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PHL stocks to take cues from US-China trade talks

THE RESUMPTION of trading today is seen to take cues from the slated signing of the US-China phase one deal tomorrow, as investors around the world keep a close watch on any development between the two countries’ attempt to end their two-year trade war.

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and the Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines shut down yesterday as the operator prioritized “(ensuring) the safety of employees and traders in light of the volcanic ash emission of Taal Volcano.”

The eruption of Taal Volcano on Sunday, which remained active on Monday, led to the evacuation of residents in Batangas, Tagaytay and Cavite. Parts of Metro Manila, including Bonifacio Global City where PSE is headquartered, also suffered from ash fall starting Sunday night.

Before the beginning of the natural calamity, the PSE closed Friday’s session with the main index down 20.87 points or 0.26% to 7,776.77. It fell 80% on a weekly basis.

Despite local events, Diversified Securities, Inc. Equity Trader Aniceto K. Pangan said the eruption of Taal Volcano may not have much effect on the stock market today.

“It’s too early to determine whether this will affect local shares as damages are minimal at this stage,” he said in a text message Monday.

Philstocks Financial, Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco agreed, saying for his part that the casualties “remain limited so far so this may have little impact on…trading.”

“If this escalates into an explosive eruption or if signs will continue to point to one then it may start to weigh on the market. An explosive eruption would cause economic damages which in turn would be negative for the local bourse,” he added.

Given this, both Mr. Pangan and Mr. Tantiangco said the main catalyst of the market today remains to be the Sino-US trade deal signing on Wednesday.

“Investors would be anticipating the signing of the US-China phase one deal. Judging from how the negotiations went, investors realize that even if the two countries are moving forward with the talks, there’s still a lot of worries unless a deal is finally signed,” Mr. Tantiangco said. But he noted the “confirmatory act” could still give the PSEi a lift.

Apart from signing the phase one of the trade pact on Wednesday, the US and China will also be discussing the timetable for phase two of the deal, which investors will consider for any decisions.

Online brokerage 2TradeAsia.com said over the weekend it is putting immediate support at 7,600-7,700 and resistance at 7,900 for the week.

Meanwhile, most Southeast Asian stock markets were muted on Monday, as investors awaited the planned signing of the Sino-US phase one trade deal, while Thai shares rose after the country’s government passed a draft budget bill to prop up the economy.

Indonesian shares rose up to 0.4%, and were on track to post a third straight positive session. Singapore’s benchmark index was largely unchanged, while Malaysian shares edged lower. — Denise A. Valdez with Reuters

Peso may lag peers as current account gap widens; yuan to climb

THE PESO may weaken this year due to the central bank’s dovish stance. — BW FILE PHOTO

THE PHILIPPINE PESO is set to lag peers as the nation’s current account deficit widens, according to Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

The Southeast Asian nation’s currency will likely weaken this year given the dovish orientation of its central bank and increased fiscal spending, Goldman strategists including Zach Pandl wrote in a Jan. 10 note. The firm recommends shorting the peso against the offshore Chinese yuan, which may benefit from improving sentiment as the US and China prepare to ink a phase-one trade deal.

“We expect the higher overall pace of public infrastructure spending and private investment to cause a deterioration in the current account,” they wrote. “The peso will underperform non-Japan Asian currencies driven by idiosyncratic factors and prefer to express this via being long the offshore Chinese yuan.”

Goldman’s note was published before the Taal Volcano south of Manila began erupting, triggering earthquakes and spewing massive clouds that have covered the region with ash. It isn’t clear yet how much economic impact the eruption may cause, though stocks and foreign exchange trading was suspended in the country on Monday.

The Philippine central bank expects the current account shortfall will widen to $8.4 billion this year from an estimated $5.6 billion in 2019.

The peso has been little changed against the dollar since the start of this year as a spike in crude prices triggered by US-Iran tensions spurred investors to sell the oil-importing nation’s currency. The currency dropped briefly to 51.32 per dollar on Jan. 6, the weakest since Oct. 25 — though it recovered throughout the week and ended Friday at 50.66.

The offshore yuan, on the other hand, is Asia’s top-performing currency this year along with Indonesia’s rupiah as thawing trade relations between Washington and Beijing boost demand for Chinese assets. Improving Chinese economic growth will support the currency further, according to the Goldman strategists.

“We expect China’s economic growth to bottom out in the fourth quarter and for activity data to pick up in 2020,” they wrote. — Bloomberg

Alex Eala thankful for chance to play in Australian Open Jrs. main draw

Filipino juniors tennis player Alex Eala, currently ranked ninth in the world, will be competing in the 2020 Australian Open Juniors main draw later this month.

FILIPINO juniors tennis sensation Alex Eala is set to compete in the main draw of the Australian Open later this month after securing her position in the top 10 in the latest ITF World Juniors Ranking.

Earning 1,452.50 points, 14-year-old Eala is currently ranked ninth in the world, the highest Southeast Asian tennis player in the list.

That earned for the Globe Telecom ambassador a spot in 2020 Australian Open Juniors tournament, which takes place from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1 in Melbourne.

“I couldn’t have made it without you. Thank you Rafa Nadal Academy, Globe Telecom and Babolat,” Eala posted on her Facebook account as she thanked those who played notable roles in her tennis progress.

Globe Telecom has been a steady supporter of Eala since she was eight years old and to see her live her dream bring much pride on its part.

“We are so proud of what Alex has achieved so far. Like what I have said so many times before, Alex can accomplish whatever she wants as long as she continues to work hard, persevere and focus on her goals. We wish her well on the upcoming Australian Open and we call all our “kababayans” (countrymen) to rally once more behind Alex as she competes against the world’s best,” said Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO, in a statement.

Eala finished the 2018 season ranked 248th in the world, before jumping to a then career best 13th spot last October. She then pressed further to the top 10 after winning the title in the Orange Bowl doubles tournament in Florida last December to come within a spot in breaking the elite Top 10 best players of the world.

As part of her preparation for the Australian Open Juniors tournament, Eala will be competing in the Traralgon junior international event on Jan. 17. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Jokic leads Nuggets past Clippers

DENVER — Nikola Jokic had 20 points and 15 rebounds for his 21st double-double of the season, Jamal Murray scored 10 of his 19 points from the foul line, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 114-104 on Sunday night.

Gary Harris scored 15 points, Michael Porter Jr. 13 and Monte Morris 12 for Denver, which had seven players score in double figures.

Kawhi Leonard had 30 points, Lou Williams 26 and Montrezl Harrell 25 for the Clippers, who played without Paul George (hamstring injury).

Denver led by 17 after Jokic hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter, and the Clippers started to chip away. Leonard hit a jumper and Williams scored off a turnover to force a Nuggets timeout, and Jerami Grant, who finished with 11 points, hit a shot and Jokic his third 3-pointer to make the score 76-58. — Reuters

Best game for 2019

2019 has ended and a lot of people are coming up with their “Best of 2019” lists. Best player, best game, best combination, best endgame, etcetera, etcetera.

One thing interesting to me is that two of the top chess websites in the world, Chessbase (chessbase.com) and chesscom (chesscom.com) have their own best game lists with different judges and criteria, but their no. 1 game is one and the same, so I think for once we can say that this is indisputably the best game for 2019. I had commented on this previously so today we will stick with the highlights.

The winner of the following game is the Indian GM Murali Karthikeyan, born Jan. 5, 1999. He is a Tamil — I point this out because Tamils (similar to Viswanathan Anand, Chithambaram Aravindh, Baskaran Adhiban, S.P. Sethuraman, or the young chess sensation Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, etc.) have no concept of a surname. “Murali” is a patronymic (his father’s name), not a family name, and he should be referred to by the given name, Karthikeyan.

Karthikeyan is a two-time national champion (2015, 2016) of India. Together with Adhiban and Sethuraman, he is considered among the most aggressive chess grandmasters from India.

Firouzja, Alireza (2682) — Karthikeyan, Murali (2593) [E90]
Asian Continental Ch Xingtai, 2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.h3 0–0 6.Be3 c5 7.Nf3

Why can’t White win a pawn with 7.dxc5 ? Well, this is a well-known tactical device. Black plays 7…Qa5 and after 8.Bd3 (8.cxd6? Nxe4 9.dxe7 and now, depending on Black’s mood he can play 9…Re8 or 9…Bxc3+ both of which are dangerous for White) 8…dxc5 9.e5 Nfd7 10.f4 Rd8 there is nothing wrong with the White position here, but pawns are now equal and White’s position is a bit loose. Romero Holmes, A. (2514)-Guseinov, G. (2552) Mallorca 2004 0–1 84.

7…Qa5 8.Nd2

Firouzja tries something new. The main lines are 8.Bd3 and 8.Qd2.

8…cxd4 9.Nb3 <D>

POSITION AFTER 9.NB3

In this unfamiliar position Karthikeyan takes 21 minutes of thought and decides to sacrifice his queen. It looks like this is over-the-board inspiration.

9…Qxc3+!! 10.bxc3 dxe3 11.f3 Nh5! 12.Qc1 Bh6 13.g4 Nf4 14.Kd1 Ne6

Take note that Black can win back the queen with 14…Nd3! 15.Bxd3 (15.Qc2 Nf2+ gets an additional rook) 15…e2+ 16.Kxe2 Bxc1 17.Rhxc1 Na6 with a slight edge, but Karthikeyan did not sacrifice his queen in order to win it back a few moves later with a “slight edge.”

15.Kc2 Nc6 16.h4 Bf4 17.Qd1 Ne5 18.Nc1 Bd7 19.a4 Rac8 20.Ne2 Bh6 21.g5 Bg7 22.Bh3 Nxf3 23.Qd3 Ne5 24.Qxe3 Nxc4 25.Qf2 Rc5 26.Rhb1 Bc6 27.Bg2 f5!

In the past few moves we have been watching Black improve his position move by move. Now he activates his last remaining piece, the rook on f8, and White cannot survive this.

28.gxf6 Bxf6 29.Rf1 Bxc3! 30.Qxc5

Firouzja decides to give up his queen to try to survive into the endgame.

30…Nxc5 31.Rxf8+ Kxf8 32.Kxc3

[32.Nxc3 Ne3+ wins the g2–bishop]

32…Ne5 33.a5 Nxe4+ 34.Bxe4 Bxe4 35.Nd4 Bd5 36.Nb5 a6 37.Nc7 Bc6 38.Rf1+ Kg7 39.Ne6+ Kh6 40.Rf8 Kh5 41.Rh8 h6–+ 42.Rh7 Kxh4 43.Rxh6+ Kg4 44.Nd4 Kg5 45.Rh2 Bd5 46.Re2 Kf4 47.Rf2+ Nf3 48.Re2 e5 49.Nc2 Be4 50.Ne3 d5 51.Kb4 Nd4 52.Re1 Kf3 0–1

For second best game Chessbase had Dubov versus Giri (Moscow Grand Prix) while Chesscom’s choice is the same player but different game — Dubov versus Svane from the European Team Championship. Chesscom also recognizes Dubov versus Giri and ranks it as the 9th best game of the year.

I will show you Dubov versus Giri.

Dubov, Daniil (2690) — Giri, Anish (2787) [D44]
Moscow FIDE Grand Prix
Moscow (1.2), 18.05.2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5

This is usually meant to avoid the Vienna Variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4) or the Ragozin Variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4).

4…dxc4 5.e4

[5.Nc3 c6 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 transposes to the Botvinnik Variation.]

5…b5 6.a4 c6 7.Nc3 b4 8.Nb1 Ba6 9.e5 h6 10.Bxf6

Forced. The usual retreat here 10.Bh4 is met by 10…g5 11.exf6 gxh4 12.Nbd2 c3 White has an inferior form of the Botvinnik.

10…gxf6 11.exf6 c5 12.Nbd2

White has to hurry up and develop his pieces. For example 12.Qc2!? b3 13.Qc3 which Dubov strongly considered is not so good — 13…cxd4 14.Nxd4 Nd7 Black’s two bishops are soon going to lord it over the board.

12…c3 13.bxc3 bxc3 14.Ne4 cxd4 15.Bb5+! Bxb5 16.axb5 Qd5 17.Qxd4 Qxb5 18.Nxc3 Bb4 19.0–0–0!? Qa5?! 20.Nb5! Na6

[20…Qxb5 21.Qd8#]

21.Qd7+ Kf8

This is the sort of position where you know that someone will soon be mated, but not sure which side.

22.Kb1! Ba3 23.Rd3! Qb4+ 24.Kc2 Qa4+ 25.Kd2 Bb4+ 26.Ke2 Kg8 27.Ne5 Qc2+ 28.Kf3 Rf8

Would 28…Rh7 have been better? Let’s see … 29.Rhd1 (threatening 30.Qd8+ Rxd8 31.Rxd8+ Bf8 32.Rxf8+ Kxf8 33.Rd8 mate) 29…Rf8 30.Nd4 Qb2 31.Ndc6 threatening Ne7+ followed by Qd8.

29.Rhd1 h5!

With the deadly threat of 30…Rh6 which turns the tables on White.

30.Qd4! Rh7

Now 30…Rh6 is met by 31.Qf4 saving the crucial f6–pawn.

31.Qf4 Bc5 32.Nd4 Qa2 33.R1d2 Qd5+ 34.Ke2 Bb4 35.Ndc6! Qc5

[35…Bxd2 36.Qxd2 Qe4+ 37.Re3 Black has no more checks and the threatened Ne7+ is devastating]

36.Ne7+ Kh8 1–0

Giri resigns before Dubov can demonstrate the mate after 36…Kh8 and resigns because of 37.Nxf7+! Rhxf7 (37…Rfxf7 38.Rd8+) 38.Qh6+ Rh7 39.Qxf8#

Here is Dubov versus Svane:

Dubov, Daniil (2699) — Svane, Rasmus (2592) [D37]
22nd EU-chT Open 2019 Batumi (7.4), 31.10.2019

1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 0–0 6.e3 b6 7.Qc2 Ba6 8.0–0–0!? dxc4 9.Ng5

The idea is to play d4–d5 since the black knight on f6 cannot move because of mate on h7.

9…Nc6 10.a3! g6! 11.h4 Bd6 12.g3! Qe7 13.h5! e5 14.hxg6 hxg6 15.Bg2 exf4 16.Bxc6 fxg3 17.Kb1!

White needs his white-squared bishop for the attack.

17…Rad8 18.f4 Bc8!

An excellent defensive move, planning to re-deploy on f5.

19.Rde1 Kg7 20.Nd5 Nxd5 21.Rh7+! Kg8 22.Rxf7! Rxf7 23.Qxg6+ Kf8! 24.Qh6+ Rg7! 25.Bxd5 Ke8 26.Qh5+ Kd7 27.Qh3+ Ke8 28.Qh5+ Kd7

Dubov had four minutes left on his clock so some onlookers thought that he would go for the draw by perpetual check, but no.

29.Be6+! Kc6?

It was either give up his queen or take his chances with the king out in the open. However, there is now a forced mate in 14. Hard to see, but it is there.

30.Qf3+ Kb5 31.Bxc4+! Ka5 32.Qd5+ Bc5

[32…c5 33.b4+ Ka4 34.Kb2 (idea is Qc6+ followed by mate 34…Bb7 35.Bb3+ Kb5 36.a4+ Kxb4 37.Qc4+ Ka5 38.Qb5#]

33.b4+ Ka4 34.Qg2! Bxb4

[34…Kxa3 35.Qb2+ Ka4 36.Qb3#]

35.Qc6+ Kxa3 36.Bb3!

An only move, everything else loses. Dubov found this with 10 seconds left on his clock. 36.Qg2? Bd2! 37.Qxd2 Qb4+ it is Black who wins.

36…Bd7

36…Kxb3 37.Qc2+ Ka3 38.Qa2#; 36…Bf5+ 37.e4.

37.Qc1+ Kxb3 38.Qc2+ Ka3 39.Qa2# 1–0

GM Grigory Serper (Filipino fans know him — the upstart Uzbekistan team shocked the chess world by coming 2nd in the 1992 Manila Olympiad behind the point production of 3 IMs – Serper, Nenashev and Zagrebelny) also wrote a 10 Best of 2019 list and included Dubov versus Svane, Dubov against Giri but in addition to that also Dubov versus Jonas Buhl Bjerre.

Bjerre, Jonas Buhl (2506) — Dubov, Daniil (2699) [C88]
22nd European Teams Batumi GEO (1.1), 24.10.2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.a4 d5 9.exd5 Na5 10.Nxe5 Nxb3 11.cxb3 Bb7 12.Nc6 Bxc6 13.dxc6 Bc5 14.d3 Bxf2+ 15.Kxf2 Qd4+ 16.Be3 Ng4+ 17.Kf3 Nxe3 18.Rxe3 Rae8 19.Re2 Qf6+ 20.Kg3 g5 21.Rf2 Qd6+ 22.Kh3 Qh6+ 23.Kg4 Qh4+ 0–1

According to Serper: “Some readers might complain that I included three games by the same player (Dubov). I absolutely agree; it is unfair. But I thought that it would be even more unfair if all 10 games on the list were played by Dubov, so I had to eliminate some of his games.”

Which gives me an idea. Henceforth, every year I will declare who to me is the “Most Exciting Player.” In a previous year the award would have gone to Baskaran Adhiban for his gestapo-style blitzkrieg attacks, for the 2019 the title undoubtedly should go to GM Daniil Dubov.

 

Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.

bobby@cpamd.net

Disappointment

Lamar Jackson’s uniqueness was not lost on the National Football League. In fact, it was the biggest story in the sport throughout the current campaign, what with the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2018 draft using his unparalleled skill set to lead the Ravens to a pacesetting 14-2 slate. With him under center, they were consensus Super Bowl favorites. Not for nothing did he break the record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Not for nothing did he finish the regular season with the highest number of touchdown passes. And not for nothing was he likely to claim the Most Valuable Player award.

Unfortunately, the NFL rarely subscribes to conventional wisdom. For all Jackson’s worth and worthiness of the spotlight, he still had to prove himself in the postseason. He still had to manufacture the victories just when they mattered most. And, over the weekend, he found himself falling prey to disappointment. Not only did the Ravens lose. They did so at M&T Bank Stadium, where an overflow crowd of 71,254 fully expected them to run roughshod over supposedly inferior competition. And they did so in a rout, their vaunted offense spearheaded by their dual threat hiccuping to an anemic 12 points even as their hitherto-solid defense coughed up 28 in turn.

To argue that Jackson had an off-day would be to grossly understate the obvious. True, he still managed to run for 143 yards on 20 carries, the best of the Ravens by far. On the other hand, any gains he had were dwarfed by his poor handling under pressure. He finished with more interceptions than touchdowns, fumbled and lost the ball, was sacked four times, and could do no better than post a 31.6 QB rating. Tellingly, he wound up being the third best passer when all was said and done. Not only had Titans counterpart Ryan Tannehill outplayed him; he fell behind running back Derrick Henry, whose trick-play jump pass led to an endzone score.

Granted, Jackson was not alone. If anything, the Ravens made him look worse. He had otherwise-perfect passed dropped, and alternatives flubbed, to the point where he, no doubt, felt he was his own best option. And he certainly called his number in the crunch; for instance, he ran in the first two of their four fourth-down attempts. The bad news, however, was that he couldn’t produce at the right moments as well; he got to be the first QB in NFL playoff history to go over 300 yards in passing and 100 yards in rushing, but was subjected to a shellacking all the same.

Perhaps the Ravens simply ran into a juggernaut at the wrong time. The Titans were certainly prepared — and, make no mistake, confident in giant-killer shoes, having made short work of the vaunted Patriots in the wild-card game the week before. And, needless to say, Jackson’s best years are still ahead of him. As he noted in the aftermath, “We’re a young team, especially on our offense,” Jackson said. “We’re going to get better. We only can get better. It’s only up from here.” He’s right, although he needs to learn fast. The world loves winners, and isn’t kind to would-be winners who fail, and fail again.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Ashfall covers Metro Manila, stalls markets and travel

By Genshen L. Espedido and
Gillian M. Cortez, Reporter

ASH from Taal Volcano in Batangas province covered large parts of Southern Luzon and cities near the capital on Monday, forcing financial markets to suspend trading and the Manila airport to close.

The volcano spewed lava on Monday, a day after it blew ash and steam into the air, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Director Renato U. Solidum said at a briefing. He warned that a “hazardous” eruption could happen in days as the agency raised the alert status to level 4, the second-highest in a 5-step scale.

In an advisory, the Health department said inhaling ash could lead to cough and difficulty of breathing and could also irritate the eyes.

The local disaster agency said more than 302 domestic and 237 international flights were canceled.

The Philippines lies in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a belt of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes strike.

Taal Volcano on the Philippines’ main Luzon island is the country’s second most active volcano. All of its eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Taal Lake.

Tourists often go to Tagaytay City, which is a two-hour drive from Manila, to get a glimpse of the picturesque Taal Volcano and Taal Lake below.

Taal volcano continued erupting “with weak sporadic lava fountaining and hydrovolcanic activity at the Main Crater that generated steam-laden plumes approximately 2 kilometers tall,” according to the local volcanic agency’s 4 p.m. update on Monday.

“New lateral vents were observed to have opened up on the northern flank where short 500-meter lava fountains emanate,” it said.

The agency has recorded 144 volcanic earthquakes in the Taal region since Sunday afternoon, 44 of which were felt with intensities ranging from 1 to 4 in Tagaytay City, Alitagtag, Lemery, Santo Tomas, and Talisay, Batangas.

These earthquakes signified “continuous magmatic intrusion beneath the Taal edifice” that could lead to further eruptions, it said.

Ma. Antonia V. Bornas, a division chief at the volcanic agency, told reporters the progression of Taal Volcano’s activities has been faster than in past events, including the 1911 eruption that killed 1,500 people. The volcano’s last reported eruption was in 1977.

RELIEF GOODS
More than 5,000 families were taking temporary shelter at 75 evacuation centers in Batangas province, according to the disaster agency’s 12 p.m. report.

The volcanic agency reiterated that people within a 14 kilometer radius from Taal Volcano’s Main Crater must be evacuated.

The Social Welfare department said it would send 5,000 food packs and sleeping kits to evacuees after local government leaders in Batangas complained against the lack of relief goods.

Police would deploy eight rescue vehicles and 30 pick-up trucks to help in the evacuation, according to Colonel Marlon Santos of Cavite.

Seven cities and municipalities in the provinces of in Batangas and Cavite experienced power failures, including Amadeo, Tagaytay, Lipa, Tanuan, Laurel, Talisay and Lemery.

The Batangas provincial government declared a state of calamity, which would allow the local government to use emergency funds and freeze the prices of basic goods.

Meanwhile, the local weather bureau said on its website Taal Volcano’s eruptions had caused “cloudy skies with isolated rains and thunderstorms” over the areas of Batangas, Cavite and Laguna provinces.

This could cut visibility and create mud flows during ashfall, as well as light to moderate rains, it said.

Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said he had activated assistance teams and placed Red Cross chapters in Metro Manila and Calabarzon region on alert.

“Those who are living in the danger areas should evacuate to safer grounds immediately,” he said in a statement. “Bring animals and livestock to designated evacuation areas. Follow any evacuation orders issued by authorities and put your emergency plan into action.”

Senator Aquilino L. Pimentel III warned shops against overcharging consumers for basic goods, which he said is illegal.

“We should not allow anybody to take advantage of the current difficult situation brought about by the Taal Volcano eruption by increasing the prices of needed goods and materials like face masks,” he said in a statement. — with Charmaine A. Tadalan

Manila airport partially resumes flight operations

MANILA’S Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Monday partially resumed operations after more than 500 flights were affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano, whose ash enveloped some cities near the capital on Sunday evening.

In a joint statement, the Department of Transportation, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced that airport operations had resumed for departures starting at 10 a.m. yesterday and at noon for departures.

“This, however, will be subject to terminal capacity of the four NAIA terminals and airline consent,” according to the emailed statement.

Departure flights will be prioritized so that the airport ramps may be cleared of planes parked there since Sunday night, they said.

Second priority will be given to regular scheduled flights for Monday. “This arrangement will also give both MIAA and CAAP better capability to allocate slots.”

About 80,000 passengers and 516 flights were affected by Sunday’s volcanic eruption,

MIAA General Manager Eddie V. Monreal said at a briefing.

“We are trying our very best to bring back the operations to normalcy,” he said, adding that they were appealing to the public for “a bit of patience.”

Airline operators were asked to submit their flight cancellations for Tuesday “to give the slotting committee more room to allocate slots to airlines wishing to mount recovery operations.”

They also said MIAA had been clearing the runways, taxiways and ramps of ashfall since 4 a.m. on Monday. — Arjay L. Balinbin

7 of 10 Filipinos think rights violated in Duterte’s drug war

SEVEN of 10 Filipinos think human rights violations had been committed in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, according to the latest poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The polling firm’s December poll showed that 76% of Filipinos thought human rights had been violated, even as 73% thought the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign had cut the number of drug users.

Mr. Duterte had promised to eradicate the country’s illegal drug menace, a foundation of his presidential campaign in 2016.

Philippine police have said about 6,000 people have died in illegal drug raids, many of them resisting arrest. Some local nongovernmental organizations and the national Commission on Human Rights have placed the death toll at more than 27,000.

Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo, the opposition leader whom Mr. Duterte had put in charge of his drug war in November — only to fire her weeks after because he said he didn’t trust her — last week said the campaign had failed, with only 1% of illegal drugs seized by police. She also cited inconsistencies in drug data released by different agencies.

The SWS poll showed that 60% of Filipinos agreed that Ms. Robredo should have been allowed to see the government’s list of high-value drug targets.

SWS said 56% agreed with the United Nations Human Rights Council’s investigation of alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.

SWS interviewed 1,200 adults for the poll, which had an error margin of ±3%.

Presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said the palace was “unsurprised” by the findings because the war on drugs had been “demonized by relentless misinformation” by Mr. Duterte’s critics and the opposition.

“These rambunctious peddlers of disinformation have associated the extrajudicial killings, which are not state-initiated, with the government’s drug-related operations,” he said in a statement. “This constant vilification have gained an undeserved currency.”

He said the deaths linked to drugs was due to “violent resistance by the suspects in buy-bust and police operations, endangering the lives of the law enforcers hence their resort to self-defense sanctioned by law.” — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

QC keeps watch on small meat retailers over ASF virus

PHILSTAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

THE QUEZON City government is keeping an eye on small meat retailers since they are more at risk of selling African Swine Fever (ASF)-tainted meats. “The meat supply chain is not just the supermarkets. May mga [There are] small retailer shops din [also], so kasama pa rin sila sa [they are still included in the] food chain and therefore as long as they are in Quezon city, we need to look into them,” Emmanuel F. Velasco, action officer of the city’s ASF Task Force, said in an interview. He said small-scale meat retailers are more likely to purchase from suppliers who usually do not obtain the necessary permits. “Mas hindi clear ‘yung sourcing nila [They do not have clear sourcing]. Unlike ‘yung mga [the] large ones, accredited suppliers.” On January 10, Quezon City Mayor Maria Josefina G. Belmonte said she will be issuing an executive order to ensure that meat being sold in supermarkets in the city are ASF-free. The announcement came after two supermarkets were found to be selling ASF-tainted meat, with one being supplied by North Star Meat Merchants, Inc., which has operations at Cherry Congressional grocery in Quezon City. The supermarket operators were given until this Friday to submit their documents, and additional recommendations, which will be used by Ms. Belmonte’s legal team in coming up with the order. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Davao City lines up construction of 2 colleges

BW FILE/LSDAVALJR

THE DAVAO City government will build two colleges, one is partnership with the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) and the other a city college, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio announced. The USEP campus will be located in the upland Paquibato District, where the city government has been pursuing various projects in line with its anti-insurgency program dubbed Peace 911. “We already have a budget of P54 million for the three- storey building USEP annex campus in Barangay Malabog,” Ms. Carpio said last week, noting that the whole process could take a while given the documentary and bidding process requirements. As a start, the city government, the Peace 911 Task Force, and USEP are preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding for the project. Ms. Carpio added that the city has also allocated a P1.5 million budget for the feasibility study of the school. The Peace 911 Task Force proposed the construction of the college to cater to high school graduates in the area, including members of indigenous communities. “So that students don’t need to go down to the Poblacion (city center) to study. The school also aims to help those students that do not have the financial capacity to pursue further studies in the downtown area,” the mayor said.

CITY COLLEGE
For the city college, Ms. Carpio said they are still looking at possible funding sources with the cost initially estimated at about P100 million. “As of now, the funds are still not available, as the needed budget is a bit expensive,” she said, noting that one possible source is the unspent portion of the city’s 2019 Supplemental Budget. Final approval of the proposed school is also pending, but the mayor said she is optimistic that this can be done by the second half of the year. The feasibility study of the project has been completed, including learning manuals and the required human resources. — Maya M. Padillo and Carmelito Q. Francisco

Chinese investors eye GenSan for manufacturing plants

A DELEGATION of Chinese businessmen, together with Chinese embassy officials, visited General Santos City last week to explore investment opportunities, particularly manufacturing plants, according to Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera. In a statement, Mr. Rivera said the investors are looking at setting up a tire manufacturing facility on a 300-hectare property, and a battery recycling and manufacturing plant. “You are welcome to invest here. GenSan wants investors,” the mayor told the delegation during their courtesy call to his office. He quoted one Chinese government official as saying: “These Chinese businessmen toured the Philippines last year looking for viable locations in the country. It just so happened they saw the plans of the mayor for GenSan and they found it to be business-friendly.” Should the projects push through, Mr. Rivera said they expect “billions in revenue for the local government” and more than 5,000 job opportunities.

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