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Gov’t think tank wants casino gamblers to pay higher fees

STATE-RUN think tank National Tax Research Center (NTRC) wants to raise the qualifying fee collected from casino gamblers to raise additional revenue for the government, according to its latest research journal.

It proposes to raise the P100 qualifying fee for casino gambling to P500, or even P1,500.

The NTRC said that the fee hike will factor in the effect of inflation as the fees were set in 1993, while also deterring low-income persons from gambling in casinos.

“The government may take advantage of the country’s vibrant gaming industry to help raise needed revenue to finance its development projects such as its Build Build Build program as the country gears towards achieving the ‘Golden Age of Infrastructure,’” the NTRC said.

“Notwithstanding its contribution to the country’s economic growth and potential to generate government revenue, gambling also has its attendant social costs which must be managed carefully. The collection of a higher qualifying fee in all casinos could be a practical way to discourage those who do not have enough money to spend in casinos,” it added.

The think tank said that a P500 qualifying fee is estimated to generate an additional P1.39 billion annually.

Executive Order No. 48 signed by President Fidel V. Ramos in 1993 authorizes the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to collect an optional qualifying fee from casino gamblers.

Casinos that have opted to waive the fee include Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino Mactan as well as those located in Entertainment City, e.g. City of Dreams, Okada Manila, and Resorts World Manila, among others, the NTRC noted.

Pagcor was able to raise P14.44 million in from the fees in 2016, up 36.48%.

House Bills 5871 and 2061 filed during the 17th Congress sought to impose fees as high as P3,000 and P3,500, which the NTRC considers “too high.”

“The rates proposed by the bills may also be an option but said amounts may already be considered too high by casino players,” the NTRC said.

Countries imposing a qualifying fee include Singapore at the equivalent of P3,743 while Vietnam charges about P2,200 and India about P796.

The gaming industry reported P128.44 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2016, up 19.26%. Some 80% of the GGR total was generated by 10 licensed casinos. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Boosting tourism after Marawi

By Zsarlene B. Chua, Reporter

Twenty-seventeen was a difficult year for Mindanao as one of its main cities, Marawi in Lanao del Sur, reeled from a five-month government offensive to reclaim it from Islamic State-inspired militants, not to mention that martial law declared on the day the siege began will now last until end-2018.

Still, the Department of Tourism (DoT) remains unfazed as it continues to roll out several projects meant to encourage tourists to visit the second-largest island in the country.

“All [tourism] fronts increased but we’re still trying to observe from the reports of our regional directors if [the battle for Marawi and martial law] had an effect on tourism,” said Alma Rita D. Jimenez, undersecretary for tourism regulation, coordination and resource generation, in a Nov. 17 interview.

“But from on ground reports and feelers, they have not felt its effects.”

And if the viral Camiguin tourism video launched late October were any indication, Mindanao tourism offices have continued promotion of the island’s regions.

Titled No Words #FeelCamiguin, the four-minute-long video featured a cynical first-time tourist in Camiguin being won over the by the island’s charm, with locals not saying a single word and letting the sights and experiences do the talking.

As of this writing, the video posted on the Facebook page of the Camiguin Tourism Office had over one million views.

DoT data showed the country welcomed 4.4 million international tourists from January to August, a 10% growth from 2016’s corresponding eight months.

According to the Mindanao Development Authority, the island welcomed 8.7 million domestic and foreign visitors in 2016, with domestic tourists comprising 94.7% of the total market.

Ms. Jimenez said when martial law in Mindanao was declared, her department told regional offices there to “use their time productively during this downtime” by joining trainings, seminars and improving tourism infrastructure.

“But they told us there weren’t any downtimes,” she said.

Mindanao has had a long troubled history of insurgencies and terrorism, and, as such, is no stranger to travel advisories. For example, the United Kingdom in a Nov. 21 advisory advised against traveling to western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago (excluding Camiguin, Dinagat and Siargao Islands) “because of terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgent groups,” according to its government Web site.

In April, several countries including Australia, Canada and New Zealand also issued advisories against traveling to many parts of Mindanao due to the threat of terrorism and kidnapping. These came on the heels of other advisories earlier that month after government forces clashed with Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Inabanga, Bohol.

“Terrorism happens in London, it happens in France, it happens in New York and several times it happened in those places with casualties. Can you tell me where is a safer place?” Ms. Jimenez said.

RESILIENT MARKET
Despite the said advisories, Ms. Jimenez noted that the millennials market has remained unaffected.

“While it’s difficult, there’s one upside: the millennial market is strong,” she said.

“About 26% of the global tourism market is coming from that age group. Millennials have no fear, they don’t avoid destinations because it’s risky — they even look at it as an adventure,” she added.

“For me, maybe we just need to appeal to that kind of market. Because we cannot appeal to all kinds of market because not all will have the same appetite for the products that you offer.”

And since Mindanao offers much in terms of ecotourism, Ms. Jimenez said the department is trying to develop products catering to these strengths.

“I think Mindanao is on the right track because it has very good destinations that are really ideal for eco-tourism, farm tourism, etc., and I think that’s the product line they can sell,” she said.

Products with considerable demand include trek trails that take tourists to Malagos Chocolate Farm in Davao and Mt. Apo.

Aside from the trek trails, DoT plans to introduce river cruises this year to major tourist destinations.

“It makes sense for us — because we have islands upon islands — to leverage the presence of our rivers,” she said adding that the department will be trying to replicate what has been done for Loboc River in Bohol in other parts of the country.

The department currently has 67 rivers identified as having potential to be turned into tourist destinations.

“[The point is] to make tourists stay longer because they have activities and spend more because that is what is needed in the communities and also because we want to prioritize provinces with very high poverty incidence,” she said.

Using Sohoton Cave in Samar as an example, Ms. Jimenez figured the department could establish three to four docking stations along the river, with each station specializing in activities like arts and crafts or home-stays and eco-resorts.

“Our direction is promoting circuit tourism packages which will involve tourists going from one province to another so we can distribute the benefits of tourism in many areas,” Ms. Jimenez said.

TRANSPORT
But connectivity is key, the official said.

This is why in the absence of direct flights — Davao remains the main airport hub to the island alongside smaller airports like Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro — the department is looking for workarounds so people can still discover Mindanao.

“It is one of the problems but I can’t say it is the problem as you can do workarounds: charter flights and three-point routes (enter via Davao and use land or sea travel to get to the one’s destination),” she said, adding that the department has been working with Asia Foundation on a paper “on the business case of opening airline routes in Mindanao” in order to encourage more direct flights.

“What our regional directors are currently doing is trying to connect with transport providers so we can have connectivity within the region, because once we have a route within the region, it would be easier to connect it to routes outside the region,” she explained.

Last year, the DoT, in partnership with Davao Metro Shuttle, launched the Go Mindanao Bus tour, with routes plying Cagayan de Oro, Mati, Siargao, Bukidnon, Butuan, Pagadian, Davao, Camiguin, Surigao, Lake Sebu, Dipolog and Cotabato.

DoT regional offices in Mindanao are also working together under the One Mindanao cluster so they can do cross-promotion of provinces.

The department has designated tourism clusters so that neighboring regions can work together to promote tourism: the North Philippine cluster, the South Philippine cluster (which includes Regions 4A, 4B and 5 in Luzon), One Mindanao and the Visayas Cluster.

“It will take some time before sites will be developed but [Mindanao] will, in turn, have the luxury of time and also the luxury of lessons learned from the problems in Metro Manila and all the other provinces so they will be able start developing liveable cities and developing livable communities and not unmitigated, unplanned, unmaster-planned tourism development,” she said.

To sleep, perchance to dream during office hours

CANDICE MARTELINO is a corporate banking manager which entails client-servicing and relationship building. She attends to a lot of meetings (which often extend beyond their schedule times). “There was a time when I [would] come in early for work just to beat the traffic. I’m here [in the office] as early as 7 a.m. I park, go to the office, and do my e-mails. Then, I’d go back to the car just for me to rest to perk me up since I have a long day ahead.” Upon arriving home from work, Ms. Martelino says she is lucky if she gets six hours of sleep.

Ms. Martelino’s co-worker, Brian Dera, added that he would sleep in the car during his lunch and afternoon breaks to catch up on his sleep. Instead of braving the rush hour after work, he and his co-workers would look for a place to kill time and rest before going home.

According to the 2016 AIA Healthy Living Index survey, the Philippines — with a score of 61 points out of a possible 100 — slipped from 6th to the 9th amongst 15 markets in Asia and Australia when it comes to improvements on health. The survey results show that “while Filipino adults would ideally like to get 8.2 hours of sleep a night, in reality, they only sleep 6.8 hours on average. This sleep deficit of 1.4 hours is one of the highest among the 15 markets.”

Aware that many Makati office workers like them share the problem of finding a quiet and private place to rest near their offices, first-time business owners Mr. Dera and Ms. Martelino established a sleeping lounge called Hibernap (from “hibernate” and “nap”) in October 2017 at the Legaspi Parkview Condominium in Makati city.

The peach, lavender, and white-walled lounge currently has eight recliner chairs separated from each other by red curtains, and closed off from the rest of the room with black curtains. Guests are welcomed into the air-conditioned room with soothing instrumental music.

The sleep-deprived customers may opt to sleep for an hour (P140), 30 minutes (P75), or avail of the open-time service. Pagers are given to them to serve as alarms to regulate the nap time, while blankets and eye masks may be rented or purchased. Hibernap also has shower facilities (P150). Refreshments are served after the nap.

Hibernap accepts both walk-in customers and those with reservations.

Hibernap 2
Hibernap’s owners Candice Martelino (L) and Brian Dera figured they were not the only sleep-deprived workers in Makati and decided to fulfill an unmet need by opening a sleep lounge. — MICHELLE ANNE P. SOLIMAN

A nap card was launched last December which is a prepaid card (P1,399) for 12 nap hours, with free use of a blanket and eye mask, and a diamond peel session from Hibernap’s partner skin care clinic, Beaucharm Derma. The nap card is valid until Feb. 28.

The owners said that the business targets professionals in retail banking companies, as well as accountants, businessmen, lawyers, and residents in Makati, adding that the lounge functions to “extend your bedroom in the workplace.”

“Our mission is to help people be more productive with work. We firmly believe in the benefits of napping. It increases your productivity, memory, and overall health,” Ms. Martelino said.

“We live in a very fast-paced environment. Sleep is something we overlook… Everyone needs to rest once in a while,” Mr. Dera stressed.

The owners plan to open branches in other business districts, the university belt in Manila, and bus terminals.

Hibernap is located at 134 Legaspi Parkview Condominium, Legazpi St., cor. Carlos Palanca St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. It is open Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/hibernap/ or call 0916-504-8405. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

E-Sports: Galaxy Battles II organizers determined to see tourney through

HIT by an unexpected turn of events leading to its staging next week, organizers of Galaxy Battles II said they are working double time and exerting every effort to have the anticipated e-sports event push through.

Lost its “Major” designation after Valve Corp., the parent company and developer of DotA 2 (Defense of the Ancients), decided to rescind such last Friday over what it considers as “unreasonable infringements on the privacy of the players,” including mandatory drug testing, the decision has left organizers of the DotA 2 event, happening on Jan. 19 to 21 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, in a tough bind.

Along with the withdrawal of Valve also went the Pro Circuit points that would have been available, leaving the participation of some of the expected competing teams in doubt.

Over the weekend, however, Fallout Gaming, organizer of the Galaxy Battles II, sought to allay the fears of e-sports fans in the country by saying in a statement that they are working hard to address the issues and that it is determined to push through with the event, which is a follow-up to the highly successful Galaxy Battles that happened in Shenzhen, China, last June.

In the statement, Fallout Gaming said that it was taken by surprise by the decision of Valve to remove the Major status of the upcoming Galaxy Battles, which is designed to take the already-competitive and growing e-sports scene to another plane not only in the country but also in the Southeast Asian region.

Nonetheless it also reiterated that it is maintaining its commitment with the country’s Games and Amusements Board (GAB) to comply with its rules and regulations, including mandatory drug testing, and that it is encouraging teams and their individual members to abide by the laws of every country they are competing in.

It went on to say that the requirements set by the Philippine government should help shape the future of e-sports and that it feels it is a step in the right direction.

Fallout Gaming reiterated that it is now working closely with all parties concerned, including GAB and Valve, to resolve the issues and hold Galaxy Battles, which is set to offer a prize pool of $1 million and feature 16 teams from all over the world, on schedule.

As of publication time, no latest updates have been provided by the organizers on the issues and the event but they promise to do so as they come. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

House seeks creation of ENT Center

THE HOUSE committee on health is set to tackle a proposal by Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez to create a medical center that will provide affordable treatment for ear, nose, throat, head and neck (ENTHN) disorders. House Bill (HB) 6720 establishing the Philippine ENT Center (PEC) will be in the agenda of the committee when Congress resumes session next week. Under HB 6720, the number of beds in PEC allocated for indigent patients shall not be less than 40% of the total number of hospital beds. “Respiratory tract infections which include colds, sinusitis, nasopharyngitis, and laryngitis are among the leading causes of morbidity in the country,” Mr. Alvarez said about the timeliness of his measure. Under the bill, the PEC shall be under the supervision of the Department of Health (DoH) and administered by a board of trustees composed of seven members to be appointed by the President of the Philippines upon the health secretary’s recommendation. Among other functions, the board shall enter into agreements or arrangements with other medical institutions in attaining the purpose and objectives of the PEC.

The Internet even slower down South

The government is working to improve information and communication technology (ICT) in Mindanao, but challenges remain.

In its Philippine Economic Update report published in October, the World Bank said Mindanao continues to lag behind Luzon and Visayas in terms of Internet speed.

One main barrier to ICT development in the region is slow Internet speed, compared to Metro Manila and other developed regions, which also remain below the global average.

In Cagayan de Oro, for example, the recorded speed is 2.4 megabits per second (Mbps), compared to 3.6 Mbps in Makati City. In Marawi City, the recorded speed was a very low 141 kbps.

“It appears that Davao users have to pay about 1.5 times more to get the same speed as in Makati, and Marawi users have to pay 26 times more. A dedicated line can cost up to P20,000 per month for each additional 1 mbps of speed, compared to P700 for a residential line with no speed guarantee,” the World Bank added.

FREE WI-FI
To address this, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) plans to build 250,000 Wi-Fi access points nationwide, before the end of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s term in 2022. This is in accordance with  Republic Act No. 10929 governing the Free Internet Access Program, signed by Mr. Duterte in August.

DICT Officer-in-Charge and Undersecretary for Special Concerns Eliseo M. Rio previously said people can connect to the Wi-Fi access points without having to link to congested, limited cell sites. Around 67,000 cell sites are needed to meet the country’s Internet connection needs, but there currently only over 20,000.

The government will bid out the subscription to an Internet service provider (ISP). After three years of contracting with the ISP, the access points will then serve as end points of the National Broadband Network, which aims to provide connections to all government offices, down to the local government units.

“Mindanao will get its fair share of access points. Definitely, all barangays by 2022 will be covered. We’ll have all barangays connected to the Internet. All public places, all parks, where people gather like bus stations, piers, airports will have free Wi-Fi access,” Mr. Rio said in an interview.

DICT said it has completed 86 project sites across 16 provinces, all of which are operational as of Nov. 27.

For Mindanao, the DICT will establish access points in an estimated 11,475 public places by 2022. Every municipality will be covered and there will be a minimum of eight sites per municipality.

However, the DICT will only enter areas where the telecommunications players are not present, particularly in the less developed areas in Mindanao.

The World Bank noted there is lack of incentive for telecommunications firms to invest in remote areas given high capital spending required.

PLDT, Inc. in October completed its the P1-billion expansion of the domestic fiber optic network (DFON) in Mindanao, for what the company says provides more reliable connectivity to its home and enterprise customers.

The fiber optic cable link directly connects the provinces of Agusan to Davao, spanning 230 kilometers. The network runs through four provinces in Mindanao — Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur.

In partnership with the local government of General Santos City, PLDT has also established fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) facilities in General Santos, the first “Fibr City” in Mindanao.

For its part, Globe Telecom, Inc. said it has already deployed around 3,000 long-term evolution (LTE) sites in Mindanao, covering almost 60% of the physical sites in the region. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

Mr. Rio said the DICT’s policy is the government will not try to establish itself as the third telco player, given previous failures, but rather, provide services in areas telcos do not serve.

“Where the telcos do not go, we will enter,” Mr. Rio said in an interview.

Mr. Duterte earlier offered China the “privilege” of being the third telecoms operator in the Philippines, in order to break the long-standing duopoly of PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom, Inc.

Mr. Rio said on Dec. 20 that companies from Japan, South Korea, Australia, China, and the United States are also interested in entering the Philippine market. The Constitution limits foreign ownership in certain industries, including telecommunications, to only 40%.

IT-BPO SKILLS
For information technology — business process outsourcing (IT-BPO), Davao City has emerged as the primary outsourcing destination in Mindanao. It joined Manila, Cebu, Bacolod and Sta. Rosa as on the list of outsourcing destinations in the Tholons Services Globalization Index for 2017.

As the only city in Mindanao, Davao ranked 85th on the list, down from 69th last year.

With slow Internet a hindrance, another setback is the low level of ICT skills among workers in the region.

Citing a study in 2014 done by the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) and TeamAsia, the World Bank said in its report that most applicants in Davao were rejected for lack of both soft and technical skills, resulting in a supply gap of 70% in Davao’s ICT sector and 40% in Davao’s BPO industry.

One way the government is trying to address the shortage of ICT skills in the provinces, including Mindanao, is the implementation of the  Rural Impact Sourcing (RIS) Program. The government says this program “is intended to create meaningful ICT-enabled jobs in socio-economically disadvantaged areas in the country.”

The program’s objectives are to: increase the ICT technical skills of the talents in the countryside; increase hiring potential of the people to land a job in the field of ICT; and promote local talent and local businesses; and enhance the ICT technical skills of in-house participants, like DICT personnel and Tech4ED Center Manager as potential trainers.

The program specifically focuses on areas with high population but low employment due to lack of investors, and It also aims to promote ICT-enabled jobs as an economically viable activity in rural communities that are not yet ready to host Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) operations.

The training also targets to provide employment opportunities, particularly for micro small medium enterprises (MSMEs).

In the conduct of these trainings, special technology empowerment for economic development (Tech4Ed) Centers will be established and utilized to serve as training centers in selected communities.

The Tech4ED Centers are shared facilities that provide access to ICT-enabled contents and services. These centers also serve as RIS hubs where beneficiaries, after the training, can do jobs online with its free facilities.

The DICT said it has conducted seven RIS Advocacy Workshops, which promote the RIS training, conducted in Tagum City in Davao del Norte, City, Mati City in Davao Oriental, Sindayan in Zamboanga del Norte, Tawi-Tawi Province, Bislig in Surigao del Sur, San Jose in Dinagat Island Province, and Nabunturan in Compostela Valley. Two more are expected to be completed in Digos, Davao del Sur, and Basilan province.

The Tech4Ed centers aimed to provide ICT services for education, employment, and entrepreneurship. “These are small BPOs [business process outsourcing] [centers] spread throughout the country especially in rural areas,” Mr. Rio said.

For Tech4Ed, 588 centers have been established, composed of 19 library partners, 295 school partners, 48 national government agency partners, 29 private partners.

The goal for next year is to establish another 316 centers, 263 of which will be established with equipment donation, while 53 will be hosted by partners; three training centers; and eight Tech4ED-RIS hubs.

OUTLOOK
With the continued rollout of programs by the DICT, particularly in skills training, the outlook for ICT in Mindanao is much brighter.

However, much of the potential remains to be seen, particularly in opening the market, which can deliver more options, healthy competition, and better services, particularly in Mindanao.

Providing cost-effective Internet connection can — just as with the rest of the country — foster economic development in particular in Mindanao.

It remains to be seen whether the Duterte government can maximize the opportunity and bring development in the island where he promised change and prosperity. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

DoE to seek SC guidance on retail competition

THE Department of Energy (DoE) will ask the Supreme Court  (SC) for guidance after the issuance of a new department circular that seeks to restart the stalled rules calling for greater competition in retail electricity sales.

“We are going to petition, make a manifestation before the court that there are two circulars that [Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi] has signed and what will the effect be if it will be rendered moot already on the side of the DoE,” said Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella.

He said the department had been talking to the Office of the Solicitor General on the matter to “clarify” the DoE’s representation before the high court or whether the agency will handle the petition on its own.

However, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is set to wait it out until the Supreme Court decides whether to lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) on provisions on retail competition and open access (RCOA).

Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEMC), the governance arm of the country’s wholesale electricity spot market (WESM), is likely to wait for lifting of the TRO.

Towards the end of last year, the DoE signed a new circular that will reverse contentious provisions of a previous circular as well as resolutions from the ERC requiring contestable customers — or those whose electricity consumption for the past 12 months has reached the thresholds set by the regulator — to move away from being part of the captive market of a distribution utility.

The switch to a licensed retail electricity supplier is meant to allow greater participation from new players, thus spurring competition and lowering power costs. RCOA is called for under Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), the law that restructured the power sector, as well as its implementing rules and regulation.

The new circular will also allow the ERC to continue issuing licenses to retail electricity suppliers, which was among the provisions placed on TRO as sought by a number of educational institutions and a business group. The TRO was issued by the high court in February.

ERC Chairperson Agnes T. Devanadera said there is indeed a conflict between the DoE’s two circulars, specifically the mandatory provision in the old rules, which the new one set aside in favor of voluntary compliance.

“It’s a fact that they have issued a circular but the Supreme Court (SC) case is also a fact so do I have a say there? None. SC does),” she said, adding that the subject circular is already with the court.

“So all matters, whether direct or allied matters, we will defer to the SC. We are represented by the solicitor general,” she said.

Francis Saturnino C. Juan, PEMC spokesperson, said the electricity market operator remains uncertain about what is required of it under the new circular.

“While we have already the DoE circular, when we were discussing the circulars, we would need additional guidance and clarifications if we are expected already to implement at least in terms of the customer switching as the CRB (central registration body),” he said.

Mr. Juan said PEMC is dependent on the ERC as far as determining which customers fall under the contestable market.

“Even if we want to implement RCOA, the switching, who will be the contestable customers? We can’t for sure determine that ourselves,” he said. — Victor V. Saulon

Koi story: priceless Japanese fish make a splash

KAZO, JAPAN — Hand-reared for their color and beauty, koi carp have become an iconic symbol of Japan that can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars and even participate in fishy beauty contests.

The nation’s koi carp were brought to the world’s attention when visiting US President Donald Trump was snapped unceremoniously dumping the last of a box of feed into a palace pond in Tokyo.

But the fish have for decades been popular in Japan, where top breeders take their most prized specimens (known as nishikigoi) to highly competitive “beauty parades.”

At one such competition in Tokyo, judges in sharp suits, notebooks in hand, stride around tanks lined up along a pedestrian street where the valuable koi strut their stuff.

They come in all the colors of the rainbow: pearly white, bright red, cloudy-gray, dark blue, gleaming golden yellow.

But it is the curvature of the fish that accounts for 60% of the final score, explained competition organizer Isamu Hattori, who runs Japan’s main association for breeders of koi carp.

Color and contrast make up another 30%, he told AFP.

And the final 10%? “Hinkaku” — a concept that is tricky to define and even harder to judge, best translated as the “presence” or “aura” of the fish.

‘EVERYTHING MATTERS’
“Hinkaku. It’s either there in the genes at birth, or it’s not,” mused Mikinori Kurikara, a koi breeder in Saitama, north of Tokyo, who says he can spot it in fish when they reach eight or nine months old.

“Put it this way, it’s like looking after your own children every day. You care for your kids and want them to grow healthy. In the same way, you take care of these fish, appreciate them and adore them,” he told AFP.

At his farm, thousands of tiny nishikigoi (colored carp) dart around deep basins of carefully purified water, meticulously divided by age and color.

A less glorious fate awaits the other koi who have not been fortunate enough to catch the eye of the breeder: they are sold off as feed for tropical fish.

“It’s a really delicate job, really difficult. Everything matters: the ground, the water quality, the food,” explained the 48-year-old, who took over the farm from his father and is training his son, half his age, in the subtle arts of koi breeding.

“We have many secrets,” he adds mischievously. “But even if we let them slip, it wouldn’t work. You have to be able to feel it.”

‘SOCIAL LADDER’
These days, any self-respecting traditional Japanese garden has plenty of colorful koi gracing its ponds, but it is a relatively recent tradition.

Koi 2
Koi carp displayed in plastic bags during a “nishikigoi (colored carp) contest” in Tokyo on Nov. 24, 2017. — AFP

Around 200 years ago, villagers in the mountainous region around Niigata (in the north-west of Japan) started to practice genetic engineering without knowing what they were doing.

For the first time, they began to cross-breed rare colorful carp, not for food but for pure aesthetical value.

The craze for nishikigoi gradually took over the whole of Japan and then spread into other parts of Asia.

They are especially popular in China, where carp swimming against the tide symbolizes the idea of perseverance leading to riches — rather like people climbing the social ladder, said Yutaka Suga, professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at Tokyo University.

Today, koi is big business and Japanese exports are booming — 90% of domestic production is exported and sold at auction.

In 2016, Japan exported a record 295 tons of koi carp, generating turnover of ¥3.5 billion ($31 million), an increase of almost 50% from 2007, according to Japan’s agriculture ministry.

As for individual carp, “the prices have become insane,” said carp association boss Hattori.

“Today, a two-year-old carp can sell for ¥30 million each ($265,000) whereas 10 years ago, ¥2 million was already a very good price,” he told AFP.

Like racehorse owners, many foreign owners leave their prized possessions in their home Japanese farms so they can compete in the most prestigious fishy pageants, which are only open to domestic rearers.

One such owner, Chinese koi collector Yuan Jiandong, was in Tokyo to cheer on some of his own carp.

“It’s not a way of making money. It’s a way of spending it for fun,” laughed the pharmaceutical boss from Shanghai.

But owning koi is so much more than a vulgar display of wealth, he said.

“When you see these beautiful fish gliding around in your pond, you forget the stresses of daily life and you find peace of mind.”

And you can’t put a price on that. — AFP

Much of Europe casts a wary eye on China’s Silk Road plans

PARIS — Depending on who you ask in Europe, China’s colossal East-West infrastructure program is either an opportunity or a threat — and when French President Emmanuel Macron visits this week, Beijing will be watching to see how keen he is to jump on board.

Since China launched the New Silk Road plan in 2013, the hugely ambitious initiative to connect Asia and Europe by road, rail and sea has elicited both enormous interest and considerable anxiety.

“It’s the most important issue in international relations for the years to come, and will be the most important point during Emmanuel Macron’s visit,” said Barthelemy Courmont, a China expert at French think-tank Iris.

The $1-trillion project is billed as a modern revival of the ancient Silk Road that once carried fabric, spices, and a wealth of other goods in both directions.

Known in China as “One Belt One Road,” the plans would see gleaming new road and rail networks built through Central Asia and beyond, and new maritime routes stretching through the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

Beijing would develop roads, ports and rail lines through 65 countries representing an estimate 60% of the world’s population and a third of its economic output.

Macron, who headed to China for a three-day state visit on Sunday, will notably be accompanied by some 50 company chiefs keen to do business with the Asian powerhouse.

So far France has been cautious on the Silk Road plan, but Courmont said Chinese leaders were “waiting for a clear position” from Macron at a time when they view the young leader as an “engine” for growth in Europe.

“If Macron takes a decision on how to tackle the Chinese initiative, all of Europe will follow,” Courmont predicted.

But, as Courmont acknowledges, Europe is divided on what to make of China’s ambitions.

The continent could potentially benefit handsomely from increased trade over the coming decades, but in some corners there is suspicion that it masks an attempted Beijing influence grab.

“They are notably asking themselves about the geopolitical consequences of this project in the long term,” Alice Ekman, who covers China at the French Institute of International Relations, said of France and Germany.

WIN-WIN?
In Central and Eastern Europe the program has been met with altogether more enthusiasm, given the huge infrastructure investment that China could bring to the poorer end of the continent.

“Some consider the awakening of China and Asia as a threat,” Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a summit in Budapest in November which gathered China with 16 Central and Eastern European countries. “For us, it’s a huge opportunity,” he said, with Beijing using the summit to announce €3 billion of investment in projects including a Belgrade-Budapest railway line.

Bogdan Goralczyk, director of the Center for Europe at the University of Warsaw, noted there were divisions even within eastern Europe, with Poland hesitant due to its right-wing government’s “strong anti-communist stance.”

Others to the west have made little effort to hide their concern.

Former Danish premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen fretted in a column for Germany’s Zeit newspaper that “Europe will wake up only when it’s too late, and when swathes of central and eastern Europe’s infrastructure are dependent on China.”

The former NATO chief noted that Greece — a major recipient of Chinese largesse — had in June blocked an EU declaration condemning Chinese rights abuses. It came just months after Athens’ Piraeus port, one of the biggest in the world, passed under Chinese control.

Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, is favorable to Chinese investment, but has reservations. “If we do not develop a strategy in the face of China, it will succeed in dividing Europe,” Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned in August.

France is meanwhile seeking to “rebalance” relations with China during Macron’s trip, according to his office — eyeing a trade deficit of €30 billion, its biggest with any partner.

“Our Chinese partners would prefer a win-win situation. Why not? On the condition that it’s not the same party that wins twice,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday.

“It is not France’s intention to block China,” he said.

“But we should establish a partnership based on reciprocity when it comes to the opening of markets.” — AFP

Gilas resumes work for World Cup qualifiers

THE Philippine national men’s basketball team gets back to work for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers with weekly practices resuming today.

Currently undefeated in its grouping with a 2-0 record after defeating Japan and Chinese Taipei in the opening window of the home-and-away tournament in November, Gilas Pilipinas now focuses on the second window happening next month.

In a tweet last week, national team coach Chot Reyes said that upon clearance from Philippine Basketball Association officer-in-charge Willie Marcial, the Monday-only practices for Gilas players were about to begin.

He initially short-listed 15 players for training, namely Jayson Castro, Roger Pogoy and Troy Rosario of TNT KaTropa, Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas of the NLEX Road Warriors, Jio Jalalon of the Magnolia Hotshots, Matthew Wright of the Phoenix Fuel Masters, Allein Maliksi and Mac Belo of the Blackwater Elite, Gabe Norwood and Raymond Almazan of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Calvin Abueva and Carl Bryan Cruz of the Alaska Aces, Japeth Aguilar of the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and June Mar Fajardo of the San Miguel Beermen.

In the opening window in November, Gilas got their World Cup qualifiers to a good start, beating Japan, 77-71, in Tokyo and then downing Chinese Taipei, 90-83, here at home.

Mr. Reyes said the wins did not come easy for them and that they are hoping to perform far better in the second window.

“Obviously we are happy to have ground out two Ws despite not being 100% in our game,” said Mr. Reyes after their two-game assignment.

Gilas next faces also undefeated Australia on Feb. 22 in Melbourne before coming back home to take on Japan. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Court junks raps in P6.4-billion shabu smuggling; DoJ appeals ruling

THE Department of Justice (DoJ) has asked the Valenzuela Regional Trial Court (RTC) to reconsider the dismissal of the criminal case against Chinese businessman Richard Tan and several others in connection with the P6.4-billion shipment of illegal drugs last year. — PNA/interaksyon.com

See full story https://goo.gl/qSEG4x

Wishes for the economy in 2018

Happy New Year, dear readers!

We start 2018 on a positive note: My wishes for the economy in January 2017 were largely realized. (To read my wishes last year, please visit http://bit.ly/2017wishes).

1 Passage of Package 1 of TRAIN. Check, after a hard slog.

2 Appointment of a qualified, credible governor for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, preferably an insider. Check, and with an excellent outcome.

3 Efforts to change the Constitution and shift to federalism would be pursued responsibly, giving time for deeper study, informed debates, and awareness activities. The third, however, is a work in progress. Hopefully, future efforts to pursue extra-constitutionally (via a “revolutionary government” initiative or similar railroad variations) have been shelved for good. (See FEF Press Statement on Talks for a Revolutionary Government: http://bit.ly/FEFRev)

Allow me now to share our wishes for 2018, as posted on Global Source Partners, a subscriber-based network of independent analysts (globalsourcepartners.com). My colleague Christine Tang and I are its Philippine advisors.

Here are my three wishes for the economy in 2018:

1. MUCH MORE ACTIVITY UNDER BUILD-BUILD-BUILD.
The government’s massive P8.1- trillion medium-term infrastructure program has been likened to a battleship that will be hard to stop once it has gathered momentum. The passage of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act puts some P80 to P90 billion in new money in the hands of government in 2018 that people expect will largely be used for upgrading and expanding the country’s networks of water, power, road, rail and air/seaports. Government is targeting to increase its investments in infrastructure from 5.4% in 2017 to 7.3% of GDP by 2022, to help ease supply bottlenecks and allow the economy to scale a higher growth path.

However, despite assurances from the Department of Budget and Management of improving disbursement rates overall, the 50% disbursement ratio as of November 2017 of the Department of Transportation leaves much room for improvement.

2. PASSAGE OF PACKAGE 2 OF THE DUTERTE ADMINISTRATION’S COMPREHENSIVE TAX REFORM PROGRAM.
Package 2 seeks to lower the corporate income tax rate (CIT), currently at 30% and higher than the statutory tax rates in most ASEAN economies. To compensate for expected revenue losses, the Finance Department wants to remove a plethora of fiscal incentives that costs government about 1% of GDP annually. The plan is to calibrate CIT cuts so that revenue losses will be roughly offset by revenue gains from removing fiscal incentives. While Package 2 will not be a revenue measure, it is expected to (a) make the economy more competitive and attractive to foreign investments with a lower CIT and (b) widen the tax base with fewer activities given tax incentives.

3. MODERATE INFLATION PRESSURES THAT WILL GIVE THE BSP MORE FREEDOM TO MANAGE DOMESTIC AND EXTERNAL RISKS.
This includes tightening global financial conditions expected to accompany a wider current account deficit. Local prices are expected to rise in 2018 due to higher consumption taxes from the TRAIN Act, adding roughly one percentage point to the headline rate per BSP estimate. One policy response to tame inflation that local economists have long pushed for is freer importation of rice, which account for close to 9% of the CPI basket. Local rice prices have remained elevated in recent years despite softer world prices, an oddity tied to the fact that rice imports are subject to quantitative restrictions (QR). While removing the QR would require a change in law, experts think that with enough political will, government can administratively ease up on imports, e.g., by setting a high, non-binding import volume, and improving the handling of import permits.

Given that wishes are free, I would add two more:

4. FAVORABLE RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES ARISING FROM FAILURES OF THE LAST ADMINISTRATION TO COMPLY WITH LONG-STANDING PPP OBLIGATIONS.
These include:

a) the arbitrary interpretation of MWSS concession agreements with Manila Water and Maynilad. We need to restore a working two-decade old concession model that was broken by the last administration.

b) non-adjustment of toll road tariffs of NLEX, Cavitex, and Star Tollways, and

c) the contractual tax issue with the Malampaya consortium.

If these fester much longer in one venue or another, the current administration’s no-nonsense image will suffer, dampening private investments in needed public goods and services, not to mention wasting public funds to pay for costly international litigation.

5. IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM TO REHABILITATE MARAWI CITY.
The plan will incorporate the cultural aspects important to the Maranaos such as preservation of heritage and Islamic sites. While reconstruction of infrastructure is critical, such a program should prioritize the provision of services to allow over 200,000 refugees to return to normal life such as education, particularly literacy for the adults and technical training for livelihood and employment as well as loans and capital infusion for the business sector.

Marawi City has become a fertile ground for violent extremism, a justification used for Martial law extension.

Addressing the needs of the population, majority of whom have been displaced for over six months and brought to new lows of poverty, is critical if government is to prevent the spread of extremist sentiment. Business progress in Mindanao and the nation requires peace and stability. Armed conflict is the major roadblock on the road to development. To remove this barrier, not only is the rehabilitation of Marawi essential but the passage of the long-awaited Bangsamoro Basic Law as well.

Devoting government resources and political capital to address this political problem soonest to preserve our economic momentum is non-elective. In contrast, headline news for a change in government to one version or another seems like needless distractions from the economic managers’ agenda of improving our people’s lives.

Finally, allow me to echo a New Year’s toast from Benjamin Franklin. “Be at war with your vice, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

 

Romeo L. Bernardo is a board director of the Institute for Development and Econometric Analysis. He was undersecretary of Finance during the Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos administrations.

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