Dealing Leonard

June 21, 2018 | 8:46 pm

As expected, the Spurs have been receiving offers for disgruntled Star Kawhi Leonard. And, as expected, they’re not yet keen on engaging in discussions on these offers. As far south as their relationship with the two-time All-Star has gone, they remain hopeful they can convince him to keep wearing silver and black. In part, the optimism is borne of their organizational stability and confidence in the way they run things; there’s a reason they’re viewed as the league’s gold standard. In larger measure, it’s fueled by the knowledge that dealing him will net them cents to the dollar.
To be sure, the Spurs aren’t without negotiating leverage. For one thing, Leonard is still under contract, and can, in fact, extend it to generate a windfall no other potential employer is able to provide. For another, the lines of communication continue to be open; he just met with head coach Gregg Popovich, and while he appears to have reiterated his preference to move to the Lakers, their talk underscored a mutual respect that enlivens the possibility of ties being repaired, if slowly.
It’s in this context that the Spurs have resolved to approach their most trying season in recent memory. They won’t be moved by offers that include assets slated to be acquired in today’s draft proceedings. Neither are they inclined to go out of their way to accommodate Leonard’s desire to be traded to the Lakers; it’ll happen only if it’s in their best interest. And they won’t care a hoot even if he aims to force his way to La-La Land by telling other parties that he’s a one-year rental at best.
Nonetheless, the Spurs will not be lacking in suitors. Leonard is worth all the headaches, not to mention the financial calisthenics. This is how the Thunder viewed their acquisition of Paul George last year, and how everybody else will consider the prospective arrival of the twice-named Defensive Player of the Year. Which is to say Popovich and Company will take their time assessing their options. They’ll exhaust all measures to retain him, and only when they can’t (and feel his value to them has diminished) will they pull the trigger on a swap.

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

Where does the Philippines sell most of its exported goods?

June 21, 2018 | 8:11 pm

By Carmina Angelica V. Olano, Researcher
US, Hong Kong and Japan continued to be the Philippines’ top export destinations, accounting for 45% of total exports in January to April this year, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.
The value of exports to Hong Kong posted a double-digit annual growth of 15.4%, while exports to US barely changed, growing 0.9%. Meanwhile, exports to Japan dropped 11.9 % from a year ago.
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
Graphics: Tone Dañas
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All Moro Convention group drafts Bangsamoro constitution under federal system

June 21, 2018 | 8:01 pm

mindanao — Muslim students arrive for a rally in support of the peace agreement with the government in Cotabato City, on the southern island of Mindanao on March 27, 2014. — AFP PHOTO/TED ALJIBE

DAVAO CITY — A proposed constitution for a Bangsamoro region under a federal system of government will be submitted to the Consultative Committee to Review the Constitution (ConCom), which is currently holding a nationwide roadshow on the draft Constitution.
Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chair Abulkhayr D. Alonto, in an interview, said the draft Bangsamoro constitution was already submitted to President Rodrigo R. Duterte last June 16.
The draft was put together by the All Moro Convention, headed by lawyer Michael O. Mastura, a historian and a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention.
“The document is seen to build on the gains of such endeavors by including salient inputs from the Bangsamoro sector,” Mr. Alonto said.
The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which will create a new political and geographical entity to replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, is scheduled for bicameral deliberations in Congress on July 9 to 13.
Once a new constitution is approved, the BBL will be superseded along with the current Constitution, Mr. Alonto explained.– Carmelito Q. Francisco

Gov’t suspends talks with Reds

June 21, 2018 | 7:43 pm

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
THE Philippine government has suspended all backchannel talks with the National Democtratic Front (NDF) pending the three-month review of all signed agreements related to the peace negotiations, government peace panel member Hernani A. Braganza said on Thursday.
In a statement, Mr. Braganza said that upon instructions of Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus G. Dureza and Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, “a government team flew to Utrecht to formally communicate to the NDF the decision of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to re-schedule the proposed resumption of government’s peace negotiations with communist guerrillas.”
He added: “In a meeting with the NDF leaders headed by Chief Negotiator Fidel V. Agcaoili and attended by Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria C. Sison, the government team also conveyed the Philippine government’s decision to suspend all backchannel talks with the NDF pending the three-month review of all signed agreements related to the peace negotiations. The suspension, however, does not preclude communications between the two parties if deemed necessary.”
Mr. Braganza said the meeting between the two parties was witnessed by third-party facilitators from the Royal Norwegian Government led by Special Envoy for Peace Idun Tvedt.
During the meeting, Mr. Braganza also said, “the NDF representatives expressed willingness to keep an open mind on the President’s decision and wait for the outcome of the government’s review before proceeding with any peace conversation with government. They reiterated their commitment to all signed agreements, including those involving the planned visit of Prof. Jose Ma. Sison in the Philippines to Manila for a meeting with the President. In turn, we extended the government panel’s appreciation to the NDF’s open-mindedness in coming to terms with President Duterte’s decision.”
For its part, the NDF said in a statement on Wednesday, “The NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) team listened to the explanation of the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) team on the reasons for postponing the resumption of the formal talks and agreed that the peace negotiations continue despite the cancellation of the scheduled formal talks in Oslo on June 28 to 30. The agreements reached in the four rounds of informal talks in March, April, May and June 2018, remain valid and have the effect of continuing the peace negotiations under the direction of the principals and reaffirmation of previous agreements.”
“In this regard, the two sides must comply with JASIG (Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees) and its provision for a foreign neutral venue, consistent with the general practice of warring parties to negotiate peace outside of their country or their respective territories,” the NDF also said.
The statement also noted that “the GRP team had to seek clarification from its Principal of the statement made by GRP Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque that the Third Party Facilitator (TPF) had been dismissed. With the role of the TPF clarified,… (t)he NDFP side assured the other side that the NDFP principal took note of the clarification.”
“The role of the TPF is of key importance while there is need to hold formal peace negotiations in a foreign neutral venue in compliance with the pertinent provision in the (JASIG),” the statement said.

Crime victimization drops 1 point in SWS Q1 survey

June 21, 2018 | 7:42 pm

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
ABOUT 1.5 million Filipino families or 6.6% reported being victimized by common crimes within the past six months, which was one point below the estimated 1.7 million or 7.6% recorded in December 2017, according to a March survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The common crimes in the March survey included pickpocket or robbery of personal property, break-ins, carjacking, and physical violence.
The survey showed majority of the victimized families (1.4 million or 6.1%) lost property to street robbery, burglars, or carjackers within the past six months. About 145,000 families or 0.6%, meanwhile, reported their members hurt by physical violence within the past six months.

The survey was conducted on March 23 to 27, using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide with sampling error margins of ±2.5% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
“Victimization by common crimes reported in SWS surveys is much higher than the number of crimes actually reported to the police,” SWS stated.
By region, families robbed of their personal property outside their homes in the past six months fell by two points in Visayas, from 5% in December 2017 to 3% in March 2018.
However, street robbery rose in Manila, from 10.3% in the previous quarter to 10.7% in March 2018, and in Luzon, from 3.7% in December 2017 to 4.3% in March 2018. The figures remained unchanged in Mindanao.
The March survey also found more women victimized by street robbery and physical violence than men. Of the 4.6% who were robbed, 59% were women while 38% were men. The figures rose by 19 points among women, from 40% in December.
On physical violence, more women (50%) were victimized than men (43%). The figures rose by 39 points among women from the reported 11% in December 2017.
On the other hand, the survey also showed there were fewer incidents of break-ins and carjackings (2.2% or an estimated 516,000), compared with the December 2017 survey (3.4% or an estimated 790,000).
It also revealed that Filipinos were less afraid of robbers (54% in March 2018, down five points from 59% in December 2017) and less afraid of walking in the streets at night (46% in March 2018, down two points from the 48% in the previous quarter).
About 40% of Filipinos agreed that there were many drug addicts in their neighborhood, but this was down two points from 42% in December 2017.
Malacañang said in a statement, when sought for comment, that “(c)rimes continue to decline…. Such public sentiment is certainly a big boost to the morale of our law enforcement agencies as we vow to continue to ensure the safety of all Filipinos.”

Duterte signs bill on mental health into law

June 21, 2018 | 7:41 pm

MALACAÑANG on Thursday announced that President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed into law Republic Act (RA) No. 11036 or the Philippine Mental Health Law that mandates the government to provide basic mental health services to Filipinos.
The new law is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 1354 and House Bill No. 6452 passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Feb. 12 this year. Mr. Duterte approved the proposed law last Wednesday, June 20.
Among the law’s objectives, as stated in Section 3, are to protect the rights and freedoms of persons with psychiatric, neurologic, and psychosocial health needs; integrate mental health care in basic health services; and integrate strategies promoting mental health in educational institutions, the workplace, and communities.
In a statement, Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, author and principal sponsor of the bill in the Senate, said in part, “This is the victory of the different advocates who helped in crafting the bill and ensured its passage from the time we filed it last October 2016.”
For his part, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said, “Now that the Philippine Mental Health Law is in place, I urge the Department of Health (DoH) (to oversee) its immediate implementation.”
Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara said the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) must “ensure that insurance packages equivalent to those covering physical disorders of comparable impact are available to patients affected by mental disorders.”
“Currently, PhilHealth only covers hospitalization brought about by acute attacks of mental and behavioral disorders at a package rate of P7,800. We hope that in the drafting of the IRR, free psychiatric consultations and medicines shall be made available for all Filipinos,” Mr. Angara also said.
Senator Francis N. Pangilinan, for his part, said the next crucial step is funding. “We hope the government will not renege on its commitment to infuse resources to give life to the law. Funding is needed to pave the way for mental health research, diagnosis and treatment,” he said.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said for his part, “We hope this policy will help neutralize the stigma attached to mental illness. Implementing a universal mental health care system in the country would provide more awareness regarding mental health among Filipinos, especially given the rising number of suicide cases among the youth.” — Arjay L. Balinbin, with Camille A. Aguinaldo

Aspiring SC associate justice challenged over graft allegations

June 21, 2018 | 7:40 pm

By Dane Angelo M. Enerio
COURT Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez’s bid to become a Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice has been challenged by allegations of misapporiation of funds from the $21.9 million loan provided by the World Bank (WB) in 2003 to fund the government’s Judicial Reform Support Project (JRSP).
The 10-page complaint submitted on Thursday to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) by a certain Ryzza Joy E. Laurea accused Mr. Marquez of lacking the post’s constitutional qualifications of “proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence” when he violated Republic Act R.A. No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and the Lawyer’s Code of Professional Responsibility over his alleged misuse of funds.
Mr. Marquez is competing with 11 other candidates vying to replace outgoing Associate Justice Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr., who is set to retire on Aug. 8.
Ms. Laurea cited in her letter data from the WB’s Aide Memoire report, which was released on Dec. 28, 2011 to monitor the loan and the progress of the JRSP.
According to her, “based on reports, the Aide Memoire stated that the World Bank has uncovered questionable procurements and disbursements by the Supreme Court under the watch of then (Chief Justice Renato C. Corona) in connection with the bank-funded JRSP.”
She noted that during that time, Mr. Marquez “was concurrently the Court Administrator, Spokesperson of the Supreme Court, and Chief of its Public Information Office and Chief of Staff of the Office of the Chief Justice.”
“The review uncovered, among others, ‘inaccurate/incomplete information’ on the project’s financial management report; ‘diminished existing internal check-and-balance mechanism,’ purchase of Information Technology (IT) equipment outside of the agreed procurement plan; and the practice of borrowing funds from the loan proceeds for foreign travels of justices paid to a travel agency owned by lawyer,” Ms. Laurea said in her letter.
She added that the report rated the JRSP as “high risk” and “unsatisfactory” on project management, project procurement, and financial management, and that the project’s financial statements “can no longer be relied upon.”
Questioned in the Aide Memoire was the “diminished internal auditing mechanism” in the SC which was examplified when Mr. Marquez was also appointed as the chair of the project’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), adding to all his positions in the high court.
Also noted in the report was Mr. Marquez’s authorization of payments up to P200,000, later increased to P500,000, in Mr. Corona’s behalf.
“[A]n amount of $199,9000, covering 70 payments, was deemed to be ‘ineligible’ (unauthorized) under the terms of the JRSP,” the letter added, with 16 of the “ineligible” expenditures leading to the Office of the Court Administrator, headed by Mr. Marquez.
Then Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda attributed the cost to “ineligible expenses’ disallowed by the WB which included meals, accommodations, airfare and allowances for justices, as well as computer equipment, among others.
THE PROBLEM
According to Ms. Laurea, rather than clarifying the “ineligible” expenditures, Mr. Marquez instead “opted to downplay the Aid Memoire as a mere preliminary report” and “did not explain how his office spent (the funds).”
She also said Mr. Marquez’s simultaneous positions “diminished (the) internal auditing mechanism” in the SC and that he “participated in conflicting roles in the JRSP.”
Sought for comment, Mr. Marquez told reporters, “It’s an old, non-issue, erroneous complaint that cannot even be attributed to me.”

Palace: More should be charged in DAP case

June 21, 2018 | 7:40 pm

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s spokesman on Thursday said more personalities allied with the past administration should be charged in connection with the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program on the watch of then president Benigno S.C. Aquino III.
“So—I am sure po, marami pang dapat kasuhan na hindi pa nakakasuhan at iyon po ang tinutukoy ng Presidente na may hawak siyang mga dokumento, dahil ito po ay mga kaalyado ng dating administrasyon na hindi po nakasuhan,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in a press briefing. (I am sure, more who haven’t been charged should be charged, and this is what the President when he said he has documents, because these [people] are allied with the past administration and they haven’t been charged.)
Mr. Duterte, in his remarks Wednesday, said in part, “One day, I will show it to you, the DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program) na hindi niya ginalaw (that [Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales] did not touch). We’ll publish it.” The Ombudsman that day issued a statement saying it had found probable cause to indict Mr. Aquino III for Usurpation of Legislative Powers via the DAP.
Mr. Roque also said in an interview with ANC that he “would have indicted him (Mr. Aquino) for a bigger charge.”
“I would have indicted him for malversation,” he said, adding that Mr. Aquino’s indictment over DAP “should have been done earlier.”
For his part, Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito said in a forum on Thursday: “It has been a habit of (former budget) secretary (Florencio B.) Abad and the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) to make use of savings for different purposes, if you recall the Dengvaxia.”
“(M)ukhang (it appears) it’s just a slap on the risk because usurpation is only six months imprisonment….At the very least (it should have been) technical malversation, and I think Abad is very guilty of this,” Mr. Ejercito also said about Mr. Aquino’s co-accused in the DAP case.
Senator Richard J. Gordon, for his part, said: “As chairman of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, I agree with the Ombudsman that there was usurpation. But, though I don’t know all the facts yet, I would have chosen the more stringent offenses which are graft and corruption and malversation. They were even guilty of malversation, technical malversation.”
The Liberal Party in a statement on Wednesday defended Mr. Aquino, saying he “will show that he did not commit any illegal act.”
Also in his ANC interview, Mr. Roque said that he thinks Edna A. Herrera-Batacan, “the President’s personal lawyer, is a front-runner for the Ombudsman post. She’s a litigator.”
In her interview with the Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines (JBC) on Wednesday, Ms. Batacan acknowledged having “a close relationship with President Duterte.”
Ms. Morales is due to retire on July 26. — Arjay L. Balinbin, with Camille A. Aguinaldo

No neglect of duty on bill deposits, ERC commissioners insist

June 21, 2018 | 7:40 pm

By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-Editor
THE four commissioners of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said there was no basis for the Ombdusman’s findings that resulted in the imposition of a three-month suspension as penalty for simple neglect of duty on the issue of bill deposits.
The commissioners, who said they were saddened by the order of the Office of the Ombudsman, maintained that there had never been any neglect of duty on their part.
“There are existing regulations put in place by the Commission regarding the bill deposit being enforced to protect the public. One of the regulations issued by the Commission is the Magna Carta of the Rights of Electricity Consumers (MREC) where the consumers are granted the right to demand the return of the deposit and the distribution utilities cannot ignore the said demand,” a statement sent by the commissioners’ legal counsel read.
“Notwithstanding the existence of these policies, the Commission has been evaluating them beforehand and have actually been working on the review of the policies in question,” it added.
The suspension came after consumer advocacy group National Association of Electricity Consumers of Reforms, Inc. (Nasecore), represented by its Executive Director Rafael Antonio M. Acebedo, filed a complaint of grave misconduct against the commissioners on Dec. 13, 2017.
The case stemmed from Nasecore’s allegation of “unauthorized use” by distribution utility Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) of the bill deposits of customers, unjust or discriminatory fixing of interest rates on them, as well as their non-crediting in favor of consumers.
The four ERC commissioners, Alfredo S. Non, Gloria Victoria C. Yap-Taruc, Josefina Patricia M. Asirit and Geronimo D. Sta. Ana, have filed a petition for temporary restraining order (TRO) against the suspension with the Court of Appeals. They are represented by lawyer Rolando B. Faller.
The statement read: “Hence as a result of the prior assessment and internal discussions in the Commission, the following were undertaken: On 30 May 2017, the Commission posted in its official website the initial draft ‘Rules to Govern the Monitoring and Reporting Process of Bill Deposits’, docketed as ERC Case No 2017-006 RM.”
“In the Commission’s Order dated 30 May 2017, all interested parties were requested to submit their comments on the said draft Rules on or before 15 June 2017,” it read.
“After considering all the comments submitted, the Commission issued the 2^nd draft ‘Rules to Govern the Monitoring and Reporting Process of Bill Deposits.’ Said 2^nd draft Rules were posted in the Commission’s website on 2 October 2017. In its “Notice” dated 2 October 2017, the Commission solicited comments from all interested parties giving them until 31 October 2017 to submit their comments,” it added.
In the intervening period, several letters and communications were exchanged between Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi and Undersecretary Petronilo “Pete” L. Ilagan to update them on the progress of the public consultations, the statement read. It described Mr. Ilagan as affiliated with Nasecore.
“All interested parties were directed to submit their comments (in both hard and soft copies) on the said draft Rules on or before May 11, 2018. Please note that the public consultations in Visayas and Mindanao were originally set on April 18 and 19, 2018, respectively, but the same were cancelled and reset to May 16 and 17, 2018 thru an Order dated April 12, 2018 due to conflicts in scheduling,” the statement read.
“As may be seen from the above narration, the Commission continues to work on the concern as well as other equally important and pressing issues under the Commission’s mandate,” the statement said, adding that “we continue to work towards resolving issues and concerns as well as anticipate needed reforms within our sphere of responsibility.”

Which regions attract the most investments?

June 21, 2018 | 5:59 pm

By Jochebed B. Gonzales, Senior Researcher
Filipino and foreign investors are expected to inject some P185 billion in the form of capital investments, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.
Region III (Central Luzon) was the biggest recipient among regions during the first quarter with P80.3 billion in approved investment pledges by investment promotion agencies. It was followed by Region IV-A (Calabarzon) with investment commitments amounting P60.6 billion.
The National Capital Region and Region XI (Davao Region) managed to get more than P10 billion in investment pledges, at P15.7 billion and P14.5 billion, respectively.

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PH ranks second in Taiwan's most hated countries list

June 21, 2018 | 5:53 pm

A new report released this week found that the Philippines is among Taiwan’s most hated countries, ranking second after North Korea.
The results of the survey, conducted among 1,073 Taiwanese respondents by the non-government, non-profit Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation, were as follows.
Most hated:

North Korea (70.9 percent)
Philippines (52.9 percent)
China (43.9 percent)
South Korea (33.8 percent)
Russia (29.7 percent)

Formal relations between Taiwan and the Philippines, its closest geographical neighbor, have been tenuous in the past, but warmed in recent years with the signing of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy in 2016.
The document formalized Taiwan’s commitment to strengthening socioeconomic ties with the Philippines, and was well received by the Duterte administration.
Michael Alfred Ignacio, director for commercial affairs at the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (the Philippines’ de facto embassy in Taipei), expressed last week hopes to further realize those ties.
“We want to become Taiwan’s gateway to Southeast Asia and New Southbound countries,” Ignacio said. “[We’ve] been working very closely with Taiwan’s government to make it a reality.”
The Taiwanese Ministry of Labor lists over 150,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) currently employed across Taiwan’s households, construction sites, and manufacturing plants, amounting to the third largest group of immigrant workers in the country.
Taiwan was also the second largest source of foreign investments in 2017, accounting for 10.3 percent (P10.8 billion) of total applications.
These strengthening ties, however, have been slow to curb negative sentiments from the Taiwanese public.
But while the Philippines ranked second on the most hated list in 2017 as well, this year’s 52.9 percent showing was an improvement from the previous year’s 57.3 percent, marking a small, but positive shift under the Duterte administration.
Similarly, while North Korea also topped the list in 2017, the number of respondents noting an unfavorable opinion of North Korea has dropped considerably.
From 81.6 percent in 2017, that number has gone down roughly 11 percentage points to 70.9 percent. Experts attribute this positive change to the recent US-North Korea summit held in Singapore earlier this month.
Among those viewed most favorably by Taiwanese respondents were Singapore, Japan, Canada, the European Union, and the United States. — Santiago J. Arnaiz
Note: Estimates from the Philippine Statistics Authority released in May 2018 place the number of OFWs in Taiwan at roughly 88,000 (based on data collected between April and September 2017).

Construction of 10 big-ticket infrastructure projects to start within the year — DoF

June 21, 2018 | 5:19 pm

CONSTRUCTION WORKS for 10 of the 75 key large-scale infrastructure projects of the Duterte administration are set to begin in the latter half of this year.
Department of Finance (DoF) data show that projects moving into the construction stage include the P4.61 billion Binondo-Intramuros bridge and the P1. 37-billion Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, where both of which were funded by China grants.
It also includes the China-funded P4.37-billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project and the P35.26-billion Mindanao Railway Project, Tagum, Davao, Digos segment that is split between the government budget and China loans.
The Panguil Bay Bridge Project worth P4.86 billion financed by Korea official development assistance (ODA) will also start in the second half of the year, as well as the P1-billion repair of revetment and parapet walls and drainage improvements along Pasig River from Delpan Bridge to Napindan Channel, funded by an undetermined ODA source.
There are also four public-private partnership (PPP) projects readied for construction, namely the P3.33-billion mixed-income housing center, P1.78-billion government center, P850-million commercial center components of the Clark Green City.
It also includes the New Bohol Airport operations and maintenance PPP concession worth P2.34 billion. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan