NEW YORK: A fix to the anti-stall system suspected in the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet that killed 189 people in Indonesia is ready, industry sources said Saturday, as the company tries to avoid a lengthy grounding of its planes.

Boeing was due to present the patch to officials and pilots of US airlines — American, Southwest and United — in Renton, Washington state, where the plane is assembled, other sources said.

“Boeing has already finalized the necessary corrective measures for the MAX,” an aviation sector source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will receive the patch “early next week,” a government source added.

Asked how long the certification process could take after the patch is in the hands of the authorities, this source said that nothing has been decided yet.

The FAA declined to comment.

The Lion Air crash in Indonesia last October and another accident this month involving an Ethiopian Airlines jet, which killed 346 people between them, have raised major concerns about the safety certification of the 737 MAX 8 model.

The Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10 led to the global grounding of 737 MAX planes.

Although it will take months to determine the exact cause of both crashes, investigators in the Lion case have honed in on the MCAS automated anti-stalling system designed to point the nose of the plane downward if it is in danger of stalling, or losing lift.

American Airlines and Southwest pilots were set to test simulators with the updates on Saturday, according to the sources.

Boeing neither confirmed nor denied the information.

The FAA had given until April for Boeing to make the necessary changes to the critical anti-stall system, and on March 15 two anonymous industry sources told AFP the upgrade would be ready in about 10 days.

A spokesman for United Airlines, whose fleet includes 14 of the 737 MAX 9 planes, confirmed the company’s attendance at the training session.

Consumer protection

Southwest and its SWAPA pilots union “have subject matter experts from our Technical Pilot Team and Training Teams headed to Boeing to review documentation and training associated with the modification to the B737 speed trim system,” a spokeswoman said.

The company is one of the biggest 737 MAX 8 customers, owning 34 of the planes.

“We’ve been working diligently and in close cooperation with the FAA on the software update. We are taking a comprehensive and careful approach to design, develop and test the software that will ultimately lead to certification,” a Boeing spokeswoman said.

“There will be training provided by Boeing.”

In addition to the software modification, the industry sources said Boeing has also finalized updates to its flight and pilots’ training manuals, as the FAA asked.

“We have been engaging with all 737 MAX operators and we are continuing to schedule meetings to share information about our plans for supporting the 737 MAX fleet,” the Boeing spokeswoman said, declining to confirm the timeline for the changes.

In another modification, the 737 MAX will be outfitted with a warning light for malfunctions in the anti-stall system, an industry source told AFP on Thursday, standardizing a feature previously sold as an optional extra.

Neither the Lion Air aircraft nor the Ethiopian Airlines jet had the feature, the industry source said.

US and Ethiopian authorities have said this month’s crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 near Addis Ababa bore “similarities” to last year’s Lion Air crash.

Since the Ethiopian crash, pressure has intensified on Boeing and the image of the company — which also makes combat aircraft and space equipment — has been eroded.

Share value of the firm, which says it is the world’s largest aerospace manufacturer, has dropped 12 percent since the accident, wiping out $28 billion in market capitalization

Boeing and the FAA are under investigation by the Transportation Department over how the rollout of the jet was handled, including the anti-stall system.

The acting FAA head is among transport officials who are to testify on Wednesday before a congressional subcommittee.

Questioning is likely to focus on tight links between Boeing and the regulators, who maintain offices in the airplane factories and delegated a large part of the certification process for the 737 MAX and its anti-stall system to employees of Boeing, sources said.

Press reports say that the Department of Justice has also opened a criminal investigation into the 737 MAX’s development.

Ralph Nader, the veteran US consumer protection advocate who lost a relative in the Ethiopia crash, called Friday for an organization to defend passengers’ rights. AFP

AFP/CC

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Pole position in the PBA elimination has been secured. The leader is not any team from the SMC empire, whose three teams each won a championship last season. Neither is it from the MVP side, whose three teams have struggled of late. Independent stalwarts Rain or Shine and Alaska didn’t get to the summit either.

Finishing with a 9-2 card, no other team can catch the Phoenix Fuelmasters and they now enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage with whoever ends up at 8th place. It’s safe to say that nobody saw this coming.

Seamless team play
There was no earth-shaking addition to the Fuelmasters in the offseason, they added good rotation players. This is the reason why the games are actually played on the court—they are not won on paper. Improvement can come with a paradigm shift, not necessarily a roster addition.

Phoenix is now the paradigm of team play. Even the statistics reflect it. They have four players in double figures (Matthew Wright, Calvin Abueva, Justin Chua and Rookie of the Year Jason Perkins). Two other players barely made the cut, RJ Jazul and Mallari—the team’s primary ball distributors.

Speaking of distributors, the team is actually filled with multi-tasking team players. You can see that the players gel and they trust each other. Of course, it also helps that their core players have been healthy.

Phoenix does not have a dominant player who carries the team on his shoulders. What they have is a core that has learned to work seamlessly with each other.

The beast effect
The Fuelmasters did have their breakthrough acquisitions last season. The big trade for Calvin Abueva came at the right time for the team. They had a rising rookie in Jason Perkins and Matthew Wright was on his way to stardom.

Abueva is the type of player who plays hard and doesn’t care about positions. He’ll guard and chase down LA Tenorio or Jayson Castro, and wrestle the rebound with Greg Slaughter or Troy Rosario—in the same play!

The Beast is the best man to lead Phoenix, giving them the swagger they need to overcome their undersized roster. Their tallest player is Justin Chua at 6-6. They have used Perkins and Doug Kramer at the center spot against Ginebra’s twin towers (took them to the limit, Wright missed a game tying 3-pointer) and SMB’s 5-time MVP June Mar Fajardo.

Coach Louie Alas and able assistant Topex Robinson crafted the perfect system for them. Observers have noted that it’s virtually positionless basketball.

Basketball as a game of skill, not position
The game has truly changed. In the 80s to early 90s, the most valuable commodity was a seven foot center. Michael Jordan revolutionized the game and placed the emphasis on athletic guards and wingmen. LeBron James was a freak of nature and had the ability to play and guard virtually every position. He has shifted mainly from small forward, to power forward and if the match-up dictates, an undersized five.

Nowadays, skill, not height dictates your position. Kevin Durant used to lie about his height, kept on saying he was 6-9 just so they let him play small forward. He’s closer to 7 feet now and the game has caught up– they let him play as he desires. Ben Simmons is a point guard at 6-10. He wasn’t forced to be a post or inside player. The seven-footer is still useful, but the skills required are different.

Aliens upon us
In a recent podcast, The Ringer showrunner Bill Simmons named his All-NBA first team. This award was still based on positions, but for Giannis Antetokounmpo, he said, “he has no position, he’s an alien.” The battle for the MVP will boil down between “the Greek Freak” a seven footer who, like LeBron, can take on any position, and the prototype shooting guard James Harden.

Nevertheless, the game will soon be played by five players on the court—ANY five players regardless of height, who can rebound, shoot the three and defend without suffering on switches. As of now, Phoenix is closest to doing that, and they are the model of success.

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BANGKOK: The leader of the Pheu Thai political party that was ousted as Thailand’s government in a 2014 military coup says she’s confident of winning Sunday’s election.

Speaking to reporters after voting in Bangkok, Sudarat Keyuraphan said: “I don’t say it’ll be a landslide. I don’t know. Depend on the people. But I think we can win this election.”

Thais are voting for a 500-member parliament that, along with a 250-member junta-appointed Senate, will decide the country’s next prime minister.

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has issued a statement as Thais vote in their first election since the 2014 coup that says the role of leaders is to stop “bad people” from gaining power and causing chaos.

Invoking a speech by his father, the previous Thai king, who died in 2016 after reigning for seven decades, Vajiralongkorn said not all citizens could be transformed into good people, so leaders must be given support in ruling to create a peaceful nation.

He urged government officials, soldiers and civil servants to look after national security.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief who led the 2014 coup, is hoping to extend his hold on power after engineering a new political system that aims to stifle the influence of big political parties not aligned with the military.

Voting is underway in Thailand’s first election since the military ousted an elected government in a 2014 coup.

AFP

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Traditional powerhouse Chélu Bar & Grill goes for its first winning streak when it takes on winless league rookie McDavid in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Developmental League today at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao, Quezon City.

The last season’s twice runners-up Revellers shoot for their maiden back-to-back victories this season against McDavid at 4 p.m. in the Aspirants Group.

Facing a struggling team, Chélu head coach Stevenson Tiu warns his wards of complacency.

“I’m always reminding my players that even though they’re talented and experienced, it’s a guarantee that we’ll win. We have to work hard every game whichever team we face,” said Tiu.

Coming off a 77-82 loss to surprise leader St. Clare College-Virtual Reality, Chélu strikingly bounced back with an 89-63 demolition of Batangas-Emilio Aguinaldo College behind Sean Manganti last March 12.

Former Adamson University skipper Manganti is expected to take charge of the Revellers anew together with veterans Jeff Viernes, Jesse Collado and Jay-R Taganas as they aim to improve their 2-1 record.

But McDavid is aching to get its breakthrough win following a three-game losing start capped by a 64-89 defeat at the hands of Petron-Colegio de Sa Juan de Letran.

The Allen Ricardo-mentored team will pin its hopes on David Caranguian, Michael Sorela, James Martinez and Jan Colina.

In the 2 p.m. opener, Marinerong Pilipino (2-2) guns for a rebound win against tough-luck The Masterpiece Clothing-Trinity University of Asia (0-3).

The Skippers surrendered a 78-88 decision to Wangs Basketball last March 14 while the White Stallions suffered their third consecutive setback to Cha Dao-Far Eastern University, 81-106, on the same game day.

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Veterans Jerilli Malabanan and Celine Domingo delivered in the clutch as Far Eastern University outlasted Adamson University, 30-32, 25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 15-13, for a rebound win to start the second round of Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Team captain Malabanan and third-year blocker Domingo scored the last two points for the Lady Tamaraws, who needed to buck the absence of super rookie Lycha Ebon in the fifth set to jumpstart the second round with a bounce-back victory.

“Fortunately, we were able to handle the situation,” said FEU head coach George Pascua, whose squad rebounded from a 15-25, 19-25, 24-26 sweep to De La Salle University.

Ebon sizzled with a game-high 19 points on 16 kills, two blocks and an ace before getting stretchered out early in the last set due to a right knee injury.

Heather Anne Guinoo chipped in 14 points while Malabanan tallied eight markers and Domingo added six.

“Since I am the captain, he (Pascua) wants me to be the one who leads the team,” said Malabanan.

Czarina Carandang and Ivana Agudo stepped up in the absence of Ebon, finishing with eight and four points, respectively.

It was another grueling five-setter for the Morayta-based volleybelles against their counterparts from San Marcelino, repeating their 25-18, 17-25, 25-14, 22-25, 15-8 triumph in the first round.

After saving FEU in the fourth set, Ebon suffered a knee injury following a bad fall early in the deciding frame.

Pascua called in Agudo who combined forces with Carandang to push the Lady Tamaraws up, 11-6.

But the Lady Falcons unleashed a 7-2 run capped by Bern Flora’s strong spike to knot the game at 13-all.

Malabanan sent a down-the-line spike before Domingo hammered out a block to hand FEU the hard-earned win.

Eli Soyud had a team-best 17 points, Joy Dacoron and Chiara Permentilla had 15 markers apiece even as Flora had 11 for Adamson.

The Lady Falcons fell to their fourth straight defeat as they sank deeper down the cellar with a 1-7 slate.

Earlier in the men’s division, La Salle fired off the second round with a 27-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 upset over University of Santo Tomas (UST).

Chris Bernard Dumago chalked 18 points to lead three other Green Spikers in double-digit scoring as they tied the skidding Tiger Spikers at No. 5 with a similar 3-5 card.

University of the Philippines finally got its breakthrough victory at the expense of University of the East in a five-setter, 25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-11.

UP remained at the bottom with 1-7 while UE stayed at No. 7 with a 2-6 slate.

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LOS ANGELES: Luka Doncic had a triple double and Dirk Nowitzki underlined his final game at Oracle Arena with a throwback performance as the Dallas Mavericks handed the Golden State Warriors their worst loss of the season on Saturday.

Doncic finished with a game high 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Nowitzki, who is likely in his final NBA season, scored a season high 21 points in a 126-91 blowout victory by the visiting Mavs.

“The last few games I didn’t have a good shooting rhythm,” said the 40-year-old Nowitzki, who started after coming off the bench for most of the season. “Today, I had it early and often.”

Germany’s Nowitzki scored 10 of the game’s first 16 points, helping Dallas seize a 14-2 early lead. He was cheered loudly in the introductions by the crowd at Oracle, which is scheduled to close at the end of the season.

“I really enjoyed my time here. I played against some great players,” said Nowitzki, adding he scored his first NBA basket at the venue.

Nowitzki had five three pointers and Doncic and Maxi Kleber each drained four as Dallas outscored the Warriors 63-12 from beyond the arc to earn their first win in Golden State since 2012.

The loss on their home floor came on a night when the Warriors chose to sit out Stephen Curry.

The 35-point margin of defeat was the largest of the season for Golden State, eclipsing a 33-point rout by the Boston Celtics.

The Mavericks had a 50-point win over Utah and a 38-pointer over Charlotte earlier in the season.

Kevin Durant had 25 points in 29 minutes for the Warriors, who had won four of their previous five games. Durant missed all eight of his three point attempts.

Draymond Green said the Warriors have trouble getting motivated to play the Mavericks.

Durant is looking to their next game on Sunday against Detroit.

Elsewhere, Kemba Walker scored 18 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter and the Charlotte Hornets kept their slim playoff hopes alive by rallying to beat the Boston Celtics 124-117.

Charlotte won its second straight, improved to 33-39 on the season.

Also, Trae Young scored 32 points, including a last-second, go-ahead clutch basket, as the Atlanta Hawks snapped the Philadelphia 76ers six-game winning streak with a 129-127 win.

* * *

Former MVP Rose undergoes right elbow surgery

WASHINGTON: Injury-nagged 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose has undergone his latest operation, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), saying he had arthroscopic surgery to remove right elbow bone chips.

Rose will be sidelined indefinitely but was already slated to miss the remainder of the regular season for the T-Wolves, who at 32-40 are one loss from being eliminated from playoff contention with 10 games remaining.

The 30-year-old point guard was a superstar playmaker for his hometown Chicago Bulls, but suffered a left knee injury in Chicago’s opening game of the 2012 NBA playoffs, missed the entire 2012-13 season and then suffered a right knee injury early in the 2013-14 campaign and missed most of that season as well.

Another knee injury followed and Rose was traded to New York in 2016, but in April 2017 suffered another left knee injury and underwent his fourth career knee surgery.

Rose played for Cleveland in the 2017-18 campaign before a trade to Utah, which released him. Rose signed with Minnesota and was reunited with ex-Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.

AFP

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THE stock market suffered a bloodbath in early trading on Monday as fears of a global recession sparked sell offs among investors.

At noon break, the bellwether PSE index plunged by 2.45 percent or 196.09 points to 7,817.33. The wider All Shares declined by 1.89 percent or 92.98 points to 4,820.33.

Timson Securities Inc. trader Jervin de Celis said that the local market tracked its Japanese counterpart after the latter fell by 3 percent on Monday due to fears of a global economic slowdown. US 10-year treasury yields on Friday inverted for the first time since 2007 following concerns about US economic conditions.

In a separate comment, Eastern Securities Development Corp. trader Jayniel Carl Manuel said that the market pulled back after a run of gains last week.

“I expect our index to recover [in] the next coming days,” he added.

The local market tracked the decline on Wall Street and in the region.

All sectoral results finished in the red, with the holding firms index down the most by 3.06 percent.

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Oil companies will for the seventh consecutive time increase the price of gasoline on Tuesday.

by effective Tuesday.

In separate advisories, firms announced that the prices of gasoline will go up by 65 centavos per liter, while the cost of diesel and kerosene will increase by 10 centavos per liter each.

Companies that have announced an upward adjustment in fuel prices include Eastern Petroleum, Petro Gazz, Pilipinas Shell, PTT Philippines, and Unioil.

Other firms are expected to follow suit.

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More than half of the cities and municipalities in the country were declared election hotspots, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

PNP chief Oscar Albayalde said 941 or 57.6% of the 1,634 cities and municipalities nationwide are in the election watchlist.

Meanwhile, 131 cities and municipalities are in the “Yellow” category or areas of concern while 238 are under the “Orange” category or areas of immediate concern.

570 cities and municipalities were placed under the “Red” category or areas of grave concern. Two cities — Cotabato and Daraga — are under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The Comelec recently declared all 454 cities and municipalities in Mindanao under the “Red” category.”

The rest of the “Red” cities and municipalities are in Eastern Visayas (45), Cordillera Region (28), Bicol Region (21), Calabarzon (5), Central Luzon (4), Western Visayas (4), Cagayan Valley Region (2), and Central Visayas (1).

There are no “Red” areas in the National Capital Region and Ilocos Region.

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WHAT remedy does a person wrongly convicted have after the judgment of conviction has attained finality? Convictions become final for so many reasons other than the established guilt of the accused.

The avenue of appeal can be too costly or too tedious. Or the appellate courts can go the well-worn route of relying on the supposed privileged capacity of the trial court “to observe the conduct and demeanor of the witnesses” and refuse to disturb findings of fact.

The forthright answer to the question is that the hapless sentenced person is really without remedy — except perhaps executive clemency. But one who applies for an act of presidential grace must accept guilt. Why should a man who has consistently protested his innocence and who knows his innocence accept guilt? And the direct but pathetic answer is that that would be the only way for him to go free.

There is, in the United States, the “writ of coram nobis” that allows the virtual revival of a case long resolved in order to correct a miscarriage of justice. Such a writ is not available in this jurisdiction, but is sorely needed, especially at a time that judges rush to clear their dockets and, aside from holding continuous trials, must write decisions often in a rush, without jury or assessors to aid them in ferreting out facts.

Of course, one can argue that since the periods for appeal and for a petition for certiorari are any similar relief are determined by the Rules of Court, the Supreme Court, as ultimate rule-making body, can suspend its own rules. In fact, it has, in the past, suspended its own rules. The rule on “locus standi” is one such rule frequently relaxed, if not completely disregarded. And so, the Court could, in truly meritorious cases, suspend the rule on the seasonal perfection of an appeal and give due course on the basis of clear error of fact — whether on the basis of newly discovered evidence or some other ground.

We hit however a conundrum here, for it has also been held that when the period to perfect an appeal has lapsed, the court loses jurisdiction. And so if the error in the appreciation of facts, or newly discovered evidence that warrants setting aside the judgment of conviction and ordering the immediate release of the sentenced person should occur long after the period for appeal or review or certiorari has lapsed, strictly, the case would be beyond the reach of the courts — jurisdiction having lapsed.

When DNA evidence was unavailable or sophisticated forensic techniques were unknown, most findings of fact were accorded finality. But even then, errors were not completely unknown. All that the helpless convict could do was serve time — or worse, submit to judicially ordered murder! I think it imperative that as the justice system matures and we become ever more cognizant of the fallibility of human judgments, that much of what passes for “findings of fact” are actually articulately phrased conjectures, then the law of remedies should make available some antidote to our misplaced — but humanly costly — pretensions at truth.

rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph
rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph
rannie_aquino@outlook.com

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THE Philippine Air Force (PAF) has been replenished with new UH-1H “Huey” helicopter parts and maintenance equipment from Japan.

The fresh arrivals, which are a donation from the Japanese government, are worth P5 billion.

Lt. Gen. Rozzano Briguez, PAF chief, said the donation was “of great help to our combat utility fleet.”

Let’s hope there’s no hanky-panky in the PAF’s new helicopter deal.

During the administration of President Noynoy abnoy kuyakoy, the PAF was given 21 Huey choppers bought for P1.2 billion by the Department of National Defense.

Then Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin signed the contract for the purchase of the combat helicopters that turned out to be chopper scraps harvested from a German military junkyard, pieced together and made into choppers.

The choppers, assembled in a private yard in the US, were passed off as “combat-capable” with “night vision.”

Two helicopters from this batch have crashed since they were acquired in 2015.

A Senate investigation was conducted on the highly irregular purchase as a result of the twin crashes.

Nothing came of the probe.

Gazmin and his cohorts are laughing their way to the bank.

* * *

The whistleblower in the irregular PAF helicopter purchase, Rhodora Alvarez, an employee of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), has been harassed by Gazmin et al with libel suits.

Alvarez has testified before the Senate that Gazmin received a 7 percent kickback from the P1.2-billion deal.

For a while, Alvarez was placed under the Witness Protection Program, but the protective custody was lifted by the Department of Justice for unknown reasons.

Now, the poor woman is running scared.

* * *

The water shortage in large parts of Metro Manila is being blamed on the mismanagement of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System or MWSS.

How in heaven’s name did a retired police general, Reynaldo Velasco, get to be the MWSS administrator?

Why wasn’t a career engineer with experience in water infrastructure projects appointed as MWSS head instead?

* * *

Manila Water, one of two concessionaires of MWSS — the other being Maynilad — to distribute water in Metro Manila and some parts of Rizal, is taking the rap for the water shortage.

Manila Water is owned by the Zobel de Ayala.

It’s high time the government take back its contract with Manila Water and award it to another group.

The Zobel de Ayala, who are into real estate development, have been greatly remiss in their job as water distributor.

They should just concentrate on real estate development.

* * *

The 17-year-old suspect in the grisly murder of 16-year-old Christine Silawan is not being identified in the press because he’s a minor.

Blame Sen. Kiko Pangilinan for protecting young criminals like the 17-year-old suspect.

Under the stupid Pangilinan Law, the court that will try the suspect will have to determine whether the boy acted with discernment when he committed the heinous crime.

Teenagers today are far more advanced in thinking than their grandfathers when they were their age. Today’s youths have access to all kinds of information through the internet.

Because of the stupid Pangilinan Law, many minor offenders have committed murder and rape with impunity.

A 14-year-old boy who raped a restaurant cashier after robbing the establishment years ago went scot-free, thanks but no thanks to that stupid law.

Filipino voters must be so stupid as to have voted for Senator Pangilinan when he ran for reelection in 2013.

Kiko Pangilinan, whose term as senator expired in 2016, is now Liberal Party president.

* * *

If memory serves, in Davao City during the time of then-Mayor Rody Duterte, a 13-year-old boy stabbed to death a 20-year-old college student after the latter refused to part with his watch.

The victim was a PWD or person with disability.

The 13-year-old suspect was not held in custody, but his body was found in a deserted spot in the city with many stab wounds days later.

His assailant or assailants have not been known up to this day.

* * *

Here in my “Isumbong mo kay Tulfo” offices, we have on record at least 10 cases of women who were gang-raped.

It’s a heinous crime, and one that requires that all rapists involved to get their just desserts.

However, if I may be so forward, I do have something to say to all our women, too.

Stop putting yourselves in situations where it can happen.

If a woman goes to a drinking session with many men whom she hardly knows, she’s courting trouble.

At “Isumbong,” we’ve learned about cases of women getting drunk with men they hardly knew and were gang-raped.

In a perfect world, women should feel safe in the company of strange men.

But ours is not a perfect world.

Just because one or two of the men in the drinking session are people you know or trust does not make you safe.

In Puerto Princesa City, a 16-year-old girl was raped by the uncle of her classmate with whom she drank a few bottles of beer in the classmate’s home.

Unless a woman wants to get laid, she should never drink with a man she hardly knows.

Date rapes happen that way.

The woman in that Subic Freeport rape case a few years ago had willingly gone with the American accused of raping her.

She met the US serviceman that night and got so drunk she forced him and his companions into allowing her to get in the van that was to take the sailors back to their ship.

She got laid at the back of the van while it was moving.

The poor seaman got convicted of rape and served time in our prisons.

I was bashed by legions of people for siding with the American in my column then at the Inquirer because I was told the whole story by an objective source.

I was exonerated in the end after the woman recanted her accusation before the Court of Appeals which ordered the American serviceman released.

P.S. The woman, who I was told was considered asawa ng bayan (woman of loose morals) in her city, was made a US citizen for retracting her charges.

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First word
IN the book, Force and Statecraft by Gordon A. Craig and Alexander L. George (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1995), the authors, one a historian of international affairs and the other a distinguished political scientist, make this startling claim:

“Students of military strategy have not given much systematic attention to the problem of terminating wars, and military planners have also traditionally neglected these problems, concentrating upon how to start wars and fight them successfully, rather than upon how to end them. Japanese leaders, for example, developed an ingenious plan for a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor but had no notion of how the resulting war with the United States might be concluded.”

The armed forces and the government find themselves today in much the same predicament as the Japanese in fighting the twin armed challenges to the Philippine state — the 50-year-old communist insurgency, and the just-as-old Muslim secessionist rebellion in Mindanao.

By nearly every indicator in the conflicts, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has fought its way to the cusp of victory in the test of arms with both groups.

But then, while so close to defeating both insurgencies, the government still cannot fully terminate the strife and liberate the nation from both scourges.

It is striking that both insurgencies are coming to a head during the current term of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The challenge to his government now is how to terminate both conflicts expeditiously, before the baton passes on to his successor in 2022.

War termination
Craig and George devote a major chapter in their book specifically to the subject of “war termination.”

They specifically chose the term “war termination” not peace in their discussion.

“One must distinguish,” they said, “between a mere cessation of hostilities and a peace agreement that attempts to resolve the conflicting aims over which the battle has been waged. Hostilities may end with a ceasefire or armistice that leaves the issues at stake unsettled and defers their consideration to a later peace conference.”

On the question of what strategists and planners should do when things do not go according to plan, the authors wrote:

“Wars or conflicts are often prolonged as a result of military estimates that prove too optimistic regarding the expected effectiveness of one’s military strategy and unrealistically downgrade the capabilities and will of the opponent.

“What factors set into motion and facilitate efforts to terminate a conflict?

“Generally speaking, a belligerent side will not consider ending the conflict unless it stands to realize the minimum goals for which it has been fighting. But it must also have the resources and the will to continue fighting for its minimally acceptable outcome.

“The process of reevaluation will take place on both sides, until the two sides agree that settling for less than they had hoped for is preferable to continuing hostilities.

“War termination typically involves not one but a number of important issues on which both the two sides disagree: such as, the timing and conditions of a ceasefire, the disposition of territories, the withdrawal of forces, and provisions for reparations.

“The ideal outcome of course is a peace agreement between the two sides.”

The need for statecraft
In response to a request from a friend, I wrote sometime last year a brief paper on the communist insurgency and the riddle of terminating it.

I will use in this column some of the thoughts I raised in that essay.

The first point I raised in my discussion is that skillful and effective statecraft has been missing from the government policy and strategy in ending the communist insurgency.

What is statecraft? Statecraft is the use of the assets or the resources and tools (economic, military, intelligence, media) that a state has to pursue its interests and to affect the behavior of others, whether friendly or hostile. It involves making sound assessments and understanding where and on what issues the state is being challenged and can counter a threat or create a potential opportunity or take advantage of one.

Statecraft requires good judgment in the definition of one’s interest and a recognition of how to exercise military or soft economic power to provide security and promote the well-being of one’s citizens.

It is a mistake for any government or president to enter negotiations — even if he thinks it is largely for show — without a vision and an understanding of acceptable outcomes. Once in a negotiation, there are political costs for walking away. The longer a negotiating process goes, the more it tends to justify itself — and the more one must not lose sight of its initial purpose.

Duterte concessions misjudged
The failure of the negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army (CPP-NPA) under President Duterte is due principally to poor statecraft on the government side. Government negotiators did not have a clear vision of an acceptable outcome from the talks; they withered in the face of the intransigence and clear-eyed objectives of the communist side.

The government got very little in return from the enormous concessions that President Duterte granted to the communists in order to get the negotiations moving, notably:

1. President Duterte’s decision to appoint nominees from the communists to his initial Cabinet, involving no less than four portfolios.

2. DU30’s decision to allow the provisional release of communist political detainees to enable them to serve as consultants for the communist side in the negotiations.

3. Extension of political space in the parliamentary arena to communist party-list front organizations and their designated representatives.

These major concessions were misjudged as signs of weakness on the part of government; the communists used them as a springboard to expand their ranks and mount fresh NPA attacks on military and police forces. They thought Duterte would be another Cory Aquino.

Delusion about ‘peace talks’
The government policy and strategy in the negotiations has been wrongfooted by a delusional idea of the magical efficacy of peace talks. This thinking is a legacy from the Benigno Aquino 3rd government and its Church supporters, which created the office of the presidential adviser on the peace process.

DU30 can infuse new purpose and vigor in the government’s policy toward the insurgency with a change in focus:

1. Dropping “peace talks” totally from its vocabulary in dealing with the CPP-NPA, whether formally or informally. “Peace” should only enter the picture when a settlement is ready for signature.

2. Adopting “war termination” as the explicit and only acceptable outcome in the resolution of the communist insurgency.

The change in terminology will effect a sea change in the public’s perception of the President’s iron resolve to end once and for all the 50-year-old communist insurgency.

This will crown the President’s decision to call off peace talks permanently and to dissolve the government peace panel.

This means that the government should utilize its massive superiority of firepower and command of resources to mount unrelenting pressure on the CPP, NPA and the National Democratic Front to shift their attention toward the termination of the insurgency.

The isolation of Jose Maria Sison and other communist leaders in the Netherlands and the surrender of so many NPA groups at local level point to a decisive reduction of strength of the armed struggle.

Relentless action to stop NPA capacity to mount attacks against government forces, uproot revolutionary taxation in the countryside, curtail the activities of communist front organizations in Congress and the media will collectively sap the will of the insurgents to carry on the armed struggle.

A “no quarter given” approach to the insurgency, coupled with a forceful communications campaign on the futility of the communist cause and ideology should pull the rug from under the rebellion.

Communist leaders must be told that the only discussion possible now between government and the insurgency should be “surrender” or “war termination.”

President Marcos did it with the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas, and got them to surrender.

President Duterte should do the same with the CPP-NPA.

yenmakabenta@yahoo.com.

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Lest Filipino voters are misled into thinking that honesty does not matter in our public service, let it be told that the issue has been raised, discussed and dismissed in the current election campaign.

The give-and-take between opposing camps and candidates on the issue has not been enlightening.

It is simply grotesque for anyone to assert that honesty does not matter in our public life, or that honesty does not or should not figure in the candidates’ qualifications for office or citizens’ evaluation of their worthiness.

Stated simply, honesty is a fundamental requirement in our public service. The central premise is that public officials are obligated to render honest judgment, to work hard and efficiently, and to maximize the benefits of government to all citizens.

We rightly associate the virtue of honesty with a person’s character. According to Francis Fukuyama, author of the book, Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity, honesty is one of the social virtues vital to prosperity.

Significantly, a source book and guide that we use from time to time at The Manila Times carries the title, Honest Government, An Ethics Guide to Public Service.

Sure, honesty is often misused as a platitude. Yet, there is no way this splendid virtue is going to go out of fashion.

It must be pointed out here that there is a critical difference between campaigning for public office and wielding the responsibilities of public office. The candidate and the officeholder have different responsibilities.

Strictures on conduct that we reserve for actual officeholders in the public payroll are not normally applied in the case of candidates. There are clear ethical guidelines for both elected public officials and regular civil servants, according to the book Honest Government.

That said, there are also some rules for candidates and campaigning, which the Commission on Elections is mandated to enforce. Campaign rules are totally different from the rules governing actual public service. Among these campaign rules are limits concerning spending and advertising.

Honest Government has listed some useful guidelines for candidates. Current candidates in the coming elections will do well to bear them in mind.

For instance, there is a rule of fairness in campaigning for public office. Unfair tactics are sometimes employed to blacken the image and reputation of rival candidates. Unfair campaign tactics are generally unacceptable.

Honest Government provides a useful guideline on this: “Campaigning is unfair if it contains allegations that are untrue, defamatory, misleading to a reasonable person, or irrelevant to the legitimate qualifications for the office sought or to issues about which the electorate is legitimately concerned.”

Finally, we relay to the reader a wise parting word from Honest Government:

“Campaigning should not cloud the issues by raising questions about an opponent that are not relevant to his or her qualifications or judgment.”

There is a campaign version of the Golden Rule: “How would you feel if your opponent made a similar attack against you? If the answer is ‘terrible,’ then the attack is unfair.”

Candidates will do better by meeting for debates that explore in-depth issues and test their thinking and problem-solving abilities rather than let them show off superficial skills.

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After a rocky economic ride in 2018 with exorbitantly high levels of inflation, the Philippines faces an uncertain year ahead. The economic outlook for 2019 has prompted mixed views with some commentators predicting that growth will fall short of government targets. Will this signal a return to high inflation and dent spending power? How will the dependents of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) manage if the cost of day-to-day essentials takes ever-larger amounts from their remittance lifelines?

Inflation has certainly eroded some types of consumer spending in recent months, but everyday expenses such as food and housing are not things that can simply be given up in hard times. However, on the plus side, the decline in the value of the peso has partly offset inflation, enabling OFWs to take advantage of favourable exchange rates to send more money home.

Whatever 2019 brings, OFWs will need to look for the most cost-effective and efficient ways to transfer money to their family and friends. This is where international money transfer organisations such as Xpress Money can make a big difference in both good times and bad.

With Xpress Money you can make remittances to the Philippines as cash, bank account transfers and mobile wallet credits. Whatever method you choose, you will benefit from great exchange rates and low transfer fees. If you were to use a bank, expect charges that sometimes reach double figures. In contrast, Xpress Money’s global average is just 2%.

And with cost-efficiency comes convenience. There are more than 15,000 agent locations across the country where you can send money to be picked up, and there are nearly 3,000 agents in Manila alone. This goes a long way in saving costs as people will never have to travel far to find the nearest Xpress Money agent.

Those OFWs whose remittances are not totally absorbed by day-to-day living expenses, one way of fighting inflation is to reserve some funds for investments. Naturally, investments carry risks, but investing wisely in stocks, real estate or other assets can help beat inflation and be well prepared for the future. As an OFW it is imperative to think long term, as you will need to ride out economic volatilities if you want to see your investment grow in real terms.

Inflation is a fact of life. Cost-effective remittances help money go further – both for the sender and the receiver – and take some of the sting out of rising prices. The more you save on remittance costs by using organisations such as Xpress Money, the more your beneficiaries in the Philippines will have for essentials – which will be particularly welcome if inflation returns to last year’s highs. And if either you or your beneficiaries have surplus funds for an investment strategy, however modest, so much the better.

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Manila Water announced on Tuesday that it will provide relief for all its customers affected by the water crisis in its coverage area.

In a press briefing, Manila Water President and Chief Executive Officer Ferdinand dela Cruz said a one-time bill waiver scheme would be reflected in the April bill of its customers.

The waiver, he said, aims to address the “widespread inconvenience” caused by the unprecedented water shortage that hit over a million households in portions of Metro Manila and Rizal province.

Manila Water will waive the minimum charge for all its 6.8 million customers across its East Zone concession area for their March consumption which ranges from P76 to P656 per customer.

“For most severely affected barangays… [those] without water for 24 hours for more than a week, they will not be billed for their whole water consumption for March,” dela Cruz said.

Manila Water services the cities of Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Makati and parts of Quezon City and Manila. It also serves Antipolo City and the Rizal towns of Angono, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililla, Rodriguez, Tanay, Taytay and San Mateo.

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