-story health facility at the Tacloban City Health office that will house a tuberculosis treatment clinic. 

B O SCorrespondent

AFTER its successful first-ever fund-raising campaign, an alumni class of a state-owned secondary school in Sorsogon

vowed to raise more money to help indigent high-school graduates pursue college.

The Barcelona National Comprehensive High School (BNCHS) alumni Class of 1992, which drew prizes during the BNCHS general alumni homecoming on May 17, generated no less than P30,000, class president Gilbert

Atienza said. Class 1992 aimed for P50,000, he said, but just had two months to raise the amount, moving roughly 5,000 raffle tickets around Manila and Bicol.

Class 1992 allotted P10,000 to the BNCHS general alumni right after the draw to sponsor a semester of free schooling to one of its college scholars. Atienza said his batch plans to conduct more raffle draws and roll out other projects to help educate as many poor high-school graduates of BNCHS as they can. Atienza, a Philippine Navy officer, said the majority of the students who graduate from

BNCHS each year do not set foot in college due to poverty.

No less than 60 percent of its graduates each year are forced to give up their college dreams and the chance to get employed after they pursue a college degree, he said.

Airen F. Samson, acting Class 1992 secretary, said the collective efforts by the batch could help address poverty in Barcelona, Sorsogon, by helping poor fresh high-school graduates pursue college. Many people, who hailed from poor families but did not give up their dream of finishing college,

serve today as testimonies of education as key to poverty, she said. They were able to improve their lives and those of others.

Aside from the scholarship, Class 1992 is eyeing to conduct relief efforts for survivors of typhoons across the town and medical missions in its poor communities as soon as funds and batch support become available.

BNCHS general alumni president and Barcelona municipal councilor Agnes E. Escullar, and treasurer Joseph Floresca expressed gratitude for the assistance of Class 1992 to its scholarship program.

Sorsogon high-school alumni raise money for student-scholar

United States hands over facilities, livelihood support for Tacloban, Leyte Yolanda survivors

MEMBERS of the Coast Guard rescue team launch a rubber boat during water-operations exercises in the seventh Central Luzon Water Search and Rescue Olympics in San Felipe, Zambales, on May 21.

Monday, May 25, 2015

OpinionBusinessMirrorA10

Should we laugh or cry?editorial

THE phrase “unrealized potential” becomes one of the saddest comments that can be made about a person or institution when said re-peatedly over time.

When it is first uttered, it brings with it a challenge to achieve greatness. Eventually, though, the phrase becomes the obituary of a history of failure.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was established as a non-governmental organization in 1960 with the support of the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and the government of the Philippines. For more than 50 years, the IRRI has created a green revolution in rice from creating new va-rieties, bringing new methods of planting and harvesting to even inventing a “Super Bag” to protect rice from pest and moisture damage after harvest. Sixty-percent of all rice grown in the world comes from seeds first produced at the IRRI.

The rice at the IRRI is planted in Philippine soil, matures under a “Philip-pine” sun and is nourished with Philippine water. Yet, the Philippines has seen the lowest increase of rice production of our close neighbors.

Over a 25-year period, Filipino farmers have gained a massive additional $52, or P2,300, in income per hectare. Vietnam’s rice production has increased every year since the 1980s, with the country now being the world’s second-largest rice exporter. Indonesia first achieved rice self-sufficiency in 1984, even if its self-sufficiency status has fluctuated since then due to increased demand. The Philippines must import some of its rice needs.

Now we are told, according to a report released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), that the Philippines’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program is “among the world’s best.” In fact, the Philippines is rated just under Australia, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and India.

“The Philippines moves up to join the developed group of countries in this study,” the EIU said. “The governments of Vietnam, Bhutan, China and Tonga, among others, have sent teams to the PPP Center to study the Philippines’s PPP Program.”

With that assessment from a global consulting group like the EIU, you might think the country is now filled with completed (or at least under con-struction) superhighways from North to South. Rail transportation would be moving cargo from highly efficient seaports. State-of-the-art modern air-ports welcome travelers from around the world to experience the fun in the Philippines.

Instead, looking closely at the EIU as we did, you find what looks great is only what is written on paper.

The one and only project that the EIU reported on for the Philippines was the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and that mention was to highlight that “some major controversies have arisen.”

The report goes into detail on all the improvements in the assessment catego-ries of “Regulatory” and “Institutional” frameworks, but it does not cite where these have translated into major viable, and economy-enhancing projects.

It is important and favorable that the Philippines has advanced to provid-ing a very good PPP system and framework. However, the possibility for the EIU report five or 10 years from now to say that the Philippines has “unreal-ized potential” is far too high.

THE residents of the province of Ilocos Sur may now access the services of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) at its branch office in Candon City, which we formally

inaugurated on May 18.

PCSO donates ambulances to Ilocos Sur

It was a trip of nearly five hours from Manila to Candon City Hall, where we were warmly welcomed by Rep. Eric D. Singson of the Sec-ond District of Ilocos Sur and Can-don City Mayor Ericson G. Singson, MD. We were later joined by Ilocos Sur Vice Gov. Deogracias Victor B. Savellano.

The PCSO Ilocos Sur branch of-fice, headed by Mary Jane Claridad, is located in a large and airy space within the City Hall, lent for free by the city government.

After a Mass and the blessing of the new PCSO office, we turned over two ambulances, one each to May-or Leopoldo G. Gironella Jr. of the municipality of Salcedo and Mayor Clifford L. Patil-ao of the municipal-ity of Quirino, both in the province.

Also slated to receive ambulances soon are the municipalities of Caoay-an, Burgos, Santa Maria and Sinait,

as well as the Candon City Hospital.Candon City itself will be eligible

to receive an ambulance in August, given the PCSO’s five-year rule in between ambulance requests.

Under its Ambulance Donation Program, the PCSO gives ambu-lances to fourth- to sixth-class mu-nicipalities for free and to first- to third-class municipalities under a 60/40 cost-sharing scheme.

n n n

HERE’S something interesting I no-ticed about the Candon City Hall: the building is being developed into a “one-stop shop,” where residents can easily and more conveniently avail themselves of the services of not only the PCSO but other govern-ment agencies.

Currently, these are the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Department of

Labor and Employment, Pag-IBIG Fund, Social Security System, PhilHealth, Professional Regula-tion Commission and the Techni-cal Education and Skills Develop-ment Authority.

This is an innovative service of the local government unit that is appre-ciated by the residents of the area.

n n n

THE priest who officiated the Mass and the blessing of the PCSO’s Ilo-cos Sur branch office was Fr. Rey-naldo Rebebes, 44, who also blessed the space at its soft opening some-time ago. When he learned that he was being invited to bless a new PCSO office, he broke into tears, saying that the PCSO was deeply meaningful to him and his family.

He explained further in his homily during the Mass. “My fa-ther, Rufino Rebebes, worked for more than 40 years as a sales su-pervisor for the PCSO,” he said. “I idolized my father, because he was religious and hardworking. He gave us a good life.”

The elder Rebebes sustained his family with his earnings from selling PCSO Sweepstakes tickets. He also managed a team of Sweep-stakes ticket vendors in northern Philippines.

“I remember helping my father when I was a child by rubber-stamp-ing the back of Sweepstakes tickets,” recounted Father Rebebes, who is the fifth of six children.

“Because of my father’s hard work, he sold many winning tickets and, in fact, ‘good fortune,’ or swerte, be-came synonymous with the Rebebes name during that time.”

Father Rebebes’s father died in 1994—“sadly he did not live to see me ordained as a priest”—but his legacy lives on his son, who carries the memory of his father in a special place in his heart.

“I hope [the] PCSO, especially this branch in Ilocos Sur,” he said, “will continue the good work it is doing of helping our less-fortunate kababayan.”

We thank Father Rebebes for be-ing part of a memorable and histori-cal occasion for the PCSO, and we wish him well in his forthcoming assignment to Cervantes, Ilocos Sur.

n n n

LAST weekend we also turned over an ambulance to Naga City (May 22) and six to Albay (May 23), as well as to the Provincial Health Office of Albay. While in Legazpi City, we also attend-ed a gathering of personnel of the 12 branches under the PCSO’s Southern Tagalog and Bicol Region department to celebrate the PCSO’s 80th anni-versary. I’ll have more on the PCSO’s activities there next column.

Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II is vice chairman and general man-ager of the Philippine Charity Sweep-stakes Office.

RISING SUNAtty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

By Brian DickersonDetroit Free Press/TNS

FIVE of the world’s largest banks pleaded guilty to participating in a massive criminal conspiracy the other day, but if you sneezed or got up to use the bathroom, you

may have missed the whole thing.

Wall Street’s pain-free guilty plea

Usually, charges like the ones the US Justice Department leveled against the conspirators are resolved with a stiff fine and a promise, an-nounced at a ceremony with all the drama of a mortgage closing, that whatever the government’s clueless prosecutors think may have happened will never happen again, not that any-one is admitting it ever did.

But this week’s episode of So You Want to be a White-Collar Criminal ap-peared to forge new ground, including an unusually large fine ($5.6 billion), and the Justice Department’s insis-tence that each of the five defen-dants—JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, UBS, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland—cop to criminal charges as part of their agreement to settle charges arising from the currency manipulation scam they ran from 2007 to 2013.

Tellingly, however, none of the individuals responsible for execut-ing the fraudulent scheme have been charged with so much as a misde-

meanor (although most of them were fired long ago, and the Justice Depart-ment isn’t ruling out the possibility that it will prosecute individual em-ployees down the road).

As for the CEOs who approved Monday’s plea agreement, of course, they won’t face criminal charges. And, by the way, not one of those execu-tives signed off on the deal until the Securities and Exchange Commission issued waivers exempting their banks from rules that would otherwise have excluded them from the currency markets they conspired to corrupt.

Regulators have always assumed that the sheer magnitude of the foreign-exchange market, which in-cludes corporations that buy and sell currencies for commercial purchases, as well as sophisticated speculators making educated bets about how those currencies will rise and fall relative to one another, made it practi-cally impossible for any trader to make big profits by rigging exchange rates. But the banks targeted by the Justice

Department disproved that assump-tion by using online chat rooms with names like “the bandit’s club” and “the cartel” to coordinate the tim-ing of big-currency transactions. The traders involved made money for their employers by “front-running,” or placing their own currency orders in anticipation of coordinated trades they believed would move the market in the bank’s favor.

It’s easy to understand the general public’s failure to muster much out-rage about criminal acts few outside the financial industry can fathom. After all, the only currency exchange rate most of us know or care about is the one our credit-card company applies when it bills us for the gaso-line (or liquor or restaurant meal) we bought. But you’d think the corpora-tions and institutions that buy and sell currencies on a daily basis—the unwitting clients on whose behalf the banks traded at exchange rates they had colluded to rig—would be apoplectic, no?

Yet, the news of the banks’ plea deal and record fine seems to have elicited little more than a yawn among sophisticated 1-percenters.

The Wall Street Journal, the news-paper of record for Masters of the Universe actual and aspiring, ran the currency-manipulation story

below the fold. In Detroit the dis-closure that five banks had rigged the foreign-exchange market every global automaker depends on gener-ated less disappointment than Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock’s widely anticipated departure for Toronto.

I can’t help contrasting that mut-ed reaction to the moral indignation a Detroit CEO of my acquaintance expressed when I ran into him the morning the Free Press first published text-message excerpts revealing that then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick had lied to jurors about a romantic relationship with his chief of staff.

“I’m through with that guy!” the CEO told me, describing with dis-gust the way Kilpatrick had courted him with golf and dinner invitations. “Mayor or not, I’ll never take another call from him.”

My acquaintance has long since retired, but I see his successor often, most recently at an event celebrating JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s decision to invest tens of millions of dollars in Detroit’s redevelopment.

I’m sure Dimon is embarrassed by this week’s plea deal, in which his bank agreed to pay the government $890 million in addition to the $1.1 billion in fines it has forked over previously.

But I can’t imagine there’s a CEO in Michigan who’d refuse to take his call.

Monday, May 25, 2015

OpinionA11BusinessMirroropinion@businessmirror.com.ph

Proud of WWII service, they opposed Vietnam War

By Chris LombardiThe Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

THIS year, Memorial Day comes on the heels of two big anniversaries—the 70th observance of V-E Day and the 45th of the evacuation of the US embassy in Vietnam.

Created after the Civil War as “Decoration Day”—for the f low-ers decorating graves—Memorial Day tends to evoke memories of some very specific losses and of related acts of heroism. But this year’s double anniversary also brings to mind those who fought in the 1940s but went on to form the first line of defense in the an-tiwar movement of the 1960s and 1970s. They were priests, poets, politicos and pranksters—all, in their own way, keeping alive the memory of those we honor on Memorial Day.

The priests included William Sloane Coffin, a former Army intelligence officer who remem-bered of boot camp: “Oh, it ’s great stuff—almost as good as the bayonet, which is still my favorite exercise. There’s much satisfaction in a vicious thrust, jab, slash, smash.... How I love it.”

Another priest was Philip Ber-rigan, who went from being anx-ious to being able “to charge pill-boxes, blow up machine-gun nests and fight hand-to-hand with my country’s enemy.”

He survived the Battle of the Bulge, amid bombed battlefields “stacked high with charcoal logs that looked nothing at all like hu-man beings.”

One of the poets was Kurt Vonnegut Jr., who, as a prisoner at Dresden, witnessed the now-controversial saturation bombing of the city: “First came the soft murmur of their dancing on the outskirts, then the grumbling of their plodding toward us, and, fi-nally, the ear-splitting crashes of their heels upon us—and thence to the outskirts again.... Our little prison was burnt to the ground.”

The bombardiers delivering such relentless payloads included later politico Howard Zinn. Of the war, he said: “I was eager to get into combat against the Na-zis. I saw the war as a noble cru-sade against racial superiority, militarism, fanatic nationalism, expansionism.” Many years later, Zinn met a couple from Pilsen, one of his crew’s targets: “They said, ‘When you finished, the streets were full of corpses, hundreds and hundreds of people killed in that raid.’”

Intelligence officer William Kunstler returned from years in the Pacific with memories of the “disturbing” Battle of Leyte and the Philippines’s carpet-bombed churches; those memories also included meeting a conscientious objector serving unarmed as an Army medic because of his beliefs.

To a man, the group returned home proud of their service and empowered to make a difference here at home. Most gravitated to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s, with Coffin befriending the Rev. Dr. Mar-tin Luther King Jr. But, in 1965, when a new war was escalating in Southeast Asia, most of them questioned the need to inflict the horrors they’d seen on a new gen-eration of draftees.

Zinn was one of the first to speak out, headlining an antiwar rally in 1965 and joining Father Philip Berrigan at a White House vigil. “Demonstrators decorous; Three White House aides meet with leaders,” a New York Times headline marveled.

In 1966, Coffin, then a chap-lain at Yale, joined the fight. He had become a passionate anti-war advocate due to South Viet-nam’s “history of corruption, of misperceptions and missed op-portunities.” Coffin founded the church-based Clergy and Laity Concerned About Vietnam. Ber-rigan took a more radical path, commencing a career of civi l disobedience by storming draft boards in Baltimore and Catons-ville, Md.

As the war wore on and prank-sters Coffin and Zinn were ar-rested numerous times, they had legal backup from Kunstler, who had founded the Center for Con-stitutional Rights (with fellow veteran Arthur Kinoy).

He also represented the Chica-go Seven, who were charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot in the wake of the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago.

Meanwhile the poets, from Vonnegut to Randal l Jarrel l , served the movement with art. Vonnegut turned his experienc-es at Dresden into the satirical novel Slaughterhouse-Five, one of the most powerful antiwar state-ments ever written.

Why should we honor these men and others like them on Me-morial Day? Because these priests, poets, politicos and pranksters—these veterans—never stopped fighting. They never forgot the values they’d brought to their own service. They may not have died while wearing the uniform, but through their work they hon-ored the fallen, the people with whom they’d served. By uphold-ing the principles of their na-tion, the ones their fellow service members died defending, they observed Memorial Day every day of their lives.

In post-2015 negotiations for better future, voice of civil society muffled By Esmee Russell | InterPress News Service

LONDON—In September, the UN will agree on new Sustainable Development Goals, which will set development priorities for the next 15 years. The draft goals that have

been developed are ambitious—they seek to end poverty and ensure no one is left behind.

The Hartford Courant | TNS

DURING your inner monologues, those little speeches you give to yourself throughout the day, do you address yourself by name?

Until now, civil society has been engaged in discussions over goals and targets; through national con-sultations and UN hearings. As End Water Poverty (EWP), a global civil society coalition of over 280 organisa-tions worldwide, we campaigned for a post-2015 world where we see the end of inherent systemic inequalities and the full realization of the human right to water and sanitation.

Through these opportunities, member-states heard our call; that water and sanitation is a fundamen-tal aspect of all development and a key priority to address in order to improve our future. Together as a united civil society, we achieved se-curing a dedicated water and sanita-

tion goal—goal 6—and welcome this progressive advancement.

However, there is still much work to be done. The only way to make this goal an achievable global reality is to have effective, inclusive indicators that can be monitored. This critical need has not been met.

To date, the discussions around in-dicators have been led by technical ex-perts behind closed doors, without in-put from other stakeholders. The voice of civil society has not been heard.

This is despite the UN stating the setting of the post-2015 agenda will be fully inclusive of all stakeholders. The time to act is now. Civil society have to stand united to call for a positive future; one that prioritizes

Scientists say you should.Writers in Psychology Today, The

Harvard Business Review and Spiritual-ity and Health are thrilled by a recent study indicating that men and women, who refer to themselves either by name or in the third person, are calmer, less stressed and more confident than those who use “I” or “me.”

The primary researchers on the effect of pronoun use in how people psyche themselves into (or out of) high-achieving performance are Ethan Kross and Ozlem Ayduck of the University of Michigan. These two are so entirely convinced by the efficacy of positive third-person self-talk, they’re doing it to themselves.

In The Journal of Personality and So-cial Psychology, they said, “Having ob-served the power of this subtle shift, both of us now intentionally make use of it. One of us (Ozlem Ayduk) has even been known, when facing a difficult task, to write herself e-mails using her

name. The other (Ethan Kross) regu-larly prompts his 5-year-old daugh-ter to use her own name in thinking about why she feels distressed when she doesn’t get her way.”

If you were raised as I was—which can be summed up as, “Exactly the oppo-site of how Professor Kross is raising his 5-year-old”—hearing your name was not a sign of encouragement. It was a sign you were in trouble. It was not going to lead to an esteem-enhancing moment.

As a result, if I imagine hearing the phrase, “Gina, do you know what you can do?” what leaps to mind are not posi-tive affirmations. What leaps to mind are the things said in bars that wind up in fistfights.

And, if I started e-mailing myself notes beginning, “Dear beleaguered, nervous and hard-working Gina,” when under pressure, nobody around me would see it as a pathway toward better mental health. They would see it as my veering toward the middle-

improving the lives of those most in need. The EWP is calling to ensure that space is created for civil society to be an important contributor in these processes, particularly in the critical stage of developing indicators.

A participatory approach is essen-tial as it leads to effective and sustain-able interventions based on the real needs of communities.

We must hold the UN accountable to fulfil its promise that the next de-velopment framework will be fully inclusive, as so far, the indicator pro-cess is reneging on that promise. Be-ing asked to meetings is not enough; civil society’s participation cannot be tokenistic inclusion.

We are also calling for specific and necessary changes to the draft indica-tors, to ensure that they are sufficient to truly measure governments’ deliv-ery on their commitments.

Civil society have serious concerns about the current drafts tabled, as they are insufficient to truly mea-sure whether people have access to

safe, affordable and equitable water and sanitation.

These draft indicators do not go far enough to ensure the full implementa-tion of the human right to water and sanitation.

This is why EWP member Fresh-water Action Network-Mexico will attend the upcoming informal in-teractive hearings on the post-2015 development framework by the UN General Assembly on May 26 and 27.

We need to ensure that these processes are fully inclusive of civil society’s voice and that our future agenda is based on a human-rights approach; that no one is left behind, and that ending poverty and tacking inherent systemic inequalities are of fundamental priority for our future.

The global crisis of water and sani-tation is not caused by scarcity or population size. It is a political crisis, of unequal and unfair distribution determined by money, power and in-fluence. This needs to change.

The two-day hearings ahead will

see representatives of civil society, major groups and the private sec-tor offered a critical opportunity for deeper engagement in the post-2015 development agenda. We have to use this opportunity to call for the change we need, to reprioritize improved ac-cess to water and sanitation. We feel that, particularly for goal 6, additional indicators are required, which will monitor access to safe and equitable water and sanitation in schools and health centers, and that civil society is involved in the monitoring of the indicators.

For us, it is most critical that indi-cators will need to be disaggregated. This is to ensure that disparities and inequalities in progress are made vis-ible to prevent the poorest and most marginalized from being left behind. The EWP will be highlighting that the current draft indicators will not direct government action towards those who need it the most, the vulnerable and marginalised. Therefore, if left as is, they will simply replicate some of the

failures of the Millennium Develop-ment Goals.

To reinforce this call and amplify our voice, EWP members, alongside other civil society representatives, will be simultaneously attending Afri-caSan 4 in Senegal, a cross-continental meeting to assess levels of access to sanitation.

“Governments must work harder to meet their obligations on water and sanitation and improve people’s lives. Africa in particular has a very poor track record in ensuring sufficient ac-cess to sanitation; this needs to change to address major inequalities,” Samson Shivaji CEO at Kenya Water and Sani-tation civil society organizations Net-work, an EWP member stated.

Civil society must have a voice in setting our future and call to priori-tize sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene. We must ensure the human right to water and sanitation is realised for all. There is an urgency to prioritise improving people’s lives, with no one left behind, and the time is now.

Fetching

I TAKE back everything I’ve said about Leila de Lima, except that I’ve always found her fetching. Indeed, there’s plenty to love there and even more after she slapped down a Palace official

who said, “Only refugees with Philippine visas, genuine passports and other travel documents will be allowed in the country.” This was in reference to Rohingyas and other religious and ethnic minorities kept off the coast by Malaysian gunboats.

To that de Lima said, “The Phil-ippines is ready to shelter boat people from impoverished Ban-gladesh and Myanmar should the migrants’ boats land on Philippine shores.” Bam! With that statement, we landed on the front pages of the world’s most respected newspapers, like The Guardian.

De Lima explained to the village idiot that refugees are not tour-ists, “but victims of persecution.” To expect asylum seekers, she said, to approach the very governments that want to exterminate them for travel documents in order to escape the fate that those governments have prepared for them is to expect a black man to go to a police station for a letter of recommendation for a job up north before he is lynched down south.

“In their desperation to leave the territory where their life and freedom is threatened and their human rights seriously violated, they even become willing victims of human trafficking,” de Lima added,

thereby revealing her broad under-standing of the humanitarian crisis on which the rest of the world has turned its back, and waited with Malaysia for the refugees to solve the problem they pose by drown-ing off the Malaysian coast or kill-ing each other on the boats out of desperation.

De Lima pointed out that we have not just treaty obligations to refu-gees and stateless persons under UN conventions, however, useless the UN is, we also have a discreet history of taking in the huddled masses that the Statue of Liberty turns away: like Jews fleeing Nazis, Vietnamese fleeing the victorious communist armies that the Americans enraged, and, today, the savagery of Bud-dhist and Muslim nations toward minorities, like the lumad sure to be slaughtered under the Bangsam-oro basic law after it passes. Com-munications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr. added, “the Philippines extended humanitarian” assistance to boat people and even established

a processing center for them in the 1970s. We shall continue to do our share in saving lives.”

What all this proves is that there is only one Chr ist ian

country on the planet today and we are living in it. Oh, we are also giv-ing away a part of it to jihadists, but who said we are smart aside from being Christian?

Free FireTeddy Locsin Jr.

aged lady version of Fight Club. They would be correct.

Yet, because I hate to think of Gina Barreca as being inflexible, Gina Bar-reca might start referring to herself in the third person. After all, Gina Barreca wants to benefit from subtle shifts in language helping her become less anx-ious while aiding her in constructing wiser decisions by allowing for a wider perspective, which, the scientists ar-gue, can be made available by thinking of one’s self from a linguistic distance.

For instance, Gina Barreca might want to put distance between herself and the memories of being referred to by her proper name only when it was used as a form of punctuation.

Gina remembers hearing “Gina!” shouted across backyards and over windowsills the way people yell “Fire!” or “Supper!” which, to be fair, was the word that most often followed her being summoned home.

In Brooklyn, as in many cities, it was imperative to call a child by some moniker that could be heard at least a couple of blocks away. There were no Ashleys, Zephyrs or Auroras in the days of shouting across rooftops. Those children would never have

made their way home.(Can you imagine what the repeated

shouting of “Aurora!” from a fourth-floor window on a hot July evening would sound like? It would sound like a lion with poorly fitted dentures trying to speak another language. The entire neighborhood would have to shut down because of the laughing.)

Kids were called Pat, Don, Jack, Gail, Bob, Peggy, Johnny and Mike. Due to crammed quarters and Catholicism, it was occasionally necessary to dis-tinguish between the Pats and Mikes, leading to Small Pat and Young Mike, as well as Tall Gail and Big John. At times it sounded medieval. At times it was.

Yet, a name was a name was a name. It wasn’t an incantation. You said your name out loud only when asked for your ID by an authority figure, and even then you might employ an alias.

Self-satisfaction and self-worth are terrific, but I remain as wary of sweet-talking myself as I would be of accepting overwrought flattery from somebody else.

If I hear, “Good job, Gina,” I’m al-ways going to hope that I’m not the only one saying it. I hope Gina doesn’t take it personally.

How to give yourself a good talking to

A12

2ndFront PageBusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.phMonday, May 25, 2015

Wholesale prices declined by 4.9% in March, PSA says

House to okay ‘economic Charter change’ despite Malacañang’s indifference

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz  

EvEn without President Aquino’s sup-port, the leader of the House of Repre-sentatives on Sunday said that the lower

chamber would still approve the measure amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.  Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., an ally of President Aquino, said the lower chamber is an independent body and can approve his Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 1 freely.  “We will do it [the passage of the economic Cha-cha] anyway,” said Belmonte, adding, “presidential approval is not part of the [con-gressional] process.”  The Palace has repeatedly rejected the pro-posal amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, which ratified during the term of President Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino. In June 2014 President Aquino announced his stance against Charter change until 2016, saying that Congress is wasting time on it. Earlier, Presidential Communications Opera-tions Office Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr., said he has yet to see a signal that the President had relented on his “firm belief” that there is no need to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.  

Just last week, the Palace curtly rejected separate bids by Senate and House leaders to fast-track the passage of the 1987 Consti-tution in order to relax restrictions on the entry of foreign investors. The Aquino administration also said in-vestments continue to come in, despite exist-ing restrictions limiting ownership by foreign investors in certain sectors. Earlier, Belmonte said he hopes Mr. Aquino will not actively campaign against the passage of the Cha-cha.  Party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe of AKO Bicol, who sponsored RBH 1, or the economic Cha-cha, urged President Aquino to recon-sider his current stance on the measure.    “I think the Palace should rethink its posi-tion, considering that we are not opening or closing our economy but merely making our Constitution flexible,” he said. Batocabe said the lower chamber is eye-ing to approve on second reading the eco-nomic Chacha this week and on final reading before Congress’s sine die adjournment on  June 12.  Meanwhile, LP Rep. Alfredo B. Benitez of negros Occidental, chairman of the visayan bloc, has reiterated his group’s support for the passage of the economic Cha-cha.  Currently, the visayan bloc has 42 members in the lower chamber. 

Isuzu Philippines Corp. President Hajime Koso (standing, center) joins Isuzu GenCars Makati executives and staff during the Isuzu Fair 2015. The fair was attended by families who enjoyed fun activities prepared for them. ALYSA SALEN

Isuzu Fair 2015 attracts Filipino car enthusiastsISUZU Gencars Inc. (IGI) held

on Saturday the fourth leg of a mini auto show of old and

customized units of the Japa-nese car brand at its showroom on Dela Rosa Street in Pasong Tamo, Makati City, drawing inter-ests and reservations from more than 180 participants. The Isuzu Fair was a daylong event, gathering existing clients and their families, as well as po-tential buyers, in a fun-filled ac-tivities, including games, parts and accessories booths, and test- drive, among others. “Actually, this is an activity done by Isuzu Philippines Corp. of different concept every year, which is intended for custom-ers’ families of each dealership,” IGI vice President for Sales and Marketing Beth B. Dimacuha told the BusinessMirror. “This is a little twist from the Isuzu

Challenge or fuel-economy run we had before.” Around 184 guests trooped to the fair not only to get a chance of winning the games and raffle draws, but also witnessed the brand’s old models, yet in good running condition. Three entries per category—Asian utility vehicle, sport-utility vehicle and pickup—made it to the Search for the Oldest Isuzu based on their good exterior and interior quality and high mileage despite their age. They were Highlander SI, Fuego and 4x4 Trooper—all 1998 models. Meanwhile, three other “dressed-up” automobiles that have undergone heavy custom-ization were also chosen for “Pimp My Isuzu” contest, in accor-dance to their overall concept and integration. They were the 2010

versions of Alterra, Sportivo and D-Max. Winners for both competi-tions were awarded with trophies and premium items. Apart from the showcase of car entries, the guests were, likewise, introduced to Isuzu’s various of-ferings, such as the Crosswind, D-Max, mu-X, i-van and the n-Series, to name a few. “Our main objective is to in-vite customers to see what they can do with their units and, at the same time, buy brand-new units of Isuzu to generate sales,” said Ariel A. Raymundo, sales and marketing manager of IGI. Given the massive turnout of participants, IGI gathered 184 in-quiries and booked 28 reservations. The Isuzu Fair will also be staged in other dealerships in the country from June to September this year. Roderick L. Abad

BY Cai U. Ordinario

Wholesale prices nationwide declined for the fifth consecutive month in March 2015, according

to the Philippine statistics authority (Psa). 

The PSA said that, based on the Phil-ippines’s General Wholesale Price Index (GWPI), the country’s GWPI declined 4.9 percent in March 2015.  The GWPI started to post contractions in november 2014 with 0.4 percent. How-ever, the largest decline in the GWPI was seen in January, with a contraction of 6.6 percent.  “This was effected by the annual declines still observed in the indices of crude mate-rials, inedible except fuels at -8.1 percent; and mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, -33 percent,” the PSA said.  Data also showed that slower annual growths were seen in the food index at 7.4 percent; chemicals including animal and vegetable oils and fats index, 1.9 percent; machinery and transport equipment in-dex, 2.4 percent; and miscellaneous manu-factured articles index, 1.8 percent. 

However, the PSA noted that higher annual rates were noted in the indices of beverages and tobacco and manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials at 8 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively. Data also showed that the GWPI in Lu-zon dropped 5.4 percent in March. This was attributed to the declines in crude materials, inedible except fuels index at 9.9 percent; and mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials index, 34 percent.  A similar trend was seen in the GWPI in the visayas, with a contraction of 1.9 percent in March. The index for mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials de-clined 25 percent. In Mindanao the 3-percent drop in the GWPI was due to the contraction in the food index at 1.1 percent; mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials index, 23.9 percent; and miscellaneous manufactured

articles index, 0.2 percent.  On a monthly basis, the GWPI at the national level moved up at a slower pace of 0.3 percent in March. Contractions were recorded in the indices of crude materi-als, inedible except fuels at 0.1 percent; and miscellaneous manufactured articles, 0.2 percent.  “The increases in mineral fuels, lubri-cants and related materials index slowed to 1 percent; and chemicals including animal and vegetable oils and fats index, 0.1 percent,” the PSA added.  However, higher gains were noted in beverages and tobacco index at 1.2 percent; manufac-tured goods classified chiefly by materi-als index, 0.3 percent; and machinery and transport equipment index, 0.4 percent. The food index remained stable, as it had zero growth. The GWPI is an indicator designed to measure the changes in the price levels of commodities that flow into the wholesale trade intermediaries. Wholesale price refers to the price of commodity transacted in bulk for further resale or processing. It is the actual “spot” transaction price received usually by the wholesalers, distributors or marketing agents for large lots but net of discounts, allowances and rebates.  It is the sum of the producer price, wholesale trade margin, tax mark-ups and distribution cost of the wholesaler.