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Palace links Santiago to junkets, Parojinog

FORMER DANGEROUS Drugs Board (DDB) chairman Dionisio R. Santiago was asked to resign not just because of his criticism of a mega rehabilitation center but also because of his junkets overseas and ties to at least one alleged drug lord, President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s spokesman said on Monday, Nov. 20.

“I would like to confirm that General Santiago was let go by the President not only because of his statements on the mega rehab centers being a mistake. He was also let go because of complaints that General Santiago was using taxpayers’ money for junkets abroad,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in his press briefing Monday.

He added: “One of the complaints that reached the President was a trip to Austria, where in addition to bringing family members, General Santiago brought six of his closest personnel including a girl Friday.”

Mr. Roque showed reporters a complaint dated Oct. 25 by the Dangerous Drugs Board Employees Union (DDB-EU), through Priscilla Herrera, citing Mr. Santiago’s travel to Vienna, Austria, “to attend an ordinary Narcotic Drug Intercessional meeting at government expense.”

According to the complaint, Mr. Santiago had a “big delegation” that included “his family and six unqualified and favorite DDB employees.” The complaint also named a mistress of Mr. Santiago who traveled with him.

Also according to the complaint, “Last month, Gen. Santiago went to United States bringing with him his mistress and selective favorite DDB employees purportedly to attend the briefing on the follow-up by the Commission on the Narcotics Drugs.” The complaint also noted that only Mr. Santiago’s attendance as DDB chairman was required in the invitation sent by the UN Secretariat.

The complainants also claimed that Mr. Santiago assigned a predecessor of his, Benjamin P. Reyes, as acting chairman while “he (was) on a junket spree which is not only condemnable but a slap on the President’s face.”

Mr. Duterte fired Mr. Reyes last May after the latter contradicted Mr. Duterte on the number of drug addicts in the country, saying there are only 1.8 million drug users, as opposed to Mr. Duterte’s 4 million.

The complaint also claimed: “We believe, our Chairman Ret. Gen. Santiago is a liability to your administration. Previously, as aired on TV 5 Aksyon Tanghali news by Mr. Gary de Leon last August 2017,…he was a recipient of (a) big Ozamiz mansion given by the Parojinog family during his stint as Director of PDEA.”

“He had unexplained wealth, owned fleet of cars and expensive properties. He has still pending cases with the Office of the Ombudsman for graft and corruption while he was the Chief of Staff of the AFP and Commanding General of the Philippine Army.”

“Well, the complaints specified, although this is only from a complaint that General Santiago may have benefitted from a house which may have been given to him by the late Parojinog,” Mr. Roque said for his part.

Ozamiz City mayor Reynaldo O. Parojinog, Sr., together with 14 others, were killed on July 30 following a raid by law enforcers on the Parojinog residence. Last year, Mr. Duterte tagged Mr. Parojinog as a narco-politician.

On Nov. 7, Mr. Santiago tendered his resignation after saying the mega rehabilitation center in Nueva Ecija was “impractical” and its construction “a mistake.” Offended by those remarks, Mr. Duterte relayed to Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea to ask Mr. Santiago to resign. — R.A. Zamora

Curry hits 39 pts. to power Durant-less GSW over Nets

NEW YORK — Stephen Curry scored a season-high 39 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and passed out seven assists before fouling out Sunday as the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors (GSW) won, 118-111, at Brooklyn.

A day after rallying from a 24-point deficit to beat Philadelphia, the Warriors surged ahead by as many as 28 points early in the second half before the Nets battled back and Curry was out for the last three minutes.

“It was a good learning experience for him,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry. “I thought, obviously, he was brilliant in terms of his scoring and shot-making. I thought his second half, he got a little wild.

“We had to withstand their run, and luckily we did with good execution in the last few minutes after Steph Curry went out.”

The Warriors improved to 13-4, matching Houston for the best record in the Western Conference with their ninth victory in 10 games, despite the absence of star forward Kevin Durant with a left ankle sprain.

Curry said trying to be aggressive with Durant out led to his 11th career fouling out in the NBA.

“You’d love to have those plays back, but I loved the aggressiveness I had on those possessions,” Curry said. “You don’t like to foul out, but it was kind of how I tried to bring that intensity the whole game.”

Golden State’s Klay Thompson had 23 points and 10 rebounds and sank a 3-pointer in his 71st consecutive game while Allan Crabbe had 25 points to lead the Nets (6-10), who suffered their eighth loss in 11 games.

Durant and Washington guard John Wall were sidelined Sunday with injuries.

Durant, who suffered a sprained left ankle in the Warriors’ 124-116 victory Saturday at Philadelphia, is averaging 24.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 15 games.

His absence comes three days before Golden State plays at Oklahoma City against Durant’s former club.

Wall, averaging 19.9 points and 9.3 assists a game, was benched with a swollen left knee. A fluid buildup has been lingering for about a week.

DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added six assists to spark the Toronto Raptors over visiting Washington, 100-91.

C.J. Miles added 12 points for the Raptors (11-5), who stretched their win streak to four games, while Bradley Beal led Washington (9-7) with 27 points.

Wall also missed the Wizards’ visit to Toronto two weeks ago.

TRIPLE DOUBLE FOR BALL
Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball managed his second career triple double with 11 points, 11 assists and an NBA rookie season-best 16 rebounds as the hosts downed Denver, 127-109. Lakers reserve Julius Randle led seven double-digit scorers on each team with 24 points.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 26 points and Myles Turner added 25 as the Indiana Pacers ended their six-game Miami losing streak by downing the host Heat, 120-95. The Pacers made 60% of shots from the floor in their most lopsided victory of the season.

Andre Drummond delivered 20 points and 16 rebounds while Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris each added 18 points to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 100-97 triumph at Minnesota, while T.J. Warren scored 27 points to lead the Phoenix Suns over visiting Chicago, 113-105.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz, the top pick in this year’s NBA Draft, will miss at least two more weeks with a shoulder injury, the 76ers said. — AFP

Family ties: all tangled up

By Menchu Aquino Sarmiento

Movie Review
Paki
Directed by Giancarlo Abrahan

THIS WARMLY photographed low-key drama unfolds in fits and starts but doesn’t quite deliver on its promises.

The central character is the 70ish Sanchez matriarch Alejandra (Dexter Doria), a former mayor of their small provincial town. The start of the film finds her at loose ends. She’s had it with her elderly husband Uro, a retired judge (Noel Trinidad) and an incorrigible philanderer. Their middle daughter Marcela (Eula Valdes) who is following in Alejandra’s political footsteps, shuts her well-meaning mother out of her campaign. A daily morning dose of Alhambra Light Brandy gets Manang Alejandra through the day. She may be self-medicating a dull, low grade, post-menopausal depression. In pathological and cinematic terms, there’s not much going on.

Dexter Doria’s poker face and dead-pan delivery don’t convey the poignant plight of a once vital woman, now shunted aside. Alejandra swallows her pride to seek refuge in Marcela’s house and escape the humiliation of dealing with Lolo Uro’s flagrant womanizing. The unsympathetic Marcela turns her mother away.

Alejandra then boards a bus to her affluent eldest daughter Mercedes’ (Shamaine Buencamino) Quezon City home. Mercedes abruptly leaves her mother under the care of her kasambahay (maid) because she is obliged to accompany her father to the funeral of a mistress stashed away in Surigao. Alejandra is understanding of Mercedes’ attendance at the mistress’ funeral because there are two illegitimate daughters from that relationship. Somehow Lolo Uro’s having begotten these bastards who will also be claiming part of his estate, makes that infidelity all right.

In the absence of the controlling Mercedes, Alejandra eludes the kasambahay to personally deliver her birthday present to her grandson Raymond (Miguel Valdes). The kasambahay alerts the youngest daughter, Miranda, that her mother has gone missing. Coincidentally, Raymond has chosen this time to unplug from all his devices and doesn’t notify any of his relatives that his grandmother is with him. The kasambahay — who helped put together Raymond’s gift — also fails to inform anyone that Alejandra had the present with her when she disappeared. So where might she have gone off with that?

The youngest daughter Miranda (Cielo Aquino) doesn’t actually search for Alejandra. With her partner Leni (Ina Feleo), they theatrically vape at the police station, then passively stand around in the parking garage of the mall where Alejandra was last seen. Apparently they’re waiting for her to return, although it’s unclear why she would use the parking entrance when she wasn’t even driving. Anyway, it is as good a place as any for Miranda to have a dramatic turn by suffering a heart attack — not because of smoking, but over-anxiety about her missing mother. In the ICU, there’s more heavy-handed drama with Miranda piteously calling for her mother and Alejandra fervently reciting the rosary by her bedside.

Marcela drops her mayoralty campaign, and brings her whole caboodle to keep vigil at the hospital. Midway, it is casually mentioned that the only brother Marco’s absence is due to his having indirectly caused the death of his nephew, Marcela’s only son, in a motorcycle accident.

Alejandra and Marcela, who have the most fraught relationship in the film, also have the most in common: political ambitions and the loss of their sons. However, this potential mother lode of human emotion is never mined. One can only wonder what the very competent and gifted Eula Valdes might have done with such promising material. That is a road not taken. The film follows the path of least resistance with such obvious, familiarly clichéd problems as marital infidelity. The death of a child, the deliberate self-exile of a son, are too heavy perhaps, or too much of a downer. After all, the filmmaker is very young and youth deserves to choose sweetness and light.

And so when the things threaten to bog down, there are lighten-up intervals, such as: Alejandra taking bites out of the cucumber that Mercedes has her put on her eye bags; the kasambahay directing Alejandra in a mock fashion photo shoot; Alejandra gamely dancing at a club with her grandson’s boyfriend Gab (Paulo Paraiso). After she rants mildly while waiting outside the ICU, Alejandra wanders off again but just inside the hospital. There is a humorous bit with a stranger who presses food upon her. In this instance, Ms. Doria shows a spark of comic knowingness. Perhaps self-irony and not pathos would have been her stronger suit.

The entire family, including the recuperating Miranda, ends up at a beach resort to celebrate Raymond’s birthday and his engagement to Gab. During a heart-warming family sing-along, Lolo Uro breaks down blubbering. Alejandra softens and takes this for long overdue remorse on his part, after his decades of skirt chasing. It seems more likely that Lolo Uro was still mourning the recent death of his mistress or his lost dentures. But she forgives him anyway and they reconcile. Getting old is bad enough. Having to do it alone is worse. Often it is better to just settle.

Sereno says Alvarez possibly out for revenge over PIATCO case

CHIEF JUSTICE Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno is not discounting the possibility that her testimony against House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez in relation to the epic case of the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (PIATCO) could have prompted the filing of an impeachment complaint against her.

Mr. Alvarez, on the other hand, says Ms. Sereno is simply veering away from the impeachment issues.

“I hope everybody involved rises to the requirements of the Constitution that this (impeachment) should not be done for personal vengeance or for personal agenda, but this is only a mechanism for accountability,” Ms. Sereno said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC).

The country’s top magistrate was responding to a question on whether she believed that Mr. Alvarez had a hand in the impeachment complaint as a way of hitting back at her over the PIATCO case, where Ms. Sereno was part of a team of private lawyers hired to represent the government.

“I testified against the onerous terms of the contract that was signed between the government and PairCargo (later named PIATCO), and Speaker Alvarez at the time was part of the committee that approved the terms of reference for the contract,” Ms. Sereno said.

Mr. Alvarez was senior assistant general manager of the Manila International Airport Administration (MIAA) when PIATCO was awarded the build-operate-transfer contract for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport International Passenger Terminal 3 (NAIA-3).

In 2001, a plunder case was filed against Mr. Alvarez and other officials by the MIAA-NAIA Association of Service Contractors for alleged financial gain from the contract.

According to earlier reports, Mr. Alvarez’s wife, Emelita A. Alvarez, owned 33% of Wintrack Builders, Inc., a company that supposedly profited from an excess $1.64 million from excavation work it did with PIATCO.

Ms. Sereno pointed out: “Speaker Alvarez had a lot to do with the result of that bidding, and one of the cases in fact that was filed against him was precisely for the conflict of interest situation that he finds himself in. A company that his wife owned was the subcontractor for the construction [of NAIA-3].”

“While the testimony I gave in the Sandiganbayan assails that contract, the overall participation that I had touched also on the participation of Speaker Alvarez. Maybe not in the particular testimony in the Sandiganbayan, but in other parts of the defense of the Republic as well,” she added.

Asked if her testifying against Mr. Alvarez could be one of the reasons why he was pushing for her impeachment, Ms. Sereno replied: “This is a matter that my lawyers are still considering.”

“Whether it should be raised, and at which point it should be raised, I will have to listen to the lawyers whether that will be brought up,” she added.

MERITS
Meanwhile, in an interview with reporters after the 81st Anniversary of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday, Mr. Alvarez said Ms. Sereno has been making a lot of public statements over the impeachment case when she should just face the complaint.

“Now are you on the basis of merits?” he said.

The House leader also said the committee that will assess the complaint will definitely push through with the hearings whether or not Ms. Sereno appears.

“Didinggin namin yung kaso, yung reklamo, yung mga ebidensya, pakikinggan namin yung mga accusers niya, yung mga witnesses, at magdedesisyon kami kung dadalhin namin ’yan sa (We will hear the case, the complaint, the evidences, we will listen to the accusers, witnesses and we will decide whether to elevate it to the) impeachment court,” he added.

Mr. Alvarez also stressed that Ms. Sereno herself must face the committee.

Sought for comment, Ms. Sereno’s spokesperson, lawyer Josalee S. Deinla, said, “We’d like to remind the Speaker that it was not CJ (Sereno) or anyone from our camp who claimed that he was behind the impeachment proceedings.”

“We do not speculate or ascribe any political agenda to whomever as our focus is on the merits of the case,” Ms. Deinla said.

Ms. Deinla further explained that it is wrong to assume that Ms. Sereno does not want to attend the hearings.

“She does — except that she intends to do so through counsel. The reason for this is her sincere desire to faithfully fulfill the immense duties of her office without distractions. No less than the Constitution as well guarantees her right to counsel,” she added.

Ms. Deinla pointed out: “The Chief Justice has nothing to fear and nothing to hide. But contrary to the Speaker’s suggestion, this cannot be demonstrated simply by showing up.”

“A fair and judicious proceeding that curtails no rights is the only way by which the Chief Justice can effectively defend herself,” she added. — Andrea Louise E. San Juan

Multilateral, bilateral, or unilateral liberalization: Which way for Asia and the Philippines?

During the ASEAN Summit + Related Summits in Manila, trade and the further deepening of economic integration was among the major topics. There were new initiatives as well as updates to existing negotiations at multilateral and bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs).

Here are some of those old and new FTAs as reported in BusinessWorld from Nov. 13-16:

1. “ASEAN, HK sign free trade, investment deals” — the ASEAN-Hong Kong FTA (AHKFTA) and ASEAN-Hong Kong Investment Agreement (AHKIA).

2. “Do you know your TPPs from your RCEPs, NAFTAs and OBORs?” — about the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Regional Economic Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP), One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR), North America FTA (NAFTA).

3. “ASEAN claims ‘significant progress’ on RCEP” — mentioned the ASEAN Seamless Trade Facilitation Indicators (ASTFI), ASEAN Inclusive Business Framework (AIBF), others.

4. “US agrees to explore FTA with Philippines” — to be called the US-Philippines Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).

Free trade is good, regardless of what those against it would say because it always results in “net gains.”

There are always gains/winners and pains/losers the same way that there are gains and pains under protectionism. When people withdraw their savings for several months in exchange for a new car or dream vacation, they derive net gains from trade of savings vs. vacation.

ASEAN is known for its fast pace of tariff liberalization towards zero compared to many other economic blocs in the world. That’s the good news.

The bad news is the big increase in non-tariff barriers (NTBs) or non-tariff measures (NTMs). These are restrictions and barriers other than tariffs and taxes that make imports or exports of products more difficult, more complicated and hence, more costly (see table).

The authors also noted that “As the average tariff rates of ASEAN countries decreased from 8.9% in 2000 to 4.5% in 2015, the number of NTMs had increased from 1,634 measures to 5,975 measures over the same period. The increase of NTMs was notable not only in ASEAN but also around the world, particularly, between 2008 and 2011.”

Among ASEAN member-states, Thailand has the highest number of NTMs at 1,630, 2nd was the Philippines with 854, 3rd was Malaysia with 713, 4th was Indonesia with 638, 5th was Singapore with 529, 6th Brunei with 516, 7th Vietnam with 379, 8th Laos with 301, 9th Cambodia with 243, and 10th was Myanmar with only 172.

The most common NTMs in Thailand and Myanmar was sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures while for the other eight ASEAN countries, technical barriers to trade (TBT) was most common.

So which way to achieve regional if not global free trade: (a) Multilateral via World Trade Organization (WTO), APEC, TPP, RCEP, AEC, others ; or (b) bilateral like US-Philippines TIFA, Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA)?

The advantage of multilateral liberalization is that all economies in the world or at least in the region are committed to bring down their tariffs and NTMs. The disadvantage is that under WTO, real liberalization remains far off even after 22 years (1995 to present) of numerous negotiations.

The setback of regional FTAs is that while member-countries can have near-zero tariff and reduced NTMs, other countries outside the FTA are slapped with high tariffs and/or multiple NTMs.

The advantage of bilateral liberalization is that differences and disputes can be ironed out easier and faster so that FTA can materialize soon. The disadvantage is that a country will need to dispatch plenty of trade negotiation teams to deal with many countries and hence, it can be costly and messy.

A third way is via unilateral liberalization.

Just bring down the tariffs and NTMs, open up the borders with little or no conditions. The main advantage of this move is that it can be done quickly with very little trade negotiation teams and hence, non-costly to taxpayers. However, the disadvantage is that it is “too scary, too radical” for many people as it might result in massive labor displacements.

There are a few countries that boldly took unilateral liberalization and so far, almost all of them have attained economic prosperity in just a few decades such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai/UAE, Chile.

Unilateral liberalization in goods has been done by the ASEAN as a bloc. The challenge is unilateral liberalization in services.

With continued modernization in the information and communications technology worldwide, it is much easier, not harder, to liberalize trade in services.

Asian economies, the Philippines in particular, should consider a unilateral liberalization policy. This would involve fewer trade bureaucracies, taxes and subsidies, and more competition from more suppliers and manufacturers from countries around the world. Local consumers will benefit from more choices and more options while shelling out less taxes and fees.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is President of Minimal Government Thinkers, a member-institute of Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

The heart wants what it wants

By Menchu Aquino Sarmiento

Movie Review
Changing Partners
Directed by Dan Villegas

FOR THE multitudes of Filipinos who have never had the chance to go to a PETA play, the film adaptation of Vincent de Jesus’s 2016 Changing Partners for Cinema One Originals 2017 is a welcome development. As directed by Dan Villegas and seamlessly edited by Marya Ignacio, there is nothing stagey or theatrical about the movie version.

At the Q&A for the Nov. 18 screening, several in the audience even confessed that they had watched both the PETA stage play and the Cinema One screen versions more than once. The existence of a cult-like following, the festival full houses, and its winning of the “Audience Choice” award are heartening portents for the film’s future chances at wider release. A filmed play is still a way of turning Filipinos on to legitimate theater, and surely, that is a good thing.

Although it is a love story, richly studded with hugot (emotionality), and the laughs do keep coming, the term “rom-com” would not do justice to Changing Partners. It’s actually four love stories skillfully, sensitively, and wittily intertwined like a four-strand braid, as one flowing whole. Each of the anchoring ends of the braids is an Alex, one of the two older, middle-aged lovers: female Alex (Agot Isidro) and male Alex (Jojit Lorenzo). Their two much younger lovers, just pushing 30, are both named Chris: female Chris (Anna Luna) and male Chris (Sandino Martin). The Chrises thread towards the older Alexes in hetero and homosexual relationships.

The whole ensemble reprises the roles which they also played onstage during the PETA run. They must also sing, and there is nothing tone deaf in their delivery. This cast is a true pleasure to watch and listen to as they hit all the right notes. New songs have been added for the film. The advertising creative Lilit Reyes worked on the screenplay with Vincent de Jesus. Between the laughter and tears, there is never a dull moment.

Age is not just a number but a painfully real gap. Outside of food and sex, it determines what they may have in common. The Chrises enjoy digital pleasures but are unsuccessful players in the gig economy. The Alexes came of age in low-tech pre-millennial times but are gainfully employed and successful professionals.

The discrepancy in socioeconomic power is especially glaring since the Chrises are financially dependent on their older partners. In both cases, the older partner initiated the relationships. The relationship dynamics are very Pinoy: the infantilizing of the dependent young lover, who, as the stay-at-home partner is, however, expected to be mothering and nurturing by taking on most of the domestic duties or drudgery, since s/he has no economic resources. Another distinctly Pinoy nuance is the dark shadow cast by the disapproval of the Chrises mothers over their May-December arrangements. It is complicated. It can get ugly. The relationships may not work, but the film really does.

Max’s launches new store concept in UAE, Qatar

MAX’S GROUP, Inc. (MGI) is launching a new quick service restaurant (QSR) concept featuring international chicken flavors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, as it aims to appeal to a wider customer base.

In a statement, the listed casual dining restaurant operator said it signed a development deal with Landmark Food Limited (Foodmark) to open 13 Max’s All About Chicken in the two Middle Eastern countries in the next five years.

MGI and Foodmark currently operate eight Max’s Restaurants in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait. Foodmark is the food and beverage division of Landmark Group, described as one of the biggest retailer in the Middle East and North Africa region.

MGI said they decided to pursue the expansion of Max’s All About Chicken after a trial run for the concept store at Deira City Center in Dubai proved to be successful.

Max’s All About Chicken’s menu will feature chicken flavors such as lemongrass, Tandoori, barbeque, ranch, as well as Max’s iconic fried chicken. It is designed to be operated in food courts.

MGI said it will open the first full store for Max’s All About Chicken at Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai.

“This concept puts a spotlight on favorite chicken dishes the world over… MGI has always been about building loved brands, and with this new concept, we will be able to offer a variety of fresh and tasty chicken dishes to our guests at an affordable price and in a fast, easy, and convenient location,” MGI President and CEO Robert F. Trota was quoted as saying in a statement.

MGI’s deal with Foodmark is the company’s sixth development agreement signed this year.

The company has been aggressive in expanding overseas, as it targets to have 200 international stores by 2020.

In September, MGI inked a development agreement with Alibin to open a Max’s Restaurant in the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba by 2018. It also partnered with Kasamar Holdings to develop five stores under its Sizzlin’ Steak brand in the UAE.

For the first nine months of the year, MGI’s attributable profit increased 8% to P419 million, on the back of an 11% rise in revenues to P9.04 billion.

Shares in MGI were unchanged at P18.20 each on Monday. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

PHL economic strategy seen converging with China’s — DoF

THE PHILIPPINES’ medium-term goals and economic strategy have found a “fortuitous” convergence with China’s Belt and Road initiative, the Finance department said.

“The nations of Southeast Asia stand to benefit hugely from the Belt and Road initiative. That complements our own efforts at regionalization. It will help make regional integration and economic cooperation more intensive,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said in a speech during the 7th  Executive Board Meeting of the China-ASEAN Inter-Bank Association last week.

“The convergence is perhaps most fortuitous for the Philippines. The economic strategy of the Duterte administration aims precisely to achieve high and equitable growth for its people through the modernization of infrastructure,” Mr. Dominguez said.

The government plans to embark on an P8.4-trillion infrastructure spending program over the medium term.

Such projects are expected to shift the country’s economic engine from consumption to investment.

The government expects the infrastructure program to drive growth to seven to 8% in 2018-2022 from a 6.2% average in the past six years. It is also expected to cut unemployment to three to 5% from 5.5% in 2016, and reduce the poverty rate to 14% from 21.6% in 2015.

“This convergence is the central dynamic that will shape the development of the region’s economy through the length of this Asian Century,” Mr. Dominguez said.

“The Belt and Road initiative is the most significant enterprise since the construction of the Great Wall. Unlike the Great Wall, however, this initiative enhances cooperation instead of repelling interaction,” he added.

China plans to inject massive infrastructure aid in countries along the Asia-Europe-Africa trade routes, in a bid to revive its Silk Road trading arrangements.

The plan covers 65 countries representing about 60% of the world’s population and around a third of the global economy. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Fuel prices slide this week

AFTER FOUR straight weeks of price increases, oil companies will be rolling back this week the cost of petroleum products to reflect price movements in the international market. Gasoline users will enjoy the biggest price cut at P0.50 per liter (/L). Diesel products will be down by P0.15/L while kerosene by P0.35/L. For most of the retailers, the price drop is scheduled at 6:00 a.m. today, Nov. 21. Last week, oil companies raised the price of gasoline, diesel and kerosene by P0.95, P0.60 and P0.95 in one of the biggest price hikes so far this year. — Victor V. Saulon

Dimitrov beats Goffin to win ATP Finals title

LONDON — Grigor Dimitrov beat David Goffin 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a gripping title decider at the ATP Finals on Sunday to become the first debutant to win the season finale since 1998.

In a surprise final matchup, the Bulgarian sixth seed held his nerve under intense pressure at London’s O2 Arena to seal the biggest title of his career on his fifth match point.

He will climb to third in the rankings behind only Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as he begins to deliver decisively on his rich promise as a youngster.

The Bulgarian came into the title decider unbeaten at the O2, with a healthy 4-1 head-to-head record against Goffin, including a 6-0, 6-2 win in the round-robin stage.

But seventh seed Goffin was buoyed by wins over world number one Nadal and a gutsy effort against second seed Federer, coming back from a set down to beat the Swiss in the semifinals.

Both players struggled to hold serve at the start of the contest in front of a feisty packed house and the error count was high from both men.

After three consecutive breaks, the Belgian was the first to hold his serve, forging ahead 3-1 but as time ran out for Dimitrov, Goffin played a poor service game, going long on a forehand to concede another break of serve as the Bulgarian leveled the match at 4-4.

The errors continued to flow from a nervy-looking Goffin and Dimitrov finally secured the decisive break on his fifth set point when the Belgian thumped a forehand into the net.

Goffin, 26, landed just 42% of first serves in the first set and made 20 unforced errors, struggling to find the bite and consistency he had enjoyed in beating Federer.

In the second set, neither player earned a break point until the sixth game, when Goffin saved himself with a dramatic backhand crosscourt shot that caught the sideline, taking advantage of two double faults from the racquet of Dimitrov in the next game to break.

Infused with renewed belief, the Belgian held his nerve to clinch the set 6-4.

Despite a sprinkling of break points, a tight third set went with serve until the sixth game, when Dimitrov broke to lead 4-2 as Goffin went wide with a backhand.

As the tension mounted, Goffin bravely saved three championship points on his own serve but Dimitrov held his nerve to seal the match on his own serve after two-and-a-half hours, at the fifth time of asking.

A disappointed Goffin said: “It was a special week for me. A week with a lot of emotion and a lot of fatigue. Now I am feeling tired but it was an amazing week. — AFP

DoTr reviews unsolicited proposal for Clark airport

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) will review the unsolicited proposal of the Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC) and JG Summit Holdings, Inc. (JGS) consortium for the long-term development of Clark International Airport (CIA).

In a joint statement, the DoTr and BCDA said they have received the consortium’s P839-billion proposal for the long-term development of CIA, which includes expansion of airport facilities such as terminals and runways, alongside operating and maintaining the existing and new passenger terminals.

“DoTr and BCDA will thoroughly review the legal, technical, and financial aspects of the proposal within a specified timeline and strict deadline based on the required processes and regulations,” the statement said.

FDC and JGS tapped Singapore’s Changi Airports International (CAI) as the technical partner for the project.

The consortium has said the new proposal is different from its earlier P186.64-billion proposal for the expansion of CIA’s passenger terminal building.

At that time, the DoTr rejected the unsolicited proposal and opted to build the infrastructure, and bid out the operations and maintenance contract to the private sector.   

DoTr and BCDA said they are on track with the bidding of the P12.55-billion CIA Phase 1 upgrade. “DoTr and BCDA  are on track with the bidding for the construction of a new passenger terminal building in the Clark International Airport wherein 12 local and foreign firms bought bid documents.”

Awarding of the bid is scheduled on Dec. 15, with Dec. 5 scheduled as the deadline for submission of bids.

Firms that have bought bid documents include a joint venture of Megawide and GMR Infrastructure of Singapore, China State Construction Engineering Corp., and R-II Builders, Inc., said BCDA Vice-President Joshua M. Bingcang said in a text message. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

CHEd seeking more biotech R&D funding for agriculture

THE Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) said it is seeking more research and development (R&D) funding and government support for biotechnology at state universities and colleges (SUCs), in aid of the development of the agriculture sector.

The head of CHEd’s research management division, Custer C. Deocaris, said enrollment has risen for agriculture-related programs, but SUCs in the Philippines lag their peers in Southeast Asia.

“It’s only now that there has been a resurgence in term of applications and enrollments in schools so I think we need to have a rebranding in agriculture,” he said.

“Agriculture doesn’t mean that you’ll spend all day in the fields. Agriculture [now] means mechanization, entrepreneurship. We have programs now in CHEd that involve agricultural entrepreneurship.”

According to CHEd, enrollment in agri-fisheries courses started to rise in 2008. Enrollment levels in 2015 are up 142% from the base year.

The 2015 total is 143,182 students out of 4.10 million enrollees overall, making agri-fisheries the seventh largest out of 21 discipline groups.

“We need more research funding, more extension projects in schools and more academe-industry partnerships, which is CHEd’s focus right now since it puts to use the knowledge produced by the universities,” he added.

Extension programs serve as the channel for SUCs to share know-how with farmers via technology demonstrations, among other programs. As of 2014, there are 176 technology demonstration projects nationwide.

Mr. Deocaris said R&D in biotechnology will help raise agricultural yields and prepare the farm sector for increased automation and digitalization.

The farm sector accounts for a quarter of the work force but only a tenth of gross domestic product. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

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