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Zootopia, Frozen, Finding Nemo featured in latest edition of Disney on Ice

FORTY-NINE performers from around the world will arrive in Manila to bring a magical experience on 120 feet of ice this holiday season.

SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. and Feld Entertainment, Inc. present Disney on Ice Celebrates Everyone’s Story at the Mall of Asia Arena from Dec. 25 to Jan. 3. The production features more than 50 unforgettable characters from 14 stories, and more than 30 sing-along tunes.

“The Philippines is one of the longest standing markets where we’ve done business in internationally… I credit the Filipino people. [You] guys are a very welcoming country. You guys are very engaged with entertainment. [You] guys really love the ideas and inspirational characteristics behind the Disney stories,” said Blake Tatroe, Feld Entertainment, Inc.’s regional marketing director for SEA and India, at a press conference on Dec. 5 at the Mall of Asia’s skating rink.

Aside from classic princes and princesses entertaining the fans with a musical montage of songs and dances, expect appearances by royal sisters Elsa and Anna from Frozen, and the underwater creatures of Finding Nemo rocking out to “Turtle Rock.”

For the first time, Disney on Ice will include a pre-show bit with Zootopia’s Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps engaging the crowd in solving an off-ice caper to kick off the show.

“We look at different things to engage the audience throughout the experience… Nick and Judy in the show are actually off-ice… The idea behind the pre-show is to engage the audience,” Mr. Tatroe said.

The production is traveling to 28 cities for its 2017-2018 tour. The show is directed by Patty Vincent and choreographed by Cindy Stuart and Sarah Kawahara.

“This particular production is by far the largest Disney on Ice show we currently have touring, bringing together everyone’s favorite Disney characters from Snow White, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Minnie Mouse to Elsa and Anna,” producer Nicole Feld was quoted in a press release. “Our vision is for audiences everywhere to dance and sing along to their favorite Disney songs, so we’ve included 30 tunes that they know and love.”

Tickets are now on sale starting at P190 at www.smtickets.com and SM cinema ticket booths. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

League Finals berth, AFC Cup slot at stake as Sparks, Global clash

IT’S FC Meralco Manila versus Global Cebu on a mouthwatering Saturday night battle for survival.

The match on Dec. 9, 7:00 p.m. in Rizal Memorial is the second leg of a two-legged, aggregate goals semifinal encounter to decide who makes the Philippines Football League final on Dec. 16. Global has the slimmest of leads thanks to a first-leg 2-1 conquest last Dec. 2.

However, Manila also has an advantage. Despite the fact that stadium unavailability forced both games to be played in Manila, the Cebuanos were still technically the “away” team, and Tahj Minniecon’s goal for Meralco last Saturday counts as an away goal. Thus a 1-0 result this coming Saturday means a 2-2 aggregate score and the Sparks gaining a berth in the Final on away goals.

A 2-1 win by Meralco on Saturday means the match will go into extra time and if necessary, penalties. Apart from that score, every other result on Saturday means the series will be concluded after 90 minutes.

In the other semifinal this Saturday, Ceres Negros, who edged Kaya Makati 1-0 in their first leg last Saturday, are the hosts for leg 2, also at 7:00 p.m.

The Sparks are determined to make amends for the late meltdown last Saturday that saw late strikes by Wes Dos Santos and Hikaru Minegishi give Cebu the win.

“We finished on top of the league for a reason,” says defender Joaco Cañas. “They scored two goals but overall we were the better team. If we can fix the mistakes and read the game better then we can make it to the final, but it won’t be easy.”

Captain Simon Greatwich also expressed his frustration but was pleased with the performance of the squad as a whole.

“I was happy with how we played. The work rate, the heart. We just didn’t kill the game off, so we were punished.”

Greatwich was coy about the strategy Manila would approach for the contest.

“We will try a few variations in training this week. In the game we will have to see how Global set up. But we don’t want to concede, we also have to be cautious. We also need to be clinical with our chances.”

Meralco coach Aris Caslib agrees with Greatwich, saying, “we just have to prepare for all possible approaches of Global,” but asserts that first and foremost, “we have to stop their transition and control the front players.”

The match is doubly important since the winner not only reaches the final but will also get a slot in the AFC Cup reserved for the two best PFL clubs. One team could even possibly reach the top-tier AFC Champions League, should it squeak through a qualifying phase.

The AFC Cup is an international club competition that in the past few years Global, Kaya, and Ceres have played in. No Filipino club has ever qualified for the AFC Champions League, where the strongest Asian clubs from the best Asian nations play.

It appears that the third-placer in the PFL may also have a chance to play in the AFC Cup.

The vaunted Meralco defense of Milan Nikolic, Lee Jeong Min and Joaco Cañas will need to be in form to corral an array of Global weapons, namely Minegishi, Rufo Sanchez, and Darryl Roberts. Paolo Salenga, who came off the bench to assist on the Minegishi goal, is also a major threat.

Meanwhile, Caslib’s own arsenal, consisting of strikers Curt Dizon, Minniecon, and Connor Tacagni, will be under pressure to perform.

Tickets for the game will be P20 for bleachers and P50 for the grandstand. Tickets will be available at the gate. Fans and media are advised to enter via the P. Ocampo gate since the Adriatico gate of Rizal Memorial will be closed.

Twilight Zone gets third reboot by top US comic

NEW YORK — Are you ready to re-enter The Twilight Zone?

US television channel CBS announced Wednesday it will resurrect the science-fiction series, in a bid to boost its subscription-based streaming platform CBS All Access.

Comedian-turned-director Jordan Peele — known for directing mystery thriller Get Out, which is heading into awards season — will helm the reboot.

First broadcast in 1959, The Twilight Zone was a pioneer in television drama, known for its suspenseful music composed by French-Romanian Marius Constant and the black-and-white spiral of the credits.

The series had no regular characters: each episode was instead a stand-alone exploration of fantasy, science-fiction, psychology, and metaphysics, with dramatic tension always at the forefront.

However, the series did have an omnipresent narrator — portrayed by the show’s writer, Rod Serling.

The Twilight Zone also featured performances from several film stars — from Buster Keaton to Robert Redford, along with the likes of Mickey Rooney, Lee Van Cleef, and William Shatner.

It served as inspiration for several other shows, including Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror (Netflix), itself a hit offering unsettling, satirical explorations of the modern world.

It has already been remade twice, broadcast from 1985 to 1989 on CBS and again between 2002 and 2003 on the cable channel UPN.

Director and actor Peele will serve as executive producer on this third revival, alongside Simon Kinberg, best known for his work on the X-Men franchise.

Peele made an impression as a director with his first film, Get Out, released in February. Despite a $4.5-million budget, the critically acclaimed tale of a young black man meeting his white girlfriend’s sweet-turned-sinister family earned $175 million — with takings of $254 million internationally.

“Too many times this year it’s felt we were living in a twilight zone, he said. “I can’t think of a better moment to reintroduce it to modern audiences.” — AFP

Coast Guard creates Southern Visayas team for security and Tubbataha protection

THE PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) has created a team that will be designated under a new Southern Visayas District to prevent the spillover of terrorist and bandit activities in the area and help in marine protection, especially the neighboring Tubbataha Reefs. Captain Artemio M. Abu, designated commander of the new PCG team, said the official creation of the unit would mean getting a share of assets from the PCG national headquarters, including ships and radar facilities. Mr. Abu said they expect that the PCG will have a budget to set up a Hinoba-an facility next year for the unit, which is currently co-located with the Coast Guard-Bacolod Station. The PCG-Southern Visayas also covers areas of Negros and Siquijor. “We are all aware that Negros has a very rich tourism potential,” Mr. Abu said. — The Freeman

Liverpool through in Champions League; Real Madrid’s Ronaldo claims fresh record

PARIS — Philippe Coutinho’s hat-trick inspired Liverpool to score seven in their win over Spartak Moscow on Wednesday as they joined Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto in qualifying for the Champions League last 16.

That quartet completed the lineup on the final night of group-stage action that was also notable for another Cristiano Ronaldo goals record in the competition.

The Portuguese superstar scored his ninth in the competition this season in reigning champions Real Madrid’s 3-2 win at home to Borussia Dortmund.

In doing so, he became the first player to score in all six Champions League group-stage matches in a season while also equaling his Barcelona rival Lionel Messi’s record of 60 group-stage goals in total.

Liverpool have also been prolific this season, and their demolition of Spartak was the second time they had won 7-0 en route to finishing top of Group E — they beat Maribor 7-0 in October.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were 3-0 up inside 19 minutes on a night that saw their ‘Fab Four’ run riot — Coutinho got his first hat-trick for the club, Sadio Mane scored twice and there was one each for Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.

“It’s really difficult when we go to the next gear and use the space. It was nice to watch tonight,” Klopp told BT Sport after guiding the Reds into the last 16 for the first time in nine years.

As a result, there will be a record five English clubs in next Monday’s draw, and they will not be able to face each other.

Spartak’s defeat meant Sevilla were through regardless of their 1-1 draw with Maribor in Slovenia.

Maribor captain Marcos Tavares scored the opener, with Paulo Henrique Ganso coming off the bench to equalize for the Spaniards. Spartak go into the Europa League.

NAPOLI OUT
Ukrainian giants Shakhtar are through to the last 16 in Group F at the expense of Napoli after beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City — who had already won the section — 2-1 in Kharkiv.

Shakhtar only needed a draw, but took all three points, with Brazilian duo Bernard and Ismaily getting their goals.

Bernard’s opener was a beauty, but it was a mistake by City goalkeeper Ederson that allowed Ismaily to make it 2-0.

Sergio Aguero’s stoppage-time penalty handed a consolation to City, but this was their first defeat of the season and they have the Manchester derby this weekend.

Napoli had gone in front early on away to already-eliminated Feyenoord through Piotr Zielinski, but Nicolai Jorgensen equalized. Jeremiah St. Juste then made it 2-1 at the death for the Dutch champions after they had Tonny Vilhena sent off.

“Now we want to go as far as possible in the Europa League,” Napoli captain Marek Hamsik told Mediaset Premium.

Porto also knew a win would take them through in Group G and the two-time European champions ran riot against a hapless Monaco, hammering last season’s semi-finalists 5-2.

Vincent Aboubakar scored twice for the Portuguese club, with Yacine Brahimi, Alex Telles and Francisco Soares also netting.

Monaco replied through a Kamil Glik effort and a Radamel Falcao header against his old club, while Porto’s Felipe and Rachid Ghezzal for the visitors were sent off after an altercation in the first half.

RB Leipzig were forced to settle for a Europa League spot in their debut European campaign.

They lost 2-1 at home to group winners Besiktas, for whom Talisca scored a last-minute winner after Naby Keita had canceled out Alvaro Negredo’s early penalty opener. Leipzig had Stefan Ilsanker sent off.

Real Madrid were already through before beating Dortmund in a Bernabeu thriller in Group H.

Borja Mayoral put the holders in front and Ronaldo’s stunning, record-setting strike came after just 12 minutes.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a brace to haul Dortmund level, but Lucas Vazquez won it for the hosts as the Germans drop into the Europa League.

“The Champions League is a competition that I love to play and score in, as you can see,” Ronaldo told UEFA.com.

Group H winners Tottenham Hotspur eased to a 3-0 win at home to APOEL, with Fernando Llorente, Son Heung-min and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou scoring at Wembley. — AFP

Remote workplace arrangements increasingly the PHL norm — Regus

OVER HALF of the workers in the Philippines work outside their employer’s main office for at least half of the week, a survey by a workplace provider showed.

In a study conducted by the Regus, covering 200 respondents in the Philippines, 57% said that they work remotely, outside of their company’s main offices, for half the week or more.

Only 33% however said they work mostly from home, and 50% said they work remotely “in order to remain productive while traveling to and from meetings within the same city or in other cities.” For the popular locations for remote work, 19% named business centers, while 13% said that they usually work overseas when working remotely.

“While remote working is clearly the norm, it certainly is not synonymous with home working: only a minority work exclusively from home,” the company said in a statement. Only 8% said they work exclusively from home.

Working remotely as shown in the survey indicates flexibility and mobility of the workers, rather than a clear preference for working exclusively at home.

Lars Wittig, Regus Philippines country manager, said in a statement: “These results show that today’s work force is truly mobile. Only a very small proportion of workers are true home-workers spending all their time out of the main office in a home-office. Workers report that they are not looking to replace one fixed office space with another such as the home, but are declaring that they need places to stop off and regain productivity while traveling to and from business meetings in their own, or in other cities.

“Business people clearly show that they need drop-in locations where they can productively work from a few hours to a full day. Business centers prove a popular choice as they can be found scattered across cities and provide a professional and collected environment that favors concentration, very much the opposite of noisy cafes where it is hard to find focus and privacy.”

Regus, based in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange, has a network of 2,850 locations in over 1,000 towns and cities across 114 countries, serving 2.3 million members. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

Taiwan’s D-Link hopes to attract more corporate clients

TAIWANESE network equipment manufacturer D-Link International Pte. Ltd. has partnered with local IT distributor Versatech International to broaden its distribution channels and attract more corporate clients in the Philippines.

D-Link, which offers a wide range of networking solutions including Wi-Fi routers, extenders and adapters, DSL modems and routers, and switches, is more known in the country for its home products, which include smart plugs and Internet protocol (IP) cameras.

D-Link President Jacky Chang said they hope to boost its corporate client base in the country, leveraging on the wide network and channels of Versatech.

“A few times more, in dealing with our corporate products… Our corporate products have smaller base than our home products,” Mr. Chang told reporters on Wednesday, when asked about its growth targets for the Philippine business.

“D-Link started launching its corporate products last year. With this cooperation and collaboration, [we can] reach some of our new customers.”

Versatech Executive Vice-President Stephen Yu told reporters: “Our priority really is the enterprise companies in the Philippine marketplace. We’re looking forward to a lot of developments in infrastructure and business growth in the Philippines.” 

Mr. Yu said they are especially looking at retail, apparel, and food businesses, as well as small chains and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.

Versatech also launched new products to add to its lineup, including the COVR-3902 Covr Wi-Fi System, a wireless networking solution provides seamless coverage for up to 6,000 square feet, and DAP-2610 Wireless AC1300 Wave 2 Dual-Band PoE Access Point, designed for enterprises and SME, offering dual-band WLAN options. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

Kiddie song tops YouTube videos for 2017

A BABY SHARK video by Pinkfong, a Korean brand creating content for children, took the top spot in YouTube’s list of top trending videos in the Philippines for 2017, with local shows and song and dance performances dominating the rest of the list.

The top 10 trending videos in the Philippines are:

• Original “Baby Shark”/Go #BabySharkChallenge/Special Thank You Video/Pinkfong. Pinkfong created and uploaded this video to thank viewers for making the original Baby Shark clip into a YouTube hit. In the thank you video, the kids in the original “Baby Shark” video danced to a much faster beat of the song accompanied by a large group of people and mascots.

• ABS-CBN Summer Station ID 2017 “Ikaw Ang Sunshine Ko, Isang Pamilya Tayo” Lyric Video. Every year the network welcomes summer with a station ID featuring it’s talents and personalities. This year’s station ID saw younger talents took center stage.

• The Voice Teens Philippines Blind Audition: Mica Becerro, “Queen Of The Night” (Magic Flute). For her blind audition for music competition Voice Teens Philippines, Mica Becerro, 17, of General Santos City, delivered a powerful rendition of a piece from the opera The Magic Flute.

• Happy Break Up The Movie (2017 full movie with English subs). Donnalyn Bartolome, creator of this full-length film, describes this video as her debut in YouTube filmmaking. Inspired by her single “Happy Break Up,” the film explores heartbreak through the eyes of Valentine (played by Bartolome). The film also stars Niño Muhlach, Marissa Sanchez, and Ann B. Mateo.

• Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”/ Kyle Hanagami choreography. Los Angeles-based choreographer Kyle Hanagami’s dance moves for Ed Sheeran’s single is now the most popular video on his channel. In this video, trios, pairs, and solo acts take their turns dancing out parts of the song.

• “Dahil Sa ’Yo”/Live Love Party/Zumba®/Dance Fitness. Several videos of Zumba dance group Live Love Party have already reached millions of views including the group’s performance of Iñigo Pascual’s “Dahil Sa ’Yo.”

• Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: “Sirena sighting sa Calayan Group of Islands, totoo nga ba?” This episode of the magazine show sparked a debate on whether mermaids are mythical or real.

• Rated K: “Meet Xander Ford!” The transformation of teenage group Hasht5 member Marlou Arizala into Xander Ford was one of the biggest reveals of the year. Xander first made his appearance on magazine show Rated K after undergoing a series of cosmetic procedures that gave him his new look.

• The Doctor Finally Called (“The Diagnosis”) In an 11-minute video that included clips of his adventures, former PBB Housemate Wil Dasovich revealed that he has been diagnosed with colon cancer. The confession made headlines after it was uploaded on his channel.

• Hit That “Despacito” Dance (Everytime “Despacito” Comes On)/ Ranz and Niana. Niana Guerrero, one-half of the sibling tandem Ranz and Niana, can’t stop herself from dancing along to “Despacito” whenever she hears it. This video showcases five instances when Niana stopped what she was doing to dance to Luis Fonsi and Yankee Daddy’s hit song.

Bicam agrees on up to 90% of tax reform bill

THE bicameral conference committee harmonizing Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bills from the House and Senate have agreed on “85 to 90%” of the legislation, or about 75 key provisions, Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara said.

Mr. Angara, who chairs his chamber’s committee on ways and means, made the announcement in a chance interview. In a separate social media post on Thursday, he added: “It seems that we are close to concluding this landmark measure.”

Mr. Angara also said he expects that Friday, Dec. 8, will be the last bicameral meeting on the tax reform bill.

“Tomorrow, we hope to wrap things up,” Mr. Angara said, adding that the committee still has at least five provisions to tackle and agree on, including the tax rates for “coal, mining, cosmetic procedures, housing, and self-employed and professionals,” which are not included in the House version of the bill.

The legislators also agreed to impose a 6-peso tax per liter for both sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened beverages, with a 12-peso tax for beverages using high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Milk and coffee, both ground and 3-in-1 varieties, were excluded, as were 100% juice products, according to Mr. Angara.

“That’s the purpose of the measure, to encourage the consumers to drink healthy drinks,” Mr. Angara said.

In the Senate version, the rate was P4.50 per liter for beverages using caloric and non-caloric sweeteners, and P9 per liter for beverages using HFCS. The House version had a P10 per liter tax on beverages using domestically produced sugar and P20 per liter for other sweeteners.

As for the proposed higher tax rate on cosmetic procedures, Mr. Angara said: “There are many doubts in Congress, and it’s up for a lot of debate. I hope tomorrow (Friday) we can find common ground.”

“The entertainment industry opposes it. Senator (Franklin M.) Drilon feels strongly about (raising the tax) as a matter of principle,” Mr. Angara added.

In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Drilon said cosmetic procedures should be taxed more as a gesture to those facing higher taxes elsewhere. “We are increasing the excise tax on fuel, which affects everybody. The cost of everyday goods will rise… The poorer segments of society will be affected, so why can we not impose a tax on activities which are purely luxury?”

On the tax rate of self-employed and professionals, Mr. Angara said the two chambers are far apart.

“The House version has a mandatory 8% rate on gross income which falls below the VAT threshold of P3 million.”

In the Senate version, Mr. Angara said an 8% rate is optional for those earning below the VAT threshold, giving them a choice to pay income tax according to the income tax schedule, with deductions.

Mr. Angara said the House wants to totally do away with the excise tax on coal, because of the impact on power prices.

The Senate bill raises the coal excise tax from P10 per metric ton to P100 per metric ton in the first year of implementation, P200 in the second year, and P300 in the third and succeeding years.

Mr. Drilon said: “Many provinces are served solely by coal-fired power plants. The national average would show that 48% of the power source is from coal and bunker fuel. That is the national average. However, there are certain areas where this is not the proportion because there is no renewable source of energy that is sufficient. For example, in the case of Mindanao, the whole of Mindanao is 60% dependent on coal-fired and bunker power plants as source of energy.”

Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez meanwhile said he sees no way for the chamber to approve the coal tax.

“We will not agree to that. Definitely not,” Mr. Alvarez said.

“Let us look at this objectively from the point of view of the consumers because the power industry will not complain much — it can pass on the cost to consumers,” he said.

Mr. Angara also announced that members of the bicameral conference committee agreed on Wednesday to increase the tax-exempt portion for 13th month pay and other bonuses to P90,000.

The Senate version of TRAIN had an P82,000 tax-free cap, unchanged from current law, while the House version called for tax-free treatment for up to P100,000. — Arjay L. Balinbin, Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

More than half of local governments in Panay, Guimaras still use open dump sites

OUT OF the 101 local government units (LGUs) within the islands of Panay and Guimaras, 55 have yet to close or rehabilitate open dumps, based on data from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). Of these, 34 are partially compliant, which means closing activities have been initiated. Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, mandates the closure and rehabilitation of open and controlled dump sites. Of the 46 compliant LGUs, 21 are in Iloilo province, 11 in Aklan, 8 in Antique, 4 in Capiz, and 2 in Guimaras. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Western Visayas Regional Director Jim O. Sampulna lauded the compliant LGUs saying, “We need the LGUs to help us in our fight to clean the environment.” Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has earlier warned LGU leaders of being slapped with criminal and administrative charges if they do not act towards the requirements of the solid waste management law. In Iloilo, the towns of Ajuy, Banate, Concepcion, Sara, and Sta. Barbara were among the 50 LGUs that were placed under investigation by the Environmental Ombudsman for failure to close or rehabilitate open dump sites. — Louine Hope Conserva

Jamming with Jae Joong

By Cecille Santillan-Visto
Contributor

Fan Meet
2017 Kim Jae Joong Asia Tour Fan Meeting in Manila
Smart Araneta Coliseum, QC, Nov. 30

KOREAN STAR Kim Jae Joong may be considered as one of the most versatile artists of his generation. He has a flourishing singing career — both as a soloist and as a member of the group, JYJ. As a singer, he has performed in sold-out concerts in world-class arenas in Korea, Japan, China, and other Asian countries. As an actor, he has starred in six drama series and has two films under his belt. As a recording artist, he has two full-length albums, WWW and No.X, on top of the album he released with JYJ and his former group, TVXQ.

It is this versatility that endeared him to his Filipino fans who finally had a chance to see him perform in Manila during a fan meeting at the Big Dome on Nov. 30.

The fan meeting is among Mr. Kim’s activities meant to touch base with his supporters following his discharge from two years of mandatory military service. The first of the series of worldwide fan meets was held in Seoul last October. Notably, tickets to the Seoul leg of his fan meeting tour sold out in just one minute.

“It’s been a long time but you guys are the same,” Mr. Kim, who debuted in 2003, told his fans.

The fan meeting was divided into two segments — the first had him playing games with fans, while the second half was devoted to a mini-concert.

In the first part, aside from the usual charades and Q&A with the fans, he also tried some Filipino food like papaitan and sisig, which he downed with local beer.

“San Miguel?” he asked the audience, visibly enjoying the brew, but he had to restrain himself from indulging in more as he still had to sing several numbers during the show. Mr. Kim was relaxed throughout, even gamely sharing with fans that he has been frequently visiting his dermatologist and at 31, he admitted in jest that he now easily loses stamina.

The Asia Popularity awardee at the 31st Golden Disc Awards also gave in to requests for him to dance to some Filipino novelty songs, such as the Sex Bomb’s “Spaghetti Song,” “Whoops Kirri” by Fruitcake, and Vhong Navarro’s “Pamela One.” And adapting the promotional video of Manhole — where the stars were shown dancing in their pajamas in Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul — some fans who had worn unique sleepwear were invited on stage to play charades with Mr. Kim. A fan in a revealing red nightie won the game hands down.

While Mr. Kim was unable to perform a Filipino song, he did hum some Filipino favorites like Side A’s “Forevermore” and Up Dharma Down’s “Tadhana” during the guess-the-song portion.

But the highlight of the day was Mr. Kim’s performance. Proving why he was named the Best Male Artist at the 2017 Yin Yue Tai V-Chart Awards, he rocked the stage with “Good Morning Night” and captured the audience with ballads like “Now is Good” and “Although We Met, We Will Meet Again” from his album, No.X. His talent and confidence on stage demonstrated why he is considered one of Korea’s hottest stars.

What made the show more engaging was the fact that most of those in the audience were long-time fans of Mr. Kim, JYJ, and TVXQ, prompting host Kim Elenzano-Kim to refer to them, to their delight, as “lumang tao” (old folk).

The show was comparatively short but sweet, with Jae Joong saying he will return soon, presumably for a full-length concert. For now, the fans have memories of their close encounter with him to savor until their next encounter.

Why the WTO Argentina Ministerial means nothing for the Philippines

The “bicycle theory of international trade” goes a little like this: think of trade as a bicycle; you keep peddling or you stop and if you keep peddling hard enough and get enough momentum, the rider (the government) can afford to step back once in a while just to keep minimum checks, but eventually the peddling has to keep going.

The theory was said to have been popularized by Fred Bergsten. Or Jagdish Bhagwati. Either way, it had been used to justify continued liberalization of trade despite possible burdens being suffered by poorer peoples as they absorb the dislocations that increased competition necessarily brings.

However, as Dani Rodrik points out, it is also being used by others to justify the continued freeing up of trade even though “further trade liberalization may not be an important priority for the world economy given how open it already is: you need to keep liberalizing, otherwise you risk giving up all the gains.”

Somehow, am reminded of the foregoing when thinking of the upcoming 10-13 December 2017 WTO Ministerial in Argentina. Much will be made of the meet, of the stakes for the global economy. But, in truth, does it really mean anything?

One immediate consideration is the lack of leadership with regard to international trade. I know some people eagerly look to China for that leadership but — short of something drastic occurring — it will not happen. Neither can the EU, plagued and confused as they are right now by their immigration and welfare policies, with the only intellectually stable country in terms of policy (the UK) opting out of the union.

No, at most, what the EU (or rather the exiting UK), along with Japan and South Korea, could do is serve as cheerleaders for trade while the United States makes up its mind. India (and perhaps Brazil) could continue in the role they’ve happily played so far: as ombudsman for the other big trading players.

Most of the opprobrium has been heaped on US president Donald Trump, for being “protectionist,” “isolationist,” or “anti-trade.” In truth, Mr. Trump simply verbalized what many Americans and what the US has always been generally: a domestically oriented country that just happens to see itself as a model for other countries. That it plays a role at all in the international scene is merely the accidental outflow of that latter belief.

Economic Policy Institute’s Jeff Faux confirms this: “The United States has always been a trading nation, but not a ‘free-trading’ nation. Until a quarter century ago trade policy — primarily the raising and lowering of tariffs — was an instrument of domestic economic development. As the US economy grew, so did its trade with the rest of the world. For the hundred years of America’s post — Civil War industrialization, America’s trade was in balance or in modest surplus, i.e., we paid for our imports with exports.”

The problem is thus not Mr. Trump, who has merely channeled the American ethos as to trade, but rather the hypocrisy of the cosmopolitan elite and of liberal politicians like former US president Barack Obama that (as Faux puts it) “cared more about its relationship with Wall Street and foreigners than with Americans whose lives were being wrecked by globalization.”

And Faux makes a significant point (citing Scott, Salas, and Campbell: Revisiting NAFTA: Still not Working for North America’s Workers, Economic Policy Institute Briefing Paper #173, September 2006): “Trade as a share of our economy was increasing way before NAFTA and will continue at a high level after TPP is officially rejected.”

Now consider the foregoing in relation to the upcoming Buenos Aires Ministerial. The 9th Ministerial in Bali did good, somewhat reviving sincere interest in trade and — more importantly — a tiny hope the Doha Round could go eventually get back on track. The 10th Ministerial in Nairobi quickly dashed any such notions, introducing new issues that are really more of a distraction and seemingly there to keep as many people to remain interested in the WTO.

The thing is that what one wants with regard to international trade — at this point in the WTO’s existence — is quality and not quantity of those interested in working with it.

So, instead of focusing on reviving the WTO’s primacy of place over that of regional trading blocs or free trade arrangements, one hears a lot of static regarding small and medium enterprises, gender equality, and even food security. All matters definitely taking away oxygen from the more crucial matters needed to be discussed at the Ministerial and are better off deliberated before domestic institutions of the individual members.

At this point, the US is right to examine its trade deficits or the discriminatory trade practices against it vis-à-vis individual countries, its unemployment levels, its growth, and competitiveness, rather than plunge itself into an international trade scene that is as confused as it has never been before.

And so should the Philippines.

 

Jemy Gatdula is a Senior Fellow of the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations and a Philippine Judicial Academy law lecturer for constitutional philosophy and jurisprudence.

jemygatdula@yahoo.com

www.jemygatdula.blogspot.com

facebook.com/jemy.gatdula

Twitter @jemygatdula

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