InLife offers first sustainable investment fund with potential regular payouts

BY ATHENA JILLIAN BRAVO

of diversification.

Sustainable investments worldwide are way within track to constitute 21.5% of total global assets under management (AuM) in less than five years.

With potential growth foreseen, Insular Life (InLife) recently launched an investment fund that supports Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)-focused outcomes with the potential to earn monthly payouts—-Systematic Global Sustainable Investment Fund (GSIF). This is the first of its kind in the Philippine market.

“InLife customers will have the option to invest in globally-diversified portfolio that promotes ESG values.

Not only will they receive potential payouts, they will also take part in a portfolio with lower carbon intensity for the long term by supporting the growth of these companies,” said Gae Martinez, InLife Chief Marketing Officer.

InLife said in a statement that the company is now working on the GSIF hand in hand with BlackRock who are known to be the leading asset managers in the world and one of the leaders in championing ESG’s impact on investments. This partnership also opens opportunities for the group’s customers who would like to invest in global companies through BlackRock’s capabilities, to enjoy the benefits

It is projected to grow further as more stakeholders expect companies to play a role in advancing ESG principles, the statement said.

Earn Potential Regular Payouts Up to 6% Yield GSIF is the first to offer monthly payouts, with yields of up to 6% p.a. potentially that supports ESG

“It is a sustainable portfolio that generates income. With GSIF, you are uncovering ESG risks and opportunities, so that your portfolio is set up for long-term financial performance,” said Jose Paolo T. Puno, InLife Assistant Vice President for Product Development.

He added that GSIF is most suited for individuals who believe in ESG, are looking for medium to long-term investment opportunities and have invested on fixed-income instruments.

How Sustainable Investments Are Chosen GSIF has three equally weighted sustainable, systematic strategies -- sustainable developed defensive equity income, sustainable global growth equity income, and sustainable global investment grade and high yield bonds (at a maximum of 20 percent).

“It’s an investment approach that uses big data, technology such as machine learning and AI, and human insights from experienced global asset managers. Our target fund manager is the leader in systematic investing that’s why they are the right partner,” explained Puno.

In a study by NYU Stern, the researchers found evidence that ESG factors could contribute to improved financial performance over longer time horizons. The GSIF target manager incorporates ESG insights when identifying the investment signals. Combined with the traditional sources of information and the experience and insights of the target manager, this human-machine approach enables a more holistic view of companies.

Income and Defensive

Growth

“We have seen investors put more emphasis on ESG integration into investment management in the past few years, and income funds have seen strong growth in the past five years. Aside from seeking ESG outcomes, the target fund strategy aims to provide defensive growth. GSIF is suited for customers with a moderate risk profile or those who are more aggressive but seek to balance their current portfolio with a sustainable allocation. It’s a win-win Fund for everyone,” Martinez said. GSIF is currently available through InLife’s Solid Fund Builder and Dollar Solid Fund Builder policies.

dent bared he would have wished his daughter Vice President Sara would succeed him.

“For example si Inday, si Inday talaga ang inano ko because I wanted Inday to continue what I have done for the country,” he said.

The reason for wanting VP Sara to succeed him in Malacanang is for continuity and keeping the momentum.

“Ayaw kong masira ang momentum,” he straightforwardly said. It can be recalled that the elder Duterte never endorsed any presidential candidate in the last elections.

He even criticized then candidate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as “a weak leader.”

As to his other children, Cong. Paolo Duterte and Mayor Baste Duterte, the former president had this to say: “Baste is now the mayor and Pulong is the congressman, hindi ko kontrolado at hindi ko rin sila prinogram. Si Baste kay Inday yan, Pulong on his own. Yan talaga ang totoo.”

He also said that Mayor Baste is trying his best to be a good mayor of Davao City.

“We talked sometimes, mga tips lang kung ano ang dapat gawin,” he said.

Meanwhile, the former president said he may be joining the Araw ng Davao celebration this year.

“I would like to thank the people and congratulate the people of Davao for joining us in our journey towards governance at nakita naman natin wala akong masyadong problema sa pagdala sa gobyerno ngayon. Ang problema kasi mga anak ko but by any standard okay sila,” he said.

Pascual added.

In a separate statement, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the ratification of RCEP strengthens the Philippines’ position as an investment hub in ASEAN.

“With the country’s participation to RCEP, the Philippines has now further strengthened its position as an ideal investment hub in the region as we expand market access, facilitate trade and align our rules and procedures with participating economies,” he said.

Balisacan said this is in line with the overall targets of the Marcos administration’s medium-term plan of creating higher quality, resilient and sustainable jobs to achieve poverty reduction by attracting investments and boosting business expansions.

“With the strong support of Congress, yesterday’s concurrence to the RCEP Agreement is a testament to the government’s commitment to creating an environment conducive for trade and investments that are catalysts for job creation, skills development, and technology transfer as we seek to transform the Philippine economy in the next six years,” he added.

Support from the private sector

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (Conwep) also expressed their gratitude to the Senate members for concurring with the RCEP ratification.

“It’s a good development for our country’s economic trade opportunities. Certain products are given conditionalities to avoid negative impact to local producers,” PCCI president George Barcelon told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in a text message.

For his part, MBC executive director Francisco Alcuaz Jr. said the business group is confident that RCEP will accelerate job generation and economic speak, the cable chips are being manufactured in France and are being loaded. Once they’re loaded, they go out to sea and we will start laying the cable,” Romero said.

The infrastructure is envisioned to support the booming digital connectivity needs of the Asia-Pacific region.

“Converge invested in this cable about a minimum of 15 terabits of capacity and will be landing here in the beautiful city of Davao. The route of the cable is from Singapore to the US, it goes to the bottom and passes through Indonesia, the Philippines, and Guam. The natural landing will be Davao, which is like the economic hub also and some for Mindanao,” Romero added.

here, its tendency is people need the digital highway and they will put the digital data centers, so this is the storage at diyan ilalagay ang mga data para i-serve in the future to individual’s homes. Magkakaroon tayo ng digital infrastructure dito sa Davao City, which we build already the whole Davao regional highway, connected to the whole Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon. Davao in the future will have economic development tulad ng gumagawa ng call centers, software developments, magbi-build ng digital center storage, ma-e-encourage na sila mag-invest in Davao City dahil meron ka nang infrastructure,” Uy said.

utilizing bottom-up duplicity checking, from the province to the regional level, to ensure that the beneficiaries to be registered in the program are eligible.

He emphasized that they will be prioritizing households whose children are still studying, particularly those children in the elementary level. This is for the children to fully experience the Kilos

Unlad Framework, he said.

Tijon added that DSWDXI is strictly implementing the “no document, no registration policy” to counter cases of duplicates.

He advised those qualified beneficiaries to visit their respective barangay hall to check if they are on the list of potential beneficiaries and to comply the necessary documentary requirements. (PIA-XI/Anton Oblianda) recovery and will promote inclusive growth.

Alcuaz said the Senate’s decision to favor the country’s participation to RCEP is a “clear signal” that the Philippines is open for business and jobs.

“We congratulate the Senate, President (Ferdinand) Marcos, DTI Sec. Pascual, former DTI Sec. Ramon Lopez, and the rest of the Economic cluster for taking another step to open foreign markets for Philippine businesses while improving the quality and affordability of local goods and services,” he added.

On the other hand, Conwep underscored the importance of RCEP market for the Philippine manufacturers.

“The RCEP member countries represent 19 percent of our total wearables exports to the world. If the Philippines fail to ratify the said agreement and form part of this major regional economy, the same can be diluted by other member RCEP countries,” Conwep said in a statement.

The consortium behind Bifrost includes Keppel Midgard Holdings Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Keppel Telecommunications and Transportation Limited (Keppel T and T), Meta, and PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), a subsidiary of PT Telkom Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Uy said that the construction of the Bifrost CLS will open Davao City to investors including digital storage centers and software developments.

“When you have a cable landing station, the gateway to other countries

City dahil wala naman kaming magagandang dagat na gustong puntahan ng karamihan, tumutok po kami sa MICE market o yung Meetings, Incentive, Travels, Conventions and Exhibit,” she said.

She also said municipalities need ancillary services that come with services to and from the airport.

Thirdly, Duterte said municipals should study short and long-term plans for tourism.

“Kapag sinabi po natin na long term, yun po

Uy also said Converge will be coming out soon with a middle-class package and the prepaid package fiber for homes.

“The important thing is how you can bring the connectivity to the individual Filipino users regardless of economic status. Digital access is not essential anymore, it’s a right already. We need to find a way, to bring the low-cost and segmented market to the Filipino users,” he said.

The groundbreaking and time capsule laying ceremony on Wednesday afternoon was graced by former president Rodrigo Duterte. By Maya M. Padillo yung mga plano na iniiwan ninyo labas o beyond your term. Sabihin na natin nakabuo ka ng 9 years, kailangan po yung plano ninyo na long term ay umaabot po sa susunod na mayor. Dahil napakahalaga po ng continuity ng mga programa ng isang local government unit para po hindi nasasayang ang inyong mga investments sa inyong tourism program at naiinstitutionalize ninyo ang lahat ng inyong mga ginagawa,” she said.

The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) earlier said the industry targets 54 percent of its growth to be sourced outside NCR.

The ITBPO sector is eyeing USD59 billion in revenues, employing 2.5 million Filipinos by 2028. Rara added the industry will overtake overseas Filipinos’ remittances in this decade, and will continue to be the growth driver of the country’s property sector and the whole economy. (PNA)

Court’s Mandanas-Garcia ruling.

Pangandaman noted that LGUs would get around PHP820.3-billion automatic appropriations as part of their National Tax Allotment and some PHP16.5-billion allotment for the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).

Under the LGSF, budgetary allocations are provided for financial assistance to LGUs, Growth Equity Fund and support to the Barangay Development Program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

Pangandaman also cited the DBM’s crucial initiatives that will help empower local governments in achieving resilience and autonomy.

Such initiatives, she said, include the institutionalization of the Philippine Open Government Partnership, rollout of the Participatory Budgeting Program, continued thrust towards the passage of the Progressive Budgeting for Better and Modernized (PBBM) Governance Bill, and implementation of the

the market, and that they will shoulder the cost of warehousing,” Panganiban said.

In a memorandum from the Office of the Executive Secretary dated Jan. 13, 2023, the DA was ordered to implement its recommendations to President Marcos, who is also the Agriculture Secretary, on the second Sugar Importation Program for the Crop Year 20222023.

The memorandum, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, said around 100,00 metric tons of sugar “shall be automatically classified as ‘B’ or Domestic Sugar” while a total of 350 metric tons “shall be made available to the domestic market or otherwise designated.”

“Relative thereto, the

DBM’s Digital Transformation Roadmap.

As the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government undergoes transition, the national government has also appropriated funding for its Annual Block Grant; Special Development Fund for the rebuilding, rehabilitation, and development of its conflict-affected communities; and their share in taxes, fees, and charges collected in the region.

Pangandaman said all the DBM’s initiatives signifies the agency’s resolve to empathize with the needs of local governments and the Filipino people in pursuit of good governance.

“Through empathy, we will all be moved to work with the best of our abilities for the betterment of our municipalities and our country. Sa tunay na pakikiisa sa ating mga mamamayan, magiging tunay na tapat ang ating serbisyo sa ating bayan (Through cooperation with the public, we can provide genuine public service in our nation),” she said. (PNA)

DA is hereby directed to implement the abovementioned recommendations, to ensure adequate supply of sugar in domestic markets, reduce prices and manage inflation, subject to compliance with Republic Act No. 10659 or the ‘Sugarcane Industry Development Act of 2015’, its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and other relevant laws, rules and regulations,” the memorandum read.

Panganiban said he selected from the list given to him three sugar importers, whom he considers “the most capable importers that we have”.

He noted President Marcos “was properly informed” when the imported sugar was shipped to the country on Feb. 9. (with reports from Stephanie Sevillano/PNA)