By Charmaine A. Tadalan, Reporter
COMMISSIONER Stella Luz A. Quimbo of the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) will run in the midterm elections for representative of the 2nd district of Marikina City, incumbent Rep. Romero S. Quimbo, the commissioner’s husband, confirmed.
“She will run for Congress to replace me,” Mr. Quimbo told BusinessWorld in an interview after the House Ways and Means Committee meeting on Monday.
“She will be a better representative than I am,” he said, adding that Ms. Quimbo has already filed her candidacy by way of substitution “Nag-file na siya to substitute me.”
This, however, may be questioned in the light of Section 8 of the Philippine Competition Act, which states that Commissioners “… shall not be qualified to run for any office in the election immediately succeeding their cessation from office.”
Mr. Quimbo said “that doesn’t cover her. First, she’s on secondment coming from UP (University of the Philippines), she remains a UP professor; secondly, that’s unconstitutional.”
He added that the “provision is clearly unconstitutional because it’s the first ever, meaning it effectively curtails the fundamental right of an individual to run for office and it’s not contained in the Constitution.”
Mr. Quimbo said only the qualifications stated under the Constitution shall be considered when running for Congress.
“The qualifications of a member of Congress (are) only dictated by the Constitution, you can’t add or cannot subtract,” he said.
Carpio not out of Duterte’s list for CJ appointment
ACTING CHIEF Justice Antonio T. Carpio
ACTING CHIEF Justice Antonio T. Carpio, despite his resolute position on the country’s rights over the West Philippine Sea, still has a chance of being appointed as next chief justice, according to the President’s spokesperson.
“If you will look at the history of the President, when he appointed Harry Roque as spokesperson, I remember during the campaign he was against the President. He was supporting another candidate and yet the President appointed him and he became a member of the Cabinet. Also, those members of the Cabinet coming from the left, they were attacking the President and yet they were appointed,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a press briefing on Monday afternoon, Nov. 26.
He added: “So I don’t think you can derive a conclusion that just because someone is a critic of the administration, you cannot be appointed.”
But he noted that the seniority rule in choosing the next chief justice may not be necessarily followed.
“It’s the President’s call and the prerogative lodged on him by the Constitution, it’s discretionary,” he said.
The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) released its short list for the next Supreme Court chief justice last week, which includes Mr. Carpio and Associate Justices Lucas P. Bersamin, Diosdado M. Peralta, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, and Andres B. Reyes Jr.
The Constitution states that the President should name a new chief justice within 90 days of the vacancy.
Former chief justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro retired last Oct. 10. 〞 — Arjay L. Balinbin
Malacañang tells GMA to file complaint on West Philippine Sea incident
MALACAÑANG ON Monday urged broadcast firm GMA Network, Inc. to submit a complaint to the government regarding the recent incident at the Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea where its news team was driven away by members of the Chinese Coast Guard.
“Eh wala pa tayong nare-receive (We have not received any complaint yet). That was precisely my advice to GMA-7 correspondents. Sulatan ninyo kami para may basis naman kami (Write us a letter so that we have basis),” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a press briefing at the Palace on Monday, Nov. 26.
He said the government has to validate the incident first, although he admitted that he himself already saw the video.
“First, I said, we have to validate whether or not—because according to that Coast Guard, it was prohibited. I said, is it a policy of China to prohibit media men from going there or not? We don’t know that yet. So that’s why I told them, you have to give us a letter complaint, expressing your concern so that we can act appropriately. We will refer your complaint to the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), and the DFA will write the government of China whether or not there is such a policy,” he explained.
Asked for comment, International Studies Professor Renato C. de Castro of De La Salle University said in a phone interview that the government can immediately initiate an investigation even without the formal filing of a complaint by the TV network.
“What happened was obvious, private citizens were harassed by members of the Chinese Coast Guard. What else do you need to investigate? It is simply that they don’t want to antagonize China….” Mr. de Castro said.
He stressed that GMA-7 “already said that it happened, so the government should investigate.”
“The Philippine government simply doesn’t want to antagonize China, so it’s putting the burden on a private company that doesn’t have any legal personality under International Law,” he added. BusinessWorld contacted the GMA News and Public Affairs group for comment, but they had no official statement yet as of yesterday. 〞— Arjay L. Balinbin
A TEMPORARY bridge at the Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis junction in Mountain Province has been completed, allowing access again after typhoon Rosita (international name: Yutu) washed out the 14-meter Lunas Bridge in late Oct. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced yesterday that the bridge, with a 10-ton load capacity, was completed on Nov. 23., ahead of the Dec. 5 target. DPWH-Cordillera Administrative Region Director Tiburcio L. Canlas said while it may take months, even a year, for those affected by the typhoon’s destruction to feel that things are back to “normal,” the opening of the temporary “is the start.” Engineer Rustom A. Martinez of DPWH-Mt. Province 2nd District office, said apart from Lunas Bridge, typhoon Rosita also caused about 30 major landslides and road slips/cuts along the 78-kilometer (km) Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis Road. The DPWH-Mt. Province 2nd District office in Natonin was also crashed and totally buried by mudslides and boulders. BAGUIO, BENGUET
Meanwhile, the Aringay-Tubao Alternate Road and Anduyan Bridge were inaugurated yesterday, providing an alternative route to Benguet province and Baguio City. The 14.24-km road section is along Aringay-Tubao, in La Union. “This alternate route will lessen travel time from Tuba, La Union to Benguet from 2 hours to 35 minutes and will cut travel time from 2 hours and 25 minutes to just 1 hour going to Baguio City,” DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said in a statement. “Another impact of this project is that it will decongest traffic along Marcos Highway,” he added.
THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) is planning to open more rice plantations in the island of Samar, citing that the area is less stricken by typhoons, and has enough land area to help compensate losses experienced in the northern and central parts of Luzon.
In a statement on Monday, DA Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said, “With a total land area of 1.3-million hectares with an agricultural area of 526,000 hectares, numerous huge rivers and less typhoons hitting it now, Samar has been identified as the expansion area for rice production.”
Samar is divided into three provinces, namely: Samar (formerly Western Samar), Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar.
The island, said Mr. Piñol, “is now the focus of interventions by the Department of Agriculture as it aims to open up new rice production.”
Mr. Piñol said Samar is one of the many areas in the central and southern parts of the country being eyed for the DA’s rice development program, along with the islands of Leyte, Negros, Panay, and Mindoro, the provinces of Bohol and Palawan, and Mindanao.
“The DA has already introduced high yielding varieties by conducting a rice derby last year. Three varieties, one of which yielded almost 10 metric tons (MT), have been identified as recommended varieties,” Mr. Piñol said.
However, he noted, there are few farm equipment in Samar.
The agriculture chief said he already has instructed DA Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) Acting Director Andrew Rodolfo T. Orais to gather young agriculture graduates and organize them into service provider groups.
“They could be trained to operate the machinery and equipment which could be loaned to them payable in 8 years with 2% interest per year,” Mr. Piñol said, noting that he hopes to see yields of up to eight MT per hectare with the use of tractors, transplanters and harvesters in the field.
“Samar proves to be the most challenging area because of the primitive farming system still embraced by farmers,” Mr. Piñol said. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio
THE NEW Bohol-Panglao International Airport is scheduled to be inaugurated Tuesday, Nov. 27, opening a gateway for up to two million travelers annually.
The Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), in a joint statement on Monday, said the P8.9-billion airport will be the Philippines’ first “eco-airport,” as it is designed to use natural ventilation and draw one-third of its power source from solar panels.
“The new airport is set to be the country’s first eco-airport, taking pride with its complete airport facilities that feature green and sustainable structures, such as solar panels and motion sensor lighting, among others,” it said.
The new airport, located on the island of Panglao, occupies a 220-hectare land and is expected to accommodate two million passengers annually.
The DoTr said it will be an alternative to the existing Tagbilaran Airport on the Bohol mainland, which stands on a 22-hectare site and has a capacity of 400 passengers.
In October, the Philippine and Japanese governments signed a P2.1-billion supplemental loan agreement for the Panglao Airport through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), payable over a 40-year period.
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said then that the additional loan will be used for the extension of the airport’s runway from 2,000 meters to 2,500 meters, and the expansion of the passenger terminal building from 8,500 square meters (sq.m.) to 13,000 sq.m.
For the operations, maintenance and future expansion of the airport, Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. (AIC) submitted an unsolicited proposal to the DoTr and received original proponent status in September.
As an unsolicited proposal, it will need to get approval from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and go through a Swiss challenge, in which other firms are invited to submit counter-proposals that the original proponent may match. — Denise A. Valdez
DAVAO CITY Councilor Maria Belen S. Acosta has blocked the approval of new quarrying activities in the city, and sought a review by environment agencies on the impact of existing operations. Ms. Acosta tasked the City Environment and Natural Resources Office to lead the assessment of whether there has been “over-quarrying” of the city’s rivers. “We should go on the path of sustainable development. Meaning, we must not just look at the demand of the time alone,” said Ms. Acosta at a council session last week when one of her colleagues, Councilor Rene Elias B. Lopez, pushed for the approval of one quarrying application in his district. Ms. Acosta noted that there are 63 pending applications for quarrying operations before the council, and said that a review is necessary before any approval is given. — Carmelito Q. Francisco
The Port of Zamboanga in Zamboanga City now has a one-stop shop with various government agencies for faster and more efficient processing of port-related activities. At the inauguration ceremony on Nov. 26, a memorandum of agreement was signed by representatives of the Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, National Plant Quarantine Services Division, Bureau of Quarantine, Bureau of Animal Industry, and the ZC Integrated Port Services Inc. The one-stop shop is in compliance with Republic Act 11032, the Ease of Doing Business and Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo Senior Reporter
FIRST to barge into the finals of University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81, the defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles are now awaiting their possible opponents. But they were quick to say that they have no preference on who to face, focusing instead on themselves and what they need to do come the championship series.
Eliminated the Far Eastern University Tamaraws at the first instance on Sunday with an 80-61 victory in their Final Four match, the Eagles, who carried a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals, are to face either the Adamson Soaring Falcons or the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in the finals of the ongoing UAAP season.
Adamson and UP are to go at it one more time in their do-or-die semifinal matchup set for Wednesday.
For the Eagles, it does not matter who they would face in the championship as they believe both the Falcons and Maroons would present a challenge to them.
They said they would rather focus on bettering themselves and be battle-ready for the finals.
“We will be watching intently the game on Wednesday. Any of those teams will be tough to face in the finals. Both are very deserving to make it through the finals and we have to prepare well against any of them,” said Ateneo deputy Sandy Arespacochaga moments after they finalized their entry back into the finals.
Their mindset was seconded by Ateneo stalwart Thirdy Ravena, who led Ateneo to a fast start against FEU en route to finishing with a game-high 22 points.
“May the best team win [between Adamson and UP]. It has been close between them. We’re not into choosing who we want to face. We are just here to prepare, to better ourselves. Right now we are focusing on what is important, which is us,” Ravena said.
“It is a same feeling. I get nervous still. This finals is different in a sense that it is a different team we are facing. But basically it is the same cycle and mindset for us,” he added, referring to rivals De La Salle Green Archers whom they faced in the finals in the two previous UAAP seasons.
Ravena went on to say that since they are entering the finals as first-time defending champions as a group, it makes it all the more interesting for them.
“We’re coming to the finals as a first-time defending champion. Hopefully the experience we had would help us but it’s going to be a new game. It’s not a guarantee that we know what would happen. We haven’t experienced being a defending champion. The break we have before the finals should help us prepare for that and go through the details,” he said.
The best-of-three UAAP Finals series commences on Dec. 1.
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo Senior Reporter
AFTER missing out on the semifinals of the AFF Suzuki Cup two years ago, the Philippine men’s national football team is back in the championship round of the biennial regional tournament.
Hacking out a 0-0 draw against Indonesia in away match in Jakarta on the final group play date on Sunday, the Philippine Azkals (2-2-0) assured themselves of a top-two finish in Group B, sending them to the next round.
They join defending champion Thailand from their grouping and will be facing Group A winner Vietnam in the crossover semifinals beginning on Dec. 2. Malaysia, the runner-up team in Group A, is the other semifinal cast and will take on the Thais.
While happy to have brought back the Azkals to the semifinals of the Suzuki Cup, coach Sven-Goran Eriksson admitted that they are still far from being brilliant consistently and have to shape up some more heading into the semifinals.
Nonetheless, he mentioned the fact that they have yet to drop a game in this edition of the Suzuki Cup means they are on the right track and highlights the potential of the team.
“We’re in the semifinals and we haven’t lost one game and we should be happy. In the semifinals we have to play better than we did today. But I’m sure we will,” said Mr. Eriksson in the postgame interview following their win over Indonesia.
“We have a week to prepare till our next game. These four games were played in three to four days. So having a week to prepare will help,” he added.
In the game against Indonesia, the two teams started the match aggressively, putting themselves in solid scoring opportunities in the opening half but could not complete them.
Unfortunately, too, for the Azkals they would lose captain Phil Younghusband in the first half after clashing heads with an Indonesian player.
He was taken off the field then brought to the hospital after.
In the second half, the back-and-forth between the two teams continued.
But like in the opening 45 minutes no goals would be scored en route to the nil-nil draw.
Incidentally, the Philippines’ cause was helped by the 3-0 defeat of third-running Singapore at the hands of Group B leader Thailand, played near simultaneously as that between the Azkals and Indonesia.
Against Vietnam in the semifinals, the Azkals will face a team that has been solid in the tournament so far with a record of three wins and a draw in group play to top its grouping.
Back in the Suzuki Cup in 2016, the Philippines, which was a co-host then, failed to go beyond the group stage, halting a streak of three appearances in the semifinals of the biennial tournament dating back to 2010.
The first leg of the semifinals between the Azkals and Vietnam is on Dec. 2 at the Panaad Park and Football Stadium in Bacolod City with the second leg to be played on Dec. 6 in Hanoi.
TWO of the hottest teams in the MPBL Datu Cup will try to keep their winning ways when they take on separate rivals on Tuesday at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Bataan, owners of the longest streak in the fastest growing regional amateur basketball league, will take on Caloocan at 7 p.m. as the Zetapro-backed Risers are trying to pull away from their pursuers in the tough northern division of this tournament put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA legend and former MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner.
The Risers have won 12 in a row in the tournament and leads the pack with a 12-1 record. They can get enough cushion against their closest pursuers with a win against the Longrich-supported Supremos, who had lost back-to-back games and are still in 11th spot in the northern division.
This makes every Caloocan game crucial beginning its game against Bataan, which appeared to be unstoppable.
Bataan coach Jojo Lastimosa is hoping the team could remain consistent and keep its eyes on the prize.
“We just have to keep on improving every game until we reach our goal. There were times that we play a notch lower, but we have to stay consistent every game,” added Lastimosa. “We still have a lot of things to improve on.”
Equally exciting is the game between host team Batangas City and Zamboanga in the main game at 9 p.m.
Just like Bataan, the Tanduay-backed Batangas City is a team on the rise as the Athletics racked up five straight wins to move up to solo third spot at 9-6.
The Athletics will take on an on and off Valientes squad that is currently on ninth place and needs to make its move to keep its hopes alive for a top eight berth of the southern division. Only eight teams at the end of the eliminations will make it to the quarterfinal round. — Rey Joble
MELBOURNE — Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry won the $7 million World Cup of Golf by three strokes in Melbourne on Sunday to secure Belgium’s first title in the team event after surviving a late wobble and a charge from hosts Australia.
Overnight leaders by five strokes, the former University of Illinois college mates bogeyed the 15th to see their lead shrink to two shots during the final foursomes at Metropolitan Golf Club.
However, they held their nerve over the closing holes and finished in style with a birdie on the 18th to claim their biggest tournament win at the 28-nation co-sanctioned event.
“Yeah, we weren’t far away in the soccer World Cup, so it’s good to bring it back,” 25-year-old Detry told reporters, a Belgium flag draped around his neck after hoisting the whopping winner’s trophy with Pieters.
“You play with your best mate and it’s kind of a dream come true. There’s nothing like representing your country on the other side of the world, it’s just amazing.”
Detry celebrated his first big victory, having never won on the world’s leading circuits, while his 26-year-old compatriot claimed his first US Tour title after three wins in Europe.
The pair split the winning team’s $2.24 million cheque and add their names to a trophy won by Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods.
Pieters said the win would “go very under the radar” in Belgium, however.
Their final round four-under 68 left them with a 23-under total of 265, three clear of joint runners-up Australia (65) and Mexico (66).
Local hopes Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith started the day six back but mounted a brave challenge to pull within two when the latter holed a brilliant, long bunker shot at the 14th.
Pieters responded with a four-foot birdie putt at the same hole to push Belgium’s lead back to three, but Detry opened the door again, nervously lipping out a three-foot par putt on the 15th.
With Belgium wobbling, Leishman had a chance to slice their lead to a stroke, but blew a birdie putt from four feet.
It proved decisive, as Belgium steadied with a birdie on the same hole and their three-stroke cushion was enough to absorb a final bogey on 17.
Abraham Ancer, who won the Australian Open by five strokes last week, finished a fine trip Down Under with Roberto Diaz, the pair combining for a final round six-under at the Sandbelt course.
Defending champions Denmark ended six behind in a tie for fourth with Canada, while Matt Kuchar and Kyle Stanley of the United States finished joint 16th with Wales. — Reuters
