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Cebu City preparing to sue Rico’s Lechon owners

THE CEBU City government will file charges against the owner of Rico’s Lechon for failing to pay taxes. Two restaurants and a commissary of the food firm were closed down by the city government in August. “We are going to be filing cases against them kay nagpahambog siya (owner Enrico Dionson was bragging) and he recorded in media that the sales is half a million a day, so that’s P180 million year, and the past five years, he has not paid anything and they are blaming my daughter-in-law (Bea Villegas Osmeña). Maayo nalang si (It’s good that) Bea kept all the texts (mobile phone messages),” Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña said. The mayor’s daughter-in-law used to be a business partner of the Dionson family. Last week, the Regional Trial Court denied the petition of 3MRS Dionson Corp. for the issuance of a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction against the move of the city government to close down the three Rico’s Lechon business sites. The court said, “Unlike then Mayor Lim of Manila, Mayor Osmeña did not act whimsically in the closure of petitioner’s business establishment. He observed due process. The illusion of ill-motive pictured by the petitioner against Mayor Osmeña is not even ostensible.” The Freeman sought comment from the Dionsons, but family members declined to give a statement. Shortly after their stores were closed down, the Dionson family said the move was the mayor’s personal vendetta for their decision to end their partnership with the mayor’s daughter-in-law. Tax mapping by the City Treasurer’s Office showed Rico’s Lechon’s branch in Barangay Mabolo did not have a business permit from 2012 to 2017 while its branch in Escario Street did not have a business permit since it opened this year. Mr. Osmeña said the city will continue to crack down on business establishments that are operating without permits. The most recent store that the mayor ordered closed is the Ramos branch of the well-known Abuhan restaurant, whose owner, Jose Antonio Osmeña, is his first degree cousin. “All those of you: If you are caught and if you have no business permit, we will close you down and you cannot reopen maybe for two or three years,” he warned businesses here. — The Freeman

Representative Rey Umali shows bias in Sereno impeachment hearing

I was extremely surprised at the appointment of Maria Lourdes Sereno to the Supreme Court by President Benigno S. C. Aquino III in 2010. I expect appointees to the Supreme Court to come from the ranks of justices and judges of the lower courts or to be legal luminaries in government service, private practice, and academe.

Justice Antonio Carpio was former chief presidential legal counsel of President Fidel Ramos, Justice Francis Jardeleza was with ACCRA Law for many years and was senior vice-president and general legal counsel of corporate giant San Miguel, and Justice Marvic Leonen was dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law. I had never heard of Sereno before she was named associate justice.

That Sereno was the executive director of the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center at the time President Aquino appointed her to the Supreme Court lessened my estimation of her some more as I know the institute to be a business management school as its name says. I remember too the school had no need of a legal counsel when I was teaching there in the first half of the 1970s. If she could not have been teaching law or acting as legal counsel in AIM, I wondered who she was to be appointed to the Supreme Court.

As I am no big admirer of her it is not in defense of her that I say here she is not getting a fair deal in the impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives Justice Committee.

Committee chair Rey Umali, as in the investigation of Senator Leila de Lima, has shown his bias again against perceived roadblocks to the administration’s programs.

The complaint filed by Atty. Larry Gadon against Sereno was declared by the committee to be sufficient in form and in substance.

However, some members of the committee questioned the declaration, arguing complainant Gadon did not have “personal knowledge” of the supposed wrong acts that Sereno was accused of when he filed the complaint.

Based on his own admission, Gadon based his complaint on the information given him by Manila Times reporter Jomar Canlas who allegedly sourced his information from SC Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro.

That is hearsay, in fact double hearsay, and therefore a violation of the hearsay evidence rule, claim the opposition members of the committee. Hearsay is an out-of-court statement introduced to prove the truth of matter asserted. Hearsay evidence is inadmissible in formal hearings of a complaint.

They cited the case of the complaint filed by Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano filed in May against President Rodrigo Duterte. The same committee dismissed the impeachment complaint for being insufficient in substance. The majority of the members of the committee argued that Alejano cited mere hearsay in accusing Mr. Duterte of operating a death squad in Davao City, sanctioning killings in his war on drugs, keeping secret wealth and inefficiently handling the West Philippine Sea dispute with China. They noted that Alejano based his allegations on media reports, the Senate testimony of self-confessed hitmen, unauthenticated bank documents, and the affidavit of Senator Antonio Trillanes.

Committee chair Umali disagreed with the contention of the opposition lawmakers, saying the Gadon complaint was “far different” from the one Alejano filed. He said that Gadon had attached official documents to support his complaint. Yet, when Gadon was asked by congressmen for evidence of his allegations that Sereno had manipulated and falsified decisions of associate justices, Gadon asked that pertinent documents be subpoenaed and that certain associate justices and staff of the Supreme Court be invited to attest to his claims. That prompted Umali to tell Gadon to do his homework in order not to waste time as the committee has to complete its investigation in 60 days. I inferred that Umali meant Gadon should have already obtained the pertinent documents, like the draft of the temporary restraining order prepared by Justice De Castro but which, according to Gadon, Sereno falsified (sic).

When Justice De Castro testified, Representative Ramon Rocamora asked De Castro if her testifying in support of the complaint was not motivated by her resentment of Sereno who had just been in the Supreme Court for two years when she was appointed chief justice whereas De Castro had been there for five years and previously in the judiciary for many years.

Whereupon Umali advised Rocamora to show deference to a Supreme Court associate justice by refraining from asking her questions that impute ulterior motives to her testimony. Rocamora was also told to wind up his grilling of De Castro as he had exceeded the five minutes allotted him.

But when Representative Rodante Marcoleta asked resource person SC Clerk of Court Felipa Anama if she is not just being protective of Sereno who had extended her term, Umali didn’t stop Marcoleta from pressing the question, which ascribed ulterior motive behind Anama’s testimony. Also, Marcoleta was stopped from pressing Anama only when he had consumed 31 minutes.

It appears that ulterior motives cannot be imputed on resource persons who are associate justices of the Supreme Court — and on resource persons testifying against Sereno. Supreme Court Administrator Midas Marquez is another resource person testifying against Sereno.

In the days he has appeared in the hearings, no congressman asked him if his appearance is not motivated by personal vendetta against Sereno who had chided Marquez at least twice when he was the fair-haired boy of then Chief Justice Renato Corona.

But the most glaring inconsistency was Umali’s admonition of Anama. He was irked by the evasiveness of Anama during her cross-examination by Marcoleta. He told her, “You’re not being cooperative with this committee.” He later on told reporters that she cannot hide behind the cloak of confidentiality or anonymity in impeachment hearings as congressmen are performing a constitutional duty.

During the impeachment trial of Corona before the Senate/Impeachment Court, Representative Umali narrated that he was handed an envelope containing the bank records of Corona’s dollar deposits. When asked who handed him the envelope, he said: a “small lady.” Pressed to identify her, Umali adamantly said all he knew was she was a “small lady.” He hid behind the cloak of anonymity even when congressmen were performing a constitutional duty.

Speaking of confidentiality, one of the grounds for Sereno’s impeachment was a newspaper report on the memo De Castro sent to Sereno questioning the validity of two administrative orders issued by the latter. Obviously, the strict confidentiality of internal communication among members of the Court has been breached.

Instead of the evidence being ignored in deference to the members of the Court, deference that Umali demands of his colleagues, it was made to justify the invitation to De Castro to testify before Umali’s committee. Never before has a member of the Supreme Court been made to testify before a Congressional committee about matters internal to the Court.

Other associate justices have agreed to appear before Umali and company to testify about other matters pertaining to the administration of the Court’s affairs. It is tantamount to a Congressional Committee subordinating a coequal branch of government by subjecting the highest officials of that branch to the grilling of congressmen about the branch’s internal affairs.

Did Umali advise Rocamora to show deference to De Castro, when the stature of Supreme Court justices has been demeaned wholesale, by refraining from asking her further questions because the integrity of her testimony was in danger of crumbling?

I wish someone would tell Umali to prepare his statements and rulings so that he does not interspersed his phrases and sometimes his words with the non-word “aah.” Not only is it a waste of time, which waste Umali disdains — “I am a man of action,” said he to justify his switch of political affiliation — it is grating to the ears. It detracts further from his already blurry image.

 

Oscar P. Lagman, Jr. is a member of Manindigan! a cause-oriented group of businessmen, professionals, and academics.

oplagman@yahoo.com

Latest posthumous Hendrix album features 10 new tracks

NEW YORK — Jimi Hendrix’s estate has announced a posthumous album from the guitar legend featuring 10 previously unreleased tracks, some recorded months before his death in 1970.

Both Sides of the Sky, which will come out on March 9, is intended to be the last in a trilogy of albums of restored Hendrix material following releases in 2010 and 2013 that entered Top 10 charts in several countries.

The latest album includes Hendrix’s previously unheard version of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” the songwriter’s longing reflection on missing the historic 1969 countercultural festival in upstate New York.

Hendrix recorded Mitchell’s song with fellow guitarist Stephen Stills — who soon afterward would make a hit cover of “Woodstock” as part of folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Hendrix had been a major figure at the festival, playing its last set Monday morning.

Other notable tracks include a newly restored version of “Cherokee Mist,” an instrumental track in which Hendrix pays tribute to his partial Native American heritage.

The version of “Cherokee Mist” marks a rare time that Hendrix plays the sitar, the classical Indian instrument that had come into growing popularity in the West thanks largely to Ravi Shankar.

Both Sides of the Sky, which includes three previously released songs, focuses on highlighting the often flamboyant Hendrix’s skills inside the studio where he came to master recording techniques and effects.

“Jimi’s true home was the studio. That’s where the music and the magic happened,” Eddie Kramer, Hendrix’s longtime producer who was involved in the latest album, said in a statement.

“He loved everything about recording and it’s been my distinct pleasure and an honor to play a part in that process both then and now,” said Kramer, who went on to work with metal bands including Kiss.

Both Sides of the Sky includes tracks from January 1968 through February 1970, according to Sony’s Legacy Recordings which is putting out the album with Hendrix’s estate.

Hendrix, who struggled with drugs and alcohol, died in September 1970 in a London hotel at age 27. — AFP

Oil firms cutting gasoline, kerosene prices; diesel steady

OIL COMPANIES are rolling back the prices of gasoline and kerosene this week, while keeping unchanged the price of diesel.

“These reflect movements in the international oil market,” Petron Corp. said.

Gasoline prices will fall P0.15 per liter, while kerosene prices will be reduced by P0.15 per liter, oil companies said.

Companies that sent advisories said they will be implementing the price adjustment at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

Seaoil Philippines, Inc. will be adjusting prices at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday.

Last week, oil companies kept gasoline prices unchanged, the second straight week they have done so. Diesel and kerosene prices were down by P0.30 per liter. — Victor V. Saulon

Japan’s Tokutokuya partners with Gaisano shopping malls

DAVAO CITY — Japan’s ECI Co. Ltd., owner of the Tokutokuya chain of retail stores, has tapped Gaisano-owned DSG Sons Group as the exclusive Philippine franchisee with five Gaisano shopping malls in Mindanao set as location for the initial branches.

DSG Sons Group Vice-President for Direct Investments Kelvin C. Gaisano said the Japanese discount store, known as the ‘100 Yen shop’ and carries a wide range of dry goods as well as food and drinks, will be one of the anchor tenants in the Gaisano malls.

The first Tokutokuya Store in the Philippines was formally launched on Dec. 10 at the fourth level of Gaisano Mall of Davao (City) and the second one is set for opening on Dec. 15 in Digos City, Davao del Sur.

The company has lined up other branches in General Santos City, Tagum City in Davao del Norte, and another one in Davao City at the Gaisano Toril mall.

Mr. Gaisano said the challenge they are addressing with the Tokutokuya Stores is determining which Japanese products the Filipino market wants.

“It’s a very complicated business because of the number of items. We have to learn what Filipinos prefer on Japanese products. The items are mostly from Japan and designed by Japanese so the quality’s pretty good,” said Mr. Gaisano in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the opening ceremony.

In the past several weeks of the first branch’s operation, prior to the formal launch, Mr. Gaisano said they have so far seen that among the best-sellers is the Japanese beer Sapporo.

“For awhile naubusan na kami ng (we ran out of) some items because we didn’t expect the reception to be this good. I think one of our best-sellers is the Sapporo beer because of the movie Kita Kita, so every time we refill naubos agad (it quickly gets sold out),” he said.

Mauro Carmona, Jr., operations manager of the Gaisano malls’ specialty stores, said they are aiming to go beyond the “trendy” and to offer products “fitted for the needs of the market.”

“It (Tokutokuya) has a wide range of items, it’s not just limited to being a budget shop, but also it caters to premium items,” Mr. Carmona said.

Mr. Gaisano said they will continue to study “what’s selling and what’s not,” evaluating the potential for opening more branches.

Mr. Carmona said it is possible that other branches would be set up outside Gaisano malls.

Aside from the Philippines, Tokutokuya Stores are located in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Russia. — Maya M. Padillo

US, South Korea, and Japan start missile-tracking drill

SEOUL — The US, South Korea and Japan started joint exercises Monday to track missiles from North Korea, Seoul’s military said, following the nuclear-armed Pyongyang’s longest-range test launch to date.

The trilateral drill comes less than two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and declared it had achieved nuclear statehood, escalating global alarm over its weapons push.

The two-day exercise — the sixth since June last year — kicked off in waters near the Korean peninsula and Japan, Seoul’s defense ministry said.

“During the drill, Aegis warships from each country will simulate detecting and tracking down potential ballistic missiles from the North and sharing information,” it said in a statement.

Two US ships are taking part, with one each from the two Asian countries.

Both South Korea and Japan have security alliances with the US, although their own relationship is marred by disputes over history and territory.

Washington and Seoul staged their biggest-ever joint air drill last week in a show of force against Pyongyang, which is subject to multiple sets of UN sanctions over its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

Tension flared anew in the flashpoint peninsula after the November 29 launch of the Hwasong-15 ICBM, which the North claimed could deliver a “super-large heavy warhead” anywhere on the US mainland.

Many analysts suggest that the rocket is capable of reaching the US mainland but voiced skepticism that Pyongyang has mastered the advanced technology needed to allow the rocket to survive reentry to the Earth’s atmosphere.

Last month’s launch was the first test of any kind since September 15, and quashed hopes that the North may have held back in order to open the door to a negotiated solution to the nuclear standoff.

The North’s leader Kim Jong-Un has traded threats of war and personal insults with US President Donald J. Trump, heightening fears of another war on the peninsula once devastated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

The South condemned the launch and on Monday imposed new unilateral sanctions on its neighbor.

Pyongyang regularly condemns joint exercises by the US and its neighbors as preparations for war.

But Japanese defense minister Itsunori Onodera said Sunday: “It is North Korea that is raising tensions. No one in the world — me, Prime Minister Abe, President Trump or Defense Secretary Mattis — is hoping to have conflicts.”

“If North Korea promises to abandon nuclear and missile programs, that will lead to dialogue,” he added while visiting an army base in northern Japan to observe a separate Japan-US drill. — AFP

Hazing: Time to leave the old ways behind?

The latest hazing incident that resulted in the death of Horacio Castillo III, a neophyte of the Aegis Juris Fraternity, brings to light malpractices that govern fraternal organizations. In spite of the passage of the Anti-Hazing Act of 1995, also known as Republic Act No. 8049, hazing continues to persist.

What motivates the young to join fraternal organizations? The reasons vary from individual to individual. But before we delve further, let us first review the value of fraternities in schools and universities.

Fraternal organizations, or frats, play a great role in school activities, from social interaction to cultural dynamics and even student governance. In many schools, leading members of these frats hold top positions in the student council, school publications, Corps of Cadets, and other legitimate extra-curricular activities. Through the years, it has become a training ground for leadership. It is not surprising that many of the alumni from various frats occupy distinguished and responsible positions in the professional fields.

Is it right to assume then that their membership in fraternities and sororities is a big factor in their success?

Membership in fraternities include undergoing initiation rites that practice physical abuse and maltreatment, wherein neophytes are subjected to various punishments to test their mettle. Some of these neophytes are more stable under pressure, while some can easily succumb to the excesses conducted on their mind and body, and can result in irreparable damage and even death. All alumni of these frats and sororities have gone through and survived this process. Can we then conclude that the process has strengthened their character and developed their leadership qualities?

On the contrary, maltreatment is a manifestation of fractured leadership. One can only surmise the values projected by the frat members, as evidenced during the ongoing Senate hearings. The interest of the fraternity is paramount, held above social values and communal mores to the extent that they resort to dishonesty, lying, fabrication of facts, making up alibis and finding scapegoats, just to protect the name of the fraternity. This is cowardice, and display of misguided values, which speak volumes about the leadership of the fraternity itself.

This negative exercise of leadership has contributed to the tendency of frat members to use the “brod mentality” for fund-raising activities, influence-peddling in government positions, facilitating behest loans from financial institutions, and even election-related fraudulent activities.

Young neophytes are made to see these acts that are possible because of the brod mentality as compelling reasons for them to join. They are made to believe that in this alumni network, there is access to power, reputation, distinction, professional connections, security and protection. On the social side, there are also advantages that a member can enjoy inside the campus, including social status, power, competitive spirit, goodwill and even increased attractiveness to the opposite sex. The myth and mystic of fraternal organizations have relied heavily on these selling points, rightly or wrongly.

And then there is the initiation process, that rite of passage that separates the worthy from the lesser beings on campus. A time-honored practice, sacred and secret, or so it was.

Let us examine the internal factors of the act of hazing. In all incidents, absolute obedience is demanded from the receiver of punishment, even if the order is against his/her will. Unquestioned obedience in its extreme state encourages the master to practice a wide latitude of abuse which, if not controlled, may result in severe injury and even death.

A study on obedience by Milgram, a psychologist in an experiment participated by psychiatrist, college students, middle class adults revealed the following:

What breeds obedience?

• Victims’ distance — the victim’s proximity to a master giving orders acted with greatest obedience. All initiations are done face-to-face with neophytes. Hence, all orders emanating from the master are complied with unequivocally.

• Closeness and legitimacy of the authority. If the one making an order or command is close physically, compliance to orders increase. Whether the order is legitimate or illegitimate, the authority intimidates the receiver of an order, who then hence blindly obeys. Most fraternal organizations are conducted in fraternity or sorority houses, isolated, off-limits to non-frat men, without supervision from disinterested parties. They are held in seclusion and isolation.

• Institutional authority — the prestige of the authority wields social power. Most fraternities and sororities have developed institutional goodwill and reputation and count respected professionals among its alumni. The power that they project commits prospective members blindly. Obedience brings about acceptance to a closed group whether the nature of an order or command is legal or illegal, moral or immoral. Compliance is demanded. It facilities acceptance and believing as well as acting in accord with social pressure. (Social Psychology by David G. Myers. pp 196-206)

Excessive orders that countenance coercion and other irrational conduct lead to maltreatment. It is borne about due to the aggressive behavior of perpetrators that eventually becomes the norm rather than the exception. Aggressive behavior even becomes uncontrolled if there is loose supervision and control. Maltreatment creates only negative effects both on the perpetrators and the receiver, and does not contribute in any way to the positive development of the individual.

By its nature and intention, maltreatment inflicts physical and mental harm which demeans and degrades the individual, and causes damaging effects, such as indignity, oppression, deprivation. Maltreatment has been the cause of many abuses and even deaths. Such results are unconscionable in a civilized society and becomes more horrible and insensitive if distinguished alumni countenance such practices and accept no responsibility.

The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) has had its share of hazing incidents in the past, and with due honesty, the damage to the institution and the cadets has been very deplorable and depressing. It may also be a reason why there are isolated lapses in the exercise of leadership in the military and police service. The PMA and AFP have conducted extensive research on hazing and concluded that maltreatment and bullying have no place in leadership training that prepares cadets for officership. It does not create a value-added factor to the leadership and character development as an officer and gentlemen of the finest order.

In fact, the PMA has adopted a positive leadership role-modelling that is founded on the basic philosophy that subordinates respond out of respect rather than fear; emphasizing leadership that is the group-centered rather than self-centered.

With such role-modelling, superiors help their subordinates to succeed. This general principle reinforces good behavior, creates momentum in a positive direction, and will eventually render maltreatment obsolete. The no-maltreatment policy has gotten the unequivocal support of all PMA alumni, associates and stakeholders.

At the University of the Philippines (UP), an organization called the UP Barkada, composed of alumni from legitimate fraternities and sororities and other student organizations, act as a channel of interaction between students and alumni. It is a social club that fosters camaraderie among its members through sports activities, like golf, seminars and symposiums. It helps and facilitate issues relating to inter-fraternity and sorority conflicts.

As alumni, they act as guardians to their brods and sisters.

Such efforts are key to encouraging all organizations to comply with the Anti-Hazing Law, as well as develop a stronger foundation for cooperation within and among the different student organizations.

Legislative measures will not eradicate hazing; it is as old as the fraternities and sororities. It is borne out of human nature to achieve power, to be competitive, to establish a host of social network. You cannot legislate human behavior. The best that can be done is control through education, close supervision, and molding future leaders devoid of a mind-set of maltreatment, vengeance, and egotism.

Is that really possible?

It seems like a tall order but with divine intervention and collective action, there will be no more tragic losses, and no more desperate cover-ups. It is time now to let the old ways go, hazing has no place in the society of the future.

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

 

Lt. Gen. Jaime S. de los Santos (Ret) is a member of the M.A.P. National Issues Committee, former Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), National Commander, UP Vanguard Fraternity, and Professorial Lecturer of Management (part-time) at UP Diliman.

jaime_dlsantos@yahoo.com

jimmydlsantos@gmail.com

map@map.org.ph

http://map.org.ph

Bangsamoro women leaders to help draft EO on transitional justice commission

THE OFFICE of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has partnered with Bangsamoro women leaders for the drafting of an executive order (EO) that will create National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission on the Bangsamoro (NTJRCB). The EO, the OPAPP said in a statement, will be presented to President Rodrigo R. Duterte. During a two-day conference to promote gender-sensitive transitional justice agenda held in Metro Manila last week, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza expressed the importance of acknowledging women victims of armed-conflict through transitional justice as means of putting back their dignities damaged by conflict situations. OPAPP Director Pamela Ann Padilla-Salvan also talked about sustainable peace through healing and justice. “Transitional justice is not just about the mere passing, transition or movement of time. It is about connecting the historical past to the transforming present that would create a shared future. It is about remembering, and taking lessons from the past that will be useful in the future,” Ms. Salvan said. The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), under the Normalization Annex, includes a provision on transitional justice, which is a critical component to strengthen the rule of law in a post-conflict setting and an integral element to peace-building as it aims to redress for past human rights violations. The Bangsamoro women said it is imperative that women’s right to access truth, justice, and reparations is recognized as part of achieving and sustaining peace and ensuring accountability for crimes committed in times of conflict against women and girls. — Mindanao Bureau

In surprise visit to Syria, Putin orders partial withdrawal of Russian troops

MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria, during a surprise visit to the war-torn country.

Mr. Putin arrived at Russia’s Hmeimim airbase in Latakia province, a government stronghold, where he was welcomed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and the two men were pictured smiling, shaking hands and hugging.

Mr. Putin, who announced last week he would be seeking a fourth Kremlin term in a presidential poll in March, said he had ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to start a partial withdrawal.

“I have taken a decision: a significant part of the Russian troop contingent located in Syria is returning home to Russia,” he said in a televised speech to troops at the base.

Russia first intervened in the conflict in 2015, staging air strikes in support of its ally Damascus targeting both the Islamic State group (IS) and other jihadists as well as rebels fighting government troops.

Mr. Putin said the troops had helped the Syrian army crush the “most battle-ready group of international terrorists,” apparently referring to IS.

“On the whole the task has been completed. And completed brilliantly.”

Mr. Putin said last month that efforts to end the war were entering a “new stage” as the focus shifted from military intervention to political reforms.

He said both Hmeimim and Russia’s naval facility in Tartus would continue to function and warned that Russia would repel any fresh attacks by militants.

“If terrorists rear their heads again we will inflict the blows that they have not seen yet,” he said.

‘OUR HOMELAND THANKS YOU’
The Kremlin strongman thanked Russian troops for defending Russia from terrorism and helping Syria remain a “sovereign independent state.”

Mr. Putin said the conflict proved that Russia’s armed forces, including intelligence officers, pilots, sailors, special forces, military police, sappers and military advisers, were on top form, and he also praised the country’s defense industry.

“Our homeland thanks you, my friends,” he said. “Have a safe trip. I thank you for your service.”

After his speech Mr. Putin inspected the troops who goose-stepped to the tune of a popular Soviet-era song about World War II.

Mr. Putin made the Syria stopover en route to Egypt where he arrived later Monday.

From there, Mr. Putin is scheduled to travel to Turkey for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Last week Mr. Putin announced he would be standing in the March presidential election that he is expected to effortlessly win, and his lighting visit to Syria can be expected to play well with the voters.

The size of the Russian deployment in Syria is not known but independent Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer has told AFP that up to 10,000 troops and private contractors could have taken part in the conflict.

Mr. Putin had ruled out dispatching ground forces in Syria, making the air force the mainstay of Moscow’s Syria campaign.

Many in the country still harbor painful memories of the Soviet Union’s disastrous venture into Afghanistan in 1979, resulting in a decade-long conflict that claimed the lives of more than 14,000 Soviet troops.

Around 40 Russian servicemen have reportedly been killed in Syria since Moscow’s intervention. The Kremlin has acknowledged some of those deaths.

But the losses may be much higher given the number of Russian troops and mercenaries believed to be in the country, observers say. — AFP

Cebu Pacific to launch flights to Melbourne

CEBU PACIFIC (Cebu Air, Inc.) will launch direct flights from Manila to Melbourne by June next year, an official said.

Cebu Pacific Vice-President for Corporate Affairs JR Mantaring told reporters that they plan to launch the flights by “June next year.” However, they are first awaiting the grant of additional air traffic entitlements.

“We asked the CAB to allocate two A330 flights from Manila to Melbourne,” Mr. Mantaring told reporters on the sidelines of a Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority event last week.

Cebu Pacific currently flies to Melbourne via Singapore in operation with Scoot TigerAir Pte. Ltd.

It currently flies daily to Sydney, Australia, and has plans to increase frequencies for the route.

The airline said it dominated the passenger market for Manila-Sydney flights during the first five months of the year, citing data from the Australian Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport, and Regional Economics, which showed that Cebu Pacific grabbed a 44% passenger market share of the Manila-Sydney route during the period.

The airline is shifting its focus to high-demand domestic and Asian destinations.

Between this year and 2022, the airline expects delivery of 47 brand new aircraft, composed of seven Airbus A321ceos, 32 Airbus A321neos, and eight ATR 72-600s. — P.P.C. Marcelo

Filinvest to transform 201-hectare Clark estate into new business hub

THE FILINVEST GROUP said it is breaking ground next year on a 201-hectare estate in Clark, Pampanga it bought in 2016, transforming the sprawling property into what it said would be a “premier leisure and business destination in the North.”

The property’s originally called Mimosa Leisure Estate, which Filinvest bought from Clark Development Corp. (CDC).

CDC took over management and operations of the estate in 1999, after winning a P325-million tax battle versus businessman Jose Antonio Gonzales, the former owner of the Mimosa estate.

The facility already has a 150-hectare Mimosa Golf Course and a hotel — both operated back then by global brand Holiday Inn — when the Gotianuns bought the estate, Filinvest said in a statement sent to BusinessWorld through its communications staff on Monday.

The Filinvest group began in 2016 renovations for the former Holiday Inn hotel — now Quest Hotel — and has recently opened two luxury grand villas with three bedrooms each with a pool. The hotel also has a conference center that can accommodate up to 1,000 guests.

The old estate was renamed Filinvest Mimosa+ Leisure City, Filinvest announced in a press release sent last week, with the plan unveiled on Nov. 29.

The new additions would be the business and residential components as well as an al fresco retail strip.

“With its prime location in the Clark Freeport Zone, Filinvest Mimosa+ will provide investors and entrepreneurs a setting where they can grow and expand their business. Come 2018, two new office buildings will be home to various companies,” the Filinvest statement read.

“To further make Filinvest Mimosa+ a premium lifestyle destination, the development of a hub for shopping, dining and events is underway. A lifestyle mall will be home to some of the best retail stores and restaurants in a nature-inspired and al fresco setting,” it added.

The builder is developing the estate through its units Filinvest Cyberzone Mimosa, Inc. and Mimosa Cityscapes, Inc.

The Gotianun family is also the group behind Filinvest City in Alabang, a 244-hectare prime property master planned to become more than a bedroom community next to the Ayalas’ exclusive village in the outskirts of Manila.

“Filinvest pioneers in developing successful mixed-use urban communities, and we look forward to unveiling the enhanced Filinvest Mimosa+,” Catherine A. Ilagan, Filinvest Alabang executive vice-president, was quoted as saying in the statement.

“With this groundbreaking project, we are hoping to change the tourism landscape in Central Luzon.” — MEIC

Eminem reveals collaborations on new album due Dec. 15

NEW YORK — Rap superstar Eminem’s long-awaited album has a release date — Dec. 15 — and it will feature an array of star collaborators.

The top-selling rapper of all time took to social media to reveal details of Revival, his ninth studio album and his first in four years.

Eminem last month put out the album’s first single, “Walk on Water,” a sharp shift in his sound with gospel-tinged vocals by Beyonce over a lonesome piano.

The tracklist showed that the album also brings in other major stars from the pop world — Skylar Grey, Kehlani, Alicia Keys, Pink and Ed Sheeran — as well as upstate New York rockers X Ambassadors.

Grey, who performs on a song entitled “Tragic Endings,” will be making her latest appearance with Eminem.

As a little-known songwriter, she wrote one of Eminem’s number-one hits — 2010’s “Love the Way You Lie” featuring Rihanna — and later appeared alongside Eminem on Dr. Dre’s track “I Need a Doctor.”

Eminem’s new album only appears to include one other rapper and he picked one who is relatively obscure — Phresher, who has been making a buzz on the New York club scene.

Phresher rejoiced at the massive new exposure he will likely enjoy through the album.

“GOD IS AMAZING!!!! …. Thanks eminem aka DA GOAT For Believing in ME!” he wrote on Instagram, using the acronym, of which Eminem is fond, for “greatest of all time.”

On “Walk on Water,” Eminem rapped at length about his fears of not living up to his own standards or fan expectations as he comes up with new material.

The 45-year-old rapper has been quiet over the past few years but has twice returned with angry denunciations of President Donald Trump, most recently with a freestyle rap aired at the Black Entertainment Television Hip-Hop Awards. — AFP

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