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Foreigners now need to obtain work visas in home countries

FOREIGNERS looking to work in the Philippines will now be required to obtain work visas in their countries of origin, with the visa to be a prerequisite for applying for a work permit, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said.
Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said in a briefing that he will enforce the new order for foreign workers to present a working visa as a requirement for the subsequent issuance of a Special Working Permit (SWP) or an Alien Employment Permit (AEP).
The procedure was agreed to by DoLE and the Department of Finance (DoF), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Justice (DoJ), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) during their interagency committee meeting held earlier this month.
“We agreed that before an alien can come in, they should get a working visa from their place of origin… Anyone can come here as a tourist and apply for a special working permit. That can no longer be allowed. When you come here, you must come here to work,” he said.
The joint memorandum order will be issued soon by the labor department, DTI, DoF, DoJ, BI, and PAGCOR. The interagency committee will convene again on March 15.
The DoLE has the sole authority to issue AEPs. On the other hand, DoLE delegated to the BI the power to issue SWPs through BI Memorandum Order-AFFJr. 05-009 in 2005.
In Memorandum Order AFFJr. 05-009, foreign workers could only apply for a working visa with the BI after they are issued an AEP.
Mr. Bello said that once the joint memorandum order comes into force, foreigners will have to obtain their working visas in Philippine consular offices in their country of origin.
Government agencies will also conduct an initial screening to ensure that foreigners have skills not widely available in the Philippines.
“The work that is done here should be what a Filipino cannot do so there we can control the entry of foreign workers,” Mr. Bello said.
The joint memorandum will list jobs considered priorities for AEP/SWP applicants.
Last week, the Senate resumed its investigation into the influx of Chinese workers. According to DoLE data, nearly 169,000 AEPs were issued from 2015 to 2018, with 85,496 given to Chinese workers.
During its first leg of the Senate inquiry last year, Labor Undersecretary Ciriaco A. Lagunzad III said many Chinese workers usually enter the Philippines using a tourist visa, making it harder for DoLE to track illegal workers. The DoLE also does not have the power to deport foreign workers without AEPs or SWPs. — Gillian M. Cortez

DTI touts opportunities for trade, business partnerships in Malaysia

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THE PHILIPPINES can expect partnerships and trade opportunities in Malaysia, while private companies can develop greater exposure to each other’s home countries, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said.
Mr. Lopez of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) delivered the message at a business forum in Makati City with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad.
Mr. Lopez said Philippines and Malaysian companies in recent years “have made major trade and investment inroads in our respective countries.”
“There are many other companies with presence in each of our countries, and we seek to develop more business matches with today’s meeting. For example, among our country’s priority sectors for investment promotion is infrastructure development. With these in mind, we hope to engage with MTD Group, Muhibbah Engineering, and Budi Technology, among others, who are present here today,” he said.
“Meanwhile, many of our Philippine companies can find more opportunities in Malaysia. Steel Asia, Zuellig, and Sterling Group can benefit from Malaysia’s focus on manufacturing. Meanwhile, San Miguel, Universal Robina, and Zest-O Group can take advantage of their processing of agricultural produce and manufacturing-related services,” he added in his speech delivered during the event.
He said he also foresees potential partnerships and trade opportunities between the two countries.
“On our end, the Philippines is interested in pushing for agriculture, processing of high-value and value-added products and services, as well as technology and innovation that would address the fourth industrial revolution,” he said.
“There are other trade areas that our two nations can concentrate on, like the Halal industry, the developing barter trade in Mindanao, which President [Rodrigo R.] Duterte has been encouraging to revive, and BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area),” he said.
“Given that Malaysia is regarded as a leader for Halal, and how the barter trade can benefit our neighboring towns, I am confident that we can have a fruitful discussion on these matters today,” he added.
Mr. Lopez said like Malaysia, the Philippines is also working towards implementing major economic reforms.
“President Duterte just recently signed the Rice Tariffication Law, the Ease of Doing Business Law, the Philippine tax reform system, and other legislative measures. This is proof positive that the Philippine government is committed to economic reforms, liberalization, and pushing for greater trade and investment engagements,” he said.
Mr. Lopez said through stronger engagements in trade and investment, both countries are sure to expand their bilateral trade relations and solidify even further their ties.
He said Malaysia had consistently been one of Philippines’ strong trade partners, being the country’s 10th largest trading partner with total bilateral trade at $6 billion. He added that Malaysia had also been the Philippines’ 11th major export market and ninth top source of imports.
“In fact, among the Philippines’ top sources of approved foreign investments as noted by our investment promotion agencies, Malaysia posted the highest growth rate in 2017-2018,” he said.
Mr. Lopez said Malaysia was the Philippines’ fifth-largest source of approved foreign investment last year, next to China, Singapore, Japan, and the British Virgin Islands.
Approved foreign investment from Malaysia amounted to P15 billion or $290 million, accounting for 8.2% of the total approvals investments in 2018. — Victor V. Saulon

First Gen’s Batangas LNG terminal project cleared by DoE

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By Victor V. Saulon
Sub-editor
ENERGY SECRETARY Alfonso G. Cusi on Thursday said he signed a notice to proceed (NTP) for the proposal of First Gen Corp. to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal within its power plant complex in Batangas province.
“This morning… I signed it (notice to proceed),” he told reporters in an informal gathering at the Department of Energy (DoE) head office in Taguig City.
First Gen has a joint development agreement (JDA) with Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. to develop an LNG facility through its unit FGEN LNG Corp. It follows pronouncements from the government that LNG is vital to ensure the country’s energy security once the Malampaya gas field, which fuels the company’s plants, is depleted.
On Dec. 21, 2018, the partners said they had sought clearance from the DoE to proceed with the construction of the facility.
Mr. Cusi said Tokyo Gas along with the Japanese government had been watching the development and pursuing the project in economic and ministerial meetings with Philippine representatives.
“That is always part of the subject matter,” he said, adding that during his official trip to Japan last month the topic was again raised.
On Wednesday night, First Gen President Francis Giles B. Puno said the partners are to decide on three components of their LNG proposal within the year, including the total project cost and its capacity.
“The next phase is the selection of the contractor. The main reason for selecting the contractor is to firm up the cost of the project. That’s the things that we need to firm up. Hopefully we move towards financing close,” he told reporters during an awards ceremony in Makati City.
He said the NTP from the DoE will allow the project to move forward.
Under the partnership, Tokyo Gas will take a 20% participating interest in the LNG project and provide support in development work to achieve a final investment decision.
Upon reaching that decision under the JDA, the parties will enter into a definitive agreement to proceed with the construction of the project, First Gen has said.
Mr. Puno, who is also First Gen’s chief operating officer, said his group is still looking for possible partners to provide additional equity.
“We’re also looking at other partners that are available,” he said, adding that since the announcement of the Tokyo Gas partnership, the Lopez group had received increased interest from foreign entities.
The notice to proceed to the First Gen-Tokyo Gas LNG project pits the partnership with two other entities with a similar proposal — Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc and CNOOC Gas and Power Group Co. Ltd.; and the local unit of Australian firm Energy World Corp. Ltd. (EWC). Both groups have been issued a notice to proceed.
Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) President and Chief Executive Officer Reuben S. Lista said the state-firm’s participation in the Phoenix Petroleum-led project could include discussions on its equity contribution in the import facility and related projects.
EWC has yet to respond to a request for an update on its project.
On Thursday, First Gen rose 3.21% to close at P22.50.

Bill tapping Malampaya fund to pay down Napocor debt hurdles bicameral session

LEGISLATORS on Thursday approved in a bicameral session a bill, which seeks to use the government’s share in the Malampaya Natural Gas Project to pay off the obligations of the National Power Corp. (Napocor).
Representatives of both chambers agreed to allocate P208 billion of the net national government share in the Malampaya fund to pay off Napocor’s stranded contract cost and stranded debt. The two items form part of the universal charge imposed on consumers in the electricity bill.
House Bill No. 8869, or the so-called “Murang Kuryente” (cheap power) bill, proposed a P123-billion allocation, while Senate Bill No. 1950 proposed to use the entire government share of the Malampaya fund, without specifying amount.
The P208 billion was based on the computations made by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) to cover the shortfall in Napocor obligations.
“With P208 billion, we will be able to cover the entire shortfall and there will be no other UC petition that PSALM will be filing with the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission),” PSALM President and Chief Executive officer Irene Joy B. Garcia said during the bicameral conference committee hearing.
The bill, if enacted, is expected to reduce electricity rates. Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on energy, estimated that consumers would save nearly P1 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) off their electric bill, which translates to savings of P170 for an average of 200 kWh consumption per month.
“We’re really hoping that the President signs this and he sees that this bill would benefit our consumers and the entire country. If businesses can save (electricity costs), they will get more workers and many will be employed,” he told reporters after the hearing.
The measure also allows the remainder of the government’s share of the Malampaya fund to be used for energy-related projects as prescribed under Presidential Decree No. 910, such as energy exploration.
“We want the bill to earmark the available funds and what we can earn through the years can be used by the DoE (Department of Energy) or by the government for other energy-related projects. Specifically, the committee wants (energy) exploration,” Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Q. Velasco, who also chairs the House committee on energy, told reporters after the hearing.
“We want to continue Malampaya although we know it would deplete somewhere in the 2025 to 2029 period, so we want to look for other sources that can generate the same income for the country,” he added. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

Church asks investors to shun coal-fired power

THE CATHOLIC Church and other non-government organizations are calling on financial institutions to divest from coal-fired plants and focus on investing in renewable energy.
In a briefing on Thursday, Global Catholic Climate Movement Pilipinas (GCCM-Pilipinas) National Coordinator John Din said “We, the institutions representing the Catholic clergy and lay people, express our unity in [asking] financial institutions to direct their investment toward renewable energy and refrain from destructive and costly projects that rely on fossil fuel.”
He added, “We call on our National and local banks to consider the environmental and social impact brought about by coal-fired plants and coal mining. and to begin to move away from such financial projects.”
On Thursday, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action (CBCP-NASSA); the Archdiocese of Manila; and the Diocese of San Carlos were joined by other organizations for the launch of their “Malinis at Murang Kuryente” campaign. These organizations were the Power for People Coalition, GCCM-Pilipinas, CEED, Sanlakas, PMCJ, Bantay Kita, No Burn Pilipinas, Oriang Womens Group, Murang Kuryente Partylist, and Mindanao Coalition of Power Consumers.
In 2017, new coal plant project starts declined by 62% globally, though such plants are still in the pipeline in the Philippines.
“The issue of energy is not only political and not merely economical. Partly, it is a moral issue,” Mr. Din added.
CBCP said in a statement on Thursday that the Malinis at Murang Kuryente movement will “will cascade through all dioceses and parishes, schools and religious groups to put pressure to financial institutions to divest from coal and invest to clean energy.”
San Carlos Bishop Gerardo A. Alminaza said that the CBCP will soon release a pastoral letter calling on financial institutions to divest from fossil fuel projects. — Gillian M. Cortez

PECO seeks TRO against MORE Power takeover of Iloilo franchise

PANAY ELECTRIC Company, Inc. (PECO), which is poised to lose its 95-year power distribution license in Iloilo City, is seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) order barring the takeover of new entrant MORE Power and Electric Co. (MORE Power).
The court filing marks the first move in the legal dispute between PECO and MORE, which needs to acquire PECO’s assets in order to operate, by eminent domain if necessary.
Republic Act 11212 granted MORE the franchise to distribute power in the city.
The petition for declaratory relief with TRO application, filed on March 6 before the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court Branch 209, names as respondents MORE Power, the Department of Energy, Energy Regulatory Commission, “and all other governmental agencies tasked to implement Republic Act 11212.”
The Iloilo City power distributor is questioning in particular sections 10 and 17 of the new law, which allows MORE Power to expropriate PECO’s assets.
Section 10 reads in part: “The grantee may acquire such private property as is actually necessary for the realization of the purposes for which this franchise is granted, including but not limited to poles, wires, cables, transformers, switching equipment and stations, building, infrastructure, machineries and equipment previously, currently or actually used, or intended to be used.”
Section 17, on the other hand, states: “The provisional authority to operate during the transition period shall not be construed as extending the franchise of PECO after its expiration on Jan. 18, 2019, and it shall not prevent the grantee from exercising the right of eminent domain over the distribution assets existing at the franchise area…”
PECO has been given up to two years to continue operating until MORE Power is ready to take over.
The “authority granted to more for the taking of PECO’s assets is arbitrary and confiscatory” and “the law authorizes taking what is not for a public purpose,” the company said in its petition.
“The delegated eminent domain authority granted under the assailed provisions all but hostages petitioner PECO to turn over its assets and business to MORE,” it added.
PECO Administrative Manager Marcelo U. Cacho told Businessworld that expropriating a private business is not allowed under the Constitution.
“What MORE (will do) is expropriate an entire business, which (according to) the Constitution, is illegal. The problem is the assets are currently owned by PECO. This is unjust enrichment to the benefit of MORE Power… everyone should be given equal protection under the law, and not (one party) benefiting from the other,” he said.
Mr. Cacho added that MORE Power’s authority to expropriate is unprecedented.
“The problem is the assets are currently owned by PECO and the provision in MORE Power’s franchise of expropriation is the first of its kind. There has been no other franchise with this kind of appropriation… this has never happened in any part of the country and in any industry,” he said.
In its petition, PECO also noted the apparent haste in the granting the franchise to MORE Power.
“There is a lack of the discretion on the part of Congress (which) never gave PECO the opportunity to (extend) its franchise. As the prior operator, there is a rule you could be given the first opportunity to (obtain) the franchise and that all legal remedies should be exhausted before granting a franchise to the new franchisee,” Mr. Cacho said.
MORE Power officials were asked to comment but declined to do so. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

NHA to survey more land in Taytay for housing beneficiaries

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THE National Housing Authority (NHA) is set to approve an allocation of P38 million to survey more land in Taytay, Rizal intended for distribution as government housing, according to testimony delivered at a Congressional hearing.
“It just needs board approval to allocate the P38 million and… NHA will convene its board within the week and approve the same,” Negros Occidental-3rd district Rep. Alfredo B. Benitez said while questioning a resource person during the House and Urban Development committee meeting on Thursday.
NHA Division Manager Ma. Theresa L. Siat said of the targeted 6,000 housing units, 800 at the current Taytay site are ready for occupancy while only 59 have been distributed.
Ms. Siat said all 800 lots at the active site may be awarded by June, while the whole of the 6,000 target will have to wait for the subdivision plan before it is awarded.
“It may take until June to award the 800 but for the additional 6,000 we are awaiting the plans,” she told the panel.
The House panel was hearing testimony on House Bill No. 8255, or the Manggahan Floodway Socialized Housing Project Act, written by Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The bill seeks to allocate 71 hectares of land on the east and west embankment of the floodway in Taytay, Rizal, in accordance with Proclamation No. 458, issued in 1994 by President Fidel V. Ramos.
Mr. Benitez said the bill’s enactment will depend on the next Congress, due to time constraints.
“The committee notes the position and sentiments of all stakeholders, so the chair admits it is already late in the day to see the passage of this bill into law. Let the next Congress take notice of the sentiments raised now, and let the records of the meeting help guide the succeeding committee in its consideration of the proposed measure, if filed anew,” Mr. Benitez said.
Congress is out of session between Feb. 9 and May 19 for the midterm elections on May 13. It will resume session on May 20 and officially conclude business on June 7. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Cooking oil maker plans on Russia, Belarus road show

THE makers of Minola cooking oil will embark on a week-long road show in Moscow and Minsk, Belarus starting March 18 to introduce coconut oil products to Eastern Europe, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said on Thursday.
Minola is produced by San Pablo Oil Mill, one of the four coconut oil mills owned by the government through the Coconut Industry Investment Fund-Oil Management Group (CIIF-OMG).
The road show will be facilitated by Monaco-based Russian businessman Igor Malyshkov who is currently in the Philippines to visit coconut oil mills, Mr. Piñol said.
“We cannot sell yet because we will have to comply with all the needed sanitary and quarantine requirements and that will take about three to four months,” Mr. Piñol said in a social media post.
Mr. Piñol said the cooking oil will be displayed in two outlets of a supermarket chain with access to thousands of outlets in Eastern Europe.
Mr. Malyshkov “expects the owners of the large supermarket chain to sign a marketing agreement with the Philippine coconut producers,” according to Mr. Piñol.
“The (Department of Agriculture) will start shipping this week the items which will be put on display in a supermarket in Moscow and another in Minsk,” Mr. Piñol said.
Other products that will be displayed are virgin coconut oil, coco chips, coco syrup, coco sugar and coco margarine.
Mr. Malyshkov briefed Mr. Piñol about the potential of the Eastern European market, which the latter said is growing more health-conscious. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

Oil import bill jumps nearly 32% in 2018

THE COST of oil imports in 2018 hit $13.48 billion, up 31.8%, due to the combined effects of higher fuel prices and increased import volumes, the Department of Energy (DoE) said on Thursday.
The DoE said the cost of imports breaks down into 54.5% from finished products and 45.5% from crude oil.
Last year, the country imported crude oil amounting to $6.14 billion, up 41.8%, after the cost, insurance and freight (CIF) per barrel of crude oil rose to $71.587 from $55.774 previously.
The total import cost for finished products rose 24.4% to $7.34 billion at an average CIF price of $75.216 per barrel. A year earlier, the import bill was $5.90 billion at an average CIF cost of $60.548 per barrel.
On the other hand, petroleum export earnings for 2018 rose 40% to $1.36 billion.
The net oil import bill was $12.12 billion, up 30.9%.
The DoE said 86.9% of the crude oil imports were sourced from the Middle East, of which 33.7%, with Saudi Arabia the top supplier, accounting for 33.7% of the total.
Kuwait had a 26.3% share of the Philippine crude market, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Russia with 20.9% and 7.4%, respectively.
Some 4.5% of crude imports were from within ASEAN while domestic output accounted for 0.1% of the crude total. Some crude oil was also imported from Nigeria. The remaining 1.9% was from Oman, Taiwan and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the DoE reported that the oil major accounted for 52.8% of the market in terms of demand. These are Petron Corp., Chevron Philippines and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. Smaller oil firms and direct importers accounted for the rest. — Victor V. Saulon

Why we persevere

By Love Basillote
YEAR ON year since 2006, we watched the drive and delay of countries in their bid to close the gender gap. The index, which benchmarks some 149 countries using four sub-indices, was introduced by the World Economic Forum and every year, we also try to see how our country fared versus others.
Most of us in the development sector would know that Philippines is one of the better performers — ranking 8th overall in the 2018 round, and second only to New Zealand in Asia Pacific. In the Economic Participation and Opportunity sub-index, we have reportedly closed 80% of the gap. Fully addressing this gap means having as many women as men in the labor force, with equal pay and career prospects.
Understanding statistics and personal circumstances of female NEETs
It is best to understand the challenges layer by layer, and the first stratum we need to look at is unemployment in general.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that of all urban youth aged 18-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) 33% are females. This is much higher than the rate of male urban youth NEET at 21%. We have more underserved young Filipinas whose potential contributions to the country are not maximized.
There are many barriers that keep young Filipinas from participating in the workforce: sickness and disability, lack of jobs, and staying in their roles as housewife and deliberately not wanting to work. We found out further that certain sub-groups are more likely to be youth NEET. Such groups include: married female youth, youth without vocational training experience, and youth with only an elementary education.
A program to bridge the gap
Our work in Philippine Business for Education, an organization I serve as executive director, speaks to the need to maximize the youth’s access to relevant training and employment opportunities.
In June 2018, PBEd teamed up with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to launch YouthWorks PH. This is a five-year, Php1.7 billion workforce development project that will provide training to out of school youth. As part of USAID’s Global Development Alliance of increasing private sector involvement in development, the project aims to support inclusive growth and shared prosperity by aligning education and employment.
Our ambition is grand: equip the Filipino youth with skills and competencies they need to navigate a changing economic landscape, so they could lead meaningful lives. YouthWorks PH works towards this goal by aiming to reach, train, and place over 4,000 youth NEET in middle-skill jobs. Middle-skill jobs require some high school education or vocational training as opposed to the traditional bachelor’s degree. These include medical technicians, sales agents, food service managers and chefs, or IT support specialists. Growth sectors like construction, energy, hospitality and tourism, manufacturing, and energy need such type of workers.
To link these sectors to our jobless out-of-school youth, PBEd forged partnerships in key cities across the Philippines like Metro Manila, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro City and Zamboanga City. Academic institutions and companies in these areas have opened up to provide work-based training to youth NEET, and in the second year of our project we are expanding to Iloilo, Davao and Gen. Santos City. We intend to lay the foundation for more extensive private sector engagement in the future. We are also working with industry to ensure that their hiring policies put premium on skills and competencies — a crucial factor in breaking gender stereotypes in the workplace.
A design based on learnings
With these in mind, the Youthworks PH program design was therefore based on three key learnings.
We can’t do this alone. First, YouthWorks PH will gather private sector partners who are willing to provide youth with work-based training positions; second, we will work with the academe in developing training curricula; and we will enlist the help of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to provide competency certifications by the end of the program.
We need to address issues of confidence and gender stereotypes. Exposure to training obviously helps address the skills gap. There are, however, some deeper and more personal implications of training — confidence and self-efficacy. This is empowerment, having people realize their worth and their capability to influence the events in their own lives. We just have to give them something to start with as early as possible. This project is in its early stages, but we are encouraged by existing models like that of our partner Punlaan School in San Juan, where girls are trained and sent to apprenticeships. We are in the process of learning from these models and right-sizing the intervention to better fit the Filipina youth NEET.
The Youthworks PH program ends in 2023. By which time, we also fervently hope that we have contributed enough to lessen the gap. However, working towards youth employment and equality in the long run is a collaborative effort among the government, industry and academe. There is a need for education stakeholders to break out of their silos and link up. In pushing for reforms, a close relationship between schools and private companies under a conducive policy environment is a good place to start. Our plans may be ambitious, but we are confident we can get it done.

Duterte and Trump

The Chinese embassy in Manila had earlier demolished Duterte spokesperson Salvador Panelo’s tale that should the government deport Chinese nationals illegally working in the Philippines, the Ambassador had threatened to do the same to Filipinos in China.
The Embassy said the Chinese government would do no such thing because it “respects” Philippine laws. But there was Panelo again last Saturday (March 2) with another story. This time it was about visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s supposedly telling President Rodrigo Duterte that he is just like US President Donald Trump in that he (Duterte) too is “frank, does not favor anyone and can go against everyone.”
Hardly containing his glee, Panelo went on to say that Pompeo was “very fond” of Mr. Duterte, implying thereby that Trump is similarly disposed. Whether Panelo was telling the truth or not, he apparently believes that being like Trump is something most Filipinos in this pro-US country would consider a virtue.
Trump has indeed demonstrated his affection for Duterte by saying that he’s doing an excellent job in his “war on drugs,” and even said it should be replicated in the US. But he also knows how important the country is to US strategic interests in Asia: he described the Philippines at one point as “a prime piece of real estate.”
Panelo’s point in recalling that alleged incident was clear enough, however: Pompeo likes Mr. Duterte because he is just like Trump. Unfortunately that’s not as flattering to his patron as he thinks. There’s an emerging consensus among academics, the press, business, women’s groups, people of color and even conservatives in the US that Trump is one of the worst presidents the US has ever had. All the opinion polls are united in their findings that he has one of the lowest approval ratings of any US president after only two years in power.
Public approval of Trump is declining even in the US Midwest. It was at a low 40 percent this February, with nearly 60 percent disapproving of Trump in the same month. Like the Midwest, the South was also a Trump stronghold in 2016, but his approval rating has also declined in the southern states from around 60 percent in July 2018 to 44 percent last February. (Mr. Duterte’s approval ratings are of course much higher. Although they fell to 75 percent in September 2018, they were at 81 percent by year-end.)
Trump is currently under siege from a variety of accusations ranging from treason to dishonesty, racism, and disrespect for women and gays. Mr. Duterte’s critics could say that he does have these in common with Trump, although his forays into racist rhetoric have been relatively few, among them his dismissing the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor as “that black woman.” But the word “treason” has also been used to describe his bending over backwards to accommodate not only the military interests of China by doing nothing about that country’s intrusion into the West Philippine Sea, but also his entering into onerous agreements with it and his encouraging the influx into the country of tens of thousands of Chinese workers while Filipinos are forced to leave the country for jobs abroad.
Mr. Duterte shares with Trump his widely known misogyny and disrespect for women, even as his so-called campaign against corruption has failed to convince anyone that honesty in government is really a regime policy.
Neither of them can stand criticism, an independent press, and free expression. Trump routinely condemns the critical US press for supposedly disseminating “fake news.” He has even described the media as “the enemy of the people,” and incited violence against journalists. If that sounds familiar, it is because Mr. Duterte has been doing the same thing to the independent press in the Philippines and frequently incites violence against regime critics.
What separates him from Trump are the drug-related killings under his watch, which, even if pegged at “only” 4,500 as the Philippine National Police (PNP) claims, is such a flagrantly unacceptable policy Trump has never again repeated the idea of his replicating in the US the Duterte policy that makes the killings inevitable.
Like Mr. Duterte, however, Trump has no coherent ideology or philosophy of government. It helps explain the confusion over what both were really up to during their first months in office. In Trump’s case, what has been established is that he isn’t really for anything beyond his personal interest in wealth and power. That’s according to his former “fixer,” Michael Cohen, who in his testimony before the US House of Representatives last February 28 called Trump a “racist, a con man and a cheat.”
Whatever he may be, as president of the lone remaining superpower on the planet, Trump has the political, economic, and military means to compel other countries, including the Philippines, to bow to US wishes. Mr. Duterte has neither the capacity nor the will to even defend Philippine sovereignty. Despite the seeming love fest between him and Trump, by visiting the Philippines at this time and reiterating the imperatives of the “special relations” between his country and the Philippines, the US Secretary of State was in fact sending Mr. Duterte and his Chinese patrons a message that should be clear enough even to the most intellectually challenged.
Pompeo’s declaration that China’s occupation of the West Philippine Sea is against Philippine interests, and his reaffirmation of the US’ commitment to defend the Philippines under the terms of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) if it is attacked were a warning to China as well as to the current regime. His statements were made in the context of the government’s failure to even protest Chinese aggression and its morphing into a Chinese dependency. The US regards both as offensive to its policy of containing the one country that is seriously challenging its dominance in Asia and elsewhere in the globe.
Malacañang is supposedly contemplating a review of the MDT. The US is likely to interpret that act as one more indication of Mr. Duterte’s pro-China policy, and can be expected to do all it can to prevent it, or to at least make sure that if it does happen, will only re-affirm the country’s need for the US’ security umbrella. As the US’ most reliably subservient client institution, the Philippine military will not support any attempt to rescind the treaty, a certainty that will prevent the regime’s doing so despite Mr. Duterte’s anti-US bluster.
Will the supposed friendship between Mr. Duterte and Donald Trump matter should the US conclude that the former has become a liability? Trump is unlikely to risk his own interest in keeping his all-white and chauvinist constituency intact in preparation for the US presidential elections in 2020. That constituency is as likely to condemn any sign of US weakness in Asia in the same way that it condemned his inability to get the funding for the construction of his promised $5.7 billion wall along the US-Mexico border. There is also the fact that the US presidency is only one among several centers of power in that country. The US Congress, and the military-industrial complex among others, are power centers that do make their preferences felt in the framing and implementation of US domestic and foreign policies.
Mr. Duterte and Trump do have certain things in common. But they won’t be enough to make a difference once the US is convinced that Mr. Duterte’s pivot to China is real enough and hostile to US interests. And from all indications, particularly his often repeated claim that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) “wants to kill (him),” Mr. Duterte knows it.
 
Luis V. Teodoro is on Facebook and Twitter (@luisteodoro).
www.luisteodoro.com

Equality apparently demands women fight in combat

In 2018, three women applied to Britain’s Special Air Service (the SAS). Only one was considered fit enough to join the normal selection process. She quit two weeks into the 18-week training course.
And the British government’s verdict? Adjust the selection and training as to make it easier for women to join the SAS.
To be fair, though, the idea seemed to have been considered the year before, says The Telegraph. Soldiers hoping to join the Special Air Service and its sister regiment, the Special Boat Service (SBS), currently have to pass an initial physical test, which involves carrying heavy rucksacks over a series of long marches across mountainous terrain. But according to reports, the SAS is considering allowing female recruits to carry lighter loads and giving them more time to complete the test. The suggestion comes after the government said it wanted to see all close combat units in the British military open to women by 2019. (See this link.) It is felt that the marching tests are unfairly discriminating against women who may have the attributes needed to succeed as SAS soldiers.
2017 also saw the US’ Navy Seals’ first woman recruit. She bailed out in the first week of training.
Unlike the SAS applicant, who was given her own accommodations separate from the male SAS members (which, naturally, meant added costs for the unit), political commentator Susan Wright reported that “no special allowances” were made for the female Navy Seal applicant. Good decision on the part of the Seals.
Ms. Wright continues: “They were required to undergo the same physical challenges as their male counterparts, which makes sense, since the challenges in combat they would face would be the same.”
“If you want to compete in a role more suited to men, due to the biological certainties of bigger size, more musculature, then you have to prove you can keep up. Your teammates’ lives may be on the line one day, and war does not take a day off for bloating and irritability.”
Unfortunately, a US Marines 2015 thousand-page study, “Implications of Integrating Women in the Marine Corps Infantry,” revealed that women in combat situations do get injured more and shoot less accurately than men: “All-male squads, teams and crews demonstrated higher performance levels,” were more lethal, faster, stronger.
Conservative writer Phyllis Schlafly puts it best, which is to say quite bluntly — “Women should not serve in military combat.”
There is, after all, “no evidence in all history for the proposition that the assignment of women to military combat jobs is the way to advance women’s rights, promote national security, improve combat readiness, or win wars. Indeed, the entire experience of recorded history teaches us that battles are not won by coed armies or coed navies.”
“Every country that has experimented with women in combat has abandoned the idea. The notion that Israel uses women in combat is a feminist myth. Women are treated very differently from men in the Israeli armed forces. They serve only about half as long; they are housed in separate barracks; they have an automatic exemption if they marry or have a baby. Commenting on the sex-integration practices of the US Armed Services, one Israeli general said, ‘We do not do what you do in the United States because, unfortunately, we have to take war seriously.’”
Indeed, war is a serious matter and should be treated with the utmost seriousness it deserves.
The military should not be made a gender project by social justice warriors.
It’s frankly a matter of survival. The military, as General Douglas MacArthur declares, has one job: “to win wars.”
Even that political trope — “equality” with men — used with utter consistency in arguing for women in the military, has no basis in reality.
Christina Hoff Sommers blasted the feminist myth that “men are the privileged sex.” Fact is: “neither sex has the better deal. Modern life is a complicated mix of burdens and advantages — for each sex.” But “when it comes to being crushed, mutilated, electrocuted, or mangled at work, men are at a distinct disadvantage. Most backbreaking, lethally dangerous jobs — roofer, logger, roustabout, and coal miner, to name a few — are done by men.”
Indeed, as Ms. Sommers concludes: “Today’s women’s lobby deploys a faulty logic: In cases where men are better off than women, that’s injustice. Where women are doing better — that’s life.”
Ironically, at precisely the time transgenders (i.e., people who assume a gender identity different from the sex/gender at birth), to be more specific male transgenders, are crushing women in various athletic competitions: biking, track, boxing, wrestling, MMA — that liberal progressives are demanding women be placed in harm’s way in direct face-to-face combat.
They’ll probably get what they want: a Texas federal judge ruled that all-male military drafts are unconstitutional, paving the way for wives, sisters, and daughters to be compelled to fight in the frontlines during wartime.
But, as the feminists would say: that’s life.
 
Jemy Gatdula is a Senior Fellow of the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations and a Philippine Judicial Academy law lecturer for constitutional philosophy and jurisprudence.

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