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Peso to weaken vs dollar

THE PESO is seen to slide against the dollar this week due to upbeat US economic data as well as the expected interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.

On Friday, the local currency strengthened against the greenback, gaining 15 centavos to close at P50.50 on the back of positive sentiment on the government’s tax reform package.

Week on week, however, the peso weakened from its P50.37-per-dollar close last Dec. 1.

This week, analysts expect the peso to drop anew following positive US economic data.

“The dollar might continue to appreciate this week, driven by last Friday’s upbeat US employment reports and expectations of another interest rate hike from the US Federal Reserve on Dec. 14,” Guian Angelo S. Dumalagan, market economist of Land Bank of the Philippines, said in an e-mail over the weekend.

Mr. Dumalagan said the dollar may appreciate as investors react to positive US data ahead of the expected rate hike by the Fed at its policy meeting this week.

US non-farm payrolls rose by 228,000 jobs in November amid broad gains in hiring as distortions from recent hurricanes faded, Labor Department data showed on Friday. The government revised data for October to show the economy adding 244,000 jobs instead of the previously reported 261,000 positions.

“US unemployment rate also remained steady at its lowest level since February 2001, while US inflation is expected to show a stronger reading when it comes out on Wednesday,” Mr. Dumalagan noted. “In their (Fed) policy meeting, US officials might also affirm their prior guidance of three interest rates hikes next year.”

Meanwhile, a trader said the meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) on Friday might reverse the dollar’s uptrend.

“The market is expecting the ECB to drop hints on an interest rate hike in 2018 so a stronger euro might reverse the [dollar’s ascent] on Friday,” a trader said over the phone on Friday.

Landbank’s market economist shared the same sentiment, saying: “[W]hile the ECB is unlikely to tweak its policy rates this month, it might hint of an interest rate hike in 2018, considering the steady trend of positive economic reports from the Euro Area since the start of 2017.”

Traders are expecting the peso to move between P50.25 and P50.90, while Mr. Dumalagan gave a slimmer range of P50.30 to P50.80. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Congress awaits Duterte’s letter on martial law

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s letter requesting the extension of martial law in Mindanao will be sent to Congress today, Dec. 11, according to House Majority Leader Rodolfo C. Fariñas.

In a message to reporters, Mr. Fariñas said this is according to a text message by Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea.

“I, of course, relayed it to the Speaker (Pantaleon D. Alvarez) who said we will discuss it tomorrow,” Mr. Fariñas said yesterday.

“We will have to discuss it with our Senate counterparts,” he also said about Mr. Duterte’s letter, of which a copy each will be sent to the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Mr. Fariñas said this new extension of martial law will undergo the “(s)ame procedure we had when we extended it (for the first time).”

Mr. Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23 as Maute terrorists besieged the city of Marawi, provincial capital of Lanao del Sur.

Martial law was later extended to Dec. 31 following an eight-hour joint session by Congress on July 22. Exactly five months later, on Oct. 23, Mr. Duterte declared the end of the siege but Mindanao remained under martial rule.

Last week, both the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines recommended the extension of martial law in Mindanao for another year, citing continuing threats by terrorist groups. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

Global, Ceres master foes to enter PFL final

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

AN all-Visayan final was forged in the inaugural season of the Philippines Football League (PFL) after Global Cebu FC and Ceres-Negros FC came out on top of their respective semifinal pairings.

Global, the fourth-seeded team entering the semis, fashioned out a narrow 3-2 victory on aggregate in their two-legged finals series over top-seeded FC Meralco Manila while Ceres was a 3-1 aggregate winner over Kaya FC-Makati.

The yellow and blue completed its conquest of Meralco by hacking out a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their semifinals on Saturday night at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in follow-up to its 2-1 win in the first leg the previous week.

Meralco had a good start as Curt Dizon found the bottom of the net two minutes into the contest.

But much like in the first leg, Global would stay firm and competitive despite falling behind early.

It put itself in several good scoring opportunities and continued to take the fight to Meralco.

Global’s resilience finally paid off in the 85th minute when Rufo Sanchez broke through to level the count at 1-1.

Meralco tried to get back the goal thereafter but Global would not allow it to do so to secure the aggregate victory.

Following their win, Global coach Akbar Nawas said they were lucky to have been able to hold off Meralco, which they consider as a dangerous team, and gave credit to his players for staying the course.

“With this team you know you can always get a goal back. The players stuck to the game plan and played as instructed,” said Mr. Nawas.

For Meralco, which paced the standings for much of the regular season, the loss was a tough one and admitted they could have done better in the playoff round.

“We had chances in transition but we were not able to complete them because our front players were too wide,” said Meralco coach Caslib afterwards in explaining what did it for them in the second leg.

CERES ADVANCES
Ceres, for its part, was pushed to the limit by Kaya but managed to extricate eventually to advance and win, 2-1, in the second leg of its own semifinal series.

“The Busmen” were first to the scoreboard with Bienvenido Maranon punching through with a header in the 30th minute.

But Kaya would response 13 minutes later as Antonio Ugarte scored to tie the score as the match headed into the halftime break.

Iain Ramsay gave Ceres the go-ahead goal in the 78th minute to make it 2-1, a lead that they would keep all the way until the final whistle.

The victory assured Bacolod-based Ceres a spot in the PFL final after its 1-0 stunner in the first leg.

Global and Ceres will dispute the PFL title on Dec. 16 while Meralco and Kaya play for third also on the same date. Time and venues are still to be confirmed.

For barging into the PFL final, Global and Ceres also earned spots in the AFC Cup.

House to hear more SC justices today

By Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

THREE ASSOCIATE justices and a retired associate justice of the Supreme Court are among the resource persons set to attend the seventh House hearing on the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno.

The list of resource persons includes current Associate Justices Teresita J. Leonardo-De Castro, Francis H. Jardeleza, and Noel G. Tijam, as well as retired associate justice Arturo D. Brion.

Other court officials also expected to return to today’s hearing are court administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez and clerk of court Felipa B. Anama. Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) executive officer Annaliza S. Ty-Capacite and JBC member Jose Mejia are also expected to testify.

Associate Justice Samuel R. Martires cannot attend the proceedings today. The committee has yet to set a different schedule for the associate justice, according to Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo V. Umali, chairman of the House committee on justice now sitting as the impeachment committee.

Said resource persons are expected to shed light on the allegations involving the creation of the Regional Court Administrative Office (RCAO), the transfer of Maute cases outside of Mindanao, and the alleged manipulation of the JBC short list of nominees

Ms. De Castro had previously testified on accusations against Ms. Sereno of falsification of Supreme Court resolutions and temporary restraining orders. Mr. Marquez had also attended the hearings in part tackle the delay in benefits for survivors of deceased judges and justices, while Ms. Anama was questioned on the raffle of cases pertaining to the Maute terror crisis in Mindanao.

Sought for comment last week, political analyst Ramon C. Casiple of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform said about the committee’s pursuit of the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Lorenzo G. Gadon: “’Yun ang trabaho nila kasi (That’s their job because) they are preparing a case for prosecution. Sa impeachment court kasi, ang House of Representatives ang prosecutor (In the impeachment court, the House of Representatives is the prosecutor).”

Mr. Casiple said the committee “is charged with producing the case, ’yung mga ebidensya niya (the evidence). Walang problema do’n (No problem with that).”

He added: “That means kung maghahanap sila ng ebidensya, by whatever means, including hearings, nasa lugar sila (That means if they look for evidence, by whatever means, including hearings, they’re right to do so),” Mr. Casiple said.

Asked to assess the turn of events in the impeachment proceedings, Mr. Casiple said he is almost sure the impeachment case will pass in the House plenary.

The analyst described the proceedings as a “political move” and “numbers game” but noted it is “another thing in the Senate.”

“Kasi ang impeachment court, ibang usapan na ’yon. ’Pag ang senador may mga constituency to answer for, the whole nation ’yan. And actually, that’s the important part ng impeachment process, ’yung public opinion,” Mr. Casiple said.

Senate tackles fake news in 2nd hearing

By Arjay L. Balinbin

THE SENATE is set to conduct a public hearing on the proliferation of fake and misleading news and false information on Tuesday, Dec. 12, focusing on the remedies for the “effect” of fake news, said Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public information and mass media.

“The hearing on fake news will mainly focus on remedies,” Ms. Poe said in a text message on Sunday, Dec. 10, adding, “In line with this, we will tackle three issues: the effect of fake news in shaping public opinion; the responsibility of bloggers and journalists in spreading misinformation; and the accountability of government for the use and misuse of resources in spreading disinformation.”

Ms. Poe also reiterated that she expects the hearing to focus on creating solutions to the issue.

“Since most of our resource persons are either media practitioners or from the academe, I look forward to an intelligent and meaningful discussion that will result in solutions rather than focus on conflict,” Ms. Poe said.

The hearing is based on the manifestation of Senators Vicente C. Sotto III, Emmanuel D. Pacquiao, Cynthia A. Villar, Richard J. Gordon, Francis Pancratius N. Pangilinan, Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel, and Juan Edgardo M. Angara on the article published on the Silent No More PH Facebook page titled, “Malacañang Dogs in the Senate.”

The article tagged the aforementioned senators except Ms. Hontiveros and Messrs. Angara and Pangilinan as “lapdogs” for not signing a resolution condemning the killing of minors in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.

Two other senators mentioned were Senator Gregorio B. Honasan II and Senate President Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III. Early in November, Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV filed a libel case against pro-administration blogger Rey Joseph Nieto for sharing a post on his Thinking Pinoy page, which said US President Donald J. Trump called the senator a “Little Narco.”

In the same month, Mr. Sotto sued Edward Angelo “Cocoy” Dayao, an alleged anti-administration blogger behind the Silent No More PH FB page.

Among the guests who confirmed attendance in Tuesday’s Senate hearing are lawyer and Manila Observatory executive director Antonio Gabriel M. La Viña; Head of ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs Maria Regina E. Reyes; GMA Network Vice-President for Professional Development Howie G. Severino; TV5 news anchor Ed Lingao; Philippine Daily Inquirer Associate Editor and Opinion Columnist John Nery; Rappler CEO Maria A. Ressa; Transparency and Accountability Network Executive Director Vincent Lazatin; journalists Ellen T. Tordesillas and Inday E. Varona; lawyer Gilbert Andres; and bloggers Jane Uymatiao, Jover Laurio, Noemi L. Dado, and Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Esther Margaux J. Uson.

World Cup 2023 host selection difficult, says hoops governing body

THE consortium among the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan got the nod to host the 2023 edition of the FIBA World Cup but not after a stiff challenge from the other group short-listed for hosting duties, the world basketball governing body had said.

In formal announcement made in Mies, Switzerland, on Saturday night (Manila time), the FIBA Central Board gave hosting rights to the consortium led by the Philippines over that between Argentina and Uruguay after hearing both groups’ presentation of bids.

FIBA said that both groups presented “exceptional quality” in their respective candidatures but eventually decided to go the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan’s way.

“Congratulations to Philippines/Japan/Indonesia as they will host a first-of-a-kind FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023 when it is staged across multiple countries,” said FIBA President Horacio Muratore following the announcement of the 2023 host winner which incidentally will mark the first time that the marquee international basketball event will have multiple hosts.

“This was a very difficult decision as both candidatures were of exceptional quality. We want to congratulate both bidders for their outstanding work. We are very pleased to see national federations team up and put together bids of the highest quality to host our World Cup,” added the high-ranking FIBA official.

As per the setup for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the group phase will take place in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia with the final phase to follow here in Manila.

It is something that FIBA has very excited, especially the stretch in the Philippines where it expects the fans to throw their support behind the proceedings.

“We look forward to witnessing a FIBA Basketball World Cup Final played in a venue packed with more than 50,000 basketball crazy fans in the Philippines, a country where basketball is a religion,” said Mr. Muratore, referring to the Philippine Arena in Bulacan which is being eyed as one of the venues during the World Cup.

Despite losing in the race to host the 2023 World Cup, Argentina and Uruguay were given the opportunity by FIBA to adapt their candidature for the 2027 edition and present it to the Central Board.

HOSTING WELCOME
As expected, the granting of hosting duties to the country along with Indonesia and Japan was welcomed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, which led the consortium in its presentation, and other stakeholders.

“We did it! Philippines will host 2023 FIBA World Cup,” said SBP Chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan in his official Twitter account after their group succeeded in getting the hosting nod.

Mr. Pangilinan was among the first to speak in behalf of the consortium along with Budi Satrio Djiwandono of Indonesia and Okinawa City Mayor Sachio Kuwae.

SBP said it will soon start collaborating with the country’s fellow hosts so as to ensure the successful staging of the World Cup.

In the lead-up to the formal announcement of the World Cup hosts, SBP encouraged fans to make their sentiments known with the #PlayLouderIn2023 hashtag and thanked them afterwards for their support.

The Philippines bid for the 2019 World Cup but lost out to China in a tight race. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

BIR to settle GOCC disputes

By Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
Reporter

THE DEPARTMENT of Finance (DoF) ordered the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to settle out of court its tax disputes with government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) to avoid legal fees.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said this would avoid spending taxpayers’ money in the process and free up the court’s backlog of cases.

“Can we avoid going to court for wholly owned (state) companies? I want that as a rule. If there is a government-to- government problem, don’t go to court, just settle it among yourselves,” Mr. Dominguez told BIR Deputy Commissioner Celia C. King during a meeting last week.

Mr. Dominguez sits as a member of most GOCC governing boards and as chairman of a number of them.

Ms. King said the bureau’s Large Taxpayers Service has identified several “big-ticket items” in the fourth quarter, including possible settlements with some private firms and government-run firms — which could help it reach its collection goal this year.

The Finance chief said at the Execom meeting that settling tax matters with GOCCs would save the BIR’s Litigation Division, the Office of the Solicitor-General, and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) from additional work and legal fees.

The BIR’s priority programs to shore up revenues include the Compromise Settlement Program for large taxpayers, which aims at faster collection of taxes from delinquents at smaller amounts to avoid lengthy legal battles.

The tax bureau’s collection goal this year is P1.783 trillion.

So far, the BIR generated P1.441 trillion, or 80.82% of the target as of end-October, which was 11% more from the P1.293 trillion that it generated in the same period a year ago.

Rizumu Ono, Val Jaca lead first Bato Cup champions

RIZUMU ONO, Val Stephen Jaca and the Hua Ching Foundation led all the champions in the 1st Chief Philippine National Police (PNP) Bato Cup Battle of the Champions Table Tennis Championships presented by San Miguel Corp. recently at the Garden Square in Harrison Plaza in Malate, Manila.

Ono of the Jay Omila Sports Academy beat former national player Arlene Borja also of Omila Sports Academy, 3-1, to win the women’s open singles title of the three-day tournament supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines.

Ono is considered to qualify in the 2020 Tokyo, Olympics.

Jaca outlasted Zoren Mendiola of Hua Ching Foundation, 3-1, to capture the men’s singles event open crown of the tournament sponsored by the three-day competition is supported by PSSLAI, AMWSLAI, Emperador, Trust Trade, Armscor, PRO Regional Directors and PNP Finance Service.

Meanwhile, Hua Ching Foundation composed of Zoren Mendiola, Stephen Andrew Timson, Dannel Jay Tormis, Nikko Oliva, Joseph Cruz, Francis Bendebel and Chen Ying took home the Battle of the Champions trophy and the P100,000 cash prize after beating Table Tennis Association of North District (TATAND) in the finals, 3-1.

LTC Lawrence Naldoza of Philippine Air Force beat PSUPT Bonnie Chua of PNP Table Tennis Club, 3-0, to pocket the Law Enforcement event trophy, while Arnie Uy of TATAND blasted Marcus De Jesus also of TATAND, 3-0, to cop the Executive event crown.

The other champions in the tournament supported by the PNP were University of Cebu (men’s school/government agencies team event); University of the East (women’s school/government agencies team event) and Lube N’ Drive (Liha team event).

“We are glad that the tournament has achieved its goal of promoting a competitive table tennis nationwide and we are so thankful to all who participated locally and internationally. We are targeting a better tournament and more participants next year,” said chairman of organizing committee PSSupt. Michael John Dubria.

LeBron James carries Cavaliers, Clippers edge Wizards, 113-112

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James posted his third triple double of the season and 58th of his career as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 105-98, on Saturday night.

James had a hand in Cleveland’s final 22 points of the game as he finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists in 39 minutes.

James’ late-game productive streak is the most points scored or assisted on for any player this season to close out a game.

“That’s a crazy stat,” said James. “I didn’t know that, that’s for sure.

“I don’t need to score to be productive and to help win a game. I just stay with it. I was able to get to the freethrow line tonight. I was able to get some rebounds and my teammates made some huge shots for me.”

Jeff Green, Kyle Korver, and Dwyane Wade all came off the bench to score 13 points each. Jae Crowder tallied 12, including a clutch three-pointer from James with 40 seconds left for a 104-98 lead.

J.J. Redick and Robert Covington led Philadelphia with 19 points each. Covington was hurt trying to save the ball out of bounds with 68 seconds remaining and did not return.

J.R. Smith moved ahead of Kobe Bryant (1,827 three-pointers) for 12th place on the NBA’s all-time three-point list by draining two from beyond the arc Saturday for Cleveland.

Elsewhere, Lou Williams’ three-pointer was the final dagger in the Los Angeles Clippers’ wild 113-112 triumph over the Washington Wizards.

A frenetic finish saw the lead change hands three times in the final 13 seconds, but Williams had the last word with a 30-foot jump shot made over the outstretched arms of Washington’s Bradley Beal.

A potential game-winning basket from the baseline by Beal came just after the buzzer sounded.

WILD ENDING
Officials ruled the clock had, in fact, started too soon and replayed Washington’s final possession — on which Marcin Gortat’s jump shot bounced off the front of the rim.

Williams scored 35 points for the Clippers, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

He leads the league in points off the bench at 17.8 per game and after becoming the 96th player to amass 1,000 three-pointers in his career on Thursday added four more to take his tally to 1,007.

Danilo Gallinari added 25 points in his second game since returning from a hip injury and Austin Rivers added 16 points for Los Angeles, who notched their first win since losing Blake Griffin to a knee injury in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

In Mexico City, Goran Dragic scored 20 points as the Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets, 101-89.

Tyler Johnson also scored 20 points for the Heat to follow up his season-high 25-point showing in Wednesday’s loss at San Antonio. He helped Miami stay close by scoring 18 points in the first half.

James Johnson added 17 while Justise Winslow contributed a season-high 15 points and hit a career-best four three-pointers.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the Nets with 18 points and Spencer Dinwiddie contributed 15 and nine assists, but it was not enough as Brooklyn appeared fatigued in the fourth quarter by Mexico City’s 2,250 meter (7,382-foot) altitude.

The Nets were held under 100 points for the fourth time this season and finished with just 17 points in the final 12 minutes. Brooklyn also shot seven of 27 from three-point range. — AFP

Sin tax review, TRAIN package 2 among DoF’s legislative priorities

LOWERING corporate taxes, rice tariffication, the national identification system, and the sin tax law review will be the Finance department’s focus areas in legislation next year.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said that he has met with leaders of Congress regarding the bills the Department of Finance (DoF) wanted to push.

“We told them that we will be really focusing on package two which is lowering corporate income taxes together with reviewing fiscal incentives. We will also support review of the sin tax law for both alcohol and tobacco. Tariffication of rice, those would be our areas of focus,” Mr. Dominguez told reporters on Thursday.

“The other one that we want to push also is the National ID that is very key to the whole mobilization of the Philippine society,” he added.

Those already in the legislative mill are the Amendments to the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996 and the Unified National Identification System Act — which both were identified as priority bills by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council for the 17th Congress.

The lifting of the quantitative restriction system on rice and its replacement by a set of tariffs, which would require amendments to Republic Act 8178, is currently awaiting a report from the Committee on Agriculture and Food at the House of Representatives.

The measure, filed as House Bill 4904, authorizes the President to set import duties on the staple grain upon the expiry of the country’s waiver for the special treatment on rice granted by the World Trade Organization on July 1.

Such a move would make domestic prices more competitive, while revenue from the tariffs will go to farmers to improve their productivity or shift to high-value crops.

The Philippine National Identification System under House Bill 6221 on the other hand has been approved by the lower chamber of Congress on September, and is currently undergoing committee-level discussions in the Senate.

The ID will help plug the leaks in the government’s social welfare programs, identifying qualified beneficiaries for cash transfers, discounts of transportation, and health care, among others.

The DoF also aims to submit to Congress the second package of the comprehensive tax reform program.

It will consist mainly of a cut in corporate income tax  to 25% from 30% currently, in order to encourage companies to spend more and to improve the country’s attractiveness to foreign investors.

At the same time, it will rationalize income tax incentives for firms given by a number of investment-promotion agencies such as the Board of Investments (BoI) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), making the measure revenue-neutral.

Meanwhile, the Senate filed a resolution in February for the mandated legislative review of Republic Act 10351, or the sin tax law, to assess the effectiveness of a unitary tax system in reducing alcohol and cigarette consumption before considering any amendments to the law.

The Finance department has scheduled the reform of tobacco and alcohol excise taxes for the fifth package of the comprehensive tax reform program, due in the second half of 2018. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Indonesian ride-hailing firm confronted by law vs motorbikes as public transport

By Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

INDONESIAN MOTORBIKE-HAILING company Go-Jek may encounter challenges in its plan to operate in the Philippines, given legislation prohibiting motorcycles to be used as public transport.

The Indonesian firm said it plans early next year to expand to the Philippines, in what should be its first country of operation outside its home base of Indonesia.

Other countries are also being considered besides the Philippines. The company would first test some of Go-Jek’s core services such as transportation, and then its payments services.

Established in 2010 as a motorcycle ride-hailing phone service, Go-Jek now also provides other transportation and payments and lifestyle services. These include the original motorcycle-hailing service (Go Ride), as well as car-hailing (Go Car), digital payments service (Go Pay) and massage bookings (Go Massage).

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Martin A. Delgra III said they will still implement the law when it comes to motorcycles as public transport.

Jurisdiction of motorcycles is under the Land Transportation Office (LTO), but their use as public transport falls under the local government unit or the LTFRB, Mr. Delgra said.

Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code states that private motorcycles are not allowed to transport passengers.

Under the law, motor vehicles should be registered under one of the following classifications: private passenger automobiles; private trucks; and private motorcycles, scooters, or motor wheel attachments. Motor vehicles registered under these categories “shall not be used for hire under any circumstances” and should not be used to solicit, accept, or be used to transport passengers or freight for a fee.

“If the lawmakers would think that public motor bikes may be considered a safe mode of public transport, we just comply, we just execute the laws that will be put in place. But (for) now, the law says, it is not a safe mode of public transport,” Mr. Delgra told BusinessWorld in a chance interview during a Department of Transportation (DoTr) event.

Angkas, which provides a platform for passengers to book motorcycle rides, started operating last year. Last month, authorities cracked down on its operations, apprehending 19 Angkas riders. The city government of Makati also ordered the closing of the company office, which was allegedly operating without a permit.

The LTFRB and legislators will hold a dialogue with Angkas drivers on Tuesday, Dec. 12, to “listen to their sentiments.” The regulator also previously said it will hold a job fair for riders who have lost their jobs given the closing of Angkas, which the agency said is the best the government can do while awaiting a possible amendment regarding the use of motorcycles.

EDSA HOV lane dry run starts today

THE HIGH Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane along EDSA, which will be for the use of private vehicles with at least two people will be put through a dry run this week, starting today, Dec. 11, at 6 a.m. The HOV Lane is the fifth and left-most lane along EDSA. Motorcycles can also use the HOV lane aside from the motorcycle lane on the fourth lane. Private car drivers with no passenger can still use the 2nd (also marked) motorcycle and third lanes. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced last week that the policy was approved by the Metro Manila Council (MMC) during its meeting on Dec. 5. The MMC, the policy making body of the MMDA composed of the seventeen Metro Manila mayors, has deferred action on the other proposed traffic management schemes such as odd-even scheme and the two-day number coding scheme.

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