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Carpio begs off from impeachment hearings

SUPREME COURT (SC) Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio declined the invitation of the House committee on justice that he testifies in its impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno.

In a text message sent to the media, Mr. Carpio said: “I have written the committee declining to testify because I have no personal knowledge of the matters the committee mentioned in its reply to me.”

In his letter addressed to Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo V. Umali, chairman of the House committee on justice, Mr. Carpio listed the allegations of which he said he has no personal knowledge.

Among these allegations, as claimed by lawyer Lorenzo G. Gadon against the Chief Justice, is the supposed falsified temporary restraining order in the case of Senior Citizens Party List vs COMELEC (Commission on Elections).

As for the alleged delay in the transfer of the Maute cases out of Mindanao, Mr. Carpio said: “I wish to state that I was on Wellness Leave on 19 June 2017, the day the Maute cases were raffled. I was out of the country from 19 June 2017 to 3 July 2017.”

Mr. Carpio also said he has no personal knowledge on the claims that Ms. Sereno “lied and made it appear that several justices requested that they do away with the voting for the recommendees to the Supreme Court.”

“I wish to state that for years now, my position has been that the Court do away with the voting since the Judicial and Bar Council is an independent constitutional body and in any event it has not been following the recommendations of the Court for several years in the past,” Mr. Carpio wrote.

Mr. Carpio added that he is not aware of the matters regarding the alleged hiring of IT consultants with “excessive compensation without public bidding.”

He explained that he only “came to know of such hiring only after the consultancy contract was questioned, long after it had been implemented and renewed,” adding that as of Jan. 10, “this matter is still under deliberation by the En Banc.”

Mr. Carpio also stated that he “will not be able to comment or testify” on “all other allegations involving administrative matters and internal rules and procedures of the Supreme Court” unless the committee specifies which.

The committee is set to continue its impeachment proceedings on Jan. 15 when Congress resumes session. This will be the committee’s ninth hearing. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

HSBC said to hire from Goldman, JPMorgan for Asia

HSBC HOLDINGS Plc made a slew of hires from rivals including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as the bank revamps its equities business in the Asia-Pacific region and expands a nascent majority-owned securities venture in China, people familiar with the matter said.

Among the recent additions are Michael Parry, who joined from Goldman Sachs as a director focused on Asian equity sales, the people said, asking not to be identified. Other hires include Liu Kang, who was at Goldman Sachs’s Chinese partner Beijing Gao Hua Securities Co., and Jimmy He, who joined HSBC’s equity sales team from China International Capital Corp. last month, the people said. Both Liu and He will focus on the mainland, they added.

HSBC has been rebuilding its global equities operation since appointing Hong Kong-based Hossein Zaimi to run the business early last year. A key part of the push is the China joint venture, based in Guangdong’s financial free-trade zone of Qianhai, which was approved by Chinese authorities in June. HSBC owns a majority of that JV, giving it a potential edge over other global banks — albeit one that could prove short-lived as China prepares to relax ownership rules.

Boosting HSBC’s China business has been one of the top priorities of outgoing Chief Executive Officer Stuart Gulliver, who said last month that the bank’s business in the Pearl River Delta region should generate an additional $1 billion of pretax profit over the coming five years. The China JV, HSBC Qianhai Securities Ltd., could have about 300 staff within three or four years, from about 100 now, the bank has said.

The Asian hiring drive explains why HSBC ended 2017 with a net increase in global equities staffing even with about 40 people departing during Zaimi’s revamp, one of the people said. The global equities team has about 600 employees, the person said.

Other recent Asian hires include Michele Kwok, formerly with JPMorgan Chase & Co., who joined HSBC’s Hong Kong and China equity sales team, and Mark Ong, most recently with CLSA Ltd., who is expected to join the London-based bank later this year.

HSBC was able to leapfrog other global banks in getting approval to hold a majority stake in its China securities venture because of a trade agreement between Hong Kong and the mainland that allows Hong Kong-funded institutions to set up such partnerships. That gave HSBC a head start over other banks, who are now rushing to take advantage of Beijing’s November pledge to further open its financial markets for all foreign institutions.

Recent departures in Asia include Roland Wee, who was head of equities for Singapore; Evangeline Cheong, formerly in regional equity sales; and Alan Chen, who was a hedge fund sales director, the people said. London-based head of Asian equities sales June Ang and one of her deputies Sanjay Kanal also left, as did Ian Burns, who ran pan-European equity sales, people familiar with the matter said last week. — Bloomberg

Malacañang: ‘No problem’ with villages submitting drug lists

MALACAÑANG SEES “no problem” with the plan by newly appointed Interior Undersecretary Martin B. Diño to have barangay (village) officials come up with their lists of drug personalities in their respective areas.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong for as long as it will entail conduct of an investigation, to verify information,” said Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. in a press briefing on Thursday, Jan. 11.

“I see no problem, because all he wants is (a list of) names to investigate. What’s wrong with that? Because people should know, by way of general reputation, who are those (personalities) involved in drugs,” Mr. Roque explained.

The spokesman also said if probable cause is found, there are “two possible cases that could be filed: administrative for removal or criminal.”

“So depending on the amount of evidence uncovered, either administrative case for removal of the local government official could be filed resulting in severance from duty of that public officer, or if there is more than enough evidence…a criminal case should be filed,” Mr. Roque said.

Mr. Roque said the communities know who those drug personalities are. “But it is not enough for anything. You have to investigate on the basis of these leads,” he added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Philippines exhumes bodies of two children in dengue vaccine probe

A PHILIPPINE government agency on Thursday exhumed the bodies of two children whose parents suspect they died of dengue after receiving a new vaccine against the disease, although its maker said it was not known to have caused any deaths in the country.

More than 800,000 Filipino children aged nine or more received Dengvaxia last year in a government immunization drive against the mosquito-borne tropical disease that kills about 20,000 people a year.

The Department of Health (DoH) stopped using Dengvaxia last month after its maker, Sanofi Pasteur, said the vaccine itself may in some cases increase the risk of severe dengue in recipients not previously infected.

One of the two exhumed bodies showed signs of excessive bleeding, said officials of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), which provides free legal assistance to the poor.

PAO forensic expert Erwin Erfe said bleeding was observed on the scalp of the second body.

“Bleeding is a prominent symptom of dengue,” Mr. Erfe told Reuters by telephone.

PAO is also investigating the deaths of five other children who received Dengvaxia and initial findings reveal a pattern in how they died, PAO chief Persida Acosta said.

“There was bleeding in the vital organs, the lungs, heart, liver, kidney, brain,” Ms. Acosta told Reuters. “These are all compatible with hemorrhagic shock.”

She said the PAO had received numerous requests to exhume bodies after the government launched its investigation.

The DoH said it would look at the findings. The DoH has also submitted cases involving the deaths of 14 children who received Dengvaxia to a review panel of doctors from a state university and a state-owned hospital.

While Dengvaxia is the first-ever approved vaccine for dengue, scientists had recognized it was imperfect and did not protect equally against the four different types of the virus in clinical tests.

A new analysis from six years of clinical data showed Dengvaxia provided persistent protective benefit against dengue fever in those who had prior infection.

But those not previously infected could suffer more severe symptoms in the long term, following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection, Sanofi has said.

“Up to this date, there has been no death established to have been causally linked to the dengue vaccine, not even among the 40,000 people involved in clinical trials conducted across 15 countries,” Sanofi said in a statement. — Reuters

Kings try to maintain Philippine Cup lead

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, currently holding a share of the lead in the standings of the PBA Philippine Cup at 2-0, try to stay on top of the heap when they take on the Blackwater Elite in Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) action today at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Winners of their first two games in the PBA’s season-opening tournament, the Kings hope to stretch their winning roll by adding the Elite (1-1) in their list of conquered in their encounter set for 7 p.m.

Barangay Ginebra defeated the Magnolia Hotshots, 89-78, in their Christmas Day “Manila Clasico” and then defeated the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 104-97, in their PBA return last Sunday.

The Kings had it rough against the Batang Pier and turned to a late-push in the game to avert dropping to their first loss of the season.

Japeth Aguilar led Barangay Ginebra with 21 points while big man Greg Slaughter added 18 points and nine rebounds, with guard LA Tenorio tallying 17 points and seven assists.

Also coming up with solid plays in the Kings’ win were Aljon Mariano and Jervy Cruz, who came off the bench to produce 11 and 10 points, respectively. Mr. Cruz had 11 boards as well.

“We kind of just stole the game. That’s what teams coming from a championship do. They sleepwalk through the first three quarters, just turn on and try to win down the stretch,” said winning coach Tim Cone as he assessed the performance of his team, which won the title in the last PBA conference.

“I’m disturbed. I think we can do away with that. This is something we have to get better at. We have to fire right away,” the multi-titled bench tactician added.

Standing in the way of the Kings and a third straight win are the Elite, who are fresh from a bounce-back victory in their last assignment.

Blackwater defeated the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 92-87, on Dec. 29 with Mac Belo and Mike DiGregorio showing the way.

Sophomore Belo, who spent the latter part of his rookie year on the sidelines because of injury, exploded for 25 points on top of seven rebounds and two blocks.

He was greatly complemented by Mr. DiGregorio, who had 23 points, four assists and two steals.

Three other players scored eight points or more for the Elite as they gallantly slugged it out with the Elasto Painters and rebounded from their tournament debut loss to the Meralco Bolts previously.

“Our defense held tonight. Hopefully this win before the New Year will boost our campaign moving forward,” Blackwater coach Leo Isaac said following their victory.

Meanwhile, playing in the opener at 4:30 p.m. are Rain or Shine (1-1) and GlobalPort (0-2).

Gov’t readying case vs CPP-NPA

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) expects a “full-blown trial” on its petition to declare the New People’s Army (NPA) and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as terrorists. DoJ Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II said: “That’s why medyo hindi mamadali, hindi puwedeng madaliin (we cannot rush, it can’t be rushed). They (the prosecution) have to gather all the instances where terroristic activities could be attributed to the NPAs.” Mr. Aguirre said the petition could be filed “in the coming week” as there were still “last minute consultations with the Office of the Executive Secretary as well as with the other intelligence services of the government,” as per Prosecutor Peter Ong, who prepares the appeal. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

Boston rookie Tatum: winning and having fun

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

SELECTED third overall in this year’s National Basketball Association (NBA) rookie draft, Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum has lived up to the billing and has made a strong case for himself as a possible rookie of the year awardee.

Midway into his first season in The Association, Mr. Tatum, chosen after Markelle Fultz of Philadelphia 76ers and Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers, has been averaging 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 31 minutes on the floor. He is one of the more efficient players from beyond the arc, norming a 46.2% shooting clip from three-point land.

Thrust to a bigger role after All-Star forward Gordon Hayward went down with a season-ending knee injury on opening night, the 19-year-old Tatum, who played collegiate basketball at Duke University, has shown steadiness in his play despite his young age and has been one of the reasons why the Celtics are doing well in the ongoing NBA season with an Eastern Conference-leading record of 33-10.

“I think my rookie year has been going pretty well. Obviously, we’re winning. That’s what really matters, and I’m having fun doing it,” said Mr. Tatum in a recent global media conference, the transcript of which was shared to local media.

“[I just have to] continue to get better each and every day and just soak up as much information and just learn as much as I can each and every day to try to get better, help the team out,” he went on, highlighting that as much as he is having a solid rookie campaign to date the work continues for him.

That he has become an efficient shooter in the NBA especially from beyond the arc comes as a surprise to him, Mr. Tatum said, but shared that he has been working on it and is satisfied with the results.

“No, I didn’t [expect to be an efficient three-point shooter]. I’ve been working on it a lot, but I didn’t think I would shoot it this well,” he said.

He went on to share that playing a lot more games in the pros than that in college is one of the things he is learning to get used to.

With his fine play in the green and white, Mr. Tatum has been short-listed as one of the top candidates for the rookie of the year award at this point, along with the likes of Donovan Mitchell of Utah, Ben Simmons of Philadelphia, Lauri Markkanen of Chicago and Dennis Smith, Jr. of Dallas.

It is something that Mr. Tatum is very excited about and said he is working hard at accomplishing.

“Yeah, that’s (rookie of the year) always been one of my goals, to win that award. But I think just focusing on team goals first, and if we keep winning, the rest will take care of itself,” he said.

Looking ahead, Mr. Tatum said they hope to build on the strong start they have had to the season and just keep up the go-getting and stepping-up mind-set that has done a lot for the team.

“Obviously, when Gordon got hurt, people got more playing time and got more opportunities, and guys just had to step up. From that being the first game of the season, we had to catch on quick [and took from there],” Mr. Tatum said.

Mr. Tatum and the Celtics play the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow in London. It will be shown live over NBA Premium at 4 a.m.

Suspect in P6.4-billion shabu shipment tried to flee PHL — Aguirre

ONE OF the accused in the P6.4-billion shabu shipment has attempted to leave the country again last week, according to Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II. In his press briefing at Malacañang on Thursday, Mr. Aguirre said Chinese businessman Richard Cheng (Cheng Ju Long) tried to leave the country with the help of a still unidentified person connected with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) who is currently absent without leave (AWOL). But the attempt was not successful because of an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) issued earlier by the department when Mr. Cheng first tried to flee on Nov. 30, 2017. Mr. Aguirre said “our senior supervision officers rejected the bribe being offered.” The Valenzuela Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Dec. 12, 2017 dismissed the criminal case against Mr. Cheng and several others implicated in the P6.4-billion shabu shipment for lack of jurisdiction. The National Prosecution Service has since filed a motion for reconsideration. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

Versace family slam TV series on the designer’s murder

MILAN — The Versace family on Wednesday slammed a new television series on the murder of fashion giant Gianni Versace, saying it was based on nothing more than “work of fiction.”

The show, filmed largely at Versace’s Miami waterfront mansion where the stylist to the stars was gunned down in July 1997, is set to be released next week in the United States and Europe.

“The Versace family has neither authorized nor had any involvement whatsoever in the forthcoming TV series… which should only be considered as a work of fiction,” it said in a statement.

“The company producing the series claims it is relying on a book by Maureen Orth, but the Orth book itself is full of gossip and speculation,” it said, in reference to The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

“She has no basis to make claims about the intimate personal life of Gianni Versace or other family members. Instead, in her effort to create a sensational story, she presents second-hand hearsay that is full of contradictions,” it said.

The show’s executive producer Ryan Murphy told Variety magazine that Orth’s book was “a very celebrated, lauded work of non-fiction that was vetted now for close to 20 years.”

The family challenges in particular Orth’s claim that Versace was HIV-positive.

“Not because it would be something shameful, given that Gianni was one of the first to deal with this problem, to organize charity events and to make personal donations” to the cause, his sister Donatella told Italy’s La Repubblica daily.

But because “in making her lurid claims, she ignores contrary information provided by members of Versace’s family, who lived and worked closely with him and were in the best position to know the facts of his life,” the family said.

‘RESPECT AND KINDNESS’
Donatella, who took over the brand on her brother’s death, said she was “amazed that after so many years we still lack respect for the dead, we want to create a scandal around someone who can no longer defend themselves.”

The designer said she had not seen the show. Murphy hoped she would, telling Variety: “If she did I think that she would see that we treat her and her family with respect and kindness.

“She really is a feminist role model in my book, because she had to step into an impossible situation, which she did with grace and understanding.”

The series stars Venezuelan heartthrob Edgar Ramirez as Versace, as well as Penelope Cruz and singer Ricky Martin.

Versace’s international fashion empire included clothes, fragrances and home furnishings.

He was 50 when he was killed by Andrew Cunanan, whose motives remain a mystery.

Cunanan — portrayed by actor Darren Criss — had killed at least four other people on a bloody journey before reaching Miami Beach. He committed suicide a few days after slaying Versace.

Although most filming took place in Versace’s Florida mansion, part of it is being shot at the Fox Studio in Los Angeles, where the luxurious home was recreated to the last detail, including its Greco-Roman paintings.

The first season of the American Crime Story mini-series, which focused on fallen American football star O.J. Simpson, got rave reviews and won several awards. — AFP

Corporate tax incentives estimated at 2% of GDP

REVENUE foregone by the government via incentives to large enterprises totaled P301 billion in 2015, equivalent to 2% of the economy, the Department of Finance (DoF) said.

In a statement, Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said income tax holidays and special rates account for P86.25 billion of the foregone revenue, while customs duty exemptions account for P18.4 billion.

Quantifying the impact of incentives signals the possibility of a further review of the effectivity of tax exemptions as the government seeks to aggressively raise funds for its infrastructure and social protection programs.

Exemptions from paying the value-added tax (VAT) on imports added up to P159.82 billion in foregone revenue while domestic VAT exemptions were worth P36.96 billion — totaling P301.22 billion.

He said these incentives do not yet include exemptions from the payment of local business taxes and tax “leakage.”

“In general, we are giving almost 0.8% of GDP so far on tax incentives from these income tax holidays and customs duty exemptions. Together with the VAT, it is P301 billion, or 2% of GDP. These are only the investment incentives,” Mr. Chua said.

The enactment of the Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act (TIMTA) in 2016 allowed the DoF to track incentives systematically.

The DoF is preparing the second package of the tax reform program to tighten the standards for potential revenue giveaways. Incentives would now make incentives “performance-based, targeted, time-bound, and transparent,” Mr. Chua said.

However, the proposal would at the same time lower corporate income tax rates to 25% from 30% currently, which is expected to attract investment.

The proposal is expected to be “revenue neutral,” with tax reductions offsetting additional tax collected.

“Through this proposal, the government will be able to ensure that incentives granted to businesses generate jobs, stimulate the economy in the countryside and promote research and development; contain sunset provisions so that tax perks do not last forever; and are reported so the government can determine the magnitude of their costs and benefits to the economy,” the DoF said.

The DoF hopes to submit the tax reform package draft to the House of Representatives on Jan. 15 — when the session resumes. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

US Embassy closed on Jan. 15

THE US Embassy and affiliated offices will be closed to the public on Monday, Jan. 15, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an American holiday. The Embassy and affiliated offices will resume services on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

Elvis fans all shook up on Aussie party train to fest

SYDNEY — Elvis fans shook up Sydney’s Central station Thursday with hundreds rocking to his famous tunes ahead of a special train trip to outback Australia to celebrate the late entertainer’s birthday.

Decked out in their glittering best, the fans were heading to Parkes — a small town some 300 kilometers west of Sydney — on the “Elvis Express” and “Blue Suede Express” trains to take part in a five-day festival.

“He’s such an icon and he hasn’t lost any of that magic that he used to have,” avid Elvis Presley fan Julie Mellae — who wore an orange wig, tiara and fishnet stockings for the special occasion — told AFP.

“In fact, I think he’s developed more, so this festival is like the biggest thing that happens in January. Everyone wants to be on the Elvis train and it’s booked out years in advance.”

Elvis impersonators belted out the legendary singer’s biggest hits on a makeshift stage before the seven-hour train pilgrimage, swivelling their hips and blowing kisses to adorning admirers amid loud cheers.

The annual extravaganza, in its 26th year, is billed as the southern hemisphere’s biggest tribute to the rock ‘n’ roll legend — who died in 1977 — and attracts thousands of die-hard fans.

Last year’s event drew 25,000 people to Parkes, more than double the town’s population, and generated millions of dollars for the local economy.

The town transforms into a vibrant tribute to The King, who would have been 83 this year, with a street parade and non-stop entertainment to keep visitors jiving.

“It’s just everybody’s in a good mood, everybody’s happy, nobody’s cranky,” said David Ward-Smith, who was wearing a specially made “Elvis Festival” T-shirt with his friends on board the “Elvis Express.”

“Up and down the streets (in Parkes), it’s Elvis singers. Every 50 meters, it’s somebody else trying hard. Everybody’s just in party mode, it’s a great little atmosphere. It’s like the Olympics every year,” he told AFP.

Parkes, a mining town with a population of more than 11,000, is famous for its radio telescope which played a pivotal role in bringing Neil Armstrong’s 1969 moon landing to the world.

But the Elvis Festival, first held in 1993 to coincide with the singer’s birthday on Jan. 8, 1935, has since placed the town on the tourist map and also earned it the moniker of “Elvis Capital of Australia.” — AFP

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