Desperation is writ large in an attempt by one Mo Hailong and six other Chinese to dig up genetically modified corn seeds from farms in Iowa, then attempting to send the seeds to their homeland. Filching such seeds on the ground has been deemed as a crime that threatens a nation’s economic and national security. But, China has to keep feeding about 1.36 billion mouths that would devour anything on two or four legs, excluding dinner tables, of course. Hunger is not averse to resorting to less-than-legal means to feed a populace that can go famished–thus, lying and bullying becomes the tack in their hegemonic bid to wrest control of the entire West Philippine Sea which, as experts cite, can generate as much as $20 billion yearly in fishery catch alone.

Stealing high-yield seeds of a food staple that will be grown in one’s homeland to feed one’s countrymen rings of dirt-plain patriotism. Indeed, agriculture remains a patriotic calling as reiterated by American statesman-scientist-author Benjamin Franklin: “There seem to be but three ways for a nation to acquire wealth. The first is by war, as the Romans did, in plundering their conquered neighbors. This is robbery. The second (is) by commerce, which is generally cheating. The third by agriculture, the only honest way, wherein man receives a real increase of the seed thrown into the ground, in a kind of continual miracle, wrought by the hand of God in his favor, as a reward for his innocent life and his virtuous industry.”

Down-to-earth patriotism of the sort even Gat Andres Bonifacio waxed poetic about—“Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya sa pagkadalisay at pagkadakila gaya ng pag-big sa tinubuang lupa? Aling pag-ibig pa? Wala na nga, wala”— is mired in neglect. Such “patriots” are on in years—average age has been reckoned at 55, and dwindling in numbers, those next in line stymied by the tough work that steels the hips, as recent findings show, but turns up modest incomes.

Fresh opportunities and incentives including scholarships to nudge the youth into career pursuits in agribusiness can give the nation’s agriculture sector a much-needed shot in the arm, lawmaker-turned-presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe has seen to that in the legislative measures she has drawn that remains pending in the Senate.

Poe is setting her sights on corporate farming to attract private engagement in the agriculture sector and her envisioned Tulong Kabataan sa Agrikultura at Kabuhayan skills training program to impart agribusiness savvy to the young as the tools needed to bolster farm productivity and the nation’s food security. Poe’s measures aim to make a difference in the lives of 70 percent of the rural population largely dependent on agriculture, yet mired in grinding poverty.

“Much of the younger generation shuns farming because of its perceived hardships. Agriculture remains the backbone of our national economy, is the nation’s biggest employer that musters a meager 11 percent contribution to the gross domestic product. There has been a steady decline in student enrolment in agriculture, fisheries, and related courses. If this scenario continues unchecked, it will eventually redound to the limited human resource capital direly needed to spur growth and development in the agriculture sector,” she bewailed.

Poe believes that “opportunities in agriculture have to be created and made more lucrative to attract more young individuals to enroll in agriculture courses. Similarly, agriculture education policies and curricular programs have to be re-tooled to produce graduates who will not be simply job-seekers but will instead turn into agri-business managers and entrepreneurs who will eventually generate employment for their countrymen.”

Poe’s measure—Senate Bill #2989 filed in 2014– to push private investments in agriculture is cognizant of the fact that corporate farming has the advantage of integrating “the entire process of food production and provide more efficient management the entire chain of agriculture-related business including seed supply, agrochemicals, food processing, machinery, storage, transport, distribution, marketing, advertising, and retail sales.”

The Poe bill seeks to provide incentives to corporate farming that include exemption of customs duties on imported agricultural inputs particularly seeds, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, and farm implements; the bill also provides for tax incentives including income tax holiday.

The Philippines has more than 12 million hectares of its land devoted to agriculture– or about 43 percent of nearly 30 million hectares total land area. Compared to Vietnam that had to bring back to life vast stretches made barren by carpet bombing and extensive use of defoliants that nearly decimated every patch of grassland and cropland in a war of liberation waged against the United States, Vietnam devotes a mere 30 percent— or 9.4 million hectares—of their total land area to agriculture. Most times, we buy Vietnam rice to fill in production shortfalls.

Philippine agriculture deserves a new steward, maybe, someone like Poe who hasn’t left out farmers in her agenda.

tagakataga@yahoo.com

Did he make things up to justify his necrophiliac joke?

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte hasn’t at all apologized for his horrific rape comment, the latest version of which he said in his April 7 interview: After he saw the corpse of Australian Jacqueline Hamill, raped several times and her throat slit, he raged: “Putangina ang mga ito. Naunahan pa ang mayor. Puking-ina nila.

Patayin ninyo lahat.”

He justified it though by claiming “there was a story to it,” and said that he cannot apologize for it: “I said it in the heat of anger.”

Assuming this happened (which I show below didn’t happen) i.e., he saw Hamill’s body and then blew his top , it is not what he said in that incident that happened 27 years ago but how he turned it into a sick joke in two occasions this year which has horrified Filipinos and the world.

He most probably said that joke — “naunahan pa ako [they even had her first]” several times in his kingdom of Davao City, thinking in his depraved mind that it was funny, and demonstrated his machismo. (“Ganyan magsalita ang lalaki,” he said in his long April 7 interview.)

That he is lying, trying to wiggle out of his monumental disclosure of his necrophiliac fantasies, is evident in that his joke made in campaign rallies recently do not show him at all angry, but grinning from ear-to-ear as if he was happy he cracked a good joke.

Was it a joke or what? Duterte, left, in April 7 interview right after saying his “comment” was made in the heat of anger, and indeed expressed anger. Right, grinning as his audience laughed after he made his “comment” in campaign speech recently.

How can he say now that he was “in the heat of anger” when he said that “naunahan pa si Mayor [they had her before Mayor]” remark, when he was grinning — his sick audience guffawing — when he made a sick joke out of it in his two recent speeches?

Duterte’s sick mind though has been put in public display because that incident — after he saw Hamill’s corpse, he then ordered the attack in anger — didn’t happen at all, and is a figment of this sick candidate’s imagination.

His narration of the fiction is straight out of an action movie: After he saw Hamill’s corpse, he said he ordered: “Patayin silang lahat. Sabi ko shoot to kill. [Kill them all. I said shoot to kill.]” And “Kinuha ko ang Uzi ko sa trailer ko, at nilusob sila. Brtt. Inubos ko nga ang magazine ng Uzi. Ayon. Patay sila. [I got my Uzi from my trailer. I emptied the whole magazine in the Uzi. Brtt. There. They were all dead.”

This did not happen. Duterte is lying.

First, we have photographic proof, thanks to an article by the Filipino Freethinkers Association, citing the report of the prestigious Australian newspaper The Age. The group included in its article a photograph by The Age showing a soldier walking over the Hamill’s body, which was lying at the prison gates, after the military assaulted it. The Age reported that the body remained there for three hours.

Photo from The Age (thanks to Filipino Freethinkers Association) showing a soldier entering the Davao Metrodiscom stockade after their assault, passing Hamill’s body. So how could Duterte claim he ordered the assault after he saw Hamill’s corpse?

Hamill was killed in the assault itself. So how could Duterte claim that after he saw Hamill’s body brought to where he was, presumably hundreds of meters away from the stockade, he ordered the assault?

Since it was a bloody hostage incident involving Australians, the international press extensively covered the crisis.

We have retrieved four of these reports on August 16 and 18, 1989, by the Associated Press, the Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Virginia), the Chicago Tribune, the United Catholic Action News (UCANEWS.com), and another report by the Associated Press by-lined by Robert Reid.

The last three accounts, with their URLs provided, were provided in the Facebook account of Colonel Mike Logico, the Armed Forces intelligence officer at that time in Davao CIty. Logico’s post, made April 18 or after Duterte boasted he led the charge in that crisis read (with a photo of the military official he mentions):

“Meet Lt. Col. Franco Calida , the hero behind the Davao City Prison hostage drama.

“These three archived articles were written within the 3rd week of August 1989. They are about as close as you can get to any article written on the incident. All articles point to the man in the picture as the officer in charge of the operations. Conspicuously missing from the three narratives is the name of a certain public official who claims to have been there, negotiating with the hostage takers, and getting involved in the shootout.”

Indeed, there is no mention at all of Duterte in any way in these lengthy articles that one could reasonably conclude he was not even there. Not only several military officials were mentioned by name, but also then Congressman Jesus Dureza, whom Corazon Aquino ordered to negotiate with the convicts.

All of the accounts agree nearly on all details, and on the major fact: The military, led by Col. Calida, stormed the convicts on the third day of the crisis, after it received reports that the criminals were killing the hostages one by one. All of the 16 hostages — including Hamill — were killed in the assault.

There is no report at all of the Mayor with his Uzi ordering or leading the charge, not even (I was told) in the Davao papers. How could he have led the assault when the military had assumed full authority over the crisis, and ordered Duterte’s police to secure a perimeter several kilometers away?

So how could Duterte claim that he blew his top when he saw Hamill’s corpse, whom he said was beautiful, and then ordered the assault?

Duterte even taunted the other presidential rivals, referring to the assault he claimed he led: “Kung walang kang pinatay, hindi ka dapat maging presidente. Ako pinatay ko lahat doon. [If you have not killed anyone, you should not be president. Me? I killed all of them there.]”

So how could Duterte have created his fiction, and narrated it as a joke in his campaign speeches years later?

One explanation is that at 71 years of age he has started to have a confused mind. This is evident in that in the April 7 interview, he taunted again the other presidential candidates. “Galit kayo sa joke ko, e tinaya ko buhay ko doon, nang na-hostage ako? [You hate my joke, and yet I gambled my life there, when I became a hostage?]”

He did manage to get himself taken as hostage. But this happened in another hostage incident in April, in the Davao Penal Colony or four months before the August carnage, which was ended peacfully. His sick joke involved the August 13-15 crisis at the Davao Metrodiscom stockade, in which Hamill and 15 others were killed.

I can understand Duterte’s confusion since the August convicts were those he convinced to surrender and be brought to the Davao Metrodiscom stockade. He had told them he would meet their demand to have them transferred to the Muntinlupa penitentiary. When it was obvious Duterte was fooling them, they seized and held as hostages the Joyful Assembly of God preachers who were regularly ministering to them. Duterte indeed played a leading role in the April incident. But had no role in the August crisis.

But how could he have concocted the fiction that after seeing Hamill’s body, he ordered the assault, with him leading the soldiers, his Uzi blazing?

I’m afraid there could be only one explanation. After the smoke of battle cleared in the August crisis, civilians like Duterte were allowed into scene.

And when he saw Hamill’s body, and told she was raped several times, necrophiliac fantasies crossed his mind, “Dapat nauna ang mayor.” Those thoughts had been etched in his mind, yet buried, for 27 years that he had to take it out of his chest, using it as a joke in his speeches. If you’re obsessed so much with killing that you boast that you have killed many people and the other candidates haven’t, necrophiliac fantasies take over.

tiglao.manilatimes@gmail.com

The downward trail
Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte was riding high on his seemingly unstoppable popularity bandwagon when, without any warning or premonition, he suddenly went careening downhill, and his entire world seemed to tumble upside down. The slip looked like no more than a “banana peel,” but it seemed a perfect demonstration of Murphy’s law, “if anything can go wrong, it will.” Its conse­quences seemed global. Observers are still waiting to see what Duterte will do to recover from this fall.

A video clip of Duterte’s April 12 speech at the Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City showed him talking about a 36-year-old Australian lay missionary who was gang-raped and killed by inmates inside the Davao prison in 1989 before the police swooped in. He said the victim was as beautiful as an “American movie star,” and it angered him that she had been gang raped, but he said “the mayor (meaning himself) should have been the first (to violate her).”

The scandal worldwide
The video has gone viral worldwide. It has been watched by multitudes n Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and other countries in Western Europe. In the United States, the Filipino-American community has had a field day discussing it. The Washington Post headline said, “Leading Philippine presidential contender—Gang Rape victim ‘so beautiful’ he wishes he had been first.”

At home, various websites have pilloried Duterte; no less than the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, after watching the video, tweeted: “Judge for yourself if this is the right choice. I will keep my personal judgment to myself. This video can help.”

All of Duterte’s political rivals, the Australian Embassy, and various public commentators have condemned him for his performance. Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, LP standard bearer Mar Roxas and the constitutionally questionable Grace Poe Llamanzares were unforgiving in their invectives. The Left-leaning women’s group Gabriela, which had earlier switched camp from the constitutionally questionable Mrs. Llamanzares to Duterte has asked that their candidate publicly apologize.

Which costs more?
Apparently Gabriela believes it would cost him nothing to apologize, while it could cost him everything if he failed or refused to apologize. But “this is how men talk,” Duterte has explained, and at press time TIME magazine was reported to have come out with an essay in his defense, adopting that very same line, “This is how men talk.” TIME’s entry into this debate is most interesting because of its historic role in “watching” Philippine presidential elections. From the time of Ramon Magsaysay up to B. S. Aquino 3rd, favorable articles in TIME magazine usually presaged change in the Philippine presidency.

Finally, Duterte said sorry “in general,” if he had “offended others,” but he would not formally apologize to any particular group which was demanding it. Despite the firestorm, none of Duterte’s adversaries have been able to put their fingers on his real offense. They have condemned him for his failure to show “enough respect” for women, and for his “trivialization of rape,” as the Australian ambassador in Manila has put it. But none of them have put it the way a young millennial friend of mine has put it.

A millennial viewpoint
For this young friend, Duterte’s unforgivable offense was that instead of being revolted by the brutal rape and murder of the young, innocent and helpless missionary, and being filled with an intense passion to seek justice for one who may have died a martyr for her faith, this particular officer of the law was consumed with necrophilia, with the animal desire for sex with the dead, and that he thought he could still joke about it.

There is no telling how Duterte’s “true believers” have been affected by all this. There are those who will continue to resent any adverse criticism of their candidate, and threaten such critics with hints of violence. There are others on the other hand who feel genuinely saddened that so monstrous a fallout could result from a single stupid remark, which was probably intended to draw a cheap laugh from a motley crowd.

They feel genuinely saddened that as a result of this stupid slip, his presidential rivals who were previously trailing him in the propaganda surveys could eat up his earlier lead, giving them a chance to overtake him in the propaganda “surveys.” Already Roxas is saying he will become “the flavor of the month” by the 9th of May, and Binay is saying he will lead his closest rival, whoever he or she is, by four million votes.

This is reminiscent of Aquino’s famous line in 2010 that he would lead his closest rival by five million votes, except that he was going to be cheated and would have to stage “people power” to claim the victory that was his. In which case, Smartmatic’s precinct count optical scan (PCOS) voting machine intervened, and gave him the presidency.

The moral high ground
But what truly saddened Duterte’s “true believers,” my millennial friend points out, is that Duterte must now yield the moral “high ground” to opponents who, until this rape remark happened, had lain at the bottom of the moral pit. This is cruel and unusual punishment, she says. And it is self-inflicted. A lot of factors had brought Duterte to where he was before this fallout; it was entirely on his own account that he brought this situation to himself. This is he needs to apologize. To refuse to do so will not only be a crime, as Talleyrand says, but a mistake.

It could prop up the chances of Grace Poe Llamanzares, and that could be a prescription for chaos. For despite the unexplained decision of nine Supreme Court justices to declare her a qualified presidential candidate, far too many Filipinos are not prepared to put up with this former American citizen of no known biological parentage, and with an American husband and three American children to boot, running for President of the Philippines.

Should such a one, for any reason and by any means whatsoever, get “elected,” her term is likely to bring back the season of coup attempts that dogged the Cory Aquino administration from 1986 to 1992, just because of the wide perception that she was not legitimately elected president. If elected despite all her constitutional infirmities, Mrs. Llamanzares may not be able to count on the loyalty of her own troops and may have to seek protection from the US Seventh Fleet and the EDCA forces inside the Philippine bases.

Can he be saved?
Is there any hope then of righting this terrible wrong, and making Duterte still a viable candidate?

This is the most compelling concern of those who are particularly terrified of the prospect of the “nuisance candidate” emerging as the first probable beneficiary of this incident. I do not know the answer to this question, but I will draw from Biblical history for some possible illumination.

In the second book of Samuel, we read the story of King David who committed adultery with Bathsheba, the beautiful wife of Uriah the Hittite, and got her pregnant. In order to possess her completely, the King sent her husband to the front, so that he would be killed. After his death, the King married Bathsheba. David’s sin so gravely displeased God, who had favored him from his youth when he slew the Philistine Goliath. But David was a man of God, and for his great sin, he offered great penance. At the advice of the Prophet Nathan, who came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba, he pleaded for the Lord’s forgiveness.

Like David
In Psalm 51, David cries out to God, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your merciful love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my offense. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know what evil I have done, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, and you only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

This worked for David, and for everyone else who ever asked sincerely for the Lord’s forgiveness. It worked for the Good Thief, too, whom Christ first met on the Cross at Golgotha, and who said to him without the benefit of an introduction, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And to him the Crucified Christ promised, “You shall be with me in Paradise.”

Asking forgiveness
In this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, the gates of forgiveness are wide open to the biggest sinners among us who will ask for it. Only sincere contrition and penance is needed, God never fails to forgive, never withholds forgiveness. It is in forgiving others that we best begin to imitate the love and mercy and goodness of God. We too become a forgiving people, who cannot and will not withhold from others the forgiveness we receive even before we ask for it.

But if we want to be forgiven, we must ask for it. Duterte must ask for it. He must not give in to any false pride. He, like all of us, has nothing to be proud of. As St. Paul says, he hasn’t got anything he has not received. The Fallen Angels fell because of pride; they thought themselves to have become like God, so they said, “I will not serve.” No one who wants to serve the merest needs of men can afford to say this. This is not the model to emulate. Our only mission in life is to love and to serve. We must apologize when we are wrong, and, sometimes, even when we believe we are right.

fstatad@gmail.com

ON Sunday (Monday here in Manila), the Brazilian Congress voted to impeach the country’s embattled President Dilma Rousseff. It took a marathon, five-hour debate for the lower house to arrive at its decision, but in the end it was a rather emphatic one; needing only 342 votes (of a total of 513) to advance the impeachment to the Senate, Rousseff’s opponents mustered 367.

The articles of impeachment will now be passed to Brazil’s upper house, which will vote on whether or not Rousseff should stand trial. If the Senate sends Rousseff to trial, she will be required to step down for up to 180 days while her case is being decided; if she is convicted, of course, she will be removed from office permanently, and could stand trial on criminal charges.

The consensus among political analysts is that Rousseff’s goose is cooked. The strength of her support in Congress made the first hurdle the highest for the impeachment cause. Most now expect the opposition-dominated Senate to make short work of her.

What the next would-be tenant of Malacañang should have paid attention to in the historic proceedings on Monday is the real reason for Rousseff’s impeachment. It isn’t hard to figure out, because it’s all the opposition talked about in the dramatic legislative session. Rousseff is essentially charged with fraud; she is accused of allowing private loans to the government treasury to artificially inflate the budget surplus before her reelection in 2014. But not one of the dozens of opposition lawmakers who rose to speak referred to the formal charges at all; instead, they condemned her for the poor state of the Brazilian economy, part of the damage of which was caused by the massive Petrobras corruption scandal that took place under Rousseff’s watch, though she has not been charged in that case.

From growing at about 2.2 percent per year during Rousseff’s first term, last year the economy fell into deep recession, shrinking by 3.8 percent; it is expected to do the same again this year. In 2014, the budget deficit doubled to 6.75 percent of GDP; a year later, it was nearly 11 percent. Over the past two years, unemployment in major urban areas has risen from below five percent to more than eight percent, and is predicted to reach as high as 10 percent. In the same time period, inflation has nearly doubled as well, from just above five percent to almost 10 percent. Consumer spending also declined in 2015, for the first time in 12 years.

Our last six years has been enough of a lesson that businesses and people will tolerate many intolerable things from their leaders, even bad performance in government agencies and deteriorating public services, provided the economy is favorable and they have money to spend. If the economy is unfavorable, the leader becomes the next Dilma Rousseff; or worse, the country becomes the next Libya, or Syria, or Yemen.

We appreciate the rhetoric about stopping corruption and fighting crime, but those are objectives we rightfully expect any candidate to pursue, and are not by themselves reasons to vote for anyone. The economy is far more important, and should be at the top of every candidate’s agenda. If they’re not convinced, they don’t have to take our word for it; just ask Dilma Rousseff.

Conor McGregor AFP FILE PHOTO

LOS ANGELES: Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor stunned the sport on Tuesday after appearing to announce his retirement at the age of 27.

The UFC featherweight icon—one of the most high-profile stars of the combat sport— had been scheduled to face Nate Diaz in a rematch in Las Vegas on July 9.

Diaz demolished the outspoken Irishman when the two met earlier this year.

However, in a post on Twitter that was widely interpreted as a retirement announcement, McGregor signaled he was quitting.

“I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya’s later,” McGregor wrote.

UFC president Dana White later confirmed McGregor would no longer be feature on the card for UFC 200 in July.

“Conor didn’t want to come to Las Vegas and be part of any promotional training,” White said on ESPN.

“He’s in Iceland training. He felt leaving right now would hurt his training. But every other fighter on the card is coming.”

White was uncertain on whether McGregor had in fact retired. “Only he can answer that question,” he replied.

Diaz meanwhile responded with his own lighthearted retirement. “I guess my work here is done I’m retiring too,” the fighter wrote.

McGregor’s tweet comes after he attended an April 9 bout in which fighter Joao Carvalho suffered fatal injuries.

“To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to have it taken away is truly heartbreaking,” McGregor wrote on Facebook after Carvalho’s death last week. AFP

AFP/CC

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s state oil firm said Wednesday that it expects to restore full production within three days after staff ended a strike in a surprise about-turn that triggered a renewed slide in world prices.

The walkout by thousands of staff of Kuwait Petroleum Corp. and its subsidiaries on Sunday in a dispute over planned pay cuts had slashed the emirate’s output from 3.0 million barrels per day to 1.5 million and prompted a brief rally in world prices.

But early on Wednesday the Kuwait Oil Workers Union announced that its members were returning to work after what it called an “extremely successful” strike that had made the government pay attention to their concerns.

The surprise announcement, which came just hours after union leaders had vowed to continue the strike until all their demands were met, quashed hopes the disruption could help ease a persistent supply glut and saw oil shed nearly a dollar in Asian trade.

At around 0730 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for May delivery was down 99 cents, or 2.41 percent at $40.09 a barrel while Brent crude for June fell 98 cents, 2.23 percent, to $43.05.

KPC spokesman Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Sabah said that staff were already returning to work in response to the union’s call and that operations at the company’s installations were resuming.

A gradual return to normal production of 3 million bpd “would take around three days,” he said.

The climbdown by the union came after an appeal by acting oil minister Anas al-Saleh on Tuesday night for staff to return to work so that negotiations could be held on their demands.

“We cannot sit at the negotiating table while the strike is still going on. Return to work and come and negotiate,” he told the private Al-Rai satellite television.

Talks on union demands

Al-Jarida newspaper said worker representatives were expected to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah on Wednesday for talks on resolving the dispute.

But union leaders declined to comment on the report when contacted by Agence France-Presse.

“In respect for the emir and in loyalty to him… we have decided to cancel the total strike,” said a union statement posted on its official Twitter account.

“We trust the emir… for the protection of the rights of oil workers.”

It called on management to take no disciplinary measures against staff who had gone on strike.

The workers’ demands include dropping plans to cut some benefits in the face of falling oil prices and excluding the oil sector from a new payroll scheme for public employees.

Saleh, who is also finance minister, said the government has not yet implemented any decision regarding oil workers’ pay.

He said KPC did not plan to cut its workers’ wages or their end of service indemnities, but said the company had decided to reduce future pay rises in line with spending cuts adopted in other state organisations.

He said that average monthly pay for oil sector staff in Kuwait was around $22,000, compared with around $4,200 for civil servants.

Saleh said that KPC planned to cut the annual pay rise received by its staff from 7.5 percent of basic salary to 5 percent.

Kuwait posted budget windfalls for 16 consecutive fiscal years due to high oil prices but posted a budget deficit in the 2015/2016 year which ended March 31.

For the 2016-17 fiscal year, it projects a record deficit of $38 billion, equivalent to 30 percent of gross domestic product.

Kuwait has liberalised the price of diesel and kerosene and is considering cutting subsidies on other services.

But it is facing difficulties in cutting spending which has increased more than fourfold since 2006, mostly on wages and subsidies. AFP

AFP/BF

MUNICH, Germany: Bayern Munich took a step towards winning the treble as Thomas Mueller netted twice in Tuesday’s 2-0 semifinals win over Werder Bremen to reach the German Cup final.

Mueller now has 31 goals in all competitions, four in the Cup, as the 26-year-old headed home in the first half, then converted a penalty after a cynical dive from Arturo Vidal.

Bayern secured their passage to their 21st final — on May 21 at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium — as they starved Bremen of the ball with 70 percent possession.

Nevertheless, the match-winner was far from pleased with Bayern’s performance.

“The most important thing was going through, but we made too many mistakes and it wasn’t a pleasant game for us,” said Mueller.

“We have played better, but it’s a nice feeling to be in the final.”
The Bavarian giants will face either Borussia Dortmund or Hertha Berlin, who meet in Wednesday’s other semi, having already lifted the trophy a record 17 times.

It keeps Bayern on course for a repeat of their 2013 treble in what is Pep Guardiola’s third and final year of his Munich contract before coaching Manchester City next season.

Bayern face a busy few weeks.

They play Atletico Madrid away in a week’s time in the Champions League semi-final with the return leg in Munich on May 3.

They are at Hertha in Berlin on Saturday, with a seven point lead in the Bundesliga and four games left, as they bid to become the first club to win four consecutive Bundesliga titles.

This was the clash of Germany’s two best cup teams with Bayern and Bremen having won the trophy 23 times between them.

In the last 13 years, Bayern have won the Cup seven times.

Guardiola named a near full-strength team in front of a crowd of 75,000 although Vidal, Douglas Costa and Thiago Alcantara were on the bench.

The hosts needed just half an hour to take the lead at Munich’s Allianz Arena when Mueller was left unmarked in the middle of the area to head home Xabi Alonso’s corner.

But Bremen wasted one of only two first-half chances with 40 minutes gone.

Bayern’s Manuel Neuer mistimed his clearance straight to Sambou Yatabare, but the Mali midfielder failed with his attempt to lob the Germany goalkeeper.

Neuer had to pick the ball out of the Bayern net early in the second half when Bayern defender David Alaba lobbed his own goalkeeper, but the referee whistled for a foul by Fin Bartel.

Vidal replaced France winger Kingsley Coman on 67 minutes and the Chile international helped win Bayern a penalty just three minutes later.

Bremen defender Janek Sternberg tackled the box-to-box midfielder and Vidal went down in the area, but replays showed he dived without there being any contact.

Nevertheless, referee Tobias Stielder pointed to the spot and Mueller drilled home the penalty.

Bremen can now concentrate on surviving the relegation battle as they remain in the Bundesliga’s bottom three, two points from safety, ahead of Friday’s north German derby at Hamburg.

AFP

Juventus’ forward Paulo Dybala from Argentina (center) fights for the ball with Lazio’s midfielder Marco Parolo during the Italian Serie A football match Juventus Vs Lazio on Thursday at the “Juventus Stadium” in Turin. AFP PHOTO

MILAN: A Paulo Dybala brace kept Juventus’s title push on track but Francesco Totti stole the show in Serie A with two goals in a 3-2 win over Torino that moved Roma closer to Champions League qualification on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

Juve’s closest rivals Napoli had fired a warning shot after putting six unanswered goals, including a hat-trick from Belgium midfielder Dries Mertens, past Bologna on Tuesday.

But the Turin giants were not to be fazed as they continued their bid to emulate their 1935 feat of winning five consecutive titles by beating Lazio 3-0.

Juventus will win the title if they beat Fiorentina on Sunday and Napoli lose at Roma a day later.

But coach Massimiliano Allegri said: “We need four points so we need one win and a draw. We still have four games left, two of which are at home, but all we’re thinking of is Sunday’s game.

“We’re going to Florence and that will be complicated because there’s a big rivalry between the sides.”

After Mario Mandzukic put Juventus in front six minutes before the interval, the Croatia striker turning Paul Pogba’s pacy drive into the net, Juventus moved up a gear against Simone Inzaghi’s visitors.

Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi had warned of Juve’s “invincibility” and after the visitors lost right-back Patric for a second bookable offence against Dybala the writing was on the wall.

From the free-kick, Brazilian midfielder Hernanes forced Federico Marchetti into action but the Lazio keeper could do nothing minutes later when Dybala sent him the wrong way from the spot after Leonardo Bonucci was hauled down in the area.

Dybala completed his brace with his 16th league goal of the campaign, the Argentine collecting Sami Khedira’s ball to beat Marchetti from distance just after the hour.

Juve’s 26th win of the season maintained their nine-point lead on Napoli with four games remaining.

Like an epic film
Third-placed Roma were trailing 2-1 with four minutes remaining after Josef Martinez had added to Andrea Belotti’s first half penalty in the 80th minute for visiting Torino.

That meant Napoli looked likely to open up an eight-point gap on Luciano Spalletti’s side, but the Italian coach had other ideas.

Roma had seen several penalty claims waved away during the game and Spalletti played his final card five minutes from the end.

Totti had levelled late when he made a cameo appearance in a 3-3 draw at Atalanta on Sunday.

But the 39-year-old playmaker, in which could be his final weeks as a player at the club, went one better.

Seconds after replacing Seydou Keita, Totti slid in at the back post to meet Miralem Pjanic’s free-kick to guide the ball past Daniele Padelli on 86 minutes.

Three minutes later Roma won a controversial penalty for handball in the area, and although Padelli got a touch on Totti’s drive it was not enough.

The ageing captain was mobbed by the bench and fans were seen crying in the stands as Roma kept the pressure on to sit five points behind Napoli.

“I don’t know how to describe it, but it was like the ending of an epic film,” midfielder Alessandro Florenzi told Premium Sport.

Behind the top three, the chase for Europa League qualification got complicated.

Inter Milan, still hoping for a top-three finish, failed to find the net at Genoa where Sebastian De Maio hit a 77th-minute winner for the hosts.

Roberto Mancini’s men remain fourth but are now seven points behind Roma in the last Champions League qualifying spot.

Striker Mauro Icardi admitted: “In my opinion, we’ve got little chance of finishing third now, it will be difficult to claw back Roma.”

Fiorentina lost 2-1 at Udinese, leaving La Viola fifth but in danger of seeing their seven-point gap on AC Milan reduced to just four if the Rossoneri beat struggling Carpi on Thursday.

Elsewhere, Chievo reacted to Daniel Ciofani’s fifth-minute opener for relegation-haunted Frosinone by hitting five goals in a 5-1 thrashing, with Sergio Pellissier scoring a brace.

AFP

Neil Etheridge
Contributed photo

Philippine Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge wants to take his English League One club Walsall FC to the next level in the ongoing League Championship.

Etheridge, who signed for the third tier squad in July 2015, plays a vital role in the Saddlers’ defense and currently has a total of 31 appearances for the team.

“All I know is that we will do our best as a team and a squad and see where it takes us,” the 26-year-old shot-stopper told The Manila Times.

Walsall holds a record of 21 wins, 12 draws and nine losses for 75 points and is just three points behind from securing one of the two available slots for promotion in the domestic league.

With just four more games left in their season, Etheridge and his crew are within striking distance of overtaking second seed Burton Albion FC, who has 78 points on 23 victories, nine draws and 11 defeats.

“Football is a crazy sport and anything can happen. Just look at the last Azkals game where we were up then down, then down and out and all of a sudden eight minutes to go we take the game and win it. So who knows,” he said.

The Filipino-English booter said that he is happy with the trust that the management of Walsall has given him.

“It’s been a great club to me and we have a had a great season. I thank Walsall and everyone at the club for giving me this opportunity, at this current moment in time my main focus is to get us promoted any way I can,” he stated.

Etheridge said that he has been thriving with the system of the Saddlers and stressed that the coaches has taken his skills to a higher level.

“The season has been great from start to finish. I have improved both as a person and as a player, on and off the field. It’s been a long season but still a lot of games to go.

“I have had a great goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler who I believe has taken me to the next level, taking me out of comfort zones and expressing myself to be the goalkeeper I am today,” he added.

During Etheridge’s previous game with the club, he played a key role in maintaining a 1-1 draw against 16th seeded brigade Swindon Town FC on April 19.

Etheridge and his teammates will go through Bradford City AFC, Shrewbury Town FC, Fleetwood Town FC and Port Vale FC before capping off their campaign.

Etheridge will be back in the country after the 2015-2016 League One season to hold the second edition of the NE1 Goalkeeping School in Manila in June.

JAELLE NEVIN REYES

Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (left), Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (center) and Barcelona’s Brazilian forward Neymar celebrate a goal during the Spanish league football match RC Deportivo de la Coruna vs FC Barcelona at the Municipal de Riazor stadium in La Coruna on Thursday. Barcelona won the match 8-0. AFP PHOTO

MADRID: Barcelona bounced back from their worst run of La Liga defeats for 13 years in emphatic fashion as Luis Suarez scored four in an 8-0 thrashing of Deportivo la Coruna on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

Ivan Rakitic, Lionel Messi, Marc Bartra and Neymar were also on target as Barca reasserted their control on the Spanish title race.

Barca’s superior head-to-head record keeps them ahead of Atletico Madrid at the top of the table with four games remaining as Fernando Torres’s hot-streak continued with the winner in a 1-0 success at Athletic Bilbao.

Real Madrid remain a point behind in third as goals from Karim Benzema, Lucas Vazquez and Luka Modric ensured a 3-0 win over Villarreal.

However, victory came at a cost as Cristiano Ronaldo limped off holding his right hamstring a few minutes from time.

“He got a frIght, but I don’t think it is anything serious,” said Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, whose side face Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals next week.

“I am calmer now than when I saw him leave the pitch.”

Barca’s sensational return to form came after having taken just one point from their last possible 12 in the league.

“We are human, we aren’t machines and we can all commit errors or have a bad game,” Suarez told Spanish TV station Movistar+.

Suarez on song
“Today is a demonstration that the group is more united than ever and desperate to win the league. It is still in our hands.”

Suarez settled the visitors’ nerves after just 11 minutes when he outmuscled Sidnei to volley home.

Celso Borges then missed two huge chances to bring Deportivo level as he was denied by Claudio Bravo and a last-ditch block by Bartra before Suarez gave Barca a cushion when he latched onto Messi’s sumptuous through-ball to slot low past Manu.

Suarez turned provider for Barca’s third just after the break when his cross to the back post was volleyed home emphatically by Rakitic.

Messi created the fourth with another defence splitting pass and Suarez kept his composure to seal his sixth hat-trick of a prolific season.

Suarez was gifted his fourth of the night from Neymar’s unselfish cross for his 49th goal of the season.

The former Liverpool striker then added a second assist to his four-goal haul as his cut-back was gratefully tapped home by Messi.

Terrific Torres
Bartra joined the party as he galloped forward from his own half before firing into the far corner.

And Neymar completed a perfect night for the Spanish champions when he tapped home at the far post for his first goal in six games from Suarez’s third assist of a spectacular display.

Torres kept Atletico in the race as he scored for the fifth consecutive game with a towering header from Antoine Griezmann’s cross seven minutes before half-time in Bilbao.

“I am happy because the goals have helped the team win the points that bring us closer to our objectives,” said Torres.

Victory also came at a cost for Atletico as inspirational defender Diego Godin limped off with a hamstring injury that is likely to see him miss at least the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.

Real knew they had to win to remain realistically in the race as they kicked off two hours after Barca, but impressed again in racking up an eighth consecutive La Liga win.

Benzema headed home his 27th goal of the season four minutes before half-time after Sergio Asenjo could only parry Ronaldo’s fierce effort.

Vazquez was handed a rare start by Gareth Bale’s absence through injury, but took full advantage as he raced onto Benzema’s layoff before firing low past Asenjo 21 minutes from time.

Modric volleyed home Danilo’s cross in sensational style six minutes later to make it 3-0.

AFP

PARIS: After disappointment at being left out of the main competition at Cannes next month, three Italian films were included in the Director’s Fortnight contest held alongside the prestigious cinema showcase.

Italian cinema great Marco Bellochio, 76, saw his latest film Fai Bei Sogni (Sweet Dreams) chosen to open the increasingly prized sidebar competition, after being snubbed in the Palme d’Or selection.

The film about a boy coping with the death of his mother is his first to be shown at Cannes since Vincere (To Win) was shown in the main competition in 2009.

The other two Italian films are Fiore by Claudio Giovannesi, set in a juvenile detention center, and La Pazza Gioia (Like Crazy)—about two patients who escape a mental institution.

AFP

MADRID: In his latest film to compete in the Cannes Film Festival, Spain’s Pedro Almodovar has ditched the humor and quirkiness that marks much of his work to tell a dramatic mother-daughter story.

One of 20 movies selected to compete for the prestigious Palm e d’Or award in Cannes next month, Julieta recounts a mother’s excruciating 10-year wait for a daughter who abandoned her when she turned 18.

The film’s release in Spain earlier this month had initially been clouded by the appearance of Almodovar and his brother in the global Panama Papers scandal over an offshore company they briefly controlled in 1991.

AFP

Even as Heart Evangelista told The Manila Times in a recent interview that she feels safer in showbiz than she does in the cutthroat world of politics, the wife of senator and vice presidential candidate Chiz Escudero, seems to be coping well with her wifely duties these days.

Hitting the campaign trail whenever she is free from taping and her artistic projects as painter Love Marie Ongpauco, a showbiz supporter told The Manila Times she was surprised when Evangelista jumped up a wobbly tabletop in a sortie in a Tarlac Market so the crowd that came to Escudero’s campaign could see her.

“She did it without warning any of us,” continued the actress’ friend. “We were worried about her, but the fans loved it.”

Bumping into Evangelista this week, The Manila Times asked after her “superwoman stunt” as her circle jokingly refers to the incident now, and the actress simply said, “I’m just enjoying this opportunity to be able to see my husband’s supporters and I’m also touched they’re genuinely happy to see me as well.

“Ang daming yumakap at humalik sa akin, and napaka-warm talaga ng pagtanggap nila sa akin,” she added.

Asked how she is coping, on the other hand, with the heated vice presidential debates—especially over criticisms about Escudero’s very “robotic” way of speaking—Evangelista said her experience in showbiz controversies unknowingly prepared her for all the bashing against her husband and herself in politics.

“Minsan nasasaktan ako pero siguro magandang training ang pag-aartista ko. I have to remain strong. Basta wala kang tinatapakan at ‘di ka nagyayabang every­thing will be OK,” she replied, emphasizing she is proud that her husband veers away from mudslinging in his campaign.

True enough, Evangelista even posted a photo on her Instagram account recently with the sister of her husband’s closest rival Sen. Bongbong Marcos, Congresswoman Imee, and said, “Politics should not be bitter nor acrimonious… I’d like to think this world would be a better place if we can all do the same.”

TMA

“I’ll make my corrupt politician movie one day…” the contagiously optimistic young director Quark Henares told The Manila Times with a sheepish grin. He gave his word of honor as he segued into the premise of his latest film, My CandiDATE, which seems to hold as much promise as the usual socio-political movies the local movie industry has seen in past decades.

“It’s easy to be cynical about trapos [traditional politicians] especially with the elections coming up,” he added. “But to be fair, I personally know a number of politicians who really have the heart to help. So for a change, this movie shows the true public servant over the politician, amid a romantic-comedy.”

With that, Henares went into the roles of Derek Ramsay, Iza Calzado and Shaina Magdayao who are the big stars indeed of My CandiDATE—a joint production of Quantum Films, MJM Productions, Tuko Film Production and Butchi Boy, who are behind the critically-acclaimed romantic-comedies, English Only, Please and #Walang Forever, and of course the blockbuster historic biopic, Heneral Luna, among others.

The film—which also promises to “give the election season a romantic twist”—is about a political wannabe, Congressman Sonny Suarez (Ramsay), who is seeking a Senate seat with “a good heart.” The only problem is he has no social skills — that is, he lacks “charm and mass appeal” – which, especially in this side of the world, is vital in winning votes.

Another twist is that among the candidates running for the Senate, he is also up against his ex-girlfriend Vera Chavez (Calzado) who has all the charisma he sorely lacks.

Enter Billie Pono (Magdayao), a life coach and communications trainer, hired to help change Sonny’s image into a confident, well-spoken and likeable politician, who in the process also learns a thing or two from the public servant with a heart in achieving a better version of herself.

“Honestly, this all started out as a joke,” continued Henares. “A bunch of us, filmmakers were having drinks and we go, ‘O anong gagawing natin sa pitch tomorrow?’ And we came up with these really ridiculous ideas, like, ‘Ang Tipo Kong Katipunero, a rom-com,’ and all that.

“Then I go, how about ‘My CandiDATE,’ with ‘DATE’ in all caps… so were just laughing about it and I think on the way home, the character of Shaina came up—a life coach who cannot get her life together! And from there, everything else followed.”

Inspired by the fresh concept, Henares, whose most noted­—took him an entire year to complete, finished the script for My CandiDate over the 2015 Christmas holidays.

“Thankfully, Atty. Jojie Alonso [Quantum Film’s lady boss] was excited by the story as well, especially since they’re known to be the day’s filmmakers who veer away from the formulaic kinds of movies often made in our industry.”

Alonso, however, surprisingly told The Manila Times that even with the film’s very timely message of weeding through the bad candidates to be able to vote for the good, she chose to show My CandiDATE after the elections on May 11.

“I thought it best to open after May 9 because beyond Quark’s premise, the movie is really a comedy that will give people a reason to laugh especially after this very gruelling and disheartening election season,” she explained.

For their part, Ramsay and Magadayao—who both assume very different roles in this movie from their usual ladies’ man and “ina-aping” characters, respectively—hope just as much as Henares that My CandiDATE will help Filipinos believe once again that there are still good people in public office.

The film also stars Al Tantay, Nico Antonio, Ketchup Eusebio, Ricci Chan, Jun Sabayton and Tirso Cruz 3rd in a special role, with Dan Villegas (director of English Only, Please and #Walang Forever) as creative producer.

LHAR SANTIAGO

This is a particularly special Friday for me because this marks my return to column writing after ages of being absent from the print medium.

This column will bring you a lot—a lot of fresh entertainment industry news; a lot of the latest and freshest buzz in showbiz; a lot of opinions and feedbacks on the hottest topics in tinsel town and more.

And of course, I want to make this column more personal. Having been in the business for 39 years, I would like to dip my fingers into every delectable pie that the colorful world of showbiz offers and give my two cents worth of opinion based on my day-to-day life in the industry.

So what’s the latest showbuzz?

***

Dingdong Dantes gives his all in training for the role of Aquim in the remake of ‘Encantadia’

Encantadia 2016 taping has finally begun.

It was Dingdong Dantes who led the stars on the first taping day, which was shot inside a cave somewhere in Rizal province. Incidentally, this was the same location where Encantadia shot most of its scenes more than a decade ago.

Dingdong is so immersed in being part of the grand Kapuso telefantasya remake that the day before he went to work, he was at the GMA rehearsal studio doing arnis training for his character Aquim in the soap. Also training alongside the Primetime King were new Encantadia cast members Ruru Madrid, Gabi Garcia and Pancho Magno.

Dingdong says he is excited to portray the role of Aquim, which was first portrayed by Richard Gomez in the original Encantadia. He knows just how pivotal Aquim is in the well-loved story: He is the king of Lireo and the one responsible in keeping the four Sang’res together.

***

Derrick Monasterio’s transformation was a big help in clinching his present projects

There’s no stopping heartthrob Derrick Monasterio.

After a couple of years trying to break into the showbiz big league, it seems that his patience and hard work are fast paying off.

Since deciding to turn his back on his teenybopper image, Derrick started working out to build muscles in the right places. And now, take a good look at him—he has transformed into a desirable hunk.

And indeed Derrick’s new look has helped a lot in clinching his present roles. He is the male lead in the top-rating afternoon soap Hanggang Makita Kang Muli with Bea Binene. He is also set to start a movie with superstar Nora Aunor entitled Nympho under the helm of Adolf Alix Jr., where he will give life to the role of Nora’s object of desire.

Only a few people know that Derrick is a very good singer, so much so that upon hearing him sing, GMA Records wasted no time in signing him up. Not long after, his self-titled album was released in the market, and is climbing up the charts as I write this. The Kapuso young hunk displays his cool soothing voice in his seven-song album. The cuts include “Kailangan Kita,” a song written and popularized by Ogie Alcasid, two other covers and four original compositions.

Listening to Derrick’s album, I can say that we’ve got a new and exciting balladeer.

***

‘No truth’ to the claims of Ritz Azul’s camp that she was supposed to portray the role of Danaya in Encantadia 2016

Stories are coming out about the supposed tug of war between GMA Network and ABS-CBN over Ritz Azul that resulted in the former TV5 star’s signing with the Kapamilya network.

I just want to correct the story. It was not as if GMA sought Ritz and offered her a contract. It was she who approached GMA and offered herself. I should know because I’m privy to what really happened as an adviser to the person who accompanied Ritz to her meetings with the Kapuso people.

Her camp should also stop saying that she was supposed to portray the role of Danaya in Encantadia 2016. It’s true, she was asked to audition for the role—and she really did—but there was no assurance or promise that the she bagged Danaya. She was just one of those who auditioned, period.

***

Editor’s Note:

The Manila Times Entertainment Section warmly and proudly welcomes showbiz veteran Lhar Santiago as its newest weekly columnist, via Showbuzz on Fridays. A year shy of marking his 40th year reporting on news about the biggest stars in the Entertainment Industry, Santiago returns today to print media, while he continues his thriving career on TV.

Santiago was a showbiz columnist in We Forum from the 1980s to the 1990s, and editor for the magazine’s sister publication, newspaper Pahayagang Masa. During the said time, his widely followed articles were spotted by veteran talk show hosts Lolit Solis and Boy De Guia, who commissioned Santiago to write the script for the top-rated program Scoop on Channel 13.

With Scoop marking the writer’s break into television, Santiago eventually became a host and producer for the showbiz segment of Magandang Umaga Po with Korina Sanchez and Star News Reporter for TV Patrol, both on ABS-CBN.

Later on, Santiago received an offer to work on various projects on GMA Network, where he become talent coordinator and scriptwriter for the late Helen Vela’s true-to-life drama anthology, Lovingly Yours, Helen; and the comedy program Family 3+1.

Rising up the ladder further, Santiago soon became executive producer for GMA Telesine and the late Rudy Fernandez’s show Kasangga.

Currently, Santiago is a Senior Reporter for GMA News, where he is regarded as an authority in showbiz news. His reports appear regularly on the network’s prime time and late night newscasts, 24 Oras and Saksi, respectively, as well as the different programs sister channel GMA News TV, and he also hosts a daily showbiz segment on the early morning program, Unang Hirit.

Highly respected and well-entrenched in the entertainment industry, Lhar Santiago will surely deliver exciting news and exclusive scoops for the readers of The Manila Times.