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MICC to submit review of 26 suspended mines by end-Sept.

THE Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) is expected to come up with its full review of the 26 mining firms ordered closed by former environment secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez by the end of this month, which will be then submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“By the end of the month, we expect the complete report by the MICC team… Our timeline with Secretary [Roy A. Cimatu] is once they submitted their report, give us at least a week and then we will draft the orders for resolving the motions for reconsideration, for action by the Secretary,” DENR Undersecretary Analiza A. Rebuelta-Teh told reporters on Thursday, on the sidelines of the Mining Philippines Conference and Exhibition 2018 in Sofitel Philippine Plaza.
“Once he decides, we will submit the report to the President,” she added.
According to Ms. Teh, the DENR will base its decision on the MICC report, as well as on the results of its technical team review of the mining audit conducted during the term of Ms. Lopez. The DENR also instructed its regional offices to submit monitoring reports on these mining sites.
The 26 sites were divided into five groups, with only two submitting their technical review report so far.
She said the mining companies have been “very cooperative in terms of providing reports that teams needed. It’s just that the teams have been deliberating how they will rate, and what the additional findings will be… There is also a social survey that will determine (the impact on) affected communities… Second, they also have to undertake an economic study to determine whether a certain area is more viable for mining” or other things Ms. Teh said.
Ms. Teh also said that Mr. Cimatu “wants to put more premium on the environmental [considerations].”
Criteria for assessment include legal, technical, economic, social and environmental compliance.
In February 2017, the DENR under the leadership of Ms. Lopez issued suspension and cancellation orders to 26 mining companies, including 19 nickel mines, three gold and gold copper mines, three chromite mines, and two magnetite/iron mines in functional watersheds.
Ms. Lopez said that the companies may still seek a motion for reconsideration with the Office of the President. Only 13 have filed such motions.
Meanwhile, Mr. Cimatu ordered last week the suspension of all quarry operations in the regions of Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga, following a landslide near a quarry site in Sitio Sindulan, barangay Tinaan in Naga City, Cebu.
“The suspension will be effective until such time that the review and assessment of quarry operations are completed, including surrounding communities as far as their safety from the impact of the quarry operations and geohazards is concerned,” Mr. Cimatu said.
Mr. Cimatu also relieved four officials of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Cebu, pending an investigation into their accountability regarding the landslide. They are: Regional Director Loreto B. Alburo, Chief of Finance and Administrative Division Gerardo V. Mahusay, Chief of Geosciences Division Al Emil G. Berador, and supervising geologist Dennis Gerald A. Aleta. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

Natural gas seen playing complementary role as renewables tech develops

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Associate Editor
BARCELONA — Even as renewables continue to grow, the global gas industry is confident natural gas still has a key role to play in the energy sector.
At the same time, top industry executives are also pushing back at criticism that natural gas is hindering the growth of renewable energy sources.
“For the power sector, we see natural gas as the best complement for intermittent renewable energy and obviously, the best substitute for polluting energy which is essentially oil, diesel or coal,” Engie Executive Vice-President Pierre Chareyre said during a panel discussion at last week’s Gastech Exhibition and Conference here.
Marcelino Oreja, chief executive of Spanish giant Enagas, said gas is not just a “good back-up” for renewables, but is also needed to support the growth of industry.
“For many people who don’t know about gas, they think gas is stopping the growth of renewables and that’s what makes people very against us. Many of the infrastructure we are building, promoting in Europe, there are demonstrations because people think we are stopping the growth of renewables,” Mr. Oreja noted during the same panel.
While some say that renewables will soon overtake the need for natural gas, particularly in the power generation sector, Black & Veatch Chairman and CEO Steven L. Edwards is positive that natural gas still has a role to play in the future.
“We are confident that natural gas has a role, even as renewables reshape the electricity industry… I’m a strong proponent of natural gas complementing renewables. I believe renewables will increase greatly around the world but at different paces,” he said.
Engie’s Mr. Chareyre says gas is the “best friend” of renewables. “Only combination of natural gas and electricity solution can keep energy transition costs at a socially acceptable level because most of the investments in gas infrastructure has already been done. It will be able to cope with challenge of energy transition in a clean and effective way,” he added.
TRENDS
Black & Veatch’s Mr. Edwards said the industry needs to pay close attention to three trends to determine the role natural gas will play in the future.
“First is the cost of renewables that will continue to decrease at a rapid rate. That’s a long established trend at this point… Costs are decreasing which indicate renewables will continue to capture a greater share of the market,” he said.
One trend to watch is how innovations in battery storage will have an effect on the electricity grid.
“Those technologies are new, not very cost-competitive without government subsidies to move those forward.
But there are huge amounts of investment pouring into storage right now and… the timing of when storage will help address intermittency of renewables, in our view… will take decades,” Mr. Edwards said.
Another trend is the rapid growth of electrification due to electric vehicles, which Mr. Edwards said provides opportunity for both renewables and natural gas.
“As we transition from fuel to electric vehicles, we believe the solution means there will be more power needed from the grid, and both sources will play a significant role in filling the gap. The biggest challenge in renewables is the stability of the grid and intermittency of those sources,” he said.
For Mr. Edwards, what is important is for the natural gas industry to find ways to innovate to keep pace with innovations in the renewable energy sector.
“As the prices come down, natural gas will need to stay on a curve to innovate and competitive with renewables,” he said.
OPPORTUNITIES
Meanwhile, the gas industry is seeing opportunities for future growth, particularly in the transportation sector.
“We think natural gas will increase and grow in the use for transportation. In Spain, we are behind the use of natural gas for vehicles and we are pushing that through Enagas and investing in gas stations,” Mr. Oreja said.
Astrid Alvarez, CEO of Grupo Energia Bogota, said it is important for emerging countries like Colombia and Peru (where the company operates) to use of gas for the mass transportation sector.
“There are challenges and opportunities, especially in our cities, where the newest vehicles pay more taxes than the oldest ones. It’s very strange but we should change the policies. Cities should have lowest taxes for the gas vehicles, so it will give you an incentive to use a gas vehicles. In Colombia and Peru, we want to have policy that will increase gas-powered mass transportation, buses, taxes and small vehicles for logistics,” Ms. Alvarez said.
Engie’s Mr. Chareyre said his view of the future of transport systems in Western Europe is based on a mix of fuels and electricity.
“We think gas is an essential solution for heavy vehicles like buses and trucks. In that field there are not so many substitutes… In Paris, for the local transport system… there will be a fleet of buses running on biogas with dedicated fueling stations. That means the bus system will be fully clean in France by 2025,” he said.
Engie is also working on liquefied natural gas (LNG) for bunkering. “We think the maritime industry is going into that direction. We see LNG as the cleanest fuel for shipping and cargo. We think natural gas and LNG and biomass will play an important role in the future for decarbonizing and cleaning transportation,” Mr. Chareyre said.

NEDA panel approves feasibility study funding for water supply, Pampanga mass transport projects

THE GOVERNMENT has approved the funding for feasibility studies for two water management projects and a transportation project, tapping a 2018 special-purpose fund.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said in a statement over the weekend that the NEDA Board’s Committee on Infrastructure rules as eligible for funding by the Project Development and other Related Studies (PDRS) Fund P155 million worth of feasibility studies.
These cover the feasibility studies for the Water Supply Project in Selected LGUs for the Local Government Support Fund — SAGANA at Ligtas na Tubig para sa Lahat (LGSF — SALINTUBIG); the Ipo Dam No. 3 Project; and the Pampanga Mass Transit System Project.
The PDRS has P1.6 billion under the 2018 government budget.
NEDA administers the fund “for the conduct of feasibility studies, master plan formulation, alternatives and/or value analyses, and other pre-investment activities of major infrastructure projects.”
The study for the Water Supply Project will identify reliable water sources for the construction of water systems, which will be implemented by the Department of Interior and Local Government.
The Ipo Dam No. 3 Project, to be initiated by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, will study the construct a dam downstream of the New Ipo Dam and upstream of the Bustos Dam, which will also be a catchment for spillage from Angat Dam to mitigate flooding in the area. NEDA documents show that the project was among those lined up for Chinese official development assistance (ODA) financing under the Philippines-China Six-Year Development Plan 2017-2022.
Meanwhile the Transportation department’s Pampanga Mass Transit System Project, will review the establishment of mass transit routes along Mac Arthur Highway and within the Clark Freeport Zone, as it aims to promote sustainable land development along the transport corridor and also connect New Clark City.
A finding of feasibility will send the projects to NEDA’s Investment Coordination Committee for further review, after which they go up for final approval by President Rodrigo R. Duterte and the NEDA Board. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

DBP says construction driving loans growth

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez
Senior Reporter
THE Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has extended over P15 billion loans to construction firms building the state’s priority infrastructure projects, its CEO said.
DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Cecilia C. Borromeo also said last week that the state-owned bank grew its loan book by nearly 20% in June, largely on the back of infrastructure financing.
“We have a lot of customers also who are contractors who are working on some of these big projects. Under our ICONS (Infrastructure Contractors Support) program, we have approved probably more than P15 billion already since last year,” Ms. Borromeo told reporters on the sidelines of a signing ceremony held at the DBP headquarters in Makati City on Friday.
DBP rolled out the ICONS Program in July 2017 primarily to provide special credit lines for contractors tapped by the national government to carry out big-ticket projects, particularly for those identified in the 75-item “Build, Build, Build” program of the Duterte administration.
The state-run lender has since been designated as the government’s infrastructure financing bank.
In May, DBP signed a P9.5-billion loan agreement with AlloyMTD Holdings Philippines, Inc., the construction firm selected to build the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) in Tarlac.
The credit line represents 75% of the P13-billion budget to build the disaster-resilient backup offices for various government agencies which are based in Metro Manila. The NGAC forms part of phase 1A of the New Clark City, which broke ground in January and is targeted to be completed by late 2019.
“Our portfolio grew by about 18%, almost 20% year-on-year. More than 50% of that growth came from infrastructure projects,” Ms. Borromeo added.
At the end of June, DBP net income rose 4% to P2.76 billion, with a loan book of P250.59 billion. Of the total, P82.88 billion funded infrastructure and logistics projects.
Ms. Borromeo said the bank has also extended credit for power generation and renewable energy contracts, as well as projects administered by local government units.
Also last week, DBP also signed agreements to extend a P500-million scholarship program across 14 state universities and colleges over a five-year period. Students from poor families and with good grades will be given free tuition and miscellaneous fees, as well as allowances for books, uniforms, lodging and living expenses.
Priority courses are those whose graduates will help “support President Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’”- including engineering and real estate management; education; hotel and restaurant management; agriculture, forestry and environmental science; and business-related courses like accountancy.

DTI receiving inquiries from manufacturers seeking to leave China

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it has received inquiries from some foreign firms seeking to relocate manufacturing operations to the Philippines amid tensions between US and China.
“That’s what we have observed, interest in relocating in the Philippines,” Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said in a mobile message, adding that he will soon be consolidating the inquiries.
He was responding to BusinessWorld’s request for comment on the recently-released report by the American Chamber of Commerce in the People’s Republic of China (AmCham China), which measured the impact of tariffs imposed by both the US and Chinese governments.
One of the key findings of the study noted that Southeast Asia is the top destination for US companies considering to relocate manufacturing facilities out of the mainland amid escalating bilateral trade tensions.
Nearly two-thirds or 64.6% of respondents said they have not yet relocated manufacturing facilities out of China and are not considering the move.
Meanwhile 18.5% of those who have plans to do so have picked Southeast Asia as their top destination.
Some 6% said they are considering relocating back to the US Other destinations being studied are the Indian subcontinent (6.3%), East Asia (4.2%), Europe (4.2%), and Latin America (3.9%).
Some 33.5% of respondents producing consumer goods are considering relocating their China-based manufacturing to Southeast Asia.
In the technology and telecom hardware industry, 26.7% are considering the region; for the automotive sector the share is 25%; and in the chemicals sector, 23.1%.
The study shows that 60% of respondents have found that the initial round of tariffs affecting a combined $50 billion worth of trade between both the US and China have negatively affected their companies.
In addition, the percentage of companies anticipating a negative impact from the second round of tariffs was 74.3% for the US tariffs covering $200 billion worth of goods, and 67.6% for Chinese tariffs affecting $60 billion.
“Adjusting supply chains is a common response to the tariffs, with many companies seeking to source components and/or assembly outside of either the US (30.9%) or China (30.2%),” according to the AmCham report, which covered more than 430 companies contacted between Aug. 29 and Sept. 5.
The DTI had said the Philippines can benefit from the spillover effects of the US and China trade tensions in the short term.
However, DTI’s Mr. Lopez has also warned that continued retaliatory tariff hikes would also have a negative effect in the long-term. — Janina C. Lim

Transport dep’t studying Siargao airport relocation

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) is studying relocation of the Siargao Airport in Surigao del Norte because of terrain features like nearby hills that make landings dangerous.
Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio L. Tamayo said in a budget hearing in the Senate on Thursday there is an ongoing study to move Sayak airport, in northern Siargao, to the center of the island.
“There are many hills there… There is a study now to relocate the airport,” he told Senator Loren B. Legarda when asked about the possibility of rating Sayak for night operations.
The DoTr proposed a P500 million land-acquisition budget for the new airport in its 2019 budget submitted to the Department of Budget and Management. Mr. Tamayo added that the funds will also finance the preliminary work to prepare the site for construction.
“It’s a new location. It’s more centrally located,” he added.
Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said in the same hearing that developing an airport for Siargao is a DoTr priority.
“The bigger argument for Siargao was the potential for tourism. So that if we will use the old airport, it might limit the potential of the place for tourism,” he said.
Also discussed at the DoTr budget hearing was the government’s reorientation of Busuanga airport in Coron, Palawan. Mr. Tamayo said it is proposing P1 billion for the plan.
“There are obstructions, there are hills. We have funds to reorient the runway. Meaning we’ll have a runway that does not endanger the flight because of the proximity. We have the land area. It’s owned by government as well,” he said.
He noted unlike in the case of Siargao, the new runway for Busuanga will be right beside the existing airport.
Mr. Tamayo called the current runway approach “quite turbulent. By reorienting it, we remove that danger. And we can have a runway that is two-way,” Mr. Tamayo added. — Denise A. Valdez

Debt service drops sharply in July

THE GOVERNMENT’S debt service bill halved in July over sharply reduced amortization payments, while interest expenses were little changed, data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) show.
The national government paid P47.21 billion in July, down 52.53% from a year earlier.
However it was 53.5% higher than the P30.76 billion in June.
Some 95% of the payments in July represented interest worth P44.84 billion, which was less than a percentage point higher than the P44.63 billion paid a year earlier.
The payments to domestic and foreign lenders amounted to P24.32 billion and P20.52 billion, respectively.
Amortization on the other hand amounted to P2.37 billion, dropping 95.69% from a year earlier, including P2.1 billion to overseas creditors P273 million to domestic creditors.
The government borrows funds to pay for public projects and programs beyond its ability to finance from the budget, amid an aggressive spending program largely focused on infrastructure.
In the seven months to July period, the government paid a total of P463.11 billion to service debt, down 3.12% from the same period in 2017.
This is equivalent to 63.12% of the programmed P733.74 billion debt service budget for the year, based on the latest Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF) report.
Of the total, 54.58% or P252.76 billion went towards settling principal obligations, and P210.35 billion for interest.
Some 70% or P170.66 billion of the amortization bill in the first seven months went to domestic lenders and P82.01 billion went to foreign funding sources.
Some 66.02% or P138.89 billion worth of interest payments went to the domestic payments for maturing government securities, while P71.46 billion went to external creditors. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Youthworks training programs to launch in key southern cities next month

THE Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said its youth employment training project, which seeks to align job training more closely with industry demand, will be launched in a number of key southern cities starting next month.
Youthworks Ph, PBEd’s workforce development project in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will launch in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro next month. It will also launch in Zamboanga in November.
Youthworks will also launch in Metro Manila next month.
“If we develop a curriculum that only responds to the national level companies…we’re not responding to the issue where the most employers are which are the smaller companies in the provinces and cities,” said Youthworks Ph Chief of Party Karol Mark Yee in a media dinner last week.
He said there is a need to address the need of employers beyond the “national players,” with a curriculum serving the workforce development needs of medium and small-scale industries.
“There are so many opportunities but (the program) really leverages or maximizes the strengths and resources of a specific institution and where they are,” he said.
Youthworks has been in talks with region-specific industries, such as the sardine fishery and halal food producers.
“(There is a market for) halal but they don’t have an existing training program yet,” Mr. Yee said, referring to the Islamic rules for the preparation of food and other goods.
“In Zamboanga, (we’ve also been talking with) sardine factories,” he said.
In Cagayan de Oro, he sees training opportunities in the biofuel industry, with a university there interested in creating “a short term course in renewable energy.”
Launched in June, Youthworks is preparing curricula for all its programs for implementation by early next year. Target sectors include agriculture; banking and finance; construction; energy; hospitality and tourism; and manufacturing.
Youthworks also plans to establish work-based training sites in Iloilo, General Santos, and Davao. — Gillian M. Cortez

TRAIN Law: Revisions to Income Tax Return forms

Controversies continue to surround the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law. Members from both the public and private sectors blame it for the steady rise in inflation, the now weekly increase in fuel and oil prices, and a record currency depreciation that left the peso at its weakest in over 11 years.
While experts are still debating the alleged negative impact of the TRAIN law on the economy, proponents of the law are quick to point out its positive aspects. These include the lowering of personal income taxes, the lowering of transfer tax rates (now at 6%), the exemption from Value Added Taxes (VAT) of certain fees, and the exemption from tax on certain types of mergers and acquisitions, as there is a bona fide business purpose.
Perhaps one of the most practical, though hardly talked about, consequences of the TRAIN Law is the change to the filing and submission of income tax returns (ITRs). After the TRAIN Law took effect on Jan. 1, tax authorities were quick to issue multiple implementing rules and regulations and circulars. They also issued revised quarterly ITR forms for individuals, estates, and trusts, all published within the first quarter of the year, but did not yet include new quarterly and annual ITRs for corporations. As a result, even though the TRAIN Law took effect at the start of the New Year, corporate taxpayers found themselves having to file and submit outdated (2013) BIR ITR forms in their annual statutory compliance.
The TRAIN Law is not the first attempt to rectify, or otherwise standardize, ITR forms for both individuals and corporations. Recall that starting taxable year 2013, BIR Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 2-2014 was issued, which mandated that taxpaying entities had to file ITRs as one of five categories:

1. 1700 — For individuals earning purely compensation income;

2. 1701 — For self-employed individuals;

3. 1702 RT — For corporations, partnerships, or other taxable non-individual taxpayers who are subject to the regular tax rate;

4. 1702 MX — For corporations, partnerships, or other taxable non-individual taxpayers subject to multiple income tax rates, or with income subject to the special/preferential rate;

5. 1702 EX — For corporations, partnerships, or other taxable non-individual taxpayers who are exempt from income tax under the Tax Code.

Taxpayers have observed that the 2013 tax return forms were somewhat problematic. Not only were the forms lengthy — each composed of 8 to 13 pages — they also had issues concerning the applicability of certain legal provisions. One such concern was the limitation on applying for optional standard deduction (OSD) for corporations and self-employed individuals who were subject to multiple tax regimes. As one can imagine, this situation caused concern to taxpayers earning mixed income.
In a similar vein, taxpayers experienced difficulty in carrying over the Net Operating Losses (NOLCO) to supplement their businesses. Take for example, a company filing an ITR in 2013, with results that showed a net loss. Under the law, these losses would be claimable as NOLCO in three succeeding years, from the year when the loss was incurred. But if the company filed its 2014 ITR opting for an OSD instead of an itemized deduction, the 2013 NOLCO would not reflect in the most recent 2014 filing. Therefore, there is a risk that the company will be unable to avail of the filed 2013 NOLCO as a valid deduction in the 2015 ITR, despite the fact that it was still within the three-year period — just because the NOLCO was not included in the 2014 ITR.
With the passage of new ITR forms (which are now notably shorter at 4 pages total), taxpayers can have an easier time managing their tax obligations. In addition, the BIR has created a new task force to address taxpayers’ questions, which affords our citizens a dynamic new platform to voice out concerns or questions about the ITR forms, or any other tax return issues.
Concerning the unreleased corporate tax returns, these have supposedly been drafted and are currently being readied in time for the annual filing on April 15, 2019. Many taxpayers are hopeful of positive and progressive changes in the new package of laws, with the most common items on the “wish list” being the further lowering of corporate tax rates and the harmonization of tax incentives to better suit the needs of growing businesses and emerging markets.
Nevertheless, the TRAIN Law remains constantly evolving and proactive. Many continue to hope for more stable, permanent relief from the issues surrounding income tax returns.
This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice where the facts and circumstances warrant. The views and opinion expressed above are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of SGV & Co.
 
Cherry Liez O. Rafal-Roble and Danielle Irma Arellano are Tax Senior Director and Tax Director, respectively, of SGV & Co.

Net satisfaction with drug war steadies — SWS

NET SATISFACTION with the Duterte administration’s drug war has steadied at +65, a one-point rise in the second-quarter poll of the Social Weather Stations.
The Second Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey, conducted June 27-30, showed 78% of respondents satisfied with the controversial antidrug campaign, as opposed to 13% dissatisfied, leading to a net satisfaction of +65 points classified as “very good,” the broad rating since the whole of last year for the campaign.
(The SWS terminology for net satisfaction ratings is as follows: +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, +9 to — 9, “neutral”; — 10 to — 29, “poor”; — 30 to — 49, “bad”; — 50 to — 69, “very bad”; — 70 and below, “execrable.”)
“Satisfaction with the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs was at an excellent +76 when it was first surveyed in September 2016,” SWS noted. This satisfaction peaked in December that year at an excellent +77.
“The 1-point increase in nationwide net satisfaction with the anti-illegal drug campaign in June 2018 was because of a decrease in support in the Visayas, offset by slight increases in support in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, and Mindanao,” SWS said.
Net satisfaction in the Visayas fell by 12 points from “very good” +69 (79% satisfied, 9% dissatisfied, correctly rounded) in March to +57 (74% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied, correctly rounded) in June. Satisfaction in the Visayas had previously ranged from +63 to +69 for five quarters since March 2017.
Net satisfaction was highest in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s home region of Mindanao, increasing by 3 points, from the “excellent” +81 (87% satisfied, 6% dissatisfied) in March to +84 (89% satisfied, 5% dissatisfied) in June. “Out of eight survey rounds since September 2016, it has been excellent in seven and very good in one,” SWS said.
In Metro Manila, net satisfaction increased by 2 points from “very good” +65 (78% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied) in March to +67 (79% satisfied, 12% dissatisfied) in June. And in Balance Luzon, net satisfaction increased by 5 points from “very good” +53 (67% satisfied, 15% dissatisfied, correctly rounded) in March to +58 (74% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied) in June.
The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Sought for comment, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in part: “We welcome the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing 78% satisfaction with the Administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.”
“This is a testament that the drug war continues to enjoy the broad support of our people, notwithstanding the efforts of the detractors and critics of the Administration to politicize the issue or discredit the campaign’s success.” — with Arjay L. Balinbin

Communications chief presents Build, Build, Build program in China

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Build, Build, Build program was recently presented in China as part of the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar said on Sunday.
“So tayo po ay nag-host doon sa CCTV… So anyhow, nandoon po tayo at dinala natin iyong ating Build, Build, Build doon. Ipinagmayabang natin iyong mga infrastructure projects ni Pangulong Duterte,” Mr. Andanar said in a radio interview on Saturday, Sept. 22. (So, I hosted in CCTV [China Central Television]….So anyhow, I was there to present the Build, Build, Build program. We boasted about the infrastructure projects of the President.)
He added: “Well, mayroon kasing anniversary iyong Belt and Road Initiative. Ito po iyong major infrastructure project ng China kung saan dinadala nila sa iba’t ibang bansa iyong kanilang kapital para tulungan.” (Well, it’s because it’s the anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. This is the major infrastructure project of China through which they bring their capital to different countries to help them.)
Mr. Andanar said he visited China “two weeks ago.”
According to the One Belt One Road (OBOR) Philippines’ Web site, Chinese President Xi Jinping officially unveiled China’s Belt and Road Initiative during his visit to “Central Asia and Southeast Asia in September and October of 2013.”
“Like the ancient Silk Road, the One Belt One Road will have huge economic advantages for China as well as for other countries that join in. This initiative has the power to shift the center of the world’s economic activity to Asia, as well as provide Asian countries with the resources they need to continue developing. More than just an economic maneuver, President XI Jingping has also made this issue of foreign policy by promising that the creation of OBOR will allow China to offer more economic support to the other countries in South East Asia,” the OBOR Philippines also said. — A.L. Balinbin

Duterte off to Bali in October for ASEAN gathering with IMF, WB

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte is scheduled to fly to Bali, Indonesia, next month to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Leaders’ Gathering (ALG), Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said on Sunday.
According to the Asean Legal Information Portal (LIP), the ALG will be held on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Group (AM IMF-WBG) 2018 on Oct. 11.
Quoting Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, the country’s national news agency ANTARA News reported that “regional priority issues” will be discussed at the meeting of the ASEAN leaders.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, said: “Through this meeting, Indonesia expect(s) ASEAN to enhance cooperation with the IMF, World Bank and the UN in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and demonstrate the success of ASEAN economic integration and regional financial stability.”
The AM IMF-WBG, according to the IMF Web site, “brings together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, parliamentarians, private sector executives, representatives from civil society organizations and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness.”
This year’s meeting features “seminars, regional briefings, press conferences, and many other events focused on the global economy, international development, and the world’s financial system,” the IMF said.
For its part, the World Bank Group said it “plays a key role in the global effort to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

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