FACTORY output — both in volume and value terms — rose in May from a year ago but lost some momentum compared to a month earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Thursday.

The volume of production index (VoPI) grew by 19.8 percent in May, down from 29 percent in April but also a reversal of the 0.6-percent contraction recorded a year ago based on results of the PSA’s latest Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries.

The value of production index (VaPI) moderated by 21.3 percent from April’s 29.8 percent but reversed the year-earlier’s -2.6 percent drop.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said expansions in food manufacturing, petroleum products, construction-related manufactures, export-oriented products and transport equipment were behind the period’s growth.

In a statement, the NEDA noted that optimistic business sentiment and stable consumer confidence would support further manufacturing sector growth towards the end of the second quarter.

“Higher demand due to school enrollment and harvest periods, expansion of businesses and new product lines, and ongoing rollout of public infrastructure projects are anticipated to further increase manufacturing production,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said in the statement.

Pernia said that manufacturing would also benefit from a recently ratified free trade agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

“This will provide additional boost to economic activities between the country and the EFTA member states,” he said.

Still, Perna warned that “the government must not waiver in addressing factors that may hamper growth, including rising trade tensions and higher interest rates.”

“Enhancing the production capacity of enterprises and addressing infrastructure gaps to decrease production costs will be important,” he added.

He also pointed out that providing workers with the required knowledge and skills would support growth in the sector.

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The country’s acting Information and Communications secretary has expressed concerns over an auction-based search for a third major telco player — a plan proposed just last week by his own department.

“Those who are planning to be part of the contest [will ask], ‘Is this a level playing field?’, ‘Is this not anti-competitive for us?,’” Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio told reporters on Thursday.

The DICT had raised hopes that the search for a challenger to the PLDT-Globe duopoly would move forward following last week’s release of draft terms of reference (TOR) that assigned points to a prospective player’s level of commitment to coverage, spending and broadband speeds.

Just days later, however, it issued another draft TOR that replaced the points system with a spectrum user’s fee auction that would award frequencies to the highest bidder.

Rio told reporters that the auction was being pushed by the Department of Finance (DoF), which has criticized the committed level of service approach as “weak”.

“Yung Finance [gusto]magkaroon ng value ang frequencies, magkaroon ng pakinabang ang government sa frequencies kung sino makapagbigay ng highest bid (Finance wants the frequencies to have a value so that the government benefits from whoever gives the highest bid),” he said.

Rio told The Manila Times that requiring “upfront money … has nothing to do with infrastructure rollout. They don’t have subscribers yet. What’s the level playing field there?”

During the briefing, he said it was imperative that the new telco be able to deploy its network infrastructure as soon as possible and also offer lower costs, which could be affected by a frequency sale.

An auction could also open the possibility of another telco buyout deal, he claimed, referring to PLDT and Globe’s joint acquisition of San Miguel Corp.’s telecommunications assets after the latter – in failing to find a foreign partner – gave up on its telco ambitions.

The DICT, he stressed, prefers the highest committed level of service approach but defended the release of the auction-based alternative as a means of breaking an oversight committee deadlock.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the creation of the oversight committee — composed of representatives from the DICT, DoF and the offices of the Executive Secretary and the National Security Adviser — in April following continued delays in the third telco selection process.

“Hindi namin ma-break ang deadlock sa oversight committee, so nag-market study kami kung ano sa dalawa ang more or less makapag-attract ng new player, kasi yun ang importante (We could not break a deadlock at the oversight committee so we are doing a market study as to which of the two will more or less attract a new player, because this is what is important.” Rio said.

“Ito yung ise-settle bukas sa (This is what will be settled tomorrow (Friday) during a) public consultation,” he added.

Rio also claimed that the oversight committed had no power to decide on the selection method, which he said would be up to the DICT.

“The oversight committee has no approving or disapproving power. It was created to help the DICT and NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) to facilitate the entry of the third telco,” he said.

“We will be the one to give a go [signal because we will be]responsible for each failure,” Rio said.

Asked about reports that the committee had turned down the first draft TOR, Rio replied: “[Because of] departmental courtesy, we want to hear what they want to say …”.

Today’s stakeholders’ meeting aims to gather comments and suggestions regarding the two draft TORs.
Duterte had wanted the third telco to be operational by the first quarter of this year, just months after ordering a search for a challenger to PLDT and Globe. Rio has said that an award could be made before the end of the year.

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WASHINGTON: Steep American tariffs on Chinese goods worth tens of billions of dollars took effect when the clock struck twelve Thursday night as US President Donald Trump fired the first salvo in a trade war between the world’s top two economies.

This file photo taken on May 19, 2018 shows a worker welding steel at a shipyard in Nantong in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. AFP PHOTO

China has vowed to respond “immediately”, with experts warning that tit-for-tat measures between the two financial superpowers will send shockwaves around the global economy and strike at the heart of the world trading system.

The US will levy a 25-percent tariff on more than 800 Chinese product categories worth around $34 billion and has warned of more to come if a trade war escalates.

Trump has threatened to progressively ratchet up US penalties to a total of $450 billion in goods — which would represent the lion’s share of all of China’s exports to the United States.

The tariffs target a broad spectrum of Chinese goods — such as passenger vehicles, radio transmitters, aircraft parts and computer hard drives — from industries Washington says have benefited from unfair trade practices.

A second tranche of 284 goods worth $16 billion is currently under review and could be added to the US list.

US ‘firing at itself’

China is expected to retaliate as soon as the US tariffs go into effect, imposing duties on goods worth roughly the same amount but with a greater emphasis on politically sensitive farm agricultural products.

“The US has provoked this trade war. We do not want to fight it, but in order to safeguard the interests of the country and the people, we have no choice but to fight,” said Gao Feng, spokesman for China’s commerce ministry.

Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, has already sounded the alarm about a tit-for-tat cycle of retaliation, saying it would only create “losers on both sides.”

And Gao noted that of the $34 billion in taxable products on the US list, about $20 billion — or nearly two-thirds — are made by firms with foreign investment, including a “significant portion” from America.

“The US’s measures are essentially attacking the global supply and value chain. Simply put, the US is opening fire on the whole world, and also firing at itself,” Gao said.

‘Better than ever’

Economists have for months warned of the potential damage to the US and global economies from aggressive trade policies and protectionism, which would raise prices and upend global supply chains.

But the Trump team has paid little heed to those warnings, with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross this week slamming them as “premature and probably quite inaccurate.”

Trump himself tweeted this week that the economy is doing “perhaps better than ever” even “prior to fixing some of the worst and most unfair Trade Deals ever made by any country.”

Under the banner of his “America First” policy, Trump has also targeted other traditional trade partners of the US, such as the European Union, Japan, Mexico and even Canada.

And signs are growing that the escalating global trade dispute is already affecting the world’s top economy, with punitive duties now in place for steel and aluminum and the White House threatening to slap duties on auto imports.

Prices are rising, especially for steel and aluminum, and companies are starting to feel reticent about investments or planning to shift production overseas to avoid retaliation against US exports.

There have been immediate job losses at America’s largest nail manufacturer, Mid-Continent Nail Corporation, due to rising steel prices amid warnings the company may have to shut down operations altogether.

Iconic American motorcycle brand Harley Davidson has announced plans to move production overseas to evade the retaliatory tariffs from the EU, drawing a barrage of attacks on Twitter from Trump.

The influential US Chamber of Commerce urged Trump this week to reconsider his actions, saying the counter-tariffs now affected $75 billion in American exports and endangered US jobs.

While Trump touts announcements of jobs created in steel plants due to the tariffs, manufacturing industries warn many more jobs will be lost in companies producing autos, auto parts, appliances and other goods that depend on imported components.

One study said as many as 400,000 jobs could be lost.

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Above-target price growth stokes fears of another BSP rate hike

The stock market snapped a four-day recovery on Thursday after higher-than-expected inflation stoked fears of another central bank rate hike.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) plunged by 1.56 percent or 114.85 points to close at 7,233.57, while the wider All Shares declined 1.04 percent or 46.42 points to end at 4,407.62.

“The Philippine market succumbed after successive positive sessions with the surprising release of the June inflation data,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis Limlingan said.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced that headline inflation had clocked in at a new five-year high of 5.2 percent in June, exceeding the 4.3-5.1 percent and 4.9 percent forecasts, respectively, of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of Finance.

June’s price growth pace, which was also substantially higher than the 4.7 percent average in a Manila Times poll of economists, was a significant acceleration from May’s 4.6 and the 2.5 percent posted 12 months earlier.
The PSA said it was primarily driven by higher food and non-alcoholic beverage prices.

There was some hope of an easing based on forecast from the BSP, whose policymaking Monetary Board was prompted to order two 25-basis point policy rate hikes in May and June after consumer price growth breached the 2.0-4.0 percent target beginning March.

“The implications [of the June result]pulled down the market further with many already pointing to a third rate hike during the August 9 [Monetary Board] meeting. Even some have hinted that a 50-basis point (bps) hike is needed over the traditional 25 bps,” Limlingan said.

Philstocks Financial, Inc. research head Justino Calaycay Jr. agreed, saying in an email: “Higher inflation and expectations of more to come have given fodder to anticipation of at least one (or even two more) tweaks to the BSP policy rate.”

“While the government seems still in ‘denial’ over the Train law’s impact on the prices of basic goods, the body of evidence to the contrary is growing. But whether the argument is valid (or false), it is the perception of the former that has lent apprehension to investors,” he added.

The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law, implemented at the beginning of the year, raised taxes on a range of products and services such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, fuel and cars in exchange for lower personal income tax rates.

The resulting price rises, particularly for gasoline and diesel, have prompted some legislators to call for a full or partial repeal of the law, which the government claims is needed to prime its massive “Build Build Build” infrastructure program.”

Economic managers have repeatedly said that the Train’s law’s impact on inflation was well below one percentage point.

One factor that could have figured in Thursday’s sell-off was the United States’ scheduled enforcement of tariffs on Chinese goods beginning Friday, a development that led to declines for markets in the region.

Back in Manila, all sectoral indices registered losses, led by holding firms that fell by 2.09 percent.

Volume turnover remained thin with only 680 million issues valued at P5.2 billion traded.

Losers outmatched winners, 113 to 75, while 60 issues were unchanged.

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TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan: An illegal drug suspect was killed while three others were arrested in recent separate buy-busts in Cagayan Valley. Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, Police Region 2 (PRO) director, said Orlando Da Jose of Sitio Neto, Baragay Batal in Santiago City, Isabela, was killed on Wednesday night. Espino said Da Jose fired at a police officer who posed as buyer during the buy-bust in Echague, Isabela. The police officer and his back-up traded shots with the suspect. The three other arrested suspects were Norlando Manibog, 19, student, from Greenville Subdivision, Mambabanga, Luna, Isabela; Edgardo De Leon, 45, cock breeder in Barangay Salinungan West, San Mateo, Isabela; and Jun Palmones, 40, auto painter and a drug surrenderer from Barangay Osmeña, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. Manibog was arrested in Luna town on Thursday with two pieces of heat-sealed plastic sachet of dried marijuana leaves and P1,000 marked money. De Leon was arrested in San Mateo, Isabela, also on Wednesday with a small sachet containing shabu confiscated from him, and Palmores was arrested on Wednesday in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya with three sachets of shabu.

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BACOLOD CITY: Authorities seized about P3 million worth of shabu from two alleged pushers during a buy-bust in Purok Bangrus, Barangay 1, Bacolod City, on Wednesday night. Operatives of the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) arrested Rayden Palomero and Rica Mitch. Records showed that Palomero is a newly-identified drug suspect. Recovered were 16 sachets of about 260 grams of shabu, the P5,000 marked money and three deposit slips. The operation came two weeks after the CDEU personnel seized P1.02 million worth of illegal drugs from Myla Velano, 31, during a buy-bust at Charito Heights, Barangay Granada. Velano was also a newly-identified drug suspect and considered a high-value target. Last April 10, the CDEU team also recovered about P3.7 million shabu in a buy-bust at Barangay 33 that saw the arrest of Jeffrey Virgel, 35, of Purok Cheresa, Barangay 27. Police said the suspects were suppliers of the Poja drug group based in this city. Intelligence sources from the Bacolod City Police Office said the illegal drugs that enter the city come from Cebu while those that reach Iloilo province reportedly come from Bacolod City.

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: A Filipino lawyer and an Australian, both tagged by the police as “high-value targets” (HVTs) were arrested in separate buy-busts in Northern Mindanao this week. Lawyer Marlon Yap, of Cagayan de Oro City, was nabbed in downtown Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday night. Mark Andrew Jones, 57, was collared in a buy-bust in Iligan City on Tuesday. Police said Yap, listed as among the top HVTs in the illegal drug trade, was found with shabu in his possession. Yap denied the accusation, saying he was never engaged in illegal drug activities. He called on owners of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras around the street to prove that plainclothes policemen had ganged up on him. Wilkins Villanueva, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regional director in Northern Mindanao, said Jones was arrested in a buy-bust at Doña Maria Subdivision in Tipanoy, Iligan City. Jones was found with the marked money, shabu weighing about 6.249 grams estimated at P 47,000 and a motorcycle.

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In line with the theme “Strengthening the Linkages with the Community Toward Good Governance,” the Bulacan Police Provincial Office, Provincial Advisory Council in coordination with the provincial government of Bulacan and San Rafael town conducted recently the 1st Provincial Advisory Council (PAC) Summit at the Victory Coliseum in Barangay Sampaloc, San Rafael. The summit convened the chief of police, strategy management personnel and members of each advisory council from police stations to educate them on their importance in achieving the Philippine National Police Peace and Order Agenda for Transformation and Upholding of the Rule of Law or the PNP PATROL Plan 2030. Senior Supt. Chito Bersaluna, Bulacan police director, said the criteria to be considered in the composition of an advisory council include integrity; exemplary leadership; advocacy for transparency, good governance and transformation; source of synergy; commitment to participate in activities of the advisory council; and residency or business ownership in the area.

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BACOLOD CITY: Authorities have seized several unlicensed firearms from a businessman and two others in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental. Chief Insp. Jake Barila, Hinigaran police chief, said a search warrant was served to the suspects identified as Loreto Segovia, 78, businessman; Jake Calumba, 38; and Danilo Garnado of Barangay Pilar, Hinigaran. Recovered from the suspects were an M15 rifle, six magazines, 130 bullets, one 12-gauge shotgun with four bullets and a .9mm pistol with 12 bullets and two magazines. The neighbors of Segovia have complained that he is often seen brandishing his gun outside his house, Barila said.

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SMART resorts will soon be developed in the province of Aklan and other tourist destinations around the country to attract more foreign visitors and enhance their experience in the Philippines. The Hong Kong-based Increz Global HK signified early this month its participation in joint development projects with Philippine landowners and developers to upgrade and further enhance existing tourist destinations into modern, eco-friendly, smart resorts. James Kim, Increz Global HK chief executive officer, and The Bizlink Group chief executive officer Boemjin Kim said they concluded an agreement with Zonarkonstrukt Builders and Management Group (ZBM), a Philippine development company, to jointly develop a ‘Smart Resort Project’ in the province of Aklan, to further enhance the island with state-of-the-art and eco-friendly facilities. The agreement was executed with the ZBM Group, which was a part of the Economic Delegation to Korea for an official event attended by President Rodrigo Duterte. Increz Global is a Hong Kong-based FinTech company with technology to provide electronic payment and payment system using e-token as well as marketing solution for advertisement through P2P on SNS such as Facebook.

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Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde on Friday named the former head of Highway Patrol Group (HPG) as the Bicol regional director. Chief Supt. Arnel Escobal of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1987 will now lead the policemen in Bicol, replacing Chief Supt. Antonio Gardiola, who will be retiring from the service. Escobal was previously assigned by then-PNP chief Ronald de la Rosa to the PNP-HPG to clean the image of allegedly corrupt policemen. This is the second time that Escobal will replace Gardiola. Escobal assumed the PNP-HPG top post from Gardiola in July 2017. He previously served as deputy regional director for administration in Western Visayas.

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SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao: Two members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and a young Army lieutenant were killed while nine others were wounded in clashes between government troops and the BIFF in Barangay Pidsandawan, Mamasapano, Maguindanao, in southern Mindanao.

Capt. John Arvin Encinas, spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division (6th ID), said the fighting erupted between the troops of 40th Infantry Battalion (40th IB) and the BIFF terror group under Mah Nanding, alias Commander Marrox of the Karialan faction.

Killed was 2nd Lt. Junibert Zonio, platoon leader of the 40th IB.

Encinas said Zonio and his men moved toward the danger zone at an identified position of the bandits, who fired shots, killing the officer and wounding nine others.

At past noon on Wednesday, the troops recovered a BIFF fatality who was left at the encounter site.

“The other bodies of the BIFF were taken by the bandits and brought their wounded comrades since traces of blood stains and some human body parts and internal organs were seen scattered on the ground,” Brig. Gen. Diosdado Carreon, 601st brigade commander, said.

Marrox, according to Carreon, is a notorious bomber and a BIFF brigade commander of the Karialan faction.

He is known operating in the SPMS Box (Salibo, Pagatin, Mamasapano and Shariff Aguak) and its adjacent municipalities in Maguindanao with his men, who are escaped convicts of North Cotabato District Jail.

“Our operating troops have encountered about 15 BIFF members early in the morning while they were clearing the area following an operation on Wednesday to neutralize Commander Marrox and his men,” Carreon said.

Lt. Col. Edgar Catu, 40th IB commander, believes Marrox was one of the fatalities during the clash based on reports from civilians living in the area.

His issued AR-15 rifle was recovered by the troops from 40th IB.

Also recovered at the clash site were three M16 rifles, three M14 rifles, two M1 carbines, a Garand rifle, an M653 rifle, a submachine gun and five shotguns.

“Series of armed encounters against the Islamic State-inspired terror groups in certain areas of Maguindanao and clearing operations are still ongoing to prevent them from further harassing civilian communities,” Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Joint Task Force Central commander, said.

Meanwhile, Sobejana extended his sympathies to the family of Zonio.

“His acts of bravery and heroism in leading his men while pursuing the terror group will never be forgotten and it reflects the dangers the soldiers are facing in the battlefield,” Sobejana said.

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CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija: The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have sought the help of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to connect the dots that might lead to the early solution of the killing of Mayor Ferdinand Bote of Gen. Tinio town in this province .
Police are looking at three angles–construction business, quarrying and politics.

NBI Director Dante Guiran, who visited the wake of Bote, ordered provincial head agent Pedro Roque Jr. to speed up the investigation, including the recent killings of some public-works contractors in Nueva Ecija.

Bote, also a contractor, was vying for a P100-million contract project that the DPWH had opened for bidding.
He was presumed to have been given an edge over other contractors who joined the bidding.

The mayor just came from a reported pre-qualifying meeting at the DPWH, leaving at about 4 p.m. and proceeding to the National Irrigation Administration office in Cabanatuan when he was killed.

An authopsy report showed that he died from gunshot wounds from seven bullets of a cal. 45 pistol–one in the chin and six in the body.

Ricardo Puno, DPWH 2nd District Engineering Office chief, said they furnished the Nueva Ecija police and NBI all records of the construction firm owned by Bote’s Liza’s Construction.

Aside from the P100-million project, the DPWH earlier awarded two flood control projects worth P80 million to Bote’s construction firm after the others allegedly failed to qualify, according to Edgardo De Guzman, DPWH assistant district chief.

Meanwhile, Nito Juatco, president of the Nueva Ecija Contractors Association with 54 members, condemned the killing of other local contractors before Bote.

First to be killed were Manny Lacsamana, an engineer from Cabanatuan City, and Manuel Parin of Santo Domingo town.

Lacsamana was killed by two unidentified gunmen while Parin was shot dead by a lone gunman at the compound of his residence.

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: Family members, including the widow of a former president of the University of Science and Technology in Southern Philippines, on Thursday submitted themselves for inclusion as “persons of interest” (POI) in the killing of the campus official.

Eldie Rotoras, brother of the slain Ricardo Rotoras and who stood as the family’s spokesman, said the killing of his sibling remained unsolved after 11 months.

The family members decided to include themselves as POI if only to find new clues that might lead to the resolution of the killing of the university president, Eldie said.

They have executed and submitted judicial statements to the police on their willingness to be placed as POI, he added.

Eldie said the family also decided to include the widow, Zarah Lyn Rotoras, as among the 26 other members of the family as POI.

According to him, the family observed many “inconsistencies” in the attitude of Zarah after the death of his brother.

Instead of bringing the husband to the hospital or coming to the rescue of the fallen university president in front of their house, Zarah simply instructed the driver to bring the victim to the hospital, Eldie said.

He added that Zarah did not accompany her husband to the hospital.

The family also wondered why security cameras mounted in front of the house malfunctioned when all of the other security cameras inside the house were functioning.

Ricardo was killed in front of his house at Golden Glow Village, Upper Carmen, on December 2, 2017, after attending a Christmas party in downtown Cagayan de Oro City.

Witnesses told the police that two unidentified gunmen were seen fleeing on board a black pick-up after the shooting.

In January 2018, agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group arrested a certain Rey Galua for alleged possession of firearms and explosives.

Investigators have tagged Galua, an architect-contractor, as a “person of interest” in the killing, but failed to link him to the Rotoras shooting.

Police also failed to link an alleged “gun-for-hire” suspect from Ozamiz City to the killing of the university executive.

The suspect was reportedly arrested in Manila on a warrant of arrest issued two years before Ricardo was killed.
Eldie said the P2.5-million bounty offered that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of the ambush remains intact.

The city government raised a total of P1.5-million reward while the Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines raised P 1 million for the arrest of the killers of Ricardo.

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Baron Davis fired the game-winning shot, lifting 3’s Company to a 52-50 stunner over defending cham-pion Trilogy in the 2018 BIG3 3-on-3 basketball league at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on Fri-day night (Saturday in Manila).

Davis fired a triple against the outstretched arm of Dahntay Jones to turn a 49-50 deficit into a victory.

Andre Emmett finished with 20 points, three rebounds and two steals while Davis drilled in 17 points on top of four boards for 3’s Company, which improved to 2-1 win-loss.

Baron Davis No. 5 of 3’s Company shoots against Trilogy during week three of the BIG3 three-on-three basketball league game at ORACLE Arena on Saturday in Oakland, California. AFP PHOTO

Al Harrington was the lone bright spot for Trilogy as he tallied 28 points and six rebounds. The inaugural champ was the first to reach the 50-point threshold but still fell to its third loss in as many games.

Meanwhile, Tri-State banked on balanced offense to stay unscathed at the expense of Power, 50-46.

David Hawkins led the spread out attack with 18 points while Jermaine O’Neal and Nate Robinson add-ed 12 markers apiece as the three propelled Tri-State to a 3-0 slate.

Corey Maggette’s 34-point eruption went down the drain with Power going down to 2-1.

In other matches, 3 Headed Monsters pulled off a 51-49 win over Killer 3’s even as Ball Hogs ripped Ghost Ballers, 50-40.

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf drained 20 points built on four treys while Rashard Lewis and Qyntel Woods scored 13 and 12 markers, respectively, for the Monsters, who cruised to their third win in as many outings and sent Killer 3’s down to 1-2.

DeShawn Stevenson notched a game-high 21 points while Jermaine Taylor tallied 15 markers to help Ball Hogs post their first triumph against two losses.

Ghost Ballers, led by Carlos Boozer’s 21 points, remained winless in three games.

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It was in 1985 when Gregory Ty decided to put up a burger business, something he wanted to do given his exposure to the F&B industry in the US. But instead of a diner concept, he put up a burger stand called Scott Burger in España, Manila, making it more accessible to more Filipinos especially ones who simply wanted a bite to eat while they were out in the streets.

As more burger stands located along major thoroughfares opened, Scott Burger gained a loyal following, especially when Ty hit upon the idea of selling the burgers on a buy-one-take-one basis in 1991. Lines formed at the stands, for Filipinos who wanted something sulit but tasty and filling. The brand eventually became a pop culture staple as anyone who took the LRT would encounter the brand and its iconic logo of a barrel-seated boy holding up a big burger.

The new Scott by PNC at Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City

Like many other batang 90s who grew up in Manila, Lloyd Peter Lee had a connection with the brand, and it was pretty close to home. Ty is actually his uncle, and he would have memories of snacking on the burgers as a school boy, while accompanying his mother through the LRT stations on their site visits to the stores.

Now that he has grown up and established his own food business called Pedro ‘N Coi with his wife, beauty queen Shamcey Supsup, Lee thought of reviving the burger brand that was close to his heart. “Pedro ‘N Coi is a Filipino concept, we wanted to look for something that was more international in flavour. That was when I remembered my days enjoying my Scott burgers. I spoke to my uncle and we got the go signal to put this up,” he shares.

After pioneering the Pinoy Pop experience through Pedro N Coi and elevating the Quick Casual Segment with Tambayan ni Pedro. The couple will now once again take you on a gastronomic journey back in time. “It is about reminiscing the colorful past with the memories of the brand that my family actually owns. Coming from the 80’s and 90’s influences, this once humble brand that can be seen in almost all LRT stations is now back and ready for its much needed upgrade,” he says.

Part of the upgrade is that fact that it is now located within the comfortable confines of a mall, with the added convenience of being able to order at their counter and having the food delivered inside the Uptown BGC movie theatre.

While Lloyd has kept the original Scott Burger recipe, he had celebrity chef Sharwin Tee tweak it to suit today’s more levelled-up and health-conscious lifestyle. The chef has done away with MSG and the umami flavors are now naturally sourced from Wagyu beef fat. He has also come up with several variants of chicken wings, to offer an alternative to diners who want a more extensive menu.

Aside from the Original Scott Burger (Classic Wagyu Beef Patty in Miso Butter and served with the signature Scott Sauce), there is a TLC with its layers of Tomato, Lettuce, and Cheese, and the Cheesy Lover Burger (2-premium cheese mix, Miso Butter, and signature Scott Sauce).

Other premium patty choices include the China Town Burger with a Hoisin sauce and Pork Floss, the Good Morning Burger (Beef Patty with Miso Butter and Egg Salad), and the Big Bang, the Korean-inspired burger that comes with Kimchi.

Lloyd envisions Scott by PNC as a place where friends and families can meet, without the worry of intimidating interiors or service personnel. “The store is designed with a Train representing the LRT line 1 that I used to ride with my mom going to school or to visit my grandma, while enjoying a bag with two or even three orders of Scott Buy1 Take1 Hamburger. This humbling experience led us to create the concept and having a competent architect wife made its realization a lot easier!”

In keeping with the buy-one-take-one concept that Scott Burgers became famous for, he has upgraded the promo to a “buy-6-get-6” value for money proposition that is perfect for large groups. “Sa Scott Kayo’y LagingSikat” is a slogan that has a deeper meaning for them, he says. “The “Laging Sikat” part refers to the people who would bring their families and friends to Scott where they can enjoy the classic burgers and the new variety of flavours especially suited to the taste of both the millennials and the titos and titas who know the brand from their younger years. You will definitely be famous or “sikat” with your family because in Scott by PNC, while there is a good menu line up, the prices and savings will definitely be another value to consider.”

Scott Burger is located at L3 Uptown Place Mall, 9th Ave. corner 36th St., BGC.

The post A taste of nostalgia in a modern setting appeared first on The Manila Times Online.

Ben D. Kritz08

FOR months, the government and we in the media have been telling and retelling similar narratives when it comes to key economic indicators, primarily the country’s inflation rate: Inflation and other data such as the peso’s exchange value should be read in context, and their significance not overstated; the economy, from a broad perspective, is still one of the fastest-growing in Asia, and making tangible gains despite the apparent negative implications of some stand-alone indicators.

Until now, those assertions could be supported. After the revelation this week, however, that June inflation accelerated to 5.2 percent the mantra of economic positivity just sounds ridiculous. The statement to the media on Friday by Duterte mouthpiece Harry Roque Jr. was a perfect example. “We have explained this before. There’s money going around, that’s why we have inflation. There’s money from the free tuition, from the taxes, there’s money because of the Build, Build, Build [infrastructure plan], but it is not something to worry about,” Roque said.

Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez 3rd offered a similar perspective in reply to some criticism on Twitter later, explaining away the high inflation as “demand pressures,” also reassuring the public that it was a positive indicator.

If talk could build things, the Duterte administration would have erected a stairway to heaven by now.

The reality of the situation is that even though the economy is still far from being in a condition that could be described as “in trouble,” it is eroding to some extent, and those of us who have spent the past few months arguing otherwise are in error. With the US president having officially launched his ill-advised trade war against the rest of the world, the situation the Philippine economy is in now might transform from merely cooling a bit to retreating at an alarming rate, if our policymakers do not step in with some aggressive action.

Roque’s explanation of the sources of “money going around” is laughable. First, money from the free tuition is not somehow additional money. If tuition was not free, that money would still be spent and that spending reflected in inflation; it would just be reflected in a different part of the CPI price basket. Second, while there is more disposable income from lower income taxes for working people, most of that positive effect is canceled out by the expansion of the proportion of the workforce that is exempted from taxes on the one hand, and by the self-feeding loop of inflation more disposable income creates on the other. Finally, the “build, build, build” plan is still largely reflected as ideas on paper and investment pledges rather than actual new activity and money flows. The majority of the projects currently underway are things that were programmed under the last administration; the fact that they are continuing and in a few instances have started under the current administration does indeed indicate positive economic activity, but is something that was expected, and already taken into account in forward-looking forecasts for the country’s growth from two or three years ago.

Finance Secretary Dominguez’s insistence that inflation is a demand-driven phenomenon – a point he has stuck with for several months – is one example of an oddball point of view that makes one wonder exactly how he earned his high-flown reputation. For one thing, it directly contradicts the view of the BSP – the agency in the best position to do something to alter inflation’s trajectory – that first-half price growth has been “basically driven by supply side factors,” according to Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo. In particular, oil prices are half again as high at around $73 a barrel now than the planning assumptions from last year of $51 to $52 a barrel. For another, Dominguez is apparently overlooking the impact of some currently severe supply pressures in key agricultural commodities such as rice, sugar, and corn, which has a particularly huge impact on the entire food supply chain. Perhaps the reason these problems are not acknowledged is that they are in part the result of the administration’s mismanagement.

One solution Dominguez has offered to curb the high inflation rate is to remove tobacco from the CPI basket. This would accomplish nothing except to statistically whitewash the price data; whether Dominguez likes it or not, tobacco is still a major expenditure among consumers, and the headline inflation rate reflects reality a little more accurately if it is included. Furthermore, the assertion that tobacco has pushed inflation upward (largely due to the impact of higher excise taxes) is just plain wrong: The headline inflation rate, which includes tobacco, alcoholic beverages, food, fuel, and other items that tend to be volatile, rose 0.6 percent from 4.6 percent in May to 5.2 percent in June. However, core inflation, which excludes those volatile inputs, rose faster at 0.7 percent from 3.6 percent in May to 4.3 percent in June. Thus whatever is driving inflation, it is not among the inputs with the prices that fluctuate the most, and that further indicates a supply rather a demand-driven situation.

Finally, as another telling indication that the bright picture of the economy the government is painting is actually a bit duller than they would have us believe is the slowdown in manufacturing output in May, which of course was occurring at just the same time as inflation was accelerating again. May’s volume of production index rose 19.8 percent year-on-year in May, but that was a marked deceleration from April, which saw a 29-percent increase; in both months, the high positive figure could be partly attributed to a low base, as manufacturing was retracting at the same time last year. Manufacturing output in value terms also slowed from a month earlier, although not as much as volume; a large part of the difference between the two measures can be explained by the inflation rate and weak peso. Taken all together, the indications are that demand is slowing as the inflation rate remains high.

While the economic situation is not dire, the stubborn propensity of the current government to give everyone the impression they have no real grasp on reality is worrisome. Conditions are such that if the country’s economy is not monitored with rational care, things could quickly go beyond anyone’s control.

ben.kritz@manilatimes.net

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EDDIE G. ALINEA

GENERAL SANTOS CITY: Knock on wood.

Pray and hope that the FIBA (International Basketball Federation), the world’s ruling body for basket-ball, will be kind enough to spare the Philippines from suspension and, thus, banned the country from participating in all its sanctioned tournaments in the duration of the would-be suspension, if ever there will be.

This may come as an offshoot of the tumultuous players fight-marred Philippine-Australia matchup Monday last week in connection with the ongoing FIBA-Asia qualifying series.

Suspension, especially for a long period of time, would mean not seeing the Filipinos play in all basket-ball competitions held and recognized by FIBA as the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Asian Basketball Confederation (now FIBA-Asia) championship and even the lowly Southeast Asian Games and the As-sociation of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Basketball Championship, which the country suffered in the 60s and early 2000s – the first two times FIBA did ban the Philippines.

Basketball being the nation’s favorite pastime, such a ban, sure, will come as a big blow to the Filipinos’ pride especially because the country is in deep preparation for the coming Asian Games middle of this year, the 2019 SEA Games scheduled here, 2020 Olympic in Tokyo and the country’s hosting of the 2003 FIBA World Cup.

The Philippines was first suspended by FIBA after the then President Diosdado Macapagal’s admin-istration banned the entry of Yugoslavia, Russia and other East European communist countries to the country to take part in the Second World Basketball Championship the country was hosting in 1962.

The tournament was reduced to a mere invitational. The worlds instead was moved back to Brazil for the second time in three tournaments. The suspension was lifted though in time to allow the Philip-pines a place in the1966 Asian Games in Jakarta where the country was dethroned as Asiad champion following four straight title conquests that started in 1950.

Proof that the Philippines had regained its status as FIBA member of good standing was when it was awarded with the hosting of the world tourney 16 years later in 1978, considered then and until the present time, as the best world championship ever organized.

We looked to continue to enjoy such standing when political bickerings in the then regulatory body Basketball Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Olympic Committee cropped up in the early 2000s leading FIBA to suspend anew its recognition of the Philippines.

Resulting in the embarrassment of seeing the removal of basketball in the calendar of the 2005 Manila SEA Games calendar and barred the Filipinos from the basketball competitions in the 2006 Asian Games. This despite efforts of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the new ruling body for the sport which replaced the BAP, to save the situations.

Last week’s incident, considered as a black mark in Philippine basketball history, ended on a bright note though thanks to Filipino-American big man Troy Rike sort of lent decency to the shameful come brawl and earned a commendation from the international basketball community.

The 22-year-old member of the PH cadet squad, unlike elder brothers in the men’s team, had the presence of mind to cover Australia’s Chris Goulding during the melee. Goulding had already fallen on the floor when Rike shielded the Boomer from Filipino fans, players and team officials alike, who ap-peared ready to mob the guard.

His act drew praise from Team Pilipinas sponsor Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. president Ronald Mascari-ñas, who said that Rike “saved our country” on Monday night.

“Kung hindi sa action ni Troy Rike, basag ‘yung ulo nung nakahiga na ‘yun. By protecting this person, nakita niya ‘yung (magiging) repercussion. Even with his youth, he saw things beyond that moment,” Mascariñas said.

As a token of his appreciation, Mascariñas awarded Rike a check of P100,000 which the latter donated to a Philippine and an Australian charitable institutions.

“I’m new with the team. So when I found some incentives are to be given to the players, I was very happy,” Rike said. “And I made the decision to take some of that money and do something good with it. I’m planning to split it and give P50,000 to a Filipino charity and P50,000 to an Australian charity as well,” he said.

After learning of Rike’s plan, Mascariñas matched the player’s donations by giving another P100,000 to the same charities.

SBP, meanwhile, through its, president Al Panlilio, braced for the worst possible sanctions as FIBA started its probe on the bench-clearing brawl.

“Like in business, you have to expect the worst-case scenario and really prepare for it,” Panlilio said, adding he expects suspensions to be handed to several players and sanctions slapped on SBP, based on previous penalties FIBA sanctioned melees.

Panlilio and fellow sports leaders can perhaps remind players and athletes tasked with representing country in international competitions that in doing so, they’re carrying the country’s colors in said competitions and, therefore, should be careful in their behavior.

Unlike before, whenever we send sports delegations overseas, members were taught on how to be-have properly to protect country’s image. “Ngayon hindi nangyayari ito. Pati nga mga opisyal hindi ma-ganda ang ikinikilos.”

This OUTSIDER is one in praying that FIBA sees the bright side of Monday’s shameful incident and not the Philippines recidivism having been suspended twice already.

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Creamline and PayMaya set out for Game One of the best-of-three series for the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Reinforced Conference crown today (Sunday) riding on a contrasting pair of sudden death victories in the Final Four but with the same drive – win at all costs.

For one, the Cool Smashers are seeking redemption after settling for a pair of third place finishes de-spite a strong roster in last year inaugurals of the league organized by Sports Vision although their campaign then was hampered by Alyssa Valdez’s commitment with the national team and her interna-tional stint.

Angel Antipuesto of Pocari foils one of Creamline’s Alyssa Valdez’s vaunted attacks in sudden death of their semis duel. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

This time, however, the former Ateneo hotshot has dedicated her time and effort to Creamline’s title bid, helping give the Cool Smashers a crack at a first-ever championship with consistent games from the elims to the semis.

Gametime is at 3:45 p.m. which can be viewed live via streaming on sports.abs-cbn.com/livestream/pvl. It will be shown on a delayed basis starting at 7 tonight on ABS-CBN Sports + Action Channel 23.

The duel for third between Pocari and BanKo-Perlas will be shown live starting at 1:45 p.m.

“Our goal is really to go into the championship and win it,” said Valdez. “But we worked hard to get here (finals) given the sacrifices and all the injuries that hit the team.”

But PayMaya is also all primed up for the championship on its very first finals stint on a team built around a never-say-die crew that bounced back from two sets down to foil BanKo-Perlas in their do-or-die contest for the other finals berth.

While Creamline pounced on Myla Pablo’s absence to finish off Pocari-Air Force in three in their side of the semis rubber match, PayMaya had to buck overwhelming odds, including a poor showing in the first two sets, a 21-23 deficit in the fourth and a big BanKo-Perlas’ fightback in the fifth to advance.

“I always tell them not to lose hope and be confident,” said multi-titled PayMaya coach Roger Go-rayeb, who hopes to draw the best from imports Tess Rountree and Shelby Sullivan and local aces Grethcel Soltones, Jasmine Nabor, Lizlee Ann Pantone, Aiko Urdas, Jerilli Malabanan and Celine Do-mingo in the series opener.

But the High Flyers must also neutralize Creamline’s vaunted offense made up of Valdez and Thai Kuttika Kaewpin with Laura Schaudt also expected to put in her share along with Risa Sato, Jia Morado, Melissa Gohing and Michelle Gumabao.

Cignal and Air Force also start their own series in the league backed by Mikasa and Asics for the men’s crown at 6 p.m.

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Pangilinan-led PayMaya forged partnership with international aid organization Oxfam to hasten financial inclusion in the poorest areas in the Philippines.

The launch of Inclusive and Affordable Financial Facilities for Resilient and Developed Filipinos Project or iAFFORD Project has marked the expanded partnership of the two organizations, eyeing to give financial support “to the poor, underserved, and unbanked.”

Maria Rosario Felizco, country director of Oxfam in the Philippines, expressed optimism that this partnership would not only provide financial assistance but also help boost local economies.

PayMaya COO and Managing Director Paolo Azzola, PayMaya President and CEO Orlando B. Vea, Oxfam in the Philippines Country Director Maria Rosario Felizco, and Oxfam in the Philippines Senior Manager for Partnership Relations and Development Ted Bonpin

Under the iAFFORD project, PayMaya and Oxfam would collaborate to increase presence of financial services and products.

The shari’ah-compliant iAFFORD-PayMaya prepaid electronic cards (e-cards) work as a digital wallet and its cutting-edge features allow individuals to save, send, or receive money; make cashless transactions at Visa-accredited stores or online; and conveniently buy load or pay for bills like insurance, phone, credit, utilities, and more. In times of humanitarian emergencies, such as natural disasters and conflicts, the e-cards can also serve as a channel to quickly and securely disburse aid.

“By working together, we can amplify efforts in the fight against poverty, increase community resilience, and improve humanitarian contributions to ‘building back better’ like in Marawi,” Felizco was quoted as saying in a statement.

“We have seen how the innovative use of cashless technologies increased the economic empowerment of poor Filipinos, particularly in the way marginalized and vulnerable women in post-conflict settings have asserted greater power in markets and households,” she added.

Orlando Vea, president and chief executive officer at PayMaya Philippines, mirrored the same sentiment, saying: “Financial inclusion is the core of what we do at PayMaya, and this strategic partnership with Oxfam will definitely help in fulfilling that mission. By building cashless ecosystems around the Philippines, we are able to empower all Filipinos to improve or rebuild their lives so they can help in building a strong and resilient nation.”

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