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Alvarez: ‘No-El’ in shift to federalism ‘possible’

HOUSE SPEAKER Pantaleon D. Alvarez on Wednesday, Jan. 3, raised the possibility of the 2019 midterm elections giving way to the shift toward a federal form of government if this is approved in a plebiscite, as planned this year.

In an interview with journalist Karen Davila of ANC, Mr. Alvarez said convening Congress into a constituent assembly (along with) revising the Constitution is “number one” in this year’s legislative agenda.

“Para sa akin (For me), we can convene by January, puwede nating i-submit iyan for (we can submit this to a) referendum (in the) barangay elections (of) May,” Mr. Alvarez said.

Asked about the likelihood of a no-election scenario in the midterm, the Speaker said “I have to be frank about it….Anything is possible. You know why? Let’s be practical. Kapag nag-shift ka (If you shift) into a different form of government,…you need a transition government.”

He added: “Mag-eleksyon tayo sa 2019 (Let’s have elections in 2019). That’s not a problem. Pero dapat tingnan natin dito na ano ba ang praktikal, ano ba ang objective dito (But we have to see what’s practical, what’s the objective)?”

“Magshi-shift ka into a federal form of government, magbabago yung istraktura ng gobyerno (If you shift into a federal form of government, the structure of government will change)….”

The Speaker said, when asked, there were ways (“may mga paraan”) to convince the Senate into supporting this agenda, noting that this is a “priority of this administration” and “the advocacy of (the ruling) PDP(-Laban) is federalism. (So) I don’t see any reason why (the) Senate President will not be working on it also.”

“This is a question of patriotism,” Mr. Alvarez also said.

He also took the position that Congress as convened into a constituent assembly will vote jointly on the matter.

Senate President Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III, when sought for comment, told reporters: “That is not an ‘either-or’ situation. We can shift to federalism and allow all scheduled elections under the existing (Constitution) to go on and be held. What is important are the transitory provisions which will govern the terms and duties of those elected in the last election under the 1987 Constitution.”

“And before we can operate under a new constitution, the provisions of the existing constitution must be followed. Hence, if there are scheduled elections under the existing constitution, then this must be followed,” the Senate leader added.

Asked about the possibility of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s term being extended under federalism, Mr. Pimentel said: “Depends on the transitory provisions. And depends too on when we approve the new constitution. If 2019, then the next three years will be the transitory period. We can extend the President’s term, number one, if really necessary, and two, if he is amenable to it, and three, since that extension will be part of the new constitution, the new constitution is approved by the people themselves.”

For his part, Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. said when sought for comment: “(T)he President always looks to the Constitution as his guiding document. The Constitution sets the date for the next elections in 2019. So unless the Constitution is amended ahead of the 2019 elections, it will have to push through.”

He added: “I can categorically state that PRRD does not want that (term extension). He wants to cut short his term rather than lengthen it.”

For his part, opposition Senator Francis N. Pangilinan said in a statement: “After witnessing the congressional hearings on extrajudicial killings, on Senator De Lima’s alleged connection with drug syndicates, on the P6.4-billion BoC shabu smuggling scandal allegedly involving the Davao group, the impeachment of Chief Justice Sereno, the approval of the 1-year extension of martial law in Mindanao, the slashing of the CHR budget to P1,000, will you trust Congress with charter change?”

Akbayan Representative Tomasito S. Villarin said in part: “The cat is out of the bag. It reveals the true intentions of the Duterte administration to perpetuate themselves in power. It speaks volume of how they have arrogated power unto themselves and instilled fear upon the people who oppose their position.”

Kabataan Party-list Representative Sarah Jane I. Elago in her statement said: “Setting aside Barangay and SK elections for the sake of giving way to the shift to federalism, along with the proposals of term extension, only allows the current administration to appoint interim officers who are subservient to its anti-people policies. The youth has vehemently opposed the subsequent election postponements as a form of depriving the people of their inherent and democratic right to choose their leaders. — with M.N.R. dela Cruz

Malacañang defers announcement on official to be sacked

MALACAÑANG HAS deferred its planned disclosure of the name of the government official expected to be fired by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. said on Wednesday, Dec. 3, “I read a text instructing me to hold in abeyance announcement of who it is that the President will sack next. Of course, this is not the first time it has happened. When he announced that he will fire an entire commission, he did not mention which commission first and it took a couple of days before I was authorized to make the announcement.”

He added: “So, although I was directed to announce as early as Jan. 30, the instruction was to announce in our next press briefing, which is today. But of course, the beginning of the day, I was asked to defer with the said announcement.”

Mr. Roque also said he had been advised by the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) that the President was “reviewing the legislative charter of the agency” which is currently headed by the said official.

As for the possibility that the official could be from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Mr. Roque said: “I can make the confirmation that the official…is not from the PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office).”

The spokesman noted Mr. Duterte’s awareness of PCSO board member Sandra Cam’s allegation on agency’s Christmas party said to cost about P10 million.

“He knows about the issue. I have confirmed that he knows about the issue,” Mr. Roque said, adding that the President “holds in high esteem both (the) PCSO General Manager and Sandra Cam” whom he recently appointed to the post. — Arjay L. Balinbin

PBA: improving the product

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

WHILE the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has been in existence for a good four decades now, challenges continue to persist which officials are not shying away from but instead taking head-on, knowing fully that through it they are only going to make the league stronger.

Currently, foremost of the tests Asia’s first play-for-pay league is facing is how to bring back fans to the games, with gate receipts the PBA recognizes could be better.

Last season, the PBA reported that gate receipts breached the P200-million mark, translating to a 3% increase from the previous year.

The numbers were greatly pulled up by the PBA’s decision to play the final three games of the Governors’ Cup finals between the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and Meralco Bolts in the mammoth Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

The move proved to be a blockbuster one with Game Five of the finals attracting 36,445 fans then 53,642 in Game Six and 54,086 in the rubber match Game Seven.

Despite finishing with a gain in gate receipts, league governor Al Panlilio of Meralco said the PBA no doubt has some shaping-up to do to attract the fans back.

“Our concern really is how to bring back fans to the games. We’ve noticed that the crowd attendance has gone down and maybe the interest is waning. At the end of the day it’s the product which is the PBA and we need to take a look at how we can attract the fans back and entice new ones, the younger generation,” Mr. Panlilio said in a recent interview with BusinessWorld.

“We want to see once again the Crispa-Toyota days when the game venues were filled. That’s the task that we need to look at moving forward,” he added.

The Meralco official went on to say that they should also look at the bylaws of the league and if necessary make the needed reforms so as to have the league stand on firmer footing and avoid conflicts within the organization in the future.

Recently the PBA Board of Governors was embroiled in an impasse over the standing of erstwhile league commissioner Chito Narvasa.

Just after the culmination of Season 42, seven teams, namely TNT KaTropa, Alaska Aces, Blackwater Elite, Meralco, NLEX Road Warriors, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters, citing “loss of confidence” over “questionable” decisions of Mr. Narvasa, including giving the go-ahead to the deal that sent the number one pick in the recent rookie draft from the Kia Picanto to the powerhouse San Miguel Beermen which turned to be big man Christian Standhardinger, called for his outright resignation.

Five teams — San Miguel, Barangay Ginebra, Magnolia Hotshots, Kia and GlobalPort Batang Pier — meanwhile, batted for Mr. Narvasa’s retention until due process had been done.

Mr. Narvasa has since stepped down and the PBA is set to come up with a search committee tasked to look for the next commissioner.

Right now officer-in-charge of the league is media bureau chief Willie Marcial.

“It was really difficult,” said Mr. Panlilio of the impasse the board was in.

“The group was really divided; views were different. But the thing is we never gave up. We wanted it to work out for the fans and our stakeholders and we needed to resolve it,” he added.

Mr. Panlilio further said that the board is now united albeit some healing needs to be done.

“We are now united but, of course, some healing needs to happen. And it already has begun. Like in any family there are misunderstandings and we need to work it out because we are better off as a group,” he said.

Season 43 of the PBA started on Dec. 17 and is to resume on Sunday, Jan. 7, after taking a week-long break for the New Year celebration.

Quarter of land will be drier under 2°C warming

MORE THAN a quarter of Earth’s land surface will become “significantly” drier even if humanity manages to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius, the goal espoused in the Paris Agreement, scientists said on Monday.

But if we contain average warming to 1.5°C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), this will be limited to about a tenth — sparing two-thirds of the land projected to parch under 2°C, they concluded in a study published in Nature Climate Change.

At 1.5°C, parts of southern Europe, southern Africa, central America, coastal Australia and Southeast Asia — areas home to more than a fifth of humanity — “would avoid significant aridification” predicted under 2°C, said study coauthor Su-Jong Jeong of the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China.

“Accomplishing 1.5°C would be a meaningful action for reducing the likelihood of aridification and related impacts,” he told AFP.

Jeong and a team used projections from several climate models, under different warming scenarios, to predict land drying patterns.

Aridification is a major threat, hastening land degradation and desertification, and the loss of plants and trees crucial for absorbing Earth-warming carbon dioxide.

It also boosts droughts and wildfires, and affects water quality for farming and drinking.

The team found that at 2°C, which could arrive any time between 2052 and 2070, between 24% and 32% of the total land surface will become drier.

This includes land in all five climate categories today — hyper-arid, arid, semi-arid, dry sub-humid, and humid.

But at 1.5°C — the lower, aspirational limit also written into the climate-rescue Paris Agreement — this is reduced to between 8% and 10%, said Jeong.

Under the pact, signed in the French capital in 2015, countries have filed pledges for reducing climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal, oil and natural gas.

But these goals place the planet on track for warming of more than 3°C, which scientists warn will lead to life- and asset-threatening superstorms, sea-level rise, floods and drought.

“Because present mitigation policies do not appear to be sufficient to achieve the 1.5°C temperature goal, more efforts to mitigate global warming are therefore urgently needed to reduce the spread of aridification,” the study authors said. — AFP

Carlo Biado pads ranking

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

BOOSTED by his strong finish to the year that saw him win the World 9-Ball Championship, Filipino champion billiards player Carlo Biado soared in the player rankings as the Year 2017 drew to a close.

As per the yearend rankings of the World Pool-Billiard Association, the world governing body of pool, the 34-year-old Biado placed second in the rankings at year’s end, jumping five places from seventh spot in the previous ranking.

The La Union native Biado finished 2017 with 25,250 total points, behind Chinese Taipei’s Jung Lin Chang at number one with 30,837 but ahead of third-running Pin-Yi Ko also of Chinese Taipei with 23,237 points.

The Filipino champion concluded a banner year by defeating compatriot Roland Garcia, 13-5, in the All-Filipino final of the World 9-Ball Championship played in Doha, Qatar, last month.

By bagging the prestigious title, Mr. Biado became the fifth Filipino player to win the tournament, joining Efren “Bata” Reyes, Alex Pagulayan, Ronnie Alcano and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, who last won it for the Philippines in 2010.

Mr. Biado raced to a 7-0 lead in the final over Mr. Garcia, which turned out to be enough distance to bring the crown home as the latter just could not make up for the lost ground.

“I’m very happy right now. It has been a long time and I really worked very hard, had my ups and downs. And now finally I won the world title,” said Mr. Biado following his world championship conquest.

The win was in addition to solid 2017 performances in other tournaments in the circuit as well as the gold medal he won for the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Despite losing in the World 9-Ball Championship finals, Mr. Garcia still wound up at sixth place in the yearend rankings with 20,252 points.

Completing the top 10 were Jayson Shaw of Great Britain at fourth with 22,946 followed by Albin Ouschan of Austria at fifth with 20,390 points.

Ping Chung Ko (18,185) and Yu Hsuan Cheng (17,742) of Chinese Taipei, Eklent Kaci (17,737) of Albania and Thorsten Hohmann (17,687) of Germany finished seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.

Narrowly missing the top 10 was Jeff De Luna of the Philippines at 11th place with 17,612 points.

Meanwhile on the women’s side, veteran Rubilen Amit was the highest Filipino player at seventh with 12,536 points with compatriot Chezka Centeno at 10th with 11,680.

Chinese Siming Chen tops the side with 23,620 points.

Energy dep’t asks Palace to appoint temporary ERC officials

ENERGY Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi has asked the Office of the President to temporarily appoint commissioners at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to take the place of the four officials who have been suspended for one year by the Ombudsman.

Mr. Cusi “assures everybody that we will do everything that we can so that there will be no power interruptions,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said in a news conference on Wednesday at the Department of Energy (DoE) head office in Taguig City.

He said the secretary gave his assurance in view of fears that the approval of power supply agreements (PSAs) might be delayed. The five-person ERC requires a quorum to approve these agreements.

ERC-approved PSAs are a key milestone for lenders to fund the construction of power plants. These deals between developers and electricity distribution utilities provide certainty to lenders that power projects will have ready buyers of the plants’ output.

“The secretary also wrote a letter to the Office of the President to look into the possibility of appointing temporary commissioners,” Mr. Fuentebella said.

He said he was not informed by Mr. Cusi on who might serve as temporary commissioners.

He also said that the DoE has a pending request for the President to put the ERC under the “administrative supervision” of the department “to ensure that what we are doing are all aligned.”

He said the DoE’s request to the President was sent around the time that the four commissioners — Alfredo J. Non, Gloria Victoria C. Yap-Taruc, Josefina Patricia A. Magpale-Asirit and Geronimo D. Sta. Ana. — were ordered suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman.

The ERC earlier said the suspension of the four commissioners would put on hold funding for P1.588 trillion worth of energy-related projects and capital outlays that will ultimately affect millions of Filipinos.

ERC Chairman Agnes T. Devanadera said she prepared a letter for the President laying down the possible impact of the “paralysis” at the commission.

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered the suspension of the four, along with the previous ERC chairman, in connection with the revised implementation date of the competitive selection process (CSP), which it said favored a few power supply contracts.

CSP requires these contracts between power generation companies and distribution utilities to be subjected to price challenges, a process that is aimed at lowering electricity costs.

Ms. Devanadera said the “debilitating impact” of the Ombudsman’s decision to suspend the four incumbent commissioners “will render the operations of the agency in severe paralysis.”

She said as a collegial body, the presence of at least three members of the commission is needed to constitute a quorum to enable the ERC to adopt any ruling, order, resolution, decision or other acts of the commission in the exercise of its quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative functions. — Victor V. Saulon

Palace issues memo on foreign travels

MALACAÑANG ISSUED on Wednesday, Jan. 3, a memorandum that outlines measures on government officials’ foreign travels.

The memorandum, also dated that day, is addressed to all department secretaries, heads of agencies, government-owned and/or- controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs), and was issued to “ensure compliance with the pronouncements of President Rodrigo R. Duterte against extravagant and lavish travels abroad.”

The memorandum said an official foreign travel will only be allowed “if the purpose of the trip is strictly within the mandate of the requesting government official or personnel, the projected expenses for the trip are not excessive, and the trip is expected to bring substantial benefit to the country.”

All government officials are also required to secure a travel authorization from their respective agencies along with duly accomplished leave forms.

All authorized agencies that approve travels abroad will have to submit to the Office of the President, at the end of every quarter, a list of all travel authorities they have issued.

The memorandum also stated that “failure to comply (with) the directives may result in the filing of administrative actions for misconduct, insubordination and other related offenses under the Civil Service Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service and/or relevant laws, rules and regulations, against the traveling officials as well as the official who unduly endorsed or approved their travel authorizations or who failed to submit the list required.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Big seeds tumble out of Qatar Open

DOHA — The Qatar Open second and third seeds — Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta and Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic — crashed out of the tournament in the first round on Tuesday on a night of shocks in Doha.

Both seeds lost in third set tie-breaks.

Carreno Busta was beaten by Croatia’s Borna Coric, 7-5, 2-6, 6-7 (8/10) in an enthralling match lasting two hours 41 minutes.

And Berdych went down 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 (4/7) in the match on centre court which followed against his fellow 6 ft. 5 in. opponent, Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.

It means the tournament has lost two of its top-ranked players after having already being shorn of three major stars — Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — before it began, as they try to recover from injuries.

To complete a bad night for the seeds, number six seed Filip Krajinovic of Serbia also lost, in straight sets to Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk.

Busta’s match with Coric was the game of the tournament so far.

The 21-year-old Croat, who beat Andy Murray last year at the Madrid Open, saved three match points to progress and afterwards described it as a “huge win.”

Coric is ranked 38 places lower than world number 10 Carreno Busta but said it was his aim to be more consistent and break into the world’s top 20 this season.

He will play Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round. The Georgian has won their previous two encounters.

Berdych, who beat Struff in the French Open last year, was returning to action after sustaining a back injury towards the end of 2017.

The former world number four, now ranked 19th, started slowly, struggling to cope with the aggressive tactics of the big-serving Struff, the world number 53.

Frenchmen Richard Gasquet, was untroubled by the big names falling beforehand, trouncing Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic, 6-0, 6-2.

Number one seed, Austria’s Dominic Thiem, is safely through to the second round, winning his first match in straight sets on Monday. — AFP

Israel rabbis lead prayers for rain at Western Wall

MORE THAN 2,000 Jews joined Israel’s chief rabbis at Jerusalem’s Western Wall on Thursday to pray for rain as the country faces a fourth straight dry winter.

“A prayer can help,” Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, who organized the ceremony, told public radio.

Israel’s two chief rabbis — David Lau for Ashkenazi Jews or those of European descent and Yitzhak Yosef for Sephardi Jews or those of Middle Eastern descent — attended the prayer.

Israel’s meteorological service forecasts that the region will see another dry winter, estimating a 65% chance that there will insufficient rainfall in December, January and February — usually the wettest months.

In March, Israel’s water authority said the Sea of Galilee, which is actually a lake and the country’s main freshwater reserve, had reached its lowest level in a century.

Israel has, however, escaped water cuts through the use of five desalination plants built along the Mediterranean coast.

Three-fourths of potable water consumed by Israeli households come from the desalination plants.

The Western Wall is the holiest site where Jews are currently allowed to pray.

It is located in east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognized by the international community. — AFP

Traslacion 2018 to feature 12 prayer stations along procession route

THIS YEAR’S Traslacion, or procession of the Black Nazarene, scheduled Jan. 9, Tuesday, will have a new feature — 12 prayer stations strung out along the route from the Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church. At each station, communal prayers will be said as the Andas, the carriage bearing the image of Christ bearing the Cross, approaches; blessings with incense and holy water will be dispensed as it passes by; and singing as it departs. — interaksyon.com

See full story on https://goo.gl/iiWdrx

Poe: MRT’s ‘current system is already on last leg’

 

“THE FREQUENT breakdowns of the MRT, especially during the latter part of 2017, only tells us that the current system is already on its last leg,” Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares said in a statement on Wednesday. She added: “The DoTr should start the year with urgency in addressing this problem, that might require extensive repair work rather than just regular maintenance. But extensive repair might mean the need to put operations on hold, and without an alternative mass transport system to replace it, this would bring commuters greater woes. This is the challenge that the government should solve asap. Hopefully, the new year will give the DoTr the chance to start fresh and show us that it is a department that is capable of making better management and engineering choices and not politically driven decisions.” For his part, Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. said talks continue for the possible return of Sumitomo Corp. in MRT’s operations. “(T)ingin ko (The way I see it), Sumitomo will be the preferred maintenance at nagsalita na po ang DoTr nung nakaraan na nais nga nilang maibalik ang Sumitomo diyan (and the Department of Transportation has said it looks forward to the return of Sumitomo’s services).

NCAA volleyball opens today

LOCAL collegiate volleyball action takes center stage beginning today with the start of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 93 women’s tournament.

Defending champions Arellano University Lady Chiefs kick off their title defense, taking on the Mapua University Lady Cardinals in the main game set for 1:30 p.m. at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Serving as the curtain-raiser at 12 noon is the battle between the San Sebastian Lady Stags and Emilio Aguinaldo College Lady Generals.

The Lady Chiefs are slated to play with practically an intact lineup, led by Regine Anne Arocha, Necole Ebuen, Andrea Marzan and Jovielyn Grace Prado.

Considered as the underdogs after finishing second after the elimination round last season, Arellano bucked the odds and beat San Sebastian, which swept its way straight to the finals, in three games in the championship round to clinch its second crown in tournament history.

Meanwhile, losing Season 92 finalist San Sebastian looks to bounce back this year although has do it sans leader and multiple most valuable player winner Grethcel Soltones who has moved on.

It will be banking on a core composed of Premier Volleyball League veterans Alyssa Eroa, Vira May Guillema, Joyce Sta. Rita and Dangie Encarnacion.

“For different reasons, half of my players from last year are gone. Now I just have to make the most out of the remaining players and hope for the best,” said San Sebastian coach Roger Gorayeb.

The NCAA women’s volleyball tournament will be shown live over S+A. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

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