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Magsayo happy to fight in Bohol anew, get his career back on track

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

LATER this month undefeated Filipino boxer Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo returns to fight in his hometown of Tagbilaran in Bohol, looking to get his career humming anew following a two-year lull from boxing.

Headlining “Pride of Bohol” on Aug. 31 at the Bohol Wisdom Gymnasium, Mr. Magsayo, boasting of a 19-0 record (14 knockouts), will face Thai veteran fighter Panya Uthok for the vacant WBC Asia featherweight title and IBF Pan Pacific featherweight title.

It will mark the first time that Mr. Magsayo, 24, will fight in Tagbilaran since taking on, and defeating by unanimous decision, Japanese Shota Hayashi to retain the WBO International featherweight belt in November of 2017.

Pride of Bohol is also the first offering in the country of Vladimir Boxing Promotions, which Mr. Magsayo’s wife and manager, Frances, is part of.

“I’m so happy to be given the chance to fight once again in Tagbilaran, Bohol. I’m looking forward to the support that my town mates will give me,” said the Bohol native in Tagalog during the press conference for the event held on July 31 at the Howzat Sports Bar in Makati City.

“I will give my best for this fight. I have been training hard in the past months and finding ways to address different situations come fight day,” he added.

The last time Mr. Magsayo fought in Bohol he had to grind it out against Mr. Hayashi, who put up a tough fight and saw the Filipino dig deep to survive the full 12 rounds and hack out the UD victory.

After his fight with the Japanese, Mr. Magsayo was idle for a long time following a contractual dispute with ALA Promotions, his former handler.

He made his ring return in April this year in Singapore fighting under Vladimir Boxing Promotions, knocking out Indonesian Erick Deztroyer in the fourth round for the win.

Mr. Magsayo shared that it is like starting over again for him and that everything that had happen for him the last two years only made him more determined to forge ahead with his career.

“I’m happy to get over what had happened in the last two years and now I’m starting fresh. I’m fighting once again and I’m happy. I’m motivated to train more,” he said.

Against Mr. Uthok (53-6), Mr. Magsayo said he is expecting another tough challenge that requires him to be on top of his game.

“He’s (Uthok) the kind of fighter who likes to get inside and mix it up so we’re really working on my stamina to keep in step with him for the full 12 rounds. This fight is unlike my previous fight where I was feeling my way back. This time it is for a championship and I have to be ready,” Mr. Magsayo said.

Bad weather, class suspension force NCAA 95 games cancellation anew

FOR THE SECOND straight play date, men’s basketball action in National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 was cancelled because of the expected bad weather brought about by Typhoon Hanna and subsequent suspension of classes in the metro.

In a statement, NCAA Season 95 management committee chairman Peter S. Cayco of host school Arellano University announced the cancellation of matches set for yesterday, Aug. 6.

“Again, due to the very late suspension of classes, the games scheduled at 10 a.m. onwards for Tuesday, 6 August 2019 are CANCELED and shall be played on a date and time to be determined later,” the statement of Mr. Cayco read.

“The CSJL-CSB Juniors game now being played shall be allowed to finish as scheduled today. Tickets for canceled games today shall be honored on the rescheduled date,” it added.

Last Friday, Aug. 2, NCAA matches were also cancelled because of heavy monsoon rain.

On tap yesterday was a triple-header featuring the College of Saint Benilde Blazers (4-0) against the Letran Knights (5-1) at noon followed by the San Beda Red Lions (4-0) versus the Mapua Cardinals (0-5) at 2 p.m. and the San Sebastian Stags (2-3) against Arellano (1-4) at 4 p.m.

The Blazers and Lions were out to keep their slates clean while Letran was eyeing a sixth straight win after opening its season with a loss.

San Sebastian, for its part, was looking to arrest a three-game losing skid while Mapua and Arellano were going for much-needed victories to propel their respective causes. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Carter to return to Hawks for record season

LOS ANGELES — Vince Carter will return to the Atlanta Hawks on a one-year contract for what would an NBA record 22nd season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday.

The 42-year-old Carter, a free agent this summer, has said this season will be his last, ending a memorable career that includes the 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year award and eight All-Star Game appearances.

“I got one more run in me,” he told ESPN last month.

Carter’s final run would break the record for most NBA seasons. The other players with 21 seasons in the NBA include Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, if Carter plays in a game in 2020, he would become the first player in league history to appear in a game in four different decades.

Carter joined the Hawks — his eighth NBA team — before last season, helping to mentor a young roster that includes Trae Young and John Collins. He scored 7.4 points per game in 76 contests with the Hawks while playing on a one-year, $2.4 million contract. He started nine games.

Carter, whose acrobatic dunks helped earn him the nickname “Vinsanity,” has averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his career, which began with the Toronto Raptors. He also has played for the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.

He was the 2000 winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA later that summer, cementing his high-flying status with a one-handed slam in which he jumped over 7-foot-2 center French center Frederic Weis.

At 41 years and 264 days old, Carter was the second oldest player to start a season opener after Parish (42 years, 65 days). Carter would break Parish’s record if he started the 2019 season opener for the Hawks.

Carter has the fifth-most games played in NBA history at 1,481, is sixth in 3-point field goals made at 2,229, and 20th all-time in scoring at 25,430 points. — Reuters

EGS Elite and National University Uno among winners at NBA 3X PHL

THE NINTH EDITION of NBA 3X Philippines drew to a successful conclusion on Sunday with Cavite-based EGS Elite reclaiming the title in the men’s open division and National University Uno topping the women’s side.

Held at the PICC Forum Tent, the National Basketball Association’s 3-on-3 tournament saw some 260 teams from different parts of the country compete in the various categories all in the hopes of emerging as the winners in the competition which has been staged since 2011.

EGS Elite, composed of Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League player Mark Anthony Dolingon, Arnel Fillon, John Vincent Cabrera and Jay Bren Motol, was crowned champion in the men’s open division after defeating TVL Cavs, 22-14, in the finals.

The latest NBA 3X Philippines championship was the fifth for EGS Elite in six years.

On the women’s side the National University Uno quartet of Jack Animam, Angelica Surada, Camille Clarin and Lamana Kapinga bested National University Dos, 15-13, to be crowned as champion.

Other winners in the tournament were SKAPRO (boys under-13), Caloocan Supremos 1 (boys U-16), Caloocan Supremos (boys U-18), First City Provincial College (girls U-18) and Bank Assure: Born Ballers (AXA champions).

In the Celebrity Division, Team Uy Uy Uy, composed of Dominic Uy, Vince Hizon, Yuri Escueta and Miko Abello, defeated Calix comprised of Xavy Nunag, Nikko Ramos, Jutt Sulit and Marxx Monterola.

The 2019 NBA 3X Philippines had the Denver Nuggets’ Monte Morris, NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues and 2019 NBA Champions mascot, the Raptor, as guests and facilitators during the two-day event.

The event was presented anew by AXA Philippines, which recently launched its newest brand campaign, “Know You Can,” which reminds its customers that a better life is within reach if they believe it can be achieved.

Apart from AXA Philippines, Gatorade, Nike, PLDT-Smart, and Vivo served as official partners. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

GM Joey Antonio wins Open Kitchen rapid chessfest

GRANDMASTER (GM) Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. pocketed the top honors in the Open Kitchen rapid chess tournament held at the Open Kitchen food hall 34-36 P. Tuazon Bouelavard, Barangay Kaunlaran, Cubao, Quezon City on Monday.

The 13-times Philippine Open champion Antonio collected five points on five wins and two draws to win the seven-round tournament which attracted 68 players in the event.

Actually, Antonio, tied for first-third places with Jerry Areque and Fide Master Nelson “Elo” Mariano III in the 15 minutes rapid time control event supervised by National Arbiters Avelino Carredo, Byron Villar and Israel “Ice” Landicho and assisted by CAUP1 Robin Asejo and CAUP1 Rogelio Baccay.

With the highest tiebreak points, Antonio took the title, Areque finished second while Mariano placed 3rd overall.

Rounding up the top 11 were Mr. Jose Aquino Jr. (4th); IM (International Master) Chris Ramayrat (5th); IM Ricardo de Guzman (6th); Don Tyrone Delos Santos (7th); Mark Christian Rodrigo (8th); Sherwin Tiu (9th); Genghis Imperial (10th) and Marlon Constantino (11th).

Earlier, Ms. China Aurelio, from the Open Kitchen and the youngest Woman Fide Master Antonelle Berthe “Tonelle” Racasa; Barangay Kaunlaran Chairman Christopher “Dong” Cheng and Engineer Antonio “Tony” Carreon Balinas; Robbie Pangilinan of Sports Manila net and Kagawad Meng “Maersk” Ronquillo; Mar Aviel Carredo and Ms. Emz Forrosuelo of Otsuka-Solar Philippines, Inc. (Pocari Sweat); GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. and Bounjoure Fille Suyamin, made the ceremonial moves to highlight the start of the Open Kitchen tournament. — Marlon Bernardino

Velasquez pitches Phillies past D-Backs

PHOENIX — Vince Velasquez pitched seven solid innings in his longest outing of the season, Scott Kingery homered and the Philadelphia Phillies opened a three-game series with a 7-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night in Phoenix.

Velasquez (4-6) gave up two runs and six hits, striking out three and walking two. His longest outing of the season in 13 previous starts was six innings on April 14.

The right-hander labored a bit at the end, walking Nick Ahmed with two outs in the seventh and falling behind Carson Kelly 2-0 before getting him to line out to left-center field, where Adam Haseley made a nice running catch. Kingery doubled and hit his 14th home run of the season.

Six Phillies had two hits and five drove in runs, including Roman Quinn, whose eighth-inning single drove in Haseley from third for a 6-2 lead.

Arizona got within 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth on David Peralta’s RBI single. Eduardo Escobar followed with a single to bring the potential tying run to the plate with one out, but Christian Walker struck out, and pinch hitter Tim Locastro flied out to right.

The Phillies added a run in the ninth on a walk, stolen base, throwing error and wild pitch.

Phillies closer Hector Neris worked around a one-out error in the ninth in a non-save situation by inducing a double-play grounder.

Philadelphia also helped itself by turning double plays in the third, fourth, fifth and ninth innings.

Velasquez started one in the fifth after Arizona began the inning with back-to-back singles. He pounced off the mound on a sacrifice bunt attempt by pitcher Merrill Kelly, fired to third for a force, with Kingery throwing to first for the double play.

Kelly (7-12) allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk in six innings, striking out four. He is 0-6 in his past nine starts.

Ketel Marte tripled to lead off the bottom of the first and scored on a groundout to give Arizona a 1-0 lead. Philadelphia evened the score in the second on Kingery’s home run.

The Phillies went up 3-1 in the third inning. J.T. Realmuto got jammed but drove in a run with a soft RBI double down the left-field line, and Jean Segura followed with an RBI single that Marte misplayed in center field, letting the ball drop in front of him. — Reuters

Solid offering

When ONE Championship came here in April I was not able to cover it as I had something going out of town, which was why for the promotion’s most recent event here on Aug. 2 I made sure if I was available I would go.

It surely helped as a come-on that “ONE: Dawn of Heroes” had a stacked card, the most packed even since it began doing shows here in the Philippines back in 2012.

And surely Dawn of Heroes delivered as a solid offering, satisfying both the journalist in me with the many storylines pre- and post-event, and as a fan with the number of entertaining and exciting fights.

Fight of the night for me was that between Jonathan “The General” Haggerty of the United Kingdom and Thai Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon in a ONE world flyweight muay thai championship, which was the co-main event.

The fight was engaging right from the fighters’ entrance with Jitmuangnon dancing and all and to the fight itself.

Admittedly I was rooting for erstwhile champion Haggerty but Jitmuangnon was just like a diesel engine that continued humming and hitting as the fight progressed on his way to the unanimous decision victory to seize the title.

The main event between champion Vietnamese-Australian Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen and Japanese challenger Koyomi “Moushigo” Matsushima for the ONE world featherweight championship was downright solid as well.

After fighting some time in lightweight and bantamweight, Nguyen made it known that he is back in featherweight and was looking to highlight his stranglehold on it.

He definitely delivered on that as he came on Matsushima with much fire, beating the latter by technical knockout due to strikes in the second round to keep his title.

Of course, as we all know by the now, Dawn of Heroes was not a good night for Filipino fighters, particularly Team Lakay, which went 1-4 at the event with flyweight fighter Danny “The King” Kingad the lone victor.

His Team Lakay stable mates Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio, Honorio “The Rock” Banario and Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly all fell by the wayside in their respective fights.

But while Kingad’s was the only victory for the Filipinos on Friday, it was still one of the biggest for the night as it merited for him a spot in the ONE flyweight grand prix finals in October against MMA legend and top pound-for-pound fighter Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson of the United States.

It did not come easy for Kingad against Australian Reece “Lightning” McLaren, and for a while I thought he was going to lose, but good thing he picked it up in the third and final round with takedowns and ground-and-pound to swing the decision in his favor for the split decision win.

Folayang’s first-round submission loss (rear-naked choke) to American champion fighter Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez was lamentable because he had the latter in trouble but overzealousness, as he admitted after, got the better of him and cost him a spot in the lightweight grand prix finals.

The former lightweight champ attacked Alvarez with a blitz of strikes to open the contest and a low kick brought the American to the mat. Alvarez, however, was able to sweep Folayang to wind up in mount. From there, Alvarez took Folayang’s back, fished for the submission, and forced the tap.

In the post-event press conference, Folayang said he acknowledged his mistake and vowed to learn from it; lesson-filled indeed.

The KO loss by Eustaquio in the first round at the hands of Japanese Yuya Makamatsu, meanwhile, I did not see coming but I guess that is MMA for you, you just do not know what to expect.

Banario and Kelly fought gallantly but just did not see things go their way with the former losing by UD to Korean Dae Sung Park and the latter falling by technical decision to Chinese Xie Bin.

Johnson was a marquee name for the night at the Mall of Asia Arena and lived up to it.

From his entrance to Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song to his actual fight and UD victory over Japanese Tatsumitsu Wada, he was all action and had no dull moments.

Welterweight James Nakashima descending the ramp to the Cure’s Just Like Heaven and winning by UD over Yushin Okami and the lone women’s fight of the night between strawweight Ayaka Miura of Japan and Samara Santos of Brazil, with the former winning by submission (Americana) in the second round also stood out for me.

Touted to deliver a memorable night of combat sport action, the 14-fight Dawn of Heroes held its end and congratulations to the group is well-deserved. Looking forward to ONE’s next Manila event in November.

 

Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.

msmurillo@bworldonline.com

Unprecedented run

It’s official. Vince Carter will be suiting up for his 22nd and final season in the National Basketball Association. He had, of course, already signified his intent to burn rubber for yet another year and, in the process, break a record he currently shares with just-retired Dirk Nowitzki, Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, and Kevin Willis for the most number of campaigns played in a career. The Hawks bringing him back for the minimum $2.56 million thereby ensures his place in history. No doubt, they were pleased with the numbers he put up — norms of 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists through 17.5 minutes of play — in 76 games for them, not to mention with his locker-room leadership as they strove to rebuild.

For a while, it appeared that Carter would have trouble making any roster given his advanced age and the influx of new talent. That the Hawks ultimately decided to re-sign him speaks volumes of his worth. He’s certainly a bargain at the figure he was inked to, which translates to a cap hit of just $1.62 million. Meanwhile, he is slated to provide veteran smarts and guidance crucial to the development of their youthful talents. It’s also to their benefit that he will be getting media exposure as he goes through an unprecedented run and makes his protracted valedictory; he’s still far from being a candidate for the rocking chair, never mind that he will be turning 43 in January.

Admittedly, Carter is long past the time when he will directly affect set-tos. While he did grace the court at the end of a handful of meaningful contests last season, his role will likely be more reduced under the klieg lights as the Hawks enter the next phase of their development. That said, he looks to be an important cog behind the scenes. Their would-be stars stand to gain from seeing up close and on display the unfailing dedication and work ethic of a future Hall of Famer. No value can be placed on his mentorship and consistent effort to stay ready.

Ironically, Carter was, for a time, accused of giving less than a hundred percent in matches. He was then at the height of his powers, but not-so-subtly forcing the Raptors to trade him, leading to significant backlash. At one point, Charles Barkley was even moved to term him “half man, half a season” in reference to his “half man, half amazing” appellation. Wisely, he has apologized for his misstep and rebuilt his reputation with words and deeds. He has nothing left to prove now, and if he continues to toil, it’s precisely because he wants to give back and underscore his sheer love of the game.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Fintech startup Vesl wins She Loves Tech Philippines 2019

Over the weekend, fintech startup Vesl beat out eight other female-founded startups for top prize at She Loves Tech Philippines, a pitch competition hosted by QBO Philippines and She Loves Tech.

Vesl is a financial technology company innovating the trade finance sector by providing a platform that connects trade lenders and businesses to per invoice trade credit insurers, among other specialized insurance products.

Led by an all-women founding team of Maureen Nova Ledesma, Jessica Manipon, and Yroen Guaya Melgar, Vesl has previously been accelerated by Startupbootcamp Fintech in 2017. They’re backed by a combination of strategic corporate investors and family offices in the Philippines, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

After winning She Loves Tech Philippines held last Saturday, Aug 3, their team will be moving on to compete on the global stage at She Loves Tech 2019, to be held in Bejing. There they will participate in a week-long bootcamp, and gain numerous networking and immersion opportunities with China’s leading tech players in the days leading up to the finals. At Global Finals, to be held during the International Conference on September 14, Vesl will be given a pitching spot, competing against finalists from around the world, for a chance to win an equity-free cash prize of $15,000 from Teja Ventures, a VC fund with a gender lens and She Loves Tech’s official venture partner.

Founded in 2015 and now the largest startup competition promoting both technology for women and technology by women, She Loves Tech has featured over a thousand startups across the globe who have gone on to collectively raise more than $70 million dollars from top venture capital firms like Sequoia Capital and Wavemaker, as well as tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon.

The eight other competing teams at last weekend’s event were: FHMoms, Antipara Exploration Inc, Payo, StyleGenie, 1Export, Goally, Container Living PH, and SmartBride.

Vesl was also awarded the SparkUp Bayanihan Ecosystem Award, along with logistics-tech startup 1Export and fashion subscription service StyleGenie.

“This Bayanihan Award reinforces our team to work harder in serving both online shoppers and MSME retail brands through our platform,” said StyleGenie co-founder and CEO Abbie Victorino, who co-founded the fashion-tech company with Steph Oller, Minrie Macapugay, and Rhijean Sarenas.

“We are grateful for the Sparkup Bayanihan Ecosystem Award because it validates the work that we currently do for MSMEs in the country. We believe that we still need to learn and do so much for Philippine exports, and this award gives us a platform to show what we can do to contribute,” said 1Export founder and CEO Mel Nava.

With their victory in She Loves Tech Philippines 2019, Vesl will have even more resources to scale their platform across Southeast Asia. They will get a US$15,000 activate package courtesy of Amazon Web Services, copies of The Finishers courtesy of Ambidextr, and media values from SparkUp. 

“This win is very encouraging for Vesl to keep the faith and stay on course,” ” said Vesl Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer Maureen Nova Ledesma. “However, we know that this is just one step towards our goals and that real victory is measured by our impact to society. We go full speed ahead towards closing the trade finance gap. It’s a bonus to be recognized.”

Factory output declines in June

Manufacturing output extended its declining streak to seven months in June, the government reported this morning.

Preliminary results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) latest Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries, showed factory output — as measured by the Volume of Production index — contracting by 10.5% year on year in June versus the revised 9.9% decline in May and the 9.8% growth in June 2018.

For the first half, factory output decline averaged 9.6% compared to the 13.5% growth average in the first half of 2018.

The PSA attributed the downtrend to the annual decreases seen in 11 major industry groups led by double-digit contractions in petroleum products (-69.3%), furniture and fixtures (-40.5%), and basic metals (-18.3%).

In comparison, the Nikkei Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) increased that month to 51.3 from May’s 51.2, but slower than last year’s 52.9.

A reading above 50 signals improvement in business conditions from the preceding month, while a score below that point indicates deterioration.

Average capacity utilization — the extent by which industry resources are used in the production of goods — was estimated at 84.3%. Eleven of the 20 sectors registered capacity utilization rates of at least 80%. — Lourdes O. Pilar

Inflation eases further to 2.4% in July

The increase in the prices of widely used goods further eased in July, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported this morning.

Preliminary data from the PSA showed headline inflation at 2.4% last month, down from 2.7% in June and 5.7% in July 2018. It matched the 2.4% inflation reading that was recorded in July 2017 and the slowest since December 2016 when it logged in a 2.2% inflation rate.

The July result fell within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) 2%-2.8% forecast for the month and matched the 2.4% median estimate in BusinessWorld’s poll of 18 institutions conducted late last week.

Year to date, inflation averaged 3.3%, past the midpoint of the BSP’s 2-4% target band for 2019 albeit still above the revised 2.7% full-year forecast average.

Core inflation – which excludes volatile food and energy items in the consumer basket – was 3.2% last month, slower than June’s 3.3% and 4.5% in the same period last year.

“The downtrend was primarily brought about by the slower annual rate posted in the index of the heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages at 1.9% [from 2.7% in June],” the PSA said in a statement.

The food-alone index likewise eased to 1.7% in July versus the 2.6% reading in June and 6.8% in July 2018.

Slower annual increments were also observed in alcoholic beverages and tobacco (8.8% from June’s 9.3%); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (2.2% from 3%); furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house (2.9% from 3.1%); and transport (0.7% from 1.6%). — Marissa Mae M. Ramos

LEDAC to start quarterly meetings

By Charmaine A. Tadalan
Reporter

THE LEGISLATIVE-EXECUTIVE Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) will hold quarterly meetings to ensure smooth action on priority measures, Senate leaders said after the body’s organizational meeting on Monday.

A preparatory meeting will be held on Aug. 27 to “merge” the legislative agenda of both chambers of Congress.

“Ang napagusapan ay ‘yung (We discussed the) organizational schedule ng ‘small’ LEDAC and main LEDAC,” Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III told reporters in a briefing.

“It is scheduled once every quarter. The ‘small’ LEDAC is now scheduled every last Monday of the month.”

The LEDAC held its last meeting in September 2017, according to its Web site.

The Senate and House of Representatives were represented at Monday’s meeting respectively by Mr. Sotto and Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano, while the Executive branch was represented by Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, Budget Acting Secretary Janet B. Abuel, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III and Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Secretary Adelino B. Sitoy.

The council, as provided by Republic Act No. 7640, is chaired by the President and includes among its members the Vice-President, the Speaker, seven Cabinet members designated by the President, three senators designated by the Senate President, three members of the House designated by the Speaker, as well as a representative each from local government, the youth and the private sectors.

The “small” LEDAC, meanwhile, will be composed of:

• Mr. Sotto, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon and Finance committee chair Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara, on the part of the Senate;

• Mr. Cayetano (Taguig City-1st district), Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte (Camarines Sur-2nd district), Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez (Leyte-1st district), Minority Leader Bienvenido M. Abante Jr. (Manila-6th district), Appropriations committee chairman Isidro T. Ungab (Davao City-3rd district) and Ways and Means chairman Jose Maria Clemente S. Salceda (Albay-2nd district) on the part of the House.

“And then the Executive Secretary will always be there, will always be present… unlike the previous ‘small’ LEDACs before — ‘mini’ LEDACs they used to call it in the previous administration, ang Malacañang bihirang magpadala ng (seldom sent) representatives eh,” Mr. Sotto said.

The first ‘small’ LEDAC meeting will be on Aug. 27, during which Mr. Sotto said both chambers will harmonize their lists of priorities. “Come Aug. 27, we’ll be able to merge them together,” he said.

Mr. Zubiri explained that the frequent, regular meetings should help ensure that priority measures approved by Congress will not be vetoed by the President. “Idi-discuss natin ‘yung mga (We will discuss) measures that could possibly have stumbling blocks or serious reservations of the different departments.”

He added that departments should give their comments on bills at the committee level, and not after a bicameral conference committee harmonizes versions after final approval by the House and the Senate.

The Senate also on Monday afternoon conducted an all-member caucus to discuss each senator’s preferred measures to determine the chamber’s legislative agenda for the first regular session of the 18th Congress.

Mr. Salceda, in a briefing at the House, said the chamber’s priorities will be led by, besides the 2020 national budget, the proposed increase in excise tax on alcohol products, amendments to the 82-year-old Commonwealth Act No. 146, or the Public Service Act, establishment of the Department of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentive Rationalization Act, and establishment of Malasakit Centers.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte, in his fourth State of the Nation Address on July 22, urged Congress to reimpose the death penalty for certain crimes, revive mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps. training, approve remaining tax reform packages, as well as establish the departments on water management, disaster resilience and OFW.

Fourteen local and foreign business groups on July 30 released a list of legislative measures which they submitted to the Office of the President and both houses of Congress, beginning with the PSA Amendments, which will remove restrictions on foreign ownership in utilities; and the proposed reduction of corporate income tax and streamline fiscal incentives.

The groups also identified the amendments to the RA 7042, or the Foreign Investments Act of 1991, which will remove restrictions on foreigners from practicing their profession in the Philippines; and to RA 8762, or the Retail Trade Liberalization Act of 2000, which will reduce the required minimum paid-up capital for foreign entrants to the country’s retail sector, among their priorities.

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