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Ateneo edges UP to near sweep of elims

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Ateneo Blue Eagles are now one win away from a rare sweep of the elimination round in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) after winning their 13th straight game in Season 80 with a 96-82 victory over a gutsy University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in a key game yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Faced a tough challenge from a Maroons crew fighting for its playoff lives, the Eagles needed to dig deep in the winning quarter to survive and win and take their shot at history in their final game this weekend.

Despite the loss, UP’s playoff hopes are still alive after the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws (6-7) missed their chance to advance outright to the semifinals following their 87-84 loss to the National University (NU) Bulldogs (5-8) in the first game earlier in the day.

Knowing the significance of their match, both the Maroons and Eagles came out with an aggressive mind-set right at the onset.

The two teams went back and forth and made runs and counter-runs.

UP, led by floor leader Paul Desiderio and Diego Dario, would have Ateneo’s number in the opening half.

The Maroons claimed a 23-22 edge at the end of the first quarter before extending it to a six-point separation, 48-42, by the halftime break.

Diliman-based UP jumpstarted things in the third frame with six quick points to stretch their lead to 12 points, 54-42, with eight minutes to go.

Led by Thirdy Ravena, the Eagles cut their deficit to four points, 54-50, in the next minute only for UP rookie Juan Gomez de Liano to answer back with back-to-back triples to give them more breathing space, 60-50.

The jostling continued thereafter with the two teams fighting to a 64-63 affair at the end of third with UP still ahead.

Ateneo then made its move in the fourth period as big man Isaac Go delivered big baskets one after another to give the Eagles a 79-68 lead in the first four minutes.

The Maroons fought back after, tying the score at 79-all with four minutes remaining.

Ateneo held an 87-82 lead with 1:54 to go on the clock.

The Maroons tried hard to spring back from it but the Eagles were not to relent and hung on for the win.

Matt Nieto led Ateneo with 19 points with Go and rookie Gian Mamuyac adding 13 each.

Gomez de Liano was the lead point man for UP with 21 while Desiderio finished with 16.

“UP showed a lot of heart. They had a great game plan. But the boys showed character especially in the second half and we’re happy to come out with the win,” said Ateneo deputy Sandy Arespacochaga postmatch.

Ateneo plays rivals and defending champions De La Salle Green Archers on Sunday for a shot at win no. 14 while UP faces NU.

BULLDOGS BITE TAMARAWS
In the first game, NU used a strong finish in the end to pull the rug from other FEU to thwart the latter’s chance to advance to the next round of the tournament outright.

With Arvin Tolentino and Ron Dennison sizzling, the Tamaraws raced to a 27-19 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bulldogs tried to keep in step with the season hosts but the latter kept finding ways to stay ahead on their way to establishing a 47-39 advantage by the halftime break.

NU would open the third canto with a 12-5 run to cut its deficit to just one point, 52-51, with a little over three minutes lapsing in the frame.

The Bulldogs eventually seized the lead, 60-59, after two made free throws by Chino Mosquedo at the 3:33 mark.

FEU though would survive the Bulldogs’ bite as Hubert Cani and Wendell Comboy drained big shots to close out the quarter and help the Tamaraws build a 72-64 lead in the end.

Regaining some momentum, FEU opened the final canto with a 7-0 run to extend its lead to 15 points, 79-64 early.

The Bulldogs, however, would charge back with Jayjay Alejandro and Issa Gaye anchoring.

NU reclaimed the lead, 82-81, with 4:51 remaining after Alejandro drained a triple.

The Bulldogs further stretched their lead to five points, 86-81, with three minutes remaining.

Dennison sliced it to two, 86-84, with a three-pointer at the last two-minute mark.

FEU had chances to tie or retake the lead but failed to complete them each time.

A split on the charity stripe by Enzo Joson gave NU an 87-84 lead with 13 ticks to go.

Tolentino moved to tie the contest thereafter but his three-point heave did not go in as the final buzzer sounded.

Gaye led NU with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Alejandro finished with 17 points, six rebounds and nine assists.

Joson had 13 markers.

FEU, meanwhile, was paced by Tolentino and Dennison with 21 points each.

“The players showed maturity in this game despite us falling behind big. It is something that I was hoping that they would show and hopefully it’s not yet late,” said NU coach Jamike Jarin after their win.

“The script for us today was to win. And we will continue to write our script in the next game,” he added, referring to UP which they will face on Saturday.

FEU takes on the third-running Adamson Falcons also on Saturday where a win pushes it inside the Final Four while a loss sends it to a playoff with either UP or NU.

Duterte to raise maritime issues with China

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Wednesday, Nov. 8, said he will raise maritime issues between the Philippines and China at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Vietnam.

Earlier that day, Mr. Duterte’s Defense secretary, Delfin N. Lorenzana, said the Philippines and China will negotiate a military protocol to avoid maritime “miscalculations,” following a brief standoff near a Philippine-occupied island in a disputed part of the South China Sea.

In a news conference Wednesday afternoon marking his departure for Vietnam, Mr. Duterte said he would take up with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, maritime issues in the disputed waters that observers say have been sidestepped since the 2016 arbitral ruling in the Philippines’ favor initiated by the previous Aquino administration.

“So tanungin ko lang siya (So I will ask [Mr. Xi]), what are the stakes? You want to control the passage, or do we have free passage? Unbridled, undisturbed, unmolested, while we use that small way from the Indian Ocean which is facing Palawan,” Mr. Duterte said.

He acknowledged Chinese support for the Philippines particularly during the Marawi siege, but said this should not be used as “bargaining chips on what is the greater interest of Southeast Asia and more particularly the higher interest of our country.”

Mr. Duterte also said the Philippines must engage as well in a dialogue with other nations also asserting claims on the disputed waters.

“It’s about time ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries — not really to confront, but to — make clear to us what China really wants,” he said in part.

“So it’s about time, either in the bilateral or in the plenary, I should be bringing this important matter to the surface. So that we will know when can we be safe in traveling the China-expans(e) — because they have claimed it now.”

In a forum also on Wednesday, former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert F. del Rosario chided the ASEAN for being “adrift” amid the issues concerning the region and for its “lack of leadership.”

“If ASEAN pursues an over abundance of caution, it risks becoming only a bystander to the events within its own region,” said Mr. Del Rosario, a participant in the arbitration case against China, regarding the regional bloc which holds its 31st summit in Manila next week.

On a related controversy, Mr. Duterte appeared to hedge when asked about his order to scrap plans of building a fishermen’s shelter on a sandbar in the disputed sea following Beijing’s protest, as Mr. Lorenzana had claimed early on Wednesday.

“No. China never….In fairness to China, it never talked a strong arm [inaudible],” Mr. Duterte said in part.

Mr. Lorenzana had said, “We tried to put some structures (on) one of the sandbars near our island and the Chinese reacted.”

“And so the President came to know about this and he said: ‘Let’s pull out.’”

Mr. Lorenzana also disclosed, “We intend to sit down with China to draft and agree on a protocol to resolve immediately any incident.”

“We hope to avoid any miscalculations in the disputed areas so we need the protocol to act on any problems because we cannot wait for higher authorities to decide,” he added.

Another potentially delicate matter is Mr. Duterte’s expected bilateral talks with US President Donald J. Trump, who according to a Bloomberg report quoting a White House official, will take up the human rights situation in the Philippines’ drug war.

Mr. Duterte has been sensitive to that matter, as raised then by Mr. Trump’s predecessor, Barack H. Obama, Jr. Mr. Duterte has since become steadfastly critical of Mr. Obama even long after the latter’s presidency.

But asked about his forthcoming meeting with Mr. Trump, Mr. Duterte said, “I have to hear them first before I make my response. Because it will be based on the outcome of their talks and the points that would touch the Philippines, I said, I would have to decide what is best for my country alone.” — reports by Reuters, AFP, interaksyon.com and Rosemarie A. Zamora

Extreme dining in Shanghai

SHANGHAI — A van spirits 10 guests to a secret location in Shanghai, where they enter a nondescript industrial building as Richard Strauss’s theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey fills the air.

Inside is avant-garde restaurant Ultraviolet, the city’s newest three-star Michelin eatery, where adventurous gourmands happily pay up to 6,000 yuan ($900) per head and the wait list for a seat is three months.

The group dines on 22 courses — each one served in an atmosphere tailored to that dish and created by video and other images projected on the walls, pumped-in aromas, and its own soundtrack.

French chef Paul Pairet, 53, says the aim is to “connect the dots” between the mind and palate by triggering “the right atmosphere, linked to the right plate,” which he believes helps to enhance the flavors of each dish.

Guests take a culinary world tour, while mood music ranges from Claude Debussy to AC/DC. Pairet’s take on fish-and-chips comes in a London rainshower to the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” while lobster is served as footage of ocean waves crashes on the walls and the scent of sea air is blown in.

“You are using all your different senses to feel this experience,” Cheryl Chen, a Shanghai consultant, dining at Ultraviolet, explains.

“It’s multi-dimensional versus others that probably have good food and a good environment, but this is one of a kind,” she adds.

Pairet, who already has two other highly regarded “traditional restaurants” in Shanghai, first made his name as a chef at Café Mosaic in Paris in the 1990s before stints in Istanbul, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Jakarta.

Ultraviolet was more than two decades in the making, he explains.

Its continued success, five years after it first opened, is testament to Shanghai’s burgeoning food scene — Michelin launched a dedicated guide for the city in 2016 — the only one in mainland China.

It also indicates the growing disposable income and culinary curiosity of Shanghai citizens.

Pairet says consumer interest actually increased after he put up Ultraviolet’s prices to cover costs.

He explains: “When we increased the price of Ultraviolet — we needed to sustain the whole project, there was no other way — after a certain level of price at 6,000 RMB, we had an increase of Chinese customers.” — AFP

Gov’t admits Yolanda rehabilitation work ‘unacceptable’

THE ADMINISTRATION gave assurance yesterday that it remains committed to the rehabilitation work in areas destroyed by typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), one of the strongest storms in recorded global history, as it admitted that the rebuilding program’s implementation has been slow.

The construction of resettlement houses were “simply unacceptable as far as the President is concerned,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said in a statement yesterday, the 4th year anniversary of the first landfall of what has been tagged as a ‘supertyphoon’ that swept through the Visayas in central Philippines.

Mr. Roque said President Rodrigo R. Duterte has tasked Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council head Eduardo D. del Rosario and Boy Scouts of the Philippines National President Wendel E. Avisado as point persons in the rehabilitation.

The spokesman cited that the government has rehabilitated “seaport and airport facilities and classrooms” and that the shelter assistance in Tacloban City, one of the areas hardest hit, is the “most successful model in the Yolanda Permanent Housing Program with the most number of resettlement houses occupied at 10,703 units from a total housing target of 14,433 houses.”

However, an assessment undertaken by research and advocacy group IBON Foundation, Inc., released yesterday, indicates that only 50,891 housing units have been completed out of the total 205,128 target for all affected areas. Further, of those completed, only 27% are occupied due to substandard construction, lack of facilities, and proximity to livelihood opportunities.

Mr. Roque said Mr. Duterte has vowed to go after those accountable for the failures in implementation.

“At the same time, he (Mr. Duterte) promises prosecution for the subhuman housing that were constructed in the Yolanda devastated areas, which came out as a result of investigation conducted by the committee on housing of the House of the Representatives,” he said.

In September, Representative Alfredo Abelardo B. Benitez, chairman of the House committee on housing, said he would file a case against contractor Juanito Tayag of J.C. Tayag Builders, Inc. for using substandard materials for the housing project in Balangiga, Eastern Samar.

“Today, the nation remembers Yolanda. As we commemorate the deadliest typhoon that hit the Philippines on record, we offer prayers to those who lost their lives, we also keep in mind the lessons learned brought by such great tragedy,” Mr. Roque said.

Rental revenues lift Megaworld Q3

MEGAWORLD CORP. grew earnings by 12% in the third quarter, fueled by the double-digit increase in rental revenues.

In a regulatory filing, the property firm of tycoon Andrew L. Tan reported its net income attributable to the parent jumped to P3.53 billion in the July to September period from P3.16 billion during the same period a year ago.

This brought its nine-month attributable profit to P9.98 billion, 11% higher than the P8.98 billion it delivered in the same period in 2016.

Consolidated revenues rose 5% to P12.82 billion in the third quarter, driving its nine-month tally 5% higher to P37.1 billion.

For the third quarter, rental income went up 16% to P3 billion, while the nine-month figure surged by 19% to P8.82 billion.

“Our rental business remains to be a key contributor to our consistent growth, and we see this to become stronger in the coming years as we complete more office and commercial buildings as well as malls in our townships across the country,” Megaworld Senior Vice-President and Treasurer Francisco C. Canuto said in a statement.

The company is currently the largest lessor of office spaces in the country with a total of 888,500 square meters (sq.m.) The company will be adding more office spaces in Taguig City, and Southwoods City in Laguna, among other locations, as it targets to be the first property developer with 1 million sq.m. under its office space inventory by the end of 2017.

Megaworld reported real estate sales went up by 0.8% to P7.33 billion in the third quarter from P7.28 billion a year ago. For the nine-month period, real estate sales rose 1.2% to P20.95 billion from P20.71 billion a year ago.

Its hotel business saw a 5% year-on-year increase in revenues to P302 million, bringing the nine-month figure 8% higher to P950 million. Among its hotels are the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Iloilo Business Park, Savoy Hotel in Boracay Newcoast and in Newport City, as well as Hotel Lucky Chinatown in Binondo, Manila.

Megaworld is part of Alliance Global Group, Inc., Mr. Tan’s holding firm which also has core investments in liquor, gaming, and quick service restaurants.

Shares in Megaworld picked up 15 centavos or 2.64% to P5.84 each at the stock exchange on Wednesday. — Arra B. Francia

Antetokounmpo magic in vain as Cavaliers win

LOS ANGELES — Giannis Antetokounmpo produced a scintillating 40-point masterclass but it was not enough to stop LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers from claiming a thrilling victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

Antetokounmpo’s superb display, which also included nine rebounds and three assists, threatened to overwhelm the Cavs as they sought to bounce back from Sunday’s shock loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

But 30 points from James and 32 points from Kevin Love helped the Cavs hang on for a 124-119 victory at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.

James and Antetokounmpo seemed locked in their own personal duel for long periods of an absorbing contest and finished with similar figures.

Later, James admitted the 22-year-old Athens born Antetokounmpo — nicknamed “The Greek Freak” — was all but impossible to defend against.

“He attacked nonstop for however many minutes he was on the floor,” James said.

“You got to put multiple bodies in front of him and then when you do put multiple bodies in front of him, he’s still able to score. He’s great in transition and great getting at the rim.”

The high-scoring contest saw three other Cleveland players make double figures, with J.R. Smith posting 20 points and Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade grabbing 10 apiece.

Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, was backed by 22 points from Malcolm Brogdon and 20 from Khris Middleton.

Cleveland improved to 5-6 with the win, while the Bucks fell to 4-6.

Elsewhere Tuesday, Harrison Barnes poured on 31 points as the Dallas Mavericks made a mockery of the form book with an upset over the Washington Wizards.

The Mavs, owners of a league-worst 1-10 record heading into the game, made sure of a 113-99 win after producing a late fourth quarter run.

‘COLLECTIVE WILL’
Dennis Smith posted 22 points and Wesley Matthews added 14 as the Mavericks snapped a six-game losing streak in style.

Dallas had led 64-53 at halftime and opened up a 16-point lead at one stage in the second half.

However, they were given a scare when Washington closed to 90-88 with 9:09 remaining.

Yet Dallas responded with a 15-5 run to clinch a deserved win for the Texas franchise.

“We came into the game with a great collective force and collective will,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

“We’ve been getting kicked around and it’s no fun. Tonight our guys drew a line in the sand and really brought things to another level defensively.”

Washington, however, were left ruing their inability to put up decent numbers, making only 42.7% from the field against one of the league’s worst defenses.

The defeat was the Wizards’ third straight home loss and their fifth in seven games. Washington fell to 5-5 with the loss.

Wizards ace John Wall, who put up 23 points and 14 assists, blamed slack defending for the loss.

“You have to be able to guard in this league, and we haven’t done that at the beginning of this season,” Wall told reporters.

In New York, the Kristaps Porzingis scored 28 points as the Knicks staged yet another late rally to win, beating the Charlotte Hornets, 118-113, at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks fought back from a 15-point third quarter deficit to score a win which boosts them to 6-4 for the season.

In San Antonio, the Spurs (7-4) romped to victory over the Los Angeles Clippers (5-5), winning 120-107. LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points for San Antonio while Danny Green added 24 and Rudy Gay 22 from the bench. Pau Gasol also cracked double figures with 19 points. — AFP

Michelin expands restaurant guides as part of Asian growth push

MICHELIN, facing fierce competition from lower-cost Chinese tire makers as it expands in Asia, is counting on a little luxury splash from haute cuisine to boost its brand image.

The French company is introducing its eponymous restaurant guide for Bangkok in December as part of a broader effort to increase the brand’s appeal in Asia. In July it bought a 40% stake in the US-based Robert Parker wine guide, which hosts tasting events on the continent, including in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau, where Michelin already has food guides.

While selling tires may seem to have little to with finding a tasty coq au vin at a fancy restaurant, Michelin sees the unprofitable guides as helping to position its brand as high quality as it goes up against China’s Shandon g Linglong Tyre Co. and Aeolus Tyre Co. The company also is moving upscale thanks to high-tech connected tires such as its airless prototype resembling coral, or light tires designed for electric vehicles.

“The guide is part and parcel of our brand image in mature countries,” Chief Financial Officer Marc Henry said in an interview. “In emerging countries where more and more people are buying a car for the first time, we see that we can recreate a bit of this brand attraction.”

Expanding in Asia will help reduce the Clermont Ferrand, France-based company’s dependence on Europe and US, which together account for more than three-quarters of its sales. Cie Gener ale des Etablissements Michelin, as the company is formally known, also is diversifying into services such as fleet management and insurance.

The so-called red guide was created in 1900 by Andre and Edouard Michelin. At a time when cars weren’t popular yet, it became a tool to encourage people to drive for longer distances and to stop at restaurants and hotels.

INDUSTRY BENCHMARK
The company’s reviewers award stars based on creativity, quality and service. Three stars means the cuisine is akin to art and “worth a special journey,” two mean excellence and talent that are “worth a detour,” and one means that the restaurant is good in its category, with top ingredients and flavors.

The guide is still a benchmark in the industry, said Pierre-Yves Chupin, in charge of rival publication named Lebey. Restaurants can as much as double their revenue when they receive their first rating from Michelin, according to the company.

Getting or losing a star can result in widely publicized controversies for chefs: Sebastien Bras, who about 10 years ago set up a timekeeper in his kitchen to make sure his aides didn’t work longer than the mandatory 35-hour work week, recently asked Michelin to withdraw the 3-star rating of his Le Suquet restaurant in southern France, because of the pressure it entailed. Bookings are still sold out, with menus between €143 and €227, according to an aide.

“It’s hard to quantify, but it’s a fact that the Michelin brand is known worldwide thanks to the guide,” said Michael Foundoukidis, a Natixis analyst. “Michelin has a premium image in almost every country, contrary to most of its European competitors.” According to a YouGov poll, Michelin ranks fifth among the French’s most favorite brands.

US MARKET
Michelin also is eyeing the US market, where it already has guides for New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington DC’s restaurant scenes. Michelin’s red book is available in 26 countries and is bound to expand as the company aims to double revenues from services by 2020, from €1 billion in 2016. Michelin had total sales of €20.9 billion ($24.3 billion) last year.

The French company is investing in the guides even as it cuts costs amid fierce competition in the tire market, leading it to plan for some 2,000 job cuts by 2021, mostly in France. Chief Executive Officer Jean-Dominique Senard aims to make the guide and mapping unit, known as Michelin Travel Partner, profitable. He moved its headquarters from Paris to a close suburb and reduced headcount. Michelin doesn’t disclose sales for the business, though it said in a filing that revenue rose sharply last year.

Rating apps such as Yelp or TripAdvisor aren’t a threat to the guide, because the Michelin inspectors who review restaurants are independent, anonymous, and pay for their food, said Claire Dorland Clauzel, the Michelin executive vice-president who oversees the guides.

BRAND QUALITY
“In a world full of fake reviews, we realize that the reassuring nature, the seriousness and the quality of the brand does matter,” she said in an interview. The company has expanded to online reservations, including with the purchase of UK-based BookaTable and Spain-based Restaurantes last year, and is considering other acquisitions.

The company also hosts gourmet food and wine tastings. Dorland Clauzel declined to provide any figures for the business, but said the paid events should help the guide become profitable within a few years.

In any case, the guide is a cheap marketing investment and doesn’t weigh on the share price, said senior Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Dean. Michelin shares have returned 30% in the past year including dividends, outpacing the 26% return for the Stoxx 600 Automobiles & Parts Index.

“The guide is an extraordinary tool for our brand,” said Dorland Clauzel. “It’s in our DNA — as much as tires are.” — Bloomberg

Why foodies should flock to San Francisco

MICHELIN has delivered some good news to the Bay Area.

The restaurant bible announced the places that it has awarded one, two, and three stars in and around San Francisco. The news had been postponed, due to the wildfires in the area.

There are now seven Michelin three-star restaurants in San Francisco. The newest addition is Coi, a modern, thought-provoking restaurant near the Financial District. Chef/owner Daniel Patterson handed over kitchen duties to Matthew Kirkley early last year; in response, the restaurant gained a star. “Matthew Kirkley has taken the restaurant to another level,” says Michael Ellis, international director of the Michelin Guide. “He can combine sweetbreads and skate. He can serve a dish like sea urchin mousseline with grapefruit caramel. You think, ‘How can that work?’ Yet it does.”

Patterson agreed. “I’m so happy for Matt,” he told Bloomberg after hearing the announcement. “He’s worked incredibly hard and he’s very deserving. I knew when I hired him he would cook at a three-star level and it’s great to see that hard work truly recognized.”

New York has only five Michelin three-stars after the announcement of the 2018 winners (See related story. — Ed.). The Bay Area seems to be ahead of the Big Apple in terms of creativity and ambitious cooking, and it has an affluent, young, tech-industry workforce that supports this — at least on the higher end.

The Michelin two-star category included mostly good news, too, for the Bay Area. Two restaurants were freshly named: the modern Mexican Californos, in the Mission, and the exceptional, farm-based, Japanese-minded Single Thread, in Healdsburg.

In all, 55 restaurants earned Michelin stars; last year there were 54. That bucked the trend for the area’s inexpensive restaurants — the Bib Gourmands, Michelin’s cheap eats, listed 67 spots this year, down from 74 a year ago. (For anyone wondering whether the charming, New American Rich Table was taken off that list because it landed a Michelin star this year, the answer is “Yes.”)

Another worthy addition to the list is Kenzo, the elegant Japanese omakase spot in Napa that’s attached to the winery of the same name. It’s owned by video game mogul Kenzo Tsujimoto, chief executive officer of Capcom Co. Also notable is In Situ, from chef Corey Lee. His restaurant in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art received a star for recreating the world’s most famous dishes from such chefs as Massimo Bottura, David Chang, and Wylie Dufresne.

One restaurant that was downgraded from two stars to one is Campton Place. “It went to an all-tasting-menu format, which is fine, but the bar is higher,” notes Ellis. Several one-star spots shut their doors, including Aziza, Mosu, and Nico.

“There’s a lot of high level cooking going on in San Francisco right now,” Patterson says. “It’s at the highest level I’ve seen it. When we opened Coi [in 2006], there was nothing. I’ve seen it go from zero to where it is now. It’s been a remarkable evolution.”

“New York has a lot of talent. But there’s a particular, creative energy and almost unlimited ambition coming out of California,— said Ellis. “There are huge Asian and Mexican influences, access to incredible products both locally and from Japan, and a young, thriving audience. It’s a perfect cocktail of things coming together for the city’s culinary scene.” — Bloomberg

PCC supports mobile number portability to spur competition

THE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said it supports a bill which allows mobile phone users to keep their old numbers when switching service providers, as a means of boosting competition in the industry.

In a statement Monday, PCC Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan said that consumers should have the choice to switch telco providers should they encounter poor service, but the change should be made as friction-free as possible via mobile number portability (MNP).

“When disgruntled consumers want to bolt to a new or another network provider, having MNP in place means people are not prisoners of the network simply because they want to keep their digits,” he added.

According to PCC, MNP, which is a feature of the Malaysian and Singaporean telecommunications industries, allows phone users a measure of continuity in their dealings.

“In this age when a person’s phone number is considered part of one’s identity, changing numbers can sometimes mean lost opportunities, access, or connections. If MNP is in place, a person can retain one’s number without having to worry about that,” Mr. Balisacan said.

On Tuesday, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) during a Senate hearing on the MNP Act also said MNP may help attracting new players into the market.

NTC has been advocating MNP as early as 2008.

Last year, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian filed Senate Bill No. 1237 or the Mobile Number Portability Act which proposes that public communications entities should give their subscribers a mobile number they can keep even if they change network service providers.

“The price of the software we need to operate the porting of mobile numbers has gone down [since 2008]. There is still a possibility that consumers may shoulder some of the costs, but we are currently consolidating studies and frameworks to make it completely free for all subscribers,” Mr. Gatchalian said in a statement on Wednesday. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

Altamirano and Dela Cruz join Alaska coaching staff

ERIC ALTAMIRANO was drafted by Alaska Milk in the 1988 Rookie Draft, but his playing career was cut short by a knee injury and since then, started embarking in a coaching career.

Tony dela Cruz spent most of his playing career with the Alaska Aces where he served as a long-time team captain of the squad.

Danny Ildefonso won back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards in 2000 and 2001 and was crucial in transforming June Mar Fajardo to become the most dominant force in the PBA today which led to the Cebuano slotman to winning the MVP for four consecutive years.

The three will be the key additions to join head coach Alex Compton in the Aces coaching staff this coming PBA season.

“I am really excited about the new coaches we have added to our coaching staff. Coach Eric Altamirano is a proven winner at every single level he has coached, including the PBA. Alaska gets a veteran coach with tremendous experience and character in coach Eric, who is truly a man of excellence,” Mr. Compton wrote in a text message to BusinessWorld.

After his short stint as a player, Mr. Altamirano moved on to coach the UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP before becoming an assistant coach to Chot Reyes at Purefoods.

A year later, Mr. Altamirano was appointed head coach of Purefoods and became one of the few rookie coaches to win a championship, leading the Corned Beef Cowboys to the All-Filipino championship. In 1998, he moved to Mobiline, which he also led to winning the Centennial Cup, a side event while the Philippine Centennial Team was preparing for the Asian Games.

He returned as Purefoods coach in 2001, then spent the next year helping out the late Ron Jacobs, succeeded by his understudy Jong Uichico, as the national team coach for the Busan Asian Games.

Mr. Altamirano was also responsible in discovering Mr. Compton in 1997 and brought the American player to the Metropolitan Basketball Association to play for the Manila Metrostars where the latter became a star point guard for the team.

Mr. Dela Cruz, a former national team member, retired from playing last season and there’s no special feeling embarking in a coaching career than joining his long-time squad.

“Tony dela Cruz has always been one of the smartest players in the PBA and he knows the ins and outs of our system as well as any of our coaches. He is an excellent communicator who has a great relationship with everyone on the team and he will make a very smooth transition into coaching,” added Mr. Compton.

Mr. Ildefonso had proven he could be an effective big man coach as what he had done with Mr. Fajardo. He spent the past season helping out the National University Bulldogs in the coaching staff.

“Danny Ildefonso is both one of the best players and best men to ever have played in the PBA. He has always had a tremendous work ethic and has detailed knowledge on how to play the game as a big man. He will surely have a tremendous impact on the development of our big man,” added Mr. Compton.

The inclusion of these new members of the coaching staff came on the heels of the departure of Louie Alas and Topex Robinson. Alas was appointed head coach of the Phoenix Fuel Masters and brought in Robinson, also head coach of the Lyceum Pirates, to become his lead assistant. — Rey Joble

Vista Land targets P10-B income for 2018

VISTA LAND and Lifescapes, Inc. (VLL) targets to hit a P10-billion net income in 2018, amid a solid growth performance so far in 2017 driven by the continued positive sentiment in the real estate sector.

VLL President and Chief Executive Officer Manuel Paolo A. Villar said the company is bullish on the property sector as the government’s infrastructure projects are seen pushing demand for more residential and office spaces.

“It’s the liquidity that’s in our sector that’s very good. And the anticipation of infrastructure. Clearly when you build infrastructure it drives the rest of the property up, so since we’re building infra all over the country I think it’s causing an increase,” Mr. Villar said in a press conference in Makati City on Wednesday.

VLL’s profit guidance for 2018 is 11% higher than its P9-billion profit target for this year.

In the July to September period, the company’s net income attributable to the parent climbed 6% to P2.57 billion from the P2.41 billion in the same period in 2016. This comes on the back of a 4.5% increase in revenues to P8.65 billion.

The third quarter results pushed VLL’s nine-month attributable profit to P6.95 billion, 11% higher than the P6.25 billion posted in the same period in 2016. Revenues, meanwhile, rose 11.8% to P26.86 billion during the period.

VLL attributed its positive financial performance to robust demand for its residential properties, which accounted for bulk of its revenues at P20.8 billion. It cited the growth in disposable income and overseas Filipino workers’ remittances as reasons for the continued strong demand for properties.

The company’s Camella brand contributed over 75% of real estate revenues, followed by Vista Residences, Inc. at 15% and Crown Asia Properties, Inc. at 4%.

With 44 residential projects launched during the nine-month period worth P46.1 billion, Mr. Villar said they could easily reach more than P60 billion by the end of the year.

Leasing income grew by 30% to P4.3 billion during the first nine months of the year, alongside the company’s target to end the year with 1.3 million square meters of gross floor area (GFA) split between mall (85%) and office spaces (15%). By the end of September, the company’s total GFA was at 1.02 million sq.m.

“We’ve added a significant amount of space in the last three quarters, so we’re well on our way. I think we’ll be adding a little more space at the fourth quarter… I think we’ll be able to comfortably achieve that,” Mr. Villar said.

The company has already spent P25.2 billion out of the P35.3 billion in capital expenditures it allocated for 2017.

“Clearly we have good growth this year. We’re going to achieve our guidance this year, we’re also looking at a good year next year. So we’re quite bullish on the prospects on (VLL) both in the residential and commercial,” Mr. Villar said.

VLL is currently present in 132 cities and municipalities, and 46 provinces. The company is targeting to reach 200 cities in the long term.

Shares in VLL were up by 0.49% or three centavos to P6.13 each at the stock exchange on Wednesday. — Arra B. Francia

Lapeña sets up hands-off policy on drug shipments

CUSTOMS COMMISSIONER Isidro S. Lapeña has signed an order to keep the bureau’s hand off the handling of dangerous drugs (DD) and controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs).

The memorandum directs Bureau of Customs (BoC) personnel to immediately report all suspected illegal drugs discovered by way of regular course of work to the Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force (CAIDTF) for proper coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

“All shipments found to contain DD and/or CPECs within the jurisdiction of the BoC and intended for controlled delivery, the PDEA shall be the lead agency,” reads Memorandum 2017-11-004.

Mr. Lapeña, formerly the PDEA chief before being appointed to the (BoC) in August, said: “To avoid glitch in drug operations, make way and let PDEA stand in front because when it comes to drugs, they know better.”

In May this year, a shipment of 605-kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, worth P6.4 billion that passed through Customs ports was discovered.

Former Customs commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon, along with 11 other Customs officials, are facing criminal charges filed by PDEA for the alleged mishandling of the evidence and failing to follow proper procedures on illegal drugs.

“PDEA is the responsible agency in filing criminal and civil cases related to drugs for violation of Republic Act 9165 while BoC in filing criminal and civil cases arising from violation of Republic Act 10863 or Customs Modernization and Tariff Act,” the BoC said.

“Ignorance of the law excuses no one. Let us follow the law and the proper protocol. However, let me also urge our BoC operatives to be always on tight guard so that we can suppress all drug importations right at the port of entry,” said Mr. Lapeña. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

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