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Trump offers to mediate in S. China Sea row

HANOI — US President Donald Trump said on a visit to Vietnam on Sunday he was prepared to mediate between claimants to the South China Sea, where five countries contest China’s sweeping claims to the busy waterway.

Vietnam has become the most vocal opponent of China’s claims and its construction and militarization of artificial islands in the sea, through which about $3-trillion in goods pass each year.

“If I can help mediate or arbitrate, please let me know,” Mr. Trump said in comments at the start of a meeting in Hanoi with Vietnam’s president, Tran Dai Quang.

Mr. Trump acknowledged that China’s position on the South China Sea was a problem.

“I’m a very good mediator and arbitrator,” he said.

Vietnam has also reclaimed land around reefs and islets, but on nowhere near the same scale as China. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan also have claims in the sea.

The South China Sea was discussed in Beijing on an earlier leg of Mr. Trump’s 12-day Asian tour and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States and China had a frank exchange of views. The United States has angered China with freedom of navigation patrols close to Chinese-controlled islands, which have been continued by the Trump administration.

In August, foreign ministers of Southeast Asia and China adopted a negotiating framework for a code of conduct in the South China Sea, a move they hailed as progress but one seen by critics as a tactic to buy China time to consolidate its maritime power.

The framework seeks to advance a 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which has mostly been ignored by claimant states, particularly China, which has built seven man-made islands in disputed waters, three of them equipped with runways, surface-to-air missiles and radars.

All parties say the framework is only an outline for how the code will be established but critics say the failure to outline, as an initial objective, the need to make the code legally binding and enforceable, or have a dispute resolution mechanism, raises doubts about how effective the pact will be.

The framework will be endorsed by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a summit in Manila on Monday, a diplomat from one of the bloc’s members said. The next step is for ASEAN and China to start formal talks for the actual Code of Conduct, and the earliest that talks on this can start is February 2018, the diplomat said.

From Vietnam, Mr. Trump flies to the Philippines for a meeting with ASEAN leaders before he heads back to Washington. — AFP

ASEAN, HK sign free trade, investment deals

THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Hong Kong on Sunday signed a free trade agreement (FTA), enhancing the Special Administrative Region’s position as a source of investment to the region and vice versa.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez in his speech at the Manila Marriott Hotel on Sunday said that the FTA was based on discussions initiated in 2014.

ASEAN also signed an investment agreement with Hong Kong.

“Through these two agreements I am confident that ASEAN and Hong Kong-China (HKC) can unlock together the tremendous potential of regional economic integration and foster a more open-opportunities environment for our people and the generations to come,” he added.

The ASEAN-Hong Kong FTA is the region’s sixth free trade agreement, with Hong Kong being ASEAN’s sixth-largest trading partner. ASEAN has active FTAs with China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

“As such, a strategic partnership between ASEAN and HKC will surely usher in greater synergies and more job opportunities for people and businesses in the region, particularly in the MSMEs in the region,” Mr. Lopez said, referring to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Mr. Lopez’s counterpart, Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said that the FTA also covers collaboration in education, information technology, and other professional services and businesses.

“The trade agreement also has a chapter in economic and technical cooperation which aims to enhance the benefit of the agreement with capacity building and technical assistance. With these agreements in place I encourage and expect to see more ASEAN enterprises to trade and invest with Hong Kong,” he added.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, Hong Kong in the first eight months of 2017 accounted for $5.55 billion worth of Philippine exports, or 13.18% of the total.

Hong Kong was the Philippines’ 12th largest source of approved investments in the first half with $10.74 million. ASEAN-wide, Hong Kong provided $9.6 billion in foreign direct investment in 2016.

“In the face of protectionist sentiments across the world, these two agreements are in fact a loud and clear vote that all of us here prefer free and open trade,” Mr. Yau said.

In an earlier speech during the opening of the ASEAN Economic Minister’s meeting, Mr. Lopez said that the bloc has sought to expand its dealings with non-ASEAN partners.

“These include upgrading and enhancing our existing FTAs, intensifying our efforts to complete ongoing FTA negotiations, considering new FTA partnerships and strengthening our economic cooperation mechanisms,” Mr. Lopez added.

Mr. Lopez said economic ministers will be discussing outstanding issues in other FTA negotiations such as amendments to the ASEAN-Japan comprehensive economic partnership agreements and the Regional Cooperation for Economic Partnership. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

How Benjamin Button inspired this Korean skincare company

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia,
Associate Editor

SEOUL — The Curious Case of Benjamin Button may seem like an unlikely inspiration for a Korean beauty brand.

Benton Inc. founder and CEO Lee Jang-won said he named his skincare company after Brad Pitt’s character in the film, where a man ages in reverse.

“Two years before I established the company, I watched the movie and around that time I was on a diet to lose weight and keep fit. But even though I lost weight, my skin aged and didn’t look healthy. While I was watching, I felt that being young is the most powerful tool. We cannot turn back time, but we can make skin healthier. That’s how I was inspired to name my brand Benton,” he told BusinessWorld in an interview at his company’s office.

Known for its Snail Bee skincare line, Benton uses only botanical-based natural ingredients. The company does not test its products on animals, earning it a “cruelty-free certification” from PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals).

Right when the company started in 2011, Mr. Lee and his younger brother wanted to create only natural cosmetics and skin care products. 

“My brother had sensitive and oily skin, so he could not use general cosmetics. But he happened to work for a natural cosmetics brand, and he got to know how good it is and how it works well with his skin. This is why we wanted to create a natural skin care line,” Mr. Lee said.

Benton first developed the Snail Bee high content essence, which used snail secretion filtrate as a base instead of water and bee venom. The product claims to reduce wrinkles, control excessive sebum and keep the skin’s radiance and moisture.

Benton Inc. CEO Lee Jang-won said its Snail Bee skincare products address various skincare concerns. — COMPANY HANDOUT

“At the time we developed this product, snail was a big trend . . . We came up with bee venom because it worked very well with trouble care. Since this was the first product, you can understand that we were enthusiastic on how we can make this the best. We added functions like whitening and firming,” Mr. Lee recalled.

As a start-up company, Benton could not come up with a wide range of products. “Instead we just concentrated on making one good product. This was a one product addressing multiple issues. Except for winter, you can use it all year round,” he said.

Benton developed other skincare products such as the Aloe Line, Fermentation Line and Honest Line. All of its products are made in South Korea.

While still a relatively small company compared to cosmetics giant Amore Pacific known for Laneige and Etude House, Benton also benefited from the Korean beauty trend sweeping the globe.

“2013 was the beginning when people were talking about K-beauty. From that year, we found some foreign buyers who got Korean beauty products online, instead of official distributors. They just happened to know about our product and bought it. They blogged about it and had positive reviews about our products. Since then, we were riding on the K-beauty trend,” Mr. Lee said.

Asked why he thinks Korean cosmetics and skincare products are now so popular, Mr. Lee said it’s the quality. 

“Many foreign buyers are enthusiastic about any goods stamped with ‘Made in Korea.’ Even if a product is produced by the same brand, but it’s made in China, they don’t like it. They really prefer Made in Korea products. Made in Korea means quality is guaranteed,” he said.

K-beauty products have also distinguished itself with its fun and attractive packaging design, Mr. Lee added.

Korean beauty products have become popular overseas. — CATHY ROSE A. GARCIA

Despite pressure in a highly competitive Korean beauty industry, Benton remains committed to using only natural ingredients and producing small quantities to ensure freshly-made cosmetics. All Benton products have an expiration date, which is 18-24 months from its manufacturing date.

“Our advantage lies in our philosophy of healthy living. Many are pursuing healthy products with healthy ingredients, but the way to introduce products, they compromise. For some ingredients, they put some preservatives, chemicals. But we are using 100% natural ingredients for these kinds of things. We were recognized overseas first and that’s because of our quality,” he said.

“To the eyes of foreigners, AmorePacific and Benton and others are just foreign brands. Because they understand we are high quality, we are recognized by foreigners.”

From playing pro hoops to paying it forward

AFTER 19 years of showcasing his talent and passion in the hard court, “Cebuano Hotshot” Dondon Hontiveros has played his final game in the professional league and announced his retirement at 40.

A 13-time PBA All-Star player with a career total of 7,598 points, Hontiveros’ love for the sport runs deep and started early in his childhood.

“My father would always buy basketball rings and build basketball posts in our home. Since then, I became a PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) fan. I would always read the stories of PBA players in sports magazines,” he shared.

Dondon eventually grew up to be a varsity high school basketball player for Don Bosco Technology Center and continued playing for the University of Cebu in college. He was a regular school athlete, until someone took notice and offered him the opportunity of a lifetime.

“During the Philippine National Games in Cebu, Mr. Jean Henri Lhuillier, the owner of Cebu Gems, was there watching. Fortunately, I played a good game that day and I think that was the turning point when they decided to finally sign me for Cebu Gems,” he said.

Dondon was one of the pioneer players of Cebu Gems, a Cebuana Lhuillier-sponsored team formed to represent Cebu and compete in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) in 1998.

“In Grade 6, we were told to write down what we wanted to be by the year 2000. I wrote that I would be a PBA player, and it came true. Towards the end of 1999, I was still signed under the Cebu Gems when the opportunity to play in the PBA came. I talked to my mentors, teammates, and to Sir Jean Henri about my plans,” he said.

“I really owe a lot to Sir Jean Henri and Cebuana Lhuillier for giving me the opportunity to play in the MBA and for allowing me to cut my contract short so I could play in the PBA,” he added.

Mr. Hontiveros had an impressive basketball career in the MBA and PBA, considering the recognitions he has garnered: MBA All-Star MVP award, MBA Discovery of the Year award, a member of the Philippine National Men’s Basketball team and the PBA All-Star, PBA Sportsmanship award, PBA Mythical Second Team award, PBA All-Star Three-Point Shootout champion, and three-time PBA champion.

So after playing for two years under Tanduay Rhum Masters, ten years for San Miguel Beermen, and five years under Alaska Aces, what’s next for Hontiveros?

The PBA veteran refuses to completely bid goodbye to the sport and now plans to focus on honing the skills of young players through summer weekend basketball camps he has launched with the sponsorship of Cebuana Lhuillier. Since August 2015, the project has successfully organized camps in Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Ormoc City.

“I want to encourage the youth to go into sports because it teaches values and discipline that would help them become better persons. As for me, basketball has really helped develop my character so if there’s a chance, I hope young Filipinos would try to go into sports, too,” he said.

Just like the man who saw a great potential in him, invested in his talent, and supported his career, Mr. Hontiveros now pays it forward by providing opportunities to young players to achieve the same basketball dream he had when he was just a small town boy.

Vietnam donates rice to Marawi

THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture said Vietnam, one of the country’s key sources of rice imports, has pledged to support the rehabilitation of war-ravaged Marawi City and initially donated 4,000 bags of rice.

In a Facebook post, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang made the commitment to President Rodrigo R Duterte during their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 25th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam last week.

In turn, Mr. Duterte has vowed to work on the rescue of Vietnamese sailors abducted by the bandit group Abu Sayyaf in southern Philippines as well as the release of Vietnamese fishermen who were caught by the Philippine Navy poaching in the country’s fishing grounds.

Last Friday, three Vietnamese sailors held for eight months by Islamist gunmen were rescued by soldiers in the southern Philippines in the latest operation against the kidnap-for-ransom militants, the army said.

The sailors were found in the southernmost island group of Tawi-Tawi along with the body of another Vietnamese seaman who had died in captivity from an illness, regional military commander Lieutenant General Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. said.

“President Quang also assured President Duterte of his country’s support in its agricultural development initiatives. He also said that Vietnam remains committed to supply the Philippines rice requirements,” Mr. Piñol said in his post.

The Philippines imports at least 5% of its rice needs from Vietnam and Thailand.

Vietnam grows three rice crops annually. About a third of its production is shipped mainly to the Philippines, China and Indonesia.

The Vietnamese sailors were among the crew of a cargo vessel captured in February in the seas off the southern Philippines and held by the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic extremist group blamed for kidnappings, piracy and bombings in the area.

Galvez said the Abu Sayyaf are still holding a number of Filipino and foreign hostages including Ewold Horn, a Dutch bird-watcher abducted in 2012.

PNG
Despite being short from a 100% self-sufficiency level, the Philippines has recently offered its rice technology to develop Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) rice industry, according to Mr. Piñol.

The move seeks to gain the Oceanian country’s leniency toward Philippine fishing companies amid the former’s demands for foreign firms to process all their tuna catch in its ports.

The PNG’s proposal is seen to depress the local tuna fishing industry as bulk of the country’s tuna production, sourced from the Western Pacific, is processed in the plants of General Santos City.

The Agriculture chief said he will deploy in December this year soil and irrigation experts to PNG to conduct initial tests and surveys to develop its rice farms, as well as its coconut industry. — Janina C. Lim with AFP

Analysts’ Q3 GDP growth estimates

ANALYSTS expect the country’s overall economic growth to have stayed above six percent last quarter on the back of strong domestic demand and recovering merchandise exports, results of a BusinessWorld poll showed. Read the full story.
GDP Growth Estimates

Without the US, the TPP is back but for how long?

On sidelines of the APEC summit in Danang, Vietnam, the remaining 11 contracting parties of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal or TPP are expected to sign the TPP-11 trade deal or at least say they will do so in at most a year’s time.

The TPP, before US President Trump pulled out the US from it last Jan. 23, would have been the world’s biggest preferential trade agreement. Two of the world’s largest economies are in it, US and Japan, along with the 10 other Pacific rim countries most of which are the world’s fastest growing dynamic economies.

The Philippines is not one of the TPP 12, but like the rest of the ASEAN countries it was under great pressure to join the TPP deal or lose its US markets to TPP members Vietnam or Malaysia, or to second-wave TPP countries like Indonesia and Thailand.

That pressure eased somewhat when President Trump decided to abandon TPP and instead pursue bilateral trade deals with its members like Japan.

However, Japan decided to instead take on the leadership to salvage the trade agreement its Diet had already ratified. Over 10 months, it shepherded the remaining TPP 11 members through series of trade negotiations. Now they announce they have a TPP-11 deal or are committed to have one in a year’s time or less.

Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at the APEC forum in Danang late Thursday that the TPP 11 have an agreement that has “high standards and balanced.”

This is a significant achievement of Prime Minister Abe given that the US footprint in TPP is very large. The big question of the orphaned TPP 11 is whether they have to renegotiate the deal, which takes at least a year, or leave the deal stillborn like the International Trade Organization that the US trashed in 1947.

AN OVERVIEW OF TPP
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement is dubbed as the gold standard of free trade agreements in the world. Twelve states in the Asia-Pacific region signed the agreement on Feb. 4, 2016. They are Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Vietnam.

The TPP is a “comprehensive, next-generation” preferential trade and investment agreement that responds to the key challenges of the 21st century. Five key features define it.

First, TPP liberalizes and facilitates trade and investment flows among its members in “all areas.” It lifts about 11,000 import tariffs and removes non-tariff trade barriers in “all areas.” Unless an exception is declared, all services and investment areas are deemed liberalized. Even opportunities in government procurement get expanded.

Secondly, TPP is designed to attain the higher-level objective of stronger, more sustained, broad-based, and inclusive growth. The deal supports the development of global value chains (GVCs) among its members. Products these days are made in the world, not in China or USA. But such multi-country fragmentation of production can only happen with liberalized and facilitated trade and investment regimes among TPP members.

Active participation in GVCs makes trade and investment reforms cooperative rather than competitive. Job losses and other adverse effects of trade and investment reforms are offset by opportunities elsewhere in the economy for displaced resources.

Third, it incorporates four cross-cutting trade issues, namely: (a) regulatory coherence in support of a more seamless and efficient trade among its members; (b) competitiveness and business facilitation to ensure members to improve their respective domestic value chains to make them more competitive; (c) encouragement of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to participate in the expanded regional trade; and (d) promotion of overall institutional development.

Fourth, TPP responds to challenges of how to promote trade and investments in new innovative products arising from the introduction of new technologies. Lastly, it is a living agreement.

Members expect that the agreement will have to evolve in response to unforeseen shocks such as those due to the introduction of new technologies or to emerging issues such as those associated with climate change.

The stakes are still large without the US.

In 2015, TPP-11 countries’ total exports to the world amounted to $3 trillion or 14% of global exports in goods and services. The combined gross domestic product (GDP) in current prices of TPP-11 members reached $ 9.9 trillion or 13% of global GDP in 2015.

Before the US pulled out, many other Asian-Pacific economies had expressed their intentions of joining the agreement, and five were likely to accede after the agreement is launched: Chinese Taipei, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and Colombia. Many of these may still join TPP-11.

TPP-11 might bring the US back to the deal especially if and when in the sidelines of the 32nd ASEAN Summit in Singapore next year the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with ASEAN and its six free trade area partners in it is launched.

“There will be no future TPP 12 [with the US] if there is no TPP 11,” Minister Motegi added. “The US obviously has its position, but we will be persistent in explaining to the US [the merits of TPP] so that they come back.”

With the US back, the opportunities in TPP rise with a larger preferential global market of 41% of the world’s GDP and 30% of global exports.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE COUNTRY?
I calculated the trade implications of TPP for the Philippines using an estimated gravity model of trade of the relevant countries in the world. The potential boost of TPP membership to Philippine exports is significant. These are some key points of the analysis.

One, if the Philippines were a TPP member and it was exporting to any trading partner in the world, its exports may expand by 33.99% and imports from any partner in the rest of the world by 26.34%. If it’s confined only to TPP 12 countries, its exports go up by 33.5%.

Two, with a stronger expansion in exports compared to imports, the country may tend to build a trade surplus.

Third, if TPP gets expanded to TPP 17 with Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand in it, the export expansion is larger. The TPP may deepen even more the country’s trade with these five countries (see table).

TPP Membership

TPP membership assigns obligations to the country to become more open to trade and investments, key to making the economy competitive.

The estimated increase in exports may be interpreted as being what the Philippines may obtain if it were to become more competitive and integrated with the rest of the world as the TPP members are. Inputting the added exports to an economic model of the Philippines implies that the GDP has to rise by 59% to produce it. In other words, more jobs can be created and use of idle resources promoted.

MORE WORK AHEAD
The good thing is that the TPP 11 countries agreed to save the TPP. But the road ahead is littered with challenges.

Japan has to do careful balancing of responding to the concerns of its partners, but keeping the remaining trade negotiations to so-called “core elements” and away from opening up the debates on old issues in TPP 12 trade talks.

 

Ramon L. Clarete is a professor at the University of the Philippines School of Economics.

ACR to build 3 power plants simultaneously

ALSONS Consolidated Resources, Inc. (ACR) said it will carry out the construction of three projects simultaneously next year, with commercial operations of the plants scheduled in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

“We look forward to an exciting year ahead of us as by the middle of 2018 we will have 3 projects under construction simultaneously,” said ACR Executive Vice-President Tirso G. Santillan  in a statement over the weekend.

The three project were identified as: the second section of the 210-MW coal-fired power plant in Maasim, Sarangani Province; the Siguil hydro power plant; and the 105-MW coal-fired power plant in Zamboanga City.

“With the addition of these three projects to our power generation portfolio, ACR-affiliated power facilities will have around 588 MW of generating capacity — approximately 25% of Mindanao’s projected peak power demand in 2021,” Mr. Santillan said.

The first 105-MW section of the 210-MW Sarangani Energy Corp.’s plant began operating in April of 2016.

The construction of the plant’s second 105-MW section started in January 2017. Once completed, the new unit is expected to serve three million residents in the provinces of South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Cagayan de Oro City and other key areas of Mindanao.

ACR said the plant’s $600- million cost makes it the largest power investment in Sarangani province and the entire Region 12.

The Alcantara-led company is also developing the 105-MW San Ramon Power, Inc. (SRPI) baseload coal-fired power plant in Zamboanga City, which is expected to serve not just the city but also nearby areas.

Before the end of 2017, ACR said it will begin construction of the P 3.7-billion 15.1-MW run-of-river hydroelectric power project at the Siguil River basin in Maasim, Sarangani province.

The Siguil hydro project, which marks ACR’s entry into the renewable energy sphere, is expected to begin commercial operations within the first half of 2020. It will provide power to Sarangani, General Santos City and municipalities of South Cotabato.

The new projects are expected to boost the company’s financial performance in the coming years as the first unit alone of the Sarangani plant propelled revenue and earnings growth as of September.

Net earnings as of September rose 15.3% to P 274.48 million from P238.09 million in the same period in 2016. Consolidated revenues increased nearly 7% to P5.22 billion this year from P4.88 billion in 2016.  

ACR, which claims to be Mindanao’s first and most experienced independent power producer, also reported a 6.9% increase in parent-attributable net earnings to P117.66 million from P110.04 million.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) jumped to P1.28 billion from P718 million in the same period last year. The company said its EBITDA margin for the period improved to 35% from 23% in 2016. — Victor V. Saulon

New World Hotel sets fourth Run & Raise event

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

PART of its thrust of giving back to the community where it is situated in, New World Hotels and Resorts is bringing back for a fourth straight year its fund-raising Run & Raise event.

Slated for Jan. 21, 2018, Run & Raise 4 will be held at the Rajah Sulayman Park, Roxas Boulevard, Malate, Manila.

The proceeds of the running event will go to the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc. (ALKFI) to aid them in their three major programs, namely, Operation Sagip, Bantay Kalikasan and Bantay Bata 163.

Run & Raise 4 will mark the third time that ALKFI will be a partner-beneficiary of the event, something that the people behind the foundation are very thankful for.

For New World Makati Hotel General Manager Farid Schoucair, the Run & Raise event is a program they are very committed to as it is in line with what they are as a company.

“This is basically part of the culture of our company. We are based here and we try to work with the community we are in and see where we can contribute in our own way and give back,” said Mr. Schoucair in an interview after the media preview of Run & Raise 4 last Friday.

“In the Philippines there are many causes to support, whether it is for children, sick people, the environment and so forth. We work with a lot of groups including ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc. as part of our corporate social responsibility thrust,” he added.

The New World Hotel official went on to share that they are very satisfied with how the event has steadily grown throughout the years both in participants and sponsors, and that they hope to continue building on it in the years to come so as to help more people.

For Run & Raise 4, registration fees are priced at P500 for the three-kilometer run, P600 (5K), P750 (10K) and P900 (16K), inclusive of singlet, race bib and loot bag.

Registration is until Jan. 10, 2018 at Olympic Village stores at Trinoma, Glorietta 2, Market! Market!, Alabang Town Center, and Robinsons Ermita or online at www.goorahna.com.

Gun start is at 4:30 a.m. Winners of each category will receive exclusive gifts from New World Makati and AG New World Manila Bay.

For more updates on the event, follow it at facebook.com/NewWorldRunandRaise or visit www.newworldhotels.com.

PHLPost sets deadlines for snail mail, packages for Christmas

PHLPost logo

FOR THOSE sending out greetings through snail mail or packages within the country and abroad, the Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) has set cut-off dates for guaranteeing delivery before the Christmas to New Year’s day period. The dates apply to Metro Manila, which means cards, letters and boxes coming from outside the capital should be sent at an earlier time.

The deadlines are:

Nov. 27 — International Registered Mail

Nov. 29 — International Air Parcels

Dec. 4 — Domestic Parcels; Domestic Registered Mails; International Ordinary Airmails

Dec. 6 — Domestic Ordinary Mails

Dec. 11 — International Express Mails

Dec. 13 — Domestic Express Mails

… unleashes Twitter storm slamming ‘haters’ over Russia, takes dig at North Korea’s Kim

HANOI — US President Donald Trump unleashed a twitter storm from his Asia tour on Sunday, slamming “haters and fools” who question his efforts to improve ties with Russia and taking a sarcastic dig at North Korea’s “short and fat” leader Kim Jong-Un.

Currently on the Vietnam leg of a five-nation sweep through the region, the US president, who has been relatively quiet on Twitter since leaving Washington, put out half a dozen tweets in quick succession ahead of his official welcoming ceremony in Hanoi.

The missives covered a range of targets and subjects — from the critics of his desire for a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin to China’s efforts to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.

And they ended with a tongue-in-cheek tweet about his efforts to make “a friend” of North Korea’s Mr. Kim.

“When will all the haters and fools out there realize that having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing,” wrote the US president, who met with Putin several times on the margins of the just concluded APEC summit in the Vietnamese resort of Danang.

“There (sic) always playing politics — bad for our country. I want to solve North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, terrorism, and Russia can greatly help!” he added.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One while flying to Hanoi on Saturday, Mr. Trump had said he believed Putin was being sincere when he denied meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

Mr. Trump, whose key former aides are under US investigation for possible collaboration with the Kremlin, said he had repeatedly asked Putin about the claims during their chats in Danang.

“He (Putin) said he didn’t meddle. I asked him again,” Mr. Trump said. “I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it.”

In May, US intelligence chiefs told Congress they agreed with their analysts’ conclusion that Russia had meddled in the election. And in January, 17 US intelligence agencies took the extraordinary step of stating publicly that they believed Russia did try to interfere. In a statement to CNN after Mr. Trump’s remarks on Air Force One, Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, said he still believed in that evaluation.

Immediately after his Twitter tirade on Sunday, Mr. Trump was greeted by a guard of honor and flag-waving schoolchildren at a damp welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi’s historic French quarter.

The US leader was meeting the top communist leadership Sunday for talks that could touch on Vietnam’s gaping trade deficit and beefing up military support in the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims most of.

Mr. Trump’s Sunday tweets also focused on North Korea and its nuclear weapons ambitions that have been a dominant theme on each leg of his Asia tour.

Taking exception to descriptions by North Korean officials and state media of him as an “old” man, Mr. Trump suggested he was disappointed by what he took to be a personal attack from the North’s young leader.

“Why would Mr. Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’” Mr. Trump said.

“Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend — and maybe someday that will happen!”

North Korea is extremely sensitive to any remarks — even when not meant seriously — that might appear disrespectful of the country’ ruling Mr. Kim dynasty, whose members are revered as near deities. Since becoming president, Mr. Trump has engaged in an escalating war of words with Mr. Kim, trading personal insults and threats of military strikes. Over the past week, Mr. Trump has urged Asian leaders to take a united front against the threat posed by the isolated North, warning at APEC that the region “must not be held hostage to a dictator’s twisted fantasies.”

Late Saturday, Pyongyang hit back, calling his Asia trip “a warmonger’s visit for confrontation” and saying it would only serve to accelerate Pyongyang’s push for nuclear statehood.

In another tweet Sunday, Mr. Trump said Chinese leader Xi Jinping had agreed to toughen sanctions against North Korea, whose impoverished economy is hugely reliant on trade with its giant neighbor. “President Xi of China has stated that he is upping the sanctions against (North Korea). Said he wants them to denuclearize. Progress is being made,” he wrote. — AFP

Canada: The Philippines’ old childhood friend

This week, 21 world leaders descended upon our shores to attend the 31st ASEAN Summit and 12th East Asia Summit. Each leader represents nations in whom we have long standing relationships with. Some are political allies, some are opportunistic “friends,” some are akin to elder brothers in whom we look to for support while others are like younger siblings whom we mentor.

One nation, however, stands out, not because of the amount of support she has extended to Filipinos, but because she has done so without fanfare and without strings attached. That friend is Canada.

Since diplomatic relations began in 1949, Canada has been a formidable supporter of the Philippines. She was there with us since our infancy as a full-fledged republic all the way to the various eras of our development. From establishing ourselves as a self-governing nation, to the treacherous path of ousting a dictator and re-establishing our democratic institutions — and now, toward becoming a thriving free market economy. Quietly and under the radar, Canada was with us in the best of times and the worst of times.

The grateful nation that we are will never forget how Canada was one of the first responders when a 7.7-MW earthquake reduced Baguio to rubble in 1990. She was there again when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, providing technical assistance and aid to those affected in Central Luzon. When typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) inundated Metro Manila in 2009, Canada was quick to provide a fleet of rubber boats to the Philippine Navy. Just four years ago, when typhoon Haiyan flattened the city of Tacloban, Canada was first on the scene to provide immediate humanitarian aid and more importantly, long-term assistance to help the victims rebuild their lives. Today, a Canadian-sponsored residential village in Tacloban provides permanent dwellings for the victims of the catastrophe.

Canada is no fair-weather friend of the Philippines. She continues to give, simply because she is in the position to. She asks nothing in return.

Under the baton of Ambassador John T. Homes, Philippine-Canadian relations have become more profound, traversing the realms of trade, immigration, education and social development.

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, IMMIGRATION, AND INVESTMENTS
Unlike most industrial economies who enjoy enormous trade surpluses from the Philippines, Canada imports two times more products from the Philippines than she exports to it. Records show that as of 2016, Canada purchased $1.255 billion worth of Philippine-made goods, mostly composed of electronic products, mechanical appliances, rubber and rubber articles, leather goods and oleo products. This has given the Philippines a trade surplus of some $709 million. On the other hand, the Philippines purchased $626 million worth of goods from Canada, composed of wooden articles, ores, meats, fertilizers and machinery, including aircrafts.

Last September, Philippine Airlines took delivery of its second Q400 aircraft from Montreal-based engineering behemoth, Bombardier. Ten more aircrafts are pending delivery.

Bombardier aircraft have been part of Philippine Airlines’ fleet for more than a decade thanks to its sturdiness and ability to land in short, roughly paved runways. It is ideal for servicing such island destinations as Batanes, Surigao, and Coron.

The Philippines also purchased eight Bell Helicopters which now services the Military and the Office of the President.

One of the compelling reasons why the flag carrier chose Bombardier for its turbo-prop fleet is because 20% of its work force are Filipinos. That translates to roughly 200 workers. It can be said that the aircraft is partially Filipino-made, albeit using Canadian technology.

In fact, Ross Mitchell, Bombardier vice-president, said that Bombardier’s Filipino work force is one of the company’s greatest assets, thanks to their industry, dedication, and loyalty.

Mr. Mitchell’s view of Filipino’s work ethic was seconded by no less than Canadian Member of Parliament, Michael Levitt. The high regard that the Canadian government have for Filipino workers is the reason why the Philippines is one of Canada’s preferred countries for inbound immigration.

In 2015, the Philippines was Canada’s top source country for permanent immigration and part of the top three source countries over the last five years. This year, more than 30,000 Filipinos have so far been granted permanent residency. There are more than 850,000 Filipinos living in Canada today, the majority of whom work in the health care and hospitality sectors. They are large contributors to the Canadian economy. Filipinos integrate well into the Canadian society, not only because of our command of English, but more so because Canadians are blind to race and are welcoming of all.

In terms of foreign direct investments, Canada plowed $1.15 billion into the Philippine economy last year, the lion’s share of which went towards factories involved in recyclable energy, waste treatment, water treatment, and mining concerns. All these have generated thousands of jobs for Filipinos.

Over the next four years, Canada is keen to participate in government’s massive $165-billion infrastructure program, not as a direct builder or operator, but as a supplier. Canada possesses class leading technologies in railways, water resource management, waste management and renewable energies, among others.

On the other hand, Filipino investments in Canada amounted to $65 million last year. One of the high profile investments made was by a Jollibee, who opened a commissary and restaurant in Winnipeg. The burger chain is presently laying the ground work for a second store in Vancouver.

EDUCATION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
Canada’s generosity is shown by the dozens of educational and social development programs that the country has initiated. These programs help alleviate the plight of Filipinos in disadvantaged situations. Three programs, in particular, stand out given the number of people they have helped.

One of them is called JobStart.

Jobstart provides Filipinos without formal education or specialized skills with the full gamut of training programs to make them employable. These include skills training, career coaching, communication improvement and training on life skills.

Canada committed CAD$10 million to fund the nationwide roll-out of JobStart.

In 2016, the program was rolled out in 14 local government units (LGUs) where it produced 2,917 graduates, of which 2,130 were placed in full time jobs. This translates to an impressive placement rate of 73%. This year, some 3,817 are signed up to the JobStart program.

By the year 2021, the Canadian embassy aims to have 24,000 out-of-school Filipinos benefit from JobStart across 24 LGUs.

Another noteworthy program is called GREAT Women. The project assists women micro-entrepreneurs involved in food, textiles, woven cloth and home-style sectors to successfully and sustainably grow their businesses. It aims to help women entrepreneurs improve their products and productivity. It assists them in back-room management and connects them with domestic and global markets. The project is done in collaboration with the Philippine’s Department of Trade and Industry as well as the Philippine Commission on women.

To date, some 3,652 women entrepreneurs have benefitted from the various program of GREAT Women. They raised some P52 million this year from the sale of their wares. Quite impressive.

In the educational sphere, Canada announced a new scholarship program in Southeast Asia, called the ASEAN-Canada Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development, or SEED.

SEED provides college, undergraduate and graduate students from all ten ASEAN member states the opportunity to apply for short-term studies in Canada in a field that is aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The program is designed to narrow the development gap and reduce poverty in the region, through education and people empowerment.

The relationship between the Philippines and Canada is one like old childhood friends. Time may have taken both nations to different directions, different circumstances, and different preoccupations. Still, it does not diminish the bond that exists. Both are secure in the fact that should push come to shove, the other will be there ready and willing to be a friend with no questions asked.

 

Andrew J. Masigan is an economist.

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