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Women in Hollywood see chance for change in Weinstein uproar

THE EMERGENCE OF sexual harassment claims against producer Harvey Weinstein has the potential to be a watershed moment for Hollywood, offering a new opportunity to shed its “casting couch” image, according to advocates for women in the workplace.

The allegations by women including actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan against a prominent and successful industry leader may encourage more women to step forward with their own stories and force men in power to reflect on their own behavior, said filmmakers and activists. The Weinstein scandal also should put more pressure on studios to put more women in leadership roles and improve parity in hiring and pay, they said.

“The problem is just rife in Hollywood,” said Maria Giese, a filmmaker and activist. “For a young woman, with no connections or experience, the trade-off requested for advancement is too often sexual, and it is happening in an industry that produces America’s most cultural influential global export.”

Giese said she had her own experience of being expected to have sex with executives that helped her early films get made – offers she declined. She didn’t identify the individuals. Tired of her lack of career progression, she helped persuade the American Civil Liberties Union to open a 2015 investigation into hiring practices in the movie industry, which drew the attention of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Weinstein case strikes at the heart of the problem for women’s progress in Hollywood because the industry relies on reciprocity – favors owed and returned, including sexual ones, Giese said.

Weinstein, known for aggressive awards campaigns that led to Oscars for movies like Shakespeare in Love, took a leave of absence Thursday from the company he founded with his brother and has since been fired. The New York Times reported that Weinstein had paid at least eight women to settle sexual harassment claims. Weinstein denied many of the allegations and told the New York Post the report was unfair. Three board members at his company, Weinstein Co., resigned Friday, according to Deadline, and the remaining directors hired outside lawyers to investigate the allegations.

Attorney Lisa Bloom said on Saturday on Twitter that she had also resigned as an adviser to Weinstein. “My understanding is that Mr. Weinstein and his board are moving toward an agreement,” she said in the tweet.

The development roiled an industry that has largely excluded women from prominent roles behind the camera and equal representation in front of the camera. Research by the University of Southern California found that the percentage of female speaking characters in movies hasn’t budged much above 30% over the past decade. And behind the camera, only 4.2% of directors were women, 13.2% writers and 20.7% were producers in 2016, despite women making up about half the population.

Part of the challenge for women is the fear of career repercussions for speaking out. Megan Ellison, the daughter of Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison who created producer Annapurna Pictures, tweeted sympathetically of The New York Times story. “Women face serious repercussions for sharing their experiences and deserve our full support,” she said. “I admire the courage of these women.”

Some in the industry are pushing to hire more women for leadership roles as a corrective action.

“One production company I’m working with submitted a list of director choices to me that was over 50% women,” C. Robert Cargill, a writer whose credits include horror feature Sinister and comic-book movie Doctor Strange, said in an e-mail. “There’s a wealth of long-neglected talent out there and Hollywood is starting to realize how much they were missing out on by leaning on the male-driven meritocracy. I think the landscape of Hollywood five years from now is going to be very different than it is today.”

Cargill said he won’t work with companies that face allegations like the claims against Weinstein. “I’d much rather sleep well at night than be restless atop a big bed of money,” he said. “And I would urge all of my fellow creatives to do the same.”

Scott Derrickson, the director and producer, said he has chosen women to direct five projects he has in development because so few are hired in the industry.

Giese called for an impartial oversight body to protect women’s rights. Several guilds that represent different film disciplines, from directing to acting, “cannot be left with the responsibility for advancing the rights of women,” she said.

The Directors Guild of America is overwhelmingly white and male, with a membership, including all directorial team members, that’s 23.4% female and 4.5% African-American, according to its Web site. The percentage of female directors in the group is even smaller, at 15.1%, with African-Americans at 3.8%.

Late last month the guild released data that showed a sharp rise in the number of women and minorities as first-time directors in television – a result, the guild said, of its efforts to educate the industry. The percentage of minority first-time TV directors more than doubled since 2009 and the percentage of women nearly tripled, the guild said.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, is also heavily white and male, and changed its voting rules last year to encourage more diversity.

Women In Film, a Los Angeles nonprofit designed to promote equality in the entertainment business, is working with studios to achieve gender parity in hiring and pay by tackling conscious as well as unconscious biases.

“We hope with more women in executive positions there will be a ripple effect,” said Kirsten Schaffer, executive director of Women In Film. The ousting of powerful news executives from 21st Century Fox, Inc. over the past year after claims of sexual harassment is part of the wave of women starting to speak out, she said.

“Hollywood has a lot of work to do,” Schaffer said. “People are afraid of losing their jobs and their careers and don’t do the right thing because of that. There should be greater legal penalties for those who are complicit.”

The status of the EEOC’s examination of the industry following the ACLU’s investigation is unclear. The agency routinely declines to comment on such matters and didn’t respond Friday to a request for comment after normal business hours.

“The Harvey Weinstein situation is yet another reminder of the incredibly egregious and deep-running sexism in Hollywood,” said Melissa Goodman, who oversees gender-related matters at the ACLU of Southern California. “The industry will change only when women feel it’s safe to speak out against the sexism that manifests not only in rampant sexual harassment but also in the failure to hire women or pay them equally.”

Giese risked her career by instigating the industrywide probe, she said. “Speaking out boldly is the only way to engender change,” she said. “I may never work again.” – Bloomberg

TNT coach rues free throw disparity led to team’s loss

IN his first full season as coach of TNT, Nash Racela has carried the KaTropa to the playoffs in all of the three conferences at stake.

That’s quite an achievement for a rookie coach who is trying to make his mark in the PBA after leading the Far Eastern University Tamaraws to the championship two years ago.

But Mr. Racela believes he could have done better had it not been the excruciating experience of getting past teams owned by San Miguel Corp., most notably defending champion Barangay Ginebra.

“I’m happy that for three conferences, we were able to advance to the playoffs — twice in the semis and one in the finals. It just so happened that in all three conferences we played a San Miguel team and I’m sure you know how tough it is to play a San Miguel team. It’s really hard, but if we want to win a championship, we really have to get past a San Miguel team, but today, I’m sure a lot of people are happy with our loss.”

Against Barangay Ginebra, Mr. Racela felt the disparity in free throws had become the decider in the series. According to Mr. Racela, in three of the four games the Gin Kings won, they were awarded more free throws, the most glaring he saw was in Games 3 and 4.

Ginebra visited the free throw line 43 times in Game 3 compared to TNT’s 14. In Game 4, the Gin Kings went to the line 33 times while the KaTropa were given 16.

Tim Cone, the multi-titled mentor of the defending champion Gin Kings, came to the aid of his squad and gave his own explanation why they were given more free throw attempts.

“We were the more aggressive team. I don’t care what Talk ’N Text said. You were the more aggressive team, you’ll go to the free throw line,” added Cone.

But Mr. Racela doesn’t buy Mr. Cone’s explanation.

“I just want to congratulate Ginebra for being the more aggressive team tonight (Game 4) because they got a lot of free throws again. They were more aggressive than us despite taking less two-point field goals. I’m sure that’s what Coach Tim will say. Now going to the finals, I hope both teams will be more aggressive. That will dictate who will get more free throws,” said Mr. Racela.

Asked what players do they need to add, Mr. Racela answered in a sarcastic way.

“We need to have players who are more aggressive. Maybe that will help us,” he added. “Now, if we are more aggressive, we’ll force the referees to call more fouls. That’s the only thing I can think of right now. If you study the whole series, it boils down to who gets more free throws and fouled a lot. That’s one of the things we’re studying. Maybe we can improve on that aspect,” he added. — Rey Joble

Eating their way across Philippines

THE INTERNATIONAL edition of the popular Korean program One Night Food Trip, will premiere on Oct. 10 on tvN and will feature an episode where Asian celebrities including singer Sandara Park (aka “Dara”), her brother Park Sang Hyun (aka “Thunder), alongside local TV and radio hosts Grace Lee and Sam YG (real name: Samir Gogna) eat their way across the Philippines in a 48-hour time limit.

The show will pit two teams (players vary each episode) against each other as they try to complete as many missions as they can in different locations in different countries (Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines) throughout the travel tour.

The team that is able to complete the most missions within the time limit will win the “Golden Passport,” the show’s trophy.

Team Dara/Thunder start their journey from Palawan as they make their way to the Philippine capital while Team Grace/Sam will go from Cebu then go down to Davao. Both teams will get to experience “everything local – from culture, food to attractions,” said a press release.

“I managed to explore Davao beyond my previous visits,” said Mr. Gogna, of the experience during the show’s launch on Sept. 25 at City of Dreams in Parañaque City.

“This was an opportunity not just to showcase the islands but [also] how diverse the food can be. It’s very educational for the audience,” said Ms. Lee in the same event.

For the Park siblings – especially for Mr. Park – the episode was a trip down memory lane as he managed to “eat the food I ate when I was younger.”

The Parks lived in the Philippines from 1995 until mid-2000s when they returned to South Korea.

One Night Food Trip – International Edition will premiere on tvN Asia on Oct. 10, 11 p.m., while the Philippine segment will debut of Dec. 5.

TvN is seen in the Philippines on channel 145 (SD Digital) and 191 (HD Digital) on SkyCable/Destiny Cable as well as channel 160 (Cignal). – ZBC

Container yard operator to bring x-ray machine case to Lapeña

AQUARIUS CONTAINER YARD (ACY), owned by businessman Rodolfo C. Reta, will appeal the reopening of its designated examination area (DEA) in Davao City to Customs Commissioner Isidro S. Lapeña as the Bureau of Customs (BoC)-Davao head, Erastus Sandino B. Austria, insists on transferring the DEA’s x-ray machine. “As of now our move is to deal with the top brass… in as much as the collector here (Mr. Austria) would not cooperate,” said Manuel P. Quibod, Mr. Reta’s lead counsel. The DEA, which is located inside the ACY with an x-ray machine and other facilities, was closed down by BoC in 2010. Mr. Austria, in a recent press conference, asserted that the agreement between Mr. Reta and BoC has already been revoked and this has been confirmed by the Office of the Solicitor General. Mr. Austria is of the position that ACY’s x-ray machine should be transferred to a BoC site. On the other hand, Mr. Quibod said, “What he (Mr. Austria) wants is to take the x-ray out, which is nonnegotiable for us.” Under the 2009 agreement between Mr. Reta and the BoC, the use of the P250-million x-ray machine purchased by the former would be “free of charge” to the government, while Mr. Reta would exclusively handle trucking services inside the DEA. — Maya M. Padillo

Agus hydropower complex rehab among next projects for China ODA funding

THE GOVERNMENT is looking to place six to eight infrastructure proposals in the second basket of China-funded projects, with the Agus-Pulangi hydropower complex rehabilitation at the top of the list, the Department of Finance said.

Following the Philippine delegation’s visit to Beijing last month, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the government has identified the projects it intends to propose for China financing via official development assistance (ODA), even as both sides moved to expedite the implementation of the first batch of projects.

“We discussed the basket of the next projects, which is a basket of about six or eight projects. Among them which is quite important to us is the rehabilitation of the Agus River Hydroelectric system,” Mr. Dominguez told reporters last week.

“It looks like it’s only operating at 60% capacity. And now that we have excess capacity in Mindanao, now is the time to fix that up so that you know at the time when they have to shut down for maintenance we will have the extra capacity there,” Mr. Dominguez added. He also serves as chairman of the state-run Power Assets Liabilities and Management Corporation (PSALM).

However he said that the government have not yet arrived at a cost estimate for the rehabilitation.

In June, he said  that the rehabilitation may cost some P34 billion.

“We’ll have to do the feasibility study. It’s quite a complex project,” Mr. Dominguez said.

Mr. Dominguez declined to identify the other projects going up for China funding.

“What we discussed are the potential projects. It’s still in the discussion stage, you know we are moving forward,” he said.

He noted that the government may be able to line up the second basket of projects before top Philippine and Chinese officials ceremonially sign the agreements for the first batch of projects on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit here in November.

The first basket include the P2.7-billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project, the P10.86-billion New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project, and the P151.3-billion North-South Railway Project South Commuter Line.

On top of that, the Philippines will also build two bridges crossing Pasig river, the P4.607-billion Binondo-Intramuros and P1.376-billion Estrella-Pantaleon bridge, financed by grants from China. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Restructuring our income tax system

The Duterte administration has taken a bold step in prioritizing to reform our two-decade-old tax system on its first year (not 100 days). Under the leadership of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, the Department of Finance (DoF) proposed a comprehensive tax reform package to make our tax system simpler, fairer and more efficient.

One year after submitting package one of the tax reform bill called Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) to Congress, the Senate will now deliberate on their proposed version (SB 1592) which introduced amendments in the House version (HB 5636), to wit:

a. On personal income tax, exemption was lowered from P250,000 (HB 5636) to P150,000 but allowing additional exemption of P25,000 each up to 4 dependents. It also retained the maximum rate at 32% for those earning P2 million and above, which is lower than the House version’s ultra-rich rate at 35% for those earning P5 million and above;

b. On sugar tax, the Senate proposed a two-phased approach lowering the P10 per liter to P5 per liter for those with caloric sweeteners, P3 per liter for those with non-caloric sweeteners and P10/liter for those with high-fructose corn syrup in the first two years, and P0.05 per gram of sugar per drink in the succeeding years. SB 1592 also exempted milk products and 3-in-1 coffee;

c. On fuel tax, the Senate version lowered the proposed excise tax on petroleum from P3 per liter to 1.75 per liter in the first year and adopted a P1 per liter during the first 3 years for LPG;

d. On automobile tax, the Senate adopted the same 5-tier regime but still lower than the original proposal of DoF to impose a 200% excise tax for luxury cars (above P2.1 million net manufacturer’s price or importer’s selling price);

e. On value-added tax (VAT), the Senate retained the same VAT exemptions on raw food, health care, social housing, BPOs, senior citizens, PWDs, cooperatives and increased the VAT threshold from P1.5 million to P3 million.

To increase or decrease tax rates is a tax policy reform, but whether this will be collected correctly and on time is a matter of tax administration. The inefficiency of our tax system resulted in high tax rates, high compliance costs, and low compliance from a very narrow taxpayer base, especially from self-employed and professionals (SEPs).

The comprehensive tax reform must not disregard the fact that our tax administration, i.e., Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BoC), needs an overhaul as well starting with exempting their personnel from salary standardization, implementing the Attrition Law, appropriating budget to automate and professionalize tax assessment, and collection of right taxes.

Ironically, DoF seems to be dismissing the importance of making two revenue agencies more efficient after they have reported that we can still collect at least P231 billion or equivalent of 2% of GDP if the P1.8 trillion importation gap or smuggling is resolved by BoC and additional P726 billion or 6.44% of GDP if we simplify, address inefficiencies and remove loopholes in BIR.

With the unresolved drug-related smuggling involving Customs officials and hundreds of pending tax evasion cases with the Department of Justice, including the pending cases of more than 400 erring BIR examiners, we may have to focus on the three main problems of our tax system: high tax rates, high compliance costs, and low compliance from a very narrow taxpayer base, especially from SEPs.

In our current tax system, more than 60% of our total revenue collections are from income tax payments followed by VAT at 20%. The goal is to shift toward 40% tax collections from indirect taxes by limiting VAT exemptions and broadening the taxpayer base for both income tax and VAT without increasing rates.

Here are some key strategies in restructuring our tax system:

1. Broadening taxpayer base. Increase registered employees from 13 million to 30 million; small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from 2 million to 5 million, licensed professionals from 200,000 to 2 million; and large corporations from 2,000 to 5,000 to broaden the income taxpayer base while limiting VAT exemptions to agriculture, health, banks, education and purchase of medicines by senior citizens and PWDs to expand VAT base.

2. Lower income tax for employees. Almost 20% of total collections are from withholding taxes from employees, representing more than 80% of contributions from individual taxpayers while the rest of SEPs conveniently under-declare or not report any income at all.

Further, only 20% of registered employees have more than P500,000 taxable compensation income, while 60% remain as minimum wage earners. It will make sense if we separate a graduated income tax table exclusive for employees (i.e., salary tax similar to Hong Kong), and focus on high value executives who should be declaring at least P2 million annual compensation income.

In view of this, increasing the income tax exemption to P250,000 is but necessary if we will limit this to employees. Removing the additional exemption for dependents will further promote ease in tax administration as all employees will be given P250,000 exemption. Companies can instead provide incentives for those performing employees with more dependents which will be covered by the increased P100,000 tax-exempt 13th month and bonuses.

3. Lower flat tax for start-ups and small businesses, and higher flat tax for licensed professionals. Given that this sector is the most noncompliant, we need to simplify taxation for them to encourage voluntary compliance and implement mandatory risk-based audit every 2 or 3 years.

For start-ups and small businesses with less than P5 million annual gross sales or less than P14,000 daily gross sales, a lower flat tax of 5% (in lieu of income and percentage tax) must be implemented. The goal is to encourage all sari-sari stores and other retailers in the informal economy to register their business. Caveat on the potential conflict with the existing income tax exemption as provided by the Barangay Micro Business Enterprise (BMBE) Law which does not include a cap on gross sales but instead qualify any business with P3 million or less in total assets or capital.

For licensed professionals, a higher flat tax of 15% (in lieu of income tax and VAT) owing to the fact that they have higher margin or lower costs. This can be payable quarterly to encourage voluntary compliance with simplified bookkeeping requirements.

4. Fixed personal and corporate income rate. Whether a sole proprietor or an incorporated enterprise other than those classified as small businesses, a standard 25% income tax rate should be imposed with 40% optional standard deduction as default method (or 15% effective rate similar to licensed professionals, except that non-small business will still have to pay 12% VAT). Those who will opt the itemized deduction will have to submit their company for audit.

5. Rationalize fiscal incentives. This has been long overdue. We need more political will to cut tax holidays of big foreign corporations that are unnecessarily enjoying incentives while local startups are burdened by high tax rates and costly tax compliance requirements.

6. Automate business registration, tax compliance, and risk-based audit. We have less than 3,000 BIR examiners who will never get to audit more than 15 million registered taxpayers and 2 million SMEs. Large taxpayers must be the priority, subject to a risk-based audit per industry.

7. Incentivize honest tax payment. Let’s support the campaign of BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay in instituting a culture of honesty and integrity in the BIR and in paying taxes in the country. In pursuit of this, he issued RMC 60-2017 to officially launch the Seal of Honesty Certification Program to encourage voluntary compliance without penalties and compromises. Taxpayers, individuals, and corporations alike, who will be awarded the seal will not be included in the priority audit. For more details, visit www.sealofhonesty.ph.

(The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or the M.A.P.)

 

Popularly known as the Philippine Tax Whiz, Raymond A. Abrea is one of the 2016 Outstanding Persons of the World, one of the 2015 The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM), and founder of the Abrea Consulting Group and Center for Strategic Reforms of the Philippines (CSR Philippines). He currently serves as Adviser to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue of the Philippine government on tax administration reform in promoting inclusive growth.

Twitter (@askthetaxwhiz) or visit his Facebook page.

consult@acg.ph.

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Mordido posts record win in Shell chess finals

KYLEN JOY MORDIDO became the first female player to capture the overall crown in the 25th Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship (SNYACC) grand finals, ruling the juniors division in emphatic fashion at the SM MOA Music Hall in Pasay last Sunday.

The Dasmariñas National HS standout, a Candidate Master, scored 1.5 points in the last two rounds and posted an 8-point total to beat Stephen Rome Pangilinan and Julius Gonzales by 1.5 points. Carl Ancheta and Francois Magpily finished tied at fourth with five points in the 9-round Swiss system tournament sponsored by Pilipinas Shell.

Mordido, who clinched the top female honors in the Batangas leg of the regional elims, thus shared top honors with kiddies overall champion David Rey Ancheta and Far Eastern U’s Jeth Romy Morado, winner of the seniors title, at the close of the two-day championship.

Mordido’s record win in the 13-16 age division also came in the final SNYACC as Pilipinas Shell bowed out of the local chess scene after 25 years, producing world class GMs like Wesley So, Mark Paragua and Nelson Mariano II, among others.

Ancheta, a mainstay of the Corpus Christi School who topped the Cagayan de Oro elims, also sustained his hot start, sweeping his last two matches in the 7-12 category to finish with eight points, a full point ahead of Mark Jay Bacojo and Michael Concio, Jr.

Chester Reyes and Cedric Abris finished with six and five points, respectively.

Morado, a runner-up in the NCR stop of the country’s premier talent-search, scored just one point in the last two rounds for seven points but still snared the 17-20 division crown, edging Jethro Esplanada and Ali Ahmad Azote, who also wound up with identical seven points, in the tie-break.

Mordido, Ancheta and Morado, along with the other top finishers, received their prizes and trophies during awards rites graced by Pilipinas Shell Social Performance and Social Investment manager Sankie Simbulan and GM Joey Antonio.

Meanwhile, Pilipinas Shell also held a Chess Masters’ Friendly match after the event, headed by the titled players who have competed in past Shell Active Chess tournaments, including GM Darwin Laylo, IMs Nelson Mariano III, Ronald Dableo, Jerad Docena, Richilieu Salcedo III, Paulo Bersamina, Roderick Nava and Joel Pimentel, along with WIMs Mikee Charlene Suede, Bernadette Galas and Jan Jodilyn Fronda, WFM Shania Mae Mendoza and WCM Christie Bernales.

Blade Runner 2049 fades to $31.5-million opening weekend

LOS ANGELES – Blade Runner 2049 is heading for a downbeat $31.5-million opening weekend at 4,058 sites in North America.

Sunday’s estimated result throws serious doubt onto what had been high hopes for a box office success story. In one of the most surprising turnarounds in recent years, Blade Runner 2049 fell far short of expectations, which had been in the $45 million to $50 million range at the start of the weekend amid stellar reviews, strong advance ticket sales, and the revered status of 1982’s original Blade Runner.

Instead, the film grossed only a moderate $12.7 million on Friday, including $4 million from Thursday night previews. Saturday saw an 11% decline to $11.4 million and Sunday’s projected total was $7.4 million.

The key factors for the under-performance were the movie’s 163-minute running time – which limits the number of showings each day – plus far less traction among younger moviegoers than anticipated.

“The core of enthusiastic and loyal Blade Runner fans were over 25 and predominantly male and propelled the film as expected to the top spot, but a lengthy running time and lesser interest among females made it tougher for the film to reach the original weekend box office projections,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with comScore.

Warner Bros. is handling domestic distribution on Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, through its output deal with Alcon Entertainment. Financed by Alcon and Sony and laden with special effects, the film carries a $150 million price tag. Denis Villeneuve helms the sequel film, which is set in a bleak 2049 Los Angeles with Gosling starring as an LAPD officer dealing with replicants seeking freedom.

Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Jeff Goldstein said Blade Runner 2049 had fallen short of expectations in mid-sized and smaller markets along with the South and Midwest, where the running time and Major League Baseball playoffs appeared to have held down attendance.

“We did well in the major and high-profile markets,” he added. “Alcon and Denis made an amazing movie. The audience for it was narrower than we anticipated.”

Fox’s opening of survival drama The Mountain Between Us, starring Idris Elba and Kate Winslet, was the weekend’s runner-up, coming in slightly below projections with a moderate $10.1 million at 3,088 venues. Based on the Charles Martin novel, the film stars Elba as a surgeon and Winslet as a journalist who are left stranded together following a plane crash. Reviews have been mixed, earning the film a 46% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Lionsgate’s animated My Little Pony trotted in with a modest $8.8 million at 2,528 locations, slightly above forecasts. Based on the Hasbro toys and TV series, the movie’s voice cast includes Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth, Uzo Aduba, and Sia.

The fifth weekend of New Line’s blockbuster It showed plenty of staying power in third place with $9.6 million at 3,197 sites. It will close the weekend with $305 million domestically plus $298.8 million internationally to top the $600-million worldwide mark.

Fox’s third weekend of Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Universal’s second weekend of American Made were battling for fifth place with about $8.1 million each, followed by Warner’s third weekend of The Lego Ninjago Movie with $6.8 million. Focus Features’ expansion of Judi Dench’s Victoria & Abdul came in eighth with $4.1 million at 732 locations. – Reuters

Zamboanga siege veteran is military’s new Marawi leader

MAJOR GENERAL Danilo G. Pamonag has been designated as the new commanding general of Joint Task Force Marawi, replacing Maj. Gen. Rolando D. Bautista who has been appointed as the new army chief. “(Mr.) Pamonag is a veteran of the Zamboanga siege and this was why he was chosen to lead the fight there (in Marawi) from the very beginning as part of the ground commanders who comprised those that were helping General Bautista earlier in May,” Maj. Gen. Restituto F. Padilla, the military spokesperson said yesterday. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Roseller G. Murillo, who has also been part of the Marawi operations, will take over the 1st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army based in Pagadian City. “These changes in leadership do not affect in any manner the operations we are conducting on the ground and the focused military operations that are continuing will be still unrelentless and will not stop until the last armed element in the area has been dealt with,” Mr. Padilla added. — Rosemarie A. Zamora

DBS estimates August imports declined 4.9% amid weak peso

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez,
Senior Reporter

IMPORTS likely contracted for the third straight month, with the decline expected to be sustained for the rest of the year, analysts at DBS Bank said, noting that the import performance strengthens the case for an interest rate hike from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

“Market consensus expects another negative print for import growth, ahead of the August trade data this week. We reckon that import growth may remain in the negative, on a year-on-year basis, until the yearend,” the global bank said in a market report.

DBS economists estimate merchandise imports slipped 4.9% in August, which if realized would pose a larger drop than July’s 3.2%.

“The high base effects from last year play a part, but at the same time, the weaker peso would have also been a factor,” the bank analysts said.

The Philippine Statistics Authority will report August trade data today.

The value of imports in July fell to $6.931 billion from $7.159 billion a year earlier. Analysts attributed the decline to the depreciation of the peso, which made foreign goods more expensive.

In the first seven months, imports grew by 7.9% to $51.232 billion, posting a slower climb than the 13.8% rise in goods exports. The government is projecting a 10% increase in imports this year, factoring in the need for more raw materials as more infrastructure projects enter the construction phase.

DBS analysts said the weaker imports could add to inflation pressure, which may prod the BSP to consider raising interest rates in the months ahead.

They particularly referred to the faster-than-expected inflation rate in September which hit 3.4%, matching the peak hit back in April.

“Interesting to see if this may trigger a policy response from the central bank,” the Singapore lender said. “Ultimately, the BSP must play a tricky balancing role — dealing with risks that the economy may overheat without dampening near-term growth by too much.”

“Going by how the central bank has been guiding market rates higher, we reckon that a rate hike is still forthcoming,” it added, noting that the BSP is “overdue” in raising rates.

The Monetary Board decided to keep the benchmark borrowing rate at 3% during its Sept. 22 review, marking the third year the central bank has maintained its policy stance amid manageable inflation and upbeat domestic economic activity.

Central bank officials have said that they do not have to move in sync with the Fed, even after two rate hikes during the first half of 2017 and another 25-basis-point increase expected by December.

Why we are where we are

(Part 1)

“In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true. … Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness,” wrote Hannah Arendt in her book, The Origins of Totalitarianism.

My generation (Boomers) entered the world at the advent of what is now called the modern era, a period of great optimism and enthusiasm. The flourishing of new knowledge made possible by a more liberal atmosphere and the rise of science globally gave rise to innovative, more efficient technologies in most fields of human endeavor. There was hardly any problem then that people felt they could not solve given the prodigious growth and increasingly effective applications of science and technology.

As a boy growing up in the ’50s and ’60s my Tatay bought me books that spoke of the promise of nuclear power for the good of mankind. Nuclear technology would produce cheap electrical power and help in the cure of diseases like cancer. There was the “green revolution,” a time that saw agricultural productivity worldwide increased dramatically as a result of advances in agricultural technology.

The so-called modern world featured social, political, economic, scientific and religious institutions that promised to solve all of humanity’s problems and give us utopia or near utopia. Many of us believed the promise though we also recognized that there were far too many unknowns — want we now call “black swan events” — that had not been factored into the equations.

And “black swans” did appear.

Barring the use of the atom in weapons of war, accidents in nuclear power plants have wreaked havoc on people and the ecology. No one anticipated second and third order undesirable effects of the chemicals we used to enhance production in agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries. The very chemicals that allowed us to enhance food flavors, textures, and shelf life among others also proved difficult for our bodies to adapt and increased the incidence of certain diseases. Medicines designed to improve the quality of life produced physical aberration in infants and even death.

And in the blink of an eye, the prodigious growth in knowledge, its applications to produce new technologies, and the ever increasing intrusion of technology and new ways of thinking that gave people a far greater range of choices than they have ever had seemed now a burden and a threat rather than a boon and a blessing.

We moved from a world where we thought we knew everything critical there was to know to solve most if not all our problems to what management thinkers call a “VUCA” world: Volatile — liable to change rapidly, unpredictably, with special attention turns for the worse; Uncertain — not to be relied on because nothing is well known or definite; Complex or chaotic — in a state of confusion and disorder; and Ambiguous — open to more than one interpretation, options unclear or inexact.

Add to that the fact that Life has become so fast paced while many people have become encumbered by problems like crowds and traffic and the need to make more money as both the standards and costs of living go up. We find little time to sit back, go slow, study our situation and think of how we got here and what we need to do. We spend very little time alone to acquire new information and knowledge so we may discuss extensively and deeply with others on matters important to Life rather than earning a living; discussions that could lead to a new understanding of ourselves, other people. We are distracted by electronics, hand held or otherwise. Many can’t live without their electronic connectivity devices. They panic when they realize they left home without it.

Many, lacking the capacity to think out new ways of coping, have fallen back on old defaults — dogmas of all kinds, conventional wisdom, supposedly tried and tested in times gone by. Or go along with people with exciting promises of quick solutions or “real reforms” in our respective societies.

It seems to me it is now that we need to slow down and think, talk with others, to if we are really clear on what we have grown to dislike and distrust, and what we would like to happen and why. Now is the time to see if we still use words and phrases to mean the same things, if we, in fact, view events and artefacts of Life the same. For if we do not, we shall never agree. We need to understand why we were so ill-prepared as a people to cope with these challenges.

I think I am not the first to observe that many of us are unable to think analytically and critically, capabilities which did not seem in short supply decades ago.

At some point real education that involved the capacity to source information, process these analytically and critically, then share it clearly with each other for better common understanding, gave way to the impetus to just finish schooling and get a diploma which one could use to find a job.

At some point we put emphases on immediately useful knowledge and skills with little regard for future learning and learning how to learn. Teachers’ salaries stagnated and the new recruits into the teaching profession proved unprepossessing in their enthusiasm for teacher versus just instructing and for their lack of exposure to the bigger world.

We placed the onus of student failures on teachers with the much abused adages, “There are no bad students, only bad teachers.” To avoid the difficulties of having to defend why they failed some students, many basic education teachers decided to simply pass their students, making them the next grade or year levels’ problems.

This has to be arrested and put right. We need an overhaul of our education system. Making it K to 12 will help, but it will not be sufficient to mould the kind of minds capable of sustained independent work on learning and learning to learn.

 

Mario Antonio G. Lopez is a member of Manindigan! a civil society group that helped topple the Marcos Dictatorship.

maglopez@gmail.com

Steele retains Safeway Open crown

SAN FRANCISCO — Brendan Steele fired a final-round 69 on Sunday to win the US PGA Tour Safeway Open for the second straight year.

Steele, who started the day two shots off the lead of rookie Tyler Duncan, finished with a 15-under total of 273 for a two-shot triumph over Tony Finau.

Finau also closed with a 69 at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California.

Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson, seeking his first win since the 2013 British Open, was within one stroke of the lead late in the round but settled for a share of third place after a 70 for 276. He was tied with fellow American Chesson Hadley, who signed for a 73.

Duncan, who had led or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds, got off to a disastrous start with three bogeys to open his round.

He carded a 75 to share fifth with Canadian Graham DeLaet (72) on 277.

Steele, meanwhile, forged ahead with three birdies on the front nine.

One of his two bogeys came at the 14th, where he was in two bunkers and delighted to drop only one shot thanks to a seven-foot bogey putt.

Steele said the winds made the final round more challenging, not only because of their strength but because they were from a different direction than they had been all week.

Mickelson pulled within one shot of Steele’s lead with a birdie at the 16th.

But he followed that with a bogey at 17 before a closing birdie at the par-five 18th. — AFP

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