June industrial output likely to match May pace — Moody’s
FACTORY OUTPUT likely grew at a steady pace in June compared to May, although slower than the rate seen a year earlier, Moody’s Analytics said over the weekend.
2nd half GDP to grow 7.2% if spending gains pace
THE “optimistic” scenario for economic growth is over 7% in the second half amid expectations of sustained consumer and government spending, according to the National Economic and Development Authority.
Mayor Osmeña vows to fight for Cebu BRT project
“I’M GOING to fight for this.” This was the statement of Cebu City Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña on the decision of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to suspend the implementation of the P16.7-billion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the city. NEDA Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia, who was in Cebu Friday for the Central Visayas stop of the Philippine Development Plan 2017 — 2022 road show, said the BRT implementation will be put on hold as NEDA looks into the Light Rail Transit (LRT) plan that is pushed by Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd L. Dino. “(Mr.) Pernia’s statement appears to be arbitrary, if not political. Imagine, cancelling a P16 billion project without even consulting the proponent. Reversing a NEDA Board resolution and violating a bilateral agreement whimsically on his own volition just two hours after saying it cannot be just canceled,” Mr. Osmeña said in a text message. The mayor also said that he will push through with filing a complaint with the World Bank and the French government to inform them that the Philippines is playing politics with their money. The national government signed a loan agreement for the project in 2014 with the Word Bank’s International Bank for Construction and Development. “I would like to ask Secretary Pernia a basic question. Why didn’t he consult the elected mayor of Cebu City? Does Federalism ignore locally elected officials?” Mr. Osmeña said. Rafael Christopher L. Yap, head of the BRT Project Implementation Unit, said the city will continue implementing the project, with road right-of-way acquisition in the initial stages, until it gets official word from the Department of Transportation (DoTr), the BRT implementing agency, to stop. Mr. Yap said his office will send a formal communication to DoTr to clarify Pernia’s statement. — The Freeman
Zverev beats Nishikori, faces Anderson for title
WASHINGTON — Germany’s Alexander Zverev dominated Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4 Saturday in a showdown of top-10 rivals to reach the ATP and WTA Citi Open final against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson.
Zverev, ranked a career-best eighth this week, dropped only seven points on his serve and never faced a break point in the 63-minute affair, extending ninth-ranked Nishikori’s ATP title drought to 30 events over 18 months.
The 20-year-old from Hamburg will try for his fifth career title and fourth of the year Sunday against 45th-ranked Anderson, who ousted 19th-ranked American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4 on the Washington hard courts.
Zverev dominated from the start, winning the first 10 points and 12 of the first 13, Nishikori netting a backhand to surrender a decisive break at love in the second game. Both men held from there, Zverev taking the first set in 28 minutes.
Zverev hit a forehand winner to break for a 2-1 lead in the second set and held to the finish, claiming victory when Nishikori netted a forehand.
Zverev, whose fourth-round Wimbledon run was his Grand Slam best, won 31-of-33 first-serve points, all 13 in the first set, and 9-of-14 on his second serve.
Zverev is 2-0 against Anderson, winning a 2015 Washington second-round match and a first-round meeting in May on his way to the Rome title, his third crown of 2017 after Montpellier and Munich.
Anderson reached his first final since winning his third career ATP title in 2015 at Winston-Salem. The lanky 31-year-old from Johannesburg also won at Delray Beach in 2012 and his hometown in 2011.
MAKAROVA INTO WTA FINAL
Russian seventh seed Ekaterina Makarova outlasted French fifth seed Oceane Dodin 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to book a berth in Sunday’s women’s final against German fourth seed Julia Goerges, who dispatched compatriot Andrea Petkovic 5-7, 6-4, 7-5. — AFP
P46-B Davao bypass road construction to start Q1
DAVAO CITY — Construction of the P46-billion Davao City bypass road project, which will be partly financed by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is scheduled to start within the first quarter next year, according to a city official.
Metro Pacific mulls IPO for hospital unit in 2019
METRO PACIFIC Investments Corp. (MPIC) is considering an initial public offering (IPO) for its hospital unit in 2019, as it looks at various options to fund its expansion, a top official said on Friday.
Toni Leviste wins Grand Prix of Samorin
OLYMPIC equestrienne Toni Leviste Won the 2-star Grand Prix of Samorin held last Sunday July 30, 2017 at the state of the art sports complex X-Bionic Sphere in Slovakia.
Aboard her 17-year-old chestnut stallion, Maximillian, Leviste bested 60 of the world’s best riders. For the first time in the history of Philippine Equestrian Sport, the Philippine National Anthem was played on European soil.
When interviewed after two tough rounds, where there were no double clear rounds in a field of 60 competitors, Leviste who won with 1-time fault after the second round of the event, commented that she never expected to win the Grand Prix, the top prize of the 2-star international jumping event.
“I came here to do my final training before flying to Malaysia for the Southeast Asian Games. Of course I always give my best and try to ride a smooth, harmonious round with my horses when we go into the arena, but to win the Grand Prix feels like a dream. And to hear our national anthem play on foreign soil with our flag flying proudly in this giant stadium literally brought me tears of joy.”
“Now I know why I continue to ride with passion, after all these years,” says Leviste. “To ride and win for flag and country is the ultimate motivation.”
Leviste and Maximillian also recently qualified for the World Equestrian Games (WEG), the ‘world championships of equestrian sport,’ last July 14, 2017 during the Nations Cup competition in Falsterbo, Sweden.
The WEG will be held in 2018 in Tryon, North Carolina, USA. It is the second most prestigious equestrian event, next only to the Olympics. Toni is the only Filipino equestrian who has ever competed in this world event, her first participation was in 2002 World Championships in Jerez, Spain, aboard her Sydney Olympic mount, Ghandy.
Leviste will be taking her younger mount Loribri, an 8-year-old mare she campaigned with from January to April this year in the United States of America’s jumping league held in Wellington, Palm Beach and Miami.
The duo will see action in the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur from Aug. 20-30. This will be the third (3rd) SEA Games participation for Leviste riding for Team Philippines, together with her show jumping teammates Joker Arroyo, Colin Syquia and Chiara Amor.
Unlike any other sport where athletes usually peak in their 20s and finish their careers in their 30s, the longevity of equestrian riders has made Toni Leviste one of the longest serving national athlete for Team Philippines, beginning with her international debut in 1990. Nearly three decades later, she is still representing the Philippine flag in sporting arenas around the world.
Supreme Court justices call for swift investigation on Butuan judge slay
THE SUPREME COURT (SC) yesterday condemned the killing of Butuan City Judge Godofredo B. Abul, Jr. as the high court justices called for a speedy and thorough investigation on the drive-by shooting that also left his wife injured. An unidentified gunman onboard a motorcycle fired at Mr. Abul and his wife, Bernadeth Casuna Abul, as they were about to leave their residence Saturday morning. The SC, in a statement, said, “They call on the authorities concerned to take all necessary steps with all deliberate speed to do justice for Judge Abul and his wife by fully investigating the crimes committed.” The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), on Saturday, also expressed “sadness and shock on the violent killing” of Mr. Abul. “This is the latest in the string of murders befalling the members of the legal profession. Though the loss of one life is already too much, the frequency and the sheer violence attending these acts have reached alarming levels,” the IBP said. Mr. Abul was the second judge in the Caraga Region gunned down this year after retired Surigao City Judge Victor A. Canoy was killed last Feb. 2. Attacks on state prosecutors also claimed four lives and injured one since the start of the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte. — Kristine Joy V. Patag
SRA pushing for duty-free sugar exports to Mainland
THE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is seeking a bilateral deal to export sugar to China without import duties in exchange for the continued duty-free import of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a sweetener used by the food industry.
Return of Captain Hook soon
The Link
Rey Joble
There was a time when Mac Cardona has been regarded as the top gunner in the PBA.
He averaged 20 points per game during the 2008-2009 season, the best in the league that time. It was also the same year when he won a PBA championship with the Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters, who defeated the Alaska Aces in seven games of the Philippine Cup finals.
Known as a winner during his collegiate playing career with La Salle, the former UAAP Most Valuable Player didn’t have much problem adjusting to the PBA brand of play.
Picked No. 5 overall by the Air21 Express in the 2005 Rookie Draft, Cardona was shipped to the Tropang Texters on Draft Day.
With Talk ’N Text, Cardona immediately became a rising star and in just his second season, he was able to average 18.1 points per game. He was a key player during the team’s magical run to the finals, but the team lost to the Aces in the import-laced tournament.
He played an MVP season, but lost to Jayjay Helterbrand of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
When Cardona moved to the Meralco Bolts, sister team of TNT, the five-time PBA All-Star quickly became the team’s star. In all three seasons he played for the Bolts, he has averaged in double figures, the most productive was in 2010-2011 season where he scored 18.7 points every game.
In 2011, Franz Pumaren, his old coach from La Salle, took over the coaching chores at Air21, and Cardona got his wish to be reunited with the mentor who also served as a father figure to him. He continued to play with the franchise until it was sold to the NLEX Road Warriors in the 2014-2015 season.
But last season, Cardona hit rock bottom as domestic problems affected his playing career. The player known for his physical and mental toughness inside the playing court was rushed to the hospital due to drug overdose in an attempt to commit suicide.
Cardona has been away from basketball for a year, but he is now making a comeback attempt.
He had a brief stint playing in the PBA D-League when he played for Zark’s Burger last July 18.
Now getting his mind-set back in basketball, Cardona is trying to make a return in the big league via the GlobalPort Batang Pier, a team being coached by his favorite mentor, Pumaren. He is still trying out for a spot in the team centered on guards Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle and although there’s no reserve position for him yet, it would only be a matter of time before the six-foot veteran find himself in the roster.
The Captain Hook deserves a second chance and Pumaren wants to give him one. We might see Cardona taking those unorthodox one handed, medium range jumpers and three-point bombs once more.
Rey Joble has been a sportswriter for years, and has been covering the PBA games for more than a decade. He is a member of the PBA Press Corps and Philippine Sportswriters Association, the oldest journalism group in the country.
reyjoble09@gmail.com
First Gen still interested in LNG ‘megaproject’
FIRST GEN Corp. remains keen on working with state-led Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) to build an integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) project after the government said it is open to accepting unsolicited proposals for the facility.
The gift of time
“YOU NEVER really own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.” This is one of the best known marketing campaigns in the world, one used by the Patek Philippe watch company, which was founded in the 1800s in Switzerland. While the beautiful watches live true to their message, it’s interesting to note that the company survives as one of the last family owned luxury brands in the world, when it was acquired by the Stern family from its original owners in the 1930s. If they can pass on a legacy to their own long line of generations, surely their products have the same magic.
Patek Philippe enjoys a reputation as being one of the luxury brands proudly used by royalty. The patronage of the British Royal Family of the watch brand began in the 1800s with a purchase by Queen Victoria. It was during the queen’s reign that the United Kingdom officially expanded into an empire after she was bestowed the title Empress of India, and to show British dominance in the world, the Great Exhibition, the first in a series of fairs that emphasized crafts and products from all over the world, was set up in London’s Crystal Palace. It was there that the Queen purchased her first Patek Philippe watch, and her numerous royal relations followed suit.
The British royal family continues the relationship today, as seen in several portraits of the present Queen, Elizabeth II, wearing her Patek Philippe watch. As recently as this decade, the Queen was spotted wearing a stunning Patek Philippe watch with a bracelet of diamonds and pearls. The watch itself was seen during an exhibition hosted by Patek Philippe in London in 2015, displayed alongside a watch owned by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.
“Queen Elizabeth doesn’t loan her things for just anyone,” said Deepa Chatrath, managing director and general manager for Patek Philippe in Southeast Asia during a brunch last week at the Shangri-La at The Fort, with the theme, Mechanical Art for Ladies. “But when she knew it was her [great-great]grandmother’s watch that was being shown, she loaned her Patek to be showcased.”
It’s interesting to know the deep relationship the brand has with women, considering that its pieces have adorned the wrists (and in Queen Victoria’s case, her bosom, as her watches were set on either pendants and brooches) of some of the world’s most beloved women. “There was the technical accuracy and all of that, but we were able to marry it with… artisanship,” said Ms. Chatrath.
Women’s watches form 30% of their sales, she pointed out, while 70% goes to the men. “We wish to be 60-40, but it depends on how new introductions of products can get us a different client base,” she said. According to her, there are of course women who do buy the watches themselves, but more often they own watches given to them by the men in their life.
And why wouldn’t women accept them? During the brunch, the brand showed off some of its most recent items, combined with its classic lines for women.
The Perpetual Calendar Ref. 7140 was present at the launch, with a dial crafted to look like delicate silk, with a gold bezel set with diamonds. As for its mechanical mastery, it recognizes the variable length of the months, whether they have 28, 30, or 31 days and including 29 days in February during a leap year. Another interesting piece was the World Time, with the face of the watch ringed with some of the world’s most famous cities.
Another beauty, was the Diamond Ribbon Joaillerie Ref 4964/400R-001, featuring on its face a spiral consisting of 587 diamonds, with ruby hour markers.
One of Patek Philippe’s most famous lines, the simple white-faced Calatrava, also made a statement amid all the shimmer of the jewels present on the other watches. After all, Ms. Chatrath noted, “The value of Patek is not defined by the stones that are on it.” She mentioned that some of the watches from the brand that have been sold at auctions and have fetched record prices are sometimes made of just steel.
A spiral of 587 diamonds on the watch on your wrist certainly will fetch a pretty price, but all the jewels in the world can never buy more time. One might think that Patek Philippe’s purpose is to give beautiful instruments for telling time, but then, “We’re quite conscious of the fact that people don’t need watches anymore,” said Ms. Chatrath. It seems that the whir of the modern world, at speeds immeasurable by any watch hands, has given them a new purpose: to guard memories, the imprint that time leaves on a human soul.
“The idea of wearing something precious on your wrist, bought at a beautiful part of your life, and then handed on to the next generation… I can’t think of many objects that have this kind of resonance in your life.” — Joseph L. Garcia
Diamond Ribbon Joaillerie / Calatrava / World Time