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PHL’s Gilas battles Iraq after big win over China

FOLLOWING their huge win over defending champion China in its 2017 FIBA Asia Cup debut on Wednesday night, Gilas Pilipinas now focuses its attention on Iraq today as it treks back to the court at the Nouhad Nawfai Gynasium in Beirut, Lebanon.

Set for 9 p.m. (Manila time), the Philippine national men’s basketball team is out to build on its 96-87 victory over China the other day and put itself in good position to top its group in the high-profile regional tournament and claim the outright quarterfinal ticket up for grabs in the group stage.

Against China, Gilas Pilipinas relied on a total team effort on both ends of the court and an explosion from GlobalPort Batang Pier star guard Terrence Romeo in the end to withstand a strong challenge from China to book its first win in this year’s edition of the Cup.

The team also held its own despite being reduced to 10 men with big man June Mar Fajardo nursing an injury and forward Calvin Abueva ejected early in the contest with a disqualifying foul after retaliating to the rough play of Chinese player Li Gen.

While they dictated the tempo for much of the opening half, leading by as many as 17 points in several occasions, Gilas found itself in a tough battle in the second half as the Chinese started to hit their long bombs.

China seized the lead from Gilas, 83-82, with 5:45 to go in the match and threatened to pull the rug from the Philippines.

But Mr. Romeo and the rest of Gilas would not allow China to do such as they held their composure down the stretch to withstand the onslaught.

GlobalPort star Romeo racked up eight straight points to overhaul a three-point China lead, 92-87, with 2:12 remaining in the clock.

It was a run by the Philippines that the Chinese would not recover from as Gilas went for the finish en route to notching its first win of the tournament.

Mr. Romeo led Gilas with 26 points, going five-of-seven from beyond the arc, to go along with four assists.

Christian Standhardinger had 15 points and six rebounds while Jayson William (Castro) had 13 points and seven assists.

Matthew Wright finished with 12 points and Raymond Almazan and RR Pogoy had nine points each.

Japeth Aguilar, who set the Gilas attack to a good start, anchored the team’s defense with five blocks and seven points.

Iraq, for its part, was also victorious in its tournament debut on Wednesday over Qatar, 75-66.

It used a strong third quarter to shake off the Qataris before holding on in the end for the win

Kevin Galloway led Iraq with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

He was backstopped by Karrar Hamzah with 13 points and eight assists. Hassan Abdullah also had 13 points.

Gilas’ game today against Iraq will be shown live over TV5 and AksyonTV and livestreaming at www.sports5.ph/live. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

San Miguel says recurring net income hits P27.6B in 1st half

SAN MIGUEL Corp. (SMC) saw a 21% increase in recurring profit in the first semester of 2017, lifted by higher sales across its core businesses of fuel and oil, infrastructure, beverages and food, and packaging.

In a statement issued on Thursday, diversified conglomerate said it booked a recurring net income of P27.6 billion, up from the P22.8 billion it generated in the same period last year. The first semester also saw revenues climb 20% to P393.4 billion.

Including the one-time gains recorded from the sale of its telecom business in 2016 and effect of foreign exchange translation, SMC’s reported income fell 26% to P26.1 billion from last year’s P35.3 billion.

Consolidated operating income went up 10% to P53.4 billion, which the company attributed to higher sales and better management of fixed costs.

Consolidated EBITDA (earnings before income, tax, depreciation, and amortization), meanwhile, edged 12% higher to P70.8 billion year on year.

SMC’s beer business through San Miguel Brewery, Inc. posted a 14% growth in earnings to P9.4 billion, as revenues likewise jumped 12% to P53.1 billion. Ginebra San Miguel, Inc.’s net income almost doubled in the first semester to P265 million, driven by a 20% rise in revenues of P10.1 billion.

Higher volumes and better selling prices of poultry, fresh meats, and value-added meats lifted San Miguel Pure Foods Company, Inc.’s net income by 26% to P3.1 billion. The company saw a 5% increase in revenues to P55.9 billion.

SMC’s power business, meanwhile, was weighed down by the scheduled annual maintenance shutdown of the Ilijan and the Malampaya facilities, as its operating income dropped by 15% to P13.3 billion. Revenues for the group were flat at P40.7 billion, from the P41.1 billion a year ago.

Meanwhile, Petron Corp. exhibited a 28% growth in revenues to P207 billion, pushing its net income 56% higher to P8.2 billion.

“This was driven by a deliberate focus on more profitable segments as well as improved refinery production yields,” the company said. Petron is currently building up its terminal capacities in order to support the demand for its products, as well as support the volume of its 2,900 service stations.

For the infrastructure segment, operating income inched up 4% to P5.2 billion, following revenues that rose 11% to P10.9 billion. The company attributed the increase to the sustained growth of traffic volumes in its operating toll roads.

Operating income of the company’s packaging arm through San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Group was higher by 6% to P1.4 billion, as it saw better sales from its plastics and metal businesses.

Shares in SMC added 10 centavos or 0.1% to P101.6 apiece on Thursday. — Arra B. Francia

Ceres-Negros FC off to AFC Cup next round

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Reporter

LOCAL side Ceres-Negros FC solidified its standing as the best football club in Southeast Asia today after winning the Asian Football Confederation Cup ASEAN Zonal Final over Singapore’s Home United FC on Wednesday night at the Panaad Park and Football Stadium in Bacolod City.

Trailing the two-leg final entering the contest following its 2-1 loss in the opener last week in Singapore, “The Busmen” rose to the challenge in front of their hometown fans by taking the final leg, 2-0, to win on aggregate, 3-2.

The victory not only secured for Ceres the ASEAN title but it also thrust it to the next round of Asia’s secondary club football tournament hosted by the AFC against Istiklol FC of Tajikistan in the inter-zonal semifinals that will begin later this month.

In their win over Home United, The Busmen were towed by a solid start to the match, punctuated by goals from OJ Porteria and Manny Ott.

Mr. Porteria hardly wasted time helping Ceres to the board, scoring just two minutes into the game.

He redirected an Iain Ramsay cross past Home United goalkeeper Hassan Sunny that immediately sent the team and their fans to celebration.

Ceres continued to put on the pressure on the visitors, putting itself in several scoring opportunities.

Its aggressiveness eventually was rewarded anew when Mr. Ott found the bottom of the net in the 42nd minute, curling a free kick at the top left corner to help his team to a 2-0 lead by the halftime break.

Home United tried hard to make up for lost ground and bring its slowly slipping AFC Cup bid back to life, led by star forward Stipe Plazibat, but Ceres would make sure to stay on top of things and not allow any slippage on its part to seal the win.

In winning the ASEAN title, Ceres coach Risto Vidacovic highlighted his players’ “grit and determination” to see their cause through as a key component in their victory.

For game hero Ott, meanwhile, he said they take pride in their victory, especially since they really worked hard for it.

“We were working hard for the entire season to achieve this goal. It was a total team effort. Everyone was fighting hard for us to go to the next round. We wanted to win this so bad and I think it showed in how we played tonight,” said Mr. Ott in a postmatch interview.

“We deserve this win. And now we are off to the next round,” he added.

In the inter-zonal semifinals, Ceres will face Istiklol, the 2015 AFC Cup runner-up.

Istiklol topped Group D in the group stages with a record of five wins and a draw for 16 points to go directly to the inter-zonal playoff semifinals.

Ceres and Istiklol begin their two-leg inter-zonal semifinals on Aug. 22 at the latter’s Hisor Central Stadium in Hisor, Tajikistan, while the return leg happens on Sept. 9 at the Panaad Park and Football Stadium.

Prior to that, Ceres returns to the Philippines Football League this weekend to take on Kaya FC-Makati tomorrow at the University of Makati Stadium at 4 p.m.

Ceres is currently fourth in the PFL with a record of 7-1-2 and 22 points.

Semirara profit up 24% in 1st half

By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-Editor

SEMIRARA MINING and Power Corp. (SMPC) posted a 24% increase in first-half net income to P7.86 billion from P6.36 billion as its main units performed strongly during the period, the company’s financial data showed.

In its report to the stock exchange on Thursday, the Consunji-led company said its coal production unit contributed P4.23 billion, accounting for 54% of the semester’s profit.

Its two power plants — Sem-Calaca Power Corp. and Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. — turned in P2.14 billion and P1.50 billion or a corresponding share of about 27% and 19%.

Before eliminations, coal and the two power plants Sem-Calaca and Southwest Luzon recorded core net income after tax of P5.32 billion, P1.15 billion and P1.40 billion, respectively.

“Coal production increased by 25% [year on year] to 7.35 million metric tons (MTs) from 5.88 million MTs last year,” the company said.

Production for the six-month period included low-grade coal at 772,000 tons, higher by 70% compared with 454,000 tons in the same period last year.

However, coal sales volume slipped by 4% to 6.3 million MTs from 6.6 million MTs a year ago “mainly due to timing difference of export deliveries,” the company said.

Sem-Calaca generated 1,383 gigawatt-hours (GWh), up 14% from 1,212 GWh previously, despite one unit going offline for three months.

“Although Unit 1 was on maintenance shutdown the whole of first quarter and only came back online in mid April this year, average load increased to 244 MW (megawatts) from 184 MW last year,” SMPC said, adding that the second unit was operating more reliably this period.

The power plant’s total energy sales increased by 1% to 1,401 GWh from 1,390 GWh a year ago.

Southwest Luzon posted an 8% rise in power generation to 817 GWh during the first half, from 754 GWh last year as both its units have started commercial operation in August 2016.

The subsidiary secured its certificate of compliance from the Energy Regulatory Commission on May 15, 2017, allowing the plants to run at full capacity of 150 MW each.

Total average load of both units increased by 6% from last year. Energy sales rose by 2% to 771 GWh from 757 GWh last year.

Also on Thursday, SMPC announced its board approved the declaration of special cash dividends of P5 per share or a total of P5,326,432,150.

“This was prompted by the change in project timeline of its new investments, thus cash allocated per budget coming from cash generated from operations was realigned for special cash dividend to its shareholders,” it said.

The special cash dividend will be sourced from the company’s unappropriated retained earnings for the interim period as of June 30, 2017. SMPC’s board has set the record date on Aug. 25, 2017 and the payment date on Sept. 8, 2017.

Shares in SMPC closed 0.30% or 50 centavos higher at P166.30 apiece on Thursday.

Sereno impeachment complainants get supporting documents, but no House endorser yet

AN IMPEACHMENT complaint filed by anti-crime groups against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno has been fortified by supporting documents, but it remains to be taken up by an endorser at the House of Representatives. Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) President Dante I. Jimenez received the documents earlier requested from and granted by the Supreme Court. The documents are pertinent to the impeachment complaint filed by the VACC and the Vanguard of Philippine Constitution, Inc. (VPCI) last August 2. “We have done our part. That’s not my job as a citizen to beg [for an endorsement],” Mr. Jimenez said. An endorsement by a member of the House of Representatives is needed for the impeachment case to be officially filed before the House committee on justice that will tackle the complaint. — Kristine Joy V. Patag

Southern Leyte governor faces dismissal over second-hand vehicles purchase

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WWW.SOUTHERNLEYTE.GOV.PH

SOUTHERN LEYTE Governor Damian G. Mercado has been ordered dismissed from his post by the Office of the Ombudsman after he was found guilty of grave misconduct for mishandling the procurement of second-hand vehicles in 2007 when he was mayor of Maasin City. In a statement issued yesterday, the Ombudsman said records of the investigation showed that in 2007, Mr. Mercado, then mayor of Maasin, the capital of Southern Leyte, approved the purchase of three reconditioned vehicles that were 11 to 13 years old, one of which was originally his, with a total worth of P2.3 million. The dismissal order carries the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office, forfeiture of retirement benefits, cancellation of eligibility and bar from taking the civil service examinations. Five other local executives are also set to face trial before the Sandiganbayan for violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019). Charged alongside Mr. Mercado are Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Chairman Crispin Arong, Jr., BAC Vice-Chairperson Feorillo Demeterio, Jr.; BAC members Anecito Narit, Benjase Lumen, and Consuelo Ladrera; and supplier Baltazar Avila, Sr. of Kojac Auto Repair Shop and Auto Supply. The BAC officials were also ordered dismissed from service. In its Joint Resolution, the Ombudsman said that respondents “exhibited manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence in awarding the procurement contracts to Kojac without regard to pertinent law and rules.” Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said that “as head of the procuring entity, [Mr. Mercado] has a duty to ensure that all the procurements of the city government are in compliance with the law and other applicable rules.”

Gilas victory vs China draws comparison to Pinoy 5’s triumph over Chinese in ’86 ABC

WHILE the entire basketball national is cherishing the moment of seeing Gilas Pilipinas beating an elite Chinese squad in the FIBA Asia Cup last Wednesday night, the victory reminded of something which the Filipinos accomplished in 1986, the last time the Pinoy quintet defeated powerhouse China. More than three decades ago, this Philippine team — composed of the finest amateur players in the country and reinforced by two naturalized players — was able to beat China in the FIBA Asia Cup then known as the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC).

From late December 1985 to early January of 1986, the Philippine team bannered by amateur standouts Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Hector Calma, Franz Pumaren among others and two naturalized players Jeff Moore and Dennis Still, defeated China in the finals, 82-72.

Coaching the Philippine squad was the late great Ron Jacobs and assisted by Filo Pumaren and Chris Calilan.

To date, this is the last Filipino quintet to win the FIBA Asia Cup.

For six games, the Filipinos had to grind it out, even celebrating the New Year away from home. They had to battle it out from Dec. 28, 1985 to Jan. 5, 1986 against the best in the Asian region.

The Filipinos were grouped with Japan, Jordan and Pakistan and they were able to breeze past their opponents easily.

They blasted Jordan, 81-70, on opening day then claimed the scalp of Pakistan the next day, 100-51.

Facing a more formidable Japanese side, the Philippine squad was unperturbed and waylaid their long-time tormentors, 87-70, to advance to the four-team championship round. In the old days, the championship round is played in another single round robin.

There, the Filipinos faced their biggest test in South Korea bannered by the hot-shooting Lee Chung-hee. The Korean deadshot played for their national team when they participated as a guest squad in the 1982 PBA Invitational Tournament and became the star of the squad.

In the ABC, he continued to the scourge for the Filipinos, who narrowly defeated the Koreans, 76-72. Lee would later on got a revenge of sorts as his Korean team would defeat the Philippines in the 1986 Asian Games.

After getting past the Koreans, the Filipinos next faced the host Malaysians, whom they clobbered, 75-65.

So the stage is set for the championship match between the Philippines and China, then led by Zhang Bin and Sun Fengwu.

From the get-go, the Philippines showed no signs of slowing down. They led from start to finish on their way to reclaiming Asian supremacy. Prior to winning the title, the last time the Philippines won the ABC crown was in 1973.

Had it not been for the People Power Revolution that ousted former President Ferdinand Marcos, the long-term program of the Northern Consolidated Company bankrolled by Danding Cojuangco would have continued.

The team qualified for the 1986 World Basketball Championship, but the program was scrapped when President Cory Aquino assumed power as the new Chief Executive of the Republic. — Rey Joble

Rental business drives Megaworld Q2 higher

MEGAWORLD Corp. accelerated its earnings by 10% during the second quarter of 2017, on the back of double-digit growth in leasing revenues from its office buildings, malls and hotels.

In a regulatory filing, the Andrew L. Tan-led property developer posted an attributable net income of P3.61 billion, higher than the P3.28 billion it realized in the same period in 2016. Second-quarter revenues grew by 5% to P11.68 billion.

With this, Megaworld’s attributable net income for the January to June also registered an 11% increase to P6.44 billion, against the P5.81 billion it booked in the same period last year. Revenues for the first semester rose 6.2% to P23.24 billion.

The company attributed the positive performance to robust rental income from office, mall, and commercial space leasing.

“It has been a strong first half for Megaworld as we continue the trajectory of our rental income while maintaining revenues for our residential business. Across businesses, there is an indication that we will continue our double-digit growth until the end of the year,” Megaworld Senior Vice-President and Treasurer Francis Canuto was quoted as saying in a separate statement.

Rental income increased by 15% to P2.93 billion during the April-June period, pushing the first half figure 20% higher to P5.83 billion. The rental business got a boost after Megaworld breached the one-million square meter (sq.m.) mark in total leasable spaces last year. Of this, 851,000 sq.m. comprise office spaces while the remaining 273,000 sq.m. comprise of commercial and retail spaces.

“Megaworld remains to be the largest office developer and lessor in the country. We are well-positioned to retain this leadership as we are on-track to surpass the one-million square meter mark in office space inventory alone by the end of this year,” Mr. Canuto said. The bulk of revenues still came from the residential segment, which saw a 3% increase in sales to P6.76 billion in the second quarter. First half real estate sales inched up 1.4% to P13.62 billion.

Revenues from Megaworld’s hotel business, meanwhile, fell 2% in the second quarter to P313.19 million. However, revenues from hotel operations jumped 10% to P648 million for the first six months of the year. Megaworld targets to put up an additional 3,500 rooms in its hotel portfolio in the next five years, in a bid to position the hotel business as a major contributor to the company’s growth.

Megaworld currently has a total of 22 integrated urban townships and integrated lifestyle communities, spanning over 3,700 hectares of land across the country. Its biggest developments in terms of size are the 1200-hectare Twin Lakes in Tagaytay, Eastland Heights in Antipolo, Rizal with 640 hectares, and Suntrust Ecotown in Cavite at 350 hectares.

Last June, the company launched its first integrated township in Central Luzon called Capital Town, spanning 35.6 hectares with a total investment of around P30 billion. The estate will be constructed over the next 10 years.

Megaworld launched within the second quarter the 559-room Savoy Hotel Boracay inside its township Boracay Newcoast, which features the country’s first party pool arena.

Shares in Megaworld added 2 centavos or 0.41% to close at P4.90 each on Thursday. — Arra B. Francia

NEDA-ICC to decide on 7 flagship projects today

SEVEN flagship projects are lined up for approval by the National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) today.

NEDA Undersecretary Rolando G. Tungpalan said in a text message that the tentative list of the projects for approval includes: the Official Development Assistance-funded Estrella-Pantaleon and Binondo-Intramuros “priority bridges” traversing the Pasig river worth P1.2 billion and P2.3 billion, respectively; and the $100-million (P5 billion) Asian Development Bank (ADB)-financed Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility.

The cost adjustment for the $141-million Cebu bus rapid transit is also on the agenda for approval, as well as the Philippine Coast Guard Maritime Disaster Response Helicopter procurement exercise, and the Mindanao Road Sector Project, but their costs and financing have yet to be determined.

The ICC is also expected to approve the validity extension of the ADB Road Improvement Project that has not been implemented since it was first approved. The project has exceeded the 18-month ICC approval validity.

Mr. Tungpalan said that the project costs may change during the meeting.

The ICC evaluates the fiscal, monetary and balance of payments implications of the projects, and makes recommendations to the NEDA Board, which is chaired by the President.

The ICC Cabinet Committee is composed of nine Cabinet members, while the NEDA Board is composed of 22 members, including the President as chairman and the NEDA secretary as vice-chair.

Since the new administration took over in June 2016, the NEDA Board has approved 18 infrastructure projects worth P462.74 billion that are deemed ready for implementation.

Those that are pending with the ICC technical board and Cabinet clusters as of end-June total 55 projects worth P831.44 billion.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia has said that the government plans to prioritize the approval of infrastructure projects which can be finished within the President’s term.

The government plans to raise infrastructure and social spending to about 7.1% of gross domestic product, or P8.4 trillion, until the end of its term.

This is an effort to boost the economy to 7-8% growth next year until 2022 from 6.9% in 2016, and slash poverty incidence to 13-15% from 21.6% in 2015. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

N. Korea mocks Trump, hones Guam strike plans

SEOUL — Nuclear-armed North Korea mocked President Donald J. Trump as “bereft of reason” Thursday, raising the stakes in their stand-off with an unusually detailed plan to send a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam.

The scheme to target the island, a key US military stronghold, was intended to “signal a crucial warning” as “only absolute force” would have an effect on the US leader, the North said.

The declaration came after Mr. Trump boasted on Twitter that America’s nuclear arsenal was “far stronger and more powerful than ever before.”

Earlier, Mr. Trump stunned the world with a bold-faced message to leader Kim Jong-Un that appeared to borrow from Pyongyang’s own rhetorical arsenal, saying the North faced “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”

The war of words over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs is raising fears of a miscalculation that could lead to catastrophic consequences on the Korean peninsula and beyond.

Last month the North carried out two successful tests of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), bringing much of the US mainland within its range.

Mr. Trump’s “fire and fury” remarks were “a load of nonsense,” said General Kim Rak-Gyom, the commander of the North’s missile forces, according to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency.

“Sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason,” he added in a statement.

The military would complete the Guam plan by mid-August and submit it to Kim Jong-Un for consideration, he said.

The distinctively precise statement said the four missiles would be launched simultaneously and overfly the Japanese prefectures of Shimane, Hiroshima and Koichi.

They would have a flight time of 17 minutes 45 seconds, travel 3,356.7 kilometers (around 2,086 miles) and come down 30 to 40 kilometers away from Guam, it said — which would put the impact points just outside US territorial waters.

Japan, which has in the past warned it would shoot down any North Korean missiles that threaten its territory, responded quickly to insist it can “never tolerate” provocations from the reclusive state.

The western Pacific island of Guam is home to US strategic assets including long-range bombers and military jets and submarines, which are regularly deployed for shows of force in and near the Korean peninsula, to Pyongyang’s fury.

Two supersonic US bombers took off from the island on a fly-over mission to Korea early this week.

Professor Yang Moo-Jin of Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies said the level of detail in Pyongyang’s declaration was unusual.

“The North appears to be saying what it is going to do is within international laws,” he told AFP. “Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the North may translate this plan into reality.”

During the Cold War in the 1980s the Soviet Union sent unarmed missiles to come down in the Pacific within 1,000 kilometers of Hawaii.

Analysts said a North Korean launch towards Guam would put the US in a dilemma: if it did not attempt to intercept the missiles, its credibility would be damaged and the North would feel emboldened to carry out a full-range ICBM test.

But if an intercept was attempted and any of the rockets got through it would undermine the effectiveness of the United States’ ballistic missile defense.

“This is a coercive threat to halt B-1 flights,” Adam Mount, senior fellow of the Center for American Progress said on Twitter.

“Unlike Trump’s vague, incendiary threat, DPRK’s is coercive, clear, specific, and has credible escalation potential. Response is difficult.”

Thousands of North Koreans marched through central Pyongyang Wednesday, waving clenched fists, as authorities put on a show of support for their stance.

One banner proclaimed: “10 million hearts burn with vows to defend the fatherland until death.”

Seoul’s military said the North would face “strong and resolute retaliation” in the event of an attack.

‘LIFE AND DEATH’
Tensions on the Korean peninsula tend to increase when Seoul and Washington launch major military joint exercises, and the next, Ulchi Freedom Guardian, is set to kick off around August 21.

“Pyongyang’s interpretation of rhetoric from Washington is different from the way the West regards the North’s habitual threats. It views such fiery rhetoric from Trump as a matter of life and death,” said Hong Hyun-Ik, a senior researcher with the Sejong Institute.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday warned the North to “stand down” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons, saying Pyongyang “should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.”

Amid reports that Mr. Trump’s comments had taken his inner circle by surprise, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the National Security Council and other officials knew the “president was going to respond… with a strong message in no uncertain terms.”

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the Trump administration was all on “the same page.”

But Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said he did not believe “there is any imminent threat” to Guam or other US targets, and expressed hope that diplomatic pressure would prevail in the crisis.

The United Nations imposed a seventh set of sanctions on Pyongyang at the weekend that could cost North Korea $1 billion a year, with even the regime’s main ally China voting for the US-drafted proposal. — AFP

Cebu City gov’t cracks down on businesses operating without local permit

ABOUT HALF of Cebu City’s more than 28,800 businesses have been found to be operating without securing business permits that need to be renewed annually. Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña, in a press conference, said the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) discovered that there is a large number of commercial establishments that violated the Revised Omnibus Tax Ordinance of the city. Claire Cabalda of the CTO business permit section said that of the 28,817 business establishments registered, only 14,404 have secured an approved business permit. Mr. Osmeña has formed a special team, with him as the head, to go after the violators and close down their operations. “Now, I am warning them. I don’t care who you are….There is no exception,” said Mr. Osmeña, adding that violators have a slim chance to settle and reopen their respective businesses after being closed. “I want to make one thing very clear: You get caught and just apply and pay, you’re excused? No. Your business will remain closed for five years, one year…depending on the situation,” he said. The mayor said the city government will first run after big businesses. Based on the procedure, the city will first issue a show cause notice to the establishment, asking for explanation on its failure to secure a business permit. The city’s Legal Office will evaluate the response, and the mayor will give the final decision. — The Freeman

Saguisag appointed UAAP executive director

FOR the first time in its storied history, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) will have an executive director handling its operations in the person of Atty. Rene Andrei Saguisag, Jr.

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In an announcement formally made on Wednesday, the UAAP Board of Trustees, chaired by Dr. Michael Alba of Season 80 host Far Eastern University, said Mr. Saguisag is the Association’s executive director effective Aug. 7, 2017.

“Along with the heads of the member universities now acting as the trustees, for the first time in 80 years, the Association will have an executive director to oversee its operations,” said Dr. Alba in a statement shared to members of the media.

As executive director, Mr. Saguisag is set to perform, direct, manage, and oversee a variety of assignments.

These include implementing policies; providing support to the Board of Trustees, the Board of Managing Directors, and the UAAP Committees; supervising operations; and undertaking special projects.

The new position of Mr. Saguisag is an expansion of his role in the UAAP where he served as Commissioner of Basketball in Seasons 78 and 79.

He is also the commissioner for Season 80, concurrent with his role as executive director.

Mr. Saguisag, who has a JD degree from the Ateneo Law School and is a BS in Sports Science graduate of the University of the Philippines, said he welcomes his new appointment and looks forward to helping the Association stage a successful season anew.

“It’s definitely an opportunity that any sports lover will find hard to resist. I also feel that it is another place where I can be passionate and be of help if in a modest way. Nobody knows how long I’ll be here, but I do want my stay to mean something. In Season 80, we Go for Great. I am more than grateful and appreciative,” Mr. Saguisag said.

Season 80 of the UAAP commences on Sept. 9. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

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