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Peso weakens further on fears of slowdown in global growth

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THE PESO dropped after the International Monetary Fund downgraded its global growth outlook.

THE PESO declined anew against the dollar on Tuesday, touching the P53-per-dollar level intraday, amid persistent safe-haven demand following the downward revision of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) global growth forecast.
The local unit ended the session at P52.93 versus the greenback yesterday, 13 centavos lower than the P52.80-per-dollar finish last Monday.
The peso opened the session slightly stronger at P52.77 against the greenback, which was also its intraday high. Meanwhile, it slid to as low as P53.04 per US currency during Tuesday’s session.
Dollars traded surged to $1.234 billion from the $1.006 billion that switched hands the previous day.
A foreign exchange trader said the peso declined further versus the greenback as market players continued to flock to safe-haven currencies such as the dollar after the IMF flagged increasing risks of a global growth slowdown.
The IMF said in its World Economic Outlook released on Monday that the global economy will grow at a 3.5% pace in 2019, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous forecast, Reuters reported.
“After two years of solid expansion, the world economy is growing more slowly than expected and risks are rising,” IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.
The IMF cited the slower-than-expected growth of China buoyed by its unsettled trade spat with the United States as well the possible exit of the United Kingdom to the European Union without a deal, as these could worsen market volatility.
“The peso weakened on safe-haven dollar demand after the IMF flagged increasing risks of a global growth slowdown amid the ongoing US-China trade war,” the trader said in an e-mail.
However, another trader downplayed the effects of IMF’s lower growth projection on the peso as this sentiment was already priced in by the market.
“I think the market mover is still the government shutdown in the US. I think there could be a compromise soon,” the trader said via phone interview.
For today, the traders expect the peso to trade between P52.80 and P53.10 versus the dollar.
Most Asian currencies also weakened on Tuesday as a slowdown in China’s economy stoked worries over regional and global growth, denting the appetite for riskier assets.
China, the world’s second-largest economy, grew 6.4% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, the slowest pace since the depths of the global financial crisis, data showed on Monday. Full-year growth of 6.6% was the weakest in nearly three decades, and activity is expected to cool further in coming months. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal with Reuters

PSE index ekes out small gain amid lack of leads

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
THE MAIN INDEX eked out gains on Tuesday following minimal movement due to a lack of leads.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) inched up by 0.01% or 1.21 points to close at 8,008.67 after trading in the negative for most of the day. The broader all-shares index, meanwhile, gained 0.22% or 10.97 points to 4,809.97.
“Our index managed to recover from the intraday loss and ended positive today as investors wait for the release of our GDP (gross domestic product) rate on Thursday. Estimates range from 5.9%-6.8%,” Timson Securities, Inc. trader Jervin S. de Celis said in a mobile message on Tuesday.
Mr. De Celis added that the PSEi could trade higher should the GDP figure reach the upper range of the consensus, but could be at risk of falling below 8,000 should it be lower than the range.
“It was another quiet session for the Philippine market as the US was on holiday and China macro data came in without much fanfare,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis A. Limlingan said in a separate message.
Financial markets in the United States were closed on Monday in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Futures, however, are pointing to a decline as investors are seeing gloomy comments from the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos.
The International Monetary Fund trimmed its global growth outlook by 0.2% to 3.5% in 2019, and by 0.1% to 3.5% in 2020. The organization noted that global expansion is weakening at a rate that is “somewhat faster than expected.”
With this, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures shed 0.6% or 150 points to 24,538. The S&P 500 futures went down 0.6% or 15.10 points to 2,656.50, while the Nasdaq futures also fell 0.7% or 48.50 points to 6,743.
Four sectoral indices moved to positive territory, led by services which jumped 1.21% or 18.66 points to 1,550.71. Financials rose 0.53% or 9.66 points to 1,809.24; industrials climbed 0.28% or 32.82 points to 11,660.18; while mining and oil added 0.21% or 19.09 points to 8,776.46.
On the other hand, property plunged 1.16% or 47.16 points to 4,001.22 while holding firms dipped 0.07% or 5.73 points to 7,956.35.
Value turnover climbed to P6.47 billion after some 1.80 billion issues switched hands, higher than the previous session’s P5.67 billion.
Decliners outpaced advancers, 115 to 104, while 34 names ended flat.
Net foreign inflows ballooned to P908.64 million from Monday’s net buying figure of only P52.93 million.
“Foreigners remain net buyers today despite the economic slowdown news in China but I think the stimulus as well as the lower inflation outlook for this year are keeping the strong appetite of foreign investors in our market,” Timson Securities’ Mr. De Celis said on Tuesday.

Canvassing starts as BOL approval anticipated

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) en banc convened on Tuesday morning as the National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers (NPBOC) to start the official count for the votes in the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite, but adjourned by 11:30 a.m. as it awaited vote certificates.
The Comelec tweeted that there were “No Certificate of Canvass of Votes (COCV) and Statement of Votes (SOV) to canvass as of 11:30AM today” and the en banc would reconvene at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, unofficial and partial results released by the joint military-police-Comelec monitoring office at the Western Mindanao Command headquarters indicate a landslide victory for the ratification of the law.
As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, the unofficial count for all provinces in the ARMM, except Sulu, show a majority “yes” vote. The numbers are: Lanao del Sur, Yes- 503,626, No- 9,816, invalid- 23; Maguindanao, Yes- 283,374, No-182; Basilan, Yes- 123,694, No- 5,342; Tawi-Tawi, Yes- 143,443, No- 9,419, invalid- 27; and Sulu, Yes — 136,007, No — 151,935, invalid- 3.
In the two independent cities that participated in the referendum on the law that will officially form the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), results show a tight race with Cotabato City having 38,186 yes and 26,822 no votes, while Isabela City has 19,114 yes and 22,375 no.
Cotabato has 113,751 registered voters while Isabela has 71,124.
“We saw wide and massive victories for the yes votes (in various areas)… We also saw in the Iranun corridor a very festive atmosphere, a lot of optimism…and a near total shut-out of the ‘no’ vote,” International Alert Senior Peace and Conflict Adviser for Asia Francisco J. Lara Jr. said in a press conference in Cotabato City early Tuesday.
The Iranun is a Moro ethnic group whose population is concentrated in the towns of Parang, Matanog, Barira, and Buldon in Maguindanao province.
The Comelec said it will take a week for them to announce the final results of the plebiscite.
“Ang target namin ay one week kasi depende sa travel ng ER,” said Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas. (Our target is one week because this would depend on the transport of election returns.)
The board will resume session at 1:00 p.m. today.
Meanwhile, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) has released its Social Weather Survey showing that 79% of Muslims nationwide favor approval of the BOL.
The noncommissioned survey, conducted Dec. 16 to 19, also showed 76% of Muslims nationwide say the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is capable of governing the BARMM. But the results were tighter in Mindanao as a whole, showing 41% in favor of and 31% opposed to the BOL.
“Compared to other religions, net approval of the BOL was +15 (26% definitely/somewhat want it, 12% somewhat/definitely don’t want it, correctly rounded) among Iglesia ni Cristos, +10 (33% definitely/somewhat want it, 23% somewhat/definitely don’t want it) among Catholics, and +9 (37% definitely/somewhat want it, 28% somewhat/definitely don’t want it) among Other Christians,” SWS said.
“Among adults in Mindanao, while the plurality 28% were undecided if they want the BOL or not, the balance of opinion was pro-BOL,” the polling group noted.
“The survey found 30% of adults in Mindanao saying the MILF is capable of governing the BARMM (consisting of 19% saying definitely capable, and 10% somewhat capable) and 38% saying they are not capable (consisting of 11% somewhat not capable and 28% definitely not capable). The remaining 32% were undecided about the matter.”
“This gives a net capability score of -9 (% definitely/somewhat capable MINUS % somewhat/definitely not capable).”
The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide: 360 each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao, with sampling error margins of ±2.6% for national percentages, and ±5% each for the said areas.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a statement:
“The Bangsamoro people have enough of war, terrorism and poverty. They hunger for peace and thirst for development in Mindanao.” — Tajallih S. Basman and Gillian M. Cortez

Threat of crime remains but PNP cites prevention efforts

ACCORDING TO the statistics of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from January to October 2018, crime volume nationwide decreased to 390,358 or 13.06% lower than the 448,982 of the same period last year.
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In contrast, a third-quarter survey on crime by the Social Weather Stations, conducted on September 15-23, found 6.1% (est. 1.4 million) of families reporting victimization by any of the common crimes (pickpocket or robbery of personal property, break-ins, carnapping, and physical violence) within the past six months. This latest figure is 0.7 point above the 5.3% (est. 1.2 million) in June 2018, and the same as the 6.1% in September 2017, the polling group said.
The PNP defines crime volume as the total number of index and non-index crimes in a given year or a certain period therein. Index crimes pertain to murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, and crimes against property (robbery, theft, carjacking, and cattle rusting), while non-index crimes pertain to violations of special laws and ordinances.
There was a decline in these two classifications of crime, according to the PNP, with index crimes dropping 30.90% to 64,301, compared to 93,050 in the 2017 period. Non-index crimes dropped to 326,057 as of October, 8.39% lower than the previous year’s 355,932.
The September survey of SWS, on the other hand, found 5.6% (est. 1.3 million) of families reporting victimization by any of the property crimes (pickpocket or street robbery, burglary or break-ins, and carjacking) within the past six months, 0.5 point above the 5.1% (est. 1.2 million) in June 2018, but below the 6.1% in March 2018.
The survey also found 0.7% (est. 159,000) of families with members hurt by physical violence within the past six months, up 0.5 point from the record-low 0.2% (est. 45,000) in June 2018.
To be sure, victimization by common crimes reported in the surveys is much higher than the number of crimes actually reported to the police, SWS said.
“Nakikita namin d’un sa (We see in our figures our) intensified campaign against illegal drugs,” said Chief Supt. Benigno B. Durana Jr., PNP Spokesperson at the time he was interviewed on Nov. 22.
We based [this on] our survey and also from our experience in the field that most of the crimes, especially crimes against property (are) drug-related. So, if we address the cause, the causative factors of crimes in locality, more or less we can reduce also some other incidences of crime like murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping of motorcycle and vehicles, cattle rustling.”
“Naniniwala kami na (We believe that) the cousin of drug addiction is theft, they need to sustain their destructive habits on a regular basis. Not all people have the money to buy drugs on a daily basis. So, what they do is they resort to petty crimes or sometimes bigger crimes,” Mr. Durana also said, adding that “small crime incidents… if not being addressed immediately can result (in) full-blown crimes.”
POLICE VISIBILITY
In response to the SWS survey, PNP Chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde said in a statement on Dec. 2, “The slight increase in the number of Filipinos who fell victims to crime over the past three months can be attributed to the holiday season and a greater confidence of citizens to report crime to the police.”
“There are certain crime types that are ‘seasonal’ in terms of frequency which become more prevalent when the element of opportunity is present such as during the holiday season when the objects of crime abound,” Mr. Albayalde also said.
Mr. Durana for his part said, “We have improved our capability in terms of knowledge and expertise….The President gave us a huge amount of funds to purchase tools to solve crimes, that’s one. At the same time, siguro motivated naman ang kapulisan kasi mataas naman sahod nila (At the same time, our policemen are probably motivated by their higher salaries now). Also, there’s now greater cooperation among the public in helping the police solve crimes.”
Mr. Durana also cited “police visibility, police patrol, law enforcement operations,…checkpoint operation para ma-reduce ang oportunidad ng mga kriminal na mag-commit ng crime (to reduce the opportunity of criminals to commit crimes).”
“Ano ba ang instrument to commit a crime? Baril, diba (Having a gun, right)? Kaya meron tayong Oplan Bakal, Oplan Sita, Oplan Galugad (That’s why we have these Operation Plans) to remove the instrumentality to commit crime. Kasi kapag wala naman silang instrument like firearms, blade weapons and among others, they will not perpetuate the crimes. Baka magsuntukan lang sila (They might just punch each other),” he said.
“Number one ‘yan na instrument….We have millions of loose firearms in the country, that’s why we have toughened our firearms law.”
It has been a common presumption in any discussion on crimes that firearms purchases are impelled by the need for self-defense.
In that regard, Mary Jane Nacisvalencia-Roxas, owner of NASHE Enterprises, said, “More on security and prevention tayo ng (of) crime, so mas nag-increase pa nga (So, sales event went up). Kasi (Because) they want to secure their families, their lives. Tapos (And) as part of the improvement ng country, kailangan ng protection din (protection is needed),” Ms. Roxas said in an interview on Nov. 17.
There are also the expenses that go with owning a gun. “Usually (our clients are) people who can afford it because guns here in the Philippines are expensive,” said a store owner who was sought for comment but declined to be named. “Kung titignan mo ‘yung mga baril dito compared to US (If you look at prices here compared to the US), you can buy (a gun) for only $200- $300. That’s P15,000. Pero dito (But here), you need to have at least P50,000 to P60,000 or more. It can range up to P400,000. Mahal magkabaril dito (It’s expensive to own a gun here). Mahal magka-lisensya dito (It’s expensive to get a license). You have to go through neuropsychiatric test, drug test, you have to get NBI clearance, (other) clearances.”
Also sought for comment, Art F. Lantin, owner of Lantin Custom Gun Shop, said the process of getting a license affects the number of people who want their guns customized according to law.
“Na-apektuhan halos lahat ng [nasa] gun industry (Almost everyone in the gun industry is affected),” Mr. Lantin said. “Nahirapan yung mga firearm holder na magdala ng baril sa mga gunsmiths para mapa-enhance nila (Firearm owners have a hard time bringing their guns to gunsmiths for enhancement).”
TRAINING, FOCUS ON PETTY CRIMES
Sought for comment about the peace and order situation, chairperson Dennis C. Coronacion of the Political Science Department of the University of Santo Tomas said in an interview on Nov. 22, “Unang una (First of all), I think they (PNP personnel) have to improve ‘yung policing their own ranks. Meron naman silang internal audit (They have an internal audit process).…There’s an office that monitors the behavior of police officers. Pero (But) I think that is not enough. If possible, more funds, more resources should be allotted to internal audit of the PNP, sana may ganun (one wishes there were).”
“And then, more seminars, more trainings…on how to combat illegal drugs. Ang kadalasan dahilan kung bakit nadi-dismiss ang kaso na sinampa ng gobyerno laban sa mga drug pushers eh hindi kasi ma-handle ng maigi ‘yung evidence at particular diyan ang ating batas….(One reason why cases filed against drug pushers are dismissed is because they [the police] cannot handle the evidence well and the law is very particular on that).”
Mr. Coronacion added, “As a police officer who arrested [or] who joined the raid, if you fail to follow these procedures, chances are the case will be dismissed.”
“Hindi naman kinakailangan maging lawyer ang mga police officers natin, kundi hasain sila on criminal procedures (Our police officers needn’t be lawyers, just be familiar with criminal procedures).” Hindi lang sila dapat i-training din sa combat tactics (They should be trained not only in combat tactics).…They should be also trained in other aspects of their job.”
Mr. Durana for his part said, “We made a lot of accomplishment especially in our campaign against illegal drugs and internal cleansing. As data showed, we brought down the incidents of crime by 13% overall. But there is a huge decrease in the number of index crimes compared to last year. We have now capability in terms of knowledge and skills and tools to do our job. Medyo nag-increase ‘yun kaya (That has somewhat improved, so) we have an improved crime clearance efficiency and crime solution efficiency.”
“Plus we have greater support now from our public, 78% of Filipinos approve our campaign against illegal drugs. It was even considered as the most important achievement of the Duterte administration.”
Mr. Durana also said, “I think we should focus more other than drugs, but also on petty crimes, crimes that affect most of the Filipino people. We should focus more on harm reduction, we [should also] focus more on cybercrimes, plus intensify campaign on internal cleansing.” — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Senate adopts House bill on Road Board abolition

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
THE SENATE on Tuesday adopted the House of Representatives’ revised version of the bill abolishing the Road Board.
With the chamber’s adoption, the bicameral conference committee is no longer required, so the measure will be directly sent to the President for signature.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri told reporters in a mobile phone message that House Bill No. 7436 may be transmitted to the President next week or the first week of February.
The Road Board abolition bill has been the center of disagreement between the Senate and the House of Representatives during its Christmas-New Year break. Last September, the Senate adopted the House version of the bill, which the lower chamber rescinded later on the same day.
The issue was finally resolved after then House Majority Leader Rolando G. Andaya, Jr met with Mr. Zubiri and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto last week to discuss the amendments to the proposed measure.
The revised bill, which the House of Representatives approved on third on final reading last Monday, abolishes the Road Board, which was created by Republic Act No. 8794.
The proposed measure removes the provision in the law which separates the road user’s tax collection from the government’s general appropriations.
The road user’s tax collection will now be remitted to the national treasury under a special account in the general fund. The funds will then be used for the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges and road drainage, which will be included in the General Appropriations Act.
The bill also directs the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to absorb the employees of the abolished Road Board. All the assets, liabilities, records, property and equipment of the Road Board will be transferred over to the DPWH as well.
A congressional oversight committee is also created under the bill to monitor the use and the collection of the road user’s tax.

Bicameral panel to target budget approval by Feb. 6

THE SENATE and the House of Representatives convened on Tuesday the bicameral conference committee on the proposed P3.757 trillion national budget this year, targeting its approval by Feb. 6 and President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s signature on Feb. 14, Senator Loren B. Legarda said in a statement.
Ms. Legarda, who heads the Senate committee on finance, said that the bicameral panel will use the 2019 National Expenditure Program (NEP) as point of reference, but will also consider the House and Senate versions of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
“The Senate and the House have agreed to use the NEP as reference and meet halfway on the amendments of the respective chambers. We are all representatives of the people and we will ensure that the 2019 national budget will address the needs of the people, especially the poor and vulnerable,” she said.
“We hope to be able to immediately reconcile the differences between the House and Senate version so that we may approve the budget within the remaining session days that we have. This is very important because the passage of our national budget every year comes with the hope of achieving real lasting growth for Filipinos,” Ms. Legarda also said.
The bicameral meeting was attended by Ms. Legarda, Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators JV Ejercito and Nancy Binay for the Senate panel, and Congressmen Rolando Andaya Jr., Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, Arthur Yap, Edcel Lagman, Maria Carmen Zamora, Rodante Marcoleta, Federico Sandoval II, and Anthony Bravo for the House panel.

PHL workers removed from US visa eligibility

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
MALACAÑANG ON Tuesday said it is open to appealing the US government’s imposing a one-year ban on hiring workers from the Philippines.
Citing “severe” cases of human trafficking and overstaying, the US Department of Homeland Security (US DHS) has removed the Philippines from its list of countries that are eligible for the H-2A and H-2B non immigrant visas, according to a notice posted on the Federal Register Website.
The H-2A program allows US employers to employ foreign nationals for seasonal or temporary agricultural jobs. Meanwhile, the H-2B program brings in foreign nationals to fill temporary non agricultural jobs.
In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said: “When you say human trafficking, the US government must have conducted investigation on that. If their investigation yields that there was a violation, oh I don’t think puwede tayong makialam doon (we can interfere). What we can do is to do our own controls here….”
He added, “First, we need to know whether there is basis for their decision.”
“If we can see na wala naman (that there is none), then we will ask for a reconsideration — but that’s the job again, as I said, of DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the US Ambassador.”
In a notice on the Federal Register dated Jan. 18, the US DHS said: “The Secretary of Homeland Security has now determined, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, that the following countries should no longer be designated as eligible countries because they no longer meet the regulatory standards…Dominican Republic (H2-B only), Ethiopia, and the Philippines.” This is effective from Jan. 19 this year to Jan. 18, 2020.
“DHS and DOS (Department of State) also believe that these overstay and human trafficking concerns are severe enough to warrant removal from the H-2A visa program as well…. The Philippines’ continued inclusion creates the potential for abuse, fraud, and other harm to the integrity of the H-2A and H-2B visa programs,” the US DHS also said.
In a statement, the DFA said: “As visa issuances are a country’s prerogative, the DFA notes the concerns that led the DHS to arrive at its decision. Nonetheless, the Philippines is open to the possibility of working with the United States in addressing these issues, as it has previously done so with similar concerns involving the Filipino Community there.”
The DFA added that the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., along with the other Philippine Consulates General in the US, “will continue to extend appropriate assistance to all its nationals pursuant to law.”

Senate tackles gaps in rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
THE gaps in the implementation of Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act were highlighted during the Senate hearing on the bills lowering the minimum age of criminal liability on Tuesday, with Senator Richard J. Gordon likely to recommend setting it to 12 years old.
The Senate committee on justice and human rights, chaired by Mr. Gordon, conducted its first public hearing on the bill, a day after its House counterpart committee approved the measure lowering the age of criminal responsibility to nine years old.
“Age does not matter. It’s the implementation, it’s the gaps that have to be connected….Even if it’s nine or 15 or 12, it’s still the same situation if you’re not implementing the intention of the law. That’s the problem,” Mr. Gordon told reporters after the hearing.
“Nine I think is too tender. I’m more leaning now to 12 and I will maybe recommend 12 but after about three years we look it up and then we increase it to 15, and eventually 18,” he said.
During the hearing, Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) executive director Tricia Clare A. Oco revealed that the Philippines only has 63 “Bahay Pag-asa” or youth care facilities for children in conflict with the law. Five of them are non-operational.
She even described the situation of these youth care facilities as being “worse than prison” due to the lack of rehabilitation programs for youth offenders.
“For those operational, they don’t have sufficient budget….They lacked the minimum staff requirement, they even lacked food for children. Some of the Bahay Pag-asa we see were worse than prisons. They don’t have programs, beds, cabinets. The children there are just told to keep quiet the whole day and not do anything,” she said.
She also pointed out that some local government units (LGUs) have lacked the necessary mechanism, such as community rehabilitation and the maintenance of Bahay Pag-asa, to hold children accountable for the crimes they committed.
Under the present law, children below 15 years old who commit crimes are exempted from criminal liability and are subjected to an intervention program. LGUs and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are tasked to manage and fund the Bahay Pag-asa where children in conflict with the law can stay while awaiting court decisions of their case.
Citing the police blotter records they gathered, Ms. Oco said some 9,562 crimes were allegedly committed by children in 2018.
National Police Commission (NaPolCom) executive officer Rogelio T. Casurao provided the profile of children who commit crimes as being male, aged 15 to 18 year old, high school undergraduates, and out of school due to financial difficulties. Most of the crimes they commit were robbery and theft, he added. Most of the children were first-time offenders as well.
Meanwhile, more senators voiced their opposition to the age proposed by the House of Representatives on the minimum age of criminal responsibility to nine years old.
“Our focus should be on rehabilitating child offenders through more constructive and nurturing means than outright imprisonment. Children belong in schools, not in jails,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said in a statement on Tuesday.
“As somebody who has been imprisoned, I know that such a harsh environment will severely traumatize those children,” Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV said in a statement.
“Throw these kids in a congested jail with adult criminals, and chances are they will emerge from prison and rejoin society not as reformed and skilled individuals but as bitter young men,” Senator Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares said in a statement.
“Maybe what we should do as policy is to increase the penalty of adults who used kids to commit crime and to improve our intelligence unit and improve our capacity to reduce crime instead of penalizing children who are in fact victims in these situations,” Senator Joel J. Villanueva said in a statement.
For their part, Senators Panfilo M. Lacson and Joseph Victor G. Ejercito said they would support a measure the lowering of the age of criminal liability to a certain level.
Mr. Lacson said such a measure should provide that the youth offender is proven to have acted with discernment, the sentencing is suspended until the age of majority, and there are enough reformative facilities.
“I am more amenable to lowering it to the internationally accepted standards of 12 years old. They should not go to regular jails because they need rehabilitation. It’s the criminals who use minors that deserve heavy penalties,” Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito said, for his part, in a mobile phone message to reporters.

QC Council extends deadline of business taxes payment

THE Quezon City Council has passed on third and final reading an ordinance extending the deadline for payment of business taxes in the city to Feb. 3.
The ordinance states that the extension of the Jan. 20 deadline was made to further accommodate the increasing number of tax-paying businesses in the city.
Quezon City Vice-Mayor and city council presiding officer Josefina G. Belmonte said in a statement on Tuesday, “With this ordinance, the city will not give penalties, surcharge or interest if business owners will pay their taxes until February 3. However, if they will pay beyond the said deadline, they will be subjected to 25 per cent penalty and monthly interest of two per cent.” — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Promoting efficiency and effectiveness through UP IE's ErgoCon 2019

The UP Industrial Engineering Club (UP IE) will continue promoting efficiency and effectiveness through its third ergonomics convention, ErgoCon 2019: Unifying Perspectives. The event will take place on January 26, 2019 at the School of Statistics-UP Diliman.
Endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education, the country’s largest ergonomics event will host interactive workshops centered on four of the most popular ergonomic subfields, headed by some of the most renowned specialists in the country.
ErgoCon 2019 is co-presented by consumer giant Procter & Gamble, promoted by media sponsors 99.5 Play FM, WhenInManila.com, and business platform SparkUp. The annual event aims to bring together over three hundred fifty 350 students and professionals from all over the country to engage in workshops hosted by distinguished ergonomics experts. This innovative convention creates an avenue for the youth to engage in dynamic activities geared towards the development of the country through their specialized disciplines.
Nurturing a desire for effective nation-building, ErgoCon focuses on four different fields, namely: Engineering, Health & Fitness, Information Technology, and Architectural and Interior Design. Participants will be attending two lectures, divided according to their topic preference. Each attendee will get the chance to work with other groups through a hands-on seminar facilitated by a moderator and UP IE Club members.
Find out more about this illustrious event by visiting the official ErgoCon page. Sign up now here.
 

Columbian shoots for second win in a row

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
OPENING their 2019 PBA Philippine Cup campaign in grand fashion, the Columbian Dyip look to build on it when the team returns to action today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
To take on the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters in the curtain-raiser at 4:30 p.m., the Dyip shoot for their second win in as many games, in follow-up to their 124-118 victory over the powerhouse defending champions San Miguel Beermen on Jan. 18.
Columbian came out steady in their last game, banking on balanced attack that took the Beermen by surprised.
It was a tightly fought contest all the way to the end, but the Dyip rose to the challenge and executed down the stretch on both ends of the court to hold on for the victory.
Top rookie pick CJ Perez overcame a slow start to help Columbian to the win with 26 points, five rebounds and a block in 32 minutes on the floor.
Jackson Corpuz added 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks while Jay-R Reyes had 12 markers.
Also scoring in double digits for the Dyip were Russell Escoto and Eric Camson who each had 11 points.
“I did not expect to win against San Miguel although I felt good heading into the game because we prepared way ahead and I saw the desire in my players,” said Columbian coach John Cardel following their upset win.
“I just told the boys to just apply what we do in practice and they delivered. I’m very proud of them. They played well,” he added.
The Columbian coach went on to say that they hope to build on their confidence-boosting victory over San Miguel in their game against Phoenix today.
“We caught a big fish in San Miguel and hopefully it can lift us moving forward. Phoenix is going to be another tough challenge for us on Wednesday,” Mr. Cardel said.
PHOENIX RISE
Meanwhile, out to derail Columbian in its thrust is Phoenix (2-0), a team looking to sustain its fast start as well in the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament.
The latest of the Fuel Masters’ victory came last Saturday over the TNT KaTropa, 93-84, in overtime.
It was another dig-deep win for Phoenix, which outplayed TNT in the extra period to survive and win.
Matthew Wright paced the Fuel Masters with 23 points while Alex Mallari adding 15 points.
Calvin Abueva had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four steals while Jason Perkins had 11 points and 15 boards.
The first win of Phoenix also came by way of overtime, 93-92, over the Meralco Bolts on Jan. 16.
Playing in the 7 p.m. main game, meanwhile, are the TNT KaTropa and NLEX Road Warriors.
Both teams are still in search of their first win in the ongoing tournament after opening their respective bids with back-to-back losses.

Serena edges top seed Halep to reach last eight

MELBOURNE — Serena Williams staved off a spectacular fightback from world number one Simona Halep to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday and remain on course for her first Grand Slam triumph since becoming a mother.
Williams’ thrilling 6-1 4-6 6-4 win was a major step towards the 37-year-old American great equalling Australian Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam wins as she set up a last-eight meeting with Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova.
The seven-time Australian Open champion was eight weeks pregnant when she won the last of her 23 Grand Slam titles at Melbourne Park and only returned to tennis last year after the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia in September, 2017.
She made two more Grand Slam finals last year only to lose the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open but this triumph over the world’s leading player felt like another hugely significant step on the road to regaining her old dominance.
Williams showed she has lost none of her brutal power and athleticism against French Open champion Halep, who has finished the last two years on top of the women’s rankings.
The Romanian broke Williams’ serve in the first game but that was the only one she managed for the rest of the opening set as the American bulldozed her way through the set in 20 minutes, serving it out with an ace.
Coming into the match with eight wins in her nine encounters against Halep, it looked as if Williams would breeze through the match after the opening set mauling she handed out.
But the 27-year-old fought back by forcing to move Williams more and drew level at one set apiece after breaking her a second time.
“That’s why she’s number one. She literally lifted her game to a new level. I didn’t. I kind of stayed at the same level, and I should have looked at my game, as well,” Williams told reporters.
“But it’s a part of this journey on my way back. It’s 10 months, so I can’t be too upset at myself. I felt like I did have an opportunity to win that in straight sets, but then I’m playing the number one player in the world.”
The deciding set turned into a war of attrition as both players landed heavy groundstrokes and Williams had to save three break points for a crucial 3-3 hold.
Williams landed the decisive break in the next game before holding firm to seal the match in an hour and 47 minutes when Halep hit a forehand wide.
“I will start with a joke. I felt like I had been hit by a train in the first set. Everything was too fast,” Halep said with a wide grin, leaving reporters to burst out laughing.
“I didn’t get scared about the first set, because I knew I have a better level.
“After the first set, I got fire inside myself, and I said that now I start the match. So it was much better. Game by game, I felt that my level is growing, and I had more confidence to go through it.”
For a place in the semi-finals, Williams will meet Pliskova, who thrashed twice Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza 6-3 6-1 earlier on Monday.
“We have had good matches. She’s beaten me on an occasion or two or three,” Williams said of her next opponent. “She’s always someone that comes out and serves big and plays well.
“I’ve got to return a little bit better the next day that we play, but I will be ready. I’m ready. She’s ready. Let’s do it.” — Reuters

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