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Prosecution submits preliminary investigation on drug cases vs Lapeña

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) prosecution panel has wrapped up the preliminary investigation and submitted for resolution the complaints over the alleged the smuggling of shabu (methamphetamine) in the country that was kept in magnetic lifters in Aug. 2018. The consolidated complaints up for resolution were filed separately by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the National Bureau of Investigation. The NBI filed its complaint last Jan. 24 against former Bureau of Customs chief and now Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director-General Isidro S. Lapeña in connection with the importation of P2.4-billion of shabu kept in two magnetic lifters found at the Manila International Container Port and the P11-billion worth of shabu in four magnetic lifters found in Cavite. Mr. Lapeña is charged with two counts each of graft, dereliction of duty, and grave misconduct, while 50 others were also charged by the NBI. The PDEA filed separate complaints in Aug. and Dec. 2018. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Pangasinan holds 3rd Umaani Agri-Industrial Trade Fair

PANGASINAN’S 3RD Umaani Agri-Industrial Trade Fair and Exhibit is on this week at the Provincial Agriculture Center in Tebag, Sta. Barbara, where local farm and fishery goods are featured. “We organized this especially for you, my fellow farmers, our fisherfolks and the stakeholders of the agriculture industry in the province,” Gov. Amado I. Espino, III said during the six-day event’s opening last March 11. Mr. Espino touted the “strong collaboration between the executive and legislative branches of the provincial government” for the sustained growth in the agricultural sector. Pangasinan has about 150,00 hectares of farmland. Its top five crops as of June 2018, based on Philippine Statistics Authority data, are rice, corn, coconut, mango, and banana. At the trade fair, awards were also given to outstanding sector workers as well as certificates of completion to participants of various free training programs such as mushroom production, organic fertilizer production, cacao production, basket/bag making, wine and vinegar making, and backyard organic vegetable production, among others.

URC unit expands sugar milling operations in Negros Occidental

sugarcane
BW FILE PHOTO

A UNIT of Universal Robina Corp. (URC) has inaugurated a new sugar mill in Negros Occidental that will increase the mother company’s capacity to 40,000 tons of canes per day. URC said in a statement Tuesday that its sugar and renewables subsidiary Southern Negros Development Corp. (SONEDCO) has started operations of the new sugar mill in Kabankalan City. The facility can crush up to 6,000 metric tons of canes per day, hiking the SONEDCO’s total million capacity to 14,000 tons of canes per day. Listed firm URC cited the growing volume of sugar canes that needed to be milled in Kabankalan and other areas in Negros Occidental for putting up the project. It will start full commercial operations during the 2019-2020 crop year. The refined sugar produced by SONEDCO is used for URC’s branded consumer food products such as Great Taste Coffee, C2, biscuits, candies, and other sweetened products. — Arra B. Francia

P953M Busuanga Airport development breaks ground

THE DEVELOPMENT of the Busuanga Airport in Palawan, with a P953.5-million allocation, broke ground on Tuesday. The ceremony was led by Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Jim C. Sydiongco with local government officials. CAAP said the development project involves the construction of runway embankment and re-orientation of the airport’s runway to accommodate bigger types of aircraft. In 2017, Busuanga Airport catered to 525,044 passengers, a 63.26% increase from 321,595 passengers in 2016. CAAP also said the development project is intended to “establish a transportation framework for an economically feasible and sustainable tourism development in the region,” with Busuanga Airport serving as the main gateway to the Calamian Group of Islands Tourism Cluster, covering Calauit, Busuanga, Coron, and Culion. Busuanga Airport, also known as Francisco B. Reyes Airport, is currently a principal class 2 airport located in Coron town. It handles at least 16 domestic flights daily from carriers, Cebgo, PAL Express, Skyjet, and Air Juan.

20 BIFF members killed this week

THE MILITARY reported on Tuesday that around 20 members of the extremist Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Maguindanao have been killed in a clash that started Monday. “We have some reports na some of those who got killed in yesterday’s encounter hanggang midnight kagabi (until midnight last night), umabot na ng (has reached) almost 20… and some of them are high value targets or high value individuals, meaning commanders and sub commanders,” 6th Infantry Division Commander MGen. Cirilito E. Sobejana said in a message to reporters. On the government side, one soldier was reportedly killed while seven were wounded in action. Meanwhile, the army’s 55th Infantry Battalion also had an encounter with 22 members of the Islamic State-inspired Dawla Islamiyah (DI) group led by Abu Dar Monday in Pagayawan town. “We are sustaining our focused military operation in order to destroy the remnants of this group (DI-Lanao) and make the province free from terrorist,” said 103rd Brigade commander Col. Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. in a statement. Two soldiers were reportedly killed and one wounded, while two DI members were killed in the clash. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

MORE Power files expropriation case vs PECO

By Emme Rose S. Santiagudo, Correspondent
ILOILO CITY — The legal battle for power distribution in Iloilo City continues as More Electric and Power Co. (MORE Power) filed on Monday an expropriation case to acquire the assets of current distributor Panay Electric Co., Inc. (PECO).
MORE Power, in its petition filed before the Iloilo Regional Trial Court, cited
Republic Act No. 11212 and Rule 67 in accordance with Sec. 2 of the Revised Rules of Court to assert its authority “to take possession of, exercise control over, and manage and operate” all the power distribution assets in Iloilo City.
Republic Act No. 11212 grants MORE Power the power distribution franchise for Iloilo City.
The expropriation of PECO’s assets in its favor, according to MORE Power, would allow it to “immediately address and correct poor services, overcharging, frequent brownouts, expensive rates, old and unsafe facilities and practices, and other service deficiencies that this city’s power users and consumers had long suffered”.
MORE Power said it is ready to immediately provide the estimated total value of PECO’s assets at more than P480 million.
In its petition, the company said it is “willing and able to deposit the amount of P481,842,450 in a bank that the Honourable Court will designate as a deposit in support of the plaintiff’s prayer for the issuance of a writ of possession.”
MORE Power also maintained that the assets they seek to control are already public property as consumers have repaid PECO for its investments.
It cited Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), which states that “the costs for the acquisition, construction and establishment of the power distribution system were allowed to be recovered through the retail rate approved by the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission).”
“Considering that the retail rate already covers the capital recovery of defendant, these power distribution system assets are no longer purely private but are vested with public interest. Moreover, electricity is a basic necessity whose generation and distribution is imbued with public interest,” the complaint added.
MORE Power President Roel Z. Castro, in a statement, said they the amount they are prepared to pay PECO is “just compensation.”
“The amount can be considered just compensation for PECO’s assets. Since the law is there and it authorizes us to take over whatever assets is needed for our operations on the basis of the power of eminent domain delegated to us, we already filed the case,” Mr. Castro said.
He added, “While we are open to negotiations with them, we will use the leverage and rights mandated by RA 11212 to us, especially expropriation. It is incumbent upon us to avail of the rights given by the congressional franchise or else the government will revoke it.”
Mr. Castro also gave assurance that they do not intend to do “something disruptive.”
“We are just exercising our rights under the law, with RA 11212. Unless the court issues an order, we will not make a move,” Castro said.
PECO, meanwhile, said they will wait for the decision of the Mandaluyong court, which has already been informed of the Iloilo case.
“Last week PECO filed a Petition for Declaratory Relief with the RTC of Mandaluyong City questioning the constitutionality of the franchise of MORE Electric and Power Corporation. At the hearing of PECO’s prayer for issuance of a temporary restraining order this afternoon, MORE revealed that it had filed a petition for expropriation in Iloilo City to seize the assets of PECO. It is expected that the RTC of Mandaluyong would be issuing its ruling on the prayer for TRO anytime soon since the matter has already been submitted for resolution,” PECO Administrative Manager Marcelo U. Cacho said in a statement.
At the same time, Mr. Cacho said, “PECO will exercise all possible legal remedies in response to this development.”

BARMM issues fatwah to clarify that immunization is halal

AN ISLAMIC ruling, or a fatwah, on immunization was signed by 13 Muslim religious leaders of the Regional Darul Ifta (RDI) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on March 12 to clarify that it is consistent with the faith. During the ceremony, BARMM Ministry of Health (MoH) Assistant Secretary Zul Qarney M. Abas said the issuance of the fatwah was prompted by reports that “parents tend to refuse immunization because they were unsure if vaccination was consistent with their faith.” “The vaccines are halal (permissible),” Mr. Abas said. MoH Minister Safrullah M. Dipatuan stressed the importance of this measure and the participation of the ulama (religious leaders) for the Muslim communities in the region. “For us Muslims, this is important because for us, even if we know that there is a risk of death, we will not go through with it if we are uncertain if it is halal or haram,” Mr. Abas said in Filipino. “We are hopeful that after the rolling out of the fatwah declaration, this will result to the upsurge of the immunization of our children. I am hopeful that after this, parents in BARMM will voluntarily go to their local health centers to prevent further health problems,” Mr. Dipatuan added. — Tajallih S. Basman

Cebu provincial gov’t approves risk management plan for El Niño

THE CEBU Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) has approved the plan for mitigating the impact of the prolonged dry season due to El Niño. In a statement, the provincial government did not indicate the amount that would be allocated for the measures, but noted that the PDRRMC has a P255.266 million budget for this year. The total fund includes the PDRRMC’s unspent P58.266 million trust fund for 2018, which has been approved for reprogramming this year. “Upon the recommendation and motion of PDRRM officer Baltazar Tribunalo, the council chaired by Gov. Hilario P. Davide III, during its first quarter meeting, approved the implementation of the El Niño preparedness measure,” the local government said. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has reported that the current warming condition has been recorded since the fourth quarter of 2018 and may reach its peak in March to May this year.

Nation at a Glance — (03/13/19)

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 — (03/13/19)

Jimny Eat World:Suzuki Philippines brings in all-new version of iconic ‘cute ute’

Text and photos by Kap Maceda Aguila

THERE were a few bright spots in last year’s automotive scene, what with the onset of the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) Law, which effectively stymied a multi-year run of growth for the domestic industry owing to higher vehicle price tags, with a few exceptions.
Truly, one of those bright spots was the Suzuki Jimny, which made people almost forget about the excise-tax increase when the fourth iteration of the mini SUV was previewed at the 7th Philippine International Auto Show (PIMS) in October last year. There was a consensus among attendees that the unveiling of the new Jimny was one of the most applauded and awaited launches at PIMS.
On March 8, Suzuki Philippines finally ended the wait as it formally launched the new Jimny at the Bonifacio Global City’s amphitheater. Now appended with “All-Grip Pro” to denote the new off-road driving technology that underpins it, the Jimny nonetheless continues to honor its distinguished history by not straying far from the qualities that have endeared it to many car buyers since the nameplate debuted in 1970.
“The Suzuki Jimny is known as a real off-road compact vehicle,” said Suzuki Philippines director and automobile division general manager Keiichi Suzuki in an exclusive interview with BusinessWorld. “Suzuki does not want to change a lot in terms of the concept of the car, so we maintained the ladder frame and the part-time 4×4 system. On top of that, we still brought in new technologies, starting with the powerful 1.5-liter engine, and installed new 4×4 technologies that make it the All-Grip Pro.”
In a news release, Suzuki Philippines emphasized that the Jimny’s ladder frame makes it “more resistant than a monocoque body to torsion, and is therefore better suited for off-road, rough terrain.” The Jimny also uses a long-stroke, three-link suspension with rigid axles on both front and rear for “strong traction on uneven terrain.”
Its four-cylinder, 1.5-liter K15B engine supplies a maximum of 100hp and 130Nm at 6,000rpm and 4,000rpm, respectively. This engine is mated to either a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic transmission. To back up its off-road claim, the Jimny features a 37-degree approach angle, a 28-degree break-over angle, and a 49-degree departure angle. The vehicle is a part-time 4WD with low-range transfer gear, and its 4L mode provides extra torque for difficult terrain. Other features include hill-hold control, hill-descent control, brake limited slip-differential and traction control.
ICONIC CHARACTER
But again, the company wanted to stay true to the iconic character of the Jimny. “We wanted to maintain the concept — the size, the looks — even as we improved other things like the beauty, driving performance, and comfort,” continued Mr. Suzuki.
The multimedia audio unit banners a nine-inch capacitive touch screen with legible and large icons, as well as soft buttons for easy control. An offline GPS navigation system and off-road audio guide complete the suite of functions. The new Jimny swallows 53 more liters of cargo than the outgoing model, and small items can be stowed in a removable luggage box.
When asked how the Jimny ranges against its price-point competitors, the executive replied; “From a Suzuki point of view… we think that we have no direct competitors, but in terms of off-road vehicles, our unique point is the compact size of the car, and its affordability.”
He offered insight into the target demographic for the badge. “In the past, it was focused on professionals — not so young,” revealed Mr. Suzuki. “Now, because of the features and the beautiful design, the car is going to be more attractive not only for professionals but also the younger generation, and even ladies. The profile is getting more varied.”
The new Jimny All-Grip Pro comes in the following variants and prices: GL M/T (P975,000), GL A/T (P1.035 million), GLX A/T Monotone (P1.085 million), and GLX A/T Two Tone (P1.095 million).

Music and MG:Free concerts headline brand’s summer push

Text and photos by Kap Maceda Aguila

MG PHILIPPINES on March 9 kicked off the first in a series of live, free musical concerts dubbed “MG Live!” at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.
Staged in cooperation with Phoenix Petroleum, “MG Live!” is “a way for us to showcase our full vehicle lineup, announce our innovative after-sales complements, and unveil our upcoming dealership locations in a manner all Filipinos can appreciate: music,” said The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI) president and CEO Albert B. Arcilla in a news release. TCCCI is the official importer, distributor and service provider of the MG brand, in addition to Chevrolet, in the Philippines.
Rock band Sandwich and electro-pop act Gracenote performed at the SM Megamall Fashion Hall on March 6, where MG Philippines also displayed its ZS crossover SUV, MG 6 fastback sedan, and RX5 compact SUV. At the mall’s basement parking area, units of the cars were made available for customers wishing a test drive. Also displayed was a 1969 classic MGB V8 two-door roadster, “as a nod to the brand’s rich and colorful heritage,” said MG Philippines in a news release.
“We sought the owner out, who’s a big MG fan,” revealed TCCCI SVP for marketing Lyn M. Buena in an exclusive interview with BusinessWorld. Founded in 1924, MG (Morris Garages) was previously best known for its two-seat, open-top sports cars.
While still headquartered in Longbridge, Birmingham in the United Kingdom, MG is now a subsidiary of SAIC Motor UK — in turn controlled by Shanghai-based SAIC Motor, which ranks 36th in the Fortune Global 500 company list. SAIC is China’s biggest car manufacturer, and also controls another British auto marque, Roewe.
Ms. Buena said that, following the SAIC takeover of MG, the brand “has become very forward-looking when it comes to technology, and it comes at an attainable value. Putting all these three together means a great option for the Filipino market.” She added that MG arrives in the market here at an opportune time when SAIC is aggressively working to establish itself as a global brand.
“Our products fit many stages of life, different lifestyles, but as a whole, ours is a brand that boasts great driving dynamics and living the fun and vibrant life. It’s about exceeding expectations.”
CONCERT SERIES
On March 30, “MG Live!” will be staged at SM Southmall in Las Piñas (featuring Hilera and Moonstar88), culminating on April 6 at the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), to be held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. Performing at MIAS is Ultra Combo.
MG Philippines will launch two models at MIAS, according to Ms. Buena.
The so-called “hero vehicle” of the concert series is the 2019 model of the ZS. The compact SUV is priced starting at P818,888 for the 1.5 M/T Style variant, which is powered by a 1.5-liter, naturally aspirated gasoline engine that delivers 114hp and 150Nm. The car features an eight-inch Apple CarPlay-enabled LCD infotainment unit, push-button start/stop, multi-function steering wheel, and driving aids like a reverse camera, ABS, cornering brake control, electronic brake assist, electronic brake distribution, hill-start assist, tire-pressure monitoring system, and traction control.
Ms. Buena reported; “We’re not just building the brand. We’re making sure that after-sales service and the dealership facility are well taken care of. MG Philippines currently has four showrooms in operation: MG Centris on EDSA, MG BF Parañaque, MG Iloilo and MG Cebu. By the end of the year that number is expected to grow to 16. The company is also gearing up to launch a significant after-sales campaign, headlined a by a so-called mobile garage service. “It’s a service facility that goes to you — a ‘casa’ that goes to your home when you need help with your MG,” she said.

Jaguar’s electric crossover voted European Car of the Year

JAGUAR’S fully electric compact crossover, the I-Pace, has been named the 2019 European Car of the Year (COTY).
The COTY award, announced at the Geneva International Motor Show, is the first for a Jaguar.
Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Ralf Speth noted the I-Pace is also Jaguar’s first electric vehicle.
“The I-Pace was designed and engineered in the UK from a clean sheet of paper. It is the most technologically advanced battery electric vehicle. It’s a true game-changer. Winning European Car of the Year is an honor and real recognition of what our world-class team has delivered,” Mr. Speth said.
Sixty automotive journalists picked the I-Pace over six other COTY finalists. The other finalists were the Alpine A110, Citroen C5 Aircross, Ford Focus, Kia Ceed, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Peugeot 508 — none of which are electric-powered.
Jaguar said the I-Pace blends the performance of a sports car and the practicality of an SUV. It added the vehicle is supported by Jaguar’s public charging service which can be accessed via a dedicated app, or via an RFID key. The I-Pace is also offered with tailor-made charging packages and tariffs compiled into a monthly bill, giving drivers access to more than 85,000 charging points throughout Europe.
Jaguar said it had sold more than 8,000 I-Pace models to date. Deliveries in Europe accounted for 75% of the total volume.
The COTY plum adds to the 55 awards the I-Pace has received worldwide since its introduction in 2018, according to Jaguar.

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