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A wonderful blast from the past


By Alexander O. Cuaycong
and Anthony L. Cuaycong
WHEN producer Souhei Niikawa and principal programmer Yoshitsuna Kobayashi set out to make Disgaea: Hour of Darkness from scratch, they had no idea that it would stand the test of time. True, they were determined to meet the objectives set forth by publisher Nippon Ishi Software; they aimed to come up with a role-playing game that both adhered to popular mechanics and pushed the envelope in terms of execution. Even as they succeeded in doing so, however, they could not have envisioned an outcome that exceeded their highest expectations.
Fast forward 15 years, and Disgaea has become a household name to those into turn-based strategy games. The series’ heady mix of cute and over-the-top action makes a lasting imprint, and exhibits a level of energy that no other in the genre has come close to mimicking. Little wonder, then, that the progenitor of the franchise remains well loved, standing the test of time and continually expanding its reach. Originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003, it found its way to the PlayStation Portable in 2007, the Nintendo DS on 2008, and the Personal Computer in 2016, each time presenting visual and aural enhancements while keeping the gameplay and story intact.
Disgaea 1 Complete is no different. As the latest iteration of the title that spawned a juggernaut franchise, it promises the nostalgia of the original alongside all subsequent tweaks and additional content. Players follow the story of the dastardly Laharl, son of the demon overlord Krichevskoy. Awakened from his two-year slumber by his loyal vassal Etna, he is shocked to find that his father has passed away, and that other demons who were once subjects of his father have now taken up arms and declared themselves the true rulers of the Netherworld. Vowing to reclaim the throne, he is compelled to team up with a wide cast of player-created and non-playable characters in order to defeat enemies that stand in his way. Among them is Flonne, an angel trainee bent on proving that even demons are capable of feeling love.
Sound serious and sinister? Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, Disgaea 1 Complete is confidently lighthearted in tone, populated with quirky characters who never fail to inject humor in a narrative that presents supposedly hellish circumstances as anything but. And the whimsical treatment extends to the gameplay, which features stat lines that go way beyond the usual numbers in JRPG outings and manifest themselves in spectacular battle scenes replete with combos and special attacks.
Right off the bat, players won’t be hard-pressed to notice the colorful, cheerful tones of Disgaea 1 Complete. Its story, its animations, and its art exhibit an unrestrained energy and exuberance in its presentation, contributing to an aura of timelessness. Its overall look, while far from fancy, is rightly deemed an artistic choice rather than stemming from a programming limitation. Its seemingly simplistic spritework show a surprising amount of flair. And for all the evident blandness of the environments and backgrounds, it manages to convey a graphical elan that proves enticing even to a new generation of gamers.
Technically, Disgaea 1 Complete shines on both the PlayStation 4 and the Switch. It’s gorgeous eye candy in native resolution, putting enhanced sprites front and center with nary any frame drops on Sony’s machine and, impressively, even on Nintendo’s portable console. The vibrant soundtrack provides a perfect complement, feasting the ears with a score made even better by improvements in fidelity.
Significantly, visuals and sounds aren’t the only things that hold up for Disgaea 1 Complete. The game design still manages to entertain, in large measure because of its solid mechanics. At its heart, it’s a tactical Japanese RPG, emphasizing both the importance of proper strategizing and stat stuffing. Progress is turn-based, with players maneuvering their units around a battlefield and then defeating their opponents through the use of different attacks and skills. Some inherently do more damage, others drain life or inflict status effects, and still others shift character positions in battle.
Couple the variety of choices with the presence of Geo Panels, which emphasize tile manipulation and give players rewards based on the number of actions taken in sequence and combination, and Disgaea 1 Complete cannot but be considered deep and engaging. As with other releases in the franchise, it necessitates grinding, albeit in juxtaposition with proper strategy. In any case, it boasts of a lengthy story mode backstopped by all previously released content, including those hitherto available on the PSP and DS.
In sum, Disgaea 1 Complete is a wonderful blast from the past, with as many hours in store for those new to the series as for those who love it enough to play it anew. It may not be the best to carry the title, but it serves as a wonderful reminder of the series’ rich history and progress. Whether on the PS4 or the Switch, it shines as an outstanding remaster that proves its enduring appeal.
POSTSCRIPT:
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker (PS4) — Considering that Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 has managed to sell north of three millions physical and digital copies to date, the release of a follow up title comes as no surprise. Even as the intent is to keep the gravy train going, however, Bandai Namco Entertainment evidently believes it can do so by taking a road the Naruto franchise hasn’t previously traversed. Instead of dipping into the same well by making a game with similar mechanics, it commissioned the development of one thoroughly made up of action real-time strategy elements.
Why Bandai Namco Entertainment chose to green light a dramatic shift in tone is subject to conjecture. Perhaps it didn’t want Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker to cannibalize continuing sales of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. Perhaps it thought to see if it could create a spin-off for one more profit center. In any case, it wisely chose to distinguish the already existing from the new by marketing the latter as a Boruto title. It even emphasized the distinction by tapping little-known Soleil as the developer.
Creditably, the finished product proves competent in what it delivers. In a nutshell, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is a multiplayer online battle arena stalwart, getting players to employ characters as part of a team of four taking on any and all comers in a world tournament. There isn’t much by way of a narrative; as with all MOBA offerings, the meat is in the fighting, whether in straight-up encounters, in capture-the-flag scenarios, or in base battles.
Parenthetically, characters can be created or chosen from among a lineup of 20 familiar protagonists from the Naruto franchise. Starting from scratch is the ideal option; everything from appearances to attributes can be customized. Players can make their ninjas look as they please and wear what they want, and, most importantly, fight according to their preferences. The choice of specific skill sets yields four distinct orientations, although a team doesn’t necessarily have to be composed of one character each from the attack, defense, ranged, and heal types.
If anything, victory in Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker emanates from a willingness to experiment with style collaborations, and to do so on the fly. Meanwhile, the number of techniques at hand depends on abilities and experience, with characters able to add to it after level-ups and through focused training and assistance from masters they meet within the game. The key, of course, is to amass enough energy to unleash special and ultimate ninjutsus for maximum effect.
As a corollary, the emphasis on honing skills isn’t for fluff. Proficiency in the execution of basic and advanced attack and defensive maneuvers is required in multiplayer combat. With online matchmaking unable to group characters with others from similar levels, battles become exercises in frustration for those in the lower of 25 possible rungs. Thusly, continuous improvement away from tournament participation is crucial to progression.
Given the demands of Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker’s frenetic action, its no small feat to find the visuals rendered at 60 frames per second. The cel-shaded graphics and voice and music tracks pay homage to their source material, no doubt a plus for fans of the franchise. And while waiting times between online matches can vary, the actual battles proceed with relative smoothness.
In sum, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is a competent offering that expands the franchise’s reach. With Bandai Namco Entertainment aiming to periodically put out more content for the title, it has planted its feet in MOBA territory with every intent to stay. And as Boruto’s presence in the source material becomes more pronounced, so does the promise of videogame licenses in his name. (7.5/10)

How to reject the boss’s crazy ideas

I have a young boss who is the son-in-law of the owner. He was appointed two months ago. During that time, he would flex his muscles by giving instructions that are either vague, illegal, or sometimes downright stupid. I love my company and I don’t have any plans of moving out. Please advise me on what to do. — Perplexed.
A preacher came to Sunday breakfast table with a small cut on his cheek. His wife asked him what had happened. He replied he was concentrating on his sermon for that morning while shaving and accidentally cut his face. His wife said: “Next time, you should concentrate on your shaving and cut your sermon.”
There are certain things you should concentrate on as an employee. First and foremost, you must have the credibility of a loyal and hardworking person with consistent above-average work performance. As a worker, your primary focus is how to top your past performance rather on concentrate on the performance of other people, including your boss.
Your credible performance must come before you can do anything. Otherwise, whatever you do and say will mean nothing to people, and much less your boss.
That’s what most people tend to forget. At times, people like you adopt a defensive approach to hide a poor track record. Therefore, before doing anything, take stock of what you’ve done to give yourself a clear identity as a loyal and hardworking person.
That way, it should be easy for your boss to hear what you’re about to do and say. But remember that having a solid track record cannot be accomplished quickly. It’s a slow process. Assuming that you have a solid track record and you want to manage your boss, then explore the following general tactics:
One, learn and relearn the expectations of your boss. There are some bosses who want to be kept informed about almost everything. Many of them are detail-oriented, while others will be satisfied with a verbal report, if not a one-page summary of what you’ve done. If you have a detail-oriented boss, then be patient and do what he’s expecting you to do.
That’s typical of young managers who are new to the job. Sooner or later, he will realize his mistakes and may eventually change his management style the moment he can’t perform his own assignments.
Two, offer an alternative solution to the boss’s ideas. But first, feel him out: “Sir, I think I have a better idea. Would you like to hear it?” A rational person will always be open to other ideas, even if it means abandoning his own ideas. Just the same, be diplomatic in offering a counter-proposal. If you can soften the blow, it would be easy for your boss to accept it.
Last, look for ways to make your new boss look good. If you do, you will be seen as a reliable subordinate and a team player. If you can do this on a regular basis, chances are, you will be seen as reliable. To do this, go the extra mile in explaining the details of your work. This gives your boss enough reason to appreciate what you’re doing.
What is routine to you may be unfamiliar to your new boss. If you are known to fully support your boss, who can be against you? Besides, it would be difficult to go around your boss for any approvals required by higher-level managers. If this was being done in the past, avoid it at all costs. Run everything through your own boss unless he tells you what to do. Otherwise, it would be disastrous to undermine your boss’s authority.
If you succeed with these three strategies, your boss would find it difficult to act like a bully. Just the same, if he happens to argue like a bully, your best approach is to calm down. Stand your ground. Let him know that you can’t be intimidated. This works against any office bully who thinks that anyone can be easily manipulated.
Whatever happens, protect your flanks. As much as possible, document everything, including his verbal instructions, which you can record by summarizing your understanding through email or text messages.
Look for days when things are going well for your boss so you can approach him with confidence to discuss controversial topics, including your promotion or pay increase.
ELBONOMICS: Never underestimate the ability of your boss to do stupid things.
 
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What to see this week

5 films to see on the week of November 23 – November 29, 2018

Bad Times at the El Royale


SEVEN STRANGERS — a cleric, a soul singer, a traveling salesman, two sisters, the manager and the mysterious Billy Lee — who all have secrets, meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale hotel. On one evening, all of them have a last chance at redemption before everything goes wrong. Directed by Drew Goddard, the movie stars Jeff Hughes, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, and Cynthia Erivo. Glenn Kenny of www.rogerebert.com writes, “Bad Times at the El Royale has a lot of plot. Almost enough to support its 140-minute running time. But once the threads are more or less pulled together, the movie devolves into a bloody, drawn-out standoff plot in which a preening villain struts around being appalling while the camera eats up his every move.”
MTRCB Rating: R-16

Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It-Ralph 2


VIDEO GAME bad guy Ralph and best friend Vanellope von Schweetz leave Litwak’s arcade to save her game, Sugar Rush. Their journey takes them into the world of the internet where they rely on Netizens for assistance to navigate around the community. Directed by Phil Johnston and Rich Moore, the animated feature features the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, and Taraji P. Henson. Rolling Stone’s David Fear writes, “Ralph Breaks the Internet is still an animated blockbuster, still a corporate product and still a continuation of a franchise, with morals about owning your glitch, finding your tribe, make new friends but keep the old etc. But it’s also a cautionary tale, albeit one with a stay-on-message hook. Maybe don’t spend so much time on the Web, folks, it warns us. Maybe try going to the movies instead.”
MTRCB Rating: G

The Girl in the Spider’s Web


IN THIS film from the Millennium series, computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mickael Blomkvist reunite to tackle the illegal activities of cybercriminals and corrupt government officials. Directed by Fede Alvarez, it stars Claire Foy, Sverrir Gudnason, and Sylvia Hoeks. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 40% rating. The Atlantic’s David Sims writes, “Spider’s Web is set in a similar snow-globe version of Sweden as last year’s incompetent crime drama The Snowman, a country where everyone speaks accented English and the threat of murder constantly hangs in the air. There’s no chance for any energy or fun, which is a problem for a movie that’s trying to present itself as a secret-agent thriller.”
MTRCB Rating: R-13

Recipe for Love


CHEF CALIX, who works at an upscale Filipino restaurant, comes across food blogger Val and a romance begins to brew despite starting off on the wrong foot. Directed by Jose Javier Reyes, the film stars Christian Bables, Cora Waddell, Myrtle Sarrosa, Sophie Albert, Enrico Cuenca, Agot Isidro, and Ogie Diaz.
MTRCB Rating: PG

Robin Hood

WAR-HARDENED crusader Robin of Loxley and his Moorish commander revolt against the corrupt English crown. Directed by Otto Bathurst, this latest version of the story stars Taron Egerton, Eve Hewson, Jamie Foxx, and Jamie Dornan. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich writes, “Robin Hood is ridiculous from the moment it begins, though the charisma of its cast and the absurdity of its action are enough to sustain interest for a while. The first thing you have to realize about this new riff on an age-old hero is that he’s basically just Batman, minus any of the compelling backstory; par for the course in a movie where everything could be described as ‘basically just Batman, minus any of the compelling backstory.’”
MTRCB Rating: PG

How PSEi member stocks performed — November 22, 2018

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Thursday, November 22, 2018.

 
Philippine Stock Exchange’s most active stocks by value turnover — November 22, 2018

Can the Philippines finance its investment needs?

Can the Philippines finance its investment needs?

Malacañang dismisses fears of budget delay

MALACAÑANG on Thursday said it is confident that the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 will be passed before the year ends despite the limited time for the Senate to act on it.
The House of Representatives approved on third reading Tuesday the proposed 2019 national budget. Both chambers of Congress are set to adjourn for the Christmas break on Dec. 15 and will resume session on Jan. 14 next year.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri said Wednesday that the budget bill is expected to be transmitted to the Senate on Monday, Nov. 26. The Senate, he also said, is targeting to pass the proposed budget by Dec. 12.
In a briefing on Thursday morning, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said, “We’re only speculating that it will not be passed.”
Asked if the Palace is “convinced” that the proposed budget will be passed on time, he said: “Oh, of course.”
“Certainly, yes,” he also said when asked if the Palace is “talking” to lawmakers to ensure the passage of the budget before the year ends.
In a phone message to BusinessWorld on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Panelo confirmed that his remarks during the briefing referred to the passage of the proposed budget at the Senate level. “Yes, I meant the Senate,” he said.
Also during the briefing, Mr. Panelo said the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) has been tasked to communicate with Congress regarding the proposed budget. “The liaison officer. There is a liaison office,” he said.
Asked to comment on the probability of the Senate acting on the proposed budget within the remaining nine session days, PLLO Head Adelino B. Sitoy had yet to respond at deadline time.
As for Malacañang’s message to lawmakers, Mr. Panelo said: “[They] know that this is the budget proposal of the Palace, so they will have to do their job. If there are questions on the budget, they will raise them and we will respond to them.”
Mr. Panelo also denied speculation that there are “pork insertions” in the proposed budget which caused the delay of its approval and transmittal to the Senate.
“As far as I know,” he said when asked if there are “no pork insertions” in the proposed budget as alleged by some legislators like House Deputy Speaker Prospero A. Pichay, Jr. and Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson.
“Of course, the stand of the President is, from the very start, he will never allow anything like of that sort. But precisely, the proposal is being submitted to Congress, and it is the duty of Congress to go over it, examine it; and then, raise objections and it will not approve,” he also said.
Also on Wednesday, Mr. Zubiri said there is a likelihood that the government will have to operate on a reenacted budget in the first two to four weeks of 2019. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Joint China-PHL panel to set terms of maritime exploration

FOREIGN AFFAIRS Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. said the oil and gas development memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Philippines and China calls for a joint intergovernmental committee to negotiate the terms of resource development in maritime areas.
The MoU was signed during this week’s Manila state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Mr. Locsin, reading from a copy of the MoU, said it calls for an “intergovernmental joint steering committee” and “inter-entrepreneurial working groups.”
“The two governments will establish an intergovernmental joint steering committee, herein after referred to as the Committee, and one or more inter-entrepreneurial working groups… The committee will be responsible for negotiating and agreeing the cooperation arrangements in maritime areas to which they will apply, and deciding the number of working groups to be established and for which part of the cooperation area each working group is established,” he said.
“Each working group will negotiate and agree on inter-entrepreneurial, technical, and commercial arrangements that will apply in the relevant working area,” he added.
According to the document, the intergovernmental joint steering committee will be co-chaired by Mr. Locsin and State Councilor Wang Yi, who is also the Chinese foreign minister, and will be co-chaired by “vice ministers.”
The working groups will be composed of representatives from enterprises authorized by the two governments. China has authorized state-run China National Offshore Oil Corp. as the Chinese enterprise on the working groups. The Philippine will authorize the winners of service contracts or the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC).
Cooperation arrangements should be reached within 12 months of the MoU signing.
Mr. Locsin said he will release the full document once he obtains consent from China. He also said he may also furnish a copy to the Senate if requested.
Asked which Philippine companies would be included in the working groups, Mr. Locsin said he has no information on the matter. He also noted Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi’s concern regarding the present moratorium on oil exploration in South China Sea amid the signing of the MoU.
“Right now, I don’t know (the Philippine companies) because there is a moratorium… But the memorandum of understanding will always be valid because this will govern how you arrive at agreements when the moratorium is lifted,” he said.
The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a moratorium on all exploration and drilling works in Service Contracts 72 and 75 in December 2014 and 2015, respectively, amid rising maritime tension with China.
Separately, Mr. Cusi said in a news conference that according to the MoU, “we have to sit down immediately and come up with our position and we should do it, if I remember it right, within a period of no more than one year.”
“That is for us to come up with ways to harness the resources or to do a joint development or a joint exploration. We have to come up with the ways, or no ways,” he said, adding that the two parties have to “put an end to that talking.”
Mr. Cusi was speaking at a Thursday news conference after the launch of a new contracting round for the country’s energy resources.
He declined to disclose the full terms of the MoU, and said: “I believe that we should just wait for the signed copy.”
“That in time will be released to make sure that we have the correct document,” he said.
On Wednesday, the chairman of PXP Energy Corp. described the MoU as “a small but significant step” in advancing the development of carbon resources in the area.
“I do hope that this could lead to some positive steps that we can take in respect of the work program that the group has presented to the previous government in respect of the exploration and development work,” said PXP Energy Corp. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan during a conference.
The MoU was signed days before the DoE launched the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program (PCECP). The department said the program brings forward its plan to develop the petroleum exploration industry to make the country globally competitive.
“I want to emphasize the importance of this event. There is an urgency for us to explore and tap our indigenous resources. The President has said many times that it is important that we become self-sufficient,” Mr. Cusi said.
Under the PCECP, potential investors have two modes of application to pursue the 14 pre-determined areas identified by the DoE: one in Cagayan, three in east Palawan, three in the Sulu Sea, two in Agusan-Davao, one in Cotabato, and four in west Luzon. The application period is 180 days. The areas are not within the seas being contested by China and the Philippines.
Potential applicants may also nominate and publish other areas of interest at any time of the year. Their application will be subjected to a 60-day challenge period.
DoE Undersecretary Donato D. Marcos said this early, four areas in the Philippines outside the 14 pre-determined areas had been nominated by interested developers. He declined to identify the possible investors. But he said the nominated areas are in Cotabato, Quezon, Bicol and north Luzon, specifically Cagayan.
“You have to understand that it [pre-determined areas] is only six basins. We have 16 sedimentary basins in the Philippines,” he said.
He said some of the nominated areas are adjacent to those pre-determined by the DoE. — Camille A. Aguinaldo, Victor V. Saulon

Rice, coconut levy trust fund bills hurdle bicam

THE RICE TARIFFICATION bill, the coconut levy trust fund bill, and the bill reorganizing the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) made it through the bicameral conference committee on Thursday, Senator Cynthia A. Villar said.
The rice tariffication bill seeks to amend Republic No. 8178 or the Agricultural Tariffication Act in order to implement a system of rice tariffs in exchange for a more liberal import regime. It imposes a 35% duty on rice imports on shipments from member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while a 50% rate will apply to imports from non-ASEAN countries.
The bill reduces the functions of the National Food Authority (NFA) to maintaining a rice buffer stock. Ms. Villar said the bicameral conference committee agreed to specify that the buffer stocking will be sourced from Filipino farmers.
The collections from the rice tariffs will create a Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) that will improve the competitiveness of the domestic rice industry. Under the bill, a P10 billion fixed appropriation for the RCEF will be used for farmer mechanization programs, the development of rice seed, credit facilities and training for farmers.
The coconut levy fund bill seeks to put the P100 billion coconut levy assets into a trust fund to be utilized by coconut farmers. Its complementary bill reorganizes the PCA, which will be tasked to manage the trust fund.
Under the bill, P5 billion from the fund will be spent on scholarship programs, empowerment of coconut farmer organizations, and farm improvement, among others. Another P10 billion sourced from the General Appropriations Act will be appropriated as the budget of the PCA for the development of the coconut industry.
The bicameral conference committee has also reconciled provisions on the composition of the PCA. The coconut levy fund bill was recalled from Malacañang last October after Cabinet Secretaries indicated their opposition to a majority of the PCA board consisting of private individuals.
Ms. Villar said the PCA would now be composed of eight representatives from the government — including the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Finance (DoF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), the Landbank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) — plus six representatives from the farmers, and one representative from the private sector.
The bicameral conference committee has also agreed to review the RCEF and the coconut levy trust fund after six years.
“For the coconut farmers, we will give the coco levy fund at the rate of P5 billion a year for the next 25 years. The industry approved that they will allocate P10 billion a year for the benefit of the coconut industry… For the rice farmers, we have the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund that is P10 billion a year… So I hope we will be successful because we are trying a relatively different model,” Ms. Villar told reporters.
The rice tariffication bill and the coconut levy trust fund bill were identified as among the priority bills of Congress by the Legislative Executive Development Authority Council (LEDAC).
Ms. Villar expects the bills to be signed into law before the year ends. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

DTI private rice import program only partly awarded

ONLY 15,000 metric tons (MT) of rice has been awarded out of a total of 350,000 MT private-sector import volume allocated to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said.
In a news conference on Wednesday, Mr. Piñol said: “We have the DTI 350,000 MT, of which only 15,000 has been awarded… The problem is that they did not know that the NFA (National Food Authority) has a requirement that the importer needs to have a warehouse.”
Mr. Piñol said that DTI has so far only endorsed Puregold as an importer to the National Food Authority (NFA) which is in charge of granting import permits to approved companies.
At the height of the rice crisis the DTI offered its self as a channel for private rice imports, in the hope that it could directly course large volumes to the retailers and food companies which it regulates.
“The DTI arrangement is one-time only, with no deadline,” Mr. Piñol. He added that Robinsons Supermarket, through its parent Universal Robina Corp. (URC) chairman Lance Y. Gokongwei, has expressed interest to take part in the DTI’s importation program.
“I think Robinsons is interested. I spoke to Lance Gokongwei, who is interested, not only in rice importation but also in linking up with our farmers for the production of good-quality rice. I would like to commend Robinsons for being the first to signify its intention to link up with farmers,” Mr. Piñol said.
It can be recalled that URC has earlier donated P5 million worth of table potato seeds from Canada to the DA for distribution to farmers in Benguet, Mountain Province, Bukidnon and Davao del Sur.
Meanwhile, the NFA Council has approved the out-of-quota importation of rice, with participants required to demonstrate financial, warehousing and retailing capability.
Asked whether the out-of-quota imports will clash with the DTI program, Mr. Piñol said: “The DTI came first. It was a program presented to us. This was approved long before we decided on the out-of-quota program.” — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

QC ordinance freezing property tax hike clears 2nd reading

THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE to suspend the amendments to Quezon City’s fair market value table and real property tax hike until after 2019 was approved on second reading on Nov. 19 and is targeted for third reading approval on Dec. 3.
The City Council’s Majority Floor Leader Franz S. Pumaren updated BusinessWorld on progress in a mobile phone message when asked for an update.
He also said the target approval for third reading is Dec. 3, and if passed on the same day, might be signed by Vice Mayor and Presiding Officer Ma. Josefina G. Belmonte and be forwarded to the mayor for approval “after a week.”
The proposed Ordinance No. 20CC-497 was debated by the plenary following approval on Nov. 14 by the Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Laws, Rules and Internal Government committees, the last of which Mr. Pumaren heads.
The proponents on Oct. 26 moved to suspend the implementation of the QC Ordinance No. SP-2556, Series of 2016, which raises fair market values for property, after the Supreme Court lifted the April 2017 temporary restraining order on its implementation on Sept. 18. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

NEDA targets 2019 launch of new poverty index

THE NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) hopes to fully implement next year a new indicator that more accurately measures poverty, known as the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released the details of the MPI last week. It measures levels of deprivation in education, health and nutrition, housing, water and sanitation, and employment, through 13 sub-indicators.
“Hopefully, PSA will finalize its methodology soon and report on this measure periodically starting next year,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said in a statement.
“Not only do we now know if a family is poor, but also the aspect of quality of life in which they are suffering the most deprivation from, and in response, the intervention that is most needed,” he added. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

DA to recommend tariffs on palm oil imports

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY Emmanuel F. Piñol is batting for tariffs on palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia, claiming that imports have been flooding the Philippine market to the detriment of Filipino producers.
In a briefing on Thursday, Mr. Piñol said he will recommend “trade remedies” citing the huge increase in imports of palm oil from both Malaysia and Indonesia. “From only 20 million kilos in 2016, Malaysian palm oil arriving in the country breached about 200 million kilos. Indonesia was at about 120 million kilos for 2017,” Mr. Piñol said.
“According to our WTO (World Trade Organization) negotiators, the Philippines could invoke a claim of injury to the industry and for the next 200 days, we could impose tariffs on these items so that we’ll be able to protect our local farmers and local industry from further injury.,” Mr. Piñol added. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

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