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Qatar says will not ‘fuel a war’ against Iran

Singapore — Qatar will not be dragged into any conflict with Iran, a senior Qatari official said Sunday.
Defense minister Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah told an international security conference in Singapore that even though the two nations had “a lot of differences”, Doha would not “fuel a war” in the region.
“Is it wise to call the US and Israel to go and fight Iran? Iran is next door,” he said.
“If any third party is trying to push the region or some country in the region to start a war with Iran, this will be very dangerous,” he said.
His comments sparked speculation that he could have been referring to Saudi Arabia, which has led a year-long blockade against Qatar, accusing the emirate of financing terrorist groups and having close ties with Tehran.
Qatar rejects the charges and says the blockading countries — which also include the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt — are seeking regime change in Doha.
Responding to a question on whether Qatar’s air bases could be used to launch airstrikes against Iran, al-Attiyah said the country was “not a fan of war”, and called instead for engagement and dialogue.
“We should call Iran, put all the files on the table, and discuss to bring peace, (rather) than war,” he told the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Qatar hosts the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US base in the region which is home to thousands of US personnel and a forward command centre.
The minister also called for the restoration of a 2015 agreement between world powers and Iran that lifted sanctions from Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump last month withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and ordered the reimposition of sanctions suspended under the accord. — AFP

Gene test shows more breast cancer patients can skip chemo

Tampa, United States — The majority of women with a common form of breast cancer may be able to skip chemotherapy after surgery, based on their score on a genetic test, researchers said Sunday.
As many as 65,000 women in the United States alone could be impacted by the study, described as the largest breast cancer trial to date, released at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.
Until now, women have faced a great deal of uncertainty about whether to add chemo to hormone therapy after a diagnosis with hormone-receptor positive, HER-2 negative breast cancer when found at an early stage before it has spread to the lymph nodes.
“With results of this ground-breaking study, we now can safely avoid chemotherapy in about 70 percent of patients who are diagnosed with the most common form of breast cancer,” said co-author Kathy Albain, an oncologist at Loyola Medicine.
“For countless women and their doctors, the days of uncertainty are over.”
A 21-gene test called Oncotype Dx that has been around since 2004 has helped guide some decisions, post-surgery.
A high recurrence score, above 25, means chemo is advised to ward off a recurrence while a low score, below 10, means it is not.
The current study involved more than 10,000 women and focused on those whose scores were in the middle range, from 11 to 25.
Patients, aged 18 to 75, were randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy followed by hormonal therapy or hormone therapy alone.
Then, researchers studied the outcomes, including whether or not cancer recurred, and overall survival.
“For the entire study population with gene test scores between 11 and 25 — and especially among women aged 50 to 75 — there was no significant difference between the chemotherapy and no chemotherapy groups,” said the findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The results show that all women over 50 with a recurrence score of 0 to 25 can be spared chemotherapy and its toxic side effects.
For women under 50 with a score of 0 to 15, chemo could be skipped.
However, among younger women with scores 16 to 25, outcomes were slightly better in the chemotherapy group, so in those cases doctors may urge patients to consider a chemo regimen.
The results “should have a huge impact on doctors and patients,” Albain said.
“We are de-escalating toxic therapy.”
According to first author Joseph Sparano of Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, “any woman with early stage breast cancer 75 or younger should have the test and discuss the results” with her doctor.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, causing some 1.7 million new cases annually and over half a million deaths.
The study’s primary funding came from the US National Institutes of Health. — AFP

TNT sprints to third win in a row

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE TNT KaTropa further asserted their standing as a title contender in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup after they sprinted to their third win in a row with a 117-106 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors yesterday to move to a share of the top spot in the standings.
Getting a balanced output anew from their rejigged roster, the KaTropa were able to stave off the resilience of NLEX all game long to book their sixth victory in seven matches to join the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the top of the heap midway into the elimination round of the midseason PBA tournament.
The two fought it tight in the first six minutes of the opening quarter before TNT went on a 23-14 blitz for the remainder of the period to establish a 45-30 advantage after the first 12 minutes of the game.
TNT started the second quarter with a 6-0 run to stretch its lead to 21 points with 8:48 to go on the clock.
But NLEX made sure not to be buried deeper than that as they slowly but surely clawed its way back, with import Arnett Moultrie leading the way.
The Road Warriors were able to reduce their deficit to six points a couple of times, the last one at 60-54 with 49 ticks to go.
TNT though would survive the charge back and stayed ahead, 63-56, at the halftime break.
NLEX continued to put pressure on TNT to start the third frame.
The count stood at 70-all with 7:45 on the clock after which the two teams went back and forth.
Anthony Semerad, Jericho Cruz, Jayson Castro and import Joshua Smith would conspire late to give TNT some breathing space, 89-82, heading into the final quarter.
Sensing that undermanned NLEX was too close for comfort, TNT went down to burly Mr. Smith to start the payoff period.
The KaTropa stretched their lead to 11 points, 93-82, inside the first minute.
NLEX tried to rally back in the next five minutes but TNT kept it at bay.
The score stood at 104-94 with 6:45 left in the game and TNT ahead.
Alex Mallari would drain back-to-back triples for NLEX to make it a four-point game, 108-104, with 3:49 remaining.
But four points were the closest they would get as the KaTropa padded their lead to book the win.
Mr. Smith led TNT with 24 points and 13 rebounds followed by Mr. Semerad with 22 points.
Terrence Romeo finished with 19 points and eight assists.
Mr. Moultrie, meanwhile, paced NLEX with 31 points and 14 boards with Mr. Mallari adding 15 markers.
“We’re happy with the win but credit to NLEX. I know playing without Kiefer [Ravena] is tough but they are adjusting well and other players stepping up,” said winning coach Nash Racela after their win.
“We made some adjustments as our big lead early was erased by NLEX. Good Joshua also stepped up,” he added.
TNT (6-1) next plays on June 13 against the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok while NLEX (2-5) returns on June 9 against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings.
Meanwhile, the PBA joined the family, friends and teams of players Jeron Teng and Norbert Torres as well as PBA free agent Thomas Torres for their speedy recovery after absorbing stab wounds in an altercation at the Bonifacio Global City early Sunday morning.
Reports have it that the three players were on their way home when they were confronted by men in a parking lot where the stabbing happened.
The incident is still under investigation, the PBA said.

Serena to renew Sharapova rivalry


PARIS — Serena Williams set up a mouth-watering French Open showdown against bitter rival Maria Sharapova on Saturday as Rafael Nadal kept his bid for an 11th title on track with a 16th successive win over childhood pal Richard Gasquet.
Three-time champion Williams made a nonsense of her 451 world ranking to reach the last-16 with a ruthless 6-3, 6-4 romp past German 11th seed Julia Goerges.
Sharapova, the 2012 and 2014 winner in Paris, was equally impressive, seeing off Czech sixth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-1.
Sharapova and Williams have met 21 times, with the American leading the head-to-head record 19-2 after 18 consecutive wins.
The Russian has not beaten her nemesis since 2004 — before even the birth of Twitter and YouTube.
The American ensured Monday’s match could be a heated affair after dismissing Saturday large parts of Sharapova’s recent memoir Unstoppable as “hearsay.”
Williams was angry over Sharapova’s claims that she sobbed after losing the 2004 Wimbledon final to the then teenage Russian.
“I think the book was 100% hearsay, at least all the stuff I read and the quotes that I read, which was a little bit disappointing,” she said.
“I didn’t expect to be reading a book about me, that wasn’t necessarily true.”
Williams, the champion in 2002, 2013 and 2015 and playing her first Slam since giving birth to her daughter in September, last played a major at the Australian Open in 2017 while two months pregnant.
Playing again in her striking all-black catsuit, the 36-year-old fired 20 winners past Goerges while committing just 12 unforced errors, three of which were in the first set.
“I think there is a lot of things in her game that she’s done much better than I have… Numbers don’t lie,” admitted Sharapova of facing her fellow former world number one.
Their most recent clash was at the 2016 Australian Open — it was also to be Sharapova’s last match before serving a 15-month doping ban.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova hadn’t played on Court Philippe Chatrier since a quarter-final exit in 2015.
However, she made up for lost time by firing 18 winners past an under-cooked Pliskova in just under an hour.
Meanwhile, Nadal, who turns 32 on Sunday, continued his bid for an 11th French Open title and 17th major by brushing aside Gasquet to claim a 16th consecutive win over his childhood friend.
The world number one’s record at Roland Garros now stands at 82 wins and just two losses.
The 16-time Grand Slam champion eased to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory on Chatrier to reach his 40th last-16 at a Slam.
He also took his run of consecutive completed sets at the French Open to 34, just seven shy of the record held by Bjorn Borg between 1979 and 1981.
Nadal, who lost only two points in the first five games, will next play Germany’s world number 70 Maximilian Marterer.
Women’s top seed Simona Halep, twice a runner-up, was shunted out to Court 18 for her third round clash against experienced Andrea Petkovic.
But she prevailed 7-5, 6-0 against the German who was hobbled by a right knee injury.
Third seed Garbine Muguruza, the 2016 champion, reached the last 16 for the fifth successive year with a comfortable 6-0, 6-2 win over Australia’s Sam Stosur.
The Spaniard goes on to face Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine who knocked out Slovakian 19th seed Magdalena Rybarikova 6-2, 6-4.
Estonian 25th seed Anett Kontaveit made the last 16 for the first time by downing Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova who saw her 13-match win streak end in a horror show of 57 unforced errors.
Kontaveit next faces US Open champion Sloane Stephens, the American 10th seed, who saw off Italy’s Camila Giorgi 4-6, 6-1, 8-6.
Argentinian fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro reached the fourth round for the first time in six years by seeing off Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-5, 6-4, 6-1 to set up a last-16 tie with American John Isner.
Italy’s Fabio Fognini made the last 16 for the second time with a 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Britain’s last man standing Kyle Edmund.
Fognini joins compatriot Marco Cecchinato in the fourth round, the first time that more than one Italian has made the last 16 since 1976.
He next faces third seed Marin Cilic who reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the 20th with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over Steve Johnson of the US.
Belgian eighth seed David Goffin saved four match points to beat 2008 semifinalist Gael Monfils of France 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. — AFP

PFL: Kaya continues to have Aguilas’ number

KAYA-ILOILO FC got back to winning on Saturday, defeating Davao Aguilas FC anew, 2-1, in their Philippines Football League (PFL) match at the Iloilo Sports Complex.
Conquered the Aguilas, 4-2, in its first game in Iloilo last month, Kaya made it 2-of-2 over the former by digging deep and fending off a tough challenge from Davao all game long.
The win incidentally was a bounce back for Kaya after being tripped to a defeat in its previous game against Global Cebu FC.
Davao played dominant in the opening half, testing tremendously the defense of the undermanned Iloilo side which played sans key cogs Jordan Mintah (injury), Robert Lopez Mendy (suspension) and Alfred Osei (suspension).
But the Kaya crew proved up to the challenge, standing their ground amid the pressure given to it and keep the game scoreless at the halfway point of the match.
Feeling good about what they managed to do in the first half, the Iloilo players came out in the second fold with more bounce to their game.
Their aggressiveness paid off after eight minutes as Kinshero Daniels fired a rocket past Davao goalkeeper Nick O’Donnell to make it 1-0.
The Aguilas scrambled to get back the point after.
In the 74th minute, James Younghusband would tie the knot at 1-1 with a header.
The deadlock was short-lived though as three minutes later Masanari Omura scored a tap-in off a corner kick that sent their faithful to celebration as they went back up, 2-1.
Davao tried to recover from it but Kaya would stay on top of things and went on to send the victory to the dock.
Following the victory, Iloilo coach Noel Marcaida gave credit to his players for staying the course amid their missing pieces and the spirited fight that Davao showed.
“It was a long 90 minutes. It was really tough. I give all the credit to my players. They really worked hard from the start of the game until the last whistle,” said Mr. Marcaida.
“The discipline of the players, and the hard work brought us this victory. And this victory is sweeter than the last time we beat Davao here. This is the type of game where players deserve to celebrate,” he added.
The victory took Kaya (7-1-3) to 22 points after 11 matches, eight points clear of the third-placed Aguilas (4-2-5), and three points behind leaders Ceres Negros FC (8-1-1), which was forced to a 1-1 draw by JPV Marikina FC also on Saturday. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

LeBron vows NBA fightback after ‘one of toughest career losses’

OAKLAND — Cleveland’s LeBron James, known for bouncing back stronger from playoff losses, promises such heroics Sunday in the NBA Finals after what he calls one of the toughest defeats of his career.
Defending champion Golden State opened the best-of-seven championship series with a 124-114 over-time home victory Thursday after the Cavaliers led in the final seconds.
Referees reversed a charging foul on Warriors forward Kevin Durant on video review into a blocking foul on James in the final minute of regulation time and Cleveland’s J.R. Smith squandered a last shot chance in the fourth quarter apparently unaware the score was level.
“It’s one of the toughest losses I’ve had in my career,” James said Saturday. “Because of everything that kind of went on with the game and the way we played.
“It was a tough 24 hours… for our whole ballclub because we put ourselves in a great position to be successful.”
James scored 51 points, grabbed eight rebounds and passed off eight assists, his scoring total the most in an NBA Finals game since 1993 and the most ever in a losing cause.
But far from demoralized, James said he is re-energized by the chance to level the series before the scene changes to Cleveland next week in the fourth consecutive finals between the two clubs.
“You should feel excited about the opportunity to be better and be great and move forward,” James said. “I woke up feeling excited about the opportunity that presents itself tomorrow
“I expect us to come and play with the same grit we had in game one. And we made a lot of mistakes in game one. I expect us to be better.”
Improvements after defeats have become a James trademark in the playoffs. Four times after producing fewer than 27 points in a post-season loss this year, James has scored 42 or more in the following contest.
But where do you go from 51 points?
“That means he has to score 60 now, right?” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said of James. “Well, got to score 60 tomorrow then I guess.
“After a loss, it’s tough. But I think he always comes out and leads by example and sets the tone early. I think, offensively, we need him to do that, especially on this floor with their crowd and the way they play. We need him to set the tone early in all the games.”
‘ANIMOSITY AND EDGINESS’
Stephen Curry, who led the Warriors with 29 points in the opener, says his team will be more aggressive in keeping James from comfortable situations.
“We’ve got to be a little bit more aggressive,” Curry said. “It just means doing things a little bit faster, a little bit more physical, and trying to make not just him but everybody else more uncomfortable out there to start the game. I think we can do that.”
Draymond Green poked James in the right eye during a drive to the basket that the Cavs playmaker says looks worse than it hurts.
“There is going to be a little animosity and a little edginess,” Curry said. “We’re enjoying the competitive environment.”
BIG CAVS EFFORT EXPECTED
A victory Sunday would put the Warriors halfway to their third crown in four seasons, the other denied when Cleveland rallied from 3-1 down in the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
“They might have been deflated, and they came back and won. So we’re expecting another great effort from them,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
“We’ve been through this too many times. All we’ve done is win one, and we’re on to the next one.
“We’re right where we want to be and we’re all very confident that we’re going to get better from here.”
Kerr, who said Warriors forward Andre Iguodala remains doubtful for game two with a left leg injury, said limiting James would be a priority.
“I didn’t think we made him work hard enough. I thought everything was smooth sailing for him,” Kerr said. “We’ve got to put more pressure on him. We can’t just sit back and let him pick us apart.” — AFP

Game 2

Let’s be real: The only way the Warriors will lose the NBA Finals is if they become their own worst enemies — and not just for one game, but for four games. It’s not going to happen, and certainly not against the Cavaliers as currently constituted. That said, LeBron James turned in such an outstanding Game One performance that an upset could have at least made the trek to the Larry O’Brien Trophy interesting. Put simply, he was, well, himself.
Unfortunately for James, his teammates were also, well, themselves. And while that is bad enough in any case, it’s fatal at its worst. Certainly, there can be no mistake more egregious — and in the sport’s grandest stage to boot — than that made by J.R. Smith, who thought the Cavaliers were ahead and dribbled out an offensive rebound at the end of regulation instead of taking a final shot (or passing to an open teammate who could have taken the final shot).
Heading into Game Two, the Warriors will be supremely confident knowing they took the Cavaliers’ best shot and won — and with help from the supposed opposition. Meanwhile, James cannot but be devastated and demoralized. He had been willing the wine and gold to victory, only to have Smith snatch failure from the throes of success. Yesterday, though, he displayed confidence; having had the benefit of a day’s worth of rest and rumination, he understood the need to lift the spirits of those around him and, at the same time, keep himself motivated.
How much James is able to put Game One behind him will impact how well he plays today. In any case, one thing is clear: He deserves better. After Game One and no matter how the rest of the series unfolds, the odds are very, very good he will leave the Cavaliers in the offseason.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

They’re richer than ever, but Danes are sitting on their wealth

In the world-record holder of negative rates, there’s been another eye-catching development.
Danes are richer than ever before, according to central bank data on savings and home equity. But they’re spending less, in relative terms. The gap between private consumption and household wealth is the biggest it’s been in three decades.
The development has economists scratching their heads, in part because it’s cheaper than ever to borrow after six years of negative interest rates.
“It’s clearly difficult to come up with an explanation for the continued muted consumption,” said Christian Heinig, chief economist at Realkredit Danmark, the mortgage arm of Danske Bank A/S. “The most obvious explanation is that many Danes still have fresh memories of the economic crisis and are aware that home equity can quickly disappear.”
The Danes haven’t always been this thrifty. For decades, spending moved in tandem with wealth accumulation. More wealth, more consumption, and vice versa. That pattern seemed to fall apart after Denmark’s housing market became a casualty of the global financial crisis, and it hasn’t held since 2014.
Danes’ obsession with thrift poses some problems. Though private consumption did inch up 0.9 percent in the first quarter, it wasn’t enough to prevent the economy from shrinking on an annual basis. Danske says GDP growth this year probably won’t exceed 2 percent. — Bloomberg

ERC: Power supply agreements without ECCs to be dismissed

By Victor V. Saulon
Sub-Editor
THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) will dismiss applications for power supply agreements (PSA) between power generation companies and distribution utilities that fail to comply with the required environmental compliance certificate (ECC) despite the agency’s order.
This is the warning issued by Agnes T. Devanadera, ERC chairperson and chief executive officer, to the PSA applicants, including some of those jointly applied for by distribution utility Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and power plant developers with which it had signed the contracts.
“We have issued an order for the cases without the ECC for them to comply within 60 days and the 60th day will be in June,” she told reporters.
“[Ka]pag wala pa silang ECC, sa tagal na ng kanilang pagka-file noon — dismissed,” she added.
(If they still don’t have an ECC despite the length of time after the filing — [their PSA applications will be] dismissed).
Asked whether the order sent by the agency included those of Meralco, Ms. Devanadera said: “I think three or four [of the seven], otherwise we will have to deal with it . . . most likely dismissal.”
In May 2016, Meralco announced that it had sought regulatory approval for seven PSAs, covering 3,551 megawatts (MW) to meet the expected increase in power demand and number of customers. The company is also preparing for the impending expiration of existing PSAs in 2019 to 2020.
The contracts were forged on April 29, 2016, or just before the April 30, 2016, deadline set by the ERC. After that date, companies are required to first undergo a competitive selection process (CSP) before forging a PSA.
CSP requires these contracts between power generation companies and distribution utilities to be subjected to price challengers, a process that is aimed at lowering electricity costs.
The ERC promulgated the CSP in November 2015 but had to restate its effective date until April 30, 2016 through a resolution in March 2016. It said the move was prompted by letter-inquiries from distribution utilities and generation companies assailing the legal implication of the CSP on existing power supply deals.
Meralco’s PSAs are with two subsidiaries of its unit Meralco Powergen Corp. (MGen), which is constructing power plants under Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc. and Atimonan One Energy, Inc. It also has a PSA with St. Raphael Power Generation Corp., its joint venture with Consunji-led Semirara Mining and Power Corp.
Meralco is also seeking approval for PSAs with Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp., Mariveles Power Generation Corp., Panay Energy Development Corp. and Global Luzon Energy Development Corp.
Meralco’s filings had encountered opposition and other issues, including the suspension of the four ERC commissioners and its former chairman for one year.
They were ordered suspended in December last year by the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the revised implementation date of the CSP, which it said favored a few power supply contracts.
In November 2016, a consumer group asked the Supreme Court to block ERC approval of the PSAs. A decision has yet to be issued.
Ms. Devanadera said the complaints against the PSAs would not prevent the ERC from deciding on them. “Iyong complaints, lahat naman ’yan meron (The applications all have complaints). It’s a matter of evaluating, kasi kung ’yon ang ating benchmark, ’pag may reklamo tigil lahat, parang titigil na ang mundo (because if that will be our benchmark, a complaint will stall everything, as if the world will stop),” she said.
She said the recurring “yellow alert” issuances to indicate thinning power reserves “is not a good sign.”
“That means the supply, the reserve, is not ample and you can project that… in the next five years, we really have to have all these things, all the gencos (generation companies) that we can to be able to balance the supply. I’m not just talking of Meralco’s PSAs, but I’m talking of all the applications that we have,” she said.
Ms. Devanadera said the ERC had set a benchmark to resolve 75 pending cases in a month. “We’re addressing the backlog now,” she said.

Legarda: Fortify ​trade while easing ​China tension​

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
SENATOR LOREN B. Legarda on Sunday said the Philippines should maximize its trade opportunities with China while it resolves political tensions over the latter’s increased militarization in the disputed South China Sea.
“In terms of services and trade in agriculture, (this is) something we should pursue (with China) while resolving the political tension and claim of territory,” she said in a radio interview.
Ms. Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations, said the Chinese ambassador informed her in a meeting last Saturday of the insufficient agriculture exports of Philippines to China, especially on fruits.
According to the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association, China is currently the Philippine’s second biggest export market for banana, the country’s number two agricultural commodity after coconut products.
The senator stressed that the Philippines should not ignore economic opportunities with China and take advantage of the current friendly relations as pursued by the Duterte administration.
“Let’s bridge areas on ties that bind, in areas we agree. When we bridge the gaps there, we can resolve the area of territory,” she said.
March 2018 export data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show China ranked fourth in export shipments after the United States, Hong Kong, and Japan. Outbound shipments to China was valued at $676.21 million, comprising 12.3% of total exports for the month.
In the same month, China logged in as the country’s biggest source of imports with a 15.3% share of the $8.12 billion total. Import payments to China reached $1.24 billion.
Compared with the March 2017 trade performance, exports contracted by 3.1% $697.53 million, while imports dropped 12.0% from $1.41 billion
Ms. Legarda also said she will conduct a hearing on China relations and related matters while Congress is on break.
“We can look into it and have consultations, briefing, hearings during the break. I will do this not to inflame tensions… It’s important that we use diplomacy to solve the West Philippine Sea,” she said.
Senate resolutions were filed last May calling for a legislative inquiry into China’s installation of missiles systems in Philippine claimed territories.
A senate resolution urges the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a diplomatic protest. Another calls on President Rodrigo R. Duterte to convene the National Security Council.
Ms. Legarda opined that the Philippines must exhaust all forms of diplomacy and to continue engaging with China to maintain the lines of communication. She pointed out that the complex issues could not be easily solved by the Duterte administration.
“We don’t expect a two-year-old administration to solve the problem that the past administrations cannot solve,” she said.
China has been continuing its militarization activities in the South China Sea by installing a weapons defense system and deploying bomber planes amid the warnings of other claimant countries and the United States.
Chinese military bases were already constructed in the three features in Spratlys Island despite a 2016 ruling from the United Nations’ Hague arbitral tribunal that these areas belong to the Philippines.

DoE sees first shipment of non-OPEC oil this month

By Victor V. Saulon
Sub-Editor
THE Department of Energy (DoE) targets to receive this month the first shipment of oil from non-members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), including Russia, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said.
“The process has started. Ang tina-target (the target) is June,” Mr. Cusi told reporters. He was referring to DoE’s directive to its commercial arm Philippine National Oil Co.-Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC) to engage in the selling of petroleum products sourced from non-OPEC members.
The move is aimed at shielding consumers from volatile international oil prices and supply security of supply. The imported fuel is to be sold to independent petroleum dealers and to vulnerable sectors, such as public utility transport groups.
“There is no prohibition for the government to do that. We are doing that not because the government is prohibited, it’s not. It’s not like in the power generation,” Mr. Cusi said.
He said PNOC-EC was looking at Russia as a possible source of petroleum products, but said this was just one of many options.
“There are available tankers that we can charter,” he said. “On the part of storage, there have been a lot of negotiations already on the storage facilities available.
“Let’s make use of what is available until such that we put one big [facility],” he said, citing possible storage facilities in Subic, Quezon, and the Phividec complex in Misamis Oriental.
In a statement during the weekend, the DoE said it expects to receive the first shipment by the end of June.
At present, oil companies are required to maintain a minimum inventory of in-country stocks equivalent to 30 days of crude and products for refiners, 15 days of products for importers and bulk suppliers, and seven days of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stocks for LPG players.
Aside from ensuring the country’s supply, the Energy department said it would also come out with a policy on unbundling petroleum product prices.
“We need to unbundle the prices. It has to happen,” Mr. Cusi said.
He said the move would provide consumers more information about the petroleum products that they buy.
The DoE is conducting consultations with the stakeholders on the mechanism for unbundling, the agency said.
It said international geopolitical developments, which include US sanctions on Iran, the drop in OPEC production levels and political changes unfolding in Venezuela “have resulted in the recent uptrend in oil prices for the past weeks.”
It added that with the volatile oil prices, it is “encouraging consumers to be smart and judicious in the use of petroleum products, such as driving efficiently and managing trips properly to save on fuel costs, among others.”

De Lima calls for inquiry on influx of Chinese workers in the country

SENATOR LEILA M. De Lima has called for an investigation into the influx of Chinese nationals employed and residing in the Philippines, which she said has not only taken jobs from Filipinos but also triggered a property price surge in urban areas.
Senate Resolution No. 751, filed by the incarcerated Ms. De Lima on May 29, urged the appropriate Senate committee to assess the effective implementation of existing immigration and labor laws to ensure that Filipinos are protected against adverse effect caused by the Chinese immigration surge.
“The increasingly laxed control mechanisms over the influx of Chinese nationals in the Philippines have led to concerns on whether we have enough capability to properly enforce our immigration and labor laws to the detriment of our national interest,” she said in a statement.
The senator noted that more than 50 offshore gambling companies catering to overseas Chinese punters have received permits to operate in Manila, employing about 200,000 predominantly Chinese workers.
She also cited government data indicating that, “Chinese nationals consistently comprised most of the AEP (Alien Employment Permits) holders from 2013 to 2016 — growing to 45 percent (18,920) in 2016 from 23.7 percent in 2013.”
Ms. De Lima claims that this immigration surge has resulted to lower employment opportunities for Filipinos and increased prices in the real estate market.
She also said the government needs to review its capability to enforce immigration and labor policies, noting that 1,248 Chinese nationals were deported in 2017 alone.
“There is also the danger of our economy being too dependent on Chinese tourists and clients where any change in policies by China government could effectively stall, if not cripple, our local economy,” she said.
China comprised the Philippine’s second biggest tourist market in 2017 with 968,447 arrivals, higher by 43.33% from the previous year. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

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