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Bangsmoro regional human rights investigator, driver shot dead

AN INVESTIGATOR of the Regional Human Rights Commission (RHRC) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Archad Ayao, was shot dead in Cotabato City Tuesday while on board a motorcycle transport service known as habal-habal. The habal-habal driver, identified as Pio Orteza, was also shot and killed. The Cotabato City Police Office reported that the victims were traversing Don Ramon Rabago Street in Barangay Rosary Heights 4 when two unidentified gunmen, also on board a motorcycle, fired at them. Both were hit in the head and declared dead on arrival at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center. Two .45 caliber pistol cartridges were recovered at the crime scene. Police Corporal Reynante Mayo said the motive is still unknown, and, “We are still requesting CCTV footages from nearby establishments to help with our investigation.” Former RHRC head and current member of the Bangsamoro Parliament Laisa Masuhud-Alamia said, “I’m praying that Archad’s murder wouldn’t become just a part of police statistics.” Ms. Masuhud-Alamia recalled the murder of a humanitarian worker of the then ARMM, Betsy Yap, in Maguindanao last year, which remains unresolved. “Her (Ms. Yap’s) case continues to be unresolved. Just like Betsy, Archad was so young when he was killed. These are tragedies that are difficult to cope with,” she said. — Tajallih S. Basman

Nation at a Glance — (05/03/19)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Nation at a Glance — (05/03/19)

UAAP women’s volleyball Final Four this weekend

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

COMPETITION in women’s volleyball in Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines enters the Final Four round this weekend with all the remaining teams engaging in marquee matches at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Top seeds Ateneo Lady Eagles face off with the fourth seeds Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws in one semifinal pairing while number-two team University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses collide with number three and defending champions De La Salle Lady Spikers on the other.

Ateneo and UST, as the top two teams at the end of the elimination round, carry a twice-to-beat advantage over their opponents in the Final Four.

First to go off is Ateneo versus FEU on Saturday, May 4, at 4 p.m.

It is a rematch of last year’s semifinal encounter with the tables turned as the Lady Eagles now carry the twice-to-beat incentive.

In Season 80, FEU saw no need to use its twice-to-beat edge, eliminating Ateneo at the first instance to advance to the finals.

This time around, the Lady Eagles, under coach Oliver Almadro, vow to do better, armed with momentum built on a solid elimination round run that saw them losing just two matches out of 14, all at the hands of La Salle.

Leading the way for Ateneo is senior Kat Tolentino, the league’s fourth leading scorer with an average of 14.3 points per contest.

After her is Maddie Madayag (11.6 points), Ponggay Gaston (8.7 points) and Bea De Leon (8.1 points).

They have had the number of FEU this season, beating the latter in their two previous encounters — winning in five sets in the first round and in three in the second round.

Despite having no success against Ateneo so far this year, FEU remains bullish of their chances.

Graduating player Heather Guino-o is top-scoring for the Lady Tamaraws with an average of 12.8 points with support from Celine Domingo and Jerrili Malabanan.

FEU finished the elimination round with a 9-5 card.

Over at the other pairing, UST looks to take full advantage of the twice-to-beat it holds after pulling it from under La Salle.

In their one-game playoff on Wednesday to determine the second seed, UST played with more spirit and was steadier to cast aside the Lady Spikers in four sets, 25-14, 25-23, 23-25 and 25-19.

League leading scorer Sisi Rondina stepped up big time for the Tigresses, finishing with 29 points. She was ably supported by rookie Eya Laure with 17.

“We really wanted to win this game. We said to ourselves we have nothing to lose and that we just have to go for it and play,” said Rondina after their victory.

“But there is no relaxing right now. We will continue working and stay on the same page to achieve our goals,” she added.

La Salle rued the lost opportunity but is determined to make the most of what it is dealt entering the Final Four.

The Lady Spikers are hinging their season on the play of rookie Jolina Dela Cruz and veterans Des Cheng, Aduke Ogunsanya, May Luna and Michelle Cobb.

The two teams split their first two encounters in the elimination round.

The UST-La Salle semifinal tiff is on May 5.

Messi torments Liverpool with 600th Barcelona goal in 3-0 win

BARCELONA — Lionel Messi put Barcelona on the verge of the Champions League final with a devastating double in a 3-0 home win over Liverpool in the first leg of their last-four clash on Wednesday, taking his goal tally for the Catalans to 600.

The Argentine’s milestone goal was a moment of brilliance as he curled a dazzling free kick into the top corner from distance to add gloss to a scoreline that did not reflect the balance of play.

Yet whereas Barcelona took their chances with clinical precision, Liverpool wasted a string of opportunities that fell their way.

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez reminded the visitors of his superb finishing by opening the scoring in the 26th minute of a tense and finely-balanced first half at the Nou Camp, darting between two Liverpool defenders to divert Jordi Alba’s cross into the net.

Barca captain Messi scored the all-important second goal of the night in the 75th minute, chesting the ball down on the rebound and dribbling it over the line after Suarez had hammered the crossbar with a shot with his knee.

The Argentine then added to Barca’s already huge advantage to take into next Tuesday’s second leg at Anfield by smashing home his sizzling free kick in the 82nd minute.

“Four goals would have been better than three but this is a very good result,” Messi told reporters.

“We know that the tie isn’t over, Anfield is a very difficult place to go but we’re happy with the super game we played tonight. They clearly wanted to score because an away goal means a lot but they didn’t and we have a great advantage.”

LITTLE MERCY
Liverpool, who were beaten 3-1 in last year’s final by Real Madrid, played far better than the scoreline suggested, carving out a number of clear chances but spurning them all.

Barca’s South American duo of Suarez and Messi showed little mercy whenever they sniffed out a chance and condemned Juergen Klopp’s side to their first defeat in any competition since January with some ruthless finishing.

Klopp praised his side’s performance but he was not optimistic about the likelihood of a miraculous turnaround.

“I was completely happy with how we played, we played between the lines, we had chances and caused them a lot of problems,” the German told a news conference.

“If you lose away it’s not a massive problem as long as you scored a goal but we didn’t score that goal and that makes things a lot harder. We have a chance because it’s football but we had a much bigger chance before tonight.”

Suarez spared little thought for his former employers following his eventful three-and-a-half-year stay on Merseyside, as he celebrated his opening strike with relish, racing behind the goal and wagging his finger at the delighted Barca fans.

GLORIOUS CHANCE
Sadio Mane squandered a glorious chance to level for the Premier League side later in the first half but scooped the ball over the bar, while James Milner and Mohamed Salah were both denied by Barca’s excellent Marc-Andre ter Stegen later on.

Klopp’s side had done an impressive job of shackling Barca’s all-time top scorer Messi, but there was little they could do when the Argentine pounced on the loose ball after Suarez had hit the crossbar.

Messi sparked further celebrations at a packed Nou Camp with another outstanding free kick, yet the drama in this blockbuster European encounter was far from over.

Liverpool again went agonisingly close to snatching an away goal as Barca’s Ivan Rakitic scrambled the ball off the goal line only to find the feet of Salah, who somehow smashed the rebound against the near post.

Barca could have seized an even bigger advantage in the tie with two golden chances as Liverpool tired that fell to substitute Ousmane Dembele, but the Frenchman missed the target the first time then shot straight into the hands of goalkeeper Alisson Becker. — Reuters

Hotshots go for 2-0 series lead over Beermen today

HAVING DRAWN first blood in their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup finals series last time around, the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok look to double up on the San Miguel Beermen in Game Two today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fashioned out a gutsy 99-94 victory in the series opener on Wednesday, the Hotshots try to continue rolling and move further closer to dethroning the Beermen as champions of the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament.

In Game One, Magnolia banked on a total team effort on both ends of the court as it successfully overcame San Miguel, which got a monster game from reigning league most valuable player June Mar Fajardo.

Paul Lee led six players in double digits in scoring for the Hotshots with 18 points, followed by Ian Sangalang and Mark Barroca with 17 apiece.

Jio Jalalon had 16 and Rafi Reavis and Justin Melton finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Magnolia stood firm down the stretch and continuously frustrated the charge of San Miguel in booking the win.

Mr. Fajardo showed the way for the Beermen with 35 points and 21 rebounds.

Alex Cabagnot, meanwhile, had 18 points with Arwind Santos tallying 13 points and 15 boards for San Miguel, which is out to claim a fifth straight All-Filipino title.

“We’ll just be ready for Game Two. I think San Miguel will make the adjustments after today. We, too, have to adjust especially our perimeter defense,” said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero after Game One.

“One win does not win a series. We have experienced being down in a series and there is still long way to go,” he added.

For the Beermen, they said they hope to play better in the next game, especially with their shooting percentage and shot selection, to improve their chances in games.

“We are lucky this is not a knockout game and we have a chance to adjust. Credit to Magnolia’s defense for making it tough for us tonight,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria.

“We will watch the tape and see what we can do for the next game,” he added.

Game Two of the finals is set for 7 p.m. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Filipina overcomes extreme weather to finish the 78o North Marathon

BEATS extreme cold in marathon near North Pole. Filipina runner Joyette Jopson overcame all odds and conquered the grueling 42-kilometer 78° North Marathon held near the North Pole last April 16.

Jopson — triathlete, 2014 Ironman 70.3 Philippines Filipino Elite Champion and FWD Financial Wealth Officer — became the very first Filipina to run a marathon in the freezing temperature of Longyearbyen, Svalbard — a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.

Jopson and the FWD Team Asia runners ran amid a ruggedly icy terrain and freezing temperature. She finished the race with an impressive time of four hours, 10 minutes, and 59 seconds — good for third overall and first in the women’s group.

The lone Philippine representative in the marathon, Ms. Jopson joined other FWD runners from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand in the marathon sponsored by the global FWD group. Her participation, in turn, was sponsored by insurance firm FWD Philippines.

“The FWD Group had initially been supporting the world’s ‘coolest’ marathon at the North Pole, returning as title sponsor for the third year in a row,” says Peter Grimes, FWD Philippines President and CEO.

“The Marathon was cancelled at the last minute because of geopolitical tensions between the Russian and Ukrainian administrations regarding flight plans to the Pole,” Grimes adds.

Undeterred, FWD stepped in with the idea to create and organize its own marathon at Longyearbyen, which they called the 78° North Marathon, so that runners could still fulfill their ambitions to complete a marathon in sub-zero temperatures and extreme winter conditions while raising funds for their sponsored charities. FWD successfully arranged the marathon against the odds in three hectic days, inviting all registered North Pole Marathon runners to take part.

IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas has chance to reassert star in Funai fight — analyst

FOLLOWING “pedestrian” performances and outputs in his last two fights, International Boxing Federation super flyweight champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas should take the opportunity to reassert his star when he returns to the ring this weekend for his seventh title defense.

This is according to one local fight analyst who believes the Davao de Norte native Ancajas has lost some of the luster he had previously as a boxer after a couple of not-so-impressive outings of late and is in need of a fillip by way of an impressive and convincing victory.

Mr. Ancajas (30-1-2) is to face veteran and number one contender Ryuichi Funai of Japan at Stockton Arena in California for the former’s super flyweight title on May 5 (Manila time).

The Filipino champion is coming off a split draw result against Mexican Alejandro Santiago in September last year and a unanimous decision victory over compatriot Julius Sultan in May 2018, in a fight many thought Mr. Ancajas was underwhelming.

“After two-straight humdrum performances on American soil, it is a chance for Jerwin Ancajas to prove that his star is still on the rise and he can pull up the noose on his championship run. His luster as a boxer has come off in his last two bouts, including a forgettable decision win over Jonas Sultan and then a split draw against Alejandro Barrios. Against a 38-fight veteran like Ryuichi Funai, this is the right time for Ancajas to make an impression,” said fight analyst Nissi Icasiano when asked by BusinessWorld for his thoughts on the about-to-happen ring return of Mr. Ancajas.

Mr. Icasiano further said that the Ancajas of old — a fighter who is sure of his game plan and not second-guessing himself — should show up versus a dangerous opponent like Mr. Funai (37-1).

“In his last fight, it was a far cry from the typical Jerwin Ancajas that we usually see in the ring. He was hesitating in stringing together his punches, and his signature movement was off that night. In addition, he had difficulties in pacifying Barrios, who managed to bully him over the course of 12 rounds,” the analyst said.

“If he wants to win in this fight, he has to look for the same rhythm that brought him success in his past fights, especially against a pressure fighter like Funai. A pugilist like Funai is tailor-made for a boxer like Jerwin Ancajas, but if he doesn’t impose his will and play with his strengths like in the fight against Barrios, it’s going to be another long and hard night for the Filipino,” Mr. Icasiano added.

In the lead-up to the fight, Mr. Ancajas and his team promised to be more prepared and made adjustments in the fighter’s training setup, including moving much of their training time to a Marine base in Ternate from its Survival Camp in Magallanes, Cavite, to allow Mr. Ancajas to focus more; engaging the services of a nutritionist to monitor his food intake; and employing a number of sparring partners to give him different looks and styles to take note from.

The Ancajas-Funai battle is part of the fight card staged by Top Rank and headlined by the IBF light heavyweight title clash between champion Artur Beter of Russia against challenger Radivoje Kalajdzic of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Mr. Ancajas has been a champion since September 2016 when he defeated McJoe Arroyo of Puerto Rico.

The Ancajas-Funai will be broadcast over ABS-CBN S+A beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Gian Taylor shows great promise in Go For Gold Sunrise Sprint victory

Gian Taylor
Gian Taylor

GIAN Taylor tried his luck to reach a lofty goal of racing for Team Go For Gold and the national squad someday.

The 15-year-old triathlete from Malaybalay, Bukidnon moved a step closer to that direction when he ruled the male 12-17 category of the Go For Gold Sunrise Sprint recently in Naga, Cebu.

Taylor of Bukids Multisport arrived ahead of the field after completing the short-distance triathlon that serves as a qualifying race to earn a spot in the Go For Gold team in one hour, 11 minutes and 36 seconds.

“My biggest dream is to represent our country to the Olympics,” said Taylor, a Grade 9 student from San Isidro College High School in Bukidnon.

Renzo Mar Pahaganas checked in second in 1:21:43 to conquer the punishing 750-meter open-water swim, 20km bike and 5km run followed by third-placer Jericho Auguis (1:21:57).

There are actually five more races where the top male and female finishers get to earn a contract from Go For Gold, a chief backer of the men’s triathlon team.

“This came from our commitment to grow events in the Philippines which our athletes could join so they will have more opportunities to showcase their talent,” said Go For Gold godfather Jeremy Go.

After the race in Naga, Cebu, the next stop will be the Go For Gold SwimBikeRun.PH Aquaman at Vermosa Sports Hub on May 19 followed by the Go For Gold SBR PH Duaman in Nuvali on June 16.

Another Go For Gold Sunrise Sprint in Davao City on July 7 has been scheduled before winding it up with the Go For Gold SBR PH Triman-Clark on July 28 and the Go For Gold Sunrise Sprint-Subic on Nov. 4.

“A lot were sending me messages on how they could join the Go For Gold team. That’s why we came up with this selection process,” said Go, vice president for marketing of Powerball Marketing and Logistics Corp.

Go explained that the 10 fastest clockings in both men and women during the SBR races and the Go For Gold Sunrise Sprint open category would be rewarded with corresponding points according to their order of finish.

He added the winners, which will be announced after the Nov. 4 race, will receive a professional contract worth up to P100,000 plus a Storck bike and a specially crafted Go For Gold trophy.

Strong 2nd quarter defense guides Blazers past Nuggets

LOS ANGELES — CJ McCollum scored 20 points, Enes Kanter had 15 points and nine rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the host Denver Nuggets 97-90 in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Wednesday night.

Rodney Hood added 15 points while Damian Lillard scored 14 for the Blazers, who evened the series at 1-1. Al-Farouq Aminu contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Zach Collins scored 10 points.

Nikola Jokic had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Jamal Murray scored 15 points for Denver. The Nuggets got 14 points and 11 rebounds from Paul Millsap, 13 points from Malik Beasley and 12 points from Gary Harris.

The next two games will be in Portland on Friday and Sunday.

Denver forward Torrey Craig sustained a nose injury when he fell into the leg of teammate Monte Morris early in the second quarter and was bleeding profusely. He was helped to the locker room and returned to the bench in the second half wearing a clear mask. He came back into the game late in the third quarter.

Portland forward Maurice Harkless didn’t play in the second half after rolling his right ankle late in the second quarter.

Portland took control with a dominant defensive second quarter. The Blazers held Denver to just 12 points in the period and 5-of-23 shooting from the floor. The Nuggets went scoreless over the last 4:01 and missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts in the period.

Denver missed its last eight shots and 10 of its last 11 of the quarter to go into halftime trailing 50-35.

The Nuggets twice got the deficit under 10 in the third quarter, but the Blazers answered each charge and led by 14 heading into the fourth quarter.

Denver made another run in the final period. After Seth Curry hit a 3-pointer to put Portland ahead 86-71 with 9:24 left, the Nuggets went on a 10-2 run over the next four minutes to get within seven.

The hosts had a chance to cut into the deficit more, but Harris missed a 3-point attempt. McCollum and Murray traded 3-pointers, and after Denver missed two free throws, Hood hit a corner 3-pointer to make it 94-84 with 2:02 left.

Jokic’s layup with 34.9 seconds remaining got the Nuggets within 95-90. After a Portland turnover, Jokic missed a 3-point try that would have cut the deficit to two. Hood sealed the result with two free throws. — Reuters

Homecourt advantage

Considering the outstanding play of four-time All-Star Damian Lillard, fans can be forgiven for forgetting that the Blazers are no one-man team. True, he was the single biggest reason the Blazers upended the Thunder in the first round; he thoroughly outplayed former league Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook throughout the five-game series. That said, the capacity of the conference third seeds to go deep in the postseason depends as much on the rest of their roster as on its acknowledged leader. In their current set-to against the Nuggets, for instance, the conscious effort to send multiple defenders his way compels the rest of the black and red to step up.

Against this backdrop, the Blazers wound up showing their worth yesterday. By all accounts, Lillard had a subpar outing; after scoring a whopping 39 points off 21 shots in Game One of their semifinal-round series, he found himself limited to 14 off 17. No matter, though, because he walked off with a win, anyway. And, for this, credit goes to teammates who coolly compensated for his off-night; for all his travails, he joined members of the starting lineup that all finished on the right side of plus-minus logs. Longtime backcourt partner C.J. McCollum got 20 off timely baskets. Late-season pickup Enes Kanter put up 15 and gave Nuggets stalwart Nikola Jokic fits on defense. Al-Farouq Aminu stayed constantly active on switch-all coverages. Even up-and-down Rodney Hood was an x-factor off the bench, getting 15 markers in 27 solid minutes of exposure.

That six Blazers ultimately claimed double figures in a winning score of 97 speaks volumes of their value in the grand scheme of things. Admittedly, they will go only so far as Lillard can take them; that’s simply the nature of competition in the superstar-driven National Basketball Association. Still, Game Two underscored that they have the requisite skill sets to execute head coach Terry Stotts’ plans and keep plodding on when things aren’t hunky dory. Yesterday, they could have easily folded in the fourth quarter, when the Nuggets came up with offensive rebound after offensive rebound — and 14 all told — to negate seemingly well-defended sequences. Instead, they hung tough and protected enough of their double-digit lead to ultimately prevail.

The Blazers now have homecourt advantage against the Nuggets, and they’ll be aiming to consolidate their road win with another at the Moda Center this weekend. They’re confident of doing so; not for nothing did they have the third-best regular-season home record in the league. They may not match the opposition in talent, but they have Lillard, and, perhaps more importantly, they have resolve. And, as the playoffs have so far highlighted, they’re good enough to ride on one or the other to prevail.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Gov’t tightens foreign worker controls

THE GOVERNMENT on Wednesday tightened rules on permits for foreigners to work in the country, amid reports of thousands of such nationals illegally hired in the gaming industry and even in construction who could be depriving the state of more than P30 billion in income tax each year.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) signed the joint “Guidelines on the Issuance of Work and Employment Permits to Foreign Nationals” at an event in San Fernando, Pampanga.

The guidelines were issued to “to clarify and harmonize existing regulations on the issuance of appropriate permits to all foreign nationals who intend to work, perform specific activities, and/or render services in the Philippines, whether in the context of an employment arrangement or otherwise.”

Two foreign business leaders said they were generally open to the new rules, provided they will not make it harder to do business.

Among others, foreigners seeking work permits will now have to indicate their Taxpayer Identification Number in their application. “Ang bago diyan ay… kailangan mag-submit ng foreigner ng tax identification number. ‘Yan ay isang paraan para matiyak natin na pag nagtatrabaho ang foreigner natin ay nagbabayad ng buwis (In that way, we can make sure that foreign workers will pay tax),” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III told reporters in a briefing after signing ceremonies.

The new requirements cover those applying for alien employment permits (AEPs), special working permits (SWPs) and provisional working permits (PWPs), but not those seeking special temporary permits (STPs).

DoLE issues AEPs to foreigners under contract with a Philippine-based business after it is determined that the job cannot be done by a Filipino, while the BI issues PWPs to foreigners waiting for issuance of AEPs and SWPs for foreigners to engage in work outside of an employment contract.

STPs are issued by the Professional Regulation Commission to foreign professionals to practice in the Philippines for a limited period, subject to limitations and conditions under law.

The same guidelines also listed occupations covered by SWPs, namely: professional athletes, coaches, trainers and assistants; international performers with exceptional abilities; artists, performers and their staff who perform before an audience for a fee; service suppliers coming primarily to perform temporary services and who do not receive salary or other remuneration from a Philippine source other than expenses connected to their temporary stay; treasure hunters authorized by relevant government offices to search for hidden treasure; movie and television crews authorized by relevant government offices to film in the country; foreign journalists practicing their profession or covering a specific event in the country; trainees assigned in government institutions, government-owned and -controlled corporations, and private entities; lecturers, researchers, trainers and others pursuing academic work who are assigned in schools, universities, educational and research institutions, government agencies and other entities (with or without compensation); religious missionaries and preachers; commercial models and talents; culinary specialists and chefs; professionals; as well as consultants or specialists.

“Initially kasi wala tayong (we did not have) restrictions on type of employment, ng work na pwedeng ibigay sa (that can be given to) foreign nationals para sa (under) special work permit, so any type could be given a special work permit,” BI spokesperson Dana Krizia M. Sandoval explained in a mobile phone message.

“But because we saw that there is a need to tighten our procedure following the increase of the number of foreign nationals in the Philippines, we coordinated with DoLE; so we discussed this in several meetings and we came up with these 14 professions na pwede nating bigyan ng (for which we can issue) special working permit.”

John D. Forbes, senior adviser of American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc., said by phone: “I think there is an expectation that… whatever the guidelines are, [they] will result in faster processing of applications by regulatory agencies.”

British Chamber of Commerce Philippines Chairperson Chris Nelson said, also by phone: “I’ve read the announcements myself and what they (government) said was they want to… make the guidelines easier and support ease of doing business. So, if that’s the case… we support any measures that would support the ease of doing business.” — Gillian M. Cortez and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Hiring, labor turnover eases

By Marissa Mae M. Ramos
Researcher

LABOR turnover at the country’s large firms eased in the fourth quarter as hiring slowed, according to a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Preliminary results from the PSA’s Labor Turnover Survey showed that the labor turnover rate — the difference between the rates of accession and separation within firms — settled at 0.6% during the three months to December, slower than the downward-revised 0.8% in the third quarter of 2018.

This means that for every 1,000 persons employed, large firms were hiring six additional workers on a net basis in the fourth quarter.

The rate of accession — which represents hiring by employers to either replace former employees or expand their work force — stood at 8% in the fourth quarter, down from 9.5% in the preceding quarter.

The rate of separation — covering termination and resignation — stood at 7.5%, also down from 8.7% in the previous survey period.

Breaking down the accession rate, more people were hired in the fourth quarter due to business expansion at 4.2% compared to those who were employed as replacement for former employees at 3.8%.

For the separation rate, employee-initiated separation or resignations stood at 4.3% while the rate of employer-initiated separation or layoffs was 3.1%.

In an e-mail, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) economist Michael L. Ricafort said that sustained net job creation despite higher inflation last year “fundamentally reflects” the relatively fast expansion of the Philippine economy in 2018 at 6.2% that — despite a slowdown from 2017’s 6.7% — still made it among the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia.

“[T]he country’s improved economic and credit fundamentals in recent years… as well as the country’s improved demographics, make the country an attractive market or destination for foreign investments that create more local employment,” Mr. Ricafort said.

The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector’s accession rate of 6.8% outpaced its separation rate of 4.2%, resulting in a labor turnover rate of 2.5%.

Mr. Ricafort saw the sector’s net positive job creation as an improvement in the fourth quarter following damage caused by Typhoon Ompong on Sept. 15, 2018.

Services also saw a net job creation rate of 1.2% with an 8.5% accession rate and 7.2% separation rate. With the exception of professional, scientific, and technical activities (-2.3%); real estate activities (-0.3%); and “other service activities” (-0.1%), all other service subsectors recorded positive turnover rates.

On the other hand, industry posted a negative job creation rate (-1.7%) with a 6.8% accession rate versus a 8.5% separation rate.

Pulling down the sector were negative turnover rates in construction (-3.4%); manufacturing (-1.6%); and mining and quarrying (-1.4%).

“The negative turnover in the industry sector may reflect some slowdown in manufacturing and other industries especially [for] some exporters and importers that were adversely affected by slower global economic growth and global trade largely due to the US-China trade war as well as by Brexit uncertainties,” Mr. Ricafort said.

For this year, Mr. Ricafort expects recovery from key sectors due to higher infrastructure spending from the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

“Sustained growth in OFW (overseas Filipino workers) remittances, BPO (business process outsourcing) revenues, foreign tourism, and net foreign direct investments… would all sustain the relatively faster economic growth of the Philippines compared to most of the other Asian countries and fundamentally entail the creation of more local jobs/employment and business opportunities as well,” he added.

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