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Legislation hopes to open data transmission to foreign entrants

SEN. Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, who chairs his chamber’s committee on science and technology, said legislation is currently being considered to open telecommunications and data transmission services to foreign companies.

Mr. Aquino said on Monday, after the joint committee hearing on Senate Bill (SB) No. 171 and House Bill No. 6557 or the Open Access in Data Transmission Act, that allowing foreign companies to invest in the telecommunications and data services sector will “improve the price and the quality of the Internet.”

“We are tackling the Public Service Act to allow the foreign players. They can come in, but they need a local partner because there are restrictions. Let’s say they want to enter, but getting a permit or franchise takes a long process. Other players may find it difficult. What we want is that whether you are a local or a foreign company with a local partner, joining the market should be easier so we can say that real competition takes place,” Mr. Aquino said.

In SB 695 seeking to amend the Public Service Act, Mr. Aquino, the bill’s author, said his intention was to “update the coverage of public utilities or public services, reserving it to business activities exhibiting the simultaneous characteristics of natural monopoly and vital public necessity, and to ensure that every Filipino has access to the best quality, value-for-money essential services that effective competition can provide.”

Mr. Aquino also noted that the mobile data in the Philippines is “slow” and “expensive.”

Asked how the legislation would affect the price of the Internet in the Philippine market, Mr. Aquino said: “It’s hard to give an exact price at this point, but in any industry competition brings down prices, as it did in the airline industry.”

Meanwhile, SB 171 or the Open Access in Data Transmission bill, “sets the regulatory framework to promote effective data transmission, taking into account the ever-changing nature of technology.”

This bill also aims to “bolster the powers of the National Telecommunications Commission to create a healthy environment for the development and growth of data networks and their associated industries to improve access to information for every Filipino.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

China defends trade with US ahead of Trump’s key speech

BEIJING — China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday defended trade with the United States as a win-win scenario ahead of a speech by US President Donald J. Trump laying out a new national security strategy that makes clear that China is a competitor.

Mr. Trump has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping while also demanding that Beijing increase pressure on North Korea over its nuclear program and changes in trade practices to make them more favorable to the United States.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she was unable to comment on the strategy until it was unveiled.

But in principle, China hopes the strategy can play a constructive role in promoting world peace and stability and promoting China-US strategic mutual trust, Ms. Hua told a daily news conference.

The essence of China-US trade and economic ties is mutually beneficial and win-win, directly and indirectly supporting 2.6 million US jobs, she added.

In 2015, the profits of US firms that invested in China reached $36.2 billion, and China will continue to support trade and investment liberalization, Ms. Hua said.

“We are willing to work hard with the US side to dedicate ourselves to building a robust, stable and healthy trade and economic relationship,” she added.

That was in the interests of both sides and the expectation of the international community, Ms. Hua said.

The national security strategy to be rolled out in Mr. Trump’s speech, should not be seen as a bid to contain China but rather to offer a clear-eyed look at the challenges it poses, said US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mr. Trump made his first visit as president to China last month, where he lauded his meetings on trade and North Korea as “very productive.”

Washington has refrained from pushing harder on trade because it needs China’s cooperation on North Korea, though Mr. Xi, at least in public when Mr. Trump was in Beijing, went no further than reiterating China’s determination to achieve denuclearization through talks.

China and the United States have also repeatedly clashed over trade issues, including state support for Chinese firms and intellectual property rights violations in China.

On Friday, China’s finance ministry said it would cut export taxes on some steel products and ditch those for sales abroad of steel wire, rod and bars from Jan. 1, stirring concern in the United States and Europe that the world’s top steel producer may be looking to sell its excess product abroad.

It follows a ministerial level G20 meeting in Berlin last month, where China and the United States remained at odds over how to tackle excess steel capacity. The global steel sector is worth about $900 billion a year. — Reuters

A gay movie with friendship at its core

By Zsarlene B. Chua, Reporter

THIS YEAR, another gay movie entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) will try to replicate Die Beautiful’s success: Julius Alfonso’s Deadma Walking.

Both films feature gay protagonists, equally fabulous gay best friends, and death as their theme.

But the similarities end there as Eric Cabahug,who wrote Deadma Walking’s screenplay, told the media during a press conference held on Dec. 12 at Limbaga 77 restaurant in Quezon City.

Deadma Walking, said Mr. Cabahug, is a tribute to friendship. “There are a lot of films where friendship is a side story, but in this film it’s at the center,” he said. Added Mr. Alfonso, “[It’s a story of how] best friends can be soulmates.”

The plot revolves around Mark (played by Edgar Allan Guzman), a theater actor, who mounts a fake but fantastic wake to fulfill the final wish of his best friend, John (played by Joross Gamboa), who is terminally ill (the movie’s title is a pun on “dead man walking”).

The team acknowledged early on that Deadma Walking would undoubtedly be compared to Die Beautiful — and it’s a comparison they welcome as Jun Robles Lana’s flick proved that gay narratives could be successful.

“We’re proud to be compared to Die Beautiful but we’re confident they’re different films,” said Mr. Alfonso, who noted that the screenplay for Deadma Walking was in the works even before Die Beautiful hit the screens October 2016.

Both Mr. Cabahug and Mr. Alfonso had been toying with the idea of Deadma Walking since 2014 and in September 2016, their script placed second in the Screenplay Division of the Palanca Awards for Literature.

Mr. Alfonso has never seen Die Beautiful. He explained that he didn’t want to be “constrained and intimidated” by Mr. Lana’s award-winning comedy-drama.

Meanwhile, the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) gave Deadma Walking a grade of “A,” noting its “comic timing” and its musical numbers, which give the film “an engaging energy.”

With a budget of around P10 million, the film is T-Rex Entertainment’s bid for commercial success, something Mr. Alfonso, as the director, took into account when shooting.

T-Rex Entertainment previously produced Victor Villanueva’s Patay na si Hesus, a Cebuano dark comedy and entry to the 2017 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino headed by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

The PG-rated Deadma Walking features cameos by Piolo Pascual, Gerald Anderson, Iza Calzado and Eugene Domingo as well as from directors Marlon Rivera and Joel Lamangan.

Understanding independent foreign policy

Last week, I was invited by the AFP’s Office of Strategic Studies and Strategy Management, the National Defense College of the Philippines and the DFA’s Foreign Service Institute to talk on this topic in Camp Aguinaldo, specifically, on what an “independent foreign policy” should look like.

Here are excerpts of what I delivered:

Last year, we broke new ground. President Rodrigo Duterte asserted that the country must pursue an independent foreign policy. We’ve been charting our own direction since then, blazing new trails where we’ve never been before. We’re now lighting our own path trying to situate our country in a sweet spot with all nations without losing sight of the risky natural and man-made environment around us.

Our diplomatic history has been that of dependence on another’s foreign policy. Henceforth, our foreign policy will reject foreign meddling. Time honored principles of sovereign equality; noninterference and commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes will be observed. Our national interest must now come first, but, let me add, without forgetting that we live in an interdependent world.

He dispelled unfounded fears that he had capitulated to China’s charm offensive by bringing up the issue of the West Philippine Sea and stressed our commitment to UNCLOS at the 28th and 29th Asean Summit and Related Summits in Laos. He called on leaders to support individual and collective efforts to observe a rules-based approach in resolving maritime disputes.

In 2015, former senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani wrote in an article that the pursuit of an independent foreign policy was “not a ‘go-it-alone’” foreign policy. Neither is it the absence of any alliances. Rather, it’s a long-term, deliberate government policy, sustained by future administrations, to hold the government and its people responsible for ensuring the nation’s security.

For Gen. Joe Almonte, US-China relations will define the future of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. According to him, two questions are in order: Will America go to war over the South China Sea (SCS)? And, similarly, will China go to war over them?

On the first question: If China controls the SCS without fighting or firing a shot, the negative impact on America’s global leadership will be irreparable. It will be a global game-changer. While America may have the capacity to undertake any action anywhere in the world to protect its core interests, winning a war with China is another story.

On the second question, China has made clear to the world that it has indisputable sovereignty over the SCS including the West Philippine Sea (WPS), within the fictional 9-dash line, and will defend it by any means possible. It rejected the July 12, 2016 Arbitral ruling that, among others, invalidated the 9-dash line. Its actions in the SCS/WPS are integral to China’s dream of extending its economic and military power beyond the 21st Century.

In 2012, the US brokered a deal for the Philippines and China to simultaneously withdraw its vessels from Scarborough Shoal. The Philippines complied but China did not. This is the context whereby the Philippines rose to defend its core interests, including its maritime entitlements, by filing a case in The Hague after fruitlessly trying to engage China in bilateral talks since 1995.

When the ruling favored the Philippines, President Duterte declared the need for an independent foreign policy, which isn’t for or against anybody, but being equidistant to everyone. He deliberately omitted any mention of the arbitral ruling at the ASEAN+ Summit in Laos but made it clear that when the time comes to negotiate with China, he will keep within the four corners of the ruling.

For Philippine ambassador to China, Jose Sta. Romana, the overall context of the Philippine’s independent foreign policy is the emerging regional power shift in the Asia-Pacific. Mindful of the strategic environment, Ambassador Sta. Romana identified the three major elements of Duterte’s independent foreign policy.

First is lessening Manila’s dependence on Washington while maintaining their historic alliance. Second, improving relations with China. Third, improving relations with nontraditional partners such as Russia and India. In today’s complex security landscape, an independent foreign policy must find a middle ground to advance and protect our national interests. It’s a hedging strategy.

The idea is to “acquire as many returns from different powers as possible… while simultaneously seeking to offset longer-term risks.”

It requires quiet diplomacy instead of acoustics or megaphone diplomacy. Because of the complicated nature of this dispute, the immediate priority is not about solving the dispute but about managing the situation to prevent a crisis or escalation.

The sudden shift in our foreign policy led many to decry it as appeasing China, compounded by President Duterte’s personal beef with America. Ambassador Sta. Romana calls this perception as a “profound misunderstanding.” What we need to do, he says, is combine engagement with deterrence to maintain a delicate balancing act in an evolving security risk environment.

I believe President Duterte has done just that. Instead swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other, what actually has happened is a rebalancing that’s keeping the regional security environment on even keel. While it has diffused tensions between the US and China, and between the Philippines and China, our traditional alliances and agreements remain firm.

Preventive diplomacy conducted quietly has proven better than acoustically assertive behavior without anything backing us up when push gets to shove. Despite its military superiority, the US is careful not to trigger an accidental conflict. It shows its displeasure through Freedom of Navigation Operations but does nothing else; it prefers preventive diplomacy to armed confrontation. So, who are we to think and do otherwise?

What we should do is use our time wisely to build our defenses. We must choose people with the right national security mind-set, develop our skills, and acquire adequate resources to protect the country as best as we can. An independent foreign policy is meaningless if we don’t have the means to protect and uphold our national interests while striving for peace with goodwill to all and malice toward none.

That is what our independent foreign policy should look like. Have a Holy Christmas and a blessed 2018!

 

Rafael M. Alunan III served in the Cabinet of President Corazon C. Aquino as Secretary of Tourism, and in the Cabinet of President Fidel V. Ramos as Secretary of Interior and Local Government.

rmalunan@gmail.com

map@map.org.ph

http://map.org.ph

Annual indexing for coal tax still under study

INDEXING the coal excise tax to inflation remains under study for future legislation, the Finance department said, though some characteristics of the coal market may make it inappropriate for indexing.

“There are some things good about indexation and some things not so good about indexation,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III told reporters on Friday.

Asked whether the government will propose such measure in the future, Mr. Dominguez said: “I don’t really know. First of all coal, is a commodity that has a price cycle and its not related to inflationary trends. It’s not appropriate to apply that.”

The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) measure was ratified by Congress last week. The approved version raised the excise tax on coal to P50 per metric ton, from P10 currently.

For 2019, the excise tax will rise to P100; in 2020, it rises to P150.

The measure also exempts domestically produced coal from value-added tax (VAT).

However, the legislation did not include a provision that would require annual increases to the tax rate, similar to other excise tax provisions. The tobacco excise tax hike under TRAIN will rise to as much as P40 per pack of cigarettes by 2023, from P30 currently, and has a 4% annual increase after 2023.

Mr. Dominguez has said that the government will collect nearly P2 billion from coal in the first year of TRAIN’s implementation.

This is more than six times the P300 million the government collects currently.

He said that the average consumer will face an P8 increase on their electricity bill. “Is that a threat? I don’t know, but it’s going to go up for now. How people rate that kind of increase is a matter of taste I suppose.”

Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said that 80% of coal supply goes to power generation, and the other 20% to non-power applications. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Jose Mari Chan and the stories behind songs

THE STAGE dimmed as the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra’s string section played the melody of a heartwarming tune followed by the wind section’s soft whistling. The melody continued into a medley that took the audience back to five decades of timeless love songs by Jose Mari Chan.

As a young boy, Mr. Chan knew he had the knack for writing songs and hoped to pursue music despite the fact that he was expected to take over their family’s sugar business. His early beginnings in show business from starring as a host and singer in ABS-CBN’s variety show 9 Teeners in 1966 and releasing his first single “Afterglow” in 1967 propelled his music career.

To mark the singer-songwriter’s 50th anniversary in the music industry, the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra performed Mr. Chan’s classic compositions in a concert titled ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra Plays the Music of Jose Mari Chan on Dec. 16 at The Theater at Solaire.

Under the baton of Louie Ocampo, the orchestra began with a medley of love songs and was later accompanied by Mr. Chan as he sang “Can We Just Stop and Talk Awhile” in a clear and gentle voice as familiar as Christmas.

The 72-year-old singer-songwriter acknowledged that the conception and success of his songs were due to his wife, Mary Ann Ansaldo. Mr. Chan told the crowd that most of his compositions would not have been written if not for her as his inspiration.

Mr. Chan’s sons Franco and Joe, Jr. continued the show and shared the stage to pay tribute to their father with the songs “Afterglow” and “Deep in My Heart.” Other performers included Markki Stroem, Juris, Bituin Escalante, Acapellago, and Vocal Synergy.

Mr. Chan returned to the stage for the second half of the show to perform “Please Be Careful with My Heart” in a duet with Jona. The songwriter later performed “Tell Me Your Name,” which he said was the male response to the former song.

Mr. Chan rekindled the early years of his romantic relationship with the performance of “Refrain” which he referred to as the most heartfelt song he wrote for his wife (then his girlfriend) when she left for Japan.

The show would not be complete without a lineup of Christmas songs from the triple platinum album Christmas in Our Hearts to conclude the show. Mr. Chan’s two sons and daughter Liza Chan-Parpan joined their father with “A Wish Upon a Christmas Night,” “Perfect Christmas” and “Christmas in Our Hearts.”

This writer’s memories of listening to the Christmas in Our Hearts album and seeing him perform live in 2002 were revisited as his heartwarming lyrics and soothing voice washed over the audience. Mr. Chan confessed that he wanted to be remembered for at least two of his popular compositions. It’s safe to say that the legendary singer/songwriter will be remembered for more than that. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Chess is solved? (Part 2)

Last Thursday we were discussing AlphaZero, a program which was taught the moves of chess and, after four hours, relying on its self-learning algorithm, it managed to reach a superhuman level of chess ability and even defeated one of the top chess programs, Stockfish 8, in a 100-game match with a score of 64-36 (28 wins, 72 draws).

Stockfish is a specialized chess program and took many years to develop — it used brute-force technology (look at all the possibilities) with alpha-beta pruning (this considerably speeds up its task — I explained alpha-beta last Thursday) which enabled it to skip several sub-trees to concentrate on what it considers the main lines.

AlphaZero is a generic program (for example it can also play go and shogi and indeed any board game – just teach it the moves) which was just taught the moves of chess – it did not have the benefit of million-game databases to study and observe patterns.

On the Chessbase Web site Albert Silver wrote:

“It played a match against the latest and greatest version of Stockfish, an engine whose pedigree needs no introduction to readers, on a computer that was running nearly 900 times faster! Indeed, AlphaZero was calculating roughly 80 thousand positions per second, while Stockfish, running on a PC with 64 threads (likely a 32-core machine) was running at 70 million positions per second. In spite of this insane deficit, AlphaZero crushed Stockfish 64-36 with no losses at a time control of one minute per move. To better understand how big a deficit that is, if another version of Stockfish were to run 900 times slower, this would be equivalent to roughly 8 moves less deep. How is this possible?”

Last Thursday I showed you one game from the AlphaZero vs Stockfish match. Here is another.

AlphaZero — Stockfish 8 [C11]
AlphaZero vs. Stockfish (1.9), 04.12.2017

1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5

From the statistics presented by the AlphaZero team we can draw some conclusions on opening play:

AlphaZero won 25 games with White and three games with Black. This seems to indicate that White really does have an advantage.

AlphaZero tried out the French Defense with Black a few times in the early stage of the 100–game match and then refused to play it again. The French is a bad defense?

What do you think?

3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 cxd4 7.Nb5

[7.Nxd4 Nc6 8.Be3 is the main line of the French Steinitz Variation]

7…Bb4+ 8.Bd2 Bc5 9.b4 Be7

[9…Bb6? 10.Nd6+ Ke7 11.Ng5 Rf8 12.Qg4! is already winning for White. The threat is Ndxf7 followed by Qxe6+]

10.Nbxd4 Nc6 11.c3 a5 12.b5 Nxd4 13.cxd4 Nb6 14.a4 Nc4 15.Bd3 Nxd2 16.Kxd2

Of course not 16.Qxd2?? Bb4; But I thought that White would play 16.Nxd2 followed by 0–0 and then perhaps Qg4.

16…Bd7

[16…Bb4+ 17.Ke3 is now completely pointless for Black, since the White king really wants to go to e3]

17.Ke3 b6 18.g4

Do you remember GM Roland Salvador? He came from a very poor family and his access to chess books was very limited. He made his debut in the World Youth Championships in the 90s with almost zero opening knowledge and just fought hard every game. I remember he was quite a sensation back then and even defeated the Russian and Ukrainian contenders who were booked to the teeth and ill-equipped to handle his caveman tactics. He is one of our players who I believe could have accomplished much more if he had more opportunities.

Anyway, while looking at this game I am reminded very strongly of Roland — this was the way he played the openings — nothing we have seen before, but it works!

18…h5 19.Qg1 hxg4 20.Qxg4 Bf8 21.h4 Qe7 22.Rhc1 g6 23.Rc2

White’s plan is clearl — he will double on the c-file and then play Ng5 and look for an opportunity to either sacrifice on f7 or g6.

23…Kd8 24.Rac1 Qe8 25.Rc7 Rc8 26.Rxc8+ Bxc8 27.Rc6 Bb7 28.Rc2

[28.Rxb6? Kc7 forces 29.Rd6]

28…Kd7 29.Ng5

The threat is 30.Bxg6 fxg6 31.Nxe6! Qxe6 32.Rc7+ winning the queen.

29…Be7 <

POSITION AFTER 29…BE7

So as to counter 31.Bxg6 with 31…Bxg5.

30.Bxg6!

Nevertheless!

30…Bxg5

[30…fxg6 31.Qxe6+ Kd8 32.Qxb6+ Kd7 33.Qc7#]

3 1.Qxg5 fxg6 32.f5!

A second heavy blow. Many chess engines do not understand this move at all, but what happens here is that while there is no immediate win White gets a strong grip on the position from which Black cannot break free.

32…Rg8

Let’s calculate:

32…gxf5?? 33.Qg7+ Qe7 34.Rc7+ Kxc7 35.Qxe7+ Kb8 36.Qxe6 winning easily;

32…exf5 33.Qf6 (threatening Qd6 checkmate) 33…Qf8 34.Qxb6 Qb8 35.Kf3! penetrating with the king. If Black plays 35…Rxh4 36.Qf6 Rxd4 (36…Rh7 37.e6+ Ke8 38.Qxg6+) 37.Qf7+ Kd8 38.Qf8+ Kd7 39.Qxb8. Wow.

33.Qh6

Threat is Qh7+ Qe7 Rc7+

33…Qf7 34.f6 Kd8

Has Black managed to cover all his weak spots and can now play to win with his extra material? No, actually he is bound hand and foot and White will leisurely go for the win.

35.Kd2 Kd7 36.Rc1 Kd8 37.Qe3 Qf8 38.Qc3 Qb4

Forcing the queen exchange, but it does not help him.

39.Qxb4 axb4 40.Rg1 b3 41.Kc3 Bc8 42.Kxb3 Bd7 43.Kb4 Be8 44.Ra1 Kc7 45.a5 Bd7 46.axb6+ Kxb6 47.Ra6+ Kb7 48.Kc5 Rd8 49.Ra2 Rc8+ 50.Kd6 Be8 51.Ke7 g5 52.hxg5 1–0

For chess players using computer chess programs as a tool, this breakthrough is unlikely to have a great impact, at least in the short term, because of the lack of suitable hardware for affordable prices. AlphaZero runs on a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), rather than the commercially available CPU that all our personal computers run on. A TPU is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed by Google specifically for machine learning. It is specifically designed for Google’s TensorFlow.

TPU units are used for Google Street View text processing. They are also used for google photos and process over 100 million photos a day.

What I am trying to say is that we are still many years away from having AlphaZero commercially available. The hardware resources required to run the program are quite huge. Perhaps we can have an open source project with a large distributed network of computers run by volunteers but I do not see that happening any time soon.

But we should look beyond chess the sport/game. As a training tool chess will never be replaced. Demis Hassabis himself, the Founder and CEO and DeepMind, the developer of AlphaZero, himself says that “Chess has been immensely formative for me in helping to develop important skills such as problem solving, planning, visualization, performing under pressure and the transfer of learning from one domain to another. At DeepMind we highly value these meta-skills and they are fundamental in our approach to business and to research. Indeed my journey into AI started with chess, because it challenged me to think about how we think.”

Also, the development of computer chess was not solely for entertainment — it was also research to provide insights into human cognition. Chess was considered an excellent domain for artificial intelligence because of the richness of the problem-solving environment and the ability to monitor and record progress accurately through competition and rating, because of its well-defined structure.

So too with the development of AlphaZero. As explained above it is not a specialized chess-playing application — it is a generic system that was just taught the moves and then it worked out everything else through self-play. If in 4 hours it could work out all the subtle nuances of chessplay and defeat the 2016 computer chess champion then imagine what it could do when applied to the field of health care, quantum physics or even military research with unlimited time and resources.

The mysteries of the world are now opening up to us. These are great times to be in.

 

Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.

bobby@cpamd.net

Modi set to retain grip on home state after bellwether vote

NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is set to return to power in his home state, an election that’s considered a bellwether before the national vote in early 2019. Stocks erased the day’s losses.

The Bharatiya Janata Party was leading in 101 seats in the 182-seat Gujarat legislature as of 11:26 a.m. local time, according to early trends from the Election Commission of India. That’s more than the 92 needed for a majority though this would be the BJP’s lowest tally in more than two decades. The main opposition Congress party was ahead in 73 seats.

A narrower victory may prompt Mr. Modi to resort to populist spending to boost support before he faces reelection in early 2019. That risks widening India’s already bloated budget deficit and pressure the battered bond market. The result could also embolden Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who tapped into discontent against Mr. Modi’s economic policies before as many as eight state elections over the next year.

“BJP will have to take some corrective measures in terms of the discontent on the ground but I don’t know how far they will succeed in that,” said Sudha Pai, who taught political studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. These include the creation of jobs for the youth as well as better incomes for farmers, she said.

The BJP has held Gujarat for about two decades with Mr. Modi at the helm for more than 12 years. He used his stewardship of Gujarat as a launchpad for his national campaign in 2014, pledging business-friendly policies and development for all. However, last year’s ban on high-value currency notes and this year’s chaotic roll out of the goods and services tax has hit traders and textile workers in Gujarat.

The Congress party, which had been written off earlier in the year, found its voice and attacked the administration as a “government for the rich.”

“A few months ago, the market believed that the state election in Gujarat was a non-event with a foregone conclusion,” analysts at CLSA led by Mumbai-based Mahesh Nandurkar wrote in a report on Thursday. “But the changes in the political scenario over the last few months have turned the election into an event.”

India’s main stock index — which had slumped as much as 2.6% earlier Monday while Mr. Modi’s party was trailing — recovered to gain 0.8% as it became clearer that the BJP would win a majority.

The BJP also seemed poised to wrest the small Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh from the Congress, according to the Election Commission’s early trends. — Bloomberg

Davao City’s barangay health workers get higher pay

BARANGAY HEALTH workers and nutrition scholars are getting an increase in their monthly honoraria to P5,000 from P3,000, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio announced last week during a Christmas gathering. Ms. Carpio said the increase is part of the local government’s intensified campaign to implement reproductive health laws, which is a major tool in alleviating poverty. The city government has also recently started distributing “Women’s Health and Wellness Kits,” which include instructional materials on family planning and referral slips for availing reproductive health services in the community centers. Lorna B. Mandin, head of the Integrated Gender Development, said educating the women on their health and reproductive roles is a means of empowering them. “By giving them proper information, women are given opportunities to make informed choices,” Ms. Mandin said. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

SECURITY
Meanwhile, the Davao Regional Police Office (RPO-11) has intensified its anti-crime campaign in Davao City for the Christmas season.“We will strengthen all police operations and will employ all our resources and manpower just to make sure that holidays will be peaceful and safe,” RPO-11 Director Manuel R, Gaerlan said. About 3,000 personnel have been deployed to help secure churches, shopping malls, ports, transport terminals, and other places of convergence. Aside from the police officers, force multipliers such as the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs) have also been tapped. “We will also work hand in hand with the Department of Health, Bureau of Fire Protection, Local Government Units and other government agencies to minimize if not to stop firecracker-related incidents in Davao Region during the celebration,” Mr. Gaerlan said. He also urged the public to be vigilant at all times and report any suspicious bags, vehicles, personalities, and activities in their areas. — Carmencita A. Carillo

London’s expensive boroughs show signs of life

LONDON — Prime London property has had a tough year, but there are signs that the slump is easing.

The capital’s three most expensive boroughs — the City of Westminster, Camden, and Kensington and Chelsea — each saw sales jump by more than 20% in the third quarter from the same period in 2016, according to a report from LSL Acadata published Monday.

The year-earlier period was in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote, and the surge indicates that “momentum is returning to sales in prime central London following the downturn in transactions experienced during late 2016,” the report said.

“Movement at the top end of the market helps to increase activity all the way down the housing chain,” said Acadata’s Peter Williams and John Tindale.

Nationally, the report may also be a cause for optimism. While November’s 0.9% annual gain in prices was the slowest since April 2012, and down from 6.3% a year ago, they increased from the previous month for the first time since March.

The signs of improvement buck a trend of pessimistic reports, particularly regarding London. A survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) indicates national prices are stagnating, while Rightmove said London values are likely to fall another 2% in 2018. In the RICS survey, brokers flagged a range of reasons for the stagnation, including Brexit uncertainty, political instability and November’s interest-rate hike by the Bank of England.

Even in Acadata’s report, the picture isn’t entirely rosy. Prices in the Greater London area were down 3% from a year ago in October, with the City of Westminster leading losses with an 18.2% drop. Detailed regional data are published with a one-month lag.

London’s market also remains a drag on the UK. The annual change in prices reported for November would have been 3.3% without the capital and the southeast. — Bloomberg

Udenna wants ‘iconic tower’ built in Clark

DENNIS A. UY-LED Udenna Corp. is taking inspiration from cities like Paris, Chicago, and Singapore for its masterplan for Clark Global City (CGC), which may include the establishment of an “iconic” tower.

“Our masterplanner got five cities in the world, and took the qualities of these five cities,” Wilfredo A. Placino, director for Special Projects at Udenna told reporters in Taguig City last week.

Mr. Placino, who is in charge of Clark Global City Corp., cited the cities of Chicago; Paris; Macau; Singapore, and Incheon in South Korea as the inspiration for the development of the 179.5-hectare project.

“In Incheon, we start with the new airport in Seoul, exactly like Clark. We have the anchor infrastructure which is the airport. In Chicago, they maintain the greens of the city. We’re getting that also,” he said.

“In Paris or Macau, they have an iconic tower. We will put that iconic tower in Clark,” he added, referring to the top tourist attractions — Eiffel Tower and Macau Tower.

The Udenna executive said they are still talking with engineers whether it is possible for this structure to house the airport’s control tower.

Mr. Placino said Clark Global City will be patterned after the mixed-use developments in Singapore, where residential, commercial, and office spaces are all connected.

The Clark property was purchased by the Udenna group only last October by buying out GGDC Holdings, the majority shareholder of Global Gateway Development Corp. Udenna then rebranded it to its present name.

The estate covered 177 hectares at the time of the group’s acquisition, but Mr. Placino noted that they were able to add another 2.5 hectares of adjacent land to the property since. Of the total area, 47 hectares has already been developed by its previous owners.

“We will invite big developers to partake of our masterplan just like what they did here, you see Ayala (Land, Inc.), Megaworld (Corp.). The former owners didn’t do that,” Mr. Placino said.

The development of CGC is expected to take 10 years, with the first phase to start in 2018. This will consist of housing projects to bring more people into the estate.

“We are basically talking to some groups. We want to put up some dormitories initially,” Mr. Placino said.

Mr. Uy’s acquisition of Clark Global City comes as the government develops Clark into the next central business hub outside Metro Manila, in a bid to ease congestion in the Philippine capital.

The government is currently bidding out the contract for the expansion of Clark International Airport, which involves the construction of a new passenger terminal that would increase capacity to 12 million passengers per annum from the current four million. — Arra B. Francia

Crown Asia launches new line of roofing materials

CROWN ASIA Chemicals Corp. is introducing a new line of roofing materials for factories, warehouses and seaports, as the company works on strengthening its brand within the infrastructure sector.

In a statement issued Monday, the listed firm said it is introducing uPVC (polyvinyl) and APVC roofing, a high impact-resistant product safely engineered to meet the requirements of the market.

“It is built with UV protection, an important component that prevents premature aging, weakens the roofing material and cause brittleness. Climate variability exacerbate material degradation by increased dosage of harmful ultra-violet rays,” the company said.

Crown Asia noted the new roofing material will be able to handle extreme weather conditions, constant dampness, as well as low and high alkaline conditions.

The company targets developers of commercial, industrial, and manufacturing structures such as factories, warehouses, wharfs and seaports for the new material, as its non-corrosive characteristic would make it suitable for structures near or by the sea.

“We offer the many advantages of our new product for the benefit of architects, engineers, and developers in the industry and ultimately for the quality-conscious public that we serve,” Crown Asia Chairman and Head for the Pipes and Roofing Division Walter H. Villanueva was quoted as saying in a statement.

Incorporated in 1989, Crown Asia produces plastic compounds, plastic pipes, and other related products used in the construction and telecommunications industries. .

CrownAsia saw its earnings increase by 5% to P101.45 million in the first nine months of 2017, against the P96.84 million it realized in the same period in 2016.

Shares in Crown Asia picked up six centavos or 3.12% to close at P1.98 each at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday. — Arra B. Francia

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