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NCAA: Arellano Chiefs go for back-to-back wins

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter

HARDLY having a solid run in the ongoing National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament, the Arellano Chiefs are training their sights on a mini win streak when they collide with the struggling Mapua Cardinals in league action today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Victorious in their previous game against erstwhile rolling Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers, 115-109, in double overtime, the Chiefs (4-6) look to fashion out a rare string of victories for them in Season 93 in their 2 p.m. set-to with the Cardinals (1-10), who have lost nine straight games.

Playing in the 4 p.m. match, meanwhile, are season hosts San Sebastian Stags against the Perpetual Help Altas.

Against the Heavy Bombers last week, Arellano, losing finalist in Season 92, saw itself needing to dig deep anew to stave off JRU while giving its NCAA second-round campaign a push.

In the first round, the two teams also fought in overtime with the Chiefs wounding up triumphant, 73-72.

Arellano was seemingly on its way to the victory last time around until JRU guard Teytey Teodoro decided to crash things with clutch back-to-back triples as regulation expired, 83-all.

In the first OT, the Chiefs turned things around, spoiling the party for JRU as Arellano shooting guard Zach Nichols drained a key triple to send the game to another extension, 100-all.

In the second extra period, however, the Chiefs were not to be denied of the win as more players joined in the fray which the Heavy Bombers could not match up with, giving the Arellano the victory.

Rence Alcoriza came off the bench to top-score for Arellano with 23 points while big man Lervin Flores had a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Floor leader Kent Salado also had 17 markers to go along with seven assists.

Marwin Taywan and Michael Canete were also in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively, for the Chiefs, who moved to joint sixth place after the victory.

“It was a crazy game with both teams having their spurts. Good thing we made the stops in the end to come out with the win,” said Arellano coach Jerry Codiñera following their hard-earned win.

“This is a big win for us and we hope this will start something big for us,” he added.

GET SOME BREAK
Much like Arellano, Mapua is out to get some break from the major slump it has been in all season long.

After barging into the win column in their second game, it has been all downhill for the Cardinals, who have been struggling with players being injured as well as red-shirting this season.

The latest loss of Mapua was dealt by the defending champions San Beda Red Lions, 88-70, last Friday.

Meanwhile, in the second game, San Sebastian (5-5) shoots for an above .500 mark in the standings against Perpetual Help (4-6), itself looking to give its NCAA campaign a shot in the arm halfway into it.

Bases land sale to help plug AFP’s pension gap

THE Finance department said that it will tap land sales by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to help fund military pensions.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said that he has asked the BCDA to sell its military bases to aid in plugging the pension gap.

“We are working with BCDA… it was set up basically to help modernize the military so we are discussing with them what kind of assets they can assign to cover these liabilities,” Mr. Dominguez told reporters last week.

The government plans to transfer the pension scheme of uniformed and military personnel to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

GSIS Chairman Francisco T. Duque III has said that the system will require a seed fund of up to P7 trillion for it to operate the new pension scheme.

Asked whether potential BCDA assets are enough to cover the funding requirement, Mr. Dominguez said: “We don’t know. We don’t know the figure yet, we don’t know what assets they have. But we are starting to talk to them already.”

“They own a lot of land, they own land in Fort Magsaysay, in Fort Bonifacio, so we’ll see what assets are there that can be utilized for this,” he added.

BCDA did not respond when sought for comment on the value of its land holdings.

Economic managers have been poised to propose the new pension scheme since taking office in June last year.

In the 2017 Development Budget Coordinating Committee fiscal risk report, they flagged the “ballooning uniformed personnel pension cost,” as it is non-contributory, meaning that the pensions for uniformed individuals are taken solely from the appropriated budget.  

“In 2016, the pension budget amounts to P71 billion which is projected to more than double in eight years at P187.9 billion. In view of the foregoing, a reform must be effected for a more sustainable pension system,” the report read.

Pensions for retired military and uniformed personnel are currently pegged to the salary of counterparts in active service, meaning that benefits escalate in step with active-duty pay. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Cine Europa shows 24 films on its 20th year

CONSIDERED ONE of the longest film festivals in the country, Cine Europa – which celebrates the best European cinema has to offer – is back for a landmark 20th year with an impressive roster of 24 films from 16 countries.

The film festival will run from Sept. 16 to 26 at the Shang Cineplex Cinema 2 of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City. Admission is free on a first come, first served basis. “[In its 20 years] Cine Europa has always strived to be more dynamic, unique and vibrant… a cut above the rest,” Jerome Riviere, first secretary of the European Union (EU) delegation to the Philippines, told the media during the Sept. 6 press conference at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City.

This year, he said, the festival will both look back towards the classics of European cinema and look forward to contemporary works.

“The heterogeneous [offerings] present the EU in its diversity… and how it shows life in Europe is fusion,” he explained.

Included in this year’s festival are entries from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, theb Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Norway.

Among the movies to be shown at this year’s festival is 1988 Best Foreign Film Academy Award winner from Denmark, Babettes Gæstebud (Babette’s Feast) by Gabriel Axel, which follows the story of Babette, a Parisian fugitive following the 1871 Commune of Paris uprising as she changes the lives of the Danish villagers who take her in. The film is based on a story by Isak Dinesen. Cited as one of the world’s best 1,000 films by The New York Times, the 1962 Spanish film El ángel exterminador (The Exterminating Angel) by Luis Bunuel is a satirical work where guests at a dinner party discover they’re unable to leave the room. Over the days that follow, they each shed their perfect façades and pretenses of power to reveal the uglier side of human nature. Sharp and surreal, this is a film sure to leave a lasting impression on viewers.

Sult (Hunger) by Henning Carlsen in 1966, the second Danish film, features a young penniless poet as he scrambles to survive in Oslo in 1890. Based on the novel by Knut Hamsun, the story follows the poet as his hunger takes over and the line between fantasy and reality becomes increasingly blurry.

The 1992 German thriller Lola rennt (Run Lola Run) by Tom Tykwer will keep viewers on the edge of their seats as they follow a two-bit Berlin criminal who enlists the help of his girlfriend Lola when he must come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks in 20 minutes after making a mistake delivering smuggled loot for his boss.

In Terror – Ihr Urteil (The Verdict), the 2016 film by Lars Kraume, terrorists have hijacked a plane and are steering it towards a football arena. Major Lars Koch faces the difficult question of whether the lives of a few are worth sacrificing to save the many.

Swedish film Flickan, Mamman och Demonerna (The Girl, The Mother and the Demons), a 2016 film by Suzanne Osten, is the harrowing tale of Ti, whose mother claims that demons have taken over the apartment where they live.

Italian drama 20 Sigarette (20 Cigarettes), 2010 film by Aureliano Amadei, follows a filmmaker who was once caught up in a terrorist attack while shooting on location in Iraq who, years later, decides to set the story straight through a novel.

Inspired by a legend from the 12th century, the 1987 Norwegian film Veiviseren (Pathfinder) by Nils Gaup, tells the story of a young boy who sees his family slaughtered by a fearsome tribe, is taken prisoner, and must act as their pathfinder. The first feature production ever to be shot in the Sami language, the film follows the boy as he attempts to escape his captors.

Also from Norway is Bølgen (The Wave), a 2015 film by Roar Uthaug, which takes place shortly before the real-life disaster of a tsunami caused by the collapse of a mountain 80 years ago. The film focuses on a geologist and his family as they scramble to stay alive.

The 2013 Austrian film Deine Schönheit ist nichts wert (Your Beauty is Worth Nothing) by Huseyin Tabak, follows 12-year-old Veysel as he flees with his family to from Turkey to Vienna and struggles to fit in, turning his attention to his studies, as well as towards Ana, a classmate he’s in love with.

Academy Award-nominated actress Isabelle Huppert stars in the 2016 French film Souvenir by Bavo Defurne, as a forgotten European singer who fades into obscurity as she works in a pâté factory. However, the arrival of a young aspiring boxer causes her to start dreaming again and planning her comeback.

Francois Truffaut’s 1962 classic Jules et Jim (Jules and Jim) revolves around an offbeat love triangle. Jim moves in with his friend Jules and his family, but things get messy when Jules asks Jim to start seeing his carefree wife Catherine in the hopes that she will stay at home with him and their daughter.

In Monkey, a 2016 Bulgarian film by Dimitar Kotsev, two adolescent half-sisters get a taste of the real world as they make decisions that could dramatically change their lives.

In the 2015 Spanish film Truman by Cesc Gay, a terminally ill actor is surprised by an unexpected visit from his childhood friend. As they set out to tie up loose ends, including finding a home for the actor’s faithful dog, the two men must find a way to say goodbye.

From the United Kingdom comes Shola Amo’s 2016 film A Moving Image, about a young stifled artist who returns to her community after a long absence. Soon painted as a symbol of gentrification, she struggles with her own complicity, and embarks on a mission to create a piece of art that can bring her community together.

Drawing inspiration from paperback crime novels, the 2015 Slovakian film Wilsonov (Wilson City) by Tomas Masin follows an unlikely pair of detectives as they search for a mysterious murderer in a German town that would eventually be known as Bratislava.

Some family issues prove to be too difficult for even death to resolve, as seen in Utóélet (Afterlife), a 2014 film by Virac Zomboracz. In this Hungarian comedy, a neurotic man starts seeing the ghost of his recently deceased father. As he helps his father cross over to the afterlife, the two must work out their unfinished business.

The 2017 Romanian film Aniversarea (The Anniversary) by Dan Chisu, zooms in on a family drama when relatives and friends of Radu Maligan comes together to celebrate his 94th birthday. The party quickly unravels when half the guests try to convince him to confess his sins, while the others argue that no one should be forced to do something beyond their will.

Another film from Romania is Doua lozuri (Two Lottery Tickets), Paolo Negoescu’s 2016 movie, where the tables keep turning on Dinel who has won the lottery. Unfortunately, the bag with his ticket is stolen by two gangsters. With the help of his best buddies, he sets off on a madcap journey to chase them down.

Then there is the story of Hassan, a baron who wants to do more than just lounge about and pursues a career of making people laugh. Hailing from Belgium, Les Barons (The Barons) by Nabil Ben Yadir (2009) is lighthearted fun.

Crime meets comedy in 1950s Italian masterpiece I Soliti Ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street) by Mario Monicelli, where a group of small-time thieves attempt to burgle a state-run pawnshop in Rome. Known for its incredible cast and breezy jazz score, this film is considered one of the best of its era.

Lovers of fantasy are in for a treat with Anděl Páně 2 (An Angel of the Lord) by Jiri Strach, a 2005 comedy from the Czech Republic that follows Angel Petronel’s quest to retrieve fruit of the Tree of Knowledge that has fallen down to earth. His adventures lead him to discover the power of friendship, love, and forgiveness.

Perinbaba (The Feather Fairy) by Juraj Jakubisko is a charming 1985 Slovakian adaptation of a short story by the Brothers Grimm.

And finally, sports enthusiasts will enjoy De He van ’63 (The Hell of ’63), the 2009 film by Steven de Jong, which is based on the true story of a day in 1963 when thousands of skaters were injured as they competed in a 200-km ice-skating race in the Netherlands.

For inquiries and screening schedules, call 370-2500 loc. 597 or visit www.facebook.com/shangrilaplazaofficialfanpage. – Z.B. Chua

Del Toro’s The Shape of Water wins Venice Golden Lion

VENICE – The Shape of Water, a dazzling sci-fi romance by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice film festival on Saturday.

“If you remain pure and stay with your faith, with what you believe in – in my case, monsters – you can do anything,” Del Toro told the festival, the world’s oldest, as he dedicated the award to young Latin American directors.

The quirky, other-worldly tale set in the Cold War era sees a cleaner (Britain’s Sally Hawkins) in a high-security government laboratory stumble across a classified experiment that leads to an unlikely – and rather slimy – love affair.

Del Toro, the director behind such Gothic horrors as The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), had described the flick as “an antidote to cynicism” and enchanted reviewers hailed it as his greatest work yet.

“I’m 52 years old, I weigh over 110 kilograms (242 pounds) and I’ve done more than 10 movies,” he said as he held up his Lion.

Even so, he said, this had not stopped him from “doing something different.”

“As a Mexican, I dedicate this award to all those Mexicans and Latin American directors dreaming of doing something as a parable, who are told it can’t be done. It can be done.”

“I believe in life, in love and in cinema,” he added.

The Silver Lion for Best Director went to France’s Xavier Legrand for Custody, a powerful divorce tale in which a child is held hostage to the escalating conflict between his parents. – AFP

Nadal races to 3rd US Open title

NEW YORK — Rafael Nadal raced to a third US Open title and 16th Grand Slam crown yesterday with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 rout of South African giant Kevin Anderson.

The world number one, the champion also in New York in 2010 and 2013, added the US title to the record 10th French Open he captured in June.

Old rival Roger Federer won the season’s other two Slams at the Australian Open, beating Nadal in the final, and Wimbledon in an illustration of the two Grand Slam greats’ enduring appeal and power.

Nadal’s Grand Slam tally is just three behind Federer’s record 19.

For Nadal, it was his fifth title of the year and 74th of his career while the $3.7 million (€3.07 million) winner’s prize boosted his earnings to a shade under $90 million.

“It’s a very special two weeks for me. It’s unbelievable what’s happened this year after some seasons with serious injuries and not playing very well,” said Nadal.

“It’s been an emotional year since the Australian Open. I played a high level of tennis and winning here in New York again it’s unbelievable.”

Nadal also praised his coach and uncle Toni who has coached him since he was three but who will step down from his team at the end of the year.

“I cannot thank him enough,” said the champion.

“Without him I would not be here playing tennis. He gave me strength and motivation. When I had injury problems I got through them because of him.”

‘IT WAS AN HONOR’
It was a desperately disappointing afternoon for Anderson, the world number 32 playing in his maiden Slam final at the 34th attempt.

He was the first South African in a US championship final since Cliff Drysdale in 1965 and was bidding to become his country’s first Slam champion since Johan Kriek at the 1981 Australian Open.

The Johannesburg-born, Florida-based Anderson finished the two-hour 28 minutes final with 40 unforced errors to Nadal’s 11, failing even to carve out a single break point.

Nadal, winning his first hard court title since January 2014 in Doha, gave up just 15 points on his serve and won 16 out of 16 net points.

Nadal races to 3rd US Open title

“Rafa, we are the same age but I have looked up to you all of my life,” said Anderson.

“It was an honor playing you. You are one of the great ambassadors of our sport.”

In a final guaranteed to result in the fifth Slam champion in succession who is 30 or older, Nadal was on top from the start.

He had 28th-seeded Anderson scrambling to save two break points in the third and fifth games before the Spaniard converted his fifth off a forehand error for a 4-3 lead.

The world number one held and broke again, cleverly forcing the 31-year-old South African out of position on set point after 58 minutes of action.

By the end of the opening set, Nadal had just five unforced errors to Anderson’s 23 with the South African unable to muster a single break point.

The one-way traffic continued in the second set as Nadal broke for 4-2 off the back of three successive volleys.

Anderson even collected a time violation for his troubles as his efforts to compose himself failed horribly.

A brutal crosscourt forehand winner gave Nadal the second set 6-3.

Anderson was broken again in the opening game of the third set.

It was his fourth loss of serve in the final; before Sunday, he had been broken just five times in the entire tournament.

Anderson called the trainer for a bloodied right index finger after the fifth game, but his struggles continued.

He saved a match point but Nadal wrapped it up with a clinical backhand volley. — AFP

Phinma Energy to sue PSALM over deal termination

By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-Editor

PHINMA ENERGY Corp. said its board has authorized the filing of a case against state-led Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), as the listed company sought to block the termination of an administration agreement over a geothermal power plant in Leyte.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange, Phinma Energy said the filing of the case against PSALM was among the matters taken up by its board during a meeting on Monday.

PSALM handles the privatization of the generation assets of the National Power Corp. and the power transmission assets of the National Transmission Corp. as called for by Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA).

Phinma Energy is suing PSALM to prevent it from terminating the deal — on grounds of administrator’s default — for the selection and appointment of independent power producer administrators (IPPAs).

The plant under the agreement is the “strips of energy” of the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plants (ULGPP) located in Tongonan town, Leyte.

To recall on Nov. 7, 2013, Phinma Energy, then known as Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp., was declared one of the winning bidders with the right to administer 40 megawatts (MW) “strip of energy” from ULGP.

On Nov. 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda hit Region 8, or the Eastern Visayas, and resulted in extensive damage to the ULGP. It was only a year later that PSALM awarded the “strips” to the winning bidders.

Phinma Energy said it had formally sought the renegotiation of the agreement with PSALM, even proposing several measures for relief. The company had written PSALM to express the difficulties the administrators suffered under the agreement.

Through its counsel, Phinma Energy said it had written a letter exercising its right to withdraw from the agreement.

“Discussions on the termination were initiated,” it said.

The company, however, received a notice from PSALM of the administrator default, it said. The government agency also resolved to terminate the agreement and forfeit the performance bond.

Phinma Energy is engaged in power generation and trading, oil and mineral exploration, development and production.

On Monday, shares in Phinma Energy slipped by 0.55% to close at P1.81 each.

2 typhoons, Lannie and Maring, simultaneously enter PHL

TYPHOON TALIM entered the Philippine area yesterday afternoon and has been locally named Lannie, the 12th storm to pass through the country this year. Simultaneously, tropical depression Maring also stepped in, putting several areas in Luzon under signal no. 1, including Catanduanes, Camarines Norte and Sur, Quezon, Polilio Island, Aurora, Quirino, and Nueva Ecija. Weather bureau PAGASA forecasts Lannie to intensify as it moves in a west-northwest direction towards Taiwan. It is expected to bring rains in the northern parts of the country.

PUVs modernized in 3 years, transport consolidation seen

THE GOVERNMENT plans to modernize all public utility vehicles (PUVs) in up to three years, an official of the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said.

“We’re looking at two to three years,” Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark de Leon told reporters yesterday on the sidelines of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding  between the DoTr and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). The DBP has agreed to provide P1.5 billion worth of financing for the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP) and the launch of the Program Assistance to Support Alternative Driving Approaches (PASADA).

Mr. De Leon said that under the PUVMP, local government units will need to prepare local public transport route plans (LPTRPs) which will identify routes and appropriate PUVs. He added that the current fleet of 200,000 public utility jeepneys (PUJs), for example, could undergo adjustments based on the determination of the appropriate mode of transport based on demand.

“We’re going to LGUs (local government units) to teach them, to capacitate them on local public transport route planning, which will be the basis for the issuance of franchises. The LPTRP will determine the routes of jeepneys, buses or UV express, and the number of units… Every LGU will do that.”

He added that the DoTr is looking for the completion of LPTRPs in one to two years, with the exception of those of Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao.

“We’re looking at one to two years before LGUs can complete the LPTRP… For Metro Manila, DoTr is the one doing it, [also in] Cebu, Davao… These will be the basis for submission to the LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board),” Mr. De Leon said.

DoTr officials also said that under the PUVMP, the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) state that PUV operators will have to be consolidated, forming a cooperative, consortium, or corporation, in order to be granted a PUV franchise.

“With the current guidelines under OFG, [operators must be part of] a cooperative or corporation to be given franchise,” Mr. De Leon said.

Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Thomas M. Orbos said in a news conference after the ceremonial signing that the formation of cooperatives, consortiums, or corporations will ensure financial capability, and that other countries also followed the same model.

“We want for all the operators to form themselves into a consortium, so [they will have] stronger financial capability… In case of studies in foreign countries where their transport systems started with [a system of] individual operators, let’s say Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, they started with 100 operators, so they really need to form a consortium for the sake of everyone… The point is, we need to drive them to forming consortiums and cooperatives,” Mr. Orbos said.

Addressing a concern of an operator that individuals may not be able to finance acquiring modern PUVs, Mr. Orbos said that “it would be better” for operators to join cooperatives or corporations.

Under the financing of the DBP, cooperatives and corporations are eligible to borrow funds for the purchasing of new PUVs compliant with government-defined vehicle standards set in the PUVMP. DBP will also lend funds for the acquisition and/or construction of support facilities (such as off-street garages and terminals) and necessary equipment for the operations and maintenance of PUVs.

There will be a fixed interest rate of 6% for the entire term of the loan and repayment period is seven years.

DBP President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo said that the financing will cover 700-900 PUJs in the pilot phase.

Mr. Orbos said that an exhibit of modern PUJ prototypes is scheduled for Oct. 12-13, and that current PUJ models will not be phased out.

“It does not mean that the old ones will be phased out. It will be the decision of each one of you… The phase out won’t happen immediately. Market forces will (govern the process). If the new ones are there, and the old ones are still there, I’m sure people will ride the ones which they find more convenient, more safe,” Mr. Orbos said in a mix of English and Filipino.

He added that fare increases are “not an immediate part of the equation” of modernizing PUVs: “It will increase, but it has to be regulated.”

Mr. de Leon also told reporters that the department will be looking at the development of other automated fare collection systems (AFCS), aside from the Beep Card in use at the Light Rail Transit (LRT)-1, LRT-2, and Metro Rail Transit (MRT)-7.

“We’re not limiting market forces to develop new AFCS facilities or systems which may be cheaper than Beep. We will come up with a standard… It should be compatible with the Beep or any other system. DBP is already talking with Beep… because it has the biggest base now. It has three million users now. If there will be a new one that can provide a better rate than Beep…[it] must be acceptable for the operator,” Mr. De Leon said. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

ASEAN members have broad outlines of RCEP negotiating stance — Trade dep’t

THE member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed on “clear parameters” for their negotiating team to use in their talks with free trade agreement (FTA) partners to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), but a deal remained elusive at the end of their meetings in Manila on Monday.

“We’re not talking here yet of a written agreement,” said Ramon M. Lopez, secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and host of this year’s annual ASEAN meeting, in a press conference at Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.

“This can take many years if the participating countries will not change their position on the matters being discussed,” he said, as he presented the “outcomes” of the 49th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting and Related Meetings from Sept. 4-11, 2017.

Since 2012, the 10 ASEAN member states — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — have been trying to conclude negotiations on RCEP with their FTA partners Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

If concluded, RCEP is expected to expand ASEAN’s consumer base to nearly half of the world’s population. Their collective weight is said to encompass about a third of the global economy.

But the meetings have only arrived at “broad parameters” and “key elements” that ASEAN ministers are hoping to lead to a “substantial conclusion” by year-end.

“We feel we moved forward in terms of coming up with clear parameters,” he said.

Mr. Lopez said the key elements, which he declined to disclose, would be taken by ASEAN’s FTA partners to their principals for consideration ahead of their submission of offers by the third week of September.

He said another ASEAN negotiating committee meeting will be held in South Korea in October before this year’s ASEAN leaders’ summit in November, which the Philippines is hosting and is coinciding with the 50th founding anniversary of the regional bloc.

Mr. Lopez said that during the Manila meetings, the member states had to “recalibrate” their objectives and “landing zones” to come up with an agreement that is better than the trade deals within ASEAN.

He said the consensus in the region is a level of tariff liberalization of 90%, which member states hope to bring to 92%, a move that has yet to gain wider acceptance from ASEAN’s six FTA partners. He said half of the six were agreeable to the proposed tariff level. He added that the “timetable” for the liberalization has yet to be agreed on.

“Among ASEAN there’s an agreement. Among partners, some of those … (are somewhat) supportive. They are willing to cooperate with what ASEAN can do right now,” he said.

“(What we are still looking for) is the support and concurrence (of) all the other countries,” he added.

Mr. Lopez said after the submissions of the FTA partners later this month, there would be an “immediate meeting among the negotiating committee to discuss the offers and hopefully these submissions are within the parameters.” Failing that, he said negotiations would face further delayed.

“(The good thing now is there is) convergence at least among ASEAN plus a few dialogue partners,” he said, adding that this could “pressure” the others to agree on the desired level of trade liberalization.

The ministers from the 16 RCEP participating countries had their 5th ministerial meeting on Sept. 10, 2017 at the Marriott Hotel and noted the “progress” of the talks after the 3rd intersessional ministerial meeting on May 21-22, 2017 in Hanoi, including the holding of the 19th round of negotiations on July 24-28, 2017 in Hyderabad.

They reaffirmed their commitment to further intensify efforts in a cooperative manner for the swift conclusion of the RCEP negotiations in line with their leaders’ mandate, the host country said in a statement after the meetings.

The ministers also reiterated their statement from Hanoi that “political commitments are now urgently needed to be translated into action, with wider mandates where necessary, and agreed to make utmost effort to achieve significant outcomes of the RCEP by end of 2017 to bring negotiation closer to its successful conclusion.” — Victor V. Saulon

The winners of the 74th Venice Film Festival

VENICE – Here is a list of the prizes awarded at the 74th Venice film festival on Saturday:

• Golden Lion for Best Film: The Shape of Water by Mexican Guillermo del Toro (US)

• Silver Lion for Best Director: Xavier Legrand for Custody (France)

• Grand jury prize: Foxtrot by Samuel Maoz (Israel)

• Special jury prize: Sweet Country by Warwick Thornton (Australia)

• Coppa Volpi for Best Actor: Kamel El Basha in Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult (Italy)

• Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in Andrea Pallaoro’s Hannah (Italy)

• Prize for Best Screenplay: Martin McDonagh for Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (Britain)

• Marcello Mastroianni award for Best Young Actor or Actress: Charlie Plummer in Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete (Britain)

• Lion of the Future for Best Debut Film: Xavier Legrand for Custody (France) – AFP

Mom Clijsters, Fernandez iffy on Serena Aussie return

NEW YORK — Serena Williams is targeting a return to competitive tennis next January to defend her Australian Open title, but two former stars who became parents question her ability to regain top form so soon after childbirth.

Williams gave birth to a baby daughter on Sept. 1 and would be trying to be ready for play when next year’s first Grand Slam event gets under way on Jan. 15 on the Melbourne hard courts.

Asked if that was a realistic timetable for a comeback, three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters was dubious. And she retired for two years and had a baby before returning and winning her 2009 crown in New York.

“To me, it wasn’t when I had Jada,” said Belgian Clijsters. “It all depends. If you set your mind to it, maybe.”

One unknown factor about Williams is how taxing the delivery was upon her.

“Depends how the labor and birth went,” Clijsters said. “How your body reacts — everybody reacts different in those situations.”

American Mary Joe Fernandez, a runner-up at the 1990 and 1992 Australian Opens and 1993 French Open, noted that Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, has been defying the odds for years.

“Maybe see her there,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it. Serena is an exception to a lot of rules.”

Williams is one slam crown shy of matching the all-time record of 24 major Slam singles titles won by Australia’s Margaret Court. — AFP

Diesel price hike highest this year at P1.30/L

OIL COMPANIES are set to impose this week their biggest price increase so far this year for diesel at P1.30 per liter (/L), with the Department of Energy (DoE) citing a number of reasons for the move, including the onset of the holiday season in the Philippines. Aside from diesel, petroleum retailers will also raise the price of gasoline by P0.45/L and kerosene by P0.90/L. Most of the companies that sent their advisories as of 6:00 p.m. on Monday said they would be raising prices by 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12. “This is to reflect movements in the international petroleum market,” said Seaoil Philippines, Inc. Aside from rising demand during the last quarter of the year, DoE said the increase was also brought about by the decline in the output of oil refiners in the US in the aftermath of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. It also cited the continuing reduction in the production of oil cartel Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, including Russia, one of the world’s biggest suppliers. This week’s increase is the third straight week of price rise for diesel and kerosene, and the eighth consecutive hike for gasoline. — Victor V. Saulon

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