Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 13599

Dominguez: PHL readying projects for MCC consideration

THE PHILIPPINES is preparing a pipeline of projects ahead of a possible Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) aid package even as negotiations have yet to start.

“We hired a consultant to put already a package of projects,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III told reporters last week.

If a possible offer would surface, Mr. Dominguez said the government will pitch infrastructure projects for eastern Luzon.

Mr. Dominguez said earlier that he had met with MCC officials on a possible aid package. “They ask us what are your priorities, these are our priorities, so they say why, at least we have a study.”

“The MCC already started a project in the east coast of the Philippines. So I said why don’t we study the possibility of putting good developments in the east coast of Luzon for infrastructure. That needs a lot of development,” he said.

Mr. Dominguez hinted of a possible port on the Philippine Rise where research vessels may operate.

“But the major projects we want are the infra. We are just preparing. If they approve it then we can hit the ground running, if they cannot approve it, then we have something in the pipeline that we can finance elsewhere,” he said.

Last August, MCC deemed the Philippines eligible to be a recipient of a compact in 2018. The first compact was a five-year grant that ended in May last year, which amounted to $433.08 million.

This was “aimed to reduce transportation costs through road rehabilitation, expand the fiscal space through improved tax collection efforts, and empower communities by investing in small-scale, community-driven development projects,” according to the MCC’s Web site.

In 2006, the MCC awarded the Philippines with a threshold program — a relatively smaller grant amounting to $20.69 million.

To be eligible for a grant from the Washington-based aid agency, a country “must demonstrate a commitment to just and democratic governance, investments in its people and economic freedom.”

In its latest country scorecard, the Philippines passed 13 of 20 indicators set by MCC, including civil liberties, rule of law, and government effectiveness. — E.J.C. Tubayan

DoE to hold talks with China on exploration in disputed sea

By Victor V. Saulon
Sub-Editor

THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) is looking at including the existing ban on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea in bilateral talks with its Chinese counterpart this week, its top official said.

“We are still studying the ways we are going to lift the moratorium order, but I don’t like to create any speculation. We have not reached any agreement yet,” DoE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi told reporters on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 35th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting in Pasay City.

Asked whether the moratorium would be part of the discussions among member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Mr. Cusi said: “No, that’s not part of the agenda of ASEAN meeting, but we could take it up in our bilateral discussion with China.”

Separately, DoE Undersecretary Donato D. Marcos said the bilateral talks with China would cover not just service contracts in the disputed waters but also those wherein a favored foreign investor could “farm in.”

Of the pending oil exploration service contracts, he said Service Contract (SC) 57 is likely to proceed first. “We have SC 57. That is already in the Office of the President. So that we can pursue its exploration work,” Mr. Marcos said, adding that the DoE has finished the documentation and contract for President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s signature.

“It’s within the Philippine territory,” he said of that project.

Located offshore northwest Palawan, SC 57 was awarded to PNOC Exploration Corp. in September 2005.

China National Offshore Oil Co. International Ltd. acquired 51% participating interest in the contract in April 2006, while Mitra Energy Ltd. acquired 21%. Its deed of assignment remained pending with the Office of the President.

SC 57 is currently under force majeure although exploration activities are expected to resume once approval is granted.

Mr. Marcos said service contracts 58, 63, 72 and 75 are within the disputed areas and remain a sensitive issue for the claimant countries. But he said he was hopeful of a resolution.

“We have a very strong relationship with China,” he said.

Commandos storm plane in Philippines-US hijack simulation

PHILIPPINE COMMANDOS and law enforcers have practiced hostage negotiations and the storming of a commercial jet to free American passengers in a major joint exercise with US counterparts to boost the country’s counter-terrorism readiness.

The Philippine defense ministry on Tuesday said some 1,200 uniformed and civilian Filipino and American personnel took part in the exercise “Tempest Wind” last week at the former US air force base in Clark and in Hawaii.

Most of the Filipino civilian participants were not told it was a drill.

The simulation was the latest exercise between the two longtime defense treaty allies at a critical time for the Philippines, which is facing its biggest internal security crisis in years as supporters of Islamic State try to gain a foothold in the south.

Defense department spokesman Arsenio R. Andolong said civilian participants were told a plane from Sydney bound for Honolulu had been seized mid-air by eight Islamic State militants, and was making an emergency landing in Clark, north of Manila.

He said the hijacking was made to appear realistic when officials from the US State Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation started to provide technical intelligence about the hijackers and the flight manifest to Philippine authorities.

“Many of the participants were unaware of the drill until the last minute, thinking the hijacking was for real,” Mr. Andolong told reporters.

He said the operation was executed by Filipino forces guided by US information and technical advice.

The drill featured a negotiation phase, when Philippine authorities talked around the clock with hijackers for nearly 72 hours before commandos were sent in to “neutralize” all eight hijackers.

In the scenario, some of the 182 passengers were killed.

“The drill gave both sides valuable lessons on dealing with such crisis,” Mr. Andolong said. “There were many operational and tactical gaps discovered. Even the US found some of its protocols did not work the way it is expected.“

Militaries of both countries have for decades held training exercises in transnational crime, disaster response and maritime security. Washington has provided more than $700 million in security aid to the Philippines over the past 17 years.

Most recently, the US has been providing technical support to Philippine ground and air forces, who have battled for four months to retake southern Marawi City from Islamic State loyalists.

The joint exercises do not, however, have the support of Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte, who has made clear his disdain for the rotating US troop presence in his country during frequent tirades against the former colonial power.

Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said the hijacking exercise was the first of its kind involving multiple levels of security and civilian authorities.

“The drill was designed to provide realistic scenarios on terrorism that demanded both high-level engagements and responses on tactical level,”he said. — Reuters

Nestlé tackles ‘ocean-polluter’ tag

GLOBAL FOOD and beverage giant Nestlé vowed Tuesday to address allegations by Greenpeace that it was polluting the world’s oceans with cheap plastic packaging for its Philippine products.

In a report released in Manila last week, the environmental group tagged the Philippines as the “third-worst polluter into the world’s oceans” after China and Indonesia.

It blamed this on the use by Western consumer giants, including Nestlé, of cheap disposable plastic to package everything from coffee and chips to shampoo and toothpaste.

These low-value and single-use sachets, aimed at poorer consumers, are not recyclable and usually end up in landfill or as litter or marine debris, according to Greenpeace.

 

“We welcome continued discussions with Greenpeace, including the sharing of any resource or existing research that Greenpeace may provide on more efficient packaging solutions,” said a Nestlé statement sent to AFP Tuesday.

It said it was working “with stakeholders to improve recycling and recovery rates” and encourage consumers to dispose of waste plastic properly.

Nestlé representatives met a Greenpeace campaigner on Friday to discuss its solid waste management.

However, a Greenpeace spokeswoman has told AFP the company’s solutions presented at the meeting were at odds with the movement’s campaign for a complete ban on single-use plastics in favor of refillable containers. — AFP

Rain or Shine forces TNT to a do-or-die match

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter

THE Rain or Shine Elasto Painters kept their Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup campaign alive after beating the higher-seeded TNT KaTropa in the first game of their quarterfinal pairing match yesterday, 106-102.

Put to a disadvantage with a twice-to-win handicap against the no. 2 team KaTropa, the seventh-seeded E-Painters passed their first test behind a gallant stand against a determined TNT crew to send their set-to to a deciding match on Friday.

Taking cue from the high-stakes nature of their contest, the protagonists fought hard to open things.

They went back and forth throughout the first quarter the ended with TNT holding a slim two-point lead at the end, 28-26.

The nip-and-tuck affair continued in the next frame before Rain or Shine made a late sprint to seize command of the game, 52-47, by halftime.

Lost some ground previously, TNT did not waste much time to reclaim the distance it gave up, going on an 11-4 run in the first four minutes of the third quarter to take the lead, 58-56.

But the E-Painters answered back with an 11-3 run of its own in the succeding minute on solid outside sniping to go up, 67-61.

TNT was resilient and kept coming back but the E-Painters had the replies each time to stay ahead, 84-75, at the end of the third quarter.

Rain or Shine was on fire to begin the fourth frame, outscoring TNT, 7-0, in the first minute to extend its lead, 89-75.

Kelly Williams, Jayson Castro and import Glen Rice, Jr. rallied the KaTropa back from a deficit as high as 20 points, 102-82, cutting their Rain or Shine’s lead to three points, 105-102, with 30 seconds remaining.

The E-Painters just would not budge in the end though and hung on for the win.

J’Nathan Bullock led Rain or Shine with 31 points and 15 rebounds while Gabe Norwood added 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Raymond Almazan had 13 and Maverick Ahanmisi 10 points.

Mr. Williams finished with a double-double of 23 points and 10 boards while Mr. Castro had 22 for TNT.

Mr. Rice had 19 points, 10 boards and six dimes.

“We just extended the series. I told the guys that if we wanted to stay alive we needed the win. I believe we can match up well with TNT. From the import to the locals. And it all boils down to the defensive end,” said winning coach Caloy Garcia.

With the win of Rain or Shine, it left the Star Hotshots, which eliminated the NLEX Road Warriors, as the only team to date to have booked a semifinal spot in the season-ending PBA tournament.

As of this writing, the defending champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings were to begin their quarterfinal match with the Grand Slam-seeking San Miguel Beermen. The higher-seeded Kings were holding a twice-to-beat advantage entering the game.

Meanwhile, the top-seeded Meralco Bolts try to stave off a major upset when they face the eight-seeded Blackwater Elite in a do-or-die contest in their quarterfinal match today set for 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts missed out on a chance to move directly to the Final Four on their first try after bowing, 92-91, to the Elite in their tightly fought playoff game last Wednesday.

P11M in marijuana burned in Kalinga town last week

AROUND P11 million worth of marijuana went up in smoke in Tinglayan, Kalinga last week as law enforcement agencies cracked down on growing sites. Police officers and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) stumbled onto nine plantation sites with a land area of 6,900 square meters in Mt. Chumanchil, sitio Bato of Barangay Loccong as part of their “Oplan Katribu.” Though no cultivator was caught, at least 40,850 fully grown marijuana plants with a total estimated value of P11.04 million were burned on site. A handful were brought to Kalinga PPO as evidence. Chief Superintendent Elmo D. Sarona, Cordillera police director, admitted that the operation does not guarantee the total elimination of marijuana plants in the area because planting marijuana is a source of livelihood for some in the surrounding communities. Earlier, Kalinga Governor Jocel C. Baac denied law enforcement authorities’ claims that villagers along Mt. Chumanchil and other identified mountain villages grow marijuana. The governor said the plants just grow naturally in the area. Meanwhile, the proposed Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act is up for plenary debates after the House of Representatives committee on health approved on final reading last Tuesday the bill seeking to legalize and regulate the medical use of cannabis, or marijuana. — philstar.com

‘Hodgepodge’ Internationals out to spring Presidents Cup upset

JERSEY CITY — International team captain Nick Price believes his “hodgepodge” band have the talent, and the fire, needed to prevent the United States from winning a seventh straight Presidents Cup this week.

The biennial match play event between the USA and a team drawn from around the world tees off on Thursday at Liberty National Golf Club.

The United States have won nine of 11 prior editions of the event, with one tie and just one International victory, in 1998 in Melbourne.

But Price said the one-point defeat two years ago in Incheon, South Korea, was “a shot in the arm” for players like Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, and Jason Day.

“Even though we’re a hodgepodge of a team from all around the world, we are all competitors,” Price said of a team that this year draws from eight nations. “We like to compete, and we don’t like to get beaten.”

In addition to veterans like Australia’s Scott and Day and South Africa’s Oostuizen, the Internationals have four debutants in Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, Canadian Adam Hadwin, Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas and South Korean Kim Si-Woo.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama is the highest ranked International at number three in the world. At 25, he’s making a third Presidents Cup appearance.

“This team is made up of a lot of young guys who probably have another four or five Presidents Cups in them,” Price said. “I think they have realized how important this event is now, and they want to take it to the next level.”

It will be a daunting task against a US side featuring world number one Dustin Johnson and second-ranked Jordan Spieth.

World number four Justin Thomas has five wins this season, including his first major at the PGA Championship, and locked up the $10-million FedEx Cup playoff bonus.

World number eight Rickie Fowler boasts a tour win this year, and Brooks Koepka broke through for his first major title at the US Open.

‘STRONG AND DEEP’
While Price has four Presidents Cup rookies on his team, Stricker has six.

Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson, the only player to compete in every Presidents Cup, lends a veteran presence, and said the Americans need to keep the pressure on.

“If you look at the talent on the international team, it is strong and it is deep,” he said. “If we open the door and give them an opportunity, it will bite us.”

Price and his players say it will be crucial to get off to a quick start in Thursday’s five foursomes matches.

They’ll play fourball matches on Friday, and four more matches in each format on Saturday before playing 12 singles matches on Sunday.

The Statue of Liberty and the skyline of nearby Manhattan provide a spectacular backdrop to the New Jersey course that could enhance the match play drama.

“I think the course is a great match play course,” Price said. “There’s a lot of risk/reward golf out there, and I think we’re going to see a lot of holes changing hands rapidly. I think there’s going to be a lot of birdies made.”

A vocal big-city crowd will only add to the atmosphere. — AFP

Blackwater coach Leo Isaac hopes history repeats itself in quarterfinals vs Meralco

POWERADE of the old Coca-Cola franchise was the last eighth-seeded squad to overcome a twice-to-win disadvantage to beat top ranked B-Meg in the 2012 PBA Philippine Cup.

But Blackwater coach Leo Isaac is no stranger from experiencing such similar situation as he saw Mobiline, a team where he once part of the coaching staff and then the no. 1 seed in 1999, lost to no. 8 Ginebra San Miguel during their quarterfinal showdown.

Mr. Isaac and the Elite could rewrite history with a win against the top-seeded Meralco Bolts today at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Elite edged the Bolts, 92-91 on Tuesday to set up a winner-take-all encounter for a semifinals berth. Star, which defeated NLEX, took the first seat in the Final Four.

Mr. Isaac is a firm believer of the old saying: “history repeats itself.”

“When I was asked by the courtside reporter, ‘how does it feel facing the no. 1 team at the end of the eliminations’ and I said it’s going to be tough to encourage the players that it was done before, the no. 1 team getting booted out by the last qualifier. All we have to do is play team basketball, give our 100% and maybe, we can be one of those teams which can boot out a no. 1 team in the playoffs,” said Mr. Isaac.

Behind another solid game from import Henry Walker and timely contributions from Allein Maliksi and Mike DiGregorio, the Elite stunned the no. 1 team Bolts.

An NBA veteran, Mr. Walker set up Mr. Maliksi for the winning jumper, but the win could also mean the Elite should brace for a tougher battle against the Bolts, who had just finished their best ever record in the eliminations franchise history.

“We know we just woke up a monster,” said Mr. Walker. “I tried to warn the guys about that. You just poked the bear and the bear will turn around. We’ve got to be ready because they’re gonna be ready. I’ve got the utmost respect to Coach (Norman) Black. I know they have a game plan and they’re gonna come back.”

But Mr. Black remains unfazed as he tries to regroup a Bolts squad that finished runner-up in the same tournament last season.

“It’s a disappointing loss, but we’re trying to get the twice-to-beat advantage and we’re taking advantage of it. There were two people who were hurting us and that’s Walker and (Mike) DiGregorio. I didn’t have any expectations on who is going to take the last shot,” added Mr. Black.

Mr. Black is now thinking of adding Mr. Maliksi on his game plan. — Rey Joble

Subic business group welcomes end to SBMA row

THE SUBIC Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC) congratulated lawyer Wilma T. Eisma on her appointment last Monday as the new administrator and chairperson of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA). SBFCC President Rose B. Baldeo, in a statement sent on Wednesday, Sept. 27, said the group’s “locator members would like to extend our congratulations to Atty. Eisma. Like what we said during the height of the recent leadership row, we requested… Malacañang to step in and make the necessary decisions that would clarify the roles (of) both parties for the sake of the investors of Subic Bay…” Ms. Eisma and Martin B. Diño, the SBMA chairperson until last Monday, had been caught up in a leadership row at the agency. Malacañang issued an order Monday making the positions of administrator and chairman as a singular authority and appointed Ms. Eisma for the role. The group also thanked Mr. Diño “for his valiant efforts and for the assistance he gave the locators during his few months in office” and said it expects “many great things from Atty. Eisma.”

Ronaldo marks Real milestone, Kane fires Spurs

PARIS — Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on his 400th Real Madrid appearance as the Champions League holders defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-1, while Harry Kane grabbed a hat-trick in Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 win at APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday.

Gareth Bale struck an exquisite volley as the record 12-time European champions secured an 18th-minute lead at Signal Iduna Park, with the Welshman supplying Ronaldo for Real’s second just after halftime.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang poked in Gonzalo Castro’s cross to give Dortmund hope, but Ronaldo rifled past Roman Burki to cement a second straight win for Real in Group H and leave the Germans still without a point.

It was the first time Dortmund have lost at home to Real in seven European games while holders Madrid have now scored in 38 successive Champion League games.

Ronaldo, without a goal in his last two outings following his return from a five-match domestic ban, took his Real haul to 411 on what was also his 150th career appearance in Europe.

England striker Kane notched his sixth hat-trick of the year — and made it 11 goals for club and country in September — as Spurs backed up their opening victory over Dortmund with a comfortable win in Cyprus.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side survived an early scare when Igor De Camargo rattled the crossbar, but Kane’s clinical finish six minutes before the interval settled the visitors down.

Kane converted his second on 62 minutes and sealed his treble with a terrific header five minutes later to leave Spurs level on six points alongside Real ahead of their double-header with Zidane’s team.

Kevin De Bruyne curled in a sublime 25-yard strike as Manchester City overcame spirited resistance from Shakhtar Donestk, with Raheem Sterling completing a 2-0 victory at Eastlands.

Pep Guardiola’s men top Group F after back-to-back wins to start the campaign, and the Premier League leaders could even afford a missed penalty from Sergio Aguero whose effort was turned away by Andriy Pyatov. — AFP

Grab to launch new services in Cebu

THE TOP executive of Grab Philippines is set to meet with Cebu City Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña today, Sept. 28, to introduce new services to the city’s consumers. Grab Philippines country head Brian Cu will personally present the new services, GrabExpress and Grab for Work, to the mayor. GrabExpress is a service platform that matches demand and supply of accredited bikers and customers. It can be used to send documents, items, parcels, forgotten items, and food from one place to another. GrabTaxi and GrabCar are similar in terms of use, but it only involves transport of passengers. Grab for Work, on the other hand, provides consolidated statements for all business rides, letting one know where and when the employees are traveling. This also allows the employer to keep track of the company’s cash flow and analyze the travel behavior of its employees, enabling to set the right transportation policies for the business. — The Freeman

US imposes sanctions on North Korean banks and executives

WASHINGTON — The US imposed sanctions on eight North Korean banks and 26 executives on Tuesday, ratcheting up pressure on the country amid increasingly bellicose exchanges with Pyongyang over its nuclear program.

“This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearized Korean peninsula,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

Tuesday’s announcement compounded economic sanctions which the United Nations unanimously imposed on North Korea after it carried out its latest nuclear weapons test early this month.

The new sanctions target North Koreans working as representatives of North Korean banks in China, Russia, Libya and the United Arab Emirates.

All property and interest of the designated companies and individuals in the US are blocked by the sanctions, effectively freezing them out of much of the global financial system.

The US targeted North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank and the Central Bank of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as North Korean government agencies.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control — which overseas US sanctions programs — said that the Foreign Trade Bank had carried out transactions on behalf of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development program.

The fresh sanctions also came the same day President Donald Trump ignored pleas to tone down his anti-Pyongyang rhetoric, accusing the regime of having tortured a captive US student “beyond belief.”

General Joe Dunford, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, testified before lawmakers on Tuesday that for the time being the confrontation with North Korea was more political than military. — AFP

1...13,59813,59913,600...14,215Page 13,599 of 14,215
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube