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Iloilo City roads bright with lanterns made by BJMP inmates

ILOILO CITY’S major roads are decorated for this year’s Christmas season with 1,600 lanterns, locally called parol, made by jail inmates as commissioned by a public-private partnership. “It is an inclusive collaboration of all sectors in society, meaning there is unity and diversity,” Alma May Tayo of the Zonta Club of Iloilo City II said. The Zonta Club was part of the Christmas Lantern Committee formed by the city government with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Iloilo chapter as lead. Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said he wanted inmates at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)-Iloilo City District Jail to have an income opportunity as well as a sense of fulfillment in contributing to the city. “The different colors of the parols show that even if we come from different political orientations, religious belief, racial differences, for Iloilo we are one,” he said. Each parol, which cost P1,500, measures six-by-six feet and is made with bamboo and plastic charol. “This project sends a very strong message of inclusivity among us here in Iloilo City. Iloilo is moving forward because of all of you. As we level up, no one will be left behind,” the mayor said. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

Nadal fires Spain into Davis Cup final vs Canada

MADRID — Rafael Nadal fired hosts Spain into the Davis Cup final as he joined Feliciano Lopez to win a thrilling late-night doubles and seal a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Britain on Saturday.

The world number one, playing like a man possessed, sent a capacity crowd in the Magic Box wild as he almost single-handedly hauled his country home and set up a final with Canada in the inaugural edition of the revamped competition on Sunday.

With the semi-final on a knife edge at 1-1 after the singles were shared, Nadal and veteran Lopez came through an electrifying doubles clash against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski, winning 7-6(3) 7-6(8) to take five-time winners Spain into their first Davis Cup final since 2012.

Just as on the previous night against Argentina in the quarter-finals, Nadal first had to win his singles to drag his team level after Lopez was outplayed 6-3 7-6 by Kyle Edmund.

Nadal completed that task with a 6-4 6-0 win over Dan Evans, which extended his incredible run of Davis Cup singles wins to 28 since 2004, and, just like 24 hours earlier, he bounded back on court around half an hour later for a doubles decider.

In a match of gut-wrenching tension played in front of a frenzied soccer-style crowd in the 12,500-seater stadium, Nadal, 33, and Lopez, 38, squeezed out the first set on a tiebreak in which every single point felt like a drama.

With the clock ticking well past midnight yet again, the inspired British pair kept their noses in front on serve in the second set and when Lopez made a horrible mess of a smash on the Nadal serve at 5-6 they had a set point.

Nadal saved that one with a nerveless forehand winner down the line but there was more trouble for Spain in the tiebreak.

After an angry Nadal clashed with the umpire Britain led 6-4 but Lopez saved the first set point with a big serve and then Nadal produced miracles to flick a lob over Murray before putting away a smash as the Scot replied with a lob.

It felt like Nadal was tackling Britain on his own as he saved a fourth set point with a monstrous forehand that whistled past Murray. Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, sitting at courtside after being left out, could not look.

Spain then had a match point which Nadal miscued, but when Skupski bunted a volley long it meant Lopez had a service point to seal it, and he delivered.

DRAMATIC COMPETITION
“Rafa Rafa” the crowd bellowed as they saluted their hero and he will need them behind him again in Sunday’s climax against Canada at the end of an exhausting week.

“This competition is dramatic and with this new format even more,” Nadal said on court. “It was very close. We knew it was going to be a very tough battle. But we found a way.”

Lopez was close to tears at the end and who could blame him after the tension of two dramatic hours.

“I’m living the dream,” he said. “It’s a very special moment. Rafa hit an unbelievable lob when we were down in the break 6-4. We are really happy and have a great opportunity to hold this trophy tomorrow.”

Canada reached their first Davis Cup final after Denis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil, who have played every rubber for their side this week, beat Russian duo Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov as their semi-final also went to the wire.

Pospisil’s run of three straight singles wins here came to an end in the opener against an inspired Rublev, the Russian winning 6-4 6-4.

Shapovalov levelled the tie when he beat Khachanov 6-4 4-6 6-4 before the Canadian duo edged the doubles 6-3 3-6 7-6(5).

“I don’t think any of us expected that we could get this far,” Shapovalov said. “You have to have a little bit of luck on your side and just play some ridiculous tennis and play at a ridiculous level. It’s dream to be in the final.” — Reuters

Zimbabwe scraps import controls on maize, wheat flour after drought

HARARE — Zimbabwe has removed import controls on maize and wheat flour following a severe drought that cut supplies, a cabinet minister said on Thursday.

More than half of Zimbabwe’s population requires food aid following an El Nino-induced drought that also reduced water levels in the biggest hydro dam, leading to rolling power cuts.

Acting information minister Simangaliso Ndlovu said in a post-cabinet press statement that the government would now allow anyone to import maize, maize meal and flour. Import duty on the products had also been removed so they can be brought into the country cheaply. Ndlovu said the measures were temporary.

Millers will no longer be able to buy grain at subsidized prices from the state grain agency, Ndlovu also said, in a move that takes immediate effect.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube had said in a budget speech last week the subsidies would end in January, raising concerns that impoverished citizens would face another round of price increases.

“The government will also be unveiling a mechanism for targeted subsidies for basic foodstuffs. This is intended as an additional cushion for vulnerable households and the generality of Zimbabweans,” Ndlovu said.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has this year moved to remove subsidies on fuel and electricity and introduce a new currency, reforms that have unleashed inflation.

Mnangagwa says the reforms are painful in the short term but will eventually put Zimbabwe on a sound economic footing.

The government has said Zimbabwe needs more than 800,000 tonnes of maize to plug its grain deficit. — Reuters

Anita Magsaysay-Ho in the house thanks to Rustan’s new home decor line

A MASTER artist’s work is most of the time enjoyed by private owners (those who acquire it directly from the artist, the winning bidder at an auction, or heirloom keepers). But Filipino modernist painter Anita Magsaysay-Ho (1914-2012) believed that art is to be enjoyed by everyone.

“She felt [that] art, in a way, was so inaccessible to most people,” the late artist’s daughter, Doris Magsaysay-Ho, said at the launch of Rustan’s for the Arts’s new line of home decor. “When she painted and somebody bought it, it was gone forever from anybody’s view. She really believed that it was important to have reproductions or ways that others could also enjoy these paintings.”

Rustan’s for the Arts fulfilled the artist’s vision in sharing her works with a wider audience with a collection of home decor called “Offerings.”

Named as one of the 13 Moderns of Philippine art, Anita Magsaysay-Ho was known for painting Filipino women wearing kerchiefs on their heads and engaged everyday activities. In 2017, the oil painting The Many Colors of San Francisco (1997) sold for P36.2 million at the Important Philippine Art Auction at Salcedo Auctions. In 2018, the 1950 piece Tahip went for P30 million at the ACC art auction at the Léon Gallery.

Ms. Magsaysay-Ho recalled that as a child, her mother would bring her along to see her exhibits in the now defunct Galerie Bleu at Rustan’s department store.

“I know the Tantoco family very well, so they asked me if I would consider doing it, I thought, my mother always felt that art should be accessible for everybody,” Ms. Ho told BusinessWorld during the launch on Nov. 20 at Rustan’s Makati.

Since 2016, Rustan’s for the Arts has released collections of home decor featuring works by National Artist for Visual Arts Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera, Fernando Amorsolo, Arturo Luz, Al Perez, and Paulina Luz Sotto. The program is aimed at helping raise awareness for arts and culture.

The Magsaysay-Ho collection is highlighted by reproductions of the artist’s original painted plates — her Kakawati Dance, Man and Woman Dancing: Tinikling Dance, and Women with Pineapples — by Bernardaud. There are 350 pieces per design.

“Anita [Magsaysay-Ho] apparently believed that artwork for plates should be on plates, and the paintings are really for the wall,” Dina A. Tantoco, Rustan’s Head of Marketing and Communications told BusinessWorld, about the decorative plates.

“She really painted them on plates. I have the originals plates at home,” Ms. Magsaysay-Ho added. “She did [them] in the 1960s when she lived in Japan when she worked with a ceramics company.”

Other products in the “Offerings” collection include greeting card boxes, cushion covers, and table napkins.

The collection will be available at Rustan’s Alabang Town Center, Gateway, Shangri-La Plaza, and Cebu in January 2020.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to the Anita Magsaysay-Ho Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to students and supports organizations promoting art and culture. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

CTA expands SMIC tax refund award

THE Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has ruled to allow a refund of P986.4 million, part of the amount sought by SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) for 2013.

In a 28-page amended decision dated Nov. 18, the court’s special second division partially granted the petition of SM Investments but increased the amount for refund.

The court in a March 4 decision only allowed the refund of P179.3 million out of the P1.17 billion excess creditable withholding tax claimed by SMIC for 2013.

The court said in its amended decision that SMIC had adequately explained its entitlement to a further P807.1 million refund.

“(P)etitioner has completely explained and proven that the corresponding income payment/gain of the CWT amounting to P807,070,650.00 was reported in its Annual ITR (income tax revenue) for 2013,” according to the decision.

“Clearly from the foregoing, SMIC established compliance with the requisite that the income upon which the taxes were withheld should be included in the return of the recipient, but only up to the extent of P807,070,650.00 with related gross income of P16,141,413,000.00, representing the property swap with SM Prime Holdings, Inc. which was accounted for using the pooling of interest method,” it added.

The court upheld the disallowance of the rest of the claims due to “failure to properly substantiate the same.”

It also denied a motion for reconsideration filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Semirara Mining continues to face regulatory challenges

SEMIRARA Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) was among the most actively traded stocks last week, after the Department of Energy (DoE) issued a suspension of Consunji-led company’s coal trading activities for one month and coal mining operations due to a mudflow incident in Semirara island.

A total of P348.56 million worth of 16.36 million shares of SMPC exchanged hands on the trading floor from Nov. 18 to 22, data from the Philippine Stock Exchange showed, making it the 17th most actively traded issue last week.

SMPC shares closed at P20.75 apiece on Friday, up five percent from P19.76 the previous day but down 13.2% from P23.90 a week ago. Year to date, it slipped by 10.6%.

“The sudden news of coal mining shutdown made SMPC one of the most active stocks. In addition, the company was slapped with a fine and suspension for one-month due to coal trading,” Unicapital Securities, Inc. Technical Analyst Jeff Radley C. See said in an e-mail interview.

“The bears took control and push the price lower to new lows,” he said.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange, SMPC said it suspended its mining operations after receiving a letter from the DoE dated Nov. 14 directing the company to “suspend any and all mining activities under Coal Operating Contract No. 5” until conditions set by the department are met.

The mudflow incident in its Molave Pit on Semirara island occurred on Oct. 2. SMPC’s mining operator went missing after the incident and his remains were found after a three-day search and rescue operation, the DoE said on Oct. 5.

“The DoE orders of suspension will result to opportunity loss in production per day from 40,000-45,000 MT (metric tons). The financial impact, however, shall depend on the prevailing price of coal,” SMPC said.

In a separate e-mail, Philstocks Financial, Inc. senior research analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said SMPC’s share price fell by 13.18% week on week to P20.75 “due to the regulatory challenges it is facing.”

“Investors were worried of the opportunity losses brought by the suspension. At the same time, Investors feared the possible coal trading suspension brought by the Department of Energy (DoE) amid SMPC’s said transactions with Gold Anchorage, an unaccredited coal trader,” Mr. Tantiangco said.

Also last week, the DoE imposed a one-month suspension on SMPC, after the company was found to be in violation of Department Circular No. DC2012-05-0006 or the Guidelines on the Accreditation of Coal Traders and Registration of Coal End-Users. The company was found to have made coal trading transactions with an unaccredited coal trader.

The DoE also slapped a P1.735-million fine against SMPC for violating Section 3 of the same circular over alleged unabated and continuous coal trading despite suspension of its accreditation.

Last Thursday, SMPC appealed to the Energy department to reconsider the sanctions.

Mr. Tantiangco said that SMPC’s fundamentals are facing struggles with its power generating segment.

“While a suspension is already in place, the company’s coal production and shipment has already exceeded 2018 levels. And this is seen to support SMPC’s financial performance for the rest of 2019. This is unless the DoE’s coal trading suspension becomes final,” Mr. Tantiangco said.

SMPC’s consolidated net income during the nine months fell by 4.8% to P8.25 billion from P8.66 billion posted in the same period last year.

For this week, Mr. See placed the stock’s support level at P20.00. Meanwhile, resistance level is pegged between P24.00 and P25.00.

“The stock would move sideways for now awaiting the resume of their operation. The stock is a buy near P20.00 but make sure to place a mental stop just in case it moves down below its support,” added Mr. See.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tantiangco gave SMPC’s support price at P20.00 and a resistance range from P21.50 to P22.00, adding that if it fails to hold the P20.00 support line, its next support would be P18.00.

“The regulatory challenges are still expected to weigh on SMPC’s share price next week giving it a downward bias with a possible testing of the P20.00 support level. We could see a rally in its price if it is able to show positive developments in the said challenges,” added Mr. Tantiangco. — Lourdes O. Pilar

Honda’s 10th year of reforestation efforts continue with 5,000 trees planted in Real, Quezon

HONDA FOUNDATION, INC. (HFI), composed of the Honda Group of Companies — Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI), Honda Parts Manufacturing Corporation (HPMC) and Honda Trading Philippines — recently conducted its tree-planting activity with 5,000 tree saplings planted in Real, Quezon.

Honda has been actively contributing in the restoration of the Philippines’ rainforests through this effort. Not only does the activity help restore communities and ecosystems, the tree-planting activity also contributes solutions to environmental problems such as climate change and air pollution.

Done in partnership with Haribon’s Forest For Life Movement, Honda aims to restore damaged rainforests through planting various native tree species such as Narra, Apitong, and Lauan. “For 10 years now, we have been doing tree planting with Haribon and our commitment to leave blue skies for our children goes stronger,” Hirotake Shimosaka, HFI adviser, mentioned during his opening remarks. Since 2010, around 50,000 trees have already been planted across 36 hectares of damaged forests in the provinces of Laguna, Quezon and Rizal.

According to a biophysical survey conducted by Haribon to check the health of the reforested areas, about 28 species of birds were found in the various restored habitats. 18 of these species are endemic to the Philippines. Some of these birds are the Philippine Magpie-robin (Copsychus mindanensis), the Blue Headed Fantail (Rhipidura cyaniceps), the Lowland White-eye (Zosterops meyeni), and the Sulphur-billed Nuthatch (Sitta oenochlamys). The presence of these birds highlights the progress of reforestation as efforts continue to make a better ecosystem for local communities and wildlife conservation.

In line with Honda’s 2030 vision of providing a sustainable society for the next generation, the project offers options for sustainable livelihood to nearby communities, while recovering biodiversity, clean air and water, resilience to climate change and natural hazards.

Deutsche Bank closer to easier capital hurdle

CHRISTIAN SEWING’S efforts to scale back Deutsche Bank AG are paying off, with authorities saying the lender is now less of a risk to the financial system.

The German bank moved down a notch in the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) ranking of risk, meaning it will probably face a lower requirement for the so-called leverage ratio, a list published on Friday showed. JPMorgan Chase & Co. remained the world’s most global systemically important bank while Toronto-Dominion Bank was added to the list at the lowest level.

Mr. Sewing, Deutsche Bank’s chief executive officer, is rolling back years of breakneck expansion when the lender sought to go head to head with US investment banks. In July he unveiled the most sweeping restructuring plan in decades, including cutting a fifth of the work force through 2022 and exiting equities trading. The bank is also shrinking the fixed-income business, long one of its major areas of strength.

“We’ve been taking active steps to make the firm simpler, clean up the balance sheet, and focusing on making the bank smaller and having more stable revenues,” Dixit Joshi, group treasurer, said in an interview.

The FSB’s list is based on data as of the end of 2018 and doesn’t take into account the lender’s additional changes this year, he said. “While I can’t speak to future scores directly, as we continue execution of our strategic plan, there may be potential reductions in the G-SIB score categories.”

Deutsche Bank had already flagged the potential FSB change, although it probably won’t affect its risk-based capital requirements because German regulator BaFin has its own measure. The FSB assessment suggests that the leverage ratio, a measure of bank’s balance sheet that doesn’t take account of its risk, will be 3.75% of 4% when the requirements take effect in 2022. The bank targets a level of about 5% by the end of that year.

That means the change may not make Mr. Sewing’s overhaul much easier. He plans to use some of the bank’s risk-based capital to shoulder restructuring charges. Still, it may be viewed as an acknowledgement of Deutsche Bank’s efforts to become simpler and improve relations with regulators.

The rankings reflect an international consensus about the relative risk posed by the world’s biggest lenders.

Banks included in the group face more stringent capital demands, requirements that they have more capacity to absorb losses in a crisis and more stringent supervisory expectations about risk management. The actual capital requirements are set by supervisors in a bank’s jurisdiction.

The FSB includes the representatives from authorities, including the European Central Bank and Bank of England, and is chaired by Randal Quarles, a vice chairman of the US Federal Reserve. — Bloomberg

Davao City launches ‘Peace Economy’ in Paquibato to address insurgency

DAVAO CITY formally launched its “Peace Economy” program last week in Paquibato, a remote district known as one of the strongholds of the communist New People’s Army (NPA). “It is rooted in equality and fairness in partnerships and builds a bridge between producers, the business sector, civil society and government. It increases connectors among people and communities. It builds peace,” city government peace adviser Irene Santiago said during the launch held at the Ateneo de Davao University. Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in a message read by Councilor Mary Joselle D. Villafuerte, said peace economy is a model of development that aims to get all sectors involved in “wealth sharing” alongside the improved delivery of government services. Barangay Chairman Jessie Areja of Malabog, the pilot village in Paquibato, said the program has helped their vegetable farmers increase income through a partnership with Helen’s Farm of homegrown NCCC Group of Companies, which is involved in retail distribution, shopping mall and supermarket operations. “Since the start two months ago, Peace Economy has had a major impact on us because middlemen used to give our farmers very low prices,” Mr. Areja said in Filipino. “Tomatoes, for example, our farmers used to sell it at P10 per kilo, but now through Helen’s Farm, it is P25 per kilo,” he said in an interview. Ms. Duterte said the program will need more partners and could eventually be expanded outside the city. The Paquibato District covers about 27% of the city’s over 2,400-square kilometer land area. It is also home to the ancestral domain of the Ata indigenous group. “Many adults (in Paquibato) talk about not knowing anything else but gubot or violent conflict since the ‘60s under the Marcos martial law with atrocities committed by both the military and the New People’s Army,” Ms. Santiago said. — Maya M. Padillo

MinDA to expand Tienda project to Marawi City, other parts of Lanao del Sur

THE MINDANAO Development Authority (MinDA) is expanding its retail outlet livelihood project in Marawi City and other parts of Lanao del Sur. In a statement, MinDA said it is partnering with non-government organization Plan International for the inclusion of Tienda under the Livelihood Opportunities in Villages for Economic Upliftment program. “In a meeting with Plan International officials, I emphasized that success of these projects should be measured in terms of the reduction of the poverty incidence in the area,” MinDA Chair Emmanuel F. Piñol said. The Tienda project was initially launched for those affected by the series of earthquakes last October in several towns in Cotabao and Davao del Sur. In Lanao del Sur, MinDA will assist organized women groups “in starting a community store which would offer basic household needs at prices lower than in the market,” MiNDA said.

POULTRY PROJECT
Meanwhile, MinDA also announced the implementation of a communal poultry raising project in the earthquake-affected areas with the help of Thai firm Charoen Pokphand Foods Philippines Corp. The company will provide inputs, technical assistance as well as buy the produce “in excess of what the community needs.” — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Philippine Men’s Under-22 team begins SEA Games group play football bid opposite Cambodia today

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE 30th Southeast Asian Games campaign of the Philippine Men’s Under-22 team begins today in a group play match against Cambodia at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

Set for 8 p.m., the Philippines looks to set its football bid on the right note in Group A where it is also lumped with Malaysia, Myanmar and Timor-Liste apart from Cambodia.

For the SEA Games, the U-22 team is made up of some of the top young talents in the country, boosted by two veteran members of the Philippine Azkals, namely Stephan Schrock and Amani Aguinaldo.

In the SEA Games, teams are allowed to put in a maximum of two overage players in their U-22 rosters.

Messrs. Schrock, 33, and Aguinaldo, 24, both play for top local football club Ceres-Negros FC and recently played with the Azkals in away matches in the joint World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers.

Joining the two in the SEA Games team are Anthony Pinthus — Kosova Zurich (Switzerland), Michael Asong — San Beda University, Justin Baas — AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Elias Mordal Suerti — Brattvag IL (Norway), Mar Diano — Mendiola FC 1991, Marco Casambre — Chainat Hornbill FC (Thailand), Jordan Jarvis — Resources Capital FC (Hong Kong), Griffin McDaniel — California Baptist University (USA), Christian Rontini — Sangiovanesse FA (Italy), and Yrik Gallantes — Gala Fairydean Rovers (Scotland).

Also part of the squad are Pocholo Bugas — Far Eastern University, Jerome Marzan — Mendiola FC 1991, Dylan De Bruycker — Ceres-Negros FC, Dennis Chung — Zehlendorf (Germany), Troy Limbo — Sunderland RCA (England), Chima Uzoka — Global Makati FC, and Jarvey Gayoso — Ateneo de Manila University.

The Philippine U-22 team has been preparing for the biennial regional sporting meet since the middle of the year and competed in the Copa Paulino Alcantara as part of its preparation.

“The team has been training well. It joined in the recent Copa Paulino Alcantara to hone their skills and game and it made a good impression. The staff is very competent and it motivates the team well. First target is to make it to the semifinals and take it from there. Hopefully the fans will come out and support the team,” said Philippine Football Federation President Nonong Araneta when asked for his thoughts on the U-22 team’s chances.

Also playing today are Malaysia versus Myanmar in Group A in Rizal at 4 p.m. and Vietnam against Brunei in Group B at 4 p.m. at the Imus Grandstand and Track Oval in Cavite.

Bracketed in Group B along with Vietnam and Brunei are defending champion Thailand, Indonesia, Laos and Singapore.

In the SEA Games, teams will play each other once in their respective groupings with the top two advancing to the crossover knockout semifinals.

In the last edition of the Games in 2017, the Philippines failed to move past group play, finishing with a record of two wins and three losses for six points.

PHISGOC MAKES CLARIFICATION
Meanwhile, the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee apologized and made clarifications over some problems encountered by arriving SEA Games football teams at the weekend.

Four teams — Thailand, Cambodia, Timor-Leste and Myanmar — all took to social media to share the inconvenience they experienced upon arrival on Saturday, which ranged from slow accreditation process, slow immigration clearing, problems in transportation and transfer, traffic and accommodation.

In a statement on Sunday, PHISGOC said they have taken note of the issue and vowed to work on the problems.

“We sincerely apologize to our athlete guests from Timor-Leste, Myanmar and Cambodia for the inconvenience caused to them by the confusion regarding their transportation and hotel arrangements. While PHISGOC strives to ensure proper coordination of the arrival details, airport welcome and transportation provisions of all international teams to their respective assigned hotels, we acknowledge our shortcomings in this particular incident and vow to do better,” the PHISGOC statement read.

It nonetheless made some clarification.

“For the information of the public, the confusion with the Timor-Leste football team happened when some of their members were initially brought to the Century Hotel along with the rest of the team. However, the Timor-Leste coordinator pointed out that some were actually billeted at the nearby Hotel Jen. PHISGOC was able to arrange the delegates’ shuttle to the other hotel,” it said.

“As to the Cambodian football team, their change in arrival details was relayed late to the PHISGOC Games Services Department. Instead of the arrival time initially relayed to PHISGOC, the Cambodian team arrived in NAIA at 4 a.m. Transportation was immediately provided, but since their hotel rooms were not yet available because the standard check-in time is 2 p.m., PHISGOC requested that the team be allowed to wait at an air-conditioned private hotel conference room with tables and chairs where the members could rest and feel comfortable while waiting for their rooms,” it added.

Malaysian palm oil expected to meet EU food safety levels by 2021, minister says

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia, the second-biggest producer and exporter of palm oil after Indonesia, will enforce regulations to ensure that by 2021 its palm oil meets new food safety standards under consideration by the European Union, a minister said on Tuesday.

The EU is considering setting new limits by an as-yet unspecified date on food contaminants in refined fats and oils, and is discussing imposing a safety level for so-called 3-MCPD esters found in palm oil.

The European Food Safety Authority has said the esters raise potential health concerns.

“The palm oil industry in Malaysia has been instructed (by the government) to adhere to the EU-prescribed level of 3-MCPDE of 2.5 ppm for food products by 2021,” Malaysia’s minister of primary industries, Teresa Kok, told an industry event, referring to contaminants in milligrams per kilo of oil.

“We are now in the process of enforcing several regulations to ensure that palm oil produced meets the acceptable safety level for 3-MCPDE.”

Malaysia last month said new EU rules could hurt demand for palm oil in food — which accounts for nearly 70% of global consumption of the oil, and where it is used in products such as bread and chocolate spread.

The $60 billion palm industry is often blamed for stripping tropical rainforest, and the EU this year introduced a law to phase out palm oil from renewable fuel by 2030 due to deforestation concerns. Malaysia and Indonesia have said they plan to challenge the law at the World Trade Organization.

The EU biodiesel market is worth an estimated 9 billion euros ($10 billion) a year.

“Despite our best efforts, if certain importing countries choose to impose discriminatory trade barriers against palm oil producing countries, we not must not keep silent nor hesitate to take counter measures,” Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said at the same event on Tuesday.

Kok said 60% of the country’s total oil palm planted area had received the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification, which requires growers to meet certain standards regarding environmental protection and workers’ rights.

The Southeast Asian country aims for 70% oil palm areas to have received MSPO certification by February, Kok said.

She reiterated the Malaysian Palm Oil Board’s warning of legal action or licence cancellation if palm mills and growers with plantations of 100 acres and more are not certified by Jan. 1.

Kok said on Monday certification among smallholder farmers, who account for nearly 40% of Malaysia’s total palm oil production, was particularly low because of concerns they would not be able to recover the high costs of complying with the regulations. — Reuters

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