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Ateneo Lady Eagles look to bounce back after debut loss

FOLLOWING their tough five-set loss in their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 debut over the weekend, the Ateneo Lady Eagles look to regroup and bounce back when they return today and take on the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs in women’s volleyball action at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Set for 4 p.m., Ateneo tries to pick up the pieces after bowing to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, 19-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20 and 15-9 last Sunday, against an NU crew that had it auspicious in its own season debut.

Playing in the opener of women’s play at 2 p.m. are the University of the East Lady Warriors and University of Santo Tomas Glowing Tigresses, who are both sporting 0-1 records.

While they got off to a strong start in their tournament opener, the Lady Eagles just could not go on and complete the win as the Lady Tamaraws grew confident and were not to be denied.

Ateneo unravelled in the deciding fifth set as it committed eight unforced errors which greatly took a toll on their thrust en route to the loss.

Jhoanna Maraguinot led the way for the Lady Eagles with 21 points, 19 off spikes, while Kat Tolentino added 14 and Jules Samonte nine.

These, however, proved to be not enough to guide their team to the victory amid the stiff challenge presented by FEU.

In trying to explain what happened to them, the Lady Eagles said that they are still finding their collective groove and making the needed adjustments.

“We are still making adjustments. The players played well but obviously we still need to improve on some aspects which we hope to accomplish as the season progresses,” said Ateneo deputy coach Sherwin Meneses, whose team is now playing without longtime stalwarts Jia Morado and Michelle Morente.

PAD ITS OWN CAMPAIGN
Out to pin down Ateneo some more while padding its own campaign early in the season is NU (1-0), winner in its debut over the Adamson Lady Falcons.

Playing under new coach Babes Castillo, the Lady Bulldogs held sway despite a gallant stand from the Lady Falcons, winning in four sets, 25-15, 25-23, 16-25 and 25-13, on opening day last Saturday.

Jaja Santiago showed the way for NU in the win, top-scoring with 16 points with Aiko Urdas and Audrey Paran adding nine points each, and Risa Sato and Roselyn Doria eight points apiece.

“We’re happy with the win but consistency is still an issue for us,” said Mr. Castillo, who took over from Roger Gorayeb as NU coach in the offseason. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

A Federal Philippines: Does it make sense?

One of the greatest contributions of the Greek Philosopher Aristotle was his distinction between form and substance. According to him, the two are separate dimensions of our reality, yet are also fundamentally distinct in their existential character.

So far, this seems pretty common sense to us in the modern age, but the great philosopher also made a far more important argument: Namely, that form can shape the expression of substance. In short, the two are mutually constitutive, meaning they dialectically shape one another.

So what is the relevance of this profound philosophical contribution to our current debate on federalism? What does a man from the ancient Mediterranean city-state of Athens have to say about 21st century Philippines? Actually, a lot, and these questions bring me to another important distinction that has been woefully missing in our public and policy discourse over federalism.

I vividly recall my freshman and senior years in the university, particularly two courses (introduction to political science, and ancient political theory) I took under my mentor Professor Felipe Miranda, who, for those who are not familiar with him, cofounded both Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS).

I learned two crucial things in his classes. On one hand, political systems — namely, the feedback loop between the rulers and ruled — are distinct from forms of government. The two are interrelated but distinct.

Specifically, system pertains to whether a polity is democratic, meaning ordinary citizens have a say in public affairs and rulers are accountable to the citizens — and to what degree. In contrast, form pertains to whether one is speaking of a federal/unitary or presidential/parliamentary (and their many permutations) arrangement of state institutions.

The other important realization (during a recitation) from his class was that the Philippines’ political system is, to put it bluntly, an oligarchy — the feckless and extractive rule of the few, as Aristotle defined it more than two thousand years ago.

The implication for our federalism debate is two-fold: First, that we never truly had a democracy, since majority of Filipinos have almost zero say in every-day governance; arguably, the only exception is the election period, where the poorest of poor Filipinos can compel the most powerful to beg for their votes through dancing, singing, and other acts of self-mockery and, of course, vote buying.

Thus, our true national tragedy is the oligarchic nature of our political system, not necessarily how our government institutions are structured. Oligarchies can come in all different forms.

Second, and this is where I am truly frustrated, when we discuss a shift to a supposed “federal-parliamentary system,” we are actually speaking of a change in the form of government, not necessarily the entire political system.

This is why it’s extremely misleading when some claim that what is at stake is a shift in our political system. What is on the table is a far more limited type of change, which could end up as either politically transformational, destructive or irrelevant in the end.

Yet, lest I am misunderstood as directly questioning the wisdom of a shift in our form of government, let me bring back Aristotle into the discussion. Aristotle also explained that form could shape the expression of substance. So what’s the relevance to our discussion?

Well, to put it in simple terms: a change in our form of government (i.e., from unitary to federal) can, logically speaking, have some impact on the substance of our political system (i.e., from oligarchy to democracy).

Thus, what the ongoing debate on constitutional change should focus on is whether dispensing with our unitary-presidential form of government will usher in a more democratic system, where ordinary Filipinos have a say in every-day governance.

Will a shift to federal-parliamentary system end the vicious rule of political dynasties? Will it make our economy more dynamic and competitive? Will it create a more enabling environment for the realization of the best potentials of Filipino citizens?

To claim that federalism is a panacea, a supposed solution to all our collective problems, is, at best, intellectually deficient, and, at worse, outright misleading. The devil lies in the details, and this is where I tend to get worried when some folks reduce the whole issue to a matter of semantics and empty rhetoric.

We — I mean the conscientious Filipino citizens — are all for more autonomy and power to peripheral regions. We are all for greater prosperity and egalitarianism in the country. We are all, including in “imperial Manila,” for making sure the country grows as a whole, where the great people of Mindanao and Visayas can also enjoy the fruits of globalization, industrialization and rapid economic growth.

So the debate on charter change isn’t between the Manila-centric elitists, on one hand, and provincial parvenus, on the other. (As a probinsyano, who comes from the Cordillera mountains, I am inherently partial to upward mobility for those outside Metro Manila.)

The debate is between those, who believe in perfecting a painfully imperfect status quo as opposed to those who see no hope in sticking to the existing constitutional order. It’s between those who want to work with what we have, believing we need to look at gradual reforms and have more patience, and those who impatiently believe in taking a leap of faith towards a whole new constitutional order.

In succeeding columns, I shall explain the pros and cons of federalism, discussing both the opportunities and perils of charter change. It’s high time for us to have an educated, deliberate, honest, and intellectually engaging debate on arguably the biggest political question facing the country today: How to get from an oligarchy-disguised-as-democracy to a genuine democracy, which will fulfill and operationalize the fundamental political and socioeconomic freedoms of ordinary Filipinos.

 

Richard Heydarian has taught political science at Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University, and is a non-resident fellow at Stratbase-ADR Institute.

Volvo to woo brand enthusiasts with new diesel-fed XC90 D4

VOLVO’S XC90 lineup in the Philippines has expanded by way of a freshly released diesel-powered variant.

The new XC90 D4, according to Volvo Philippines, gives the country’s Volvo enthusiasts the “option if they prefer a diesel-powered SUV.” The company noted the car has been “designed for a demanding audience” as it mixes in a luxurious package “ingenious design and intelligent technology.”

Propelling the XC90 is Volvo’s Drive-E power train. This system, applied to a diesel mill in the XC90 D4, uses a pair of turbochargers and direct fuel injection to allow a lightweight, low-friction, four-cylinder, 2.0-liter engine develop power ratings equivalent to those made by six- or eight-cylinder engines — 190 hp and 400 Nm in this case. Helping out in this regard is an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Besides power, Drive-E guarantees fuel efficiency and clean emissions, too, according to Volvo. Citing one technology that forms Drive-E, Volvo said the XC90 D4’s engine has a microchip and a pressure sensor in each cylinder, which “perfectly meters” fuel use. Another benefit of this is that the engine remains in tune even after years of use, the car maker said.

Billed as a premium seven-seat SUV, the XC90 is the first Volvo to have been built atop the brand’s new Scalable Product Architecture, a modular platform that will underpin all new Volvos in the company’s 90 and 60 Series range.

Like the S90 and V90 too, the XC90 is marked by Volvo’s latest design language, along with the classic styling cues of the brand. Key features include what Volvo calls “Thor’s Hammer” LED headlights, grille and “Iron Mark” in front, and the spread-out Volvo logo in the rear that’s framed by signature sweeping tail lights.

In the cabin, the XC90 D4 blends wood, crystal and metal to create a sophisticated look, Volvo said. A new seat design boosts the brand’s reputation for making one of the most comfortable and the safest seats in the car industry.

As a new Volvo, the XC90 D4 is equipped with the brand’s Sensus connectivity system that uses a touch screen interface to control car functions, navigation, connected services, and in-car entertainment applications such as Spotify, Pandora, Baidu or TuneIn. Volvo noted this vertical touch screen panel allows for easy and fast access to a host of functions and features.

In terms of safety systems — a Volvo expertise — the XC90 D4 is fitted with City Safety Technology, which combines automatic braking with collision avoidance systems, and is enhanced by Large Animal Detection. An auto-steer function that helps to keep the car on the road, called Run Off Road Mitigation, has also been installed on the XC90.

These systems form part of Volvo’s IntelliSafe, a suite of active and passive safety systems, including those related to autonomous driving. The XC90 already has a semi-autonomous function called Pilot Assist, which works up to 130 kph on clearly marked roads. Volvo said Pilot Assist is another step towards its Vision 2020, in which the car maker aims to have no person killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by the time 2020 rolls by.

North Korean art troupe heads for Olympics

GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA — Around 120 North Korean art performers in matching red coats and fur hats left for the South, its state media said Tuesday, the latest in the flurry of cross-border exchanges in the run-up to the PyeongChang Olympics.

The troupe were seen off from a train station in the North Korean capital Pyongyang by officials including supreme leader Kim Jong-Un’s sister, Yo-Jong, smiling broadly and wearing a black coat and grey fur scarf.

The Winter Olympics have triggered an apparent rapprochement on the divided peninsula, where tensions have been high over the nuclear-armed North’s weapons ambitions.

In a rare high-level meeting last month, the two Koreas agreed that North Korean athletes, cheerleaders, artistic troupes and other delegates would attend the Games beginning in the South’s ski resort of PyeongChang on Friday.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the art troupe, led by Hyon Song-Wol, head of the Samjiyon Orchestra, left Pyongyang the previous day for a “congratulatory performance” for the Games in South Korea.

“The art troupe will go to Wonsan (on North Korea’s east coast) by train and then visit south Korea aboard the ship ‘Mangyongbon 92,’” KCNA said.

The ferry is scheduled to arrive Tuesday evening at Mukho port in the South’s eastern city of Donghae, an hour’s drive from the main Olympics venue in PyeongChang.

A photo carried by KCNA showed dozens of women dressed in matching bright red winter coats, dark brown fur hats and fur scarves, walking in pairs with red suitcases at the train station in Pyongyang.

The band will hold two performances at the Gangneung Art Center on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Feb. 9-25 PyeongChang Olympics and at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Feb. 11. — AFP

Regulator warns public against investing in Cebu-based Planetbiz

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has advised the public against putting their money in Planetbiz International, Inc., saying the Cebu-based company is not authorized to solicit investments.

In an advisory posted on its Web site, the SEC said that although the company has been a duly registered corporation since 2008, it does not have the necessary permits allowing it to solicit funds, as per the Securities Regulation Code.

The country’s corporate regulator said it has received reports that Planetbiz, through its division Planet Mobile, has been recruiting members who have to pay an initial investment of P3,888, and P8,490 as a lifetime membership fee. 

In exchange for the fee, the company will give each member a personal virtual office, worth P2,640, a Schneider Discount Voucher worth P2,100, and 15 Mobile Consumer Privilege cards worth P250 each.

“In view thereof, the public is hereby advised to exercise self-restraint and caution or more prudently to stop investing their money into such investment activity and to take the necessary precautions in dealing with the above-named entity and/or its representatives,” the SEC said.

Planet Mobile describes itself as an e-marketing firm that “distributes telecommunication services and world-class branded consumer products via social marketing strategy supported by advanced Internet distribution system,” according to its Web site.

Planetbiz also claims investors may earn income in several ways, including recruiting new members into the company.

“Hence it seems that most of the company’s revenue come from the effort of the people to invite prospective members to a common enterprise and not primarily through direct selling of the company’s products,” the SEC said.

The commission also described Planetbiz’s investment structure to the binary marketing system, which it noted is “a typical type of pyramiding scheme.”

“Therefore, based on the alleged practice of the company, it is adopting a combination of both pyramiding scheme and illegal investment contract/undertaking,” the SEC said.

The SEC further emphasized that people affiliated with such schemes may be held criminally liable, sanctioned, or penalized.

The commission has recently cracked down on investment schemes that it deems illegal in an effort to protect the interests of the investing public. It has also advised the public against investing in Pluggle, Inc., Bullion Buyer Ltd., and Alifelong Marketing and Services, Inc., among others.

Humor me: A millennial’s reaction

By Nickky F. P. de Guzman, Reporter

Theater Review
A Comedy of Tenors
Repertory Philippines
Ongoing until Feb. 18
Onstage, Greenbelt 1,
Ayala Center, Makati City

COMEDY IS said to be the most challenging theatrical genre to pull off. In order to draw laughter, after all, one needs to step up from tired slapstick, smarten one’s antics, and consider critical factors like: “Who is my audience?” “What will they find funny?” and, “Will they be able to get the joke?” But perhaps the more daunting task is to show a foreign comedy to a local audience of diverse age groups some of whom have different perceptions of what will get them to laugh out loud (LOL) and rolling on the floor laughing (ROFL).

For its season opener, Repertory Philippines is staging Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, until Feb. 18. As its title explicitly states, the play is a comedy, about the seven people who all cross paths in one suite in the Faubourg Ritz hotel in Paris six hours before a big concert.

A Comedy of Tenors features a colorful cast of characters: Tito Mirelli, an aging Italian opera star, his temperamental wife Maria Mirelli, their daughter Mimi and her lover Carlo Nucci who is Tito Mirelli’s rival; guest star Russian opera singer Tatiana Racón; concert producer Henry Saunders and his frazzled assistant Max; and the hotel’s bellhop Beppo. What could possibly go wrong when you only want to mount a huge concert starring three of the best and most professional opera artists in the world? Everything. The characters soon find themselves in a chaotic mess of clashing egos, mistaken identities, secret love affairs, and bedroom hijinks.

This is a sequel to Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig successful comedy Lend Me a Tenor (1989), which The Washington Post called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century.” Twenty-five years after debuting Lend Me a Tenor, Mr. Ludwig revisited its story and wrote the sequel, A Comedy of Tenors, which first went on stage in 2015.

Because of copyright issues, Rep and the show’s director Miguel Faustmann could not change the story or localize any of the jokes — and this is where the problem comes in.

Watching the two-hour play is like pretending to understand a foreign movie without subtitles. While A Comedy of Tenors is in English and its characters sing live Italian opera songs (they are very good), there is still a disconnect in the punchlines and jokes because they are too foreign (the setting is in Paris) and too old (the story happens in 1936) for this millennial. The only people LOL-ing in the audience during the media preview on Jan. 26 were the older ones who got the play’s outdated sense of humor. Much of the play’s fun relies heavily on the characters’ exaggerated Italian and Russian accents. There are also a lot of name-drops whom not everybody may recognize unless they are diehard opera, movie, and literature fans.

The saving grace of the show are its magnificent cast members who both can sing and act, of whom Lorenz Martinez deserves the most applause. He plays two characters — the Italian superstar Tito Mirelli and the hotel’s bellhop Bepo, which requires him to sing opera, do a lot of exaggerated Italian accents, and then make mad dashes backstage for quick costume changes.

“There were a lot of running and a lot of ‘bilisan mo, i-suot mo ito (quick, wear this),’” said Mr. Martinez, smiling, after the show.

Issa Litton, who plays Mrs. Mirelli, said she learned her Italian accent by watching YouTube videos.

For her accent as Russian singer Tatiana Racón, Shiela Valderrama-Martinez (Mr. Martinez’s real life wife), said she too watched YouTube videos and consulted with their resident “accent master” Jeremy Domingo, who played the concert producer Henry Saunders.

Arman Ferrer, tackled the role of Italian tenor singer Carlo Nucci, meanwhile said he had the most accent adjustments because he is not used to doing foreign productions — he has mostly performed in local productions and has played multiple Filipino lead roles like Emilio Aguinaldo in Nicanor Tiongson’s Mabining Mandrigma and Julio Madiaga in Joel Lamangan’s Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag the Musical.

Still, one should give A Comedy of Tenors a chance for its good and versatile cast — just don’t expect to LOL and ROFL that much. — Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

Tickets are available through TicketWorld at www.ticketworld.com.ph.

History told through art

THE ONGOING Manila Biennale aims to celebrate art and commemorate our history by turning Manila’s oldest district, Intramuros, into one big treasure trove, with artworks peppered, and sometimes hidden, throughout, waiting for our discovery and contemplation. In doing so, the month-long celebration becomes a multi-sensory journey thanks to installations, video projections, sound simulations, sculptures and paintings that revisit our past while we reassess our future.

Inside the walled city, Fort Santiago has been turned into a gallery and a canvas for the 15 artworks it houses for the biennale. The fortress itself is a sight to behold, especially at sunset when it is bathed in a rich orange which amplifies the otherwise lifeless Pasig River. Facing the river is Kawayan de Guia’s Lady Liberty, a replica of New York’s Statue of Liberty made from fiberglass, wood, and various scraps. Mr. De Guia’s large-scale statue, which is made to look worn out, overlooks the urban jungle outside the fortress’ walls. Lady Liberty recasts the fall of the Americans and the destruction of Manila during World War II, and when the artist invites the audience to vandalize his work — yes, they can — he is symbolically commenting that we are always vulnerable to, or causing, attacks that lead to degradation and decay.

Nestled inside one of Fort Santiago’s tunnels is Oca Villamiel’s Children of War which portrays the victims of tragedies. The installation is composed of dolls placed inside cages that stretch along the entire tunnel. Mr. Villamiel’s dolls are toys scavenged from the Payatas garbage dump and he placed them inside handmade wire cages. His installation inside the narrow tunnel is an eerie commentary on the horrors of war and the loss of our innocence.

Just above Mr. Villamiel’s tunnel is Felix Bacolor’s Thirty Thousand Liters — an installation of 150 metal drums stacked on wooden pallets. The piece’s description tells the viewer that there is more to the otherwise mundane blue drums — they are the artist’s commentary on the “‘systemic, industrial purging’ and escalating violence in the country today.” Apparently, the drums can contain a combined volume of 30,000 liters of liquid, which is Mr. Bacolor’s commentary on the blood shed in the “current wars in the Philippines.” This is a representation of just a faction of the lives lost within a year based on his estimation, since each person needs five liters of blood to live.

Using a stone dungeon as his canvas, artist Arvin Nogueras presents Incite Modulation, a piece of digital sound art which simulates the echoes of the torture, despair, atrocities, and agonies of war. He recorded the sounds created by scratching a microphone along the walls and other parts of the dungeon, and later manipulated, sequenced, and resampled them to form new soundscapes.

Dressed in a simple white shirt without his iconic “Jose Rizal” hat, Carlos Celdran, the festival’s organizer, told BusinessWorld during the art tour — one can explore the various sites by walking or riding a calesa or tramvia (horse-drawn carriages and buses) — that all the art is not meant to be consumed in one day.

“It’s meant to bring people back in Intramuros more than once” he said, smiling. He said the artworks found in Intramuros are not only about the memories of war but “what’s even going on right now. So these are artists and their reflections.”

Meant to be a parting salute to Jose Rizal, Pete Jimenez’s Walang Boots installation of 150 pairs of wooden shoe lasts, toy guns, and bullet shells, is placed near the bronze footsteps marking the National Hero’s last walk in Fort Santiago. Mr. Jimenez’s work is not only a tribute to Rizal, but a “wry commentary on the modernization of the Philippine military.”

Many of the works in the biennale revisit World War II with a sense of nostalgia and profound eeriness, like Mideo Cruz’ Golgotha, found in a chamber at the Baluarte de San Diego. Made to appear like buried hands that need to be pulled and saved, his art responds to the hidden stories and secrets of the historical chamber. Scattered among the many hands are four small bleeding statues. Inspired from the Biblical story, Golgotha (which literally means “place of skull”) is a tale of atonement, achievements, and sacrifices.

Home to 60% of all the artworks of the Manila Biennale, the four floors of the newly rebuilt San Ignacio Church and its attached Jesuit Mission House house art that are also reminders of the war that devastated Manila.

Artist Renz Baluyot has his own corner, where his six works are reflections of what the World War II means to a millennial artist. He says in his artist’s note that while he was in Japan for an arts residency, a Japanese man knelt at his feet and begged for his forgiveness. He did not know what to feel because he only knew about the WWII through books, so his artworks — Smoke, Zero, Marston Matting, Frames of Reference, In Retrospection 1 & 2, and Post-war Guerilla Skirmishes — are his ways of relieving the lessons and feelings of the war.

Wander, and wonder, around Intramuros’ walls, corners, and tunnels in Plaza Roma, Puerta Real, Casa Manila, Baluarte San Diego, Fort Santiago, and Mission House in search of the art and the history.

Manila Biennale runs until March 5. — Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

For details and schedules of events on the Manila Biennale, visit https://manilabiennale.ph/.

PLDT Group launches ‘MVP Rewards’ program

PLDT, Inc. on Tuesday introduced a rewards program for its customers, as well as Smart, TNT, and Sun users.

Under the Most Valuable Partner (MVP) rewards system, customers can enroll their PLDT Home, Smart, TNT and Sun accounts on the Web site www.mvprewards.ph, and link all of them to a single rewards wallet.

Customers will be rewarded by paying their monthly bills on time and in full, or whenever they load their prepaid numbers. Points are equivalent to cash, and can be used at the customer’s choice.

“MVP Rewards is in a category of its own. We’ve taken what is best across industries and put it in one powerful program that offers more than just rewards. And the PLDT Group has the unique ability to provide this level of convergence owing to the breadth of our combined services,” PLDT President, Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said in a statement.

Under the program, points earned are consolidated in a single rewards wallet which comes with a virtual card powered by PayMaya, the digital payments service of the PLDT Group, under Voyager Innovations, Inc.

Customers can earn points by paying their monthly bills on time and in full or when they load their prepaid phones.

Members can also access special deals and privileges at various establishments nationwide just by showing their virtual or physical MVP Rewards card.

“This is just the beginning of an even stronger partnership with our PLDT Group customers, as we open up the MVP Rewards program to include more merchants and services this year,” Mr. Pangilinan said.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — PPCM

Volkswagen boosts Golf GTS wagon’s appeal by adding new Highline variant

THE wagon version of the Golf now has a new variant available in the Philippines.

Called Golf GTS Highline, the freshly released car adds to the Golf GTS Business Edition and Business Edition+ sold locally since May 2017.

Volkswagen Philippines said the Golf GTS — standing for Grand Touring Sport — offers 350 liters more of cargo space compared to the Golf hatchback. The distributor added the GTS is “ideal for those who love the power and performance the Golf has been known for over the years, yet still value the comfort and space of a wagon.”

VW Golf GTS 2
The GTS is a Golf with extra room for luggage in the back.

Initially priced at P1.340 million — offered until cars imported prior to the imposition of higher vehicle taxes are available — the GTS Highline is equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, bi-Xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights, fog lamps with static cornering lights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, heated side-view mirrors with turn signals, front seats with two-way power-adjustable backrests, leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters and multimedia controls, smart entry, and an infotainment system with a 6.5-inch touch screen panel, Bluetooth connectivity, App Connect, voice control and eight speakers and a subwoofer.

Powering the GTS Highline is a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine that’s mated to a six-speed DSG transmission. The engine makes 147 hp from 3,500 rpm to 4,000 rpm and 340 Nm of torque from 1,750 rpm to 3,000 rpm. Volkswagen Philippines said the car’s electromechanical speed-sensitive power steering, 15-inch ventilated disc brakes, a front suspension composed of struts and three-point wishbones with a stabilizer bar, and a torsion beam setup in the rear all make the GTS Highline feel “premium.”

The car is available in black, Blue Silk, Night Blue Metallic, Platinum Grey, Pure White, Reflex Silver, Tornado Red or Tungsten Silver paintjobs while its cabin can come in Titan Black or beige palettes.

1,200 Olympic security guards withdrawn over virus outbreak

PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA — More than 1,200 security guards have been withdrawn from the PyeongChang Winter Olympics because of a norovirus outbreak, organizers said Tuesday.

Out of the group, 41 suffered a sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhea on Sunday.

They were transferred to hospital and most were diagnosed with a norovirus infection.

Norovirus is highly contagious and can also be spread through food or water contamination.

“The 1,200-odd people were pulled out from their duties,” an official of the PyeongChang Olympic Organizing Committee told AFP. “They were replaced by some 900 military soldiers.”

Health authorities were investigating the origin of the virus, he said.

The security guards, all employees from a security company, had been accommodated at a youth training center in PyeongChang, separate from the athletes’ village. — AFP

Squid tactics

Two parallel issues (call them controversies or scandals — your choice) involving the occupants of the White House and Malacañang have been hogging the headlines of late. In both cases, squid tactics are apparently being used to muddle public perception of culprit and victim, accuser and accused, right and wrong. In both cases raw political power is being wielded.

On the US side, there is the recent decision of President Donald Trump and the Republicans to release a memo that tends to cast a bad light on the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US counter-intelligence agencies, the Department of Justice, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

The memo is in connection with the surveillance by the FBI of Trump campaign associate, Carter Page, in the course of its investigation of Russia’s interference in the last US presidential elections, the possibility of collusion with the Trump campaign, well as the possibility of obstruction of justice by Trump himself.

The Republicans, who dominate both Capitol Hill and the White House, have accused the FBI of abuses in its handling of the investigation, thus putting the premier law enforcement agency of America under a cloud and, in effect, providing relief for heretofore culprit, Page and possible major culprit, Trump.

The FBI’s alleged misconduct in its surveillance of Carter Page has been characterized by Republican spin specialists as “worse than Watergate.” The focus of their spin is the allegation that the FBI partly based its suspicion of Page’s Russian links on a dossier prepared by a former British intelligence operative funded by the Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Democrats have accused the Republicans of besmirching the reputation of the FBI and the Justice Department ahead of any findings by Mueller that may be adverse to Trump. In other words, they are cushioning the possible impact on Trump of the Mueller investigation, and also providing a justification for firing Mueller and the Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, who has direct supervision of the Special Counsel.

Talk about turning the accuser-culprit-victim paradigm upside down, this is one is a classic.

But wait, in the Philippines there also appears to be a parallel case of making the accuser the accused and portraying as victims the alleged wrongdoers.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the suspension of Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang, who has been tasked with looking into allegations of billions in unexplained wealth of Duterte and members of his family. Duterte’s order is said to be in utter disregard of a Supreme Court position on the issue and in the face of resistance by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.

Like the Special Counsel in the US, the office of the Ombudsman is supposed to be beyond the clutches of partisan politics.

Carandang’s sin? He reportedly leaked to media bank documents obtained from the Anti-Money Laundering Council that may confirm earlier accusations of Duterte’s unexplained wealth made by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

According to Duterte, Carandang secured the documents without the knowledge of the AMLC. Of course, Duterte denies the allegations and questions the authenticity of Carandang’s purported findings.

Duterte and his allies have characterized Carandang’s violation as deserving his suspension even if that act also constitutes another violation. A violation of the Constitution.

Like the anti-FBI memo of the Republicans, turning the tables on Carandang is said to be a squid tactic to cover the more serious issue of unexplained wealth hovering over a president who claims to be incorruptible (“I hate corruption. P — ina!”).

In the US case, one would have expected right-thinking representatives of the American people to vent their ire on Russia and on Carter Page (after all, Russia is supposed to be an adversary of America) — but no, the Republicans have cast Page and, by implication, Trump, as “victims” of FBI misconduct, rather than as possible Russian bogey men. The FBI, the Justice Department, the US intelligence community and, by implication, Special Counsel Mueller have been cast as the villains.

To rub in the point about the “villainy” of the FBI, the memo, crafted by Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, glosses over the fact that the dossier only served as part of the basis for suspecting Page and that other independent and verifiable intelligence information had raised red flags on Page. The Republicans also appear to be completely ignoring the many contacts with the Russians made by Trump associates, including Donald Trump, Jr. (who met with Russian agents who had promised “dirt” on Hillary Clinton).

Worst of all, the Republicans appear to be completely overlooking Russia’s meddling in the US elections and possible treasonous acts committed by certain US citizens. This inexplicable stance of the GOP has been summed up by maverick Republican Senator John McCain as “doing (Vladimir) Putin’s job.”

In a prepared statement, McCain said: “In 2016, the Russians engaged in an elaborate plot to interfere in an American election and undermine our democracy. While we have no evidence these efforts affected the outcome of our election, I fear they succeeded in fueling discord and dividing us from one another.

“The latest attacks on the FBI and Justice serve no American interests — no party’s, no president’s, only Putin. The American people must know all the facts surrounding Russia’s ongoing efforts to subvert our democracy, which is why special counsel Mueller’s investigation must continue unimpeded.”

McCain accused Trump of creating “partisan side shows” to distract from the investigation — adding that the partisan attacks on American institutions means, in effect, that “we are doing Putin’s job for him.”

The motives of both the Republicans and the Duterte camp appear too obvious and too brazen (there is a Tagalog term for it, garapal) for them to expect the citizenry to believe them. Unfortunately, their respective battalions of loyal supporters are standing by them.

Trump’s spin specialists have proven themselves expert at portraying an apple as a banana (to cite a CNN TV spot on the need to purvey truth in journalism). And Trump himself has lied so often and so habitually that his supporters and the Republicans no longer see anything wrong with it. In the process they seem to be discarding loyalty to country in favor of party loyalty.

Duterte and his information machinery have also been conducting a vigorous media and social media campaign to justify Carandang’s suspension, as well as the possible impeachment of Ombudsman Carpio-Morales, if she continues to be defiant.

Of course what is happening in the Philippines is not unusual. Our people are resigned to the fact that President Manuel Quezon’s noble assertion, “My loyalty to my party ends where my loyalty to my country begins,” is absolutely meaningless in Philippine politics.

What resonates are the immortal words of Senate President Jose Avelino, “What are we in power for?” Aptly translated into Erap-speak: “Weather weather lang iyan!”

 

Greg B. Macabenta is an advertising and communications man shuttling between San Francisco and Manila and providing unique insights on issues from both perspectives.

gregmacabenta@hotmail.com

China’s power and territorial expansion

Although I am certain of being at least 37.5% Chinese from my maternal grandparents, I have only seen the mainland from a hill in Hong Kong. But I guess I have tried to explore my Chinese-ness through my readings (in English translation) and, when I was younger, learning and practicing T’ai Chi almost every day.

A fascinating book that I have recently begun to read is The Hundred Year Marathon by Michael Pillsbury. The book is described on it is cover as “China’s Secret Strategy to replace America as the Global Superpower.” The Hundred Year Marathon has for its starting line the rise to power of Mao Tse Tung in 1949; and therefore, the strategic goal is for China to be the greatest global power by 2049.

Pillsbury’s impressive credentials include being an analyst at Rand Corporation, staff work for US Congressional Committees, and research fellowships at Harvard. He has worked with the CIA and the Department of National Defense of the United States. He learned to read, write, and speak Mandarin as a young man; and in his career, obtained access to many confidential Chinese government papers, including those on Chinese culture and strategy. He admits to have made many mistakes in his earlier recommendations due to faulty and probably naïve analysis of the Chinese situation.

From what I have read so far, I have come to the conclusion that nothing will stop China from taking over the South China Sea, as it already has in fact done de facto. And nothing will stop it from controlling Benham (Philippine) Rise and the Sulu Seas, which our President is allowing them to patrol. I do not presume to know what really is our President’s reason for the generous hospitality toward the Chinese; but certainly, the United States, notably under President Trump is probably too naïve to realize that these moves are just part of executing China’s strategy to become the world’s greatest power, economically, politically, and eventually, militarily. Besides, the US has to temper its moves with China since it needs China’s help to rein in North Korea’s missile aggressiveness. Fat chance that China will in fact accommodate the US far enough on this. It is more advantageous for China to keep the North Korea ace vs. US global power. For instance, it seems to me that the US cannot get too aggressive on the South China Sea issue for fear of offending China.

The warring states through the centuries among the numerous regions that now comprise China spawned strategic political and military thinkers some of whom wrote down their ideas. The most famous of these of course, is Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. There are other writings, it seems, on for example, The Art of Governance. Pillsbury studied these materials in their original versions, and thus was able to understand more deeply their meanings than he would have if he had relied on translations. For example, we are reminded that, as in T’ai Chi, rather than face force frontally with force, one should astutely move obliquely and use the enemy’s own force to defeat him/her.

It seems Chinese culture encourages discretion and appropriate secrecy in matters of business, politics, and war. Timing, it seems is everything. Even deception should be used, if necessary, to throw off the enemy. If necessary, one must be willing to lose, or accept humiliation in the context of the bigger victory desired (palugi muna). This is probably the reason why China has only now begun to assert its military might, by building military bases on islands in the South China Sea. It doesn’t matter if they destroy corals and deplete marine life in the process. It doesn’t matter if fisherfolk in the ASEAN area suffer from loss of incomes. They are focused on their goal to control power and the sea lanes in this part of the world.

The United States is less than 300 years old as a nation, if we count from the Declaration of Independence. Chinese culture and civilization dates back through several millennia. Of course, Confucian ethics seems closer to what Western democracies can appreciate. And the laudable educational and civil service systems of China owe their traditions to Confucianism. However, Pillsbury refers to the “hawks” in the Chinese government, who were once considered a fringe element in the Communist Party vs. the “doves” who tended closer to Confucian values. Pillsbury concludes that the US intelligence agencies have failed to appreciate that the “hawks” are no longer on the fringes of policy and governance; but that they are in fact now the dominant influence. Pillsbury describes Xi Jin Ping as the “superhawk” who due to his relatively young age, can be expected to remain in power longer than his more dovish predecessors. The marathon to become the world’s most powerful nation on earth is thus expected to proceed consistently toward its goal.

The Chinese it seems, having an older culture, tend to think more deeply, more astutely, and longer term than Western democracies. Their economic moves through high investments in resource rich Africa, and the concrete initiatives to build the Silk Road toward the West are strategic and long term. The goodwill investments in ASEAN in competition with the USA have borne much fruit, especially with the Duterte government’s acquiescence.

It seems a certainty that smart, astute China will be the eventual winner in this game of global dominance. What will happen to our little but strategically located country in the context of these developments depends on how skillfully we dance the Tinikling or do the T’ai Chi. Shall we benefit, or do we suffer?

 

Teresa S. Abesamis is a former professor at the Asian Institute of Management and an independent development management consultant.

tsabesamis0114@yahoo.com

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